Chapter 4
Jaylin left his lunch with Hiro feeling like his head was spinning, and even the wind biting at him on his walk back to his apartment didn't seem to hurt as much. There were other people like him and they weren’t stupid. Aditi’s brother was like him, and he was an engineer.
There were accommodations that could be made for him. Ones that he’d had no idea existed, because no one had bothered to tell him.
No one had ever bothered to try.
His eyes burned for a completely different reason as he walked, thinking about it.
Thinking about how hard it had been, how much he had struggled, all the sleep he had lost. All the opportunities he had missed out on, because the world had decided he was just too fucking stupid to be worth a chance at anything better.
It still didn't seem real, this new idea that maybe he wasn't dumb. That he could actually make something of himself, if he didn’t have to work so hard just to get to the level where other people were naturally.
Hiro had said that. Had looked at him and said, “If you didn’t have to memorize your textbooks, what else do you think you could do with your mind?”
Jaylin didn't even know.
But Hiro said he was going to help Jaylin find out.
***
Jaylin couldn’t shake off the nerves that woke him before his alarm early Monday morning.
He and Hiro were going to be meeting at the campus library first thing to start all the requests for Jaylin’s accommodations at the college’s department of disability services.
Jaylin still couldn’t believe that Hiro was not only taking more time for him, but on a weekday.
Granted, they were meeting at seven in the morning, so not time for Hiro to be at the office yet, but still.
Hiro had said he hadn’t wanted Jaylin to go another day without getting the ball rolling to arrange accommodations for his education. That he was ready and willing to miss out on part of his work day to do it.
Jaylin didn’t know what to do with the warmth that slipped down his spine at the memory of being told that. Being told that he was important. Worth someone like Hiro’s time.
He bundled up for the weather outside, keeping his head down as he walked to the bus stop.
His apartment was thankfully not that far from campus and there was a bus that went straight there.
Brent had picked where Jaylin moved to when his old lease had been up, and him choosing a good location was probably one of the best things the man had ever done for him.
It was a little before seven when he arrived at campus, and Jaylin made a beeline to the library, sighing in relief to finally be out of the cold.
The library was empty but for him, so Jaylin went to snag a study room, shrugging off his backpack and pulling out his laptop before dictating a text message to Hiro to let him know where he was.
It was only a few minutes later that Hiro walked into the study room. He was wearing a messenger bag slung over his coat, had a paper bag tucked in the crook of one arm, and was carrying two white to-go cups.
“Morning,” he said cheerfully, setting the cups and bag on the table, before unslinging his messenger bag.
“Morning,” Jaylin said. “Um, was the drive okay?”
“Easy breezy,” Hiro said, taking off his coat.
He was wearing a soft-looking green sweater that looked unfairly devastating with his complexion and wind-swept hair.
Jaylin swallowed and shifted in his seat.
“Luckily not many people are driving to a college library at seven on a Monday morning, so I didn’t even have to battle for a parking space. ”
“Do you uh, often do battle for parking spaces?” Jaylin asked.
Hiro nodded seriously. “It’s not usually a duel to the death, but trying to park anywhere downtown when I have to go there for court?
Madness.” He pushed one of the to-go cups in Jaylin’s direction.
“I know you said you took your coffee anyway you could get it, but you also said that you preferred cream and sugar so I did my best. I figured that if I didn’t get the ratio right, it still fell under your ‘not picky about coffee’ jurisdiction. ”
“Oh,” Jaylin said, taken aback. “Um, thank you.”
“But if you hate it,” Hiro added, opening up the paper bag. “You’re under no obligation to drink it.”
“I probably won’t hate it,” Jaylin said, hesitating for a second before curling his fingers around the cup. “I’m really not picky at all. Thank you for, um, thinking of me.”
“Of course,” Hiro said, and Jaylin got stuck on those two simple words. Of course. Of course it was perfectly reasonable for Hiro to get Jaylin a coffee, if he was already getting himself one.
Of course Jaylin was worth thinking about.
“Figured I’m dragging you out this early, I should probably bring offerings,” Hiro continued as he pulled two items wrapped in waxed paper and a handful of napkins out of the paper bag.
“Case in point, croissant-egg sandwiches. I thought they’d be a safe bet.
