Hearing You (Newsies | Sprace)

Chapter 1

Spot was sitting in his science class talking to his friend Mush as the two played mindless games on a sheet of paper attempting to drown out the teacher. Spot attention was pulled away when the door opened a boy he had never seen walked in, he didn't even talk to the teacher he just came back to Mush.

Spot watched as the boy's fingers started moving rapidly, and then even more surprising Mush did the same thing back but he was about ten times slower. Eventually, the kid pulled two things out of his ears as Mush dug in his backpack. Mush finally pulled out a plastic back with small batteries and a screwdriver.

The boy was stood nervously watching as Mush put new batteries in the devices and handed them back. The Boy placed them back in his ear while wrapping part of it behind his ear and under the curls of hair.

"Better?" Mush asked.

"Yep, thanks," the boy said.

"Remember to go to the car after school, and I will be there after practice," Mush instructed before the boy left the classroom.

"Who was that?" Spot asked.

"My foster brother," Mush said putting the bag back in his backpack.

"Oh, what was all this about," He said imitating the hand moving.

"Race is deaf without his hearing-aids and the batteries in them died so he couldn't hear. The hand thing is called sign language. He's better at it than I am, but I'm learning," Mush laughed. The bell rang signaling that the day was over.

Spot and Mush went and got changed for practice and meet the rest of their friend group out on the football field.

"It's hot out here today," Specs said.

"Should Race be in the car in this heat?" Spot whispered into Mush's ear.

"Hey guys I have to go get something out of my car," Mush said before running to the parking lot. He came back in a few minutes with Race following him. Mush ran back onto the field as Race sat in the grandstand reading a book.

"Who is that?" Jack asked.

"That's Race," Mush said, "You guys can meet him after practice if you want."

After practice Mush stood in front of the stands, "Race, let's go." Race didn't even move or acknowledge Mush. "I swear if he turned them off." Mush climbed up into the stands and lightly hit Race on top of his head. Race quickly turned on his hearing aids. "You ready to go."

"Ya, sure," Race said shutting his book. The two headed down to the group of boys who were waiting for them.

"Guys this is Race, Race this is Spot, Jack, Specs, Romeo, Blink, and Skittery," Mush explained. The group went towards their cars and as they did Spot couldn't help himself from looking at Race's ears and the devices wrapped around them.

Everyone ended up at Mush's house as soon as they got inside Race disappeared up the stairs and came back down. Everyone sat down around the TV.

"Mush?" Romeo questioned causing everyone to look at him except Race who was still watching the TV, "Why is the closed captioning on?"

Mush quickly turned to Race who was sitting beside him. He moved Race's curls above his ears to find the Race had taken off his hearing aids. "Leave them on," Mush said before signing something the Race who signed back. "I'm sorry they hurt." Mush quickly signed again before Race went up the stairs and returned quickly sitting back down.

"Happy now," Race mumbled as everyone in the room looked between the two confused. "And by the way, you signed over half the stuff wrong."

"Just leave them in and on," Mush instructed.

"What just happened?" Jack asked.

"I'm deaf, and I took out my hearing-aids because they were hurting and I got in trouble for it. Happy now you know," Race said before running up the stairs. It wasn't long until the group heard a door slam. Mush set his hands in his head.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that," Mush said, "Race or Anthony is my foster brother, he is fully deaf unless he wears his hearing-aids."