Deaf Library Student x Popular Kid
Nigel x Evan
*** ^Evan in frustration...
"I'm mad, I'm upset, I'm pissed off."
Evan looked at Terrance, seeing him at his house this Sunday as Thanksgiving passed. Having the Thanksgiving food was the best part to him, and he was happy he could taste such a thing. It was better than what his own chefs have made!
Except...Nigel acted different the whole time.
It was too much of a difference for Evan to pretend like he didn't notice. He ended up finding out that Barry...happened to stay in the library after school with Nigel. Nigel watched him until his parents were able to pick him up, and he grew a brotherly bond for Barry.
So that's where the bond was. He had no idea it was that close. Now it made sense as to why Nigel didn't seem so surprised and called him a bully. He was aware to some degree of what might've happened, he just didn't know what.
Now, he knew.
Evan left his house the next day.
"Why are you mad, upset, and pissed all at once?" Terrance asks him while texting his girlfriend. "I'm honestly surprised you asked me to come over-."
"Because someone else besides...our group knows what happened," Evan snapped at him, seeing Terrance look up at him in shock, "I told Nigel."
"You told the boy from nowhere?" Terrance questions him, and Evan frowned. "What?"
"He's not a 'boy from nowhere'. He's my friend-."
"Yeah...from nowhere. When did he even arrive at that school? Listen, I've asked around and literally no one knows where he came from or who he is. Has no close friends or relationships that you could call relationships - just...flings. He was pretty well-liked, but that's just because of what they've seen and heard on him. None of them knew he was deaf either. Why is there nothing on his backstory? What's of him before he became who he is? He kinda...gives me the creeps." Terrance says off the top of his head, seeing Evan glare at him. "Not like that. He seems nice, I swear; but you know how you look at someone and you can just tell?"
Evan looked at Terrance, seeing him still texting his girlfriend. Only for him to stop, looking over at Evan now.
"Tell what? That you're bullshit?"
"No. That they aren't what they seem. Why do I just look at him and get this vibe that he's actually...not that good of a person either? I don't know, maybe it's just me."
"It is." Evan snapped, seeing Terrance snort as he went back on his phone.
"He's only been at our school too since this year, he transferred from somewhere else. Why? I don't know, I don't care - just saying."
Once that was said, now his words set in.
He didn't know that Nigel had only been there since this year. Why did he transfer from his other school in the first place?
Now he wondered more than ever.
"Well...tomorrow I'll see him and I want to explain some more. I can show him the videos-."
"Don't show him that. That really doesn't help your case. I wasn't there because I was with Anja, and good thing I wasn't. That's a little...just no." Terrance stood up now, walking towards Evan's bedroom door. "I'm gonna go. Anja is asking me to come over and...I didn't think you'd invite me here for this either."
"Don't act like you didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation."
"I guess. See you tomorrow." Terrance left, Evan sitting down on his bed now. Looking on in slight annoyance as it was still the middle of the day, and he did have an appointment to get his haircut. Possibly would get a perm too...
He wondered if he got one, would it fix a little bit of the animosity that seemed to grow for him from Nigel. Or was he overthinking it again...? This time, he didn't think that was the case though.
Going into the appointment later on in the day, he allowed himself to sit through and ordeal or perming his hair. He just wanted everyone to like him, in his mind. It almost became a competition for himself in his mind.
Everyone had to possibly like him, even if he was straight and he wouldn't ever like Nigel... Of course, but yet he was going to these extremes of even changing his hair in such a way.
That effort wasn't missed when he went to school early and on time. Rushing to the library, he already saw Nigel at the front desk. Simply marking books and checking them into the systems. Completely unaware of Evan standing there, and he knew that.
He rushed up towards the desk, slamming his hand on a book Nigel was marking over. Evan watched Nigel look at him once, only to do a double take quickly. He already knew it was for his now straight hair as he waited for more than that for a response.
Except Nigel looked away from him, pulling the book from under Evan's hand.
"I'm surprised," Nigel spoke, and instantly Evan began to become excited, "That you're on time. I had to do a double take because I thought I was imagining you being on time."
Oh.
Evan looked at him like he was crazy, seeing Nigel just look at him in wait.
"That's it?" Evan spoke up fast, watching Nigel nod like that was a dumb thing to ask. "Are you serious?"
He saw Nigel still look at him with no expression, turning away from him. Only to Evan's surprise, he turned back as he had a smirk on his face.
