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Chapter Four
1973 words
My hand trembled uncontrollaby as my fingers laced around the cool metal of the handle of the lunch room door.
The morning had gone by in what i feared would be its usual manner. I was completly ignored by all of my peers and was treated like an ignorant child by the adults.
I was exiled in the hallways only lingering in them as long as i had to in my passing from class to class. Their snickers and whispering had grown tremendously as now the entire school had heardof what happened in Mr. Franks class and how it was all true. I was unable to speak and i signed when it was necessary.
But this was the first truly terrifying moments i knew i was bound to encounter.
Lunch Period.
I had avoided the dreaded hour yesterday by spending it trying to figure out a way around the speech class of all the juinors and seniors were reequired to take at least once before they would recieve a diploma,
The teacher and i spent the entire period going back and forth with no idea. She first asked if i would want to have an interpreter come in when we were required to share our speeches in front of the class to translate for me but i quickly shot that option down.
After a full hour of going back and forth we decided that i would just type my speeches out and give them to her to read over. She wasnt estastic about the deal but it was the best we could come up with in the short time we were given.
I swallowed hard pulling hard in the heavy door opening the threshold from the abandoned hallway to the madness of the lunch room.
The round tables were scattered throughout the huge commons area and each table was nearly full of chatting people. On the far wall was the food serving area. It was nearly empty now due to the fact i was 10 minutes late for lunch.
I had hoped something would distract me long enough so i wouldnt even consider making my way towards the lunch area but nothing held my attention long enough so i was forced to retreat here.
Each table was set out like a map, jocks, preps and wannabes to the left, nerds and geeks near the front, druggies and burnouts in the back, and schoolies to my right. It was obvious that these areas were segregated long ago and no one would dare to break the arrangment.
Each genration just passed it on to the next of their kind. Never wavering from where they oringinated.
As i made my way slowly to the serving area, i could feel the groups of eyes rake over me. Screwtinizing everything about me, my walk, my outfit, my makeup (or lack of), the way i wore my hair. the way i nervously bit my lip, my backpack. Everything.
Everything was carefully documented by their watching eyes.
I had one student come up to me today and ask if i knew where i was going but soon i found out that is was a dare from her friends and she meant it only in a harsh way, not the kind way i had been hoping for.
When i reached the cafeteria i pulled one last black trays off the pile and scanned the room for anything i would find edible. In the corner of my eyes i spotted a large cooler filled with salads prepackaged in mediumsized black containers. Pulling open the door and taking one out i made my way out of the cafeteria and to the corner where i would pay.
Handing the large woman in a hair net $5 she kindly returned my change without a word. Those kinds of people were my favorite, those that needed not to speak when it was unecessary, those that willingly chose silent rather than noise. I felt a connection with anyone who shared that small bond with me. Most were by choice nut in my 14 years of silence i had met others like me, forced into silence, and we created friendships.