Unless you’re vegan.” He paused, then turned horrified eyes on Jaylin. “Are you vegan? Are eggs illegal?”
It surprised a laugh out of Jaylin, and the last of his nerves drained away.
“Eggs aren’t illegal,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’m not really into alternative diets. I eat pretty much anything.
” He’d never been in a position where he could afford to be picky with his food, but Hiro didn’t need to know that.
Hiro nodded and pushed one of the sandwiches in Jaylin’s direction.
“Well good, I’m glad I didn’t accidentally offend you.
One of my ex-boyfriend’s had an aunt who was vegan, but the kind of vegan who had to tell everyone she was vegan and lectured you if you took honey in your tea.
I’m not against veganism, but I draw the line at anti-bee propaganda. ”
“Oh, uh, I get that,” Jaylin said, even though he did not really at all.
He also absolutely wasn’t filing away the fact that Hiro had had boyfriends. That didn’t matter. Jaylin definitely didn’t care.
“Alright,” Hiro said as he pulled a laptop out of his messenger bag. “Let’s get started. First things first, we’re drafting a letter to your college’s department for disabilities.”
***
Jaylin considered his winter schedule pretty light, all things considered.
He had his astronomy class Monday and Wednesday evening from six to ten.
Tuesday was Sign Language from one to four, Wednesday was also when he had his business law class, two to four, and then Thursday was algebra from nine to noon.
Jaylin would have preferred to not have to get up early on Thursday after getting home on Wednesday after ten at night, but the only other day that his college had offered statistics for winter semester had been Friday. And Brent required that Jaylin keep his Fridays free.
But still, even with a later Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, that was only four classes, and for only a few hours each day.
The only reason Jaylin had no free time was because he spent nearly every waking moment he had trying to muddle through what felt like illegible gibberish.
Reading took forever. Deconstructing his homework assignments took forever.
Doing said homework assignments took forever.
Especially if he had papers to write, because then he had the extra work of more reading to make sure all his references were sound…
It was exhausting and stressful, and he hated how overwhelming it all was.
He felt nearly as stressed when he walked into his astronomy lecture Monday night, body alight with trepidation as he approached the front of the class.
“Um, Serena?”
Serena, the class’s TA, looked up at him from the papers she was sorting and smiled politely. “Yeah, what’s up? How can I help you?”
Jaylin swallowed. He had never actually spoken to Serena before. He didn't really talk to anyone in class—he just sat and tried to absorb everything he could. “I’m, uh, I’m Jaylin West. I’m, uh, I was told to talk to you or Professor Smythe about special accommodations.”
Serena frowned, still politely. “Accommodations?”
Jaylin felt his face heat as the lecture hall started to fill. “Yeah? I emailed the–the office of student disability services–” with Hiro’s help “–about recording the lectures and, um, longer testing times.”
Serena’s face didn't brighten with comprehension or understanding, and Jaylin’s shoulders hunched as he got more and more self-conscious. This was so stupid. He was so stupid. Why did he ever think–
“Ah! Jaylin, my boy!”
Jaylin jolted at the exclamation, as Professor Smythe strode up to him.
He was as larger than life as ever, and Jaylin tried not to shrink away from it.
Professor Smythe was a great teacher. He was expressive and kind of funny and knew how to deliver the information in a way that was easy to understand.
He was just also a little loud, and Jaylin didn't love loud.
“Yes, sir?”
Professor Smythe nodded, hand on his chin. “Forgive me, it seems Serena wasn’t CC’d into our conversation. This is in regards to your dyslexia, wasn't it?”
Jaylin nodded miserably. Professor Smythe wasn't being discreet, and Jaylin was sure his classmates must be taking notice. “Yes, sir.”
“Yes, well, not to worry. I’ve already set up the recording equipment. You simply need to come to me after class to take the SD card home with you. You do have an SD card reader, I hope?”
Probably, and if Jaylin didn't, he’d buy one tomorrow. “Yeah. Yes.”
“Excellent! Now the SD card is school property, please do keep that in mind, so it must be kept in good condition and be used exclusively for learning. I expect you to bring it back with you to every class for the next lecture to be recorded. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Jaylin said at once. He could do that. He could definitely do that. “Okay.”