I twirled around, enjoying my outfit. I wore a grey tank top, a white shirt, and a plaid overshirt. I looked cute. I would definitely attract some attention but it's not like I could hear them.

I slipped on some shoes and grabbed my backpack. I left the house and started walking to school. I didn't live too far away and it wasn't too much of a hassle.

I walked down the street, watching my surroundings. My dad always taught me to watch what was happening around to see what was going on.

I fixed my backpack as I neared the school. I entered and grabbed some textbooks from my locker.

The halls filled and I headed for my class. A hand grabbed my arm and I whipped around. It was Victor Puentes, the guy Josephina and Thomas warned me about.

He handed me a piece of paper and winked. I rolled my eyes and walked away. I entered my first-period class and sat down, opening the letter.

Dear princesa,

I don't know who you are but you're pretty attractive. You're deaf, from what I can tell, but that doesn't matter. I think you're beautiful and I don't care what others think. I want to talk to you and get to know you better. I'm not a player like others think. Please, princesa.

From, Victor Puentes

I smiled a little and put the note in my bag. I went through the day, a smile on my face. I felt good about myself. No one had really complimented me and said how pretty I was. They always said something about my skin condition or how I was deaf.

I arrived at lunch and sat down. Josephina and Thomas found me and in front of me.

Josephina waved. "How was your day?"

"Good," I replied. "How was yours? Ask Thomas how his day was too."

Josephina asked Thomas what I said as she replied. "Mine was alright. Thomas says he was alright though he's tired."

"From what?" I asked.

Josephina paused. "He says he works in the fields before and after school."

"Sounds tough," I said, taking a bite of food. "You know that kid, Victor?"

Josephina nodded. "What about him?"

"He gave me a letter," I signed. "You wanna read it?"

"Of course," Josephina replied.

I got out the letter and handed it to her. Thomas read over her shoulder. They started talking and Josephina handed the letter back.

"He's a player, Athena," Josephina said. "He's going from girl to girl every week. Don't meet up with him."

"Fine," I said. "What are you guys doing this weekend?"

Josephina's mouth moved as she answered. "I'm doing nothing. Thomas said he's working on Saturday. Why?"

"Do you guys want to hang out on Sunday?" I asked.

"Sure," Josephina said. "Thomas said he can after church. What time?"

"Two o'clock?" I asked.

Josephina looked at Thomas. "Sure. We can do that."

"Good plan," I said. "We should start teaching Thomas sign language. It would make things easier to talk."

Josephina nodded and turned towards Thomas. She started teaching him different words and I would butt in sometimes. After a couple of minutes, Thomas turned to me, a shy smile on his face.

"How are you, Athena?" Thomas signed.

I grinned. "I'm good. You're doing great."

Thomas grinned and turned to Josephina, looking very excited. They spent the last part of lunch doing that.

I got up and went to my next class. Victor was in that class and he sat next to me. He was in two of my classes, unfortunately. Josephina and Thomas were right. He was arrogant and was such a ladies man.

Victor walked into the classroom and sat beside me. He winked and I just rolled my eyes in return. He placed a paper on my desk and rolled a pencil my way.

He had written: Your amigos may have painted me into a bad guy but if you just got to know me, I can show you that I'm not.

Trust me, I'm not that interested. You're cute but don't let that get into your head. I trust my friends more than someone I've never known, I wrote in reply.

If you talk to me, princesa, I will prove it to you. Please, let me talk to you - Victor

I glared at him before I started writing. We can talk after school. I'm in no rush to go home.

Victor smiled when he read the paper. He wrote a quick response before the teacher started teaching. I watched the board and tried to understand as much as I could. The school couldn't hire a translator for me so I was left to my own devices.

After the class ended, I continued on with my day. I thought about Josephina's and Thomas's warning about Victor. They knew what they were talking about but Victor seemed like a nice guy. I guess I just had to find out.