Elle A Rose

Chantel heard a new kid was starting today. In the small mundane town, she lived in her entire life, anything outside of the everyday norm was exciting news. Entering her second period class, she assumed the tall muscular male who stood next to the teacher’s desk was in fact the new kid. She wondered for a moment why Lynn, the sign language interpreter who typically worked with her older brother, Eddie, was also standing at the desk. When Lynn and Mr. Weston both frantically waved her over, she had a feeling she was about to find out.

“Oh, good, I’m glad you’re here.” Lynn exclaimed.

Stress was written all over her face. As Lynn spoke, she also used sign language. In an instant, Chantel understood what was wrong.

“Good morning, Lynn,” she signed back and looked to her new classmate. She found a beautiful set of hazel brown eyes staring back at her.

“Chantel, there seems to have been some confusion. This is Oliver Barton, the newest member of the student body,” Mr. Weston said. While he spoke, Lynn, in her agitated state translated. “The issue,” Mr. Weston continued, “is they’ve assigned Lynn as his interpreter.

“Which is going to leave Eddie without a translator,” Lynn cut in to say.

Chantel smiled and glanced back at Oliver.

“Hey,” she signed. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Returning the smile Oliver stuck his hand out for her to shake, before mouthing, “you too”.

Chantel’s cheeks warmed and she glanced away. Goodness, he was handsome. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts before she remembered why she was standing in the front of the classroom. Of course, the bell rang and their little group was front and center for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Her blushed deepened.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Lynn, no worries, I can interpret for Oliver.”

“That won’t do,” Mr. Weston groaned. “If you’re translating for him, how are you going to be able to pay attention? We’re prepping for midterms. I’ll need your full attention.

Chantel wanted to roll her eyes. She was one of the top students in his class and midterms were almost a month out.

“It won’t be a problem, really. I do it all the time.”

Being the only one in her household who wasn’t hearing impaired, it was second nature for her to interpret. She shifted her attention back to Oliver. This had to suck, the school administration totally dropped the ball.

“Oliver, if you’ll jot down notes for us, I’ll interpret, if that’s cool with you.”

Oliver nodded in agreeance.

“Lynn, we got this. I’m sure Eddie is wondering where you are. Oliver and I can check his schedule. I bet we’ll have some overlap in classes. Between you, me, and Donavan (her younger brother, Simon’s interpreter) I think we’ll have Oliver covered until they get someone else.” 

She sensed Mr. Weston had reservations about the plan, so she said to Oliver, “Come on, let’s sit over here,” and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

Ollie wasn’t feeling it. He hadn’t been feeling it since his parents announced the family was moving. They’d uprooted him in his junior year of high school. He was beside himself over leaving all of his friends. And what about all of the college scouts who were already checking him out for wrestling scholarships? The move had been quick, his parents were eager to dive into getting their newly acquired company up to standards. This had left Ollie little time to adjust. He knew his parents had a lot on their plates and he also knew they assumed since he’d put up little, to no fuss, that he was okay with all of the changes. Well, he wasn’t!

Ollie’s mom assured him that morning before he left for school that everything would be fine. The school stated they were all set for his arrival. Ugh! He’d spent a good portion of his morning passing notes to the office secretary, because of course, she didn’t know American Sign Language (ASL). When Lynn finally rushed into the office, she only exacerbated the problem. Ollie found it interesting that there were two other hearing-impaired students in the school. Back home he’d been the only one. He was also surprised there could have been such a huge mix up with the translators. Lynn seemed to be nice, but her frazzledness was unnerving.

After more back and forth, Lynn whisked Ollie to class. By now he wasn’t paying much attention to what Lynn and his teacher were saying. Instead he was people watching. He caught fragments of the conversation, but he just didn’t care, he was over it. This was going to be the worst. That is, until a goddess walked through the classroom door. All of his attention went to her as he took in her beauty. She had a slender frame, with a long elegant neck. Her face was heart shaped with long brown, tight curly hair. Had he been paying attention to the interpreter debacle he wouldn’t have missed Lynn calling the beautiful girl over to their group. Heat creeped up the back of his neck and he fought to keep his breathing at a slow pace. Ollie was totally staring at her. He watched as her full lips began to move and then he caught that she was signing too. He was positive, this was the first time since elementary school that he had an instant crush on a girl. She seemed confident in everything she said and didn’t hesitate to step in and help. He sensed she thought the translator mix-up was being blown out of proportion. He bit back a laugh when she outright dismissed Lynn and ignored the teacher’s complaints. He was right there with her. If she was confident enough to interpret for him, he would take the best damn notes in the history of note taking, if it made her happy. When she ended the group discussion by grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him towards the desk, he knew he was in trouble. Oh, how he liked a woman that could take charge.

