The Silence Between Us

The Importance of Braille

Chapter 4:

I didn't pay attention to one word that was said in my fifth period class.

There were too many thoughts coursing through my head all at once, and absorbing new information wasn't going to do me any favors. I was too busy trying to think about what happened between Cora and I, still shocked that she was so angry that she punched me. And it wasn't a flimsy punch either, it was an all-out-I'm-going-to-kill-you punch with strength I didn't know Cora had. Not to mention my best friend otherwise known as Wanda the walking stick was gone.

I thought about my face. It must look terrible right now and I still had the nerve to show up to class. I could feel the swelling underneath my left eyelid, probably forming a black eye. Nurse Owens let me keep the ice pack and I still applied it to my face, but I felt like it was only attracting more stares. And to top it all off, I completely forgot about the blood on my clothes. I probably looked like a wreck. Which, to be fair, I was right now.

Then there was Mae. She was so nice to me and acted like she knew me for years even though we had just met an hour ago. Everyone else was too afraid to approach me, probably because I scared them with the walking stick. Except, she was different than everyone else. She just ran up to me when I was at my lowest and made me feel better. I didn't know anyone besides my mom and my brothers that could do that.

And last but not least, Alex Mirren.

I didn't know why my thoughts kept wandering to him in particular, but they were. I kept thinking about how he intervened when there were so many other people there to help. How he was the one to step in front of a live punch and its target. How he protected me. He doesn't even know who I am!

Not only did he save me from another attack on my face, he stopped Cora dead in her tracks. According to Mae, he was her ex, which would explain why she just acted scared after he stood in the way. Still, to have that sort of power over the popular crowd was a miracle in itself. Their relationship seemed...different than all of Cora's other exes.

As if saving me from the punch wasn't enough, he made sure I was okay. He took me to Nurse Owen's himself, leading me since I didn't have a walking stick. I thought chivalry died a long time ago.

The two main things that directed my attention to him however were how he was deaf and how I was so disappointed that he left without another word to me. It intrigued me to know that there was someone else in the school living with a disability like mine and I mentally kicked myself for not knowing it before. It surprised me how I had never heard his name before now, but I was glad that I knew it now before I left this school forever.

And as for my disappointment...I don't even know what to say about that. I barely know the guy!

There was a light thud on my desk and my head popped up immediately. At first, I thought someone was rapping their knuckles on the wooden surface, trying to get my attention so that I could tune into the lesson. I slightly heard the teacher's voice still far away from my desk, mentioning something about Macbeth (English was my fifth period) and I tuned out again. I was about to return to my thoughts when I heard it again.

It was a very soft sound, definitely not someone hitting it with their hand. Actually, now that I thought about it, it sounded like something landing on my desk, not hitting it. Casually, I swiped my hand over my desk, my fingers coming in contact with two small pieces of paper. I smiled to myself. Were these...notes? Was someone really passing notes to the blind girl?