Nina held up a finger, signaling for me to wait, and went to grab the scratch paper off the bar. She took her time writing something down before passing the paper over to me.

Beau’s dad is pretty intense when it comes to college. Half of Beau’s family went to Yale, so that’s what his dad wants for him too. I think it makes him sick sometimes, thinking about what will happen if he doesn’t get in. I don’t think he’d even be on the student council if his dad hadn’t told him it would look good on college applications.

I didn’t know how to respond to Nina’s note.

I could at least understand the pressure Beau must feel about getting into the college of his choice, even if in my case, I was the one laying on the pressure. But this information didn’t quite match up to what I knew of Beau. He always seemed so self-assured, confident even, when he was signing and clearly struggling with finding the right word. But if someone else was dictating his life, maybe he didn’t have it all together like I thought.

WHAT’S WRONG? Nina signed when I finally tore my gaze from her note.

NOTHING, I signed immediately.

She stared at me a few more moments, her lips pursed like she was trying to refrain from speaking.

“What?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable.

“Nothing,” she finally said and gave me such a bright smile I thought I was going to get whiplash from her sudden change in mood. “So, are you . . . homecoming next . . . ?”

I didn’t need to be hearing to know what she was asking. I shouted, “No!” before she’d even finished speaking. “I told you at that student fair thing I don’t like dances, remember?”

Nina threw back her head and laughed. I failed to see what was so funny.

“Well, homecoming will be . . . than homework,” she said, nodding to the mess of textbooks and notes on the counter.

“Homecoming is better than Mr. Wells’ midterm? Impossible!” I said firmly.

I think that made Nina laugh even harder.

“Come on, girl, let’s . . . finished,” she said. “But first . . . need more snacks.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Food first. Always. But I think I have an idea on what to do for our presentation.”

I was pretty sure no high schooler would choose working on midterms over chitchat about homecoming, but getting good grades was higher up on my list of priorities than some dance.

And besides, I was pretty sure I had an idea in mind that might get my classmates to get a little more comfortable with sign language.

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11