Finding Friends

Blind had learned one valuable lesson already. She needed her cane here. at her old school, she could find her way well enough so she could go without. but here, she needed it. As much as she needed it though, she hated using it. It brought too much attention to herself. She knew that there were those who would help her. The girl she met the other day who helped her find the office was the main example. Blind's kept an ear open for her voice, but no luck.

Her train of thought was cut off when she felt her cane get ripped out of her hand. "I'll take that! you don't want to hurt someone, do you?" a male said as he laughed audibly. being unable to see if he was still there or not, She listens for any clue as to where her cane went. Thankfully, she was able to distinguish the sound of it hitting the ground nearby. but because of the crowd, she couldn't be exactly sure of where it was.

She wasn't going to ask for help. she wouldn't give the bully the pleasure. Feeling around on the ground, she payed attention to discerning what she was feeling. Blind searched for her cane as the crowd of people went along on their way.

Amber walked through the crowded hallway before she stopped and did a double take. A familiar looking girl was feeling around on the ground for a cane while some familiar boy walked away laughing. Amber sighed and began to do her business.

"Excuse me Blind Side." She said, resting one hand on the blind girl's shoulder, "But I believe this young man has something to say to you." Amber had her other hand grasping the collar of the delinquent's shirt. The boy had Blind's cane in his hand.

"So...sorry." the boy meeped and handed Blind back her cane.

As blind was feeling around for her cane, she suddenly felt a hand on he shoulder. jumping a little, she hears Amber's voice. "Oh, Amber, is that you?" She asked, standing back up. She was surprised that the guy had apologized so quickly. She wasn't expecting to get an apology any time soon, if at all. "it's ok, I suppose. I'm used to it. I just need my cane to get around, you know?" She said in a calm voice.

Keeping her hand on the wall, she sticks her other hand out as if to say 'hand it over'. It was only a couple seconds before she felt the familiar feel of the handle to her cane. "Thank you. Thank you to you too Amber for helping me out."

Confident that the boy had learned his lesson, Amber lightly shoved him away, before giving him a look which could kill.

"No thanks necessary Blind. Just trying to help someone in need." she said and smiled "And don't bother with that guy. He's just a jerk. Not worth your time. I made sure he will leave you alone from now on." Amber began to walk, leading Blind along so she did not have to feel her way through the forming crowd.

It was nice to have someone to help her. Even though she knew that Amber was leading her, she reflexively tapped her cane as she walked. the 'tack tack tack' being just barely audible over the sound of the crowd. "I'm glad I met you, Amber. I really do appreciate the help you've been giving me." Then, a thought hit Blind like a bag of bricks. "Hey, I have a question for you that may seem a little odd..." She said inquisitively. "May I feel your face?"

Blind didn't ask to do this often. The only people she's ever asked to do this to are her foster parents and her friends at her old school. She reserves the question for when she feels close enough to someone so she thinks they might not mind.

Amber cocked her head and blushed, somewhat confused yet somewhat flattered at the same time. "Fell my face?" She asked inquisitively, the slight exotic flare of her voice being more pronounced here.

A second or two later, it hit her. "Oh! I get it! You want to know what I look like, right?" She asked, smiling. "Well, I don't see why not. But let's get to a table or someplace out of the way so we don't get in people's way" she said, darting between students as she made her way through the hall.

Blind couldn't help but giggle at the initial misconception. the only people not to have the same thoughts were her foster parents. "That's right." She said with a smile. "When I first lost my eyesight, they tried to get me used to asking that. it's easy to forget that it has a different meaning to people outside of therapy" She said with a smile. In truth, she wasn't afraid to talk about her time in the hospital or her time in therapy. It was out of her control, so she figured it wasn't worth getting down about.

As Amber had greatly increased her speed, Blind tried to hold on. she was managing, but only just. once she was convinced they were stopped, Blind couldn't help laughing as she tried to catch her breath. "Haha, wow, you're fast! Find a good spot?" She asked as she retracted her cane and