All scars are visible to those that look

Chapter 2

Collins^^^

"So are you going to the party Friday night?" Chloe said. She seemed really soft spoken, and over the course of lunch I had gotten to know the people at the table. The guys that were with Collins and Matt earlier were Brandon and Emerson. They seemed nice and they had all been friends since like 5th grade when they got into a fight over a girl nonetheless. Brandon was very quiet and soft spoken but seemed like a big teddy bear due to his size. I found out that he was the linebacker for the team football team and Emerson was the kicker. I think Emerson had a wee bit of a crush on Chloe but I couldn't be sure because he also kept looking at me.

"I didn't know there was a party, but either way I can't go."

"Why?" Collins said

"Ummm it's the first week of school, I don't know anyone, and my parents are a little strict. I don't think they would willingly let me go to a party."

"But it's my party, you have to go! And you know us."

"Yea and I have a feeling that we are going to be good friends so how about tonight you go home and tell your parents all about me and then like Thursday ask if you can spend the night?" Catalina chimed in while talking with her mouth full of chips.

I liked her. She reminded me of myself. She was super nice and energetic and was absolutely gorgeous.

"My parents are gonna want to meet yours."

"Ok my step dad, Rick can come pick you up and meet them then, duhh"

"I'll ask."

I got up to dump my trash and use the bathroom but barely made it two steps before my arm was grabbed.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked

"Bathroom" I said as I noticed Chloe and Catalina stood to follow me.

Collins

"You like her" Matt said

Instead of answering him out loud I decided to sign to him. That was one of the perks of having a hearing impaired friend. We had our own secret language that if we did it fast enough not even Catalina could understand. The others had never bothered to learn. They tried, you know to be supportive of him losing his hearing, but they never really took an interest to it like me.

I knew that I didn't want his life to change any more than it already had after the accident. I saw when the doctor told him that he may never fully hear again, how he tried to cave into himself and retreat from himself. I pushed him to take the ASL classes and with me and our other friends treating him the same as before I knew he would be okay.

"Yea" I signed back, turning the conversation into complete sign so the other guys wouldn't know what we were talking about. Not that they were paying attention. They were too busy talking about the drop on Friday.

"So what are you gonna do about it?"

"Idk yet, I want to get to know her but I have soo much bullshit I don't want to, because I don't think she would like me back after she knows everything."

"I think she will, she doesn't seem like the type to judge. Like earlier today when she found out I was deaf, she carried on like it didn't matter like it didn't change how she saw me. I think if you take it slow and explain EVERYTHING to her she won't care that much"

"I hope so, you like her right?"

"Yea, she chill but I saw Emerson eyeing her, hard as fuck."

"Fuck that he knows that I get first dibbs, he wouldn't do that"

"Okay well their coming back" he said grabbing her shake. He always eats everyone else food, no matter how much he buys. If weird that he doesn't gain any weight.

"Omg if my milkshake is gone I'm beating your ass" Alison said walking up to the table and sitting back down on Matt's lap. I wish she would've sat on mine instead.

"It's not, Ali-cat I promise, scout's honor" he said raising two fingers

"Can you teach me" she said looking up at me from under her eyelashes

"Sign language? Oh he's not gonna do that, he wouldn't even teach me. It's kinda like their secret language." Chloe said hitting me in the arm.

I kept noticing whenever Chloe started to talk, Alison's eyes would drift to her boobs I hope she wasn't a lesbian.

"Hey princess, are you gay?" I needed to know if she even bat for my team before trying to date her.

"Why?"

"Because you keep staring at her chest"

"I'm not gay, it just her boobs are fucking huge like my eyes can't focus on what she's saying"

Thank you god! I had to admit Chloe's boobs were huge, so I couldn't blame her. That was always the first thing I noticed about her and I've known her since the 7th grade, when she was in 6th and had just started to develop.

Alison

I was literally dying to know the story behind Matt. I wanted to know if he was born deaf or it happened over time. That shouldn't have been the first thing I thought about when I saw him after coming back from the bathroom, but when we went to the bathroom I asked the girls and they said that it was his story to tell so my curiosity peaked even more. After Collins asked me if I was gay I turned to Matt and asked him to tell me how he became deaf.

"Its later now" I said pouting, after he told me later again.

"Fine" he started, looking off a little. "It was about a year ago I was in the car with my girlfriend and we were just having fun and an 18 wheeler rammed into the side of us. She swerved but couldn't get out of the way fast enough, we crashed into a tree off to the side and a tree branch went through the window and into my ear, making me permanently deaf in my right ear. I can hear slightly out of my left ear but not as good as before."

The whole table was quiet, looking at me as if to see how I would react.

"What happened to your girlfriend and the guy in the truck?" I asked. I should've stopped and just let it go, but I knew if I didn't get the whole story I would ask again and I didn't want him to have to go through it again.

"My girlfriend, Amber, she died on impact. She never had a chance. The guy had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving. He was badly injured, paralyzed and in a coma for about 7 months. When he woke up he owed us in total around a quarter of a million dollars."

Wow, I sat there in shock I didn't know what to do or what to say. So I got up and pulled him up with me. I stood on my tip toes and wrap I'm arms as far up as I could until he bent and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and after standing like that for a few minutes he squeezed harder and said "Are you okay Ali cat? This is getting a little uncomfortable and my back is starting to hurt."

I don't know why but that made my heart break a little. I could already tell that he was a sweet person and it sucks that the worse things always happen to the best people.

"Dad can you pass the salt?" I asked. We were sitting down for a dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad. This was the only time I would have to use Cat's plan.

"How was yall's day?" I asked with a smile. Maybe I was laying it on a little too thick. My mom looked at me and said "What do you want Ali-cat?" Definitely too thick.

"I don't want anything I just wanted to know how your day went, is that soo bad. Anyway I made a lot of friends today, and they invited me to hang out with them this weekend but I don't know, I think I should spend more time with them first before saying yes or no. Plus I told them that yall would have to meet her dad first."

Of course instead of saying "good for you Ali." Or anything like that my dad goes into a whole speech about how I don't have friends, I have acquaintances and how people are fake and I shouldn't get too close to them. I tuned him out. It's the same thing he always tells me, and I probably know what he's saying by heart.

I hate when I tell or ask my parents one thing and they go into a whole speech. Like that's not what I asked for dammit.