Elea’s POV
Do you think your life right now is hard? Having a slow internet connection during an online game, feeling nervous about reciting a speech for a school presentation, confessing to a guy who totally doesn’t care about you? How does it feel to have the chance to speak up every time you wanted to? For me things are different I can hear words, phrases, and sentences but I just can’t say anything. You are probably thinking about what exactly I am trying to express here. Well, I am just a seventeen-year-old girl who has a speech disorder and everything about my life and how I live is different from you guys. Yes, I am mute but I am not deaf! For the past 4 years of my high school life, I’ve been bullied, and the fact that I can’t say something about it is the worst part of my whole existence. I’m so tired of pretending that everything is fine but the truth is it’s not okay. I have feelings too! I am not a cowardly loser and I will prove everything to the world that I also have my worth. My name is Elea Ashe Williams, I am currently studying at Westside Bright University as a first-year senior high school student. I care about my grades and in fact, I belong to the dean's lister. My hobbies include writing, cooking, and painting. I only have one best friend and that is Kia Chanel Smith. She is a good friend of mine since kindergarten. She’s the only one who truly understands me. I am lucky and grateful that she has a lot of patience to deal with a mute friend; she even studied some of the basic sign languages just for her to understand what I’m trying to say. Oops! Storytimes over, I am already late for school as I checked my wall clock and it’s already 7:30 AM. I quickly took my books together with my tablet and my grey backpack near my shelves. I carefully ran down the stairs and put on my shoes. Mom called me for breakfast but I told her that I’m not hungry with the help of my tablet and went off. I got on the bus and sat at the back near an opened window. On this sunny day, in the midst of the lovely waving winds, I closed my eyes and listened to some music with my earphones on and some strange guy asked to sit beside me. I moved my seat and let him sit beside me. He doesn’t look harmful at all and he is also wearing our school uniform. I opened my tablet and asked him;
“Are you a transfer student? What grade are you in?”
He looked at me and said
“Yes, I moved here one week ago with my family. I am in first-year senior high”
I smiled at him and wrote,
“We can go together I am also in the first year and maybe we are in the same class”.
He nodded and looked away.
After a ten-minute ride from the bus, we finally arrived at our school. We are definitely late. The guard asked us to list down our names on a form. By the way, I know the guard here. He is my dad’s friend, Uncle Jhonny. We wrote our names and ran to our room and good thing we are in the same class. The teacher told me to sit down and he was asked to introduce his name.
“Hello everyone, I am Reigne Walter Andrews I am eighteen years old and I love music and arts. Nice to meet you all”
all the girls giggled and whispered. I can hear them say
“Oh my God the transfer student is so hot”, “Reigne is so good-looking”.
Well, I’m not gonna lie he really is handsome but in my eyes, he’s just a normal guy. The teacher asked him to sit and the class started. After the first subject, I met Kia in the lockers room. She was looking so excited and she asked if the rumors are true about the handsome student in my class. I was annoyed by her high-pitched giggles and excited voice. I told Kia his name and proceed to my laboratory class. As I was walking in the hallway I felt a tap on my shoulder. Guess what it was him, Reigne Walter. I asked him if he needed anything and then he answered;
“Hey, I just want to know your name”
so I wrote my name on my tablet and he asked me
“Why do you always keep on writing everything on your tablet? Can’t you just speak?”
and there he knew that I am mute.
The day continued and as I was packing my things up, Zhavia came and splashed me in the face with cold coffee. I didn’t even do anything to her but somewhat she is so mad and annoyed with me it’s like she always wanted me to feel like I don’t belong in this school. She acts like she owns the whole university. Her attitude is trash just like her face. She even has that group of girls who bully and downgrade students with a disability like me. As I was about to rush to the comfort room for the first time in my life someone stood up for me and it was Reigne. He raised his voice at Zhavia and told the teacher about it. I wish I could do that too but I can’t. I ran while tears are falling down my eyes. It hurts me a lot knowing that people can just step into my way and ruin everything. Yes, I am grateful for him to do that to me but still, I feel very weak and helpless. I hid in the comfort room for hours until it reaches the point that I needed to go home. I kept on thinking about it on my way home and it really bothers me.
“What about tomorrow? What if it will happen every day of my entire life” I whispered to myself.
I entered the house with a smile on my face hiding my true hurting self. I sat at the dinner table and ate my food then went upstairs to go to my room. I curled up in my bed and cried myself to sleep.
