Jack beamed. Leaning back on his desk chair, he watched as his friends and acquaintances reacted to the photo's from the prom that he had posted to his Facebook page.
He had spent most of the morning on his computer, chatting with Elsa and looking at the photo's that she had taken at the prom, as well as pictures that had been taken of them by others. He had discovered early in the morning that Hans had managed to sneak a few photographs of them and had emailed them to his mother. He had even snapped a picture towards the end of the night when he had been far too busy kissing Elsa to notice the flash of a camera. He had also found a few photographs that had been taken by his new Facebook friends.
The previous night had broken a few barriers between him and his classmates. Both him and Elsa had logged on to Facebook to find a friendship request from Ryan, which had led to requests from a few of his friends including Lisa, the redheaded girl who had been quick to leap to their defense. At first, he had been apprehensive to accept them and had considered declining them. However, Ryan had sent them a private message to explain that while he could understand any reluctance they may have, given that they had both spent the majority of the school year ignored by their classmates, he would like the opportunity to get to know them both some more.
It hadn't surprised him that the main topic of conversation amongst his new school acquaintances had been the senior prom. He had noticed a status on Ryan's wall which had claimed the prom to be a success, except for the arrival of Tyler and Violet. He had read through with interest and had felt his eyes widening as his classmates had condemned the bullies behaviour. So many students, many of whom he had never interacted with, had complimented the way he and Elsa had handled the attack and shared stories of their own run-ins with the bullies. Many students had also claimed to have witnessed the bullying that both him and Elsa had received over the year.
It had felt surreal to him. For so long, he had felt isolated and stuck inside a world of his own at his new school. Then Elsa had come into his life, as lonely as he was and suffering the same cruel treatment from the people who made his life hell. Together, they had felt like they were outcasts and unwelcomed in their new environment. However, the reaction on Ryan's status had suggested that their classmates had noticed them and that it had never been they, who their classmates disliked. It had always been the couple that had bullied them, who had been disliked.
Aside from the bullying couple and their gang, the other big news from the prom had been the couples that had been seen. Along with the well-known couples, there had been the newer pairings and the surprise relationships that had come out in the open.
After he'd arrived home, he had received a text from Elsa where she had stated that she believed that they could no longer keep their relationship a secret. She had gone on to say that she no longer wanted to keep it to themselves. She had claimed that having been caught dancing closely and kissing at the prom had basically announced their relationship to their classmates anyway. Therefore, she had no intention of holding back anymore.
He had agreed. He'd not failed to notice the curious look on peoples faces after he had stolen a kiss from Elsa towards the end of the night. There was no way that they could claim to be 'just friends' anymore.
Elsa had been quick to act. She had changed her Facebook profile picture to one of them prior to leaving for the prom, one where his arms had been wrapped tightly around her waist. Together, they had changed their relationship status on the site to announce their relationship. To his delight, the response had been positive. Friends and family had all expressed positive wishes. Elsa's grandparents had even gone so far to say that they had noticed sparks when they had visited over Christmas. They had gone on to say that he would be welcomed if he chose to accompany Elsa on a visit back home to Norway.
Still, despite the positivity surrounding their appearance at the prom and their relationship, he couldn't help feeling nervous about returning to school the following day. Regardless of their classmates support, Tyler and Violet would likely be an issue. He couldn't help fearing that they would try and get revenge for being tossed out of the prom and the punishment that they would receive.
Shaking his head, he leaned forward and read as yet another positive comment was added to one of the couple pictures of him and Elsa. This time, the comment came from Bunny, who claimed that they really did make a perfect pair.
He let out a sigh. He couldn't help feeling concerned about their relationship's longevity. He knew that Elsa cared for him a lot and he was in love with her, but he still didn't feel like he deserved her. She was someone who deserved nothing but the best. She deserved to live the perfect life and to be happy, loved and comfortable. With him, she would always be 'different' and she would always be forced to face a few ignorant people. She would have to deal with translating for him and explaining to well-meaning people that simply talking louder, or slower would not cause him to miraculously regain his hearing. She deserved the world and he wasn't sure that he could give it to her.
Grinning, Elsa turned to wave at her mum before taking Jack's hand and stepping out the door.
She couldn't help feeling some conflicting emotions about the week ahead. On the one hand, she was excited. Her and Jack's relationship was now out in the open and they were free to hold hands and show small tokens of affection in public. However, on the other hand, it also meant that Violet and Tyler were going to be punished for their behaviour at the prom. She knew that they would not be happy about being escorted from the prom, or being scolded by their peers and the likelihood of her and Jack copping further abuse was strong.
Despite the fact that it had been obvious that Tyler and Violet had less support than they had realised, their bullies still had the ability to cause her and Jack pain. She could not deny that she was worried about how they would behave over the next few days. A concern that she knew Jack shared, even if he had remained quiet on the subject.