This was by far the best History class he’d ever taken. Chantel was a riot. She told Ollie to fake it with the note taking. She had them covered. Most of what the teacher was going over, he’d already covered and she had good notes. Instead of interpreting what Mr. Weston said, she gave him a quick rundown of the school. She outlined the juicy details one needed to survive in a new high school. She also would from time to time crack a joke about something the teacher said. Ollie struggled to keep a straight face the entire time. Ollie couldn’t get over how pretty she was. He kept staring into her liquid brown eyes. He wondered if Chantel would give him a chance, he was already crushing, hard. The ladies’ department wasn’t his strong suit. His dad told him it would come in time, but Ollie had his doubts. He wasn’t like his dad. He wasn’t like anyone else in his family.

After class, Chantel reviewed his class schedule and saw that besides lunch and gym, they had all the same classes. Even better, she noticed that Ollie shared both lunch and gym with her older brother, Eddie. In the hallway, while they waited for Eddie to meet them, Ollie was about to ask Chantel what she did for fun, when a huge smile spread across her face. The heat instantly seared the back of his neck, at the thought of that gorgeous smile being for him. His hopes were smashed like a thumb under a hammer.

“Ollie, this is my boyfriend, Walt.”

Chantel leaned in for a kiss before tucking herself under Walt’s arm. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist as she rested her head against his chest. Of course, she had a boyfriend. Ollie felt like an idiot. He tried to hide his disappointment by offering a friendly greeting. He’d barely finished saying how great it was to meet Walt, when Walt shook his head and gave a slight shoulder shrug, before looking at Chantel.

It seemed as if Walt turned his head deliberately so Ollie couldn’t see what he said to Chantel. Tension began to radiate from Chantel’s body. It was so apparent, fellow classmates gave the couple a wide berth as they navigated the hallway. Ollie took a few steps back, wondering what was wrong. Their interaction was swift and Walt stormed off without giving Ollie another glance.

Chantel couldn’t believe Walt’s attitude. How could he be such an ass? Really! They’d been dating for almost two years and he hadn’t picked up any sign language. Her brothers hated it. Eddie and Simon expressed how they’d love to talk with Walt without needing her as the middleman. She knew by the look on Walt’s face as he approached that he wasn’t going to be friendly; still she threw a huge smile on her face, offering him a warm greeting. When he didn’t even bother to greet Ollie before declaring he didn’t like him, it took everything in her not to let him have it. She was over it. Between the jealousy, the refusal to learn ASL, and what little time they’d spent together lately, it was time to have a talk. It sucked, she loved him. He was her first kiss, first long-term boyfriend, the first guy she said, “I love you” to. Something had to give. Thankfully, Eddie showed up moments after Walt’s departure and their introduction went smoother.  Watching Eddie and Ollie head towards gym class already in a full-blown conversation she smiled, as it seemed they were going to be good friends.

Chantel wasn’t too worried about being Ollie’s interpreter, yet a weight lifted from her chest when the school finally brought in another translator. It had taken four days for the mix up to be cleared. Chantel entered her Math class Friday morning and Ollie waved her over. He’d sent her a text just a few minutes before letting her know the news.

“Good morning,” he signed with a crooked grin on his face. “I’m a little bummed I won’t get to stare at your sparkly nails as much.”

Chantel laughed. Her mother always said her artfully decorated nails were a distraction, but Chantel didn’t care. Hands and nail pampering were a must. This week her nails were a rainbow-colored French manicure.

“The important thing is that you’re still looking at them,” she replied before flashing her fingers in front of Ollie and taking her seat.

She was glad for the distraction. The last few days had been rough. She and Walt kept arguing and with today being the monthly talent assembly, her nerves were on edge. Singing had always been a passion of hers. Friends claimed she had a beautiful voice, and she must be good enough for the school to have asked her to open each talent show with a song. Still, the thing she wanted most was for her family to hear her, to give her the encouraging words everyone else was so willing to give.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at her smart watch to see the message.

“Are you okay?”

In the last few days, Ollie seemed to be more attentive to her mood than she’d expected him to be. Hell, her own boyfriend didn’t pay this much attention.

“I’m good,” she replied. “It’s performance jitters. I’ll be fine.”

Ollie gave her a puzzled stare. She realized he probably didn’t know the talent show was this afternoon. “I’ll tell you after class,” Chantel promised.

