Thank you to everyone who read and took a second of their time to leave me a review. It means so much because fanfiction writers don't get paid. We do this for fun and reviews are our reward. I don't know if I will write the kids from HC at this age again but I'm glad there were those who seemed to enjoy it. Thank you again!

…

Abby.

It had begun happening when Luke began going through – and then coming out of – puberty. Beth had said it often during that time and it seemed as if many of the other females in their little town agreed. Luke had grown into a very handsome young man. Tall and lean with shaggy blonde hair and tanned skin from being outside all of the time – like a true Dixon. Hunter liked to poke fun at him and call him surfer boy.

But most of the girls certainly didn't seem to mind Luke's surfer boy looks and it didn't even seem to matter much to them that he had been dating his girlfriend, Molly, since they were juniors in high school and most everyone knew that they were more than likely going to get married one of these days. It always made Abby purse her lips together to keep from giggling because when they walked around town, some girls made their staring at him so obvious but it always seemed as if Luke was completely clueless to it all.

On Monday morning, he decided to walk with Hunter and Abby to school and as they came to a stop outside in the school's front yard, she could already see more than one girl look over in their direction, looking over at Luke as if he was on display. But as usual, Luke didn't notice as his eyes scanned over the schoolyard and Abby knew what he was doing and who he was looking for. She reached over and took his hand in hers and Luke instantly turned his head, looking down at her, and when she smiled up at him, he was quick to return it with one of his own.

She was grateful she had two older brothers – especially two older brothers who looked out for her in the way in which Hunter and Luke did. She read enough times in her books about girls her age who were so annoyed with their older brothers who acted like their bodyguards but Abby had never shared that feeling with those characters. She loved her brothers and if she could, she'd protect them, too.

That morning, waking up, she had practically bounced out of bed, amazed that she had been able to get any sleep at all. Ever since her parents had talked with her the night before about home-schooling, she had been so excited at just the idea. Despite the way she felt nearly every day sitting in the classroom, she actually liked school. She liked her textbooks and watching Ms. Brandt as she wrote on the chalkboard and learning anything and everything that was taught to her. But that was what she liked. The learning. And if she could still do that without having to have kids laugh at her every day or say something to her that made her chest hurt, that was all she wanted.

Her mom would be a great teacher. She knew without a doubt. Beth admitted that she was nervous about teaching the science portions but she would do more research because there were home-schooling programs that could help her, too, and they would both learn together. She had even said that on nice days, maybe they could have class in the woods, and Abby had nearly cried at that because it all sounded so perfect.

In the meantime, she still had to go to school with the other kids but it was okay now because Abby knew that she wouldn't be going there anymore soon enough. And it made her steps feel light. She already felt free.

"Alright. You better get going," Luke said and she nodded up at him.

"Will you be here when school gets out?" She asked in sign.

He shook his head with his smile gone. "I have to get back. Class tomorrow morning."

Abby nodded and then stepped forward, her arms around his waist, and he hugged her with his arms around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and she stepped back, the smile still on her face, and after a moment, he was able to smile again, too. She took a moment to slip her shoes on and then with a little wave to him, she turned and headed towards the school's main steps. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Hunter and Luke saying goodbye to one another though they didn't hug. They just slapped their hands together and Luke said something and whatever it was, Hunter nodded.

Upstairs on the second level, she stopped at her locker. She spun the dial and popped the little metal door open. The hallways loud as it usually was – kids running around, laughing and shouting and fooling around before the first bell rang out. She turned her hearing aids down but she didn't completely turn them off; just enough for the noise around her not to be so overwhelming.

The first few years of her life, she had been able to hear but then slowly, it began fading but she hadn't said anything because she just had thought that it was all normal. She was able to hear murmurs of sounds and she taught herself how to read lips. When her parents figured it out and took her to see a doctor, they had felt guilty for not noticing sooner but Dr. S had told them that kids were incredibly adaptable – more adaptable than adults could be and hearing the world in murmurs just became Abby's normal.

Once they got her hearing aids, everything around her was thrown in upheaval. Everything around her was just too loud. Voices. Rain on the roof. Even a dog barking. She had cried and wailed and wanted to never wear them again but her parents insisted that she had to; that the world was a noisy place and they wanted her to be able to hear the noises around her. They promised her she would get used to it. And she did – eventually and for the most part. She still preferred the murmurs though. There weren't too many things in this world worth hearing unless they were sounds of the woods.

