Elsa smiled. Reaching over, she turned the taps and ceased the flow of water from the shower. Stepping out of the shower cubicle, she snorted slightly upon realising that she had just enjoyed the little moment of peace that she would get all day.

After a long four weeks, the time had finally come for her and Jack to attend their prom along with the rest of their senior year. The night had brought with it some conflicting emotions.

Her and Jack had managed to keep their new relationship and planned attendance at the prom, a secret from their classmates. Their decision had been spurred on, in part, by the cruel taunting that they had received from Violet and Tyler, who had wasted no time in telling them that their presence at the prom would not be welcomed. Violet, in particular, had found great delight in telling her that Ryan had only asked her to the prom as part of a cruel bet, a rumour that the young man had vehemently denied.

Her and Jack had started to question their decision to attend. They had wondered if it may be best to simply stay home, where they could curl up on the couch with a pizza. They had extended an offer to Bunny and Tia to join them, but had been denied. Tia had been quick to state that as senior students of the school, they had just as much right to attend the prom as any other. She had gone on to say that they should not let a few bad seeds keep them from enjoying themselves.

"Elsa," Anna's cheery voice called from the other side of the door, snapping her from her thoughts. "Can I come in?"

Rolling her eyes, she pulled a towel off the rack and patted herself dry. "Can you please give me a minute, Anna? I only just stepped out of the shower!" she replied.

"Well, can you hurry up?" Anna groaned. "We need to get you dressed and you need to moisturise. We also need to do hair and makeup and you should probably eat something. Photo's too, we still need to take some photo's of you on your own as well as some nice couple snaps of you and Jack. Also, Mrs Frost will probably want to take some photo's as well. We're kind of running out of time here, Elsa…"

She chuckled. She listened as her sister's voice trailed off and shook her head. Knowing Anna, she was probably mentally checking items off a list that still needed to be done. Her sister had been a bundle of excitement all day. At times, she had wondered if it was possible that Anna was more enthusiastic for the prom than she was. All she knew was that Anna had insisted on being involved in every aspect of the day and had planned a great deal of it.

She had woken that morning and had stumbled out of bed, only to be greeted by Anna with a camera. Much to her dismay, she'd had her photo taken and had then been forced back into her room with the order to get dressed. Once dressed, she had been whisked off to the mall.

At the mall, she had discovered that Anna had convinced their mother to spring for mother-daughter manicures and pedicures. Of course, their time at the nail salon had to be documented and Anna had snapped photo's while she had chosen her nail polish colour and had even convinced the manicurist to snap photo of the three of them in the chair. Once she had finished in the nail salon, she had been whisked around the supermarket where Anna had stocked up on face creams and moisturisers as well as makeup. She had been confused and had shot her mother a look, but had been shrugged off and told to just 'go with it.'

"Elsaa," Anna whined. "You're taking forever. How long does it take you to dry yourself?"

Shaking her head, she wrapped her towel tightly around her slender body and unlocked the door. Stepping out of the bathroom, she groaned at the sight of Anna, who was standing by the door with her camera poised.

"Anna," she moaned, raising her hand to cover the camera lens. "No one wants to see a photo of me fresh out the shower. I'm only in a towel, for crying out loud."

"Jack wants to see you in only a towel," Anna teased, clicking away. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that he wants to see you out of the towel as well."

Sighing, she stepped inside her bedroom and closed the door on Anna. "Goodbye, Anna," she grumbled.

Jack gulped. Nervously, he straightened the hem of his suit jacket while he watched as his mum leaned over to press the doorbell. He watched as the curtain of the Andersen lounge room window was pulled back to reveal Anna's beaming face.

Looking down, he noticed Emily had begun bouncing around, having spotted Anna in the window. His sister had been a bundle of energy all day and was keen to see Elsa in her dress and catch up with Anna, whom she doted on.

He, in contrast, had not shared the same level of enthusiasm. He had spent most of the day with Aster and Sandy and had distracted himself by playing pranks on Aster. When he had tired or pranking his friend, he had shifted to kicking his butt on video games. To his relief, his friends had gone easy on him and had not scolded him too much. They were both aware of the nerves that he had been feeling.

While him and Elsa had done their best to keep their attendance at the prom a secret, it hadn't stopped Tyler and his gang from using the event as yet another reason to torment them. Tyler had caught him reading a poster advertising the prom and had shoved him roughly before he'd glared at him. A note had been delivered later that day to warn him against attending and had made the ignorant assumption that he had no interest in the prom.

