Falling on Dead Ears

Travis laughed and pointed as Tommy went flying off the raft. He couldn’t help it. Watching the fat man fly through the air was awesome, an epic pass as he hit the waves in a solid belly flop.

“What the hell is Jeremy doing?” His head snapped up to Godfrey staring at the shore. Turning in his seat he stopped seeing Jeremy, five feet from a small woman. Huffing, he tapped Parks on the shoulder and nodded letting him know they were going in.

Picking Tommy up from the waters they headed towards the docks as Tommy complained about his bright red belly.

Honestly Travis was more concerned about the girl Jeremy was harassing. She kept moving her hands as he watched them while Jeremy seemed confused and offended. How he was confused and offended that another girl was rejecting him for being creepy and simply asking if they wanted to go back to his hotel or simply have sex. He was a blunt person, sometimes it was a disturbing other times it was hilarious.

Jumping from the boat before it was fully docked he was jogging towards them. They were a ways from the dock, a house or two down from his.

“What the hell is he doing?” Erik gasped as the girl kept shrugging dramatically. Shaking his head laughed as Jeremy began waving his arms around wildly.

“Jeremy!” Travis yelled. He turned looking at Travis and blinked. “What are you doing?” He laughed as the girl glanced over. She was tall, fit, and tan with long golden-red hair and bright celery green eyes that seemed to glow in the high afternoon sun.

“Dude! Guys! She was right in the off swing zone, so I came over to tell her to move or keep and eye out and she keeps waving her hands at me. But I think she’s crazy! She keeps just waving her hands around.” He yelled. The girl was watching him the whole time as he spoke.

Slowing from his run Travis licked his lips as the girl tapped Jeremy on the shoulder and placed both hands on her toned chest.

“Deaf.” The simple word was muted and deep as she tapped her hands against her chest. Everyone froze. Jeremy was picking on a deaf girl. Travis sprinted towards his friend the rest of the way. She was watching Jeremy closely to see if he understood before repeating the word.

Travis spun Jeremy out of the way and glanced down. He couldn’t look at her. He’d never meet anyone who was deaf before with out knowing ahead of time they were deaf. It was awkward to say the least. It didn’t help he thought she was pretty.

Instantly he began apologizing. Nervous laughs leaking off his lips. Everyone else watched wondering how bumbling, mumbled Travis Pastrana was going to fix this epic mess up Jeremy had created.

Travis froze as soft finger tips slipped under his chin lifting it. She was smiling at him as she let her hand gently fall before rolling it. Frowning he watched it confused. She opened her mouth and moved her hand from it, rolling it again.

“Oh…I’m so sorry about my friend. We kinda lost track of him, I’m really sorry. We saw him bugging you from boat and decided to come over and see what was going on. We didn’t mean for him to be so rude or offensive.” He choked out quickly. She frowned at him. He wasn’t sure if she read lips well or not.

“You,” He blinked as she pointed at him. “More offensive.” The words sounded like they were stuck in the back of her throat and choking to come out of the unused part of her body. They were so low and strained it almost bothered him so much he almost didn’t take notice in the way her hands moved. “Not stupid.” Her hands simply moved in a few simple gestures. “Just deaf.” She pushed past him gently.

“Way to go Trav. I think you made it worse.” Jolene grumbled as the whole group watched the other girl walk up the small hill towards the house perched atop it. They all knew who lived there, it was the cranky lady: Mrs. Ravins.

“Shit.” Travis quickly jogged up the hill towards the house. Grabbing the stair railings he pulled himself up and quickly following. Taking a step back as she turned around he pointed at her, she simply stomped her foot and pointed. It didn’t make any sense to Travis, but he pretended like it did. Quickly he began apologizing. His hands moved wildly as he made sure he was looking at her. Feeling defeated he let his shoulders slump as he tried to fix the problem.

Her eyes fell from his lips to his moving hands before she grabbed his hands stopping him completely.

Her every movement seemed completely new to him with her lack of hearings. She treated people differently with the way she moved and simply looked at them. The effect of sound didn’t bother her or even seem to dampen her spirit in the least bit.

Smiling she signaled for him to continue. As he watched her while speaking he took note of how she didn’t look at him. She looked at his mouth and his lips, listening to him.

“We good?” He asked gently. The thought of her listening to him by watching him talk was mind blowing. He’d be lost if he couldn’t hear and had to lip read to listen. His head would explode.

Nodding she circled her index and thumb together, giving him the ok symbol. Smiling he nodded he glanced up at the large thump and swear behind him. She rushed to Tommy’s side and touched his shoulder, pleading with her eyes if he was okay. Travis couldn’t help but laugh at his fat friend lying on the stairs.

Wondering over he placed a hand on her shoulder as she stood up watching Tommy concerned. She instantly ducked out from under his hand and turned as he did at the door opening, she began turning before he even heard the sound of it hit Travis’s ears.

That blew his mind as well. How could she do that? He wanted to have those Spider-like senses. What he could do with those while in the middle of a jump.

“Get the hell of my deck!” Travis flinched at Mrs. Ravins leaning out of the house. The small girl moved away from him and towards the house. “Go away, go terrorize people somewhere else. Go home we all know you don’t live here. Leave my niece alone you hooligans. She doesn’t need to get mixed up with you little brats!” She screamed. Travis stepped back as he watched the girl stand behind her aunt awkwardly. “Get off my deck before I call the cops!” with that Mrs. Ravins slammed the back door and turned to the girl and began moving and waving her hands around.

Nibbling on the inside of his lip Travis glanced at his friends watching with annoyed expressions. Licking his thin lips he quickly moved to the door and smiled as he saw her standing in the middle of the room, alone.

The second she turned to him he waved. Shyly, she waved back and wandered over.

“I’m Ta-ra-ah-ve-hiss.” He stated slowly. Wanting to make sure she got his name right. She simply pointed at her head and shook her head. Frowning he sighed, she wasn’t stupid. “Travis.” He patted his chest.

Smiling she leaned forward slightly and breathed on the window making his knees shake like jell-o and nearly give. Her thin finger dragged through the fog before she pointed at her self.

“Oh.” Leaning in he breathed on the window and slowly wrote his name backwards on the window. It was harder to do when staring at a beautiful girl that had just breathed on a window at him seductively without meaning to. Pointing to himself he smiled at her before breathing on the window again and dragging his finger through it. She looked almost horrified that he was asking her to hang out. Shaking her head she backed away and walked off.

Frowning he cupped his hands around his eyes and peered inside looking for her. Sighing he gave up and moved away from the door.

“What the hell was that?” Jeremy asked. Travis couldn’t get the smile off his face.

“I asked her if she wanted to hang out and told her my name.” Travis shrugged.

“How’d that go?” Andy asked. Travis sighed.

“She ran away.” Travis shrugged.

“Too bad you don’t know her name.” Erik laughed at his friend. The smile on Travis’s face didn’t even fade in the smallest like Erik had hoped.

“Ellie.” He breathed. Jolene smirked and clicked her tongue.

“Someone’s got a crush.” She sang, laughing at him as the man’s face flushed.

“On a deaf girl.” Jeremy grumbled.

“How’d you not get that she was deaf?” Andy asked as they began heading down the hill. Travis turned looking back at the house one last time and sighing.

“Bye Ellie.” He whispered. Her name fit her so well. Ellie. It was perfect.