It took her a moment to realize that someone was standing next to her because he didn't say anything and she turned her head, seeing that it was Max Moraine. He stood there and was looking at her and Abby instantly turned her head away, her heart growing rapid in her chest. She had no idea what he could want so early in the morning.

She looked around, seeing if his friends were nearby, watching and waiting for whatever Max was going to say or do. She couldn't wait to get out of here. She wanted friends – a friend – but coming here every day and feeling sick to her stomach wasn't worth it.

"I'm sorry," Max then said, almost blurting it out, and Abby slowly moved her eyes back to him as if she couldn't quite believe that he had just apologized.

He was looking at her and he seemed genuine but she didn't understand how she could possibly believe him. He had his moments of being nice to her but he was just like the rest of them. They thought she was weird and made sure she never forgot what they thought of her; as if it was possible for her to forget.

Abby didn't say anything to him. What could she possibly say?

She took her books that she would need for morning classes and she closed the locker securely, spinning the dial and locking it once more. She turned and began to walk away but then, she felt a hand on her arm and she looked down at it as if no one had ever touched her arm before.

His touch was light. Gentle. He wasn't grabbing her or tightening his fingers. But he had made sure that she just didn't walk away.

She slowly turned her head and looked at him again. He looked absolutely anguished and that caused her to freeze in her spot because why would Max Moraine ever look like that? She didn't know what to do except furrow her brow as she looked at him. It was probably just because his lips was still swollen and bruised from Hunter's fist.

"I'm really sorry, Abby," he said again.

And again, still having no idea what to say, she didn't say anything. But she did nod her head and it did look as if he wanted more but she wasn't going to give it to him. She began to take steps away and his hand fell to hang at his side and she went into their classroom without looking back at him.

She didn't know what that was. He seemed like he meant it but it could be just some part of an elaborate prank some of her classmates were wanting to play on her. She wouldn't put it past any of them.

In the classroom, Ms. Brandt was sitting at her desk and there was a cart beside her but whatever was on the cart was hidden beneath a white sheet. The teacher smiled as she came in.

"Good morning, Abby," she greeted warmly and Abby smiled in response.

She would miss Ms. Brandt but if she kept dating Ray Dixon, she'd come to family get-togethers; cookouts they had at the house in the fall during deer season.

She sat herself at her desk in the back and opened her binder to make sure that her Jellyfish report was still tucked in safe and had arrived safely. She wondered what her mom would teach her. There were plans and curriculum that home-schooled students had to follow and she wondered where they would start. And Beth had mentioned that there were gatherings for home-schooled kids to get together and go on field trips. Abby wondered if the other home-schooled kids would be nicer than the kids here.

The bell ran and Abby lifted her head, bringing herself to attention.

Ms. Brandt was standing at the front of the classroom with a girl standing next to her. She had red curly hair, freckles on her face and pale skin. She wore jeans with those fashionable rips in the knees and an over-sized black hooded sweatshirt with scuffed Converse sneakers on her feet. The sweatshirt looked as if maybe she had taken it from her dad, it so big and hanging far down her thighs. Abby looked at her curiously, having never seen the girl before and she knew what the others were thinking. She just had the aura around her. This girl was one of those cool girls.

"Alright, class, settle down. We have a new student joining us today," Ms. Brandt announced. Abby hardly paid attention now. The other girls in class would claim her. "This is Rebecca Conway and she and her family have just moved here from Tennessee."

"Becks," the girl corrected her and Ms. Brandt smiled with a nod.

"Sorry. Becks," she repeated. "There is a free desk open next to Abby. Abby, could you raise your hand, please, for Becks?"

Abby raised her hand just high enough for the girl to see and she came up the aisle, sliding into the desk next to Abby that had been empty since school began in August. Becks gave her a small smile and Abby did her best to return it.

Now that she was closer, Abby looked at her again. They were completely different. Becks in her ripped jeans and hooded sweatshirt with that crazy curly hair and Abby in her dress and ballet flats and her blonde hair. Abby looked away. She knew that Lydia Cross would probably talk with Becks after class. Lydia was the coolest girl in their grade.

"Now, everyone should have their animal reports. Please take those out and pass them forward," Ms. Brandt instructed and Abby took out her Jellyfish report and passed it forward, eager for Ms. Brandt to grade and return it. She think it turned out really well.

