Louis throws the used cig to the floor, stepping on it harshly, making it's jet black ashes sprawl out on the already dirty concrete. The man's stomach grumbles. He has yet to eat breakfast, which happens every morning when he has to walk to this run down, dirty, and especially shitty school, but he had a small dinner the night before. He fell asleep two hours later at six o' clock on the couch while watching some bad reality television show he doesn't know the name of and woke up at six in the morning. He slept for twelve hours.

He usually has a terrible case of insomnia but after taking the pills he was prescribed with he knocked out cold, but then woke up feeling nauseous and threw up slightly in the morning. Smoking is always a good alternative if he can't have a blunt so he won't feel as bad, even though smoking is ruining his body just like those disgusting pills. Either  he wakes up feeling sick and throws up or he doesn't sleep at all and feels tired as fuck but still can't fall alseep during the day, not even get a little nap in.

When Louis enters the dance school he sees the same old man that avoids his gaze and rushes down the cold hallway to the studio. When he enters,a familiar classical song is playing from the radio and a small, skinny girl is dancing around the small area that is available to her.

Rania doesn't even realize someone walked inside until her eyes catch a movement from her perepherial vision and her breath hitches in her throat from the fright that instantly hits her body and she falls to the floor, looking into the blue eyes of the rude man she had danced with yesterday. He visibly tries to hide his amused smile and shakes his head as he walks away from the door way. Rania quickly turns off the music, still breathing heavily but now it's shaky. "Still shit at dancing, huh?" He says, his back turned to her as he looks out the dirty windows. When the young girl doesn't answer him he grows fursterated and he really wish he had a blunt before coming here, but that's why he's doing this shit in the first place.

The man sighs frusteratedly as he turns back to the girl who is still silent. "Why do you never talk? I'm not some type of murderer." Louis says, raising his voice. Rania tenses up visibly, her limbs drawing into her body more. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. "I scare you, right?" Louis chuckles, making Rania shrug in response.Although, yes, he does. Then Louis furrows his eyebrows and purses his lips tightly as he stalks up to the girl slowly. It's like he's analyzing something in his head. "You can't speak, can you?" He questions her, genuinely curious, a small smirk on his thin lips. Rania shakes her head, looking down in shame. It was just how she was born and something that will haunt her forever. "Your mute?" He asks. That's the word. For some weird reason, people don't understand that. People don't understand that she is mute, permenantly. Maybe he's not as mean as she thought he was.

Before any more words are exhanged Emily and a few other girls walk into the studio, making Rania freeze in fright and Louis roll his eyes, mumbling, "what a fucking joy", to himself. Rania almost laughs at that but remains still. Emily grins when she sees the tattooed man leaning against the wall in boredom, she doesn't even see Rania next to the-almost broken- radio on the stool. "Hey, Louis ready to get more in shape of a dancer today?"

"I'm not doing anymore of your shit. I already have to do this dance with-whatever the hell her name is- and I-"

"Stop cursing in front of my girls!" Emily exclaims, throwing her arms up into the air. Rania is hurt by Louis' words, but somehow, she is used to it. Getting bullied constantly in high school and also by her own mother and never having ease of it, makes her pretty use to the harshness of Louis. Although, it still hurts nonetheless. Rania doesn't listen to the rest of the yelling that goes on in the room, zoning out into her own little world of dance.

She doesn't even realize when Emily and Louis step out of the room to talk about her and her "condition", which is what Louis calls it. She is just left in the studio with the little girls, not even noticing anything going on around her. She tends to do this a lot, a little too much. That's what also proceeded the taunting that went on her whole life until the age of eightteen, when she finally got to move out.

Rania is instantly broken out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder and sympathetic bright blue eyes staring back into her eyes. The silent girl smiles at her coach that has helped her for so many years through so many challenges that occured in her life. "So, he found out?" Emily asks her. She nods in response and Rania wonders why Emily just couldn't tell him. It would be so much easier and less hurtful that way for herself.

Then the small girl looks at Louis in the background. He has tattoos leading from his wrists all the way up to the tan skin of his neck. Words are also written across his chest, but she can't read them from the distance she is away from him. The girl wonders if he has anymore on his back or stomach, she wouldn't be surprised. Why would someone want to litter their-used to be- pure body? He obviously once had clean and virgin skin, now it's written and drawn on, messing his body up. She never understood why people liked tattoos so much. The man also has a silver piercing in his lip and his left eyebrow. The girl breaks out of her thought of him when they make eye contact, and she looks away quickly.

