𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩!

0.9

a week and a half later jack not only managed to be diagnosed with anxiety, he was diagnosed with ptsd, and panic disorder.

the boy didn't understand what any of it meant besides that the fact that he would be treated differently.

his teachers 'babied' him along with everyone around him.

he already felt dumb, now he's 'dumber'

and jack hated it.

also had to take special classes where he had to learn to sign.

and to say signing is hard is an understatement. but he learned to sign his name, numbers, common questions, answers, and his emotions.

he became that weird quiet kid at school, he didn't have any friends and kept to himself always wanting to go home.

but daniel noticed, he noticed everything.

he especially noticed after zach started complaining that jack is getting him picked on by the other kids at school.

"can't you just tell him to talk?" zach whined.

"zach! be nice, that's our brother! just because he doesn't speak doesn't make him any less. anna doesn't judge you for playing with dolls because she's a true friend, those other kids are not your friends for picking on you and jack." daniel scolded as zach nodded sadly.

"i don't mean to be hard on you but people in this world are mean and nice people like us have to stay away from that, okay?" daniel said as he noticed jack walking away from the doorway.

"i'll help you with homework in a second. start with addition." he said as he started looking for jack.

"jack? what's wrong?" daniel asked.

"nothing." jack signed.

"stop lying. tell me." daniel said as jack rolled his eyes. "you know what i mean, explain." daniel said again as jack turned through a book of asl and signs to daniel.

"huh? let me see." he says looking at the word on the page.

"stupid? jack you aren't stupid."

"i am! nothing right with me!" jack signs "i can't sign right either." jack signs, sighing angrily.

"listen to me you aren't stupid, your just damaged right now and all this help your getting is gonna fix you."

"but i can't be fixed." jack signed as tears poured down his face.

"yes not like before, none of us can but we can always get better. i miss mom just as much you so does zach, your not the only damaged one. we just gotta work a little harder to get there." daniel smiled.

"what's hard for you?"

"numbers."

"let me see your homework. okay with multiples your repeating the same number over. look." daniel said helping his little brother.

and from then on the progress of all three boys skyrocketed...

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this chapter i could relate to jack a SHIT TON. me having a VERY similar experience when i was in second grade too. but like jack in this story i fucking THRIVED 😌💅🏽✨
-bri