He also knew that Elsa had been wary about attending prom as well, which hadn't helped ease his nerves. Tyler's girlfriend Violet had seen to it that Elsa had also received the message that she would not be welcome at the prom.

Together, they had discussed cancelling the plans and spending it at together at one of their homes with their friends Bunny and Tia. He had raised the idea with Bunny, only for the Australian male to shoot him down. Instead, he had told him bluntly that he would be a fool to miss the prom. He had claimed that as an enrolled student, Jack had just as much right to attend the celebration as every other senior student.

He felt a nudge and turned to face his sister. "Stand up straight!" she ordered.

Rolling his eyes, he straightened up and watched as the front door open. Walt Andersen greeted them, smiling widely as he stepped back and invited them into their home. He nodded his greeting and stepped into the entranceway. He glanced into the living room and noticed that a few pieces of furniture had been pushed back, which he assumed was to make way for photo's.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Anna staring at him. Lifting her camera up, she snapped a photo of him. He blinked slightly and looked at her. "Hi," he said.

"You look different...smarter," Anna teased before frowning slightly. "Did I say that right?"

Grinning, he poked his tongue out at her before responding. "Thanks...I think and yes. You said that right."

Stifling a laugh, he watched as Anna fistpumped the air. He knew that Elsa had been passing on the ASL lessons that she had learned to her family. From what she had said, they hadn't picked up the language as well as she had, but they were eager to learn and continued to try their skills whenever he was around.

Raising his hands, he was just about to speak when Emily jumped in front of him. She pointed her arm in the direction of the doorway. Turning around, he followed her gaze to see Elsa standing bashfully in the doorway.

He felt his jaw drop. All coherent thoughts left his mind as his eyes roamed up and down his gorgeous girlfriend's body. He hadn't thought it possible, but she had managed to look even more beautiful than she normally did. Her long, mint-green dress fell to her ankles and had a beaded detail that ran under her breasts before meeting in the middle and wrapping around her neck to serve as the dress straps. She turned around slowly to show off her bare back. Her long, platinum-blonde hair fell loose around her shoulders with a few soft curls. The only jewellery she wore, was a pair of silver earrings which matched the silver heels that she wore on her feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the flash of the camera as Anna stepped forward to capture his expression. He was well aware that his mouth was still open and he looked like an idiot, but he didn't care. He was going to blame his speechlessness on Elsa. She had stepped in the room and had stolen all hopes of an intelligent comment.

"Wow," he spoke, grinning widely. "Just wow."

Shaking his head, he stepped forward and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that he was making a spectacle of himself in front of their families, but he didn't care.

"You look gorgeous," Elsa said, blushing slightly.

"You are so beautiful," he stated, ignoring the deep blush that had spread across his cheeks.

A tap on his shoulder snapped him from his daze. Grinning, he turned around to face his mum, who handed him the corsage that they had bought for Elsa. Leaning forward, he gently fixed the delicate flower to the strap of Elsa's dress. Stepping back, he admired the view before Walt Andersen stepped into view and signed that he wanted to take a few photographs.

Elsa flinched and wriggled her toes after Jack had stepped on her feet for the third time in as many minutes. Pulling back, she watched as his eyes flicked between her own eyes and her feet before he shrugged, apologetically. She smiled and looked at him, hoping that he would get the message that it was okay.

Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck as a pop song played. She felt his arms tighten their grip on her waist as he pressed her closer to him. From the corner of her eyes she saw Ryan, dancing with a petite brunette and smiled at him. She felt Jack slow his movement as he pulled back and ran his hand through her hair. His blue eyes glanced over her once again and she blushed.

He had been staring at her as if he was starstruck ever since she had entered the lounge room. He had spent most of the limo ride to the prom venue telling her how beautiful she looked. Not that she had minded, she had felt just as speechless after she had seen him.

Seeing Jack standing in her lounge room in his suit, had blown her away. She had been surprised with how mature and sophisticated he had looked. Although, his boyish charm and natural good-looks had still been present. His hair had been styled down with hairspray, however, he had wasted no time in running his hands through it and had returned it to its normal tousled state the minute the limo had pulled away from her house.

Once they had entered the hotel ballroom, she had felt the familiar feeling of anxiety rise. She had feared that her and Jack would not be welcomed. However, to her relief, their classmates had ignored their presence. They had seemed more concerned with not stepping on their own dates toes, or checking out their friends fancy clothing to bother with her and Jack.

