Okay, my account has been hacked so my stories are going to be reupploaded from my new account :Princess Riddle... so if you see it up there, it's mine .
Born Into This World.
Introduction:
Let me introduce myself, my name is Veronica and I am fifteen years old. I have two brothers, TJ, who is 18 and Kadin, who is 16. My parents are Thomas and Annabelle Lewis, Dad's 38 and Mom is 37.
My family is a bit unique. You see, both my parents, TJ, and Kadin are all deaf. As in, they can't hear. But I, Veronica Elizabeth Lewis, am not. So basically I'm a hearing girl born into a deaf world.
In society usually it's the other way around, a deaf child born into a hearing family, and the parents don't have a clue how to raise them correctly. My parents had suffered from a small panic attack when they found out their only daughter was hearing. They were happy of course, but they didn't know how to keep me happy, or teach me how to speak. Both had come from deaf families as well.
So they sent me to mom's friend Georgia until I was four and ready to start school. Even then I was an outsider, an outsider in my own house. So, naturally I began to watch their hands. At dinner, during 'family time,' or whenever I could really. Not long after I started signing simple words, or phrases.
They understood I wanted to learn, and were eager to start teaching me how to sign. So for the next year, I spent all my free time learning how to speak to my own family.
Now, I'm fluent in American Sign Language, and I can talk to TJ and Kadin with absolutely no struggle whatsoever.
Way easier.
I now go to Buckner Hall, a private hearing school, and they go to Carlton.
When I was a freshman, last year, I had almost no friends.
Then I met Brandon.
Brandon was the nicest guy you would ever meet. He was in a grade ahead, and he was in advanced classes, proving he was smart. He would talk to me, make me feel so smart. Make me feel like he cared so much about me.
He asked me out to dinner and of course I said yes. I mean, he seemed so sweet. Boy, was I wrong.
After dinner, we went to a small park not too far from my house. We were talking like we always did when he leaned in to kiss me. It's pathetic, I know, being 14 and this being your first kiss.
It got pretty heated and I pulled away first. But he wouldn't stop, aggressively stating that I "needed to get the first time over with." I told him no and pushed him away. Immediately I romped away, but waited until I got into the safety of my own room before crying. He didn't care, he just wanted to get in my pants. He was playing me like a violin, and I let him.
I didn't tell anyone, I thought that they would call me weak. Or think that I was wrong. After a week I almost told Kadin, but I chickened out.
Little did I know this was just the beginning. I should've expected it, it was only freshman year after all.
When I got to school on Monday there was laughing and pointing, sympathetic looks, and disgusted ones. Later I found out that Brandon was telling people I slept with him for money. He was actually telling people I paid him $50 for sex. They believed him too, they all thought I was desperate for money. Okay, it wasn't exactly a secret I was at Buckner on an academic scholarship. But why would people sink so low?
Why can some people act like such scum?
When I confronted him about it, my first mistake, he told me in a very hushed whisper that if I put out, and do as I'm told nothing like this would ever happen. Damn right it won't. I learned my lesson. That lesson being that boyfriends are overrated and all guys are jerks.
But still, I told no one anything.
I'll occasionally consider a guy to be nice or sweet to me, but I will always turn them down. I will never make that mistake again. One boy ruined my high school reputation with one nasty rumor.
I was constantly harassed, called a whore or trash. At first I knew it was his fault, and I tried so hard to concentrate. After a few months nothing died down. I was still 'Veronica the Slut,' I mean I actually had kids throw money at me, to "show them a good time." I started to become more self- conscious about the way I look, thinking 'Maybe I look like trash.' The thoughts became more frequent, I started thinking I wasn't pretty or that I was over- weight. I started eating less and less each day, and I would run mile after mile. Even after all of my "hard work," People still thought down on me.
Subconsciously I slowly started to decrease my intake of food until it reached nothing. Basically all I thought about was what other people thought of me. My daily goal was to avoid my family as much as possible, and try to eat as little as possible, then do vigorous exercise five or more times a week.
My brothers grew suspicious, asked constantly if I was hungry. Apparently I was withering away to nothing, but when I looked at myself I saw an obese girl. Of course I was never obese, but I still felt that way. At my worst I weighed 82 pounds, at almost fifteen. The average weight for a girl my age that is five foot, four inches is anywhere from 114 pounds to 127 pounds. That's like, 30 to 50 pounds underweight, even my befuddled mind could comprehend to issue. Then TJ tricked me, he actually told me we were going to the mall, but our route took us to a rehabilitation center instead. I was pissed at first, then I realized I had a problem and needed help.
I was anorexic.
After a long and hard recovery, Kadin and I grew closer, we never went anywhere without one another. Plus speaking wasn't necessary, so I went mute for a while. I figured the people I love don't speak, why should I?
I would just sign really, really fast and they would usually just go away.
But people still teased me, tried to get me to speak to them, I refused, stayed strong and kept my head held high.
Then one afternoon I came home and got the best news of my life so far.
The news anchor stated in the usual monotonous voice, "Sixteen year old Brandon Crissafulli was arrested yesterday for sexual assault." I stopped listening and screamed in joy.
Then I ran upstairs and in an adrenaline rush told Kadin everything. I told him about Brandon, the teasing, and he was shocked I would keep something like this a secret.
He even cancelled his date with his long time girlfriend, Jocelyn. She then proceeded to break up with him. He wasn't even fazed, he just signed Okay. And hung up on her.
He was even more surprised when I told him, Kadin… Making friends at Buckner is impossible. They all think I'm white trash, a poor charity case that has to sleep with people for money. I bet that won't change either. Just because Brandon is out of the picture doesn't phase their opinions of me.
He nodded, understanding the cruelty of some people. Then told me he had an awesome idea.
He said he had a friend who would love to meet me. Her name is Daphne Vasquez, and she goes to Carlton a year ahead of me. So obviously she was deaf. Apparently she recently had a lot of family drama and he says we can compare notes.
Well, I met Daphne, she became my friend instantly. She knew what it was like to feel like an outsider in your own family, but her situation was the exact opposite mine. She's even trying to get me talking again, and I love her so much for that. Basically, she looked me in the eyes and told me, Ronnie, if you want to be my friend, get your life together and start using your voice. Be heard, she said, Not every one can talk or see or hear like you can. It's great you can sign, but use your voice too. It's the only way you will be heard.
In a way, she changed my life.
That's where I'm at now. So now that you're all caught up, let's get to the actual story.
A/N
I hoped ya'll like it… I really had a burst of inspiration, like, what if someone was born hearing into a deaf family, and was raised around that culture? So BOOM this happened. Well, I'd love it if ya'll would review, favorite or follow. This is one of my first storied that should be a few chapters long… But I'll only update if I get reviews. Tell me what you liked, disliked, what you want me to change, what you want to stay the same?
Thank You,
MeltingMarkers
P.S. Veronica's profile is on my page, if you want to get a better feel for her :).