My Psychology and Calculus classes both went fine. Aiden was in my math class surprisingly without his brother. I had been starting to wonder if they were ever apart. He didn't say anything to me, but we sat next to each other. I got the feeling that he wasn't being rude so much as he just wasn't much of a talker. The day got interesting in the fourth period when I got to my Politics class with Caden though we were seated on opposite sides of the class he still kept staring at me. The class was strange the teacher seemed to talk about politics in a weird analogy. I didn't understand it when she started talking about politics between the species and decided that I would need to look through the textbook to get a proper read on the class. It was the first day, so we mostly just went over the syllabus and expectations, so it didn't give much information about the class content.

After that weirdness, I had AP Physics. The board had a seating chart just like all the others but this being a science class meant we were sitting in pairs. I found my name and settled into my seat. According to the chart I was supposed to be sitting with someone named Maddox. It was a unique name and I wondered what he would be like.

Hopefully, he was a good student. I knew how these classes went and we would end up partnered on every project. It wasn't too long before a big muscular guy with blonde hair walked in with a guy that I recognized from my Psychology class. He had dark brown hair and amber-colored eyes with a graceful lithe frame that made me wonder if he was a dancer. They looked at the chart and frowned at each other. The dark-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and gestured for the bigger boy to go ahead. He walked down the aisle and stopped next to me.

His eyes traveled up and down my frame before looking away to the boy who had stopped one seat ahead of ours. If the seating chart was to be believed the dark-haired boy's name was Dante and the guy next to me must be Maddox. I was about to introduce myself when he sat down and tapped Dante on the shoulder. He turned and I watched as Maddox began speaking to him in ASL. I was too dumbstruck to even get angry at what they were saying.

"At least she's hot, but if I get stuck with her all year my grade is going to tank." Maddox signed.

Dante smirked and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I pretended not to notice them as they held my full attention. "Don't worry I'll talk to the teacher and get this sorted out." Dante signed back.

Maddox nodded in agreement. As soon as the teacher walked into the room Dante's hand went up. The teacher looked at him for a moment like he was trying to figure out if he was going to cause trouble. "Yes, Dante?"

"I think there is a mistake. Maddox needs to sit with me. He won't be able to do any of the partner work without being able to communicate with his partner." Dante crossed his arms challenging the teacher to disagree with him.

The teacher smiled smugly at him. "I'm aware of that. That's why I sat him with Sage." He paused to address me. "Your file said that you are fluent in ASL. That is correct right?" He addressed me.

I smiled a little manically when both Dante and Maddox whipped their heads towards me. "Yes, sir. I've been fluent since I was eight years old." My smile took on a razor edge as I turned to Maddox.

To him, I spoke only in ASL. "My hotness won't tank your grades, will it? I'd hate to be the cause of something like that."

Dante spun around in his chair and Maddox looked away from me, his ears turning red. I smiled and for the first time since he walked in the door thought he looked cute. The teacher explained what we would be doing today. It was a simple assessment that we would complete with our partner. The worksheet was already in the class file on our tablets. I tapped Maddox's arm to get his attention. The tingles shot through me once again. He jumped and turned towards me, making me wonder if he felt them too. I winced at his reaction and gave him a small reassuring smile. "Sorry. Are you deaf or non-verbal?" I signed as I tilted my head to evaluate his face.

"Just non-verbal. I can hear fine." He signed back.

"Would you prefer me to speak out loud or use ASL?" I asked in sign because I was still unsure what he preferred.

"Whatever is easiest for you." He replied, glancing over my face as I had his before.

"Either work. Back home I used them both about the same amount. So, let's just go with ASL for now since it's loud?" I asked with a genuine smile.

He blinked at me for a few seconds before nodding. "Great! Let's get started on the worksheet." I proclaimed.

We went through each question discussing the answers in depth before we each took time to write our answers down on the tablets. We were the first group done so we turned it in and sat in silence for a moment before I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to break the silence but was unsure how. Racking my brain I came up with the flimsiest excuse possible but decided to go with it anyway. "Maddox," I said aloud to get his attention.

His head whipped towards me and his eyes were a little round when they met mine. I furrowed my brows before continuing in ASL. "We should probably exchange phone numbers in case we need to talk about a project or something." I folded my hands awkwardly in my lap as I waited for his response.

"Yes. We should." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flicked through it for a moment before handing it to me with a new contact screen up.

I typed my first and last name into his phone and added my phone number. Handing the phone back I went to grab my phone to do the same when it vibrated in my bag. I pulled it out to see a text from an unknown phone number.

Unknown: This is Maddox Orson.

I smiled to myself as I saved his number and looked up to see him watching me. His cheek was resting in his palm as he just openly stared. Mirroring his pose, I looked back at him. It was at first just to see how long he would stare but I found myself trapped staring into his deep blue eyes. It was like I had jumped into his soul. I could suddenly feel everything he did which never really happened unless I actively tried to read someone. His feelings were jagged and raw. I knew that he was untrusting and had been hurt in the past. Emotions weren't always clear-cut as the pictures your therapist shows you. Sometimes they are just inklings of thoughts or wants. I could tell that Maddox wanted to trust me, but he was unsure about it. His uneasiness toward me made disappointment swell in my chest which surprised me. I didn't know this guy. He had no real reason to trust me so why did it upset me that he didn't?

My thoughts were cut off when a hand waved between our faces. Our heads snapped up to see Dante furrowing his brows at us. "The bell rang." He grated out.

Maddox and my heads seemed to swivel in unison as we looked around to see all the other students packing up to leave. "Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow." I threw my bag over my shoulder and hurried out of the classroom.

Art and gym passed by in a blur, though I had Caden in my Art class and he was quite good. In gym, however, I had both twins, and they did not leave me alone for one moment of class. They had both taken to calling me Flower which was what my last name meant in English. Honestly, it was kind of endearing. I finally admitted to myself that I liked them and was seriously considering becoming friends.

When gym was over, I hit the showers with the other girls but instead of changing back into my uniform, I put the gray Jitter Bean tee on with a pair of leggings and my plain black sneakers. I had a note from James if any teachers got upset that I was out of uniform. I walked back into the hall while putting my hair into a quick braid. Halfway down the hall, I was met with the twins hurrying to catch up with me. Both were wearing their street clothes as well. They looked over at me before smiling deviously and taking their phones out. I ignored them as I started walking towards the cafe. I was out of the building and onto the path before an arm snaked around my shoulders, tingles dancing across my skin. I looked up unsurprised to see Caden smiling down at me. "And here we thought the guy at the cafe was your boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes before wrapping my arm around his waist. "Oh, sweetie, were you jealous?" I looked up at him in mock innocence.

He blinked down at me blankly for a moment before shaking his head and answering. "A little, yeah. From my perspective, you went from checking us out to making a date with him."

I rounded my lips in an "o" shape and looked away. Aiden saved me from having to answer when he stomped up to my other side and grabbed my hand before placing it on the crook of his arm. It felt like I had become a closed circuit. The electric tingles spread through my shoulders and down my arm to where it rested on Aiden's arm. I squeezed gently leaving my hand where he had put it and let them walk with me to work without another word.