The first hour had passed without a hitch. Jack had quickly found the refreshments table and had picked up a glass of soft drink for them both. She had sipped on the drink while she had looked around the room. To her surprise, a lof of students had appeared to be unsure about what to do and had stood around the edge of the dance floor with drinks, or chatted and posed for photo's. She had not seen any sign of Violet and Tyler, or any of their friends which had come as a welcome relief.

A few students had approached her and Jack and had innocently asked how Jack could dance when he could not hear the music. Fortunately, Hans had been quick to step in and translate for Jack and the students. Luckily, she had been prepared for the question a few weeks earlier when curiosity had got the better of Anna and she had ended up asking the same question. Jack had expected a few people to ask and had grinned before going on to explain that if the music was loud enough and if it had a good deal of percussion and bass, he could feel the vibrations coursing through his body, in particular his breastbone. The students had simply nodded and had seemed to accept the answer. They had then bid them farewell and had wished them a good evening before they had returned to whatever they had been doing.

Jack could feel his cheeks heating up as his feet once again managed to step on Elsa's toes. He knew that she was shaking it off and said that it didn't bother her, but he still felt guilty. After all, he was wearing a pair of boots while she was in heels with her toes exposed.

He paused. Pulling back, he dropped his hands from around her waist. "I think that it's time for a drink. Your toes need a rest," he said, indicating towards the tables that had been set up on the edge of the dance floor.

Grabbing her hand, he led her towards a small table. He used his spare hand to beckon at Hans, letting him know where they were going.

Hans approached slowly with drink in his hand. He knew that he was trying to give him and Elsa space and to make it feel like he wasn't a babysitter. When it was just him and Elsa, he would hang back. Elsa's grasp on ASL had grown considerably and she was now able to hold longer conversations in sign before she had to resort to paper or technology. It was only when other students neared them that Hans would step forward. Although, he would always seek to receive confirmation first and would make eye contact in order to establish whether his assistance was needed.

Placing his drink on the table, Hans took his seat. "So, having fun?" he asked, leaning back on his chair.

"Surprisingly, yes," Elsa replied with a smile. "What about you? Thank you for coming and for giving up your night."

Hans grinned. "Well, it is my job. It's a school event and I'm hired to interpret for Jack at school and any school events which he attends," he answered. "Truthfully, I don't mind. My partner wanted to drag me to see a movie which he likes, but I hate. I should be thanking you guys."

"The other students are all being quite nice," Elsa noted. "They don't seem to care that we are here."

He nodded. Reaching over, he gripped Elsa's hand and gave it a squeeze. He knew that she, like him, had been worried about trouble from Tyler and Violet, but so far they had failed to make an appearance. The remainder of their classmates had pretty much ignored them with only a few stopping to question how he could respond to the music.

Elsa," Hans began. "I've found that most people are curious about what they perceive to be different. Some ask questions, others don't. However, it is good that these kids are asking. It gives them a chance to learn which can lead to understanding and tolerance. Also, for what it's worth, most of the kids here are far too preoccupied with how they look and with not making a fool of themselves."

Hans paused. Leaning forward, he took a sip of his drink before glancing down. His eyes zeroed in on their intertwined hands.

"What I want to know," Hans began, raising his eyebrows. "Is when did this happen? Something has changed between the two of you."

Blushing, he let go of Elsa's hand. "Eight weeks ago," he answered, honestly. "It's a secret though. Only a few people know."

He watched as a smile crossed Hans' face. "I'm going to be honest here. I suspected that you two liked each other. However, with that said, I'm afraid that it's not going to remain a secret much longer. Not with the way you two have been looking at each other all night, or the places that you have rested your hands, Jack."

Gulping, he shot a horrified look at Hans. Memories of Walt Andersen's pulling him aside before he'd stepped into the limo and telling him to 'watch the hands' came to mind.

He felt Elsa's hand reach down to squeeze his leg. Grinning, he turned to face her and noticed the way her eyes had lit up and her smile had widened. Removing her hand, she looked at him. "We have to dance to this song," she ordered.

Elsa smiled and tightened her hands around Jack's neck as the song played. She felt his hands make their way to rest on her lower back and pull her closer to him.

All around them, students danced and couples got closer as the music changed from upbeat songs to slower paced ballads. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and closed the gap between her and Jack. She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. She felt Jack shift slightly before he rested his head on hers and swayed with her to the music.

