The Color of Silence Read Online Free PDF

into it. Perfect! Anyway, I seriously need caffeine if I’m going to be doing homework this soon after school. I’m going to grab a coffee and then I’ll meet you at your place. And maybe after we’ve finished being nerds, you can come to my place and we’ll see what we can do about finding you something relatively normal to wear. See ya!” She spins off down the street, waving at me over her shoulder.
    I stand alone watching her for a moment and then close my eyes for just a second, shaking my head at myself. A party. Two days before my recital. Why do I let her talk me into this stuff?

    â€œAlex?”
    I jump at the sound of the voice. She’s back. Probably wants to talk me into dyeing my hair and getting a face-lift before the party. Maybe a breast implant while I’m at it.
    â€œAlex, what are you doing? I’ve been calling you for ten minutes.” The voice pounds into me, forcing me to look around and remember where I am.
    I’m not standing outside at all.
    I’m standing in the middle of my bedroom floor staring at the wallpaper, watching yesterday’s patterns fade away.
    â€œWhat?” I answer my father loudly enough to hopefully keep him out of my room. I force my legs to uncross and pull myself off the bed, trying to intersect him out in the hall. I’ve never liked having anyone in my room, but my dad’s always had a little trouble with that idea. He figures that it’s his house because he pays for it, so that every room is technically his. He does usually knock, though, so I’ll give him credit for that.
    At the moment, I give him credit for keeping me around at all.
    â€œNelle is on the phone.”
    Nelle? I have to think for a moment. Oh. Nelle Parkins. Probation lady. Yesterday, when we met her at her office, she was Ms. Parkins. Now we’re on a first name basis—keeping life friendly while it disintegrates around me.
    â€œI don’t do phones.”
    He knows that. I haven’t talked to anyone on the phone for almost a year. I stumble out into the hallway, and he hands me the cordless, shaking his head.
    â€œYou don’t have a choice this time, Alex. Just do it. Please.” His voice is a monotone of exhaustion, and it slips into me and grabs my heart in a vice grip. He doesn’t deserve this. He didn’t do anything wrong. I take a deep breath, trying to suck in some decency, and nod my head as I reach for the phone.
    â€œHi.” A rusty sound creaking out of my throat.
    â€œHi, Alex. It’s Nelle.” As if I didn’t already know that. I don’t answer. I can hear her breathing for a few seconds. It turns into a sigh, probably of frustration.
    I do that to people.
    â€œI’m just calling to let you know that we’ve secured a community service project for you.” There’s another pause while she waits for me to respond. She clears her throat and takes another turn.
    â€œIt’s at the hospital, which is walking distance from where you live. There’s a young girl living there, I’m not sure of her age. Anyway, she has serious physical challenges and has been forced to live in hospital for quite a while now. The hospital has agreed to allow you to come in and work with her as a companion.”
    â€œWhat?” The word startles me into speaking.
    â€œIt means that you’ll spend time with her, reading or talking or whatever the hospital staff feels is appropriate. You’ll give her a break from what I imagine is a pretty tough and boring life.”
    Read to her?
    Talk to her?
    Is she kidding me? Seriously, this has to be a joke.
    There’s another long pause while I wait for the punch line.
It takes her longer this time to realize that I’m not talking.
    â€œSo, here’s the phone number of the nursing station on her ward. You need to contact them directly and set up a time to meet and find out about her. I’ll expect that done by