Melanie sat up in her chair, stretching her arms up in the air. Everyone around her got up to go to the next class, so she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. The hallway was eerily quiet, setting off a slight ringing in her ears. This was typical of Melbourne High, and the whole town of Ellaville in general.
After school was finished, Melanie headed home on the bus, watching the trees pass by the window. The trees were vibrant colors orange, yellow, and red, for it was the start of fall. Melanie had to pull on her red stich knitted sweater because of wind that cut through the open window in front of her. The bus pulled onto her street, passing the sign that marked it Fair Drive. She stood up as the bus approached her home, and was suprised to find her Mom waiting at the door. "How was your day?" she said although Melanie ignored her. "Honey?!" she called after her as she walked past. This was followed by a quiet chuckle. Melanie continued up to her room and threw her bag down on the floor. She flopped onto her full size bed, the light purple sheets folding under her weight.
She was 15 years old, almost ready to drive. She thought about this as she rolled off the bed to pull her journal out of her bag to finish her homework from school. She couldn't stand school. It seemed pointless to her. Nevertheless, she started on the problems on the worksheet she was given by her teacher. She was a bit behind in her academic standings but nobody seemed to care. It was to be expected.
Finished with her work, she reluctantly went downstairs so that her parents would know to start dinner. As she walked down they shouted to her from the kitchen. "What would you like to eat?" Again, the chuckle came from both parents. Melanie held back her emotions as she signaled to the macaroni on the counter. "Mac and Cheese it is!" Her mother said cheerly as she turned on the stove. The pots were brought out to cook, a noise which made her parents cringe. Melanie was never bothered by such things, though.
After dinner was finished, her dad turned on the TV and sat on the couch. "Do you need the subtitles?" he asked too sweetly. Melanie rolled her eyes as her dad flipped through the channels. He settled on a nature documentary and the family all sat down to watch.
After a while, Melanie got tired and went up to bed. She changed into her night gown and pulled back her long brown hair. She gazed at her emerald green eyes and the freckles that sprinkled her face. She couldn't help but think about why other people stared at her. Why when they heard the rumors they cringed. She thought about when her parents made rude remarks in her presence. Tears started to escape her eyes as she climbed into bed. None of this was her fault. She didn't choose to be deaf.
YOU ARE READING
Be Kind to this Duck
AdventureA simple note carefully written on a rubber duck floating downstream. This story tells of a rubber duck, who floats all the way down the Mississippi River. It also tells of the lives of those who find the duck, and how they are changed because of it.
