silence ; phan

twenty six

Everything makes more sense now; why Dan didn't know people talk shit about him, how he always looks at people when they speak, that he never seems to flinch when people shout. I can't believe that all of that time, he's been deaf. How much of his life has he been deaf? 

"Dan?" I ask, my eyes drifting towards his, which flicker down to my mouth as I speak.

"Yeah?" He asks, and it's weird, knowing that he can't hear himself, but lets out his words clearly. He's still Dan, though, and I doubt he'd appreciate me treating him any differently, so I won't.

"How long have you been deaf?"

"My whole life. It's shit, I know." He says with a forced laugh.

This puts a whole new perspective on everything. He didn't just go deaf, he's never heard anything. 

"Do you wanna do something, I mean, rather than going back to school, cause I think break is over, and going back now would be weird?" 

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" He asks, and I realise that I have nothing in mind.

"Uh, dunno. We could, uh, just, like, get some food, and stuff."

"Sure, sounds good." He says, then starting to laugh. "Oh, wait, no it doesn't." He says, now practically crying with laughter. 

Oh.

Oh, I get it.

I start laughing too, hoping I'm not offending him, but he's laughing too, so surely it'll be fine.

"Yeah, I guess it can't exactly sound good for me."

"I guess so." I respond, us both giggling still.

I was gonna try to make longer chapters but I failed whoops.