Deaf Library Student x Popular Kid
Nigel x Evan
***
"Evan wake up!"
Evan sat up fast, looking at his dad who glared down at him.
"What is it?" He sneered at his dad, running his fingers through his hair as he looked at his window. Seeing the sun hadn't even risen, he laid back down. "Why are you trippin'? Leave me alone-."
"You need to get to school at six! I wasted ten thousand dollars on you to not be expelled from that school after that incident you pulled. You will get up, now!" His dad raised his voice, causing Evan's eyes to widen in remembrance.
He ended up throwing his legs over his bed, grabbing his phone as he saw it was-.
"6:23? I'm twenty-three minutes late! What's the point of waking me up? Besides trying to piss me off?" Evan sneered at his dad as he stood up.
"You need to become more responsible. I'm tired of your nonsense. You're fucking seventeen and you have no accountability or self-responsibility! I'm tired of this Evan, this ends now. So, if you get in trouble for being late, that's what you deserve." Evan's dad tells him quite harshly, causing Evan to ignore him as he began to get ready. "I'm leaving for work, six minutes early because I'm a responsible adult who accounts for the traffic and-."
"Okay I get it, shit!" Evan snaps at him, his dad rolling his eyes as he walked out.
He couldn't stand how hard his dad was on him. It wasn't always like this, but he knew it was because of the trouble he's been getting into. Though, in his defense, it was truly his friends.
Doing all of that mess never interested him, it was all by association. He wasn't a snitch, but because of them all 'going down together', it almost caused his expulsion. Only for his dad to give them a payout to keep him at that nice school.
Except...he'd rather have been expelled than do this nonsense.
He didn't even allow himself to eat breakfast, driving to school in a hurry. Because it was obvious that Nigel didn't like him and he even let him leave early. Now he was showing up on his first day, technically, late.
Usually, he wouldn't care about that kind of stuff. Being late and what others typically thought of him. Right now though, he just didn't want to be ratted out that he was late.
Even when he arrived at the school, he rushed inside as he dug in his pocket for his lanyard. Only to begin to realize-.
"I fucking left it!" Evan groaned, laying his head against the school doors.
Because the school wasn't open to the students this early, only faculty. So technically, he was faculty and the card allowed him access to much more things. Without that lanyard that held his card, he couldn't get in.
As he stood there, defeated, he suddenly felt one of the doors begin to open. He stepped back to see Nigel looking down at him as if he expected this. Only to sigh as he turned away.
Beginning to head back, Evan rushed inside and walked right in front of him. Stopping them both from continuing, he nodded up at him.
"So...? Are you planning on ratting on me?" Evan questions him quietly, and he saw Nigel just look at his lips. "I know you know what I'm saying, you're looking at my lips. You can read lips perfectly right, so you say; so answer me. Are you going to rat me out that I was late?"
Evan saw Nigel look back at his eyes now, only to snicker as he walked around him. Anger rising as he grabbed Nigel's arm harshly.
He watched as Nigel turned to face him completely again, his eyes glaring down at him. Evan's anger dissipating when he saw such an expression.
"I knew you'd be late." Nigel finally speaks to him, causing Evan to sneer.
"What do you mean that you knew I'd be late?"
"What I just said. People like you don't abide by the rules, it's either your way or the highway. So when I say I knew you'd be late, I knew you'd be late. You proved me right." Nigel states firmly, Evan just looking at him in annoyance. "School doesn't start until eight-thirty, until then, I'm going to show you the ropes of the library."
Evan allowed himself to groan as Nigel's back was now to him. Following behind him with reluctance, he was taken back to that forsaken place.
The lights only dimly lit and the blinds not even open yet. He could see the sun rays peering through as the sun rose.
He stood at the counter now, seeing Nigel hand him an iPad that had a whole page full of names. Books beside their names and what appeared to be the dates the books were supposed to be returned, as well as the date they took them out.
"Here, you will be checking if these people have returned their books on time. You can check by looking on the computer, but if you can't find a book - you have to check for yourself. Sometimes some books share the same titles and the systems become confused, very rarely is that the case. If someone's book is overdue, you simply slip one of these envelopes into their locker." Nigel explained to him, and Evan glared at him the whole time. "That's one of the easy tasks."
"This isn't easy at all! I have never even been through the library here. The last time I ever did anything in a library, I was in elementary school. This library is also way bigger, as is the school. I can't just be that one kid who puts overdue notices into peoples lockers like some tax collector, but for books! It's embarrassing!" Evan calls out the whole ordeal, seeing Nigel not even look fazed by his words. "If you love doing this job so much, why don't you do it?"
