I Am Deaf

Chapter 2

Len POV

I arranged the pencils neatly and mussed up my hair into its usual messy state: Blond bangs falling into my face with a tiny ponytail in the back. I crossed my arms and waited for the girl, Rin.

Finally, I saw her appear, her blond hair in a messy ponytail too, with white clips pinning her bangs to the side and a white eggshell bow on her head.

Not even apologizing for being late, she plopped into the chair opposite to me.

I took a deep breath. "Hi, Rin. I'm Len." I raised my hand to wave. She flinched.

"Whoa, now, I'm not gonna hit you!" I chuckled. She shook her head.

"What?"

I looked at her, sure I'd spoken loud enough for her to hear me.

"Nothing. Let's begin with factorization."

I pulled out my folders and took out my factoring worksheets.

She stared at them.

"Oh! Right!" She also pulled out her math worksheets.

"Okay, first take out "x", because it's common for both of these." I pointed at it. Looking down at my paper, I realized just how bad my handwriting was.

So I explained everything to her.

Then I looked up at her. She looked confused and frustrated, so I gave her an easy problem.

2x-6.

She looked at it, then at me.

"Wait, what do you do first?"

I frowned. "Were you not listening?"

"I was, but..."

I explained it again, this time looking straight at her so she wouldn't get distracted.

This time, she did it perfectly.

I congratulated her, and then I gave her a worksheet to do.

She looked at me, a panicked expression on her face.

"Wait...I have homework?"

"Yeah, of course! Just because you're out of normal classes, doesn't mean that you're completely free!" I laughed.

"Huh?"

I repeated my words while packing up the math textbook.

"I can't hear you." She said through gritted teeth.

I looked directly at her, repeating the words once more.

"Oh." She said, finally getting what I said.

Something's wrong, I thought suspiciously.

Before I could ask her why she was so out of touch, she spotted Romeo and Juliet in my backpack.

"Hey- can I see that?" She grabbed it without my permission.

"Can you read well?" I asked, looking at her.

No response.

"Rin?" I shook her arm gently. She looked up at me.

"Yeah?"

"Um, can you read well?"

"I guess. Not out loud, but to myself." She shrugged.

"Read it. Out loud." I said.

"What? Not now!"

"Yes. Reading is part of your tutoring, anyways."

She opened to a random page and cleared her throat.

"Is there no pity sitting in the clouds
That sees into the bottom of my grief?
O sweet my mother, cast me not away!"

"That's great!" I praised her melodic and fluid voice. "You can stop."

She kept reading.

"Delay this marriage for a month, a week,
Or if you do not, make the bridal bed-"

I put my hand on the page and waved it. Her head snapped up.

"I told you to stop." I said lightly.

"Right, gomen, I must have gotten carried away." Her cheeks reddened.

"Right... Rin, I have to ask you something."

"Hai?" She looked nervous.

Just then, the bell rang. I looked at Rin, expecting her to get up, but she just looked at me expectantly.

"I'll ask you tomorrow, never mind." I said.

"Why?"

"The bell just rang." I said to her.

"Oh! Thanks, Len-kun." She waved at me as she began walking away. "Bye, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah..." I said, watching her go. I'll figure you out, Rin.