She knew that her actions of dancing so intimately with Jack would announce their relationship to anyone who spotted them, but she didn't care. Her feelings for him were only growing and she was finding it harder and harder to deny them in public. She wanted to know what it felt like to hold his hand as they walked to the cafeteria, or to steal a kiss at their lockers like she had seen other couples do. Besides, the reaction to their appearance at the prom had been fine so far, which led her to believe that they could be accepted by their peers.

Slowly, the song came to a finish before making way for another ballad. Blinking, she turned to face Jack. Her eyes caught his before she flicked down to his soft lips. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to lean in close and feel his lips on hers while he held her tight. Shifting her head, she noticed that a few other couples had stopped dancing and were standing on the spot kissing without a care in the world. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips.

Breaking the kiss, she let out a content sigh and laid her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she revelled in the feeling of being held in his arms as they swayed to the music. She had no idea if Jack could feel the vibrations from the song that was playing. The song was being played loud, but lacked the heavy beat of earlier songs. Either way, it didn't matter. They were together, having fun and being left alone.

"Oh, that is cute," sneered a loud voice. "It figures that you two losers would come together."

She froze. Opening her eyes, she turned to stare in horror as Violet and Tyler moved closer, surrounded by a few of their friends. She felt Jack drop his arms from her waist and move to stand beside her. Reaching over, she tapped his arm.

"I'll fill you in later," she signed.

"I thought we told you that you are not welcome here," Violet snapped. "There is no point in you being here is there? I mean, he can't even hear the damn music and it's not like anyone wants you here."

Jack felt Elsa stiffen in his arms before she stepped back and removed her arms from his neck. He couldn't understand the shift in her. One minute she had been in his arms, kissing him and the next she had frozen.

Opening his eyes, he felt his heart rate increase as he glanced around and noticed Tyler, Violet and their nasty group of friends standing in front of him with a threatening scowl on their faces. Suddenly, Elsa's reaction made sense. Gulping, he turned to look at Elsa. He noted the way her face had paled as she signed to let him know that she would fill him in later.

He watched as Tyler stepped forward and held his phone out for him to read. 'What the hell do you think you are doing here, loser? It's not like you can hear the music.'

He rolled his eyes. He knew better than to waste his time trying to talk to their bullies. Tyler and his gang weren't interested in learning. They simply wanted to bully him and to remind him that he wasn't welcomed and would never be accepted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hans make a step towards them. His interpreter's face was stern and he wore an expression that he had never seen before as he fixed his glare on Tyler.

Reaching out, he pulled Elsa towards him and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He knew that in doing so, any hopes of keeping their relationship a secret from their bullies would be dashed, but he didn't care. She was desperately trying to stay strong for him and he had to do the same for her. He had to make her feel secure.

"I told you, No-way," Violet said threateningly. "Go back to where you came from and take your stupid Deaf boyfriend with you."

Elsa blinked and swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat. She felt Jack's arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her close to him. Any comfort that she should have felt from his action was eclipsed by the fear that came from knowing Violet now had proof of their romantic relationship. She could only imagine the ways that Violet and her gang would try and use their romance against them.

She watched as the few nearby couples that had been dancing stopped and turned to focus their attention on the commotion that was going on.

"Oh, that is cute. Deaf-boy wants to protect his girlfriend. He could probably do a better job if he could actually hear," Violet smirked, her eyes trailing over them. "I want to know how long you've actually been going out? I mean, they do say that freaks attract freaks, losers attract losers-"

"Bullies attract other bullies," came a loud voice.

Gulping, she turned to watch as Ryan broke through the gathered crowd and came to stand beside her and Jack, flashing her a small smile.

"You know, Violet," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not Jack or Elsa that people don't want here. It's you, your boyfriend and your stupid little gang."

She watched as Ryan's friends stepped forward to flank her, Jack and Ryan with their arms crossed over their chest and their glare fixed on Violet and Tyler. She gasped as the crowd grew bigger, with more and more students turning to glare at their bullies.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hans breaking through the crowd to sign to Jack before he turned to face Tyler and Violet. His voice was low and his normally friendly expression had shifted to a shiver-inducing glare as he told their bullies that while he couldn't personally punish them, he had no qualms in alerting the supervising teachers to their behaviour.

"These losers," Tyler spat, dismissively. "You know, you are really going to lose all credibility for standing up for them, Ryan."

Ryan snorted. "It's better than having no credibility due to being a pathetic asshole like you, Tyler."

She shifted her head to look at Jack. His eyes had widened as he took in the scene that was unfolding. She offered him a bleak smile before turning to look for Hans, wondering if he was signing for Jack, but he had disappeared.