Ollie felt the stress rippling through Chantel’s body. The tension in her shoulders and back were a huge giveaway. She also wasn’t talking much. She’d mentioned there was an assembly later in the day, but Ollie had no clue why this affected her current state. It wasn’t until the Vice Principal gave a few welcoming words before turning the spotlight over to Chantel, that he understood why her nerves were on edge.

 Ollie watched as Chantel signed the indication of the music starting and finally her stance changed. Her shoulders relaxed and a gorgeous smile broaden her face, before she started to sing. Ollie was born deaf, it was a part of his life. He’d never been the type to dream about what it would be like to not be hearing impaired. Yet, as Chantel sang, swaying and moving her entire body with each word she signed, Ollie had never wanted anything more than to hear her voice. The energy she poured into each word drew him in, calling to every fiber of his being. Sometime during her performance he’d sprang to his feet. He hadn’t realized it, but he wasn’t the only one. As Chantel finished belting out Adele’s “Hello”, the entire student body was on their feet clapping. Or in his and her two brothers’ case, they clapped in ASL.

After the assembly was over Ollie maneuvered his way through the crowd. Getting Chantel’s attention, he said, “I had no idea you sang.”

Chantel blushed before saying, “I hope you liked it. Sorry, I’ve been all out of sorts. My nerves get the best of me before each performance.”

“It was amazing”, Ollie gushed. “I could feel each word. I’m still mad at you though. Really, you never said a thing!”

Chantel started to respond when a girl Ollie didn’t know tapped her on the shoulder. He waited for the ladies to finish talking before he told her he had to leave.

“I need to go get ready for my match. I just wanted to say you were great.”

He turned to leave when he felt someone pull on his hand.

“Hey, it’s your first match, right?”

Chantel was closer to him than he’d expected. He could smell her coconut lip gloss. He nodded his response. She was so close, he had a hard time looking away from her beautiful eyes.

“It’s here in the gym, right? I was planning on going.” She said and slipped her soft hand into his.

Ollie’s heart flip flopped in his chest as they pushed their way, hand in hand, out of the auditorium.

At the gym doors, Ollie snuck a quick look in the gym and was pleased to see his parents, two sisters and brother had arrived. He waved and got their attention, pointing at Chantel as she walked in to find a seat. His Dad signed, “Is that her?” and Ollie nodded, before dashing to the locker room. He knew his parents were about to embarrass him. There was no way they weren’t going to talk to Chantel.

Having had his first pep talk with the new team, Ollie and his teammates charged into the arena. As he suspected, his family had roped Chantel into sitting next to them. They were talking and laughing, which warmed his heart. As the team entered the gym, the conversations turn to cheers that Ollie could feel thumping in his chest. His match was up first.  Ollie rolled his shoulders and did a few jumps to help stretch his muscles. He was in his element. Walking to the middle of the circle Ollie glanced at his new interpreter, Brandon, as he translated everything the ref said. He knew the drill, he was ready to show his new teammates, the school and opposing team what he was made of. When the ref indicated the start of the match, Ollie leapt into action like a mountain lion taking down its prey.

This was Chantel’s first time attending a school wrestling match. Ollie had talked about wrestling all week, sharing pictures of trophies he’d won and a few of his matches on YouTube. None of that did justice to seeing him wrestle in person. Holy hell was it hot. When he charged into the gym in his uniform, it took Chantel a moment to compose herself. Which she was sure wasn’t lost on his family. She hoped she didn’t gasp loud enough for them to hear it, but she knew she had. In the last few days, she was having trouble ignoring the attraction to Ollie. It wasn’t helping that she and Walt weren’t on the best of terms. Why she’d grabbed his hand only moments before, she had no clue. She told herself halfway to the gym, that she’d done it because she wasn’t thinking straight due to the high she was riding after performing. However, that didn’t explain why her heart jumped on a twelve loop rollercoaster when their hands touched or why it did a small dance in her chest as Ollie pinned his opponent, winning the match.

Over the weekend Chantel and Ollie texted a few times. They’d made plans to go to the movies the following weekend. Not on a date, but with all of their siblings. She wondered if she should invite Walt too, however, on Sunday night as Chantel finished her homework and prepared herself for the new school week, she decided she and Walt needed to talk. They’d spoke briefly on the phone Friday night. He called off their Saturday night date claiming he picked up an extra shift at work. It was a boldface lie. His best friend posted clips of them goofing off on TikTok. Chantel was so confused. She knew things were bad between her and Walt, yet she wasn’t ready to let go. As she drifted off to sleep, she hoped that maybe talking to Walt would solve everything. That included helping to push the feelings she was developing for Ollie way down.

