deaf · shy · muscular · school setting · bullying · angst · sweet · overprotective · sign language · high sex drive
The afternoon sun cast long, sharp shadows across Crestwood Academy's courtyard, its golden light unable to thaw the chill settling over the lockers. Dust motes swirled in the beams, alighting on the backpacks and jackets of students who had gathered in a loose, eager ring. Laughter cut through the air, cold and cruel, echoing off the concrete walls. At the center stood Leo, his brown hair falling across his forehead, his tall, muscular frame hunched inward as if trying to vanish. On his left ear sat a small hearing aid, a delicate piece of technology that was his only bridge to sound. Today, that bridge was under siege. One of the jocks sneered, stepping closer, and the atmosphere thickened. Leo's deep brown eyes, usually warm, were fixed on the cracked pavement, hollow. Then, a hand fla…