"And now, we are going to be doing something a little different this morning," Ms. Brandt continued once she had collected all of the papers and set them on her desk. "I visited the computer room and borrowed these from them for the day." With that, she pulled back the cloth, revealing what was on the cart. A pile of large headphones. Everyone peered at them curiously, wondering what was going on. "This is an experiment we're going to be conducting for the next hour. For the next hour, everyone is going to be wearing a pair of headphones so you can hear nothing but murmurs."

Abby caught on quicker than the others and her face instantly felt hot. She sank a little in her seat and stared at her books in front of her.

"Why?" Toby Grist asked what everyone else was thinking.

"Because I don't know how else to teach you how to be kind, courteous and productive members of society," Ms. Brandt informed them all. "A person who laughs at someone because they have a handicap is not a person this world needs."

They all understood now, too, and a few of them looked over to Abby but Abby was staring hard down at her books, her stomach knotted so tightly, it hurt. She knew Ms. Brandt was just trying to help but this was so bad. So, so bad.

She felt Becks slowly turn her head and look at Abby, too, but Abby didn't dare look at anyone and she blinked quickly to keep tears from forming. She wondered how soon her parents could pull her out of school. Not soon enough.

…

School couldn't get out fast enough that day. As soon as the final bell rang, Abby was one of the first out of the class, racing to her locker to put away her books and then racing down the stairs, not even stopping as Ray said hi to her as she passed. She burst from the doors in a sea of other kids and hurried down the steps, going towards the flagpole where she met Hunter every day so they could walk home together.

She leaned back against the metal pole behind her and took off her shoes before exhaling a heavy breath as if she had been holding it in all day. After they had all worn the headphones for an hour, seeing what it was like to be Abby Dixon and not able to hear, there had been no teasing towards her. No sly comments made in her direction. Actually, the entire day had passed with everyone absolutely ignoring her and she didn't know what was worse.

"Abby?"

Abby's eyes snapped open and she turned her head, forgetting that she hadn't turned her aids off as soon as she was outside. It was Becks, standing a few feet away, looking shy and already, after just one day of her in the class, Abby knew she wasn't shy. The girl had no problem raising her hand and answering if she knew what Ms. Brandt was asking. It didn't seem to bother her that she was the new kid in class and didn't seem to be taking any time, getting used to it.

Abby pushed herself from the pole but didn't say anything. She hugged her books tightly to her chest and looked to Becks, wondering what she wanted; wondering if the other kids had dared her to do something.

Becks didn't say anything. Her hands were pulling on the straps of her book-bag and then she brought them down. And then, she began to sign. Abby stared at her, her eyes widening as Becks' hands signed easily to her.

"I saw your Emily Dickinson book on your desk. I love her, too," Becks said.

Abby didn't say anything; just blinked at her.

"What's your favorite?" Becks continued. "I'm Nobody. Who are you? That's my favorite. My mom says it's because of my age that I love it so much."

She was quiet then, her hands pausing in the air before dropping down, hanging awkwardly for a moment before she pulled at the straps of her book-bag again.

Abby still wasn't sure. A girl who was cool like Becks didn't come up and talk to her. She just didn't. No one talked to her. Even if she wasn't deaf, they wouldn't. She was the feral girl in their town and kids laughed that she would give them rabies. Becks was new and didn't know that but by tomorrow, she would know. Lydia or Max would probably pull her aside and tell her to stay away from Abby Dixon and she would because she would want to fit in with everyone else. Who didn't want to fit in?

Becks moved her hands again then. "I really like your dress."

Abby looked down to the dress she was wearing. It was her favorite. White and lace with a torn hem, hanging to her knees. Her mom had found it, saying it must have belonged to someone who had worn it to their wedding. Abby had always wondered about that. Even if the woman wasn't married anymore, Abby didn't know why she would have given up this dress. It was worn and old but beautiful. Abby would never give it away to be sold and worn by someone else.

"It drives my mom crazy," Becks continued. "The way I dress. She says I need to dress like a young lady and not like a bum."

"I love the way you're dressed," Abby signed back to her quickly. Becks instantly smiled. Abby took a deep breath and continued. "And that's my favorite poem of hers, too."

She wondered what it would be like tomorrow – after the other kids talked to her. But for now, it was nice. Having someone in her class talk to her and not just talk to her but sign to her. She wondered how Becks knew how to sign and do it so well. Abby decided that she would revel in it for as long as she could. For the first time, to one of her classmates, she wasn't a freak. Abby admitted that it was a warm, good feeling and maybe it was even something she could get used to.

