Speechless

Raven sat on the bed in the nurse's office, feeling quite numb. She looked around at the frames with certificates and diplomas. Something usually a therapist would have. She would know. Her parents used to always send her to one, thinking that her not speaking was something psychological. And they might be right. Maybe they'll never know. For now she was just wondering why there was no single poster having to do with health on her walls.

“So, are you sure you're feeling alright?” the school nurse asked Raven, turning around to look at her. She studied her face and sighed, placing her hands on her hips. “Just nod, kid, if you are.”

Raven nodded.

“Alright, then...” She went over to her drawer and pulled out a small notepad; she took her pen from her breast pocket and began writing down the girl's excuse. Why she even wanted to go back to class, that she would never know. That or she might... Who knew? Right now she was just handing over a square paper to the mute.

Raven made quick, swift gestures with her hands. Sign language. The nurse only stared at her, nodding slowly. “Right,” she said. “Okay, go now. And if you're feeling any sick, come and get me, all right?”

The mute girl nodded, absolutely sure now that she didn't know sign language. What a nurse she would make at a real hospital. She opened the door, looking back over her shoulder to smile at her reassuringly─not seeing the tall, dark haired boy standing right at the door. She stepped forward, only to bump into him, making her gasp and step right back.

Raven stared at him, eyes wide with surprise. Then surprise turned into recognition as she saw who it was. It was him, the boy from before! What was his name...?

“Oh, hi,” Alphonse smiled awkwardly. “I'm here to...pick Raven up.”

Alphonse smiled awkwardly, gaze shifting nervously from the girl staring at him in bewilderment and at the school nurse, who just looked like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Or believe he even gave it a try. But he did, and now he was regretting fearfully. He must look so stupid, standing there, smiling like a idiot. Idiot! He said in his mind. Idiot, idiot! No, you're worse...you're a smiling idiot! Yuck! Alphonse, you little─

“Seriously?” the school nurse said with an amused expression, left hand on her hip.

Alphonse didn't know how to react to that. Should he just walk away? Should he grab the girl and run? Kneel down before her and beg for her not to send him back to class? So he just nodded rapidly, smile off. Then he quickly brought it back up to his lips like a fool.

The school nurse lost her amused expression and nodded slowly, saving him the humiliation. This couldn't be that bad of a lie... Though he didn't even know to what class she was headed next. Oh, and there was the fact that his intentions were completely sneaky. He didn't mean any harm, but trying to pass off as a helping student to get some time alone with her was...just really sneaky. Nonetheless, the nurse smiled one more time at Raven and said, “Okay. See ya later, Raven.” Raven waved with her hand at her and looked up at Alphonse─he was taller─and walked passed the smiling idiot. His smile dropped almost instantly as he sighed and followed right after her. They walked silently down the hall, side by side, not daring to even glance at each other. Though he did dare and glance at her face, only to see she was doing the same thing. His cheeks burned and he looked back forward. Awkward...

Alphonse finally cleared his throat, trying to look casual, but it just failed as his attempt just went on a bit too long. “Awww-hem, ahem,” he went. That was embarrassing. Cheeks tinted pink, he continued, “Ahem. So...where's your next class...?” He looked at her hopefully.

She blinked rapidly, tilting her head slightly. She patted her skirt pockets and gave out a small sigh, making Alphonse's eyebrows raise at the sound. So light, no sound at all. Not that he was expecting any sound at all, it was simply surprising was all. She looked at Alphonse, and swiftly and agilely began making gestures with her hands.

Oh, crap...

“N-n-no,” Alphonse stammered, “t-that's okay. I...I don't...” Raven slowly brought her hands down, looking confused. He swallowed, emitting a pretty loud 'gulp' from his throat. “I...I don't know sign...language...”

Raven's face expression changed with realization; her eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. She nodded quickly, then stopped, looking regretful. She closed her hand in a way like she was holding a pencil and began to very fast go from side to side. As if she sketching...or writing.

“Oh!” He laughed shortly. “You forgot your notebook!” She nodded, smiling apologetically. “It's alright. We'll find some way to...communicate.” He smiled, and Raven smiled back.

On the way to the classroom, which in the end took a little longer than he'd thought, they actually did manage to communicate. Alphonse in a way didn't end up looking like a complete fool, and his stuttering at least stopped. It was a more natural talking to her than it was before, now that he was done obsessing with her muteness. Which is what really happened, really. At some point or another, he actually made her laugh, which was even more fascinating. Her chest heaved and her face lit up with laughter, but no sound came out but her breathing as she laughed. He would find himself staring at her wonderingly, and then she would look back, and he would have to make up something, which would lead him back to the stuttering like an idiot. But that was fine.

He really enjoyed talking to her.

Somehow, the necklace Luis gave him came up, and Alphonse produced the silvery thing from his uniform pocket. “Hey,” he said, “I think you dropped something.” Raven looked at him curiously. He was about to show it to her when something caught his attention. There was a tiny, silver, oval thing hanging from the necklace. That wasn't what really brought him to stare at it in his hands. It was the initials: L. M. Luis Montez. Alphonse couldn't help but laugh a bit, then stopped, seeing the odd expression on Raven's face. She was looking from the necklace to him, looking quite curious as to what he was finding so funny. He smiled at her for a moment, then tucked the necklace back in his pocket. “Never mind,” he told her. “It's nothing.”

