Unmuted (Remastered)

29

The next day came too soon. Mark stayed home with Bob, and Jack and I went to the school. The day flew by quickly, and before I knew it, it was lunch already. I usually ate it with Mark, since it was his prep period, but because he was gone, I had to eat it alone.

Well, for the most part. I had just bitten into my sandwich when someone plopped in the chair next to me, I turned and choked on my bite, seeing a girl I've never seen next to me. She had black hair with streaks of red in it and wore a purple top, black leggings, combat boots, and a leather jacket.

She smiled. "You seem cool, so I'll sit with you. I'm new here, just transferred yesterday. I don't think I saw you- were you here?"

Before I could answer, Brody stood in front of us, sneering. "I don't think you want to sit with her. She's a freak." The entire cafeteria quieted down, overhearing our conversation.

The girl turned to him, sneering back. "Oh, really? I'd like to know why you think so."

"For one, she's mute. Hasn't said a word since she's been here."

"Oh, really?" The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook, flipping it to a blank page. She handed it to me, along with a purple ink pen. "There. Simple solution. ANd I'm sure we could hold a much more interesting conversation than you and I could."

"She has two adopted dads, who are both teachers here."

"So she's smarter than you, too? Cool."

"You seriously don't care about that? She was an orphan. Her dads are gay. She's probably gay, too."

"And? Does it really matter what a person's personal background is? All that matters is if she's a good person or not. Now do us all a favor and buzz off." Everyone "oohed", and Brody stomped off. The girl smirked, leaning back. "I love doing that to kids who think they're better than everyone else." She looked at me. "What's your name? Write it in the notebook."

I shakily took the pen in hand, feeling it out for a second before writing it down carefully- Allisun.

"Can I just call you Alli?" I nodded. "Cool. I'm Jax. So, you're mute. Is that just in school, or everywhere?"

Just in school

"Cool. Well, I hope we can be friends. You seem cool, if a little bit shy. Hey, can I have your number?" I wrote it down on the notebook, and she copied it into her phone and sent me a text.

Can I add you to a group chat?

"Sure! Who all's on it?"

Austin Perspex, my dads, my uncle, and a distant friend

"Sounds like fun, count me in." The bell rang, and she stood up, grabbing her bag. "It was nice to meet you, Alli. Stay safe out there."

It took me a moment to collect my thoughts before jumping from my seat. I cleaned up the table and grabbed my bag, practically sprinting to Jack's classroom for my next period.

He was standing in front of the doorway, as usual, greeting everyone before they walked in. He caught my eyes and grinned. "Hey, Alli!" He held his hand out for a high-five, which I gave. "Was lunch okay? Any problems?" I shook my head. "Okay, good. Go on in."

I made my way to my assigned seat near Jack's desk, waiting as the room filled with other students. The bell rang, and Jack walked in, closing the classroom door behind him. "Okay, kids. Today's just gonna be a chill day. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd be here today, so I had nothing planned. So we're just gonna watch Bill Nye all class." Everyone cheered. "Yes, yes, Bill Nye is great. No writing assignment, as always. You can talk, just be quiet. If you're on your phone, make sure it's either muted or you have headphones. We don't want to hear what you're watching."

The door opened, and Jax stepped through. Jack looked at her, taking the pass she held to him. "New here?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Just transferred from Ortan Prep."

"Just find an empty seat, that'll be your assigned seat for the rest of the year." He walked to his desk, throwing the pass away and getting his computer ready for the show.

Jax looked around and grinned when she saw me. She bounced over to me, throwing herself in the seat next to me. "We have this period together? Sweet! I thought I wouldn't have a friend in here, so this is a nice surprise. What're we doing?" Jack hit the lights and turned on the projector. Jax saw the familiar menu screen for Bill Nye and hummed. "Bill Nye. A classic."

I glanced over to Jack, who was typing on his phone with a smirk on his face. He glanced up at me and grinned, giving me a thumbs-up before going back to his message.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I groaned quietly. Jax giggled at me. "Someone messaging you?" I nodded. "That group chat you were talking about?" I nodded again. "Go on and message it! Add me to it, while you're at it." I quickly took my phone out and began typing.