A/N: thank you darkndtwisty and EV for reviewing the previous chapter :D!

She's in love…

They're sitting together during lunch breaks since they went on that date last weekend. I'm happy for her, I really am, but I haven't spoken to her since Sunday, the afternoon we visited the waterpark. The waterpark… my God, I was so nervous beforehand, but we had so much fun and it was actually the best Sunday afternoon in ages. We texted a bit on Tuesday night and that's when she told me that Simon arranged a part-time job for her at his uncle's restaurant. It took me a while to create an enthusiastic response, not because I'm not happy for her, she absolutely deserves it, but I… I'm jealous. I would love to make my own money, buy my own stuff, so I don't always have to ask my parents to buy me new clothes when I don't fit the old ones anymore, but no one is going to hire a deaf girl who refuses to speak to strangers. I hate being different, Delphine has her first part-time job at age sixteen and I'm not even sure if I'll find a job once I've finished my studies at Berkeley.

So, it's Thursday night right now and Delphine texted me an hour ago, asking me if I would like to come over because it isn't very busy at the restaurant tonight. And here I am, standing in front of a small old restaurant with a pink neon sign above the door. It looks kind of shabby and the fact that this restaurant is located along a highway and open for twenty-four hours, says enough.

"Hi Cosima," she waved at me as I stepped inside. She's alone, standing behind the bar and she looks so grown up in her black polo shirt and with her hair pulled up in a messy bun.

"Hi," I smiled, grinning like a fool. "How are you?"

"Bored, I've only had two customers so far. It's gonna be a long night, but I'm glad you're here now."

"Hmm," I nodded, shrugging my denim jacket off my shoulders as I sat down on a barstool. "Are you alone?"

"No, Ted is in the kitchen. I'm not allowed to be alone."

"That's good."

I instantly felt relieved. Delphine working in a small restaurant at night, all by herself, I hated the idea. Anything could happen, especially when most of her customers are old truck drivers who are on the road for weeks.

"Milkshake?" she asked, not waiting for an answer as she opened the fridge, putting a combination of milk and vanilla ice cream in a blender.

"Delphine, no! I didn't bring any money," I whispered as a slight blush covered my cheeks.

"That's fine, it's on me."

"Thank you," I said quietly, averting my eyes from her before she handed me the milkshake. "Where is Simon?"

"At work," she answered, opening a can of diet coke.

"He doesn't work here?"

"No, he works at the gas station at the end of this road. He'll pick me up when my shift is over."

"O…okay. He'll bring you home?"

Please say yes… don't tell me you're staying over at his house tonight. You only went on a date once.

"Yes, of course," she said as she studied my face, wearing a confused look on her own face. "Oh, you thought… God, Cosima, I'm not sleeping with him."

"You can't blame me for thinking that. You're spending a lot of time with him Delphine!"

"So?" she snapped, clenching her jaw. "Is that an accusation?"

"No! I'm happy for you. You deserve it… I just… I miss talking to you at school and we didn't work on our biology experiment this week."

"Hmm," she smiled, reaching out to touch my bare arm. "You're right. I miss talking to you as well, that's why I asked you to come over. I'm sorry for not spending time with you this week."

"It's cool. Don't worry, I totally get it. Simon is a nice dude."

"He is."

A comfortable silence followed and Delphine turned around, grabbing a dishcloth to clean the bar.

"Delphine?" I asked after a minute or two, sipping my milkshake. "Can I ask you something?"

"Cosima," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "You need to stop asking that, you know you can ask me anything."

"Right… ehm… are you in love with him?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I like him… a lot. He's very nice and we have a lot in common, but it's different compared to what I felt for Nathan."

"Maybe you shouldn't compare the two," I whispered, gesturing my words. "You've only known Simon for two weeks now and Nathan was your first love. That's special."

She gaped at me for a moment, probably shocked with the wise words that just left my mouth. Words about a subject I have no experience with.

"Yeah. You're right."

"I'm always right."

My friend let out a hard laugh and took a sip from her diet coke, throwing her dishcloth into the sink.

"We did kiss though."

"What?" I gulped, my eyes widening. "Oh my God, Delphine! I told you so! My magic lipstick did the trick! Was he good?"

"Yes," she nodded, blushing madly. "Very good."

"I'm happy for you," I winked, giving her a genuine smile.

