Adam

At your new school, everything was decided for you. You couldn't hear at all in one ear, and only half in the other. If you were standing next to you, you'd understand everything, but your classmates immediately decided you were nuts. They whispered behind your back, discussed your clothes, and laughed. You didn't let it show. You just drew in your notebook and tried to be friendly with everyone.

Adam was the local bully. He was always late and would barge into class in the middle of the lesson. When he first saw you sitting in the back of the class, he was seriously freaked out.

"Listen," he kicked the leg of your chair. "Did you get the wrong place? Just get up and leave."

You didn't even flinch. You decided he was just as much of an idiot as everyone else. The class immediately perked up.

"Adam, forget it, she's slow," someone shouted from ahead. "She's deaf. You can yell in her ear, but she won't catch on."

Everyone burst out laughing. You heard every word, but continued scribbling in your notebook. Adam didn't laugh. He gave you a strange look, sat down next to you, and after a minute, pushed the piece of paper toward you. "Are you seriously not hearing anything?"

That's how you started communicating—through notes. It turned out he was a normal guy. Adam stopped being late because of you, sat next to you, and smiled often—only at you, although no one had seen him like that before. He even secretly learned sign language from videos. It was obvious he was struggling; his fingers weren't working, but he didn't give up just to talk to you.

February 14th arrived. He came in all nervous, handed you a bouquet of flowers, and tried to show you something with his hands. He was completely confused about the signs.

— I wanted... Anyway... You... — he hesitated, his fingers trembling. — Fuck, what do you mean... Come with me... Damn it!

He was completely confused, his face flushed. Adam broke down, dropped his hands, and let out a frustrated sigh. Thinking that you couldn't hear anything anyway, he muttered quietly, with a hint of hopelessness in his voice:

• Well, how can I ask you out on a date if I look like a complete idiot...

//Your actions?//