A/N: This is an AU story. More or less I've interchanged the worlds that Emmett and Bay come from. I acknowledge it might feel a little strange to read a story where Emmett and Bay seem so different, but trust me they're really the same in a lot of other ways. Please give it a chance!
Together Emmett and Bay are a story of love, one was deaf and the other one hearing. But what if the roles were reversed?
Chapter 1
Bay Vasquez was born a stubborn, rebellious child who grew up to have a hidden heart of pure gold. A petite young woman in height, wavy dark hair fell down her shoulders, a fair alabaster complexion glowing wherever she went. By the time she was seventeen years of age, she was bright in academia and absolutely gifted with a paintbrush.
To any passerby on the street, she was a normal teenager. But she kept her distance from people she did not know, understanding if anyone did get to know her, their opinion of her would turn drastically.
Sure she had wonderful potential, but she felt as if she was harboring a deep secret wherever she went. She had to conceal her true self, she had to keep to herself. Because if she didn't, they would know the truth. Then the stares would come, followed by the hushed whispers she would never be able to hear.
Bay was deaf.
She loathed the piteous glances, the fabricated smiles as people assured themselves more than her that she was like everyone else. But Bay knew better than to believe their lies, she knew better than to let herself believe something that could never be. She wasn't like hearing people, it wasn't possible.
She was twelve when the trauma finally hit home. An elderly woman had slipped in an aisle at the supermarket, apparently shouting for Bay's help. Of course she didn't hear her, and continued to walk away. She was reprimanded by the older woman's vehement daughter, who disparaged the child with inaudible insults and comments.
There was no one to save her, no one to rescue her.
Eventually the woman realized her mistake and bowed her head, apologizing profoundly to the innocent, unsuspecting adolescent. But the words didn't matter, the wounds had cut, the scars were forever.
Bay walked home from the store, running to her room and burying her head into her pillowcase. From that day five years ago, Bay resolved to never be put in a similar situation. She would take care of herself. She wouldn't be a handicapped burden to society. She would remove herself so she couldn't be hurt ever again.
She never told anyone what had happened, not even her mother.
Try as she might, Regina Vasquez was by no means a good parent. She was constantly absent, spending her days at work, her nights with a bottle of cheap wine attached to her hand. Bay learned to cope with her mother's alcoholism, often being the one to tuck Regina into bed. She never knew who her father was.
Bluntly put, they were poor. Times were difficult, they struggled to make ends meet. But at least the government had paid the tuition for Bay's education. Since the 7th grade, she'd been attending Carlton's School for the Deaf. Almost like a gift from heaven, Bay finally had a place she could feel somewhat at ease.
But nonetheless, she was still apprehensive to befriend any of her new classmates. Sure they shared a deaf commonality, but that didn't mean they could relate to her. It wasn't like she was jumping at the opportunity at company either. She remained alone, always living in fear of letting someone behind the wall that surrounded her.
Her deaf peers weren't even relatable enough, safe to say that hearing people would never be a compatible match.
That was, until she met Emmett Bledsoe.
-p-
"Emmett!"
A boy sat with his back leaning against the thick trunk of a tree outside, sitting on the fresh green grass below. He was dressed in standard dark wash jeans, a clean white t-shirt, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. The sun was shining, the sky as blue as his shining bright eyes. His gaze was glassy as he stared out at the scene before him.
His expression was blank, clearly unaware of the person calling his name. He maintained his stance, not moving an inch while the voice continued to shout.
"Hey!"
Still no response.
He closed his eyes, taking a refreshing breath of air, allowing it to fill his lungs. But before he could properly let out his breath, he was abruptly interrupted.
"What are you, deaf?" someone demanded loudly.
His eyelids snapped open, narrowing into a sharp glare at the shadow blocking his sun. He was about to close his eyes to ignore the new presence, when the headphones were ripped from his ears. He was suddenly aware of his surroundings, much to his own chagrin.
"What the hell, Wilke?" his voice was deeper, boyish. He squinted at the blond boy who was in an equally poor mood. "I was listening to that!" he reached forward to retrieve his headphones, only to have the pulled further away.
"Dude, are you honestly complaining right now? We've been trying to get a hold of you for the past two hours,"
He shut his eyes in sudden remembrance. Band practice had been scheduled right after school, he'd completely forgotten. He groaned as he brought his knees closer to his chest, pushing himself against the tree in order to lift himself off the ground. As he rose to his feet, he stood as tall as the other boy.
"Sorry," he apologized tersely, "Got carried away," he gestured around them. He turned towards the other boy, extending his palm upwards expectantly. When the headphones weren't dropped into his hand, he shot him a look.
"No way, not that easy," Wilke shook his head disapprovingly. "You didn't just keep me and Toby waiting, you left us with Simone,"
A simultaneous groan was shared between the pair. Emmett and Simone began a non committal, entirely physical, completely shallow relationship. A trade of sorts, one between a pretty girl from school and a brooding heartthrob musician.
Wilke threw his arms into the air to emphasize his points, he changed his tone from a normal bass to a girlish falsetto. "Have you guys seen Emmett?" he batted his eyelashes in mock coquettish manner, "Do you guys think he's getting bored of me? Has he found someone else? I swear if you guys are lying to me—"
Emmett broke out into a grin, quickly smothering it with the back of his hand to conceal his amusement.
"You think this is funny, huh?" Wilke put his hands on his hips dramatically, "Well you won't be laughing when we get back, poor Toby's probably jumped off a cliff by now," he turned to look at his wrist to check the time. "We need to get going,"
Emmett turned slightly, grabbing his backpack off the ground and throwing it over his shoulder. He deposited his ipod in one of the pockets and zipped it up. "Sorry," he apologized again, "You guys could have just told her to leave, you know,"
Wilke's jaw dropped, "You want to tell ice princess she needs to go? I'm too young to die, but feel free to try it yourself,"
And with that, he tossed the headphones in his direction in which he caught deftly. Without waiting a single second, he swerved around on his heel and began walking away in a dramatic huff. Emmett smiled to himself at his companion's mood, silently thinking to himself of how he was going to rectify the circumstance.
Wilke would likely forget in a couple minutes, he'd probably hook Toby up with one of Simone's friends.
As he pondered his options, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A girl with raven hair sat on the park bench under the shade of a large deciduous tree, her legs neatly crossed, the nape of her neck slightly turned as she loomed peacefully over the book in her hands. She didn't seem bothered in the last by the commotion and pandemonium around them. Through the shrieks of playful children, the chirps of birds, she maintained her concentration, unnaturally focused on her literature. He nearly stopped in his tracks without thinking when a car honk brought him back to reality.
His head snapped up to see Wilke behind the wheel of his car, his arm hanging out the empty window, fingers tapping against black metal impatiently. As Emmett made his way toward the vehicle, he turned half way to see the girl again.
But in her place was an empty seat.
She was gone.
Another loud honk sounded. "Are you coming, or not?" Wilke hollered.
Turning away, Emmett made his way and climbed into the passenger seat. For some reason he couldn't help but wonder who that was, he couldn't help the intrigue he felt at that first glance. He shook the superstition off, deciding he was imagining things.
Little did he know she'd be making a reappearance sooner rather than later.
End Chapter 1
A/N: Emmett is the hearing one who attends Buckner Hall while Bay is the one who attends Carlton. Thanks for reading! Please review if you want me to continue!