"Of course I noticed your newly straight hair. You took my word too literal, I was kidding you know," Nigel tells him, causing Evan to flinch, "I only said that because I knew you wanted an answer so badly, so silly you are."
Evan watched Nigel grin at him, and he just could feel his face starting to heat up. He wasn't sure why as he stepped back from the counter.
Nigel noticed how off Evan looked and frowned, also wondering why Evan - who's straight - would go to such lengths for him. Just so that he could possibly like him too and for Nigel to be on the list of people who like Evan too?
Was Evan really that shallow...? Nigel didn't think so, but ever since he learned about what really happened - especially to his friend - he wouldn't be surprised if that really was the case too.
Except the longer Evan stood there looking...shy as can be, Nigel wasn't sure anymore.
"You seem uncomfortable," Nigel starts the more he looks at Evan in confusion, causing Evan's eyes to move off of his. Only to see Nigel's fingers appear in his line of vision, and he followed them as they pointed to himself, "Do I make you nervous, Evan?"
Evan found himself stepping back a bit, seeing Nigel begin to smile at him crookedly. His own gaze wanted to avert from his, but for some reason, he couldn't break it.
He saw Nigel wait for his words and he cleared his throat, putting on a cocky smile.
"I should be asking you that Nigel." Evan snickered, causing Nigel to raise his eyebrow. "Do I make you nervous, Nigel?"
The both of them look at one another, Nigel looking away first as he shrugs.
"Nervous, no. I'm more amused by you than nervous." Nigel tells him, causing Evan to wonder what he could really mean by that. "You still didn't answer my question."
Evan watched as Nigel finished the book he was working on, putting it into the cart as he grabbed a new one. Except his eyes quickly moved back onto Evan who was still at a loss for words.
"You can't answer?"
"I can!" Evan exclaims, causing Nigel to shush him teasingly as he looked off. "I mean...I can, yes."
"Then answer."
"I'm feeling quite rushed-."
"Procrastination~." Nigel sung, snickering as Evan just couldn't say it. "I won't force you, but I also have some work to do. I'd really appreciate if you were to help me put away the books I've managed to put into the library system."
Evan watched him point to the cart and he continued to look only at him. Wondering if he was mad at him at all still...
Nigel noticing his staring still and looked at him again, and Evan inhaled deeply.
"After this...when this is over, can you meet me at my locker?"
Just with that question alone, Nigel looked at him in confusion. Because what was the point of visiting his locker? Not to mention he doesn't recall having ever seen Evan in school, not even for lunch since he tended to eat in his car.
"Why?" Nigel asks him, not meaning anything by it as he grins. Leaning against the counter towards Evan who was still wondering why he was blushing, he nodded at him. "Me?"
"I want to talk to you...outside of just this library in school, you know." Evan confesses, causing Nigel's eyes to widen in even more amusement. "What?"
"Evan...I can't hear you, but I can only imagine how cute you sounded saying that." Nigel smiles at him and now Evan was rushing around.
Grabbing the cart, he just rushed away with it in any direction that didn't allow for Nigel to see his face. And the whole time after that, he avoided seeing Nigel. Because he knew it'd be too much for some reason, yet he still wasn't sure as to how that was the case.
When it was all over he waited until Nigel walked away from the front counter to place his locker number on a posted note. Only to rush off as he felt like he wouldn't come in the end. Because he still never acknowledged he was actually going.
Just said...he sounded cute.
Distracted on that entirely, he stood at his locker for a bit. He purposely sent away his own friends to not lose the chance to speak to Nigel. Not that it was hard to do, and he was certain they had nothing truly to offer towards a conversation.
Especially so early in the morning. He knew Nigel could...but maybe he was going about it all wrong.
Just when that thought started to set in, he looked over fast.
Evan watched as Nigel walked towards him in the hallway, his eyes unable to waver from his. Now he stood before him and looked at him with amusement.
"I didn't know your locker was this far from mine. Makes sense that I never saw you in the halls, we don't have the same classes either, huh?" Nigel leaned against the neighboring locker to Evan's, grinning at him.
Causing Evan's lips to tighten together, looking away shyly. His hair easily going into his eyes, he ran his fingers through his hair as he got it out.
"So...you actually came?" Evan asks him, seeing Nigel nod. "I thought you'd be mad at me still."
"Why would I still be mad at you? I was never mad in the first place. Just disappointed is all...Barry was my friend. Dear friend, actually," Nigel states, Evan seeing him purse his lips it seemed in thought of him, "But, yes...you were a bystander to the whole ordeal, so you say. I will...believe your word and take it for what it is. I'm trusting you, I hope you're not lying to me."
