Quiet
six
"First day of school. You ready?" Dad asks while scrambling some eggs. Ready to be gawked at? Not really. I sit at the kitchen island and pour myself a glass of orange juice. Dad scoops the eggs onto a plate and slides it over. I squirt a bit of ketchup over the yellow concoction before shoveling a heaping spoonful into my mouth.
"We're leaving in ten." Dad says before disappearing upstairs.
~~
Dad walks me into the main office, which is a bit embarrassing, but I know it's only because I can't talk and he seems to think I need help.
"Name, please?" The grey haired woman says without looking up from her desk.
"Richard Harper." Dad says. The lady looks up, her brows furrow.
"The student's name."
"Oh, Dylan Harper."
"Thank you." She types away at her computer. She glances up at me, then returns her gaze to the screen. "Ah. Oh!" She says and I roll my eyes. I know there's something about me on that screen. "Let me just print off your schedule, and I'll call the office assistant in here to give you a brief tour of the school." Is that really necessary? "Tonya, come out here please." The woman calls and a short girl with soft pink hair comes out.
"What'd'ya need, Mrs. T?" The girl says chewing away at a piece of gum.
"New student tour. Here's her schedule." Mrs. T hands a copy of my printed schedule to the girl.
"Coo. Call me Tony." The girl says sticking her out to me. I shake it. Dylan. Tony waits for me to say something, and grows visibly uncomfortable when I don't. "She deaf?" Tony whispers to my Dad.
"Uh, no. She can hear you." He chuckles. "She's mute. Not like she can't talk. She just won't. Her name is Dylan. I'm her father, Rich."
I shake my head. You're so wrong. I can't talk. I've tried and I just can't.
"Oh, well that's coo."
"Be sure to give this to her first teacher." Mrs. T says, handing over a folded piece of paper.
"Will do! Let's go, Dylan." She says escorting me out the office doors. "You've got most of the good teaches, except Mr. Lind, he's old and his breath smells like he hasn't brushed his teeth since the 90's. But you'll be fine, just don't stand too close." She says. I watch with disgust as she spits her gum into the grass then pops a new piece into her mouth.
"Want a piece?" She offers. I shake my head. Disgusting.
"So it's pretty easy. They keep the classes separated for the most part, so, like, you're a junior and all the junior classes will be in that building." Tony says pointing across the way. "They didn't assign you any gym class which is crazy, but the gym is down that hill. We go there for assemblies and pep rallies and whatever. Well I don't really go to those, but everyone else does."
Do you ever stop talking.
"The cafeteria, art and music classes are in the building next to the office. It's all pretty easy, but you can just ask if you get lost."
Really.
"Oh, well, maybe you can't. But there's a map on the back of your schedule." Tony says flipping over the paper in her hand to show me the back. She blows a large bubble with her gum which pops and I swear I can feel the spit fly onto my face. "Any questions?"
Are you done talking now? I'd like to get to class.
"Oh, duh. I'm sorry I keep forgetting..." She says. We make our way into a tall building where she leads me to a classroom labeled 'English C103, Mr. Dawson.'
"Here we are." She says before opening the door. Of course all eyes turn to us. Please stop staring. Please stop staring.
"Can I help you, Tony?" Mr. Dawson says. I'm surprised to see such a young teacher.
"Hey Mr. D! Just dropping off a new student." She says. "Mrs. T told me to give this to you." Tony hands him the small piece of paper.
Mr. Dawson unfolds the paper and reads it aloud. "Dylan Harper. Please excuse from participation in group discussions as student is mute." He says, then realizes his mistake. "I probably should've read that to myself..." He says crumbling up the note.
"Probably." Tony says, then dismisses herself from the room.
"Sorry...feel free to fill an empty seat."
"We're leaving in ten." Dad says before disappearing upstairs.
~~
Dad walks me into the main office, which is a bit embarrassing, but I know it's only because I can't talk and he seems to think I need help.
"Name, please?" The grey haired woman says without looking up from her desk.
"Richard Harper." Dad says. The lady looks up, her brows furrow.
"The student's name."
"Oh, Dylan Harper."
"Thank you." She types away at her computer. She glances up at me, then returns her gaze to the screen. "Ah. Oh!" She says and I roll my eyes. I know there's something about me on that screen. "Let me just print off your schedule, and I'll call the office assistant in here to give you a brief tour of the school." Is that really necessary? "Tonya, come out here please." The woman calls and a short girl with soft pink hair comes out.
"What'd'ya need, Mrs. T?" The girl says chewing away at a piece of gum.
"New student tour. Here's her schedule." Mrs. T hands a copy of my printed schedule to the girl.
"Coo. Call me Tony." The girl says sticking her out to me. I shake it. Dylan. Tony waits for me to say something, and grows visibly uncomfortable when I don't. "She deaf?" Tony whispers to my Dad.
"Uh, no. She can hear you." He chuckles. "She's mute. Not like she can't talk. She just won't. Her name is Dylan. I'm her father, Rich."
I shake my head. You're so wrong. I can't talk. I've tried and I just can't.
"Oh, well that's coo."
"Be sure to give this to her first teacher." Mrs. T says, handing over a folded piece of paper.
"Will do! Let's go, Dylan." She says escorting me out the office doors. "You've got most of the good teaches, except Mr. Lind, he's old and his breath smells like he hasn't brushed his teeth since the 90's. But you'll be fine, just don't stand too close." She says. I watch with disgust as she spits her gum into the grass then pops a new piece into her mouth.
"Want a piece?" She offers. I shake my head. Disgusting.
"So it's pretty easy. They keep the classes separated for the most part, so, like, you're a junior and all the junior classes will be in that building." Tony says pointing across the way. "They didn't assign you any gym class which is crazy, but the gym is down that hill. We go there for assemblies and pep rallies and whatever. Well I don't really go to those, but everyone else does."
Do you ever stop talking.
"The cafeteria, art and music classes are in the building next to the office. It's all pretty easy, but you can just ask if you get lost."
Really.
"Oh, well, maybe you can't. But there's a map on the back of your schedule." Tony says flipping over the paper in her hand to show me the back. She blows a large bubble with her gum which pops and I swear I can feel the spit fly onto my face. "Any questions?"
Are you done talking now? I'd like to get to class.
"Oh, duh. I'm sorry I keep forgetting..." She says. We make our way into a tall building where she leads me to a classroom labeled 'English C103, Mr. Dawson.'
"Here we are." She says before opening the door. Of course all eyes turn to us. Please stop staring. Please stop staring.
"Can I help you, Tony?" Mr. Dawson says. I'm surprised to see such a young teacher.
"Hey Mr. D! Just dropping off a new student." She says. "Mrs. T told me to give this to you." Tony hands him the small piece of paper.
Mr. Dawson unfolds the paper and reads it aloud. "Dylan Harper. Please excuse from participation in group discussions as student is mute." He says, then realizes his mistake. "I probably should've read that to myself..." He says crumbling up the note.
"Probably." Tony says, then dismisses herself from the room.
"Sorry...feel free to fill an empty seat."