The next morning, I got ready faster than usual knowing that I might see Zach on the steps of the high school again. Don't get too excited about this boy Ari. You're deaf remember? I quickly got dressed putting on a black v neck tee with a red plaid shirt over it, acid wash skinny jeans, my black converse, and a black beanie. I put on my usual makeup, packed Zach's conversation notebook in my bag, kissed my mom goodbye, and grabbed a chocolate chip muffin on the way out the door. I couldn't help but think about Zach while I was walking and I smiled when I saw him leaning on the railing listening to music. I snuck up behind him and poked him on the back. He jumped and turned around, taking out his earbuds and smiling at me. I sat down on the step and took out the notebook. I wrote, Boo! and tugged on his t-shirt pulling him to the step. He sat down and read it smiling. Taking out his pen, he replied Goodmorning sleeping beauty. I smiled and wrote What's it like hearing music? He tapped his pen on the notebook thinking, then replied It's like hearing feelings..love, sadness, happiness, anger. I wish I could hear feelings. I answered, It sounds interesting..what do you usually listen to? He smiled and replied I listen to classical usually..I play the piano and I'm pretty much obssesed. I smiled and wrote, That's really cool! I've seen someone play before and I've always wanted to hear what sounds it makes..If i could pick to hear one thing, It would be music. I looked down at what I wrote and felt the sadness in my heart that I feel when I talk about hearing. I looked up at him and saw his green eyes searching mine. He wrote, I'm sorry if i made you upset. :( I smiled and wrote, No worries! I'm fine. :) He smiled and wrote back, Bell rang. :( I stuck out my tongue at him. We packed up our bags and walked into the school. Once again, the school day went by fairly fast with Zach in class with me. While I was packing up my bag to go home, he came up with the notebook and I read: Want to come over and hang out? I smiled and nodded at him. He smiled and held the door open for me as we walked out. I texted my mom, Going to a friends house for a while. I knew she wouldn't care, in fact she's probably freaking out considering I haven't exactly had a friend to hang out with before. While I had my phone out, I decided it would be easier to just text Zach while we were walking. Me: So where do you want to hang out? Zach: Is my house okay? Me: Yeah sure. :) Zach: I don't live far..and I feel like those teenage girls who text eachother when they are together haha. Me: Hahaha yeah no kidding. :P We got to his house after about 15 minutes and walked up his driveway. He had a very nice three-story white house with a huge yard and a couple nice cars in the driveway. I stared at him with my mouth open and I saw him laughing. His house looked intimidating. He held open the front door for me and nodded for me to go in. He took me past his huge livingroom and kitchen to his very nice bedroom. I set my bag down beside his bed and walked around studying things and looking at pictures. I turned around and saw him smiling at me with the notebook in his hand. I smiled back and he motioned for me to follow him. I walked with him to a room with big windows and wood flooring. The room was empty except for a black grand piano in the corner. He sat on the bench and patted the spot next to him. I sat down and stared at the keys wondering what this instrument sounded like. He started pushing the keys swiftly with his fingers. They darted around up and down the paino faster than I could keep up with. Whatever he was playing probably sounded amazing. He stopped playing for a moment and looked at me. I looked back and gave him a small smile. He reached for my hand and when he slipped his fingers through mine, I felt something that I couldn't explain. After sitting there for a minute, he brought my hand up the paino keys and rested it on the very last keys. He began to slowly play and I felt vibrations on my fingers. It felt like the notes were flowing up my arm and into my heart. I've never felt anything like this before. I felt my eyes tear up and I sat there for a long time feeling the notes he was playing. After a while he stopped and looked at me. I took my hand off of the keys and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around my back and gently rubbed it. We sat there hugging for a while and when I finally pulled away, we smiled at eachother. I grabbed the notebook and wrote, That was amazing..I don't know what to say. I loved it. I could feel the song. He smiled and replied, I'm glad you liked it. :) Do you want to stay for dinner? I smiled and wrote, Sure. :) We walked to his kitchen and I saw his parents. I watched him talk to them, probably explaining that I couldn't hear and who knows what else. His dad smiled and shook my hand, then his mom smiled and hugged me. His mom cooked burgers and fries while Zach and I picked out a movie to watch. I grabbed The Sound of Music and held it up while making a puppy dog face. He rolled his eyes and smiled, then took it and put it in the DVD player. We grabbed our plates and went to his livingroom to watch the movie (with the captions on of course). After we ate, we paused the movie and make a blanket and pillow fort. That's the best way to watch a movie. We continued to watch the movie while I was cuddled up in blankets. We were sitting very close together and I could feel his warmth. He put his arm around me and pulled me in closer. I rested my head on his shoulder until the movie was over. We put away our fort while having a pillow fight and then it was time for me to come home. I texted my mom to come get me and a few minutes later she picked me up. I wrote, Thanks for having me, tell your parents thanks for the meal. Maybe we can hang out tommorow? :) I left it on the table, grabbed my bag, and walked down his driveway. I got in my mom's car and looked at her. She was beaming at me and I rolled my eyes. She signed, It's a boy isn't it?! I replied, Maybeee and smiled. She shook her head smiling and started to drive home. After she asked tons of questions about him, I finally rested my head on my pillow and went to sleep thinking about Zach and his piano.