"Of course not!" Evan exclaims, flinching when he saw a smile begin to grow on Nigel's face. "You're...kidding?"
"Only partially, but I am serious on the trust part. I don't trust easily, people can be quite cruel...especially when they think they aren't being watched. Do you know what I read off of peoples lips?" Nigel asks him, causing Evan to shake his head no. "You can imagine anything...I probably read it from their lips."
Evan saw some of his friends beginning to walk towards him and he slammed his locker fast.
"Nigel let's-."
"Evan how was your Thanks- what happened to your hair?"
Evan couldn't avoid them now as they came beside him and Nigel. Nigel looking down at them and Evan looked at them warily. He didn't know what would come out of their mouthes. It worried him more than he thought it would.
"I wanted to try something different. It really looks no different." Evan snapped at them, causing them to raise their hands in defense.
Now he saw them look at Nigel who just looked at them with no expression on his face.
"Are you a new student here?" One of them asks, causing Nigel to grin as he shook his head no. "I have never seen you here before. I would've definitely noticed you before if you have been going here all this time."
"Well, you haven't so I guess that's not true." Nigel stepped back, and it became obvious that he didn't want to be near them all like that. "I'm going to go Evan, see you after school."
"You can hang out with us." One of them said when Nigel's back was to them. And when he kept walking, they all looked at him funnily. Unaware that he was deaf, they looked at Evan. "He ignored us."
"I guess so." Evan turned away from them, grabbing the stuff he needed for class. Trying to hold back an amused smile, he instantly knew that they didn't know he was deaf. "He's very nice though."
They began to talk to one another, Evan just watching Nigel's retreating back until it got lost in the crowd. His eyes looking away from him and he just wanted to be around him more than he wanted to be around his own...friends.
His mind was distracted on Nigel now. The others were just to help him pass time, more like instead of being his friends, they felt like liabilities. With that supposed 'care' he had for them...it was fading quickly.
The longer he stood amongst them, he began to become more irritated with them. He wanted to leave at that moment.
Evan just walked away from them, not even saying anything as they all now watched his retreating back in confusion. He was seeking out the person that had him acting much differently than he usually did. Even if it threw him off, he liked it more than feeling nothing with his...'friends'.
It threw him off entirely because he didn't understand at all...what it meant in any capacity. Why was it that he was seeing his friends for what they were...now?
Did it really take meeting someone such as Nigel to show him that? And if that's the case, why hadn't he ever considered others?
Other...friends, that is.
As he thought on such a thing...he contemplated asking Nigel where he came from. Because now that it was actually on his mind, he couldn't deny it.
He really came out of nowhere. There was nothing with that, but he still wanted to know about the person that has honestly...gotten him to this point. Point of realization when it comes to friends and...perms.
When he turned to head upstairs, he almost bumped into someone. Seeing Mason with a couple of his friends, and they gave him the stink eye. He just snorted at them as now that was more important than finding out where he came from.
He completely forgot.
He had to help with the 'dates' Nigel would be wasting his time having with Mason, in his mind. Even though he offered to help, he already knew Nigel was too nice to tell Mason the hard way.
Which was odd to him...
"Mason." He stopped walking, and he looked over his shoulder as he saw Mason and his friends. Looking at him nervously, while Mason was the only one who looked unfazed. "Nigel wanted me to tell you that he wants to have a date with you."
Evan watched Mason's face that was full of contempt fill with excitement. His friends becoming excited for him, Mason rushed up to Evan.
"When? I haven't gotten any messages from him, so I thought he ghosted me." Mason chuckled awkwardly, causing Evan to frown a bit. Except he still...lied.
"This...Wednesday, yeah."
"Okay...did he say where?"
"Nope, surprise."
Mason nodded as he went back to his friends with so much excitement, the only one who wasn't excited was Evan. Even though he started such a chain of events, he needed to see something.
Him doing this could possibly give him more of a chance to get to know Nigel.
Even if it was the wrong way to go about it...and the messed up way too.
✎_________________˖*
oh Evan... 🌚
silly guy you are. 🤡
he is just giving off... 😲
"i don't know what i am doing" vibes. 😀
and, i love it. 🥴
Nigel though...? 🤨
he seems very aware, or does he not? 🫢
vote, comment, follow~✨
- yolo 🫶