They walked with no hurry at all to get to her classroom. Well, he talked, and she sound some way to communicate back to him. And as they walked, not quite getting any near her classroom, Alphonse found himself smiling for no specific reason. He would take a look at Raven as she walked along beside him, her long fall of black hair, and her deep, blue eyes. He would become embarrassed for staring too long and blush and look down at the floor. But after seconds of silence, he would sneak a peek at her lovely face and get lost tracing the lines that connected her expressions. Those small hints that indicated she was either about to smile, or blink or sigh; he would think about those things and carve them into his brain. It was all so weird. For someone he met just a few days ago, he felt like he knew her already.

But, obviously, he did not. Though he did want to.

So when the bell rang, and the students came streaming out of their classrooms like it was rush hour, and they walked past them, and the two of them stood beside each other, not quite sure what to say─or try to say with some sort of sign language─Alphonse decided it there and then. He turned to her and smiled nervously. She smiled back, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Just do it, Alphonse. Get it...over...with! his mind harshly hissed at him. It was demanding quick action.

“Um, listen...” he said, casually looking around, as if he was looking for someone. Of course he was not looking for anyone. The whole point was to try and look into her eyes without caving, but it was extremely difficult. He was just not used to doing the asking. Yes, it would usually be the work of some bold girl, some self confident and beautiful girl to come and ask him out. And, as always, he would nicely─or mostly quite bluntly─decline the lady's offer. But now it's different. He's finally decided to step up and do the asking, something completely different. Why? Well...

This girl was different.

“Okay, so, listen...” he continued. Raven nodded, silently prompting for him to go on. “Tomorrow after school...we have music club, right?” She nodded again, revealing a lovely smile. She was obviously looking forward to it. “And...I was...I, uh...”

Then she did something that caught Alphonse seriously off guard. She stepped forward and placed a solid hand on his shoulder, looking steadily into his emerald eyes. He stared back at her, feeling too aware of her hand on his shoulder. His cheeks were slowly turning pinker and pinker, redder and redder. She sighed and nodded silently, the only way she could express what she was trying to say. But Alphonse knew. He sighed as well and smiled apologetically.

Just get it over with, she meant.

Alphonse decided he would. Before he could start stuttering again, he blurted, “I was wondering if you were free after Music Club, so we could...I don't know...go to the park!” He exhaled sharply, so glad to have got that out of his chest. He wasn't really focusing on the look on Raven's face; he was too nervous to even sneak a glance. He simply looked around casually, smiling at random students, some girls who obviously smiled back. He couldn't keep standing there, avoiding her gaze forever. When he finally did sneak a peek at Raven's expression, it brought his eyes to grow as big as gulf balls.

Raven was blinking rapidly, not seeming to know how to stop; her cheeks were flushed red. On a pale girl such as herself it was an extreme difference. Her hands were cupped to cover her mouth, and she just couldn't seem to stop staring at Alphonse with her wide blue eyes, blinking like she was counting every second. He knew he was. He actually thought he had upset her.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” he apologized like an idiot. “I didn't mean to upset you! It's just─I really enjoyed talking to you─I mean─gah...” He sighed, waiting for the mute girl to at least stop blinking rapidly. But she kept on, second by second, just blinking. Blink. Blink. Blink blink. He finally couldn't take it. “Stop that.”

Raven did stop, and abruptly let a giant whoosh of air as she lowered down her hands, as if she'd been holding that for a long time. The color to her cheeks deepened when she caught the look on Alphonse's face, which worried him. He wasn't experienced with this. Was she upset with him? Did she want to leave? Was her flaming cheeks a good thing or a bad thing? And was she ever going to try to sign language or was she just glad she was mute so she didn't have to say “no”?

“Just forget it,” Alphonse told her quickly. “Forget I even asked...” He turned to walk away, feeling his heart pounding frantically against his chest; it actually hurt a bit. Though he wasn't sure why. He just couldn't believe he was as dumb as putting himself out there─actually asking her out of the blue. She must think he's a weirdo who doesn't have anything better to do. He might as well quit Music Club before he got himself deeper into this mess...

“Ah!” Alphonse jumped, startled, when he felt something touch his shoulder. He turned around to face the flushed face of the girl who had tapped his shoulder. He looked at her oddly, wondering what she wanted. To apologize for saying no to him? Oh, please, save me the humiliation... Alphonse moaned in his head. But he was completely wrong. That was not the face of a person trying to apologize. It was the shy smile of someone taken by surprise, trying to get something out.

Could it be she just...?

Alphonse flinched as Raven suddenly shoved something light and small in his hands and turned around, facing away, arms behind her back. He stared at her, noticed the way her head kept turning slightly to the side, and looked down at the thing in his hands: a small piece of notebook paper. He raised an eyebrow, realizing he was expected to read it. Then a question popped into his bewildered mind: Where'd she get a piece of paper? He shook the question out of his mind and unfolded the small piece of paper, wondering why he was doing this. A quick read brought his head to snap up to look at Raven, fully facing him now. He looked back down, then back at her, a slow, twitching smile tugging at his lips.

The note read: Absolutely.