"You know, Violet. I have to say that after all these years, you are still a complete and utter bitch. You are still bullying perfectly nice people and making them feel like shit for no reason. You are fucking pathetic. I hope you know that," Lisa stated loudly, stepping out from the crowd to glare at Violet.

"Bu...but," Violet stammered, her face flushed. "No one wants them here!"

Beside her, Lisa chortled. She shook her head and fixed her glare on Violet. "No, you bitch. No one wants YOU here," she said. "You always ruin things by being a complete and utter bitch. You have no good reason to treat anyone, least of all Jack and Elsa, like shit. Jack can not change the fact that he was born Deaf. Elsa can not change that she was born in Norway, or that her father accepted a job here. You, however, you CAN change how you treat people, but you don't. You are just a rude, nasty, bitch and I am sick of you ruining things. I am sick of seeing you treat people like this."

Jack watched in amazement as the crowd that had gathered around him and Elsa grew larger. Instead of laughing and jeering with the bullies, they appeared to be standing up to them in support of him and Elsa.

Ryan had been the first to step forward. He had broken through and had stood beside them with his arms crossed across his chest and his gaze fixed on Tyler and Violet and had spoken to them. A few seconds later, the rest of Ryan's friends had joined them and had all stood with their arms crossed over their chests.

Hans had stepped forward and had glared at the bullies before he had stepped back to let him know that he was going to get help.

He felt Elsa shift in his arms to look at him before returning her attention to face the gathered crowd.

His eyes fell on Violet and he noted the deep shade of red that had crossed her face. Taking a step back, her mouth opened as she undoubtedly hissed something cruel. However, to his surprise, she appeared to be silenced. A redheaded girl that he had spotted at Ryan's table had stepped forward to face Violet and was glaring at her. From the look on Violet's face, whatever the redhead was saying wasn't to her liking.

He felt Elsa step out of his grip and turn to face him. "Jack, they are standing up for us!" she gasped, indicating towards the crowd.

He felt his smile widening. Boldly, he pulled Elsa back into his arms and placed a kiss on her cheek. Beside him, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Gasping, he turned to watch as a blonde boy, who he recognised as John, the captain of the school's football team, stepped forward and shot him a shy smile.

In front of him, their bullies appeared to be losing their normal confident demeanor at a rapidly fast pace. Taking a deep breath, he watched as Hans approached them, followed closely by the school's vice principal and broke through the crowd.

Elsa could feel the tears threatening to fall down her face. However, this time the tears were not from pain, but from joy.

She still could not believe the scene which had unfolded, nor the range of emotions that she had felt in the space of thirty minutes. Somehow, the trouble that she had feared would happened, had. However, it had taken a surprising turn which had rendered her speechless.

Her and Jack's quiet, uneventful night at the prom had been interrupted by the late arrival of Violet, Tyler and their gang. The bullies had wasted no time in trying to insult her and Jack. They had made it clear that they wanted her and Jack to leave the prom. She had been close to leaving, when the appearance of a few of their classmates had stopped her.

Ryan had been the first to step forward. He had broken through the crowd and had stood beside her and Jack. Within seconds, Ryan's friends had joined him in support of their friend.

Lisa had been the next to speak. She had stepped forward and snapped at Violet. Once she had finished, she had turned to face her and Jack and had said that she would have preferred to punch Violet, but she did not wish to get thrown out of their prom.

After Lisa had spoken, a few more students from the crowd that had formed had stepped forward. Every one of them had added their own less than favourable opinion of Violet and Tyler and the way they had treated people. If it hadn't been for Jack's strong grip on her waist, she would have likely collapsed from the shock. She had never thought that so many people had been against their bullies. However, the crowd had clearly been in support of her and Jack and she had witnessed as their bullies had begun to lose their sense of bravado.

Their bullies faces had turned pale when Hans had returned and had pushed through the crowd with the vice principal on his heels. Both men's faces had been red with anger as they had pulled the bullies, along with her and Jack from the hotel ballroom.

Once outside the ballroom, the principal had leaned in and had asked for a brief explanation. Between her and Hans, they had managed to tell him how the events had unfolded. Hans had also wasted no time in telling him how both her and Jack had been bullied by Tyler, Violet and their gang. The vice principal had cast his eyes over them all and she had felt her breath hitch out of fear that her and Jack had been in trouble. He had then pinched his nose before he had leaned down to order their bullies to leave the prom, with the expectation that they would meet with him first thing Monday morning to discuss their punishment.