Evan waved the iPad in front of Nigel, wiggling his eyebrows as if this was some catch. Watching as Nigel turned away and began to work on something else, he sneered.
Now he looked down, seeing all of the names and he was already tired just from looking at it. Then for the library to be so quiet, warm, and dimly lit...?
He couldn't help but yawn, not used to even being up this early. Because he usually woke up at an hour before he had to leave for school, so seven-thirty. Now he was waking up practically two hours later, but that was just today because he was late.
He'll have to get up before six now...
Suddenly, he saw five envelopes be placed in front of him, a list of people's names and lockers on it given as well. Looking up, he saw Nigel looking at him like he still wasn't surprised.
"I already did the first page as you stood there for ten minutes dozing off, those people are the ones who are overdue. No one is here right now, so no one will see you put the envelopes in." Nigel tells Evan who grabbed the envelopes and list. "Is that too much to ask from you?"
Evan just looked at him, seeing Nigel look at him in boredom. Like he wasn't expecting him to even do what he asked.
And he was right.
"Look, about what happened yesterday," Evan started, grabbing the envelopes as he started to pretend like he was sorting through them, "This...Mason dude, when do you plan on having this date?"
"That's really none of your business." Nigel scoffed at him, causing Evan to nod.
"That's true, true; but, I'm just going to be honest with you. You...don't look like you know how to have a good date." Evan just tells Nigel straight up, causing him to look away. Only for Evan to turn so that he saw his lips when he spoke. "Hear me out, I'm saying this because you dress...really bad. You're kinda awkward and you literally chose to work here, so I already know you're just naturally boring."
Evan saw Nigel look at him like he was shocked he'd just say that to his face. Except that was Evan's specialty, telling people stuff that they didn't ask to hear. Or more like, hurting peoples feelings.
"You don't even know me." Nigel says harshly, causing Evan to nod in agreement.
"I don't need to know you though to be able tell that you're boring and can't dress well." Evan tells him again with no shame. "Look, I don't know what Mason was talking about when he said 'others', others where? What is to like about you?"
Nigel shook his head at him, looking just shocked by his words more and more.
"You wear such bulky clothes and do you even need glasses?"
"Dumb question." Nigel says back sharply, causing Evan to raise his hands in defense.
"I'm just saying! You'll be surprised by how many people wear false glasses as a fashion accessory. How do I know you're not just pretending to dress like a loser?" Evan asks him with mock innocence, causing Nigel to scoff at him.
He began to wonder if he was going about it the wrong way, raising his eyebrow on him. Seeing Nigel go back to work, he sighed in boredom.
It was a lost cause to just talk openly since Nigel had to see his lips to hear him. Now he purposely covered the computer screen, causing Nigel to look at him in irritation again.
"So, look between us both. I play football and have muscle, I attract eyes wherever I go, I am confident, rich, and don't care about what people think of me." Evan says surely.
"Clearly." Nigel mumbled under his breath.
Evan ignoring such a thing as he nods at him now.
"You...you play the books and I can't tell what you have going on since you wear such baggy clothes, you attract no eyes considering I found out you existed only yesterday, you don't seem confident, not rich based on your clothes, and you don't seem to care what people think of you...I guess." Evan tells him now, seeing Nigel just shake his head in disbelief. "See? You can't even deny it."
"I have nothing to deny or agree to, you're just very...rude. Not everyone needs to fall into that kind of trope."
"Trope?"
"Yes," Nigel sighed, walking around the counter as he grabbed the envelopes, "The trope of the rich, spoiled, bully, football player, popular kid. You're literally a trope personified, the stereotypical one that everyone seems to love or hate. No in-between."
Evan stood there in confusion, Nigel walking around him as he decided to deliver the envelopes himself. Only for Evan to follow after him as he walked right in front of Nigel. Walking backwards, he saw Nigel just look at the list of where the lockers are.
"You're...you're a trope too, you know!" Evan exclaimed, seeing Nigel look at him in wait as to how he was one. "The...the boring library kid with no fashion sense and seems to have no friends. A teacher's pet, a...a goody-two-shoes! A..."
He saw Nigel just smiling at his words, and his words somehow drifted.
"What?"
"You're just making assumptions. What trope is there where the person or thing is deaf?"
