Road To Happiness ✔

SIX

Hugo's beard was growing out. It was darker than his blonde mop of hair and as a result, looked strange on his face. But he had slept through his alarm and shaving it off would make him late for class.

His father had already left for work by the time he finally made it into the kitchen. His first class was in less than half an hour and the train was in a few minutes. With no time to eat breakfast, his stomach rumbled loudly, but it would have to wait until after class.

He got halfway to the station when he realised he'd forgotten to grab his headphones before he left. There wasn't enough time to go back and them. He wanted to scream and slam his hands against the nearest wall. His music was the only thing that could keep him calm when he was on the packed train.

He bolted up the stairs two at a time as the sound of the train horn sounded. His breath came out in short sharp pants as he ran, but it was too late. As he reached the platform, the train doors closed and it began to pull away from the platform. Bored eyes started at him from the windows as he watched, panting loudly.

He ran a hand through his hair, the next train wasn't for another twenty minutes and by the time it got to the university station, he'd be late. He didn't want all those eyes on him when he walked into the hall. They would stare at him like he was something disgusting. He hated it so much.

There was only one thing he could do. He pulled out his phone and stared at it, debating whether or not he should do it. He didn't want to bother her, she would be busy getting to class, but he wouldn't make it in time if he didn't. With a nervous hiss of breath, he brought up his scarce messages with Renee and typed something out.

Hugo: Hey I missed my train. I hate to be a pain, but would you be able to give me a lift to class?

Renee: Yeah of course. Which station? I'll be there as quickly as I can

It was as though she'd been waiting for him to text her, she replied so fast. He told her which station he was stranded at and moved down to the pick-up area to wait for her. Renee was there in a little over ten minutes, pulling up with a large grin on her face and Stefan in the passenger seat.

"Hey, dork," Renee said when he opened the door to the back seat. "Nice beard." He couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.

"Thank you," he signed, making sure his face looked questioning. He gave Stefan a little wave smiled when he waved back. "I'm sorry to be a pain, I just didn't want to be late."

Renee shrugged and pulled out from the curb. "We'll be a little bit late because we've got to drop Stefan off first, but not too late, I promise," she said. It was better than showing up halfway through the lesson like he would have if he caught the train.

"Thank you," he repeated.

"Wait, I can't see what you're saying. Stefan, translate," Renee ordered. Of course, she was driving. It was one of the few times speaking in sign language became a pain.

Stefan huffed out a small laugh. "He just said thank you," he said in his deep voice. "It's okay, I have the same issue when I can't be bothered turning on my hearing aids."

Hugo frowned, his brow crinkling. "You don't always use them?" he asked.

"Nah, sometimes sound is annoying, you know," he said and nudged Renee in the shoulder. "Especially when this one is nattering away at me for hours."

"Fuck off," Renee said. Hugo laughed his silent laugh at the pair. They had such a close friendship, they would have been friends for years.

"How long have you two known each other?" he asked. They were probably things Renee would have told him if she actually remembered to tell people about each other. Stefan apparently knew nothing about him except that he and Renee did the same course. He didn't mind it, but he wished she had so he was able to talk to him a little easier. His little knowledge wasn't helping his nerves at all.