Love is Deaf

Chapter 3: In Love, Maybe

Marcus purposefully sits far away from me... literally all the way across the room.

I don't know why, but I wanted to know what his... "issue" was. I felt like I needed to know. He's so distant towards other people, and I know I always get in trouble for my curiosity and determination, but I've never felt so inquisitive in my entire life.

So I get up and I sit beside him.

I watch as he stiffens in his seat and he looks devastated before he narrows his eyes at me.

"Marcus, I..." I didn't know what I was going to say, but he cut me off instantly.

"No talking. During detention."

"Well, Mr.Bush suggested..."

"What did I just say?"

His tone cut like a knife, slowly pressing into my chest. I questioned how much embarrassment I would be willing to take from him. I attempt to be sympathetic, but he dismisses me so quickly. At this point, I know nothing except that maybe... I should just stop trying.

I look him straight in the eye and I feel my face heating up; my blood is boiling.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I stomp out of my seat, and storm over to the one before. I can't stop myself from trying to burn a hole through the back of his head as I glare at him from across the room.

"Like you'd ever care," I hear him say.

The walk home seemed to take forever, but the early Fall sunset was nice to experience. The wind blew through my hair, my eyes felt more swollen than ever. Who would've thought the second semester of my junior year would pan out so stressfully? It's only the middle of October, I'm doing fairly okay in my classes, but my social life is in shambles and I basically only have one friend.

I squint up at the red-orange sky, wondering if there was anything out there for me to belong to. I've always liked my friends real and close, and by that, I mean really close. When I think about it, the only thing that's separated me from my friends before was their diplomas; even then, were they really even my friends? Have I always been just "for the moment"? Am I a pest?

I blink, snapping out of my thoughts as my hand grips the door handle; to my surprise, it's already unlocked.

"You're home late," my mother says, as I swing the door open. She crosses her long legs and sets a cup of coffee down on the glass tabletop. She turns off the TV and my father comes in from the dining room.

"What's the explanation?" My dad is serious, his eyes dark and tired.

My mom tilts her head to the side, antagonizing my subtle fidgeting. I know I'm about to get the speech of my life.

"You know, you're pretty lucky..." my mother's ice blue eyes met mine as she sat stone faced. I blink at the floor for reassurance, preparing myself for her scolding.

"You're father and I work tirelessly so that you can live a comfortable life, in a good neighborhood, with an intelligent community; but instead of taking advantage of that, making friends, and excelling in school, you're getting detention. Your grades? Sub-par.I'm receiving phone calls at my job because of it."

"I... I'm sorry..." I huff. "I didn't mean to..."

"I was in the middle of a very important meeting when I got the call from your school. Well of course, I'm going to excuse myself and answer the phone because only God knows what the hell is going on!" My mother's flail hand flies stiff in the air. "All for detention and lackluster scores.