ex-friend x mute user

You’re mute. And it was the outcome of a car accident you were in at the age of 13. None of your friends knew sign language. So your mother gifted you a notebook to use in school to communicate with. But you chose to just nod your head and smile during conversations with your friends. It was easier that way.

Three years had passed when you met him. Erin. And by met, you spilt your lunch tray all over him. In front of everyone in the lunch hall. You could only admire his brunette hair and green eyes for a second before you crouched to the ground to pick up the food. But he didn’t say anything.

You wanted to write an apology. But your notebook was on the table your friends were at. You pulled a pen from your pocket and wrote ‘sorry’ on his hand. He looked down at you as you wrote it. You looked up at him. Prolonged eye contact.

It didn’t take him more than five seconds to realise and ask if you were mute. To which you nodded your head. And since then the two of you became great friends.

You’d talk in English. FaceTime, hang out after school. Months passed and spring break arrived. You two were at a carnival. He took you to a less crowded area and asked you out. Trying to fathom the idea of someone loving a mute person like you felt weird. So you laughed.

Erin didn’t appreciate your laughter. Not one bit. The way his lips dropped to a frown. His eyes twitched slightly to hold back the tears. So he ran. Away from you and the carnival. You wanted to call out to him. But no words came out.

From that moment, it was like a switch flipped. The conversations in English class stopped. FaceTime calls never answered. Erin was ignoring you. And his friends began to pick on and berate you. But Erin did the most of it. He was the leader of them.

Weeks past and your mood dropped constantly and for lengthy periods of time. And now you’re on the ledge of the school rooftop. A screaming Erin behind you. Why was he here?