Signing Love (#Wattys 2018)

Chapter 17

Sami POV

I was glad that today was a Wednesday. Not because I have dance today. Not because I could listen to music in Language Arts, but because I have a presentation with Cole (even if it might be in Ms. Grudge's class).

Even though the class is directed by the scariest teacher in the school, this is the one time I get to communicate to Cole in school. I know that my brother wouldn't mind if it was a Science project or something like that, but I know that he was still kind of furious that Cole was my partner.

To be honest, I don't like to present (well I can't because I don't have to voice), but if I have Cole with me, I think that I could do almost anything in the world.

Well, not anything.

I can't really bring my Mom back from the dead, even if I wanted to. I would really like to, but that would be impossible. But there is one thing that I could do.

It has been twelve years since my Mom died. Twelve years. Some people move on after they have found a family that they love and loves them back. I have found that family eleven years ago, although I still couldn't move on. I would really love to, but something deep inside me is just preventing me to. I just really need to move on.

Before, my walks to school used to be fun. I would talk to Nathan and Noah, and we would tease each other, and laugh about what we did before. Then we would drop Noah off at school, and Nathan and I would walk to school, go to class, and we would come back home, not forgetting to pick Noah up on the way back home. Now, it is very different.

Noah and I would silently talk to each other, while the bitch and my brother would talk about whatever, and walk hand-in-hand. Then they would get closer. First, an arm around the shoulder, then it somehow goes all the way down to the waist. I would really like if Nathan wasn't so bad at decision-making.

"Sami." I looked down to see Noah pulling the hem of my sweatshirt. I looked down at him.

"What is it?" I asked him. I could tell that he really wanted to let something out. If it is something bad about Cassie, then, I really wouldn't mind.

"I don't like Cassie." He signed to me. He hasn't signed in a long time, but he has been doing well.

"Noah, you know why I love you?"

"Why?"

"Because you and I think alike." He gave me a small smile. His smiles always brighten my day. "Why don't you like her?" His smile turned into a frown in seconds.

"She called me a bad boy because I opened the door without knocking. And Nathan laughed at that. Nathan never laughed at me when I was called someone mean by anyone. That made me sad."

"Oh... next time, when something happens like that again, tell Mom, okay? She will know what to do with Nathan." He nodded his head.

"I miss Charvi. I know that I couldn't remember too much, but whenever I would walk into the room, she would never be mad at me. She would throw me up in the air and catch me." Noah was about three years old at that time. I remember that really well. She would take care of Noah so well, and that was what Nathan fell in love with. The ability to care. Even when she was so mad at him, she still cared about him to much to take the hit for him.

"I miss her too, Noah. Don't worry."

It was a long walk to school- well, the second half, or after I (not we) dropped Noah off at school. I was the third wheel during the walk, and I had no other choice other than to run the rest of the way to school. Along the way, I was glad that I bumped into Cole and Ariana.