(A/N: To anyone following or reading my other story, I am giving up on it for now, though I am not sure if I will continue it. Sorry. For now, I will mainly work on this story instead because I can't resist Mute John. Edit; To anyone following this chapter, I merged this chapter with the second, it made more sense in my mind to do so, sorry!)
Your name is John Egbert and you think you might just die from this heat.
Yesterday, your dad and you officially moved from Washington to Texas due to him having a huge job opportunity down here. Never would you suspect that it would be so hot in Texas though. You didn't mind the thought of moving to Texas much, so you made no attempt to talk your father out of it. Well, technically you couldn't talk your father out of it no matter what, you are mute.
When you were around the age of three, you had snuck outside and wondered about during winter, oblivious to what you were doing or where you were. You had blindly walked onto a semi frozen lake and after five steps, the ice cracked beneath you. A single cry was all you could manage before you were plunged into the dark, cold water. Thankfully, your father had heard you, located you and pulled you out of the water before rushing you to the hospital. After spending a few weeks there, you returned home recovering from a case of pneumonia that damaged your vocal cords, leaving you unable to speak. You still could make some noises though and you have been grateful for that.
Sadly, today is unbearably hot and you are being forced to go to school by your father. And since you live only a block away, you decided to decline a ride to school in favour of walking to school, allowing you to take your time and think about the new school.
What you aren't so grateful for is having to start high school anew. You begin to miss your old friends as you think about the new school, but try to convince yourself that you will be fine. High school isn't that bad. Right? Right. You just can't help being a little scared having to go somewhere where no one knows you can't talk. Sometimes you feel like people know you can't talk even before they're told. It's unnerving and is the reason that you are often shy.
As you approach the school, you look at your clothes, making sure they are presentable. You are wearing your favourite white shirt with a green ghost on it and cargo shorts, yet you are still on the verge of sweating through the clothes. Raking a hand through your hair in an attempt to neaten it, you sigh and walk up to the school before heading inside.
Having no idea of where each of your classes are or in which order they are, you decide going to the office is the best idea. Scanning the interior of the school, you spot the office and enter it before smiling and walking up to the secretary. "How can I help you?" She asks kindly.
You stand there, startled for a moment before attempting to sign to her.
My name is John Egbert and I'm new here.
This just earns you a bewildered look. In a second attempt to speak, you pull a blue pen and a piece of paper from your backpack and write down what you hand signed before handing it to her. She takes the paper and reads it over. "Oh, of course! You must be looking for your schedule? I have it right here!" She says, handing you a paper. You quickly smile and walk out of the room only to enter a crowded hall. Instantly, you duck your head, feeling that somehow, all these people know you cant talk. In an attempt to distract yourself, you read the sheet given to you.
Looking over your sheet, you find that your homeroom is English. Good, you enjoy English. You begin walking down the half crowded hall before unhappily realizing that you will need to tell the teacher of your inability. Betting on the fact that the teacher wont know sign language, you take off your bag and rummage around for paper in it. You grin as you remember having a blank blue notebook in the bag and pull that out instead, along with the blue pen you used in the office. You pull the bag back onto your shoulders and walk into your first class, still grinning despite feeling nervous.
You sigh in relief as you notice that the classroom is nearly empty, your nerves settling ever so slightly as you walk up to the teacher. Uncapping the pen, you open the notebook and inwardly cringe as you explain yourself to the teacher. You then hand the book to the teacher.
I'm John Egbert, a new student. I can't talk, I'm mute.
The teacher reads it and nods understandingly before returning the notebook. Becoming even less nervous, you smile and take a seat in the back of the class as more students file into the room. You are trying to avoid the other students though. It's not that you are scared of them, you're just a little shy, that's all. And also because the moment each of them look at you, you feel like they know that you are mute. Which is insane, but nonetheless, you don't make eye contact with any of the students entering the room.
Moments before the bell rings, a boy walks in the room. He's tall, blonde, wearing dark skinny jeans and a red and white shirt with a record on it. You pay attention to none of this. Your focus is solely on his shades, a pair of black aviators worn without a thought even though he's inside. A million words fly through your mind in order to describe him; mysterious, dorky, cool, handsome, perfect.
You look down at your desk as you feel heat rise to your cheeks and the teacher speaks out. "Just in time Strider, take your seat now please." Is the students name Strider? Weird name. You continue to look down as the oddly named kid takes a seat beside you. The teacher begins talking about some book you have never heard of when a tapping on your shoulder causes you to jump. Turning your head, you see that Strider was the one to startle you.
"Hey, are you new here? I'm roughly 99% sure I haven't seen you here before." He asks. You nod your head and hold up a finger, asking for a second as you open your notebook to a blank page and write in it. You then hand it over to the oddly expressionless Strider.
Yeah! Today is my first day here!
He looks at you and cocks his head to the side before handing your notebook back to you. "You know, we can just talk. Don't have to pass notes. The teacher doesn't mind...much." He replies. You grab the notebook and write in it once again.
Can't talk.
Strider peers over your shoulder before asking, "Why not? The teacher isn't going to do some crazy shit if you start talking. I've been talking and I'm fine. Teacher hasn't ripped my head off or some shit like that." Grinning, you write your response before handing the notebook over to him.
I'm mute.
You watch him, wondering if he'll make any sort of expression after reading it, he hasn't since he walked into the room. A surprised look washes over his face for a second before his face goes expressionless once more. "Well shit. How the fuck was I supposed to know? You never told me." You grab the notebook back and giggle as you respond.
1. I couldn't tell you. 2. You never asked.
"Lies. You just laughed. I'm pretty positive you can't do that if you're mute." You roll your eyes and begin to reply, but are cut off when the bell rings. How did the period go by so quickly? Didn't it just start? Apparently not. "By the way, I'm Dave. Dave Strider. Aka; coolest kid around. What's your name?" Oh, his name is Dave, not Strider. Dave seems like a better name than Strider. As you pull your stuff together and sling your backpack onto you shoulders, you quickly sign your name to Dave.
"What. The. Fuck. Was that?"
You sigh and roll your eyes again before taking your notebook and pen out again and explaining yourself.
That was sign language. My name is John Egbert!
"What the hell kind of name is Egbert?"
You begin walking as you write down a response as Dave follows you.
What kind of name is Strider?
Dave leans over your shoulder and gasps dramatically. "Its the best kind of name, Egbert. Don't dis it. What's your next class?"
Quickly, you take out your schedule and look it over before finding your second class.
Biology!
"Sweet. Same here. I'll be the perfect southern gentleman and escort you to the room." Dave says. You look up at him and see him slightly smirk as he grabs your elbow and leads you towards Biology.
Your name is John Egbert and you think that, if you meet more people like Dave, you won't mind going to this high school.