Page 8 of Shattered Silence Duet

“That’s it. Good girl. Breathe nice and deep. Yes, just like that. Good girl. Do you feel a bit better now?” I slowly nod my headonce, not breaking eye contact with him as I try to puzzle out what he wants from me.

He pulls a tissue from his pocket and leans towards my face, stopping with it inches away. “May I?” he asks, looking into my eyes. I nod once and he gently wipes the tears from my cheeks, his expression looking worried again.

“There we go, as good as new,” he smiles as he stands up, tucking the tissue away.

“Is it your first day here?” I shake my head and hold up two fingers. He stares at my fingers with confusion for only a moment before he seems to come to some realization. Maybe he’s figured out I can’t speak. “Can I see your schedule?” I nod my head and pull my schedule from my bag and hand it to him, being careful not to jostle my arm.

He smiles at me warmly as he speaks. “I’m Max, by the way. Let’s get you inside, you must be freezing, where’s your coat?” He looks around like it might be laying on the ground somewhere, but I just shrug, unsure how to explain that I don’t have one. He seems to understand and turns his attention to my schedule instead as he grabs my hand and gently leads me towards the entrance.

“Hey! You’re in my math class! I didn’t see you yesterday. I guess you missed it, orientation or something?” he asks, glancing at me. I give him a simple nod.

As we enter the building, I realize he’s still holding my hand. It feels so strange. I thought it would make me feel trapped and restrained but instead, it makes me feel protected and safe, like as long as he’s holding my hand, nobody else can get to me. I know it’s a stupid thing to think, especially when I barely know him, but sometimes you can’t explain your feelings.

As we walk through the halls, I gaze around at everything. Everyone is looking at me with wide eyes. Some appear interested, some seem angry and others are just smirking, like they know a secret that I don’t.

My mother’s voice echoes in my mind,eyes down, don’t interactwith people! At that memory, my eyes immediately move to the floor and I don’t dare lift them until I hear Max speak.

“They are looking at me, not you,” Max whispers near my ear. I glance up at him with confusion, because that doesn’t seem right at all. He chuckles a little. “You see, I haven’t been here that long myself, and I have a bit of a reputation already for... not being known to... That is... I don’t really... Uhh... What I mean is...”

“They’re all jealous,” a girl cuts in from my other side, making me jump in surprise. I furrow my brows at her and she gives me what I think is a friendly smirk. Her pixie cut is dyed bright blue, and she wears a crazy amount of jewelry on her wrists and neck. Her bomber jacket is short and matches her hair color almost perfectly.

“Max and his brother Jasper are the school’s hottest single guys and every girl has been trying to get their hands on them since day one. But they don’t date. At least that’s what they’vetoldeveryone who’s been interested. So him walking you down the hall, holding your hand, especially when nobody has even seen you before, is shocking the shit out of them.” She says with a chuckle, like she’s amused by the situation.

Feeling uncomfortable with the attention, I try to pull my hand out of Max’s. I don’t want to get on anyone’s radar, but he doesn’t let me.

“Don’t worry about it. You aren’t doing anything wrong. They’ll be bored of the news in a few days.”A few days?Did that mean he was going to keep holding my hand? Did I want him to?Yes.

Looking at the blue-haired girl again, I wonder why she’s telling me all of this. Does she want to date Max too? And why does that thought make me angry?

But I knew the answer to that last question.I want to keep him.He’s the first nice person to ever hold my hand and all I can think about is putting some super glue between our palms to keep him with me all the time. Then, maybe, he could protect me from all my demons.

That thought sobers me. Reminding me that I don’t get to keep nice things.Iam the demon, not them. I deserve what I get, and don’t deserve nice things, ever.

I steal a quick sideways glance at Max. I might not be able to keep him, but I could relish in this for a few minutes at least. Even if it does come crashing down on me, eventually.

Chapter 5

Mina

As we near the classroom, my steps falter, and a familiar weight of anxiety presses on my chest. I stiffen without meaning to, and Max stops beside me, his towering frame turning slightly as he looks down at me.

My teeth worry at my lip as my gaze darts to the doorway. The sounds of voices and laughter filtering out of the room make my stomach twist in fear.

“Sweetheart? Are you okay?” he asks gently, his voice low and soothing. His hand gives mine a small tug, pulling my attention to him. I meet his gaze, and his bright green eyes hold nothing but concern. For a moment, it calms the storm in my chest.

I glance back at the classroom, unsure how to answer. “If you come into class with me, you can sit right beside me. I’ll make sure nobody bothers you,” he says, his tone confident but kind. “But if you don’t like it or feel uncomfortable, you just tap my hand twice, and I’ll get you out of there straight away and take you to the library, okay?”

I’m not sure how he knows I want to go to the library, but my heart stutters at his words, the kindness in them unexpected. His sincerity pulls my focus, and I find myself staring at him.Why is he being so nice to me?I bite my lip again as I glance toward thenoisy classroom, then back at him. Slowly, I squeeze his hand—a brief, uncertain gesture—and nod once.

His face lights up with a smile so big and genuine that it catches me off guard. “Good girl,” he says softly, and something in his tone warms me even as the nerves linger. What is with these guys saying that to me? And why am I having such a strong reaction to it?

I try to swallow the lump in my throat and turn with him as he leads me into the class. There are already a handful of students here, and they all stare and whisper as we enter.

I grip Max’s hand harder for comfort, making him smile down at me. “Don’t worry, they’re interested in anything new. You’ll be old news soon enough.” I hope so. I hate being watched. I keep my eyes down as he leads me to the back corner. He surprises me by pushing two desks together, then takes my bag from my back and places it on one of the desks, positioning himself between me and the rest of the class.

He tells me to sit, and I silently obey, watching as he pulls out his books. I notice he has the same Calculus textbook I was reading yesterday. I thought it was a freshman book. I pull out mycoloringbooks, knowing I had an image to uphold, and start doodling in them.

Even without my mother here, her warnings constantly echo in my mind, telling me to shut up and not draw attention to myself. If you ask me, playing dumb would bring more attention to myself than being an average student, but I knew I could never question her on it.