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School was hard at times, others not so much, Jake didn't have many friends but the ones he did have knew how to sign. They'd learned growing up with him. His mother had started when he was born after the doctor to her of his rare but not deadly condition, his dad didn't bother to take the time, he'd thought he would somehow magically get better, wishful thinking on his part here at eighteen years old and still deaf as a Prius, he didn't talk much not at all really only when a person couldn't sign, and needed help or something or sometimes in class, most of his teachers signed, it was a requirement at forks high, seeing as they had a primarily deaf and blind program.
Jake had been graciously asked to leave the high school on the rez, because they refused to accommodate his needs. What needs did he have? A Special Ed class every semester how hard was that? He guessed they didn't have any handicapped kids on the rez, he must have been the only one. It's not like his mother had asked them to move every child who was normal out so he could have the teacher at his beck and call only, no she just wanted him to get the best learning like the other kids, but not that school; nope, just like his father, they'd shut him out too. They just wanted a nice sign language class, for her son, and his siblings, and other kids if they wanted to take it. But they wouldn't hear of it.
Once Jake left his friends decided to come with him, his best friends, Paul, Embry, and Quil. They were all the same age; their mothers shared the same prom experience that bored them in to this world, all four moms getting pregnant the same night. His dad still thought it was planned, but he didn't argue with her when she was pregnant, just took care of her. Only after she gave birth, did he start to question her, like how in the hell is it that he produced a deaf kid? Saying his genes were powerful. Jake never heard the heated conversations his father and mother had, but he always felt in his heart they were about him and his flaw. His mother would put him to bed, and hug and kiss him, her kisses were always filled with love, soft, caring, tender, sometimes, she'd kiss him and sign to him he was the best thing she could've asked for. He always thought his dad would come in and say goodnight maybe even talk to him, it didn't matter to Jake if he came in not knowing how to sign, he'd read his lips as best he could, he just wanted a hug from his father, some kind of recognition , but it never came.
One night his mother had come to tuck him in after his bath and her cleaning up the dishes from the dinner they'd shared earlier, not as a family but a mother, son, and twin daughters, no dad to be found. She'd come to tuck him in and sign him a story. When his father came home, thinking he'd been done wrong again, that Taha Aki dealt him a bad draw.
"You selfish bitch, how is my son gonna ever amount anything? he can't fucking hear, huh? Answer me! How will he play football he can't hear a damn play being called or basketball huh? How can he ever know a player is open short corner, he won't that's why, he'll probably be a fucking gay like his uncle a gay just like martin, huh? It that what you wanted Taha Aki?"
His mother just held him close as his dad went on rambling to the powers that be.
He was ready to leave for school the next morning, his backpack in one hand and lunch in the other. He had never walked to school by himself before, but his parents knew there'd be other kids and their parents out heading the same way, so they didn't worry, but that day was the first. He walked out the door heading down the road, he'd thought he'd turned his hearing aids on, they barely worked anyway so he couldn't tell the difference, he was just trying them out he didn't know his parents couldn't afford to get the permanent ones that actually helped him hear things in a better quality, more like HD today. Nope he'd had these cheap big bulky ones, noticeable from miles away. He'd went on walking on the side of the road, not looking behind him, just paying attention to what was in front of him so he'd didn't fall to further embarrass himself. The other kids and their parents were walking to school too, it had been cold out for a while now since the clocks fell back, it was still semi dark when it was time to leave for school. He'd been walking, waving to the neighborhood kids and their parents as they walked. Somehow they'd all passed him up and he was looking at their backs, he was walking pretty much alone again, not wanting to be by himself, he went to cross the street, not looking, but glancing.
"hey kid look out!" someone yelled, but Jacob kept walking, he didn't realize the truck had been there, until it was too late, as the headlights flashed the asphalt in front of him, an echoing screech he'd faintly heard sounded. He tried to shield himself from the collision, but the truck had already clipped his leg, he was thrown down to the ground, the wind knocked out of him, he'd felt the blood pool by his leg, and tried to scream; when the pain collided with his brain telling him his leg was hurt, hurt was an understatement more like excruciating pain, but all that came our was a strangled grainy cry. His heart started to beat fast, and his mind wanted it to slow, it felt and though it would stop beating all together, so he'd thought it best to just let the darkness consume him.
He awoke in a hospital a few hours later, to his mother talking to a doctor. His eyes barely opened, lots of light shining through his lids.
"mahu" he said raspy at best, trying to get his mother's attention. She quickly thrust her head in his direction. Tear stains shown on her face. She rushed to his side, saying something, hugging him to her chest, she was crying again. He could feel the vibrations of her chest as she sobbed, in to his hair.
"it okay, I'm okay" he tried to reassure her but it wasn't working. He just letter calm down then signed to her what happened. Jake was surprised when the doctor started to sign to him, he was there glad someone else besides his mother and friends he could talk to, someone of the rez.
He signed to Jake how he'd been in an accident, said it was standard procedure to tell a patient who was found unconscious at the scene. He told him about the injuries he'd gotten, just a leg injury thank Taha Aki, and a torn ligament in his knee. He was told he'd be in a cast for about six weeks and a brace for about four.
Jake was just glad he wasn't dead, he couldn't put his mom through that, he'd already put her through enough. Him dying would've killed her. He wasn't surprised not to see his father, he'd probably been praying for him not to make it. To get rid of the disappointment that was his non hearing son.
He was so busy wallowing in his own self-pity; he had forgotten to ask about the driver of the truck.
'What about the driver of the truck?' he signed to the doctor.
He saw his mother's head go down then, and he automatically thought the worst, it was all his fault, he'd killed someone just because he couldn't hear. That thought was unbearable, his father was right, he was useless just a waste of space. Tears welled in his eyes then, 'Useless' the only word he could think of, when he saw the doc look toward his mother, as if asking If he could let him know he was a murderer .
"I'll tell him" she'd said but he only read her lips. Looking toward her for his answer.
'The driver in the truck,' she signed pausing, not really knowing how to go on. Tears welled in her eyes again,
'The driver of the truck' she started again
'Was y-your, your f-father' she finished lowering her hand from her forehead slowly.
If I should continue let me know, if not let me know, if you want to help me by being my beta let me know, if you're feeling lonely and u just need a friend; someone to talk to; vent to; .know (hush whispered preacher like tone) lol seriously if you're going to read it at least review.