The next morning, after a restless night of sleep, she sent Walt a text, asking him to meet her out by their tree during lunch. He didn’t respond until moments before the lunch period started. She knew the moment Walt rounded the corner that it was going to be a fight. When she reached to hug him his arms never left his sides.

“What’s up Chantel? If this is about Saturday night, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Chantel bit the inside of her cheek before speaking. “You don’t want to talk about how you lied to me? I thought you had to work?”

“Yeah, well, I thought you were my girlfriend.” he barked at her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded

“I saw you and your new boyfriend holding hands as you left the auditorium, after the assembly Friday. What the hell Chantel, you just gonna do me that way?”

Of course, he caught them holding hands. She shook her head, fighting back tears, before saying, “Walt, that didn’t mean anything. We’re just friends. If it bothered you so much, why didn’t you say something?”

Her body shook and she bit her lip. He was always jealous. Always pointing out how other boys looked at her.

“You’ve been all over deaf dude. Don’t act like everyone hasn’t noticed,” Walt said, as he rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.

“I was only being nice. It’s more than I can say you’ve been.”

Walt arched his eyebrow and smirked. “Okay, and if that was some new girl, how would you feel if I was up on her like you’ve been with him?”

Chantel wanted to tell him she wouldn’t have cared because she trusted him, but all she ended up uttering was, “Walt, I love you.” Tears were now streaming down her face.

Walt pocketed his phone and looked over his shoulder before saying, “Yeah, I don’t think you do.”

He wouldn’t look at her. She wanted nothing more than for him to open his arms and pull her into a hug, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“So, that’s it? You don’t love me?” she whispered.

Walt finally looked at her. She knew then, it was over.

“Of course, I have feelings for you.” His voice was softer now. “But I’m not feeling us no more.”

He took a step back before dropping his gaze. They both stood there for a moment before Walt gave a small wave and walked away.

Ollie felt there was something up with Chantel all morning. She was quiet, but not the same quiet from before the assembly. Part of him thought it was best to leave it alone. If she wanted him to know she would tell him. Still he decided to keep an eye on her. This involved skipping gym and following her to lunch. He’d watched as she went outside, into the cold. Walt followed suit soon after, leaving from the same door as Chantel. He wasn’t out there long before he was back, without Chantel. Without hesitation Ollie left the cafeteria to roam the grounds looking for Chantel. His heart stopped when he found her balled up crying at the foot of a tree. Tears streamed down her face and her nose ran. Wiping her arm under her nose she signed that she’d like to be alone, before burying her face in her knees. There was no way he was going to leave her alone. Instead, he sat down next to her. She looked up and shook her head.

“I’m not leaving you here, not like this,” he signed.

“I don’t want to talk,” she retorted.

“You don’t have to,” he said with a small smile.

Chantel dragged her arm back across her face before saying, “Walt and I broke up.”

Ollie figured as much, but he didn’t want to tell her that. He also didn’t want to remind her that she said she didn’t want to speak.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could respond with.

And he was sorry, sorry that she was upset. Chantel started to cry harder. Ollie felt helpless. Offering her his open arms, he watched as she thought about it for a moment before she leaned into him, crying into his chest.

It took a while for Chantel to compose herself. Ollie had just seen her ugly cry and now she was embarrassed to pull her face from his chest. Her face would be a mess. She couldn’t breathe out of her nose and she knew her lips were swollen. They always did that after she ugly cried. Pulling away from his tight grip she looked everywhere but at Ollie. He must’ve known she was trying to avoid looking at him because he reached up and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

“Don’t look at me, I’m a mess,” she said and started to turn her head away from him.

Ollie reached out and drew her attention back to him.

“You’re beautiful, snot bubbles and all,” he signed then laughed.

Chantel gasped and covered her face with her hand before reaching out to push Ollie.

They both laughed as the bell rang and Ollie’s watch gave a notice, letting them both know the next period was beginning.

“I don’t want to go back in there,” she told Ollie.

She was done with school for the day.

“Are you offering for us to skip the rest of the day? If so, I’m down.” Ollie said and jumped to his feet.

Chantel chuckled and wiped her face again. Yes, that was what she was suggesting.

“Want to head to my house?” she offered.

Ollie gave her a bright smile and agreed.

They didn’t speak much as they walked to Chantel’s house. She looked deep in thought so Ollie clamped down on his excitement of skipping school and being able to see where Chantel lived. Chantel warned him as they approached the house that her dad was home.

