Muted Voices (A BNHA/MHA x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 20: Ballet Rehearsal

After fifteen minutes, I arrive at the dance studio and glance up at the cloudy sky, wondering if it'll rain tonight. I didn't bring a jacket. Hopefully, it won't start until I'm home. 

I open the wooden door of the building, hearing excited chatter from the 6 and 7 year olds whose class just finished. They bunch up in the hallway, making it harder for me to get through. 

"Hey!" One of the kids calls out. I ignore it, figuring they're talking to someone else. "Hey you!! Miss?!?" 

I feel a tug on my shirt and look down to see the owner of the voice, a spindly brown haired girl looking up at me with a big smile. 

"Weren't you in the sports festival, Miss?"

I blink at her a few times before realization washes over me. It was televised. I nod, giving her a small smile. 

"What? I don't remember her," a girl with long pink hair pipes up. Suddenly the whole class is debating about who I am. 

"She's one of the first years!"

"Isn't she in the hero course?"

"She was on a team with that giant octopus guy in the cavalry battle!"

"Woah, didn't she nearly get crushed by that robot when the ice guy made it fall?"

"Well…" the first girl speaks up again, turning back to me with a bright smile. "Why don't we ask her about it?"

I gesture for them to wait as I sling my bag off my shoulder and fumble around in it to find my whiteboard and marker. They all stare at me confused as I write on it, then turn it around so they can see. "Yup, that's me!" I wrote. 

"What? Why are you using that?" One kid asks. 

"I'm mute, so I use this and sign language," I write my reply. 

"Woah, really?!?" Some kids speak up. I nod, giving a soft smile at their wide eyes. 

"What's going on out here? Why are there so many people?" A girl with flaming orange hair walks out of the rehearsal space, white cane in hand, her pale grey eyes glancing around blankly. 

"It's one of the students from the sports festival! She doesn't speak though, so have fun talking with her, Lazy Eyes!" One of the girls speaks up, taunting the blind girl. Some of the others snicker at the girl's hurt expression.

"Hey! Stop it!" The brown haired girl cries, rushing over to her side. "Leave her alone!"

"Whatever," the bully smirks and walks away, most of the other girls following her out to the front hall. 

"It's okay," the kind girl says, giving the orange haired one a hug. I crouch down and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"I need to go," she says quietly, pulling away from us. "Nice to meet you."

With that, she makes her way down the hallway. The other girl glances up at me as I stand. "I hate what those girls do to her. That's why I'm gonna be a hero! So they'll know not to mess with her!" She clenches her fist and gives me a blinding smile. 

I grin softly in return, writing, "I'm sure you'll be a great hero," and showing it to her. 

"Thanks!!" She chirps before running after her classmates. 

Man, she reminds me of Kirishima. 

I sigh, placing the whiteboard back in my bag and going to the bathroom to change into my practice clothes. When I walk out of the stall, I take to the mirror, forcing my curls into a tight bun. After I deem my appearance satisfactory, I head to class.