Flynn and Reggie were on their third foster home together. They had bonded quickly at the first one, and they panicked if they were ever told they’d be transferred alone. They quickly become a package deal for any foster home willing to take them in. Which led to them joining Willie’s family just as they had moved to a new school district a year ago. Willie quickly became the missing piece to their triangle, and the three were inseparable.
Flynn had developed a system. Willie or Reggie would always be with her, they would interlock their arms and whenever they were about to run into something, there were movements. Squeeze their arm quickly to move left, hold the squeeze to stop, and a nudge to the ribs to move to the right. It was near flawless. Whenever she had to be alone, she would pretend to read a book while she walked, blaming that for running into someone. She could get through another year in the same school, she knew where all the rooms were. No one had to know she was blind. She had a system.
Reggie had a system. Any time he was louder than necessary in a classroom, he would have the teacher or Willie move their hand in a swat, like going after a fly, within his field of vision, or place their hand on his desk so that he knew to quiet down. No one needed to know he was deaf. He had a system.
Willie had a system. Not for himself, but for his foster siblings. He took on the title of protector, and he would cover their disabilities the best he could. He had a system.
Flynn hadn’t gone blind until a lab project gone wrong at her old school when she was thirteen. Her parents couldn’t handle it and put her in the care system themselves. But Flynn was an artist. She could still map out a person’s face from a few touches and sketch an accurate portrait. Just because she couldn’t see them didn’t mean she couldn’t tell what they looked like.
Reggie hadn’t gone deaf until he was thirteen, thanks to his dad, and it led him into the care system at the court’s request. He was skilled at reading lips, and he had figured out vibrations to know what things were coming from where and could still read his music. He carried the beat up old bass he had every where. In and out of every foster home he’d been in for the last four years. Just because he couldn’t hear the notes didn’t mean he couldn’t play them.
They were starting their senior year together. They had each other, which was all they needed. Willie had pleaded with the teachers, getting them to agree to follow the systems each of them had. Flynn would only be asked questions she didn’t have to read, while the opposite was true for Reggie and they would always write his questions on the board. The principal gave them access to the school for a full week before class started so Flynn could map out where her classes were.
The only problem the three of them had were a group of musicians they were pining over. And that was where their system would go to shit.
On the first day of junior year, Reggie was sat across from a boy in his music class. Luke had messy brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes, and even though Reggie couldn’t hear it, he could tell the boy’s laugh was musical, with the way it shook his entire body. It took one look before Reggie was head over heels.
Flynn had been placed next to a girl in her art class, and the girl’s voice was so beautiful that Flynn found herself sketching without thinking about it. Julie had leaned over, seeing the drawing and she told Flynn that it looked like her if she was a super model. Julie had an easy laugh, and Flynn was smitten.
Willie had gym class with a boy that never seemed to stop twitching. Alex was anxious all the time and Willie found himself wanting to protect the boy the same way he did his siblings. Alex was taller than him, with pretty blonde hair and Willie knew he was trouble when all he could think about was running his fingers through it.
The first day of senior year should have gone fine. But as Reggie turned around from his locker, he saw Luke at the end of the hall with his best friend. Reggie remembered Willie calling him Alex. Ordinarily, Reggie would turn and leave, but he saw Luke’s lips move as if saying his name. He blinked a few times, checking behind him to see if Flynn or Willie were nearby but they weren’t. When he looked back, he knew he was right because he caught Luke’s lips moving to form the sentence “He can’t hear me anyway.” Reggie panicked, spinning on his heel and running down the hall. He texted Willie, asking him to tell the teacher of his next class he wouldn’t be there. He explained the best he could, but his mind couldn’t focus.
Flynn was sitting at lunch, waiting for Willie and Reggie to join her. Willie had stopped in, caught her up on Reggie’s morning, and said he’d be back after he found him. When someone sat next Flynn, she almost said hello until she caught a whiff of axe body spray. Reggie loved the scent but refused to actually wear it. Willie didn’t wear body spray either. “Can I help you?” She asked without glancing up from the book propped in front of her.
”You’re really close with that kid Reggie, right?” Flynn knew that voice. Flynn had spent hours listening to Reggie gush about the body attached to it.
”Why? Come to pick on him some more?” Flynn bit back. She knew it was harsh, but nobody that makes her brother cry gets mercy.
”Pick on him? What are you talking about?” Flynn noted the genuine confusion in his voice, and she could imagine his brows furrowing as he tilted his head. Reggie knew what movements to describe so that Flynn could paint an accurate picture.
