Silence is golden (open)

[Asher Gray]

Asher always had enjoyed rambling, and he was pretty good at it too. While having conversations he would stutter and not know what to say, but when he was rambling his stutter disappeared and he always knew what to say next. The only problem was, most people didn't listen completely to his rants, and he even manages to switch languages in the middle of a rant without noticing until somebody points out that he's not speaking English.

Asher smiled as well, when kind of laughed at his comment about his unobservant-ness, and, yet again, he was happy that Amelia was the first person he had met here. He felt comfortable around her. Maybe it was because she also knew what it was like to feel different, but might have just been that she had a comforting personality.

A smile spread across Asher's face as he read her comment. "Very True. For all we know, the entire orchestra could be bald and have rainbow poke-a-dots on their heads, and we just didn't notice." Asher jokingly with a smile still spread across his face, while still looking down at the notebook. When he looked up, he noticed that Amelia was walking away. He stood there confused, still holding the notebook. Then she turn and motioned as to say 'follow me.' "Oh!" He exclaimed loudly before taking a few large strides to catch up with her.

He wasn't quite sure where they were going but he hoped they could walk around the campus a little, he hadn't really gotten a chance to explore yet and it would be nice to kind of get a feel for the school before he started classes.

[sarahnobles]

Asher was much too critical of himself, if he would relax and just talk without worrying about what he was saying his stutter would most likely disappear as when he rambles. Another benefit to relaxing is he would probably only use one language at a time.

Amelia never received Asher’s comment, he was looking down at the notepad. He needed to look up at her so she could see his lips. It didn’t help that she had started walking ahead of him. It took most hearing people a little while before the subconsciously or naturally would look at her even when they where distracted, but Asher would get it if he took the time. Although he did seem a little….scattered brain? He was probably very smart and too caught up in his own mind a lot.

Amelia would have giggled if she noticed Asher’s reaction to being left behind. He was funny and cute in a lost puppy sort of way. Once the boy had caught up to her she took her notebook back for the second time, chiding herself for forgetting it. The sophomore wrote one word before handing it back and pushing open the door of the hall, Tour? The pair had left just in time, students where arriving in large clumps of hyperactive hormones. A few boys where throwing a football making Amelia even more eager to get away from the dinning hall. Sports equipment always seemed to have a way of colliding with her head. It wasn’t that she was clumsy, well she could be, her hand-eye coordination just sort of left her where sports where concerned. Her brown eyes where focused on Asher only taking ahead every so often so she could be sure she wouldn’t walk into anything or anyone. Hopefully he wouldn’t find her behavior weird, she only wanted to ‘hear’ his answer.

[Asher Gray]

Asher had always been an over thinker, it was a side effect of attention deficit disorder. His brain worked much faster than the average person his age, and faster than his mouth could say what he was thinking. So he ended up thinking twice as fast as he spoke, giving him double the time to think about what he was saying. That was why he loved music so much. When he was playing, it was the only time his brain could focus on one thing and not have to double think everything.

As he was catching up to Amelia he started to wonder if she had heard, or saw, his comment, seeing as he was looking down. It was difficult for him to remember that she couldn't hear him. They communicated so well that it was easy to forget. That might take a little while for him to get used to. He had always tended to wander and move around while he spoke, and he doubted that she would be able to read his lips if he was jumping up and down or spinning in circles.

Luckily, this time, when he received the notebook again, he remember she needed to see his face. Asher pointed his face towards Amelia, but made sure he kept watch out of the corner of his eye. He had already managed to trip in front of most of the school, running into a tree, or pole, or wall, or anything else for that matter, would definitely not help what people thought of him.

"I would love a tour," Asher said, a smile spreading across his face. He still had yet to get a tour, which wasn't very smart on the school's part. It took him more than half an hour for him to find the cafeteria, and he had no idea how to get back to the dorms, so he was very gracious to Amelia for offering.

[sarahnobles]

Art in any form was an amazing thing, it was healing. In the way Asher was able to lose himself in the music other artist found themselves in their art. It was like how Amelia would forget where she was and lose track of time when she was really into a piece. It was the reason she had been startled at dinner tonight when the upperclassmen had slammed his fist on the table.

Spinning in circles might not work for Amelia, he could text his responses to her, but that's annoying. It takes awhile. There is always a pause between texts even if the phones are right next to eachother. It was an inconvience she and Lamia had to deal with. So far their phones seemed to be the only way the two friends could communicate.

Tripping in front of Asher probably wouldn't be too embarrassing. He seemed to have more tumbles and spills she she ever did. Heck his last fall had brought her down with him. Smiling she turned around and started walking backwards. Of couse she still checked behind herself every so often so she wouldn't walk into anything. On her notepad she wrote, it actually isn't too complicated. These are the walks and they lead to every place on campus. The dinning hall is dead center, left is the dorms, right the sports fields, straight ahead are the classes and the art rooms are the opposite. Picture like a giant square. We're head towards the dorms, the library is between the dorms and the main campus. The campus layout really wasn't too bad, the school wasn't as large as it seemed. It would be easier through if the school board would put up signs pointing towards each building.

[Asher Gray]

Art was something Asher's dad had past down to him. He had been depressed as a child and music got him out of that depression, so when Asher started having difficulties with the kids at school, he took him to his music store and that was Asher's favorite place since. He spent at least five hours a day at that store, and while he was away from Romania, staying in England, he was at another music store. It was his way of escaping from everything that was happening to him at that time. Whether the kids at school were picking on him, or he was having some problem with his health, which happened a lot due to his lack of coordination and being born two months premature, it would just melt away with the music.

