Mute In Love, Loud In Hurt

Ayanna Cambor, the crush of my childhood friend, Dorian Harmon, makes fun of me for being a mute.

She purposefully pours melted dark chocolate into my thermos. Then, she howls at the top of her lungs.

"As a mute, you can't complain even when you swallow something bitter."

Later on, Ayanna takes advantage of the situation by forcing me to stick my tongue out. She insists on making me show everyone whether or not a mute's tongue is different from a regular person's tongue.

I look at Dorian instinctively. After all, he has promised me that as long as he's around, he won't let anyone bully me.

But he merely shoots me a cold glance.

"Just stick your tongue out and show it to Ayanna. It's not anything major to cry over."

I can only hold my tears back as I quietly conceal the school transfer application that I've just received.

It's true that transferring schools is no big deal. In that case, there's no need for Dorian to know about it.

Melody's POV

While in the classroom, Dorian Harmon handed me a new thermal flask.

"Melody, your mom brewed you some herbal medicine. Drink it while it's still hot," he said, his expression cold.

I reached for it instinctively and downed the contents in one go. But today's medicine tasted different from usual—it was extremely bitter.

In fact, it was so bitter that my face twisted in agony, and I didn't even notice the tears slipping out.

After I finished drinking everything, I automatically stretched my hand out and smiled at the expressionless Dorian. After all, whenever I drank this herbal medicine, he would always have candy or dried fruit prepared for me.

But this time, he only said with disgust, "No candy. You're all grown, and you still need candy with your medicine? How childish."

As soon as the words left his lips, Ayanna Cambor—who had been standing next to us, watching all of this unfold—suddenly burst out laughing while clutching her stomach.

"As a mute, you can't complain even when you swallow something bitter. You're way too easy to fool, mute girl. You're really going to believe whatever Dorian says?"

She looked at me, the smile still plastered on her face. "That's not herbal medicine in your thermal flask at all. It's melted dark chocolate—the 100% cocoa powder kind."

I froze for a moment, a touch of bitterness rising in my heart. Still, I signed to Dorian, asking for confirmation.

"Is what she said true?"

Dorian turned his head away and looked elsewhere, not saying anything. Whenever he encountered a difficult question, he always chose silence.

I had my answer. I picked up the thermal flask and was about to throw it into the trash when Ayanna stopped me.

She pouted and asked, "Dorian, that 100% pure dark chocolate is so bitter, but why isn't she saying anything? Is it because she doesn't want to?"

Dorian patted her head indulgently. "I don't know, and I don't care."