"Rania?" Emily says, looking into the girl's eyes in concern. Rania smiles slightly. "Are you okay, babe?" Her coach asks. The girl nods, even though she was just caught staring and he may just insult her about it later, because it just seems that's what he does. "You know what I think?" Emily says with a large grin. Rania quirks up a curious eyebrow. "Get Louis' number and text each other, so you guys could communicate better." She says. Rania's eyes instantly widen and she shakes her head quickly. The quiet girl only has given her number to two people in her life. Emily- and her father, who she had lived with happily when she visited him on weekends while idealy living with her mom. The blonde girl crosses her arms over her chest, sighing.

"Rania, babe, you have to stop being so...scared," Emily says, clearly contemplating her words carefully. "To...to let people in." She whispers. "I know he isn't the nicest guy, but maybe, if you are a little more open-" Emily stops talking instantly, shutting her lips together tightly, when Rania shakes her head quickly again, closing her eyes.  She hates opening up to people. In the aftermath of it all, she's hurt. Always hurt. Besides the two kind people that have stuck in her life for a long time.She is completely tired of pain. Emily sighs again and nods slowly. "Okay, okay, fine. But-just- please just try to do this dance with him. Maybe your feelings will change." Emily says, hope in her bright blue eyes before she turns around and walks away. Rania knows she put the two of them together just for her to interact with humans more. Rania never liked the girls in her dance class, so she guesses setting her up with a man that has littered his face and body with tattoos and is also addicted to drugs is her best option right now. Rania sighs shakily and flickers her gaze to Louis again that is sitting down on the floor in the corner of the dance studio again on a small flip phone in his hands.

She has to open up at some point. And, Louis will only be in New York for a year, not a lot happens in a year. That's a lie. A lot happens in the year. Although, Rania is a person that can't speak, and she doesn't like to connect with people so, she doesn't suspect much to happen. She's hopeful not much is going to happen. Hopefully his harsh comments will stop.

At the end of class the small girl slowly walks over to the tattooed man that frusteratedly types away on the phone that he had to get since he couldn't use his old phone. Her heart is eratically beating and her throat feels tight. She doesn't even realize she is standing in front of him, going in and out of reality, until his angry blue eyes gaze into her own eyes. She jumps slightly and takes a step back as if he had hit her. The girl raises a hand and waves at the man. He rolls his eyes before standing up, easily being taller than her, just like everyone else, and crosses his arms over his chest. "What?" He snaps. The girl parts her lips, but stays silent. "Here." Louis says as he lends the phone to the girl. Rania takes it, full of nerves, and sees he is at a notes screen. She types quickly before lending the phone back to him and he reads it, she watching his expression intently.

I need your number.

The man furrows his eyebrows and looks at the girl with an annoyed expression. Her chest already hurts but she pushes the feeling aside. He's just naturally bitter. "Why the fuck would I give you my number?" He spits. Rania sighs in frustration and anger from his attitude before snatching the phone from his hand and typing in a response.

I know you have a problem with me but just give it to me so I can speak to you better.

"Look, I'm not a person that just gives random little girl's my number."

Rania types in another message angrily.

I'm 19, turning 20 in July. Stop being so rude. Can I please just have it?

"I'm not being rude. Your being a sensitive bitch." Bitch? How dare he call her that. The girl clenches her free hand into a fist and glares at the man. "But fine. Since your being desperate, I'll give you my number." She doesn't even realize it when it happens, but anger flashes in front of her vision and she suddenly hears a crash to the floor and she looks down in a sudden panic, her heart feeling as if it is leaping in her chest. Louis' phone lays on the floor, broken.

"What the hell is your fucking problem?" He yells, taking an angry step towards her. Rania realizes the room is empty and it's just the two of them inside of the small studio. The girl opens her mouth but nothing can escape, she can't defend herself. Louis' fists clench and he takes more steps forward as she steps back. "All we need to do is this stupid fucking dance, okay? Nothing else. Just because we're doing this doesn't mean we can suddenly begin a relationship with each other." Rania's breathing is erotic, and she can't seem to tame it. She's having a panic attack. But his voice is so loud, his eyes are so angry, because of her. "We only practice right when this stupid class ends, okay? Never any other time."

When the door slams, indicating him leaving, her knees buckle under her and she falls to the floor, her breathing gradually slowing down.