Dear Little Deaf Boy

Chapter 11 - Assigned Seats

Chapter 11 - Assigned Seats

I wasn't ashamed about being tutored. It was no secret I wasn't the brightest student in school, and I use that word loosely, because academia and intelligence can be measured in a multitude of ways. The truth is, I never really cared about school. It doesn't mean that I'm dumb. It just means that I'm academically lazy.

So when it came to my arrangement with Jasper, I kept it under wraps. The last thing I needed was Carly and her little clan sniffing out my predicament. If she found out why I was benched, she would do everything in her power to knock me out of my solo slot for Nationals. Not to mention try to steal every lead in the dance routines leading up to it.

Nationals weren't guaranteed. There were regionals, sectionals, and so many divisions before we even got there. But Nationals was what I cared about. It was make or break for me. Yes, I minded missing competitions before then. Yes, it killed me. But as long as Nationals were still on the table, I told myself I'd be fine. Honestly, how hard could it be to turn a GPA around? Maybe if I bribed a couple teachers, I'd have straight A's by the end of the month.

But the truth was, I was already barred from seasonal competitions and recitals. My only shot left was the World of Ballet National Competition at the very end of next semester. That was it. The big one. And even then, nothing was promised.

As far as the rest of the dancers knew, I was "taking a break for my studies." No one knew the stipulations. No one knew the consequences if I fell behind.

Still, I danced at rehearsals. I needed it to breathe.

"Kinsley Pines," Mrs. Easton called, peering over her glasses at me from behind her desk.

"Here," I mumbled, cheek pressed against my desk.

I'll admit it, my father was right about at least one thing. I lacked elegance in situations that didn't involve ballet.

"I didn't spot you at practice yesterday, Kinny," Carly sang, drawing out the nickname with mock sweetness. The way it curled off her tongue wasn't endearing, it was meant to sting. "Things were certainly quieter without your aura suffocating the place. No one does a pirouette quite like you."

She was good at that, slinging the meanest things in the nicest tone, leaving people confused about whether they'd been insulted or complimented.

"Things are always quiet when you're around, Carly. You just have such a muted aura."

I forced a sugary smile and pinched my nose like her presence was a bad smell. Laughter erupted around me. Carly's jaw tightened.

"You know what, Pines—"

"Yes, I know. I'm a bitch. Very original."

My quip earned another wave of laughter, but Mrs. Easton wasn't impressed.

"That's enough from you two. I've had it with this constant back and forth. Time to change the seating arrangements."

The room groaned in protest. I groaned too. My seat in the mid-back was perfect. I had the girl with the enormous hair in front of me, which meant the teacher never noticed if I wasn't paying attention, and the boy next to me was a quiet straight-A student with legible notes. It was prime real estate.

"Oh, stop whining," Mrs. Easton scolded. "It's just a few switches."

Hands shot up, volunteers offering themselves as my new neighbors.

"She can always sit next to me, Mrs. Easton," Ricky, captain of the soccer team, called out.

From the back, a voice chimed in, low and vulgar. "I got something she can sit on."

Snickers broke out. My pencil flew across the room, smacking him square in the forehead.

"Ow," he cried, rubbing his head.

"Ms. Pines," Mrs. Easton continued, ignoring him, "I'm trying to find you a seat where you won't be tempted to talk. But it seems no matter where I put you, I can only imagine the worst."

"People just like me," I muttered under my breath. Sometimes too much.

Then Mrs. Easton brightened, as if struck with divine inspiration. "Perfect. Ms. Pines, your new assigned seat is next to Mr. Ralston."

Giggles swept through the class. Jasper sat isolated in the far corner, surrounded by empty desks. His head was bent low, fingers tight around his pen, sketching furiously across the page. He looked untouchable, like the rest of the world didn't exist.

But I knew he noticed. He had to feel our eyes on him.

How could you not?

I couldn't stop the jolt of excitement that flared in my chest. Jasper Ralston was a mystery. Silent, closed off, untouchable. I wanted to see what he was hiding.

I wanted to be the one who got in.

"Kinsley," Mrs. Easton snapped again.

"Just a second," I muttered, clinging to my little dramatic vow in my head.

I will be the girl to break night.

"Ms. Pines. Move."

She ruined it. Again.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, ignoring the looks and whispers, and walked down the aisle toward his corner. My heels tapped against the tile like a drumbeat announcing me.

Jasper didn't look up until I dropped my bag and slid into the desk beside him. Then his forest green eyes flicked my way, framed perfectly behind round glasses. His lips parted slightly, like he might say something, then closed again. He snapped his notebook shut in one quick motion, shielding whatever he'd been working on.

He was effortlessly handsome, and the closer I sat, the harder it was to ignore.

Mrs. Easton crouched slightly like she was speaking to a small child. She raised her voice, drawing out each word like he couldn't understand English. "Jasper. Kinsley will be sitting here from now on. If she gives you any problems, you tell me." She even gestured with her hands, like exaggerated charades.

I winced. Jasper's jaw tensed.

"He's deaf, not dumb, Mrs. Easton," I said flatly.

That earned laughter, and if I wasn't imagining it, a flicker of a smile from Jasper.

"Clearly the only idiot around here is you," Carly cut in from across the room, flipping her hair. Her minions cackled.

I rolled my eyes. "Please stop talking. Even over here I can smell your breath. Then again, maybe that's not your breath. Close your legs. I'd offer you a mint, but I don't think they make them for that."

Carly's face flushed crimson. She grabbed her bag and stormed out, her friends scrambling after her.

Mrs. Easton looked ready to combust. "That's enough, Ms. Pines. I've had it with your kitsch behavior. Detention does you no good, nor does calling your father. Your grades are slipping and you don't have the common sense to care."

Her words rolled over me, but I was already gathering my things, ready to walk out like Carly. I wasn't going to sit here and be lectured like a child.

Then a hand closed gently around my wrist.

Jasper.

The world seemed to still. His hand was soft but firm, cool against my skin. His forest green eyes locked onto mine. They were steady, saying more than his mouth ever had.

Stay.

It was just a shake of his head, just a look. But for some reason, I listened.

I sat back down, arms folded, scowling at him. He gave me the faintest knowing smile before turning back to his notebook, shutting me out like I was never there.

And I hated that it made me want to know him even more.