“He works from home,” she stated before opening the front door. “Don’t worry, he’ll be cool about us leaving school. He’ll probably just tell us not to make it a habit.”

 They were removing their coats when Chantel’s father appeared in the hallway. He gave both of them a warm smile before asking Chantel what was up.

“My phone sent me a message that someone entered the house. I thought I’d lost track of time. It’s a little early for you to be home from school. Everything okay?”

Chantel’s lower lip quivered as she responded to her father. Ollie looked away to give them some privacy. He hated how awkward this was. He and Chantel were friends, right? Should he feel bad that he was standing there with her, only minutes into her new single status? Chantel waved her hand to get his attention. Glancing back at her and her father, Ollie was pleased to be able to communicate with her father without the need of a translator. After introductions, Chantel told her father they were heading to the garage.

“I’d like to show you my place of serenity,” she exclaimed.

They entered the large garage and climbed a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a small hallway and a door that had a huge letter “C” hanging on it.

She pushed the door open and stepped back, allowing him to enter first. The room was brightly painted orange and yellow, with music notes seeming to drift across the walls. There were different types of chairs around the room and a small fish tank set up in the corner.

“Eddie painted the room for me,” she said before inviting him to sit. “I come up here every day to sing,” she stated and sat next to him. “Outside of my family, I’ve never let anyone else in here.”

 Chantel blushed and looked away.

Ollie reached out and lifted her chin so she was looking at him.

“Thank you for showing me your happy place. I can see why you love it so much.” He looked around again, trying to picture Chantel sitting or standing in every space in the room, singing her heart out.

“I hate to admit this,” he signed, “but the other day, seeing you sing, was the first time I’ve ever wished that I wasn’t deaf.”

His hand clinched into a fist and he let it fall heavily onto his lap. Ollie had never felt more vulnerable. When Chantel reached for his hand, he was reluctant to let her pull it from his lap. He didn’t want her pity. She tugged again and he unclenched his fist. He watched as she placed his hand on the base of her neck and began to sing.

Before now Ollie had been standing on a precipice, barely clinging on to the slim edge of keeping his feelings for Chantel in check. As she belted out song after song, he lost his grip and was hopelessly falling for the amazing young woman. He’d lost track of time. Hours had passed as she sang to him, laying her feelings out in the open. Some of the songs made her cry and others made her smile. It was mesmerizing. His hand never left the base of her neck. Each song she sang she signed as well, moving her body with a perfect rhythm. How could Walt have given up on such an astounding creature? Ollie knew if Chantel gave him the chance, he would never give up on her.

Chantel must have sensed the time, or perhaps heard her family arrive home because all too soon for Ollie’s liking, she stopped singing.

“Eddie and Simon are shooting hoops in the driveway. It must be getting late.”

Ollie checked his watch and stood up.

 “I should be heading home. It’s my night to help with dinner,” he said and reached for her hand.

They walked back down the stairs and out of a side door the garage. Eddie and Simon paused for a moment as they walked past them, but said nothing. At the end of the driveway Ollie turned to face Chantel.

“Thank you,” he signed. He had no idea what else to say. How could he put what he was feeling, what he’d experienced into words? Without hesitation, he stepped forward and kissed Chantel. She seemed surprised at first, but then leaned into the kiss, sliding her arms over his shoulders. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck, which was on fire from the moment their lips touched. Ollie was reluctant to pull away. That was the best kiss he’d ever had. Their noses touched and Ollie could see the blush spreading across Chantel’s cheeks.

Stepping back Ollie stated, “I’ve wanted to do that since the first day we met. I know you just got out of a relationship and I don’t want to be a rebound, but when you’re ready, I’d like to take you on a date, just the two of us.”

Chantel nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. That was a good enough response for Ollie. Smiling at her and the promise of a great future he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” before turning to head home.

Chantel didn’t know what came over her. She’d never sang for anyone the way she just had for Ollie. It was a level of intimacy she never had with Walt. It struck her as she and Ollie left the garage that being with Walt had been work. Every day was a constant give and take. With her giving more than taking. For a brief moment she wondered how different it would be with Ollie. Things always seemed to flow with ease when she was around him. The kiss was unexpected and totally made her insides melt. Her heart was still doing summersaults when Eddie walked over and nudged her.

 “I guess that’s the reason Walt was going around telling everyone he broke up with you today?” he joked.

Somehow that didn’t surprise her. She knew Walt was petty. She also knew Ollie was right, she did need some time to herself. Yet, as she watched him head down the street, she knew that when the time was right, she would take him up on his offer.