She felt Jack slow down beside her as the school building came into view. Suddenly, he stopped and dropped his grip on her hand. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, his blue eyes staring into hers as he sought assurance.
She nodded. "We've got this. We only have a few more weeks of school left until we've finished," she replied. "Besides, our final exams are more terrifying than a few bullies."
To her relief, Jack seemed to accept the answer. He simply flashed her his lopsided grin before reaching to take her hand in his. He gave her hand a squeeze as they walked the last few steps towards the school.
Taking a deep breath, they entered the building. To her surprise, no one seemed to notice her and Jack holding hands. All around them, students behaved like normal and rushed about to get to their homeroom. A few students that she recognised from her classes gave her a shy smile or nod, but that was it. Everyone else seemed too preoccupied with their own business to care about her and Jack's hands being entwined as they made their way to Jack's locker.
Reaching Jack's locker, she stood to the side as he slid his bag in and sorted his books out. Around them, the corridor started to empty as students filed into their homeroom. Shyly, she shifted on her feet as Jack pulled back from his locker to look at her. She noted the cheeky look on his face and rolled her eyes. He was up to something and she knew it.
Suddenly, his hand shot out to gently grip her wrist and pulled her towards him. His spare hand moved to rest on her back. Sighing, she wrapped one arm around his neck while the other hand moved to stroke his face. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
The sound of a cough caused her to break the kiss. Blushing, she turned her head to face Hans, who looked down at her and Jack with his eyebrow raised. "You know, I have no problem with the two of you being together, or making out wherever or whenever, but if you chose to do it here at school then there are some rules to follow," he began. "For starters, make sure that you never do it in front of someone else's locker. That just makes it awkward for all involved when they need to ask you to move. Also, try and make it so that you're not too busy making out to notice that the school bell is due to ring in less than a minute."
Blushing, she looked at the hallway and noticed that it had emptied around her. Stepping out of Jack's grip, she waved at him and chuckled as he threw Hans a cocky look before he stepped inside his homeroom.
Jack sighed. Slamming his locker closed, he crossed the hallway to wait patiently for Elsa to return to her locker so that they could go for lunch.
His morning had passed in a blur. He had walked into his first period class and had been surprised when Ryan had waved at him. Tyler had returned to the class towards the end of the lesson and had stopped long enough to glare at him before he had slunk into a seat up the back of the room. He hadn't failed to notice the look of disgust on Hans' face and had witnessed him shaking his head before he had turned his attention back to the teacher.
He had not heard about the punishment that his bullies had received, but he had heard from fellow students. All morning he had received notes from students that had barely spared him a second glance before prom. The notes had all been positive and had stated that they apologised for not speaking out earlier and claimed that they hated Tyler and Violet and their nasty gang. The attention had been overwhelming for him, especially after he had gone for so long being ignored.
Glancing up, his eyes widened and his smile grew as he spotted Elsa making her way through the crowd as she headed for her locker. He watched as her smile grew upon spotting him. Leaning down, he opened her locker for her.
"Hey," he greeted, watching as she stepped closer.
Stepping back, he waited patiently for Elsa to slide her books into her locker before grabbing her lunch, pen, paper and ASL book and slamming the door shut. He watched as she tucked her books and lunch under her arm and reached her spare hand down to grip his.
Grinning, he held Elsa's hand tightly as they walked towards the cafeteria. He gulped as the cafeteria came into sight. All day he had received nothing but positive responses from fellow classmates, except for the glare he'd received from Tyler in class and Violet when she had passed him in the hallway. However, he couldn't help fearing that their bullies may approach them in class where there was less supervision from teachers.
He felt Elsa squeeze his hand as they entered the cafeteria and glanced at her, giving her a brief smile. He knew that she was worried for the same reason he was.
Jack swallowed the last of his sandwich and smiled. Reaching over, he pressed a quick kiss to Elsa's cheek, chuckling as she blushed slightly. Grinning, he shifted his chair closer to drape his arm around her shoulders.
After sharing the notes that he had received, he had asked her how her morning had been. He had been relieved to hear that she had also received positive feedback from their classmates. A few students had apparently approached her in her classes to tell her that they liked her dress, or that they thought her and Jack to be a cute couple. Like him, she had also not heard anything from Violet and had only received a glare when she had returned to their shared class.
He felt Elsa shift and looked up to watch as she gave a wave to Ryan as he passed by their table with the girl that he'd attended prom with. He swallowed as he felt the familiar lump of jealousy forming in his throat. Memories of Ryan's initial interest in Elsa crossed his mind. However, the presence of Elsa's hand which had dropped to rest on his thigh caused his mind to wander. Instead, he gave Ryan a polite nod before turning to gaze at Elsa.