"Thank you Cosima."

Two men entered the small restaurant, took place at a table by the window, and snapped their fingers at Delphine. A wave of anger rushed through me and I definitely would have confronted them with their rude behavior if I had the guts.

"I'm sorry," she said, brushing her hand over my arm. "I'll be right back."

I pushed my glasses further up the bridge of my nose while my eyes followed her. Delphine took their order, and even though I'm not able to hear those two men, I can tell that they're making a inappropriate joke, because Delphine's body looks tense and she smiles uncomfortably while the guys are roaring with laughter. One of them, the oldest I think, suddenly took Delphine's hand in his and I jumped up from my barstool, ready to defend her. He kissed the back of her hand and I felt the anger rise in me once more as I balled my hands into fists. Delphine quickly yanked her hand away, turned around and locked her eyes on mine.

"Cosima," she hissed as she made them a cup of coffee. "Sit down. You're gonna cause a scene."

"I saw that! That is not okay!" I hissed back, digging my nails into my palms. "What did they say to you? Something sexist?"

"No! Just stop it, you'll get me fired if you're gonna make a big deal out of this."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten while Delphine gave them their coffee. I would love to have a job, serve coffee to guests, take their orders, but not like this and I can tell Delphine doesn't enjoy this either. I can't believe Simon arranged this job for her.

"Do you still wanna have that sleepover you mentioned?" I asked, realizing I needed to change the topic before Delphine and I would end up fighting thanks to two simple men.

"Yes, but my dad and Jane invited a few friends over tomorrow night, so maybe we should do the sleepover at your house?" she suggested, squeezing my hand to calm me down.

"Oh," I sighed in relief. I don't like to admit it, but I was extremely nervous about staying at Delphine's house for tweny-four hours, because I've never slept in someone else's house in the past ten years or so. "Yeah, of course."

"I've got an afternoon shift tomorrow and I'm going out for dinner with Simon afterwards. I can be at your place around 7?"

"Sounds perfect Delphine."

She gave me a warm smile and shifted her attention to something that was going on behind me. I turned around and saw the two men standing up from their seats before they left the restaurant.

"Finally," I chuckled, swallowing the last sip of my milkshake.

"Cosima?"

"Yeah?"

"I ehm…" she stuttered, focusing her eyes on her drink, playing with the straw. "How did you become deaf?"

I did not expect that question and my heart rate immediately responded to Delphine's words, beating wildly as my mouth went dry. Apparently, Delphine noticed it too, because she reached out and touched my wrists, stroking my skin with her thumbs.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to talk about it. I was just wondering."

I could only nod, understanding her curiosity, knowing she would eventually ask the questions that are swirling through her head, but I can't talk about it.

"Is it because of an illness?" she whispered quietly, placing her hands on my shoulders.

"Yes." I nodded, feeling so embarrassed that I couldn't look her in the eye.

"Okay."

Delphine surprised me immensely when she suddenly cupped my face in her hands and pressed her lips to my warm cheek. Well… the corner of my mouth to be exact. I know I don't have a lot of experience with friendships, but even I know this is a little too close for just a friendship, I'm not that naive. Her lips lingered longer than they should and my body tensed up, not sure how to interpret this affectionate gesture.

A tall big man appeared from out of nowhere and I was blushing furiously when Delphine pulled away.

"Oh hi Ted," she said, pointing at me. "This is Cosima."

"Ah! So you're Cosima? Delphine keeps talking about you. It's driving me crazy, but it's good to meet you darling."

I raised my eyebrows at Delphine, asking for a further explanation, but she didn't look at me and I knew she didn't want to meet my gaze. Delphine and Ted talked for a bit, but my eyes couldn't keep up with the movements of their lips so I grabbed my phone and saw a text from my mother.

From: Mom
Hi honey, are you still at that restaurant Delphine works at? It's already 10 pm baby.

I groaned in annoyance, put on my denim jacket and tapped Delphine's shoulder.

"I need to go, my mom wants me to come home," I said, feeling embarrassed to speak, because Ted was listening too.

"Thanks for keeping me company," she smiled, enveloping me into an embrace. "I'll see you tomorrow around 7 okay?"

"Yes," I nodded putting my hands in my pockets. "Bye."

"Bye Cosima."

