Page 7 of Clichés & Curses

‘Hi,’ he greeted me, a small smile on his face.

‘Hi,’ I croaked back, giving him a tiny wave, internally groaning at its awkwardness.

I tried to think of something else to say to shake off my embarrassment, but luckily, I was saved when the instructor decided to start his introduction once again.

‘All right, I think everyone is finally here, so best to get started.’ He cleared his throat before he began talking again, and this time he was also conversing in the sign language we were supposed to study. ‘Hello, everyone. I’m Mr Albert. I’m a CODA, which is Child of Deaf Adults, and I’ll be your instructor for this class. Welcome toIntroduction to American Sign Language (ASL).’

He continued with what would be covered on the course syllabus throughout the semester, as well as all the assessments.

I was looking through my own printed paper, my eyes searching for any assignments that required a partner. I let out a breath of relief when I couldn’t find any.

As long as we’re not partnered up together, I’ll be fine,I thought to myself.

But it seemed I may have celebrated too soon.

‘And, to those of you who have already printed out the syllabus, I do recommend you print a new one due to some new changes,’ Mr Albert announced.

Changes?

He can’t possibly mean …

‘As you are all aware, ASL is different from other languages because it doesn’t use any verbal words. Although most of your assessments will be individual, I decided to add one that requires you to be in pairs,’ he explained, confirming my worst fear.

‘There might only be one paired-work assignment, but I advise that you frequently meet up with your partner to practice. It’ll be a lot easier for you to grasp the language that way.’ His phone rang at that very moment. Looking at the screen, he picked it up and excused himself from the class while he took the call. ‘I’ll be back in just a minute. You can take this time to find your partner.’

Once he stepped outside, the room instantly came to life with everyone’s chatter, conversation upon conversation, breaking through the silence.

I tried to find someone whom I could partner up with, but it seemed everyone was already acquainted with the person next to them, which meant …

‘So,’ Colton said, snapping me out of my inner turmoil. ‘Do you want to partner up?’

‘Umm, I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ I answered him.

‘Why not? Are you thinking of dropping out of the class?’

‘No, but …’ I paused trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. ‘I’m just not sure if you’ll be able to free up some time to practice ASL with me. I mean, doesn’t the baseball team train almost every day?’ My eyes widened in horror at my words. I had basically just revealed I knew who he was—so much for wanting to be nonchalant about it.

While I may not have known anyone else on the baseball team, I knew Nina, who was also a college athlete. After being roommates with her for years, I knew just how much dedication it took to commit to being one. Other than training with the team, Nina also set aside time to train on her own. I can’t begin to imagine just how much more the baseball team trained, especially with their goal of defending their place as the nation’s collegiate baseball team champion.

Understanding dawned on Colton. ‘You know I’m on the baseball team then. I mean, we do. But I can make time to practice ASL with you, I’ll be helping you just as much as I’ll be helping myself. I want to get a good grade too, you know?’ he added teasingly.

A blush rose to my cheeks. ‘I didn’t mean to assume that you didn’t care about your classes.’ At least I didn’t mean it entirely, but you can’t blame me for thinking that the baseball team might get a free pass after winning the Men’s College World Series, especially in a small elective class such as this one.

‘I know,’ he answered with a tilt in the corner of his mouth. ‘And I understand where you’re coming from—but trust me, the first thing our coach told us before we started each of our training was to not slack off our classes. It’s either meeting the average grade requirement or he wouldn’t let us on the field. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, if I were to be your partner, I promise to set out time each week for us to practice together.’

I took a moment to think over his words. While his engagement was not my biggest concern, it was nice to be reassured of his seriousness towards this class. But of course, I would still have the curse to think about.

‘How can I trust you to stay true to your word?’ I asked, instead.

Colton looked taken aback by my question, but he quickly recovered. ‘I guess that means you’ll just have to trust me,’ he answered, his tone firm and void of any teasing.

Should I?

God, Clara—it’s just for a class. Stop making it so complicated.

‘Can you give me some time to think about it?’ I told him.

‘Seems fair,’ he nodded. ‘I’m Colton Reed, by the way; I’m a junior.’ He held his hand out as he introduced himself, even though I had already indirectly admitted to knowing who he was. But I appreciated him for trying to help me feel less embarrassed about it.

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