Mute » 1D

Chapter 40

Chapter 40


Kashine


Because the boys insisted, I walked out with them tomorrow night after the concert, despite the fact that to all of the other fans I was just any other ordinary girl that got to walk with them. Talk about jealousy.

"Who's she?" a girl demanded not too far away from me.

"Ignore them," Paul murmured into my ear. "They're just jealous. The sooner we get you into the bus the better." I nodded.

"Hey, aren't you that girl that Harry pointed out yesterday?" the same girl shrilled. "What makes you so special? What did you do?"

I stuck up my nose and stomped past. Bad idea.

"Don't ignore me!" she snapped from behind me. "You're not even pretty! Why would the boys notice you?"

My nostrils flared. I was too pretty! At least, I didn't see it. Everyone else I knew thought so.... That had to count for something, didn't it?

"Why don't you talk?" another girl asked. She seemed to be the first girl's twin. I stopped walking so I could glare at them. "Sore throat? Bad cough?" she listed.

"Awful breath?" the first girl offered and they both laughed. I sniffed. Morons. But they kept going at it.

"Why are you so pale?" the second one, the blonde one, asked. "Are you a vampire?" I almost laughed.

The first one, the brunette, gasped. "If that's true," she cried. "Maybe she sucks the boys' blood!"

I face-palmed. You'd got to be kidding me.

"And your eyes," Blondie continued. "They look like they belong to an alien's."

"I know, right!" Brownie said.

I knew it, I had alien eyes. Even bitches thought so.

"And did you bleach your hair?" Blondie scoffed. "It looks awful and terribly ugly. You have no fashion sense."

My face reddened. My hair was an ugly color.... I'd always wanted to have reddish hair instead. Redheads are so cute.

"Say something, moron!" Brownie snapped. I flinched. "Wait," she said. "I read something somewhere about kids who couldn't talk. Are you one of those retards?"

That one word brought it all back: the taunting, the slapping, the bullying. Retard. I was a retard.

No, no you're not, the good side of me argued. They're just jealous because you get to hang out with One Direction. Ignore them.

But maybe they have a point, my insecure side said nervously. If you're not the only one with this insecurity thing, maybe it actually is a disability. And that automatically makes you a retard.

No, it doesn't! Good Me snapped. Get a grip!

But I didn't think I could. I was thinking too much, and even those bitches could tell.

"She is!" Blondie squealed. "She is a retard! Is One Direction hauling you around for some fundraiser or something?"

Oh my gosh, these girls were so rude. They had no idea how insulting they're being. I shook my head. I was not a retard. I was a normal girl who knew how to dance.

"Speak for us, little girl," Brownie cooed. "Prove to us you're worth something!"

I wondered if these girls were drunk. Actually, only a small part of me wondered that.

Most of me was ready to accept the challenge. I could feel it. Tonight I was going to speak. Tonight I was going to show everyone who had ever doubted me or pitied me or mocked me that I was not a retard. I confidently opened my mouth and waited for the words to flow from my mouth.

Nothing happened.

I felt my spit wad form, but I struggled to push past it. I concentrated on the two words I wanted to say so desperately, and tried like I'd never tried before.

I wondered if the effort would kill me, but then I started concentrating again.

I wondered if my face was red. It sure felt like it.

Concentrate, dummy, concentrate!

I tried so hard, and I felt like my stomach was trying to upheave the words. But they never came.

I realized I wasn't breathing, and I collapsed to my knees, coughing and spluttering. Breathe, breathe.

I heard the girls laughing, making fun of me, calling me a retard. Tears stung my eyes. Maybe they're right. Maybe I was just a retard who'd never speak. No, not maybe. Definitely. I was stuck like this forever.

I finally sucked in a breath, and as soon as I did I started running. I just hopped up and ran. The boys nor Paul ever popped into my head. All I wanted to do was run from my insecurities, run from my broken voice. But you can't run away from your own body.

I wept as I ran, as the truth hit me from all sides. I was stuck like this. I was never going to speak. Keith would never be mine if I couldn't say, "I do." Writing it just doesn't cut it.

I couldn't run anymore and I just stopped. I looked around. I was at some park, but I didn't really care. I sat down heavily on a park bench and buried my face in my hands, still sobbing.

Retard. I was a retard.




? POV


Those girls were bothering Kashine, I knew it. They seemed to be mocking her and teasing her. I clenched my fists angrily. If they hurt her in any way I swear I would--

My threat broke off as I watched Kashine stand firmly and open her mouth like she was about to speak. She looked so confident, like she knew she was going to do it. I started to grin. Good for you, Kashine.

That's when everything went wrong.

Her face turned red, then purple, and even those bitches looked worried. Kashine's fists clenched and she was visibly trembling. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she collapsed to her knees, panting and coughing. She hadn't been breathing! I gasped and tried to push my way over to her, but it was kind of hard with fans grabbing at me every which way.

The bitches were laughing at her and making faces, making remarks about her being a retard. I glared at them angrily. Kashine was not a retard!

But before I could reach her, she jumped to her feet and took off like a rocket, as if she were sprinting for her life.

"Kashine!" I called after her, but she either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me. I turned around to scold the bitches.

"What are your problems?" I demanded. "Now look what you did!"

They stared back at me innocently. "We were only telling the truth," the blonde one said, pouting slightly.

I rolled my eyes and ran after Kashine. Someone shouted my name but I ignored them. I had to reach Kashine before anyone else did. I figured it would take a lot to get her out of this one.