”Just because you found out he’s deaf doesn’t mean you can make fun of him for not being able to hear. It’s rude and honestly it’s bullshit.” She stood up before he could respond, stomping away. She pulled out her phone, using the talk feature Willie’s parents installed to call Willie. She explained the conversation as it happened, and Willie said he’d be by to lead her home by the time her last class let out.
Luke was lost. He spent the rest of his classes thinking back on interactions with Reggie. He didn’t remember making fun of him. He liked the guy too much. Reggie played music better than anyone at the school, and Luke had a hard time tearing his eyes away sometimes. How much of that had less to do with his music abilities and more the fact that he was gorgeous, Luke didn’t really want to get into at the moment. He remembered telling Alex there was a kid in his music class they should ask to join their band. Julie kept telling them they needed a bassist. He had pulled Alex down the hall, pointing Reggie out. Telling Alex about the way the guy played. Alex had been anxious about talking about the guy when he was right there. And then Luke remembered. He had said “Don’t worry dude, we’re too far away. He can’t hear me anyway.” Luke would need to have Julie punch him for this one. Or maybe let Flynn do it, she seemed pretty keen on kicking his ass. But right now, he needed to fix his mistake.
As soon as the bell rang, he went searching for Reggie. Through junior year, he remembered seeing them sitting outside by the baseball field while they waited for the traffic to die down before they left on foot. Luke prayed the new year didn’t change their schedule. He got outside without stopping by his locker, seeing the girl that had yelled at him. Without time for second guessing, Luke booked it over to her. “Hey, Uh,” ‘Shit. I never learned her name.’
”What, Luke? What do you want now? Come to poke fun at me instead of my brother?” The girl snapped at him. Luke realized she wasn’t actually looking at him. She was looking his general direction, but not actually at him.
”Your brother? You mean Reggie?” Luke’s brain short circuited for a second. “I’m not- I mean I didn’t-“
”I hear your voice all the damn time, and when you’re actually talking to me, you run out of things to say?” That threw Luke off. Usually people said they always see him talking. That’s when it occurred to him. Every time he saw her, she was reading the same book. Their teachers always asked her questions out loud. She was looking at him without actually seeing him.
”Holy shit, you can’t see me, can you?” As soon as it left his mouth, Luke knew it was the wrong thing to say. The girl’s face twisted into a snarl he’d never seen on her before. She was always smiling and laughing when he saw her with Reggie or the other boy she hung out with. “No, I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”
The girl stood up straight from where she was leaning on the fence, “Go ahead. Make fun of me like you did my brother.”
”No! I would never-“
”Flynn!” A voice behind him caught their attention, and Luke turned to see the long haired boy that walked with them running over, “Flynn, is everything okay over here?”
Flynn continued to glare in Luke’s general direction. “Hey, Willie. I was just telling our boy here that if he knows what’s good for him then he’ll leave Reggie alone.”
”But that’s what I’m trying to tell you! I wasn’t making fun of Reggie! I would never do that.” Willie crossed his arms, standing beside Flynn as they waited for Luke to continue, “Me and my buddy were in the hallway, and I was telling him about the way Reggie played bass. We were like thirty feet away, and Alex was anxious that he would hear us, and I told him we were too far away for him to hear us!” Luke looked around, “Watch.” Luke said, walking as far away as he had been before. Willie watched him curiously, but as he watched Luke’s lips move surrounded by the students leaving school for the day, Willie realized he couldn’t hear a word the boy was saying.
”Oh, hell.” Willie muttered, “He’s telling the truth. He was too far away for anyone to hear him.”
Flynn deflated a bit, but still remained protective. “He still made Reggie cry. He doesn’t get my forgiveness.”
Willie shook his head, knowing she couldn’t see him. Luke walked back over, “Please, I’m sorry if I came across as rude, but I never meant to hurt him. And I am sorry that I blurted out that you couldn’t see me. My brain to mouth filter never really works.”
”When did that happen?” Willie looked at Flynn.
She shrugged, “Just before you came over. I essentially dared him to make fun of me after he said it.” Willie shook his head again with a grin, nudging her shoulder. She cracked a smile before she realized Luke was probably still standing in front of them. “You still here, Patterson?”
”Yeah.” Luke answered, but even he wasn’t sure why he was so shy all of a sudden.
Willie decided to change the conversation, being the most outgoing of his siblings, “So, Luke, let me ask you something.” Luke perked up as the question left Willie’s lips, “What’s the deal with Alex? Is he single?”