The Boy Next Door

9

Leo and I practiced nearly every day at lunch, but it still wasn't enough. I suggested we practice outside of school.

    "It would be easy since we live next door to each other," I said, "but I don't have a piano."

    "I guess we could do it at my house." Leo signed.

    "Okay, how does after school today sound?"

Leo paused, an anxious look on his face, but he nodded. "Sure, we could walk to my house after school today."

    My heart fluttered. But my crush on Leo was not my only motive of going to his house. I had seen another, bigger bruise on his wrist when we were practicing a few days ago. I was scared for him.

    We walked to his house together at a respectable distance that suggested nothing more than friends walking home together. But I had to continually fight the urge to entwine my fingers in his and feel the comforting warmth of his body. We had become close, and I was getting better at reading his emotions, although he was rarely demonstrative.     

After a short time of walking, laughing, and bumping into each other on purpose to push the other off the sidewalk, we arrived at his house.

    "Do you want something to eat?" Leo asked me.

    He's such a gentleman I thought.

    "No, I'm alright, thanks." I signed. I wasn't always sure if I should sign back to him or not. I asked him about it once we walked up to his attic where the piano was.

    "Do you prefer that people use sign language with you, or just speak to you?

    "I don't really mind when people just speak to me. That's what everybody does anyway. But it's nice to know that someone speaks my language when they sign back. It makes it seem like my mutism isn't as big of a deal anymore. I feel like I'm a normal person around you because you do know sign." he signed slowly through the sentences so as not to confuse me. I was grateful.

    I blushed. "I'm glad I'm learning it, and that you're willing to teach me more. You're a pretty amazing person to talk to; everyone else is missing out."

    Now it was his cheeks that flushed red.

    "Thank you." he signed. "That means a lot. It's not  like I don't have any other friends though." he smirked.
    
      "Hey!" I nudged him. "We both know you'd be lost without me." I joked.

      "That's honestly true though." he laughed uncomfortably.
   
    Leo's face went red as he realized the truth he had just revealed. We stood there silently until we both remembered why we were actually here.

    "We should practice." Leo signed awkwardly.

    "Yeah, definitely."

    We were all business after that, but our conversation echoed in my head. Had anyone ever cared enough to actually learn sign language for Leo? Was I the first one that did?

    In the middle of our playing, we heard one of his parents come home. Leo's face went pale.

    "You need to go." he signed.

    I didn't argue with him, although I wanted to. We walked back downstairs but were stopped by his mother.

    "Oh, hello! Who are you?" she asked me in a fake tone.

    "I'm Astrid." I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Leo invited me over; I was just leaving."

    "Oh, okay." she said, her fake smile fading.

    "Bye Leo." I signed before I walked out of the door.

    I paused after I closed the door and pressed my ear against it.

    "You know you can't have friends over, Leo."

    I sneaked over to the window to see what Leo was saying.

"We just needed to practice for Solo and Ensemble together, it was nothing."

"I don't understand you when you talk like that." his mother said.

    Leo had an enraged look on his face as he grabbed the notepad on the counter and scribbled down what he had said and showed it to her.

    "It's not nothing!" she yelled. "What if your father had come home before me?"

     Leo was silent.

    "That's what I thought. Don't bring her here again."

    Leo signed something angrily at his mother too quickly for me to understand while she walked up the stairs. He collapsed into a heap, tears streaming down his face.

    I walked back to my house, stunned. I closed the door and leaned against it. I needed to talk to Leo.

A/N: Over 700 words! I hope you liked this chapter, and remember to vote if you liked it.