"Class, this is Cassidy Weathers. She just moved here from Utah a few days ago," my English teacher, Mrs. Jensen, said, gesturing to me. I gave my classmates a small wave and got a few mumbles in return that I guessed meant hello. I knew they were tired, it was only first hour.

"So, Cassidy, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Mrs. Jensen smiled at me.

I froze. That was the question I hoped nobody would ask. I shook my head, gently tapping my throat. A few kids gave me confused glances, and I blushed and sat down. I really hated "telling" people I couldn't talk. I was born mute and hated being teased about it. Mrs. Jensen gave me an apologetic look before starting the lesson.

I decided to look around to get a better look at my classmates. There was a girl with her red hair in a ponytail, and she was wearing a denim skirt and a pink shirt. She seemed popular; a lot of the guys in the room were paying attention to her instead of the lesson.

Then I noticed a kid sitting in the front row. He had orange glasses, brown hair, and he was wearing a button-down yellow shirt with an orange vest over it. His jeans bagged at the ankles, and he wore orange and white sneakers. The clothes were slightly too big for him, and I guessed that they were hand-me-downs. He had been looking at me, and I waved slightly. He waved back, before turning around and paying attention to the lesson. I doodled on my notebook until the bell rang. Students rushed to the door, and I followed them until I saw my instructor gesture for me to come to her.

"Cassidy, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she whispered to me, and I bit the inside of my cheek as I reached for the composition notebook I used to answer people. I searched for the page I wanted to use and smiled when I found it, pointing to the sentence.

It's okay.

I flipped to another page.

Thank you.

She nodded, and I pointed to the door, asking if I could leave. She nodded again, and I hurried to my locker. I had written a lot of responses in that notebook, I found it easier to do that then to carry a pad of paper and a pencil with me and write down every answer I wanted to reply with. In my notebook, I had written them down already, and would occasionally add one if needed.

I grabbed my Math notebook, and turned to leave, before I saw the same boy from my English class closing his locker. He looked at me.

"Uh...hi, I'm Rafael. You can call me Raf," he introduced. I smiled as I flipped through my notebook.

Nice to meet you.

He nodded, before another boy walked over to him. He had black hair, and was wearing a grey t-shirt with a white long-sleeved shirt under it and blue jeans.

"Hey, Raf. Uh, do you have the answers to the history questions from last night?"

Rafael looked at him. "Are you doing Miko a favor?"

"No, I really didn't do them. I had a...problem come up," he said, glancing at me. Rafael nodded.

I let them continue their conversation, walking away.

"What happened?" I heard Rafael ask. I couldn't hear the other boy's reply over the sound of the minute bell ringing.

After staring at the campus map I was given, along with my schedule, I was finally able to find my math class, though I was two minutes late. I tried to call as little attention to myself as possible as I sat down in a seat in the back. Luckily, my teacher didn't seem to notice. I tried concentrating, but I didn't understand half of the lesson, and I couldn't exactly ask what was going on. Instead, I took notes on what I didn't get and ended them in questions to make my teacher's and my life slightly easier.

I suffered through math for another hour before the bell rang. We were handed our homework as we left, and I stayed.

"You're the new student I have, right? Cassidy Weathers?" he asked as he handed me a sheet of paper with problems on it. I nodded, taking it.

"Mr. Schaffer. Nice to meet you," he smiled. I nodded, handing him the paper with the notes on it.

"Silent type, are you?" he smiled as he read. I shrugged.

"Try mute at birth," I answered in my head.

"Okay, you're right here, but then you need to use the formula used here, and just take any two numbers as X and divide them. Once you have that, then you have your slope. Just graph it, and change the algebraic expression to Y=mx+b form."

I pretended to understand and smiled at him in thanks. He nodded, handing my paper back with all the marks he made. I decided one thing as I left that class, heading for the gymnasium.

I need a math tutor.

I entered the locker rooms, quickly changing and entering the gym. I noticed that same redhead from English class there, along with the boy that had been talking to Rafael. They seemed to be in a deep conversation. I didn't have my notebook with me, so I wouldn't be able to participate in it even if I wanted to.

"Alright you guys, five laps around the gym," our coach said, after blowing her whistle. I cringed at the loud noise it made as it echoed in the room.