Reaching his hand down, he placed his hand on Elsa's and curled his fingers around hers. He watched as she turned to smile at him. Beaming, he raised his hand. He was just about to twist their hands to press a kiss to the palm of her hand when he noticed her face pale.
Turning his head, he could feel the panic rising as he noticed Tyler, Violet and their friends surrounding their table. He watched as Tyler glared at him before shoving a few sheets of paper under his nose.
'Thanks to you, asshole. I got given detention for a whole week- we all did. All because you couldn't listen to fucking instructions when we told you to stay away...oh wait, you can't listen can you?' Tyler said.
Sighing, he moved to grab a pen from Elsa. He was determined to point out that it wasn't their fault and to remind Tyler that it was his and Violet's decision to approach them and to bully them, when something inside of him snapped.
Glancing up, he could see Ryan and his friends as they shot to their feet. Slowly, a gathering of students from the senior year began to approach their table with their eyes all fixed on the bullies. He looked to his left and watched as Elsa shot to her feet. Her blue eyes had hardened and she was glaring at Violet and Tyler.
Pushing his chair back, he slung his arm around Elsa's waist and pulled her tightly towards him. He felt her body soften slightly as she relaxed under his touch. In the background, he noticed a flash of strawberry-blonde hair moving through the crowd as Anna pushed through to stand beside Elsa, followed closely by her own friends.
He looked at Tyler and noticed as his eyes widened and he took a deep breath, seemingly less confident when faced with a larger crowd of people. He knew that he had the support of the crowd that had formed around him and Elsa. Despite the fact that they had people willing to stand up for them, he couldn't help feeling that he should learn to do it for himself. Especially as their time at school was rapidly coming to a close.
Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes and glared at Tyler. "You know what, Tyler? Yes it's true. I am Deaf. It seems that you have finally figured out that if you say anything then I can not hear it. Congratulations, you must be proud," he spoke. "It may be a little too late, but who cares. I am not going to let you push me and my girlfriend around anymore. It is not our fault that you and Violet bullied us, that you treated us like shit and made us feel like we didn't belong. It is your fault and your fault alone that you have detention. Also, yes, this is what my spoken voice sounds like. It can't be helped, it comes with the Deafness. I was born Deaf and can't help it. I know that you are probably going to laugh at my voice and this speech, but...but fuck you."
Gulping, he took a step back. His sudden burst of bravado didn't seem so brave. Not now that it was said. In fact, he had just given Tyler another reason to bully him. Turning his head, he watched as the gathered crowd burst into applause with a few students giving him a thumbs up. Grinning, he turned to face Elsa and watched as she stared at him with her mouth open.
"You were amazing!" she gasped. "I can't believe you just did that"
Blushing slightly, he turned to face Tyler. He watched as Tyler glared at him one last time before turning and stomping away. Violet and their small group of friends followed closely behind him.
He turned to smile at the gathered crowd and watched as they slowly returned to their tables. He could feel his heart rate racing as he settled back on his chair and pulled Elsa to sit beside him.
Elsa smiled and leaned back against Jack's chest. His arms had settled around her waist, holding her close to him. She let out a content sigh and rested her hands on his own hands.
They had chosen to return to her house after school. The teachers had gone easy on the homework, which allowed them to enjoy a relaxed start on the new school week. Initially, they had planned to start studying for their final exams, but the events that had unfolded in the cafeteria had proven too momentous for her to ignore.
It had come as no surprise to her that Tyler and Violet had approached them in the cafeteria. The duo had spent all of morning homeroom and half of their first lesson in the principal's office where they had received their punishment. She had realised that their bullies would want to seek some payback against her and Jack for their punishment and the peer scolding which they had received.
Her and Jack had just finished their meal and had been discussing the positive aspects of their morning when the bullies had approached.
She had felt her heart racing as she had caught sight of Violet's angry face. Violet had stuck to her standard scathing insults. She had insulted her for being Norwegian, for her light hair and pale complexion and had blamed her and Jack for being kicked out of prom.
It hadn't been until Violet had dared to attack Jack, that she had snapped. The names that had been thrown at her were bad enough, but she had crossed the line when she had dared take a dig at Jack for being Deaf. To her disgust, Tyler had stood beside his girlfriend and had smirked as he watched Jack read the note that he had passed him. She hadn't even had to read the note to know that it had hurt Jack. The speed at which he had scrunched it up had told her that it had been cruel.
She had shot to her feet and had noticed Anna and her friends, as well as a selection of students from the senior class moving towards the their table with their arms crossed and glares directed at the bullies. She had realised that the crowd had been moving in to support her and Jack if needed.
