The Mute

Chapter 5

The ride to work was silent. Monica didn't say anything, but I could tell she wanted to ask about what had happened at my apartment. So I got her attention and nodded to her, telling her she could ask whatever she wanted to ask me about. She hesitated for a moment, but then she started asking a million questions at once like she always does, and I just sat there and smiled. Finally, she asked me about Nick, and I nodded to all her questions. By the time we got to work, she was done asking questions for the time being, but I'm sure she'll have more by the end of our shift.

After our shift, Monica and I went back to my house, and surprisingly, Nick was asleep when I got home, so at least I wouldn't have to deal with him immediately. I went to my room and started working on the rest of my homework so I didn't have to worry about it in the morning while dealing with my brother. I finished my homework at almost 3am. I had to get up for school no later than 6:30am to catch the bus at 7am, so I went to sleep and hoped that Nick wouldn't yell at me before school, because that's the last thing I need right before I go to school with dozens of kids yelling at me to say something and teachers turning a blind eye and deaf ear to it all. I'm the most picked-on kid in school because I refuse to talk to anyone.

The following day, I was the only one up with it being so early in the morning. I quickly and quietly went about my regular morning routine, then left to catch the bus. On the bus, I put in my earbuds like usual and ignored everything as the bus made its way towards school. Once at school, I went straight to my first class and got to work on my classwork for that class and repeated that in all of my classes. Between classes, other students would come up to me, yelling and teasing me, doing anything and everything to try and make me talk, but their attempts were futile. The teachers occasionally wanted me to participate in class, but I ignored them. No one was going to make me do something I didn't want to do, especially not at school around people I hated with everything in me.

When I got home from school that day, Nick was outside waiting for me, and I could tell he was not happy with me, but I didn't really care. I walked right past him and up to my apartment, going straight to my room to start on my homework in hopes I would get it done before ten o'clock that night. I could feel my brother watching me from the doorway, just waiting for me to look up at him, but I just ignored him and worked on my homework until he finally had enough and started his rant. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting bullied at school? Why would you still go to school on who knows how little sleep you had last night? You need to start taking better care of yourself, or else I'll go to your job and tell them you need fewer hours or, better yet, make you quit your job. Also, you need to explain why you refuse to talk to anyone. Don't even ask how I know all of this, because it's not important how I know; I just do. Also, you had better get good grades in school because if Mom was still alive, she would want you to have good grades."

He kept talking to me, but after he brought up Mom, I stopped listening because I knew what she would want if she was there, and I'm doing my best to make sure that wherever she is, she's proud of me. Even if making her proud, even in death, meant never speaking again and getting as good grades as I could without fully participating in my classes. He just doesn't understand that when I make a promise, I keep it, especially the one I made that day. I wish I could speak, but I must keep my promise to my dead mother and remain mute for the rest of my life. Besides, who would want to talk to a girl like me anyways?