Jack let out a breath of relief as he watched Tyler, Violet and their friends be escorted out of the hotel lobby by their vice principal. Beside him, he felt Elsa shake and reached out his arm to pull her close, steadying her.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but I hate that little punk and his gang. I'm glad that he finally got what he deserved," Hans said, nodding his head in the direction of Tyler. "Him and that girlfriend of his have been vile to the two of you."

"You knew?" he gasped, staring blankly at Hans. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, I knew. I tried to hint at it, so that I could encourage you to get help. However, you didn't want to talk to me. You had to feel safe and clearly you weren't, not with that little shit bullying you."

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Bowing his head, he felt the shame wash over him.

He felt Hans reach over to tap his shoulder. "Hey, it's over. Those kids in the ballroom were standing up for you and Elsa. The two of you have more support than you realise. It's over, Jack. This is a good thing. From the sounds of it, those bullies won't get far if they try anything else," Hans added, smiling. "I just wish that I could do more for you."

He nodded. He wanted to say something, but had no idea what to say. A sense of shame filled him in knowing that Hans had been aware of the bullying they had received for so long. He had tried to hide all signs that he was being bullied from Hans and his mother out of fear of attracting attention and creating a scene.

Both him and Elsa had feared that their attending the prom could lead to further trouble from their bullies. They had almost cancelled their attendance due to the fear that they would be targeted by Violet and Tyler in a public setting. They had been right and their bullies had created a scene. However, it hadn't gone exactly as planned.

Their fellow classmates had stepped out to support him and Elsa, not their bullies. People that they had never even interacted with, had come forward to defend them. It had left him wondering if the support for him, for them had always been there and they had simply been oblivious.

For so long, they had kept to themselves. Their bullies had been successful in making them doubt the behaviour of their classmates. They had feared that everyone hated them and wanted to hurt them. It was the same fear that had made them both wary of the other when they had first met. However, as they had discovered with each other, that hadn't been the case.

A tap on his hand broke him from his thoughts. Looking up, he found Hans smiling at him. "I'm going to head back inside. I'll see you when you get back in," Hans said. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble."

He chuckled and watched as Hans walked away, leaving him alone with Elsa in the hallway.

Sighing, he reached his hands out and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. She reacted instantly, her body relaxed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hand moved to brush through his hair as she deepened the kiss.

Elsa sighed. Peering in the mirror, she checked that she had cleaned off the last of her makeup as she recounted the events of the prom to Anna.

Her and Jack had returned to the ballroom, spurred on by the confidence they had felt in knowing that their classmates had come to their defence. Once inside the ballroom, they had been pleased to discover that the atmosphere had shifted and had returned to the same relaxed state that it had been prior to their bullies arrival.

She had gripped tightly to Jack's hand and had led him through the ballroom. Along the way, they had been stopped by other students who had wished to apologise for the bullies behaviour and to wish them an enjoyable evening.

Finally, they had found Ryan and his date gathered at a table with his friends. They had paused long enough to thank the group for their assistance before they had made their way to Hans to thank him for his support once again.

The rest of the night had finished with the announcement of Prom King and Queen before the lights had flicked on and they had been sent home. Ryan had caught them on their way out and had invited them to an after party, but they had declined in favour of returning to their respective homes.

"So, not only did Tyler and Violet finally get what they had coming, but you and Jack kind of went public with your relationship," Anna said, moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

She grinned. Scooping up her long hair and tying it back before wiping moisturiser over her face. "Yeah, I guess we did. I mean, we danced together and we...we.."

"Kissed?" Anna suggested, chuckling.

She blushed. "Yeah a few times. Once before Violet and Tyler, then out in the hallway, but no one saw that and then I kissed him during one of the last songs that played," she admitted.

"So, I take it that you're not worried about people knowing now. No more keeping it quiet at school?" Anna asked.

She shook her head. "Nope, no more hiding it."

A/Note-

Okay, so this is a long chapter and there are a few bits of research that may be of interest. Special thanks once again to Zulka for sharing some information from her book

Articles I Read:

Deaf Music- Music In The World blog

.edu/musicintheworld/2012/12/02/deaf-music/

Deaf People Can 'Hear' Music
 2013/11/deaf-people-can-hear-music/

If you are interested you may wish to check out some talented Deaf dancers.

Typing in 'Alvin Horton: Deaf Dancer' on You Tube will bring a good video of a talented Deaf dancer.