I turned around and left the restaurant with a strange feeling swirling around in my stomach.

"Cosima," he said, grabbing my arm to get my attention. I looked at his face, suppressing a smile when I noticed the three small cuts on his chin and jaw. He still hasn't mastered the art of shaving and it makes him look silly.

"Yes, Scott?"

"I ehm… I was thinking… would you like to check out that new Tarantino movie tonight? With me?"

"Scott," I smiled, tapping his shoulder. "I'm deaf remember? Going to the movies isn't very fun."

"B… but they have those special devices right? So you've got your own private subtitles?"

"Dude, those don't work properly."

"O…okay," he stuttered nervously, glancing at his watch. "Wat about a drink?"

"I can't Scott, I'm having a sleepover with a friend tonight."

"A friend?"

"Yes, Delphine, she's new in my class and we really get along."

"Oh good for you Cosima," he said, squeezing my shoulder. "What about tomorrow night?"

"Sure," I shrugged, throwing my leather backpack over one shoulder. "Why not?"

"A…awesome. See you tomorrow then, I'll text you."

He gave me an awkward wave and practically ran towards Hell Wizard, his best friend. The skinny dude patted Scott on the back and handed him ten bucks… as if Scott just won a bet or something. I raised my eyebrows and shook my head as I walked towards the exit. I'll never understand boys.

The sun was shining brightly through the clouds when I left the building. My eyes scanned the parking lot and I spotted my father's precious black Audi on the other side of the road, waiting for me. I hope he wants to stop at Bennie's Ice Cream Shop on our way home.

"Hi sweetheart," he greeted me, stroking the back of my head when I sat down next to him. "How was science club?"

Great! I signed, smiling broadly. Can we go to Bennie's for ice cream?

"I don't think your mom will be very happy with me if I'm gonna buy you ice cream before dinner," he chuckled, making a U-turn.

We don't have to tell her.

"Hmm. We'll see okay? We're gonna pay a quick visit to The Rabbit Hole first."

"Peter's comic book shop? Why?" I asked, gesturing while I spoke.

"You'll see," he winked, squeezing the back of my neck. "It's a surprise honey."

For me?

"Yes."

"Cool."

Peter is one of my father's best friends and he owns a dusty old comic book shop. The shop doesn't look very inviting on the outside, but it's a real paradise on the inside, if you're into comics and games of course. Most of his regular customers are gamers, teenage boys and single older men. Peter himself is kind of a hippie and I'm not sure what he and my father have in common, but they met in college, so I guess their friendship is just very strong despite their differences.

Is Peter still dating that archaeologist?

"No, you've known Peter for seventeen years now Cosima," he laughed. "He's odd and kinda different… not exactly relationship material."

"Yeah," I sighed, hoping I wouldn't end up like Peter. "Is it going to take long?"

"Why honey? Are you going somewhere tonight?"

"No, but Delphine will be at our house around seven."

"Allright," he shrugged, rubbing his thumbs over the leather steering wheel. "Plenty of time."

"Dad?" I asked after a few silent minutes, feeling very nervous all of a sudden.

"Yes?"

Please tell me what this surprise is, you're making me nervous.

"Cosima, stop signing sweetheart," he smiled as he grabbed both of my hands, pushing them in my lap. I know he hates it when I sign too much. He's not ashamed of me, but he believes that I'll slowly cut myself off from society if I choose signing over speaking. He's afraid that I'll grow more and more socially isolated if I stop speaking and he's convinced that I'll give up speaking entirely in the near future, he does everything to prevent that from happening.

"Just tell me what it is okay? I don't like this."

"You're too curious," he sighed, shaking his head. "I called Peter after you told me that Delphine has her first part-time job now, and I asked him if he could use an extra pair of hands."

My body froze in its seat and my stomach tightened as bile crept up my throat. I could feel drops of sweat trickling down my back and I quickly opened the window the get some fresh air.

"A… a job?" I managed to choke out, my vocal cords trembling with panic.

"Yes, four hours a week for now. I already told him you're busy with school and your science club. You're welcome to help him on Saturday mornings. It's good to build a resume and earn your own money Cosima."

"DAD!" I shouted, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Please tell me this is some fucked up joke."

"Cosima! Language!"

"I can't have a job dad, I can't fucking hear. How do you expect me to sell comics and games if I… for fuck's sake. I can't believe you did this. Does mom know?"

