Mute Boy Chapter Two

2. Meetings and Meetings

I stomped down the quiet hallways listening to the echo of my footsteps. As I approached the office I had a second of temptation where I just wanted to run away. I knew I could never do it so I opened the glass door and walked inside.
A woman's head popped up and motioned me to take a seat. I did as told and waited for the principal. I always hated waiting, but I knew I had to so I tried my best at look calm. When the principal finally came out, I was almost twitching from the nerves. Although I don't know why, I haven't done anything wrong but maybe it's just the place. I sat in leather chair across from his desk as he sat behind it. The principal is not too old. He looks like he may be in his forties but I've never considered that old in my book. I was brought back to attention when the principal spoke

"Mr. Murphy, I hear you've made quite a disturbance in just your first two classes." I nodded slowly. "From what I heard it was from not talking?" I nodded again. "Pretending to not be able to talk when you can is serious, Mr. Murphy, and is almost considered bullying to those who really can't." My jaw dropped. Pretending? Who was pretending?
I pulled out my notebook again and wrote. I held it up to the principal. 'I'm not pretending!' it read.

"Alec, you can talk to me. Stop fooling around or I'll call your parents and I'm serious!" I waved my hand forward as if to say go ahead and he gave me the stink eye. I knew people who worked at schools hated it when students did that. But he was obviously not kidding because he picked up the old black telephone and slowly dialed my mother's number, after I wrote it down. "Hello, Mrs. Murphy. I'm Fletcher High's school principal, Mr. Gilbert. I was calling to ask if you and your husband could come down to the school for a conference." There was silence for a couple of seconds and then he said, "Great! I really appreciate it. Goodbye!" He hung up the phone. "Your parents are on their way for a little meeting, so wait outside by the front." I stood up and walked out of the room.
I plopped myself into a wooden chair and folded my arms angrily. This was all stupid and pointless.

My parents were here in just minutes and as they walked passed me with sad faces I just glared at them. My mother and father walked straight towards the principal's office and took their seats. The front wall of the office was glass so I can see everything that was happening but I couldn't hear because the door was shut. Mr. Gilbert tried to explain the situation but my mother cut him short. She continued to talk for what seemed like hours. When she finally finished the principal was just looking at his hands sadly. Then they all stood up and exited the office.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." Mr. Gilbert said. My parents nodded in his direction. They were all looking at me. But I was trying not to look at them. They were only making it harder, Stella. It's like they are trying to make things worse. "You can leave for lunch now, Alec. I'll notify all of your teachers. I stood up without a second glance at any of them.

The school cafeteria was crowded. Students were everywhere doing practically whatever they wanted. The walls were half purple on the bottom half and half white on the top, the schools team colors. The room was dimly lit as if it was a far off memory that I was trying to look back on. I hated that feeling, this cafeteria needs brighter lights. I quickly got my food and sat at an empty table. I wasn't that hungry anymore so I just picked at my food. I look across the cafeteria to see a girl looking at me. She stood up from where she was sitting and started heading in my direction.

She was very pretty, with her brown hair that was slightly teased with a purple bow in it. Her apparel was similar to mine from what I could see, but I knew that she also had a geeky side to herself because of the Star Wars shirt she was wearing. I didn't expect her to come to my table when she did.

The girl just plopped herself in the seat across from me as if she knew me. "Hi." She said in a soft, shy voice. I gave her a look that showed that I was confused. "I'm June. We have the same geometry class and science." I remembered her now. She was the one who was sitting right next to me at the time. How could I forget that? "Is it true? Can you really not talk?" I nodded. "Does that mean you know sign language?" I almost laughed as I shook my head. "Why don't you?"
I pulled out my notebook started to write and showed what it said. 'It's too hard.'
"Really? Or were you just being too lazy." I didn't write anything. "I knew it." And then she laughed a soft laugh that was almost like music. Then suddenly she stopped "Have you always been silent?" I shook my head "Oh."
'Why are you here?'

She was holding a piece of paper in her hands "Because I don't care if you're mute, you're going to be my new best friend." Wow, I thought, that was very blunt. "Plus, we both have the same class next." I looked at the paper in her hands again. Then I realized it was my class schedule. I don't even remember her taking it.
'Uh okay. But why do you want to be my friend?'
"Because you seem different" she paused "And nice. You look like you need a good friend."
'Well, I'm fine on my own.'
"No you're not." She said confidently. I stared at her, not knowing what to think. "I can tell." She stood up and smiled "Let's go. We're going to be late." When I didn't respond she grabbed me by the wrist and we ran out of the cafeteria. She was strong for someone as petite as her. Our next period was language arts. It turned out that I missed an entire period when I was in the office. In that class I took the seat behind June in the center of the room.

Of course everyone was staring at me. The teacher, whose name was Ms. Jay, just looked at me with a sad face. The principal had told my teachers and I know that now they were probably going to look at me like that for the rest of the year. Ms. Jay began her lecture and her dull voice almost made me go to sleep. I was about to fall asleep when June turned around
"Hey. Alec, are you awake?" I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes. "Yeah, this class is boring huh?" she laughed silently.
'Don't you think it is kind of weird that you're talking and I'm only writing? Wouldn't that make it seem like you're crazy?'
"Heh, I guess but who cares?"
'That's true.'

The rest of the class period went by slowly. When the bell rang we all filed out of the classroom and into the hallway. Our next classes passed by in a blur. It was weird; I've never felt so distracted before, Stella. At the end of the day I met up with June outside our last period class. "Well," she said. "I hope to see you tomorrow. So you better come." I nodded. I wouldn't want to disappoint her after a demand like that. At that she turned around and pranced down the hall. I headed down the opposite direction and walked myself home.

I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. I walked into my room and set down my notebook. I was definitely going to bring a different one tomorrow so it wouldn't get messed up. I gasped. Suddenly I couldn't breathe and I knew that all the pain was coming back. I gripped my shirt and fell onto my bed. Why does this always happen when the memories come back, Stella? At that moment I thought I was going to die. Tears were streaming down my face as fuzzy images flashed passed my eyes. Then her name popped up in my head. June.
As quickly as the pain had come it left and the wound was closed once again. I was gasping for air as I thought about June. I started to relax a little. Right then everything seemed a little better. And for the first time someone else had entered my world and they were changing everything.