Harry
The rest of my week went by smoothly. The only hiccup was having to take my car into the shop because the air conditioning decided to quit on one of the hottest days of the year so far. I was just leaving my classroom, locking the invariably frustrating door, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. It was one of my students, Valerie. She was one of the few students that had majority of her hearing so she was having to learn ASL for when she eventually loses her hearing all together.
"Hi Mr. Styles, I hope I'm not interrupting you." She signed slowly, still slightly unsure of some signs. I smiled before turning to face her.
"Never an interruption when it comes to my students." I signed extra slow so she would be able to understand every word I'm saying. I could see her concentrating before lighting up when she understood what I said.
"I was wondering if you could drive me home? My mom was supposed to pick me up but I guess she got caught up with something." I gazed at her in confusion. Why would her mother not pick her up from school? Or at least send someone else to pick her up?
"Sure! Just let me check with the front office to make sure nothing happened with your mother." She nodded and followed me through the halls leading to the office.
Once we got there, I quickly informed the principal of the situation which she found was odd also. She attempted reaching Valerie's parents but to no avail. I informed the principal that I could take Valerie home which she agreed to and thanked me for.
After the interaction, Valerie and I headed to my car in the faculty parking lot. I started the car once we were both buckled in and asked for her address. I noticed that it wasn't too far from where I lived so I knew the way. I could tell that Valerie was fiddling with her hands the whole drive and was becoming concerned for her.
Did she have a stable family life? Were here parents concerned of her whereabouts? Did her mom really just get 'caught up' with something else?
I eventually pulled up to a small home that had a semi-kept front yard. I shut off the engine and faced Valerie.
"Are you sure you don't need anything? Are your parents home?" She looked down at her hands again. Taking a deep breath and looking at me with watery eyes.
"I'm afraid to lose my hearing Mr. Styles. I know that everyone at school says that losing your hearing just makes you a stronger person but I'm terrified." I was really sad for her. She was starting to cry gently so I put my hand on her shoulder in comfort as she continued signing.
"My parents are almost never home. I swear they care more about my little brother than me. Whenever he has soccer practice, they jump at the chance to go support him or take him to every camp they can. They haven't even tried learning sign language." This broke my heart. How can a parent with a hearing impaired child not learn sign language so they can communicate with their kid?
"I know that, at school, we always are encouraging and trying to make every student feel at home and welcome. The reality is, it's a struggle in everyday life. You are going to have to face challenges that everyone else doesn't have to. You will even come across people, whether it be family, friends, or strangers that don't want to take that extra step to be involved in your life. But, I can promise you that when you find those people that do make the effort, they will be your family." I made sure that my point came across clearly and I could tell that it did because Valerie reached over and hugged me with all her strength. I smiled and hugged her back lightly, letting her know that I will always be there for her.
"Thank you Mr. Styles. I really needed to get that off my chest." I gestured 'no problem' to her which made her giggle. She started gathering her belongings and stepped out of my car. Waving to me before walking to her front door. I made sure that she got inside safely before making my way to my own house.
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I had just finished up dinner when I felt a thump from behind me. Turning around I saw Niall and Andrea basically eating each others faces. They had just come in the front door and apparently thought that no one would be inside. I grabbed a large wooden spoon and a frying pan, ready to break up this little love fest. I harshly hit the spoon and frying pan together over and over, causing the lovers to separate quickly while covering their ears.
"What the fuck Harry?!" Niall signed angrily. I shrugged and put the spoon and pan back where they came from and turned towards my angry roommate.
"Dinner's ready and I don't really think semen will be good near the food we are about to eat!" I gestured to the stove and back to the couple. They looked at each other sheepishly while both signing a weak apology. I rolled my eyes and grabbed enough plates for everyone in the house.
After dishing out everyone's food, Niall called Liam to come eat and I saw him rushing to the kitchen not long after. We all sat around the table like a big old family and dug in. Everyone praised my cooking, a little extra praise from the still embarrassed lovers. I waved to get Andrea's attention before slowly signing to her.
"I see that your signing is getting really good!" I could tell Niall was translating but she said she didn't need it. She beamed at me.
"I know! I've been practicing!" She signed slowly and I clapped for her, causing her to bow ceremoniously. Niall rolled his eyes playfully at her but I could tell that he was fond of the small woman.
"So, are the lovers back to it then? How many times am I going to have to walk in on you guys doing it on the couch until you realize that you have a deaf roommate that can't hear your moans from across the house?" I signed quickly making Niall blush, Liam laugh loudly, and Andrea look confused. I could tell she only caught a little bit of that sentence and was asking what she had missed. I gestured for Niall to translate.
"He was asking if we are back together. Nothing more, nothing less!" This made Liam and I laugh harder at Niall's embarrassment. Andrea grew frustrated but let it slide.
"Anyway, are you guys excited about the charity event tomorrow?" Liam spoke up, letting the moment pass. I nodded excitedly and finished up my meal before answering.
"I'm over the moon! I actually researched the man performing and his songs have a cool feeling to them. I blasted them in my car all week!" All three agreed and started talking about his music.
"Man, I wish you could hear his lyrics! They are so thought out and beautiful, it's not like the bubblegum pop you hear all the time now. Plus he is easy on the eyes, which I'm sure you've already figured that out for yourself." Liam said which made me blush. I pushed his shoulder, telling him to knock it off but that just set Niall off.
"Yeah, I bet you would love to climb him like a tree! Get all up in that pop star's pants! Tell me Harry, would you be the top or the bottom in that relationship?" Niall asked quizzically which made Andrea smack him on the back of the head. I could tell he was trying to get a rise out of me so I decided to end the conversation with pride.
"Baby, you would feel sorry for how hard I would top that beautiful arse!" I signed playfully before putting my dirty plate in the sink, stalking off to the bedroom. I didn't miss the way the other three were cracking up at my statement before I disappeared into my room.
I quickly took a shower, threw on some sweatpants and collapsed onto my bed. I took my phone out and sent a quick text to Liam since I was too comfy to get up from my position.
Harry:
Hey, what time are we leaving for the event?
It took a few seconds for Liam to reply.
Liam:
You lazy arse! Why couldn't you just walk to the living room to ask? And we're leaving at 11.
I laughed and decided to not reply to his text. I set my alarm for the morning and decided to have an early night. Switching off my lamp, I got comfortable in the sheets but couldn't seem to drift off. I was excited for what tomorrow will bring.
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