His silence tells me everything and I began to cry harder, my heart was beating so furiously that I was afraid it would come out of my ribcage.

"Honey, we're gonna give it a try. I'm sure you can do it, you're kind, smart and polite. Nothing can go wrong."

My father parked his car in front of the comic shop and unbuckled his seat belt before he pressed a kiss to my tear-streaked face.

"Come on sweetheart, wipe your tears and let's go inside. We'll stay for only an hour okay?"

"I'm scared," I whispered, my bottom lip trembling with the effort not to cry again.

"I understand Cos, I truly do, but you want to fit in right? You won't feel different anymore when Delphine talks about her job at the restaurant or if Scott complains about delivering pizzas in the rain… because you can tell them about your job too, about those weird customers and you can give Scott a few comics for free."

I couldn't suppress the weak smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth and wiped my tears away, swallowing back another round of tears.

"What if I screw up? If I can't help those customers because I can't hear them, can't read their lips or if I'm too anxious to speak?"

"We'll figure something out Cos," he smiled, stepping out of the vehicle and I quickly followed him.

The shop smells like old books and weed, I've never seen Peter smoke pot, but I'm sure he does.

"Hi Gene! Cosima!" he greeted happily, pulling us into a hug. "Good to see you here Monkey."

I gave him a small nod, my eyes darting around the room and I felt a wave of relief wash over me when I didn't spot any customers.

"Lost your tongue?" he asked, squeezing my shoulder.

"Cos is a little nervous Peter, because she's…" my father stopped talking abruptly when a middle-aged man entered the shop, grabbed a board game and walked over to us. Peter curled his fingers around my upper arm and dragged me behind the counter, pushing a barcode scanner in my hand.

"This one please," the man said, locking his grey eyes on mine. "It's a present for my son. He'll turn sixteen tomorrow."

"O…okay," I stuttered, scanning the box. "Cool, ehm… 23 dollars and 50 cents please."

He handed me a his money, I gave him his change, and he thanked me before he left the shop. That wasn't too bad and I immediately felt a little more confident.

"See, it's not that hard Cos," Peter smiled, handing my dad a cup of coffee.

Thirty minutes flew by and I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far. I've helped three costumers and I'm smiling again. This job isn't as bad as I thought it would be and I think I want to come back next Saturday. I never thought I would be able to make my own money like Delphine and Scott. God, this is so cool.

I was unpacking a few boxes when someone tapped my shoulder, ending my daydreams. I turned around and my eyes took in the motorcycle guy with a beard and tattooed arms who stood in front of me. He looks intimidating and I instantly froze on the spot because of his appearance. He seems frustrated or angry with me, his lips are moving, he's talking, but I have trouble reading his lips, because of his long beard. I quickly glanced at Peter, my eyes full of panic and I let out a sigh of relief when he rushed over.

"John, this is Cosima, my new employee. She's deaf and I'm sure she can't read your lips because of that ugly beard of yours. You need to shave it off dude."

The intimidating motorcycle dude let out a hard laugh and shook my hand.

"Sorry Cosima, I can speak a little slower. Does that help?" he asked, the look in his eyes softening.

"Y…yes."

"Good."

"Come on John, lemme help you," Peter suggested, so I could finish my task of unpacking those boxes.

It was already 7 pm when my dad and I decided to go home. I seriously hope Delphine isn't at my house already, I hate to leave her waiting.

"So, Cosima, do you wanna come back next week?"

"I would love to!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together in excitement.

"Perfect, I'll see you next Saturday from 9 to 1 allright?"

"I can stay all day if you want me to. I don't mind," I smiled, looking forward to my first day at work.

"No, that won't be necessary, I've got another employee, she works every Saturday afternoon from 1 to 5, but thanks Monkey."

"Okay, thank you so much for this opportunity Peter."

"You'll have to thank your father Cos."

My dad and I left The Rabbit Hole and stepped into the car. It's already dark outside and I'm getting hungry.

"I'm so, so proud of you baby," my father whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "See? You can do so much more than you think. You've got so much potential."

"Thanks dad," I beamed, my smile so big that it hurts.

"You still wanna go to Bennie's for ice cream Cos?"

"No, I wanna go home. I can't wait to tell Delphine about this."