Slamming her locker door, the young blond didn't notice the glances her way, nor did she realize the noise that slamming the metal door had made. The silence that enveloped her was a normal part of life, and when she was at home, or with her few real friends, she rarely thought about it. But here, in the midst of her peers, she felt the weight of being different and unaccepted.
Heading to her final class of the day, she silently prayed that Mr. Nelson, her science teacher, would make an effort to face her. He was the worst for forgetting to look her way, and if it had not been for the notes he gave her after class, she would be completely lost. Sue realized that it was unintentional, as the man was older and had never had a deaf person in class before, but it did not make it any easier on her.
Arriving in class, she took her seat, and began shuffling through her notebook to find her homework. When she looked up, she was surprised to see a substitute, and hoped this meant no lecture today. As the young woman in the front of the room began pacing back and forth, Sue became immediately frustrated. There was no way she could read her with the constant movement, often leaving her line of sight. Sighing, she allowed her thoughts to shift from the classroom to the deaf club she would attend later tonight.
Her mother had only allowed her to start attending deaf club in the last year, and Sue found it to be what she looked forward to each month. It was the one place where she fit in. Most of her deaf friends did not know that she read lips and spoke. There were some deaf that did not look kindly on those who were oral, so Sue chose to not mention it. Instead, she spent her evenings enjoying the companionship of others who lived in silence. Those who understood how she felt and what she thought. The people who shared her world. Looking around the room, she knew that no one here understood her. She was an outsider looking in, with no way to completely break through the barrier. It was not their fault they could not enter her world any more than it was her fault she could not enter theirs. But somehow when she was with other deaf, everything fell into place.
Considering the evening ahead, her mind could not help but think of Joey. They had met at deaf club, and had seen each other on several occasions since. For the last couple of months, he had been calling her, and they had gone out a few times. This weekend was his prom, and he had invited her to go with him. It was exciting, and she had said yes right away, but now she had started to feel uncomfortable. He seemed to have the idea that prom night was about more than the prom. The last few conversations they had, he had seemed to be insinuating something more than Sue was willing to give.
Just thinking about his mention of a hotel room brought red into her cheeks. Bringing her hand up, she touched the necklace that she wore without fail. Her father had given it to her on her 16th birthday. It was a heart shaped locket which had a place for a key. It symbolized the promise she had made to God and to her future husband. A promise to wait for him. Her father kept the key to give to the man she would marry. Deep in her heart, she knew that Joey was not that man, and she knew she would have to explain to him that she was not interested in the kind of relationship that he was obviously suggesting. And yet, she felt uneasy about explaining it to him. She wanted so badly to be accepted, and somehow she knew that he would never understand this decision.
Seeing her classmates beginning to fumble around in her books, she re-focused on what was going on in the classroom. She would deal with Joey when she saw him later. Her immediate problem was finding out what she was supposed to be doing in science.