She had felt a surge of confidence from the support of their classmates and the realisation that her and Jack were not the outcasts that they had believed themselves to be. Opening her mouth, she had been just about to let fly with a few key messages that she had felt the bullies needed to hear when something had stopped her.
The sound of Jack's spoken voice had filled the tense silence. She had turned to face him and had watched as he bravely spoke up to their bullies to defend himself and her. She had felt the pride wash over her, knowing how big a deal it had been for Jack to use his voice in front of people and to leave himself vulnerable. The fact that he had used his voice in front of the same people that had made fun of him only a few months earlier had been incredibly courageous.
She had held her breath. Beside her, she had felt Anna stiffen as she had prepared to leap to their defense, but she hadn't needed to. Tyler had simply stared at Jack before he had shifted to look at the crowd surrounding them and had backed off. Instead, he had stormed out of the cafeteria.
Shifting, she turned to face Jack and waited for him to give her eye contact. "You were so freaking amazing today," she said. "I just can't believe how brave you were today."
She watched as Jack gave her a weak grin before he shook his head and exhaled loudly.
"It will never fully stop, Elsa," he said, glumly. "You should get out now before it is too late. You know, before your life is completely ruined because of me."
Frowning, she reached to flick through her ASL book to ensure that she had understood. It was obvious to her that something was troubling Jack and seemingly making him doubt himself. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He sighed and reached over to push a strand of her hair behind her ear before he leaned back against the couch and lowered his head.
Shifting closer, she tapped his leg and waited for him to look up. "Explain," she ordered. "Please, be honest and tell me what you mean. I am confused and worried."
Opening his mouth, he sighed. "So long as you are with me, you are going to have to deal with bullies," he spoke. "There has always been people who judge me. People who think that I am stupid, or that I can't do shit because I'm Deaf. People that think that I can't like normal things, or that they need to pity me. I've dealt with it my entire life. I'm used to people staring at me. I'm used to Emily's friends getting weirded out by me. I'm used to being judged. Hell, even my own grandparents judged me and said that I could never be a proper man. You don't deserve this life, Elsa."
She sighed. Looking at him, she noticed the trace of tears in his eyes. She knew that he had faced a lot of ignorance and some cruelty over the course of his life. There had been the obviously nasty comments from people like Tyler and his gang and the more subtle judgement from those who felt him to be less capable than anyone else.
"Jack," she began. "Those people will always exist, but they don't matter. Not in the long run because we have each other and our friends and family."
He shook his head. "Yeah, but so long as you are with me, you will be different, Elsa," he spoke. "I love you more than anything, but I don't want to be a burden to you. If you continue to be with me, your life will not be normal. You will always deal with ignorant people and a few nasty people. You would have to live in a home which was different. Things like the alarm clock, doorbell, even how you watched TV- all different. Picture this, Elsa. Years down the track, when we have kids then I won't be able to hear our kids cry. I will never hear their first word. I will never know if they have a nice singing voice, or hear them laugh. You don't deserve this life, Elsa. You deserve happiness, success and everything you want."
She watched as Jack buried his head in his hands. A soft sob escaped his lips. She had suspected that he had been holding back on her and that something had been troubling him in regards to their relationship and it appeared that today he had finally reached breaking point.
Two things had stuck out to her in what he had said. The first was that he still felt insecure about their relationship because of his Deafness and the second was that he clearly wanted a future with her and had thought about what their life could be like. Pausing, she reached out to gently stroke his leg while she contemplated her response.
She couldn't blame him for feeling the way he did. If the situation was reversed than she would likely feel the same. He was right that their life together would include some slight modifications that hearing homes didn't have. If they had children then he wouldn't hear their kids voices, but their children would still communicate with him. Family movie outings would always be to cinemas where closed captioning was offered. She would always have to explain to well-meaning people that Jack was Deaf. However, all the modifications paled in comparison to what she would have with Jack. He wasn't just her best friend, he was the man she was in love with and she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.
Leaning over, she tapped him on the shoulder and called his attention back to her. "Jack, I don't care about ignorant people or bullies or the modifications that would be in our home. All of those are nothing compared to the chance to be with the guy I love forever. I love you," she began. "Hell, I've learned sign language and have taught my family to sign so they can communicate with you. I want to be with you and only you. If that means that we have a modified house then you best start planning for those modifications now. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She watched as a small smile crept over his face. Grinning, she shuffled closer to him and threw her arms around him. If she was honest, she would have told him that she had no idea what her future held. The career path that she had initially considered pursuing had changed and she had now applied for an entirely different course. The only thing she knew was that she wanted Jack beside her for the good days and the days. So long as she had him in her life, she had it all.
A/N- Thank you all for your continued support, reviews, comments etc. In case you're wondering, this story is indeed wrapping up with only 2 more chapters to go. I am in the process of planning another story though, and one shot ideas are always propping up in my mind.