Cell phones were something Asher had never quite figured out. Back home, he had never really needed mine. Honestly, he didn't really have any friends to call or text, and his parents knew that if he wasn't at school, the music store or home, he was somewhere on the ranch, and he would definitely be back by six O'clock for dinner. His parents had bought him a cell phone just before leaving for school, and he spent the entire four hour layover at Heathrow Airport in London trying to figure out how to turn it on. He now knew how to call someone, thanks to the ten year old sitting next to him at the gate, but that was about all he could do.

Asher figured now that he wasn't talking and Amelia was writing her reply, it would be alright if he looked away from her. He was beginning to worry that he would trip over something because he wasn't watching his huge feet. Every few seconds would look back up at her, though, so she wouldn't think that he wasn't interested. Her reply seemed to be taking a while to write out and he began to wonder if it was difficult to write while walking, let alone backwards, but maybe Amelia had gotten used to it over the years.

Once Asher received the notebook he tried to read the description carefully, but he had some issues. Reading in the first place was hard for him, but while he was walking and also focusing on his feet so he didn't trip, but also trying to be fast so Amelia didn't have to wait too long, was proving a challenge. He got the general idea of the layout of the school, though. It was nice kind of knowing where he was, but he also mentally smacked himself when he realized he must have walked past the Cafeteria at least twice on his way there.

[sarahnobles]

Thanks to Amelia's music appreciation she understood how complex or simple music could be. She could in a way, understand its beauty, but she would never really understand it. Never truly appreciate it. Amelia had read poetry about music, she wanted to know what it is, but despite all her effort she didn't really have a clue.

Amelia lived out of her phone. Texting only of course. Who ever invited texting was her savior. She would have to teach Asher to use his phone, it wasn't too hard. Her friend Lamia was blind and she had no trouble with her phone. In fact their cell phones where they only way the pair could even have a friendship. Amelia read Lamia's lip and then texted her friend who would hear the response in her ear. It was a little unorthodox and a bit of a hassel, but it worked for the sophomores.

Only recently Amelia had started carrying around her little notebook. Back home the majority of her friends where also deaf and her father, although he could hear, he of course could sign. She only used a notebook to write out things like a dish order when she went out to eat. As for walking backwards, she might not exactly be graceful, but she did have basic hand eye coordination. Walking in any direction was a skill she mastered when she was just a baby.

She watched Asher read her note and turn around to walk beside him. He did read very slowly, the note wasn't that long. Maybe she hadn't wordedit well, she could attempt to draw a map. It would make more sense to fetch him a map, she was sure the school had them, although she wasn't entirely sure where to get them. The main office? Which building was that in? Ah well, if he wanted one he could go get one.

[Asher Gray]

Asher had tried to start drawing before. His mom had decided to send him to some therapist the help him with his people skills. The old man didn't really seem to understand anything about how music helped him, so he suggested that Asher quit some of his instruments and start drawing, because he thought it was something more kids could relate to. Dr. Linderman obviously didn't understand that that if no matter what he decided to do kids wouldn't be able to relate to him because it wasn't the music that made him different.

Drawing just wasn't something Asher could do. His fingers were too twitchy to draw something that looked remotely recognizable, let alone something that could be presented to someone. He still doodled, but mostly strange little animals or aliens, or just music notes in the margin of a notebook.

Back home Asher always carried a notebook around at his old school. Even though he couldn't write very well, it was how he kept his thoughts straight. He'd just write what ever came to his mind, so the writings in the notebook were very scattered. If someone had ever read the book, they would be very confused, but no one would have been able to read, because it wasn't even legible, not even to him.

Asher felt bad that their conversation had to be slower than needed. It must have been difficult for her to talk to people who didn't know sign language, but it added to the problem that Asher had trouble reading so the conversation was even slower. He didn't want Amelia to think that her handwriting was bad or she worded things weird, so he couldn't understand her.

He became mildly distracted and forgot that Amelia was waiting for his reply. Was there some way they could communicate better than they were right now? If learned sign language it would be easier, but he wasn't sure he could learn another language. He would like to try though.

[sarahnobles]

Nothing angered Amelia more then when people attempted to stomp out another person's creativity. Music was art just as much as drawing or painting, just as writing was an art. No one had the right to force someone away from their perferred art or style. She would love nothing more then to give that so called therapist a piece of her mind. Poor Asher, even his one true love was almost forced down. No wonder the poor kid had such low self esteem.

Being unable to communicate was one of the most frustrating things in the universe. She constantly felt like she was playing charades if she left without her note pad and when she did have it the day ended with a sore and tired wrist. It wouldn't surprise her if one day she ended up with carpol tunnel, but it could be worse. At least she could write, at least she could read lips. Now if the whole world would just learn sign language then she would be all set. Unfortunetly the world wasn't designed for anyone who was differnt. The blind, the deaf, the disbaled, the world wasn't built for them. Amelia and anyone like her simply had to adapt to the best of their abilities.

Amelia paused beside him and tap him gently on the shoulder with one eyebrow raised with a mixture of concern and curiosity. It wasn't normal behavior to get so lost in your thoughts, she knew a boy who had epilepsy only when he had his seizures he just sort of stared off in space for a few seconds and then would act like nothing happened. Hopefully he wasn't going into some sort of fit, Amelia had never bothered to learn any first aid. Perhaps she was over reacting, but she was still curious. Asher was a sweet heart, but he definetly was scattered brain, which was probably why he was so talented. A genius often has trouble with the finer details. Einstien is a perfect example, a brilliant man who was dyslexic. Yup, Amelia couldn't tell you how to find 'I' in Algebra (Its a letter not a number, it will never make sense to her), but she knew a random fact like that. It didn't occur to the sophomore that she might embarrass her new friend. That was not her intention and once she learned he had difficulty reading she would feel nothing but guilt for pointing it out. Amelia had many faults, but cruelty wasn't one of them.