The Silence

Chapter Eleven

"It's OK. I don't think I'll be going."

"Oh, Come on!" Zac cried and slapped his knee. "Julian. My man. You have to come. What is wrong with you two?" He shook his head and looked at Julian again. "Is it one girl then? She someone special?" He asked and Julian's face went even darker. I watched him because I was curious about his answer too, but he looked like he was going to get a nose bleed if Zac kept bothering him so I smacked him on the back of his head.

"Stop it. You're going to give him a headache, yapping like that." I mumbled.

"Ouch." Zac shot me a venomous look and rubbed his head. "Well if you didn't ditch me all the time - "

"Zac?" A soft voice asked and we all looked up at the girl at the edge of the grass, hands tugging at the bottom of her skirt like she'd only just realised it was a good inch shorter than school regulations.

"Hey, Phoebe." Zac was up in a flash and Julian and I watched as he led her away from the fountain to a quiet corner.

"I'm surprised she made it into the school with that skirt." I said and Julian snorted.

"Please. Mr Leather Jacket." He flicked my jacket and I caught his arm before he could pull away.

"This jacket is important to me." I said and he tilted his head as he looked down at it. When his eyes met mine again I said, "And my dad owns the school. Would be kinda hard for them to kick me out."

"Really?" He pursed his lips in thought. "I noticed ...your last name before. But I wasn't sure." I let go of his arm and he reached for the sandwich in his lunch box. When he gave me one of his halves I signed 'food' and he laughed out loud. He signed it back and signed a few more.

"Bread. Chicken." He told me and I copied them. It was interesting learning and I actually -

"Freaks." Landon mumbled as he walked past us and my leg snapped out. When he tripped and fell on his face in the grass, I heard Julian gasp softly next to me and move to stand up. I pushed him back down and he frowned at me.

"Fuck you, Colton."

"I told you not to bother Julian again. You know what will happen." He sneered at the both of us and got up off the grass, dusting himself off as he walked away.

"Why did you do that?" Julian asked me and I waved his question away.

"Forget it." Landon had been speaking too softly for him to hear, and it hadn't been the first time I'd heard him say much of the same. It had been time for me to remind him who really owned the school. "Eat. Class is soon." I nudged him.

"You up for another trip to the mall?" I asked Julian as he slid into the car.

"Huh?"

"I need to get a few things. You can come with me. I need another pair of eyes."

"...Sure." He stammered and I sat back in my seat after telling Peter to head to the mall. Julian was quiet and tapping away on the phone I'd gotten for him. He smiled and there was a flurry of buzzing. Who was he talking to?

"Julian?" He must not have heard me because he just snickered and started typing a reply. "Julian!" He startled.

"Hmm?"

"You OK?" I asked stupidly.

"I'm...fine." He laughed and went back to typing.

"Who are you talking to?" I just asked. "A girl?" That was the only reason he would be smiling like that, right? My number was the only one I'd programmed into his phone but that had been weeks ago. Maybe Zac was right and there was someone that he liked...someone special.

"Yes." He replied and my heart stopped beating for a second. "My mom." He explained and I was too relieved to even smile.

"Oh."

"This is it." I said.

"You need a suit?" Julian asked when we stepped into the store that my stepmother had reminded me about last night.

"For the formal, yeah. Just the pants and a shirt. I don't think I've owned anything except jeans in years." He looked pointedly at our school uniform and I rolled my eyes. "This doesn't count." I said and he nodded slowly.

"Of course."

"This way." I said and led him to the back where all the custom pieces apparently were. I was browsing through one of the shelves when my phone rang and I patted Julian's shoulder. "I need to take this. Find something for me?" I said and he nodded again. "Dad." I answered when I was a few racks away.

"Nick. Why am I getting phone calls from people telling me you're running around town with some boy?" He said tersely down the phone and my spine stiffened.

"What?"

"I said - "

"I heard you." I said, cutting him off. "I'm not 'running around town', dad. I'm getting my suit for the formal."

"Someone said you were at the food court and - "

"Am I not allowed to eat?" I hissed, looking around to see if anyone had heard me. "We had lunch. I'm getting my suit. That's all. Bye, dad."

"Nicholas..." I hung up quickly and pinched the bridge of my nose hard. Damn fucking small town gossiping rats...

"Excuse me." I heard and I looked up to answer whoever was talking to me but there was no one. Weird. I was close to where I'd been standing with Julian when I released they must have been talking to him, not me.

"I'm looking for...black suits." Julian said in his small voice and I frowned when whoever he was talking to sneered,

"I'm sorry SIR, but, I don't think we have you're looking for."

"Excuse me?" I said, appearing from the two racks beside them. Julian's shoulders relaxed and he moved towards me.

"Mr Colton." The sales woman said, eyes widening and looking between the two of us. "I didn't ..."

"You don't have the kind of suit I'm looking for?" I asked and she paled a little.

"I...I'm sure we have just what you're looking for." She stuttered and I shook my head as I pulled Julian back towards the exit.

"Come on. We're leaving."

"Saint..."

"I'll just find some dark jeans." I said and his mouth snapped shut.

When my father got home later that evening, there was a sharp knock on my bedroom door.

"What?" I asked in a huff when I unlocked it.

"Nick." He looked angry.

"I'm not having this conversion with you again, Dad." I whispered and his face went pink.

"Nicholas. When people talk - " I closed the door in his face and flipped the lock. "Nicholas!" I strolled over to my desk while he hovered outside my door, banging on it every few seconds. I reached for my headphones and as soon as they were on, sweet music played through the speakers, blocking out the noise. I rolled my head side to side and drifted back to my bed, falling back on it.

Ever since I had met Julian, I'd felt guilty for some reason, using my headphones. Every time I put them on, I would remember that he probably couldn't and it made my chest ache. I closed my eyes and pushed the guilt aside though. Just for today. Just until my father gave up pounding on the door.