: Gavin Hawkins

e, when the teacher talked about the bullying she had suffe

alled me "silent treatment" and said I was "ignoring" them, even when I was trying my best to

Some people had realized it was a disorder

rying to get those

okay, Miss

r face contorting in worry. It warmed my heart that

in a class of a hundred students. I only detected that it was a male voice: "Maybe

ghed in unison. It

ying someone like her. Billie Eilish has Tou

me only as a disorder. Although I needed them to acknowledge that I was different and needed mo

nt her a polite smile, and she smiled back at me. T

st solve my way through the day without having to explain anything. That year, we were getting a n

me, and it fell to the ground. My heart shattered along with the screen of my phone; I had be

ed at the thought of kissing him. My brown eyes locked onto his, and I couldn't help but notice the striking sectoral heterochromia - his

eact to him.

he back of his neck. "Miss, do you want a new one

back anything. I was froze

eautiful. I couldn't help but look over to his arm at the ink peeking from underneath the sleeves of his shi

d me sweet names.Except for Austin, my last boyfriend, who I found out only wan

wkins a part

dn't be. He was

being in a serious relationship in his life. His longest relationship had happened to be only a mo

nd, his voice growing har

and deaf." Someone from the hallway stopped and told him. He looked familiar; we

your heart" He

your

but I didn't. Instead, he took my hand and put a wad of cash into it. He o

was gone. He thought

s filled my eyes, and I tossed the

and gave me a standing ovation. I stared in

A's and B's last semester?

N

d Emilia plans. I searched for her in the pool of faces and didn't find her, despite doin

ole class announced, liftin

Was it all because of last year

"thank you," when a deep voice

od behind me, watching me with a curiosity I couldn't decipher.

s for thinking the poste

ss for a seat, but

leen man with brown hair. "Everyone take your seats," he announced witho

ach clenching at the cold sound of his vo

<

tration. The teacher pointed at the door. "U

ough the air at hi

It was an appellation my uncle used to refer to his

e there were none. He did not understand sign language, so he only got an

vin to see if he was laughing too. I was pleased to find he was no

p from his seat and walked toward me, announcing, "She c

the second he found out about my disorder, he couldn't look my way. My eyes began to get blurry as I made my way

look on his face. Was it dis

ching. As much as I tried to focus on the equations on the board, I

just like the others, Gav

learned: Gavin Hawk