—
for a majority of young girls, the most traumatic issue in their life consists of deciding which boy to fancy or where their next pair of shoes will come from ;
careless, silly priorities, if you asked millie.
but for a small, british teenager, she couldn't even remotely relate, for her issues and worries were much more real and vivid ;
she was deaf.
millie constantly had to contribute extra effort in everything she did, even the smallest, easiest tasks required a delicate approach.
it would most likely frustrate others, for even trying to relay a sentence could take up to five minutes, but millie wasn't ever one to focus on the negatives.
sure her hearing abilities had failed her, leaving her defenseless, but she would find herself feeling appreciative that she was favored just enough to sustain full ability until the queer age of 10
meaning, she had been fortunate to receive a one up ; she could physically reply, due to the fact she had once been capable of communicating normally, but of course, couldn't hear, therefore she was limited to reading lips.
matter of fact, millie occasionally even considered herself charmed, for her loss of hearing encouraged her to look in other things to relay what people were thinking.
millie found it quite intriguing to take notice of small acts others would commit, giving away if they were happy or sad, possibly anxious.
no one cared to notice or really had to depend on body language, so with that being said, millie felt quite odd, but still extraordinary, in the best way.
"millie,"
the youthful blonde gently prodded the brunette's upper arm from behind, in return, millie craned her neck over her left shoulder to reveal a clearer view from the passenger seat.
"yes?"
iris felt her lips tug into a small grin at the mere twinge of millie's british accent.
"where are we going?"
millie's pupils dilated slightly, as they were focused solely on iris' lips, as she attempted to sort out her words.
now comprehending her question, millie's faint smile gently tugged to the right in slight embarrassment.
"speech therapy."
the girl couldn't possibly keep the proud sweep of emotions from fluttering across her face.
she was so proud of millie ; her companion seemed to be very weary of speech therapy, for it caused her to feel and seem more incapable, therefore she was never pressured.
millie had always been very independent, so once her hearing had been stripped from her completely, she absolutely despised it, for it also stripped her of her pride and independence.
but now, seven years later for the first time, she's finally accepted the help offered and iris couldn't possibly be even prouder than what she already was ; she knew how much self love it took for her to get to this point.
"that's amazing, mills," iris patted her back softly as millie attentively hung on to her every word. "you're going to do great, like always."
iris watched in admiration as millie's eyes finally transitioned to make eye contact, her brown eyes scintillating in understanding.
a spontaneous snicker rung out as millie rolled her eyes at her best friend's comment, catching on to their inside joke. "shut up, dumbass."
iris couldn't help but release a titter, grateful that her humor had never given up on her like her hearing had.
"usual millie," iris pointed out, as millie once again eyed her lips with her eyebrows creased. "always has such sweet things to say."
—
okay, so super super short (im sorry lmao) but the reason being, this is kinda an unofficial prologue to let you see how millie views her disability and how she communicates ; but every chapter from here on out will consist of at the utter least 1,500 words, but usually it'll be at 2,000 if at all possible.
but anyways, i hope this was somewhat enjoyed nonetheless ; thanks for reading!
