Mute
Judgement Day
The day of the spelling test felt like judgement day. It shouldn't have. All we had to do was stand up, spell our word and sit back down again. But it was nerve wracking anyway.
John had traded places with Sebastian Wilkes who normally sat next to me. John sat next to Molly Hooper on the other side of the classroom but after bribing Sebastian with a packet of liquorice, he eventually traded places. I was grateful for his company. I was going to need support after all.
I sat there, crossing and uncrossing my legs as teacher worked his way down the row of desks. John stood up and said his loudly and clearly, not stuttering or making any mistakes. My stomach twisted, making me feel sick.
"Sherlock Holmes"
I could hear everyone in the room sigh. I never answered questions in class. I never said anything in class. They thought it was pointless letting me take part in the spelling test, seeing as I was the class mute. I stood, trembling a little. My teacher looked at me with stone eyes.
"Spell 'courage' "
I could feel my tongue curling to the back of my mouth again and my forehead started sweating. I had already lost my classmate's attention; they had gone back to their own little worlds, flicking rubber bands and drawing on their desks. I wanted to sit down and fold my arms stubbornly like I usually did when teacher asked me questions. I would have done too. But then I glanced downwards and saw John, sitting up straight, eyes focused on me, giving me his full attention.
His hand moved and he gave me a small thumbs up.
My tongue uncurled almost immediately and I wet my lips.
"C-courage…" I said quietly, "…c-o-u-r-a-g-e"
I sat back down immediately, suddenly feeling cold. Everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide and confused as if I'd chucked a bucket of water over them.
"I didn't know Sherlock could talk!" Molly Hooper said a little too loudly
I could still feel their eyes on me but I ignored them. It felt like the tightest belt had been unbuckled inside me and I could breathe again.
I could feel John's hand move underneath the desk and he linked his little finger around mine.
John had traded places with Sebastian Wilkes who normally sat next to me. John sat next to Molly Hooper on the other side of the classroom but after bribing Sebastian with a packet of liquorice, he eventually traded places. I was grateful for his company. I was going to need support after all.
I sat there, crossing and uncrossing my legs as teacher worked his way down the row of desks. John stood up and said his loudly and clearly, not stuttering or making any mistakes. My stomach twisted, making me feel sick.
"Sherlock Holmes"
I could hear everyone in the room sigh. I never answered questions in class. I never said anything in class. They thought it was pointless letting me take part in the spelling test, seeing as I was the class mute. I stood, trembling a little. My teacher looked at me with stone eyes.
"Spell 'courage' "
I could feel my tongue curling to the back of my mouth again and my forehead started sweating. I had already lost my classmate's attention; they had gone back to their own little worlds, flicking rubber bands and drawing on their desks. I wanted to sit down and fold my arms stubbornly like I usually did when teacher asked me questions. I would have done too. But then I glanced downwards and saw John, sitting up straight, eyes focused on me, giving me his full attention.
His hand moved and he gave me a small thumbs up.
My tongue uncurled almost immediately and I wet my lips.
"C-courage…" I said quietly, "…c-o-u-r-a-g-e"
I sat back down immediately, suddenly feeling cold. Everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide and confused as if I'd chucked a bucket of water over them.
"I didn't know Sherlock could talk!" Molly Hooper said a little too loudly
I could still feel their eyes on me but I ignored them. It felt like the tightest belt had been unbuckled inside me and I could breathe again.
I could feel John's hand move underneath the desk and he linked his little finger around mine.