…

When Beth was happy, everyone knew it. Her smile was bright and constant on her face and she hummed a little to herself and her steps were light as if she was dancing. Even her dad was happy though with Daryl, it was never as obvious as it was with his wife but to his family, it was always known when he was in a good mood. He was relaxed and his lips twitched in smiles a little easier and more often and there was never a crease between his eyebrows.

Hunter was the one to ask Becks if she wanted to come with them for dinner and Becks lived in town and had a cellphone and she called her parents, asking for permission. She then walked home with them, looking around as they walked further out into the country – though they were still in town limits – and seemed amazed at how open the space was around them.

Daryl was in the garage, as usual. Once his carpentry business expanded, the little shed in the back didn't provide enough space for him and he moved his work area into the garage. He was at his buzz saw and when he saw them coming up the drive, he stopped the machine and lifted his protective eye glasses to the top of his head.

"Hey. How was school?" He asked as he always did.

Hunter looked to Abby for her to answer.

"This is Becks," Abby signed. "She's new and she's in my class. Can she stay for dinner?"

Daryl seemed momentarily confused. Abby had never brought someone home from school; definitely not one of her classmates. But he was quick to recover.

"Course she can," he answered, looking to the other girl, and Becks smiled at him.

"Thank you, Mr. Dixon," she said to him.

He watched as the two girls headed towards the front porch, going inside, as Hunter went to join his dad in the garage. Inside, Abby led Becks down the hallway as Becks looked around the house in amazement. Hunter told her all about the house on the walk from school; how it had been abandoned for years and falling down around them and Daryl had worked on it for months, rebuilding the whole thing.

In the kitchen, Abby saw Beth at the stove, stirring something in a pot and she wasn't sure why but she felt her stomach knot nervously. She had never brought someone over and she realized she wasn't too sure what to do. Would they stay down here or would they go up to her bedroom? What would they do up there? What would they talk about? Maybe she could show Becks all of her books. Maybe Becks would like to see that. Abby couldn't think of anything else to show her.

Beth turned and saw the girls standing in the doorway. "Hi!" Beth smiled instantly. "Hello," she then said to Becks.

"Hi, Mrs. Dixon. I'm Becks," Becks greeted. "I'm in Abby's class."

"Becks is over for dinner. Is that okay if she stays?" Abby signed.

And like Daryl outside, Abby saw the surprise in her mom's eyes but like Daryl, Beth recovered quickly and the smile, once again, was across her face.

"Of course it is," Beth said with a quick nod. "It's so nice to meet you, Becks. Your family was in church yesterday. Father Gabriel introduced you. Welcome to town."

"Thank you," Becks smiled in reply.

"Well, we're not having anything fancy tonight. Just tuna casserole and it will be ready in about an hour. Abby, you should take Becks upstairs and show her your room," Beth then suggested.

Abby was so grateful to her mom in that moment; Beth knowing that Abby had never had anyone over and she had absolutely no idea what to do.

Abby nodded quickly and Beth smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dixon," Becks smiled, too, before following Abby out of the kitchen.

At the dining room table, the family sat down to eat tuna casserole, both Daryl and Beth smiling as if no one better than Becks had ever sat at their table before, and Beth asked Becks a few questions – not interrogating her but wanting to get to know her better. In Becks' old school in Tennessee, kids were able to learn Spanish, French or sign language. Becks chose sign language because not that many other kids were taking it.

"Just seemed like it would be more useful to me. And it turned out I was right," Becks then smiled happily, looking at Abby, and Abby smiled a little shyly in return. "I can't believe there are so many jerks at that school," she then stated. "Thank God I met Abby. She seems like she's the only normal one in our class."

Abby had been eating a bite of her tuna casserole and her head snapped up at that comment, looking to Becks to see if she was telling a joke. But Becks was eating her casserole and seemed perfectly serious.

Normal? No one in class had ever called her normal before.

She felt an overwhelming rush up the back of her throat and she quickly lowered her eyes to her plate once more, not wanting anyone to see that she was on the verge of tears. Normal. There was a girl sitting next to her who thought she was just like her. She felt her lips twitching upwards.

"Becks," Daryl then said in his gruff voice; gruff but kind. "You're welcome back here anytime you wanna come."

…

End.

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