NOTHING, I signed to her once it seemed as if the nonexistent ringing in my ears was gone. ALL DONE.

Kathleen’s hopeful expression slipped, and she signed, NO INTERVIEW?

I shook my head, biting down on my lip and shoving my phone into my back pocket.

“They found someone else. But it’s okay,” I said aloud. “There’ll be more interviews.”

The words were a downright lie flying past my lips—this didn’t feel okay. But they made Kathleen’s smile reappear, so that was something at least.

TRUE, she signed back, along with a few more signs of encouragement for me before we parted ways.

I was proud of myself for not letting any hurt, angry tears escape as I made my way to the student parking lot where I knew Beau would be waiting for me. He’d been driving me home for the past few weeks, which certainly made things easier on Mom.

Beau was already in his car when I found him, some book propped up against the steering wheel which he tossed into the backseat as I opened the passenger side door and slipped in.

I thought I might find a little sliver of relief seeing Beau and his quirky smile, but that didn’t happen when he signed, HELLO. EMAIL?

There was no point in hiding it, so I told him, “Yes.”

That was all Beau needed before he rapidly started firing questions at me in sign.

I signed, WAIT, at him and took a minute to get a grip on myself, yanking my fingers through my hair and pulling it up into a messy ponytail.

Something on my face definitely must’ve given away that I wasn’t okay. When I finally turned to Beau, he signed, WHAT’S WRONG?

“No interview,” I settled on saying. “They’ve already filled the position.”

I could almost see his brain whirring, filling in the missing pieces of what I wasn’t telling him, what he might’ve been reading from the look on my face.

WHY? Beau finally signed. When I didn’t answer, he signed, YOU THINK BECAUSE YOU DEAF? next.

My lack of response seemed to confirm something for Beau.

Beau wasn’t facing me straight on so I couldn’t be exactly sure of what he was saying—it was kind of like a little rant actually. But I caught the two important things—“Not hire” and “deaf.”

“What? Are you going to bully them into hiring me?”

I definitely remembered making it clear to him back at the beginning of the school year that I could handle myself.

NO, Beau signed, snapping his index and middle fingers to his thumb. BUT IF THEY NOT HIRE YOU BECAUSE—

BECAUSE WHY? DEAF? I signed, pointing back at myself.

Beau didn’t sign yes or no, but it was obvious by the expression on his face that was exactly what he was thinking.