His Mute Omega [Lost Mates Book 2]

Freshmen Party

>>Amara

This was something Grace had warned me about. She said it happens and if I want to blend in better with people, it's better to go.

I gulped,

Although, she also told me that it was fine if I didn't want to and that I shouldn't force myself either and that it might be a little difficult for me to blend in but I didn't want to be left out.

"So!!" The seniors were here, "Be sure to be there!!" There were like fifteen of them and they were raving up the batch. The whole class was excited.

"Are you coming?!" Another senior yelled the question.

"Yes!!!" The class roared and it made me smile.

"You all better be there!!" They pointed at us.

"Yesss!!" The students yelled again and I enjoyed their interaction. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me look to my side.

I tilted my head at Nico.

"Are you planning on going?" He asked and I nodded, "Are you absolutely sure?"

I frowned at his question, 'Why?' I signed, 'Is something wrong?'

"Well," He seemed a little upset, "I might not make it."

'Why not?' This was unexpected, Nico has always gone with me.

"It's," He paused and I saw his gaze wander around, "A family thing..."

Oh...

'Can't you get a little bit of time out?' I wanted to go so bad but I was scared to go without him.

"I can try," He took a deep breath and looked at the rest of the class, "They're all leaving after classes end but I have to go back right now, but I'll try to come back."

'Please do!' I then grabbed him arm and nodded, giving him my puppy eyes.

He nodded back and then stood up, making my hands slip off of him,

Wait, he's leaving? Already?

I grabbed his shirt as he began to walk away and he looked back at me. I let his shirt go to talk to him, 'You're not going to take the rest of the classes?' That's when I noticed his phone in his hand which buzzed.

He got a text from his mother.

He shook his head, "I have to leave now." He stepped closer to me and patted my head, "But I'll be back as soon as I finish!" He passed me a smile and ran off.

***

The seniors took the juniors to a local restaurant which in turn got crowded. Apparently ours wasn't the only department there.

I held onto my bag tightly since I felt nervous and had no idea how to talk to another person. It's already been a week since college started but besides Nico, I didn't get to talk to anyone.

I observed the groups of people engaged in lively conversations, their laughter filling the air. The whole place was packed and everyone was trying to blend in.

"Hey!" The seniors divided themselves amongst the juniors and two of them came and sat at our long table. We had about fifteen to twenty people at our side and somehow I got the middle spot.

"Hey!" One of the seniors, Amy, shouted, "Order the drinks and food already!"

With her, sat Jake, "Sheesh! Quiet down!" He picked up the menu and then looked at us, "What do you all want?" He looked around, "Order but we're splitting the bill, no one better try to run!"

My classmates laughed and I giggled as well. Right after that they started talking amongst themselves again. Eager to join in, I gripped my phone on which I had a text to speech all open and I turned to look at my side

As I sat there, a smile on my face and my body language open and inviting, the group of people to my right noticed me and their eyes met mine.

I waved at them immediately with a smile and they smiled back.

"Hi!' They waved back at me.

"How are you?"

"We never got to talk to you!"

I nodded at their question but of course, I couldn't verbally answer them but keeping that in mind, I immediately started typing on the app which confused them.

'I'm good,' I typed and showed it to them and saw the smiles faintly sweep off of their faces. One of them nudged at the other as I brought my phone down and he whispered to them, 'Hearing aids,' I can read lips, but they didn't know that.

And as they noticed my hearing aids and realized I couldn't talk, a brief moment of confusion and discomfort flashed across their faces. It was as if an invisible barrier suddenly formed between us.

"OH!" The girl sitting close to me smiled, "Good, good!" She showed me a thumbs up and, "Enjoy the evening!" She said out loud, probably thinking I can only listen in higher pitches, then they all turned their faces away.

Oh...

My heart sank at the response, and a tidal wave of emotions washed over me.

Undeterred, I attempted to reach out to others, hoping for a different outcome. I smiled warmly, extending a hand for a handshake or gesturing to indicate my interest in joining their conversation.

I noticed some other people looking at me and I wanted to wave at them too but unsure of how to interact with me, they quickly shifted their attention back to their conversation partners, effectively excluding me from the group. Others avoided eye contact altogether, choosing to ignore my presence as if I were invisible.

"Hey," I read the lips of another guy, "How do you talk to a mute?"

"I don't know!" The girl next to him shook her head.

It was disheartening to witness their hesitation and subsequent dismissal. The initial excitement and hope I had carried into the event gave way to a deep sense of isolation and sadness.

I pursed my lips in dismay but told myself it was alright. Someone would be willing to talk to me. There were so many people here.

But time and again, my efforts were met with indifference or a lack of understanding. Occasionally, someone would briefly acknowledge my presence, offering a polite smile or a nod of recognition. However, their attention quickly shifted elsewhere, leaving me feeling like an afterthought in their social interactions. It seemed as though my inability to contribute through spoken words rendered me insignificant in their eyes.

The place was bustling with sounds but no one was willing to talk to me. As I watched others effortlessly engage in conversation, laughter, and camaraderie, a pang of envy tinged my emotions. I yearned to experience that connection,

I gripped my phone between my hands over my thighs and did my best to hold back the depressive feeling that was clawing its way out.

But I couldn't deny that the whole 'being ignored just because I wasn't like the rest of them', left me feeling like I had a sour taste in my mouth and eventually I just gave in.