Five laps, 20 lunges, a few yoga stretches, and another five laps later, she threw a basketball at a random classmate. He was a redhead too, more orange, and he had freckles all over his face.

"Vince, Jack, pick your teams," she said. I rolled my eyes. I was always the last pick at this kind of stuff. I looked off into space as teams were picked.

"You."

The simple word brought me back into reality as I saw the kid apparently named 'Vince' pointing at me. I pointed at myself, and he nodded.

"Well, that's a first," I thought to myself.

I didn't even know anything about basketball, but our team ended up winning, thought it wasn't because of me. I pretty much did nothing but run around.

As I was walking out of the gym, I was greeted by Vince.

"Hey, good game," he smiled at me. "You were really good out there."

I scratched the back of my head as I stopped in the hallway to search for my notebook. I opened it once I found it.

Thank you.

I flipped a few pages.

But I didn't do anything.

I quickly grabbed a pencil, knowing I didn't have my next response already written in there.

It was all you.

Vince gave me a curious look. "Uh...thanks?"

I turned to the first page, pointing to one of my very first responses I wrote in the notebook.

I'm mute. I have been ever since I was born.

Vince looked at me. "Sorry."

It's okay was the best answer I could give him since the minute bell rang.

"What class do you have next?" Vince asked, apparently getting over his shock as we kept walking. I pointed to the next class in my schedule.

"You have history next? So do I!"

I smiled at Vince. He seemed nice.

We entered the classroom, and I didn't pay much attention to the lesson.

I found I had lunch with Vince too, and once we entered the cafeteria, I spotted Rafael with the other guy, who I now knew as Jack, and an Asian girl I hadn't seen before. The same redhead was with them, still taking interest in Jack. I rasied an eyebrow as Vince took my arm and had me follow him.

"Hey, Darby! How about another race?" Vince asked once we arrived at their table. Jack looked up from his conversation, and I noticed Rafael and the other girl looking at Jack.

"Uh, sorry, Vince. Can't," he replied. Vince scoffed.

"Figures."

I looked at him curiously. He sat down across from Jack.

"Where did you get the muscle car, anyway? You had your bike earlier in the day."

"I...borrowed it," Jack replied, rubbing the back of his head. Vince nodded mockingly.

"Ohh..." he said as if he was intently listening. "You borrowed it. From who?"

I saw Raf and the other person give Jack a worried glance.

"From..."

I frowned, not liking the way Vince was treating Jack. I placed my notebook down in front of Vince.

Quit it.

Vince looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"You sound very threatening on paper, you know," he teased. I flipped a page.

I know.

I went back to the previous page.

Quit it.

"Fine, then," he replied, getting up and walking away. I didn't follow him.

"Thanks," Jack said to me, and I gave him a thumbs up in reply. Raf gestured to the seat next to him, and I sat, waving at them in greeting as I did. The girl waved back.

"Hiya! So...what's your name? And what's with the notebook?" she asked. I turned back to my trusty notebook.

My name is Cassidy Weathers.

I pointed to a response farther down the page.

I'm mute. I have been ever since I was born.

Jack looked at me. "That's cool."

I shrugged.

"So...can I call you Cass? Or Cassie?" the girl asked, looking at me. I shook my head, writing in another response.

It sounds like a name for a dog.

"Good point. Oh, by the way, I'm Miko," the girl replied. I nodded, remembering Raf asking about her earlier in the day.

"Guys, did you ever get the answers to the history questions?" Miko asked, making Raf groan.

"Miko, what is with you and history?"

"Just give me the answers before we all have to end up in a museum with Decepti-ow!"

Jack had elbowed her. I wrote another response in my notebook.

Decepti-what?

"Uh..."

Just then the bell rang, and the volume went up significantly as students were leaving the room to go to their next classes. I lost the three in the crowd.

~~~

Wow. This chapter is 7 pages in my word document and three and a half on Watty. Cool.

Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Thumbs sideways? Should I continue? Should I put it on hold? Should I scrap the idea?

I know, it's slow to start. Sorry.

I'll accept any feedback you have and won't call Megsy in on you for it. :)

*Disappears*

EDIT: I've started doing these picture-quote things in the media. The picture is of Cassidy, where it originally was in chapter 2. Sorry for any confusion.

Thanks,

-Bumblemus Prime.