Evan's eyes widened on him, seeing Nigel stop at a locker now. Sliding the envelope inside, he checked off one of the names.
"Aside from your deafness, you are one of the most lame tropes!"
"And you're one of the most generic and hated tropes," Nigel says back quickly, causing Evan to snort, "Something we both can agree on?"
"No! I'm just a person!"
"As am I, end of discussion."
"You brought up the tropes, not me." Evan snapped, hearing Nigel just snickering at him.
"You technically did speak of tropes, I'm just the one who stated what you were doing." Nigel stopped now, beginning to put an envelope into another locker.
Evan didn't even want to talk about himself or tropes, this was about Nigel. The only reason why this conversation started was because Evan brought up Nigel's date.
This was not what he wanted to talk about.
"I don't care anymore, I wanted to talk about your date that you'll possibly have with Mason in the future. Since I literally will have to be around you for three months for most of my free time, how about you let me help you?" Evan suggests, seeing Nigel look at him funny. "I know, it's an amazing idea."
"Horrible idea, I don't want your help."
"Yes you do."
"I don't." Nigel stopped walking abruptly, glaring at Evan now.
That caused Evan to stop walking too, looking at him. He saw Nigel shake his head as he looked away from him suddenly.
"I know what I want your help in." Nigel starts, and Evan nodded excitedly in wait. "I want you...to deliver these envelopes and actually do something instead of making fun of me because you're bored, that's what I want."
Evan was shocked when Nigel grabbed his hand, placing the three envelopes and the list on it. Only to turn away and walk off from him.
Once Nigel turned a corner to go downstairs, Evan just snorted at such a thing. In his mind, he wasn't making fun of Nigel at all. He was only stating the obvious and giving constructive criticism.
"People are so sensitive, I swear." He laughed, beginning to start delivering the rest of the envelopes.
Everything he said was true, in his mind. He believed the only reason why Nigel was so upset was because he knew what he said was true.
He could agree that he didn't know Nigel, that was a fact. There was barely any information he could go off in terms of Nigel as a person. What information he has on Nigel, wasn't really information at all. Just assumptions and how he perceived Nigel to be.
Was he wrong? Was he going about this the wrong way?
He really wanted to be all in the business of those dates. Just because he thought it'd be a good time waster. There had to be a way for him to figure it out.
As he thought on it, he remembered Mason saying that 'others' struggled to learn sign language. Instantly, he already knew how he could find a way to stick his nose in business that had nothing to do with him.
Or so he thought.
He still waned on if learning sign language was the way. It didn't interest him...to learn such a thing.
Once he delivered the last envelope, he went back to the library. Seeing that Nigel wasn't at the front counter, he looked over just in case. Except he wasn't there either and he tried to listen in to see if heard a cart or a noise.
As he walked around, he ended up seeing Nigel opening the blinds. Rushing up to him, he jokingly closed the blinds, only to see Nigel glare at him.
"Oh...so you're still upset I see." Evan snorted, and Nigel just continued on opening the blinds.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to try and sympathize with him or start any conversation. How could he when Nigel had to see his lips for there to be anything. Was he going about it all wrong?
Now he went in front of a window Nigel was about to open the blinds to, seeing him sigh.
"Please move."
"No-can-do." Evan shook his head, only for Nigel to still look at him like he was the most annoying person in the world. Now he looked off, his hand going to his chest as he started to scratch in a circular motion. "This is awkward."
Once he scratched the itch, he saw Nigel look at him with wide eyes. He was confused as to what happened until Nigel sighed.
"I forgive you...I guess." Nigel tells him, and Evan pulled his hand down from his chest in even more confusion. "You did...it wrong though."
Evan watched as Nigel grabbed his hand and formed it into a fist. Setting it against his chest, he moved it in a circular motion over his heart. He saw Nigel pull back now, grinning.
"That's how you say sorry." Nigel murmured to him. Only for Evan to see him point at himself, his fingers coming together as they ran up from the end of his palm to his fingertips, ending with a finger pointing at Evan. "That's how you say 'I forgive you' in sign language."
Now, Nigel went around Evan as he opened the blinds behind him. Going forward to open the rest of the blinds, not knowing that he intrigued Evan more.
He knew the answer now.
Learn sign language.
Rushing back to Nigel, he grabbed his arm and saw Nigel look at him. That's when he pointed at himself, smirking.
"Can you teach me sign language?"
✎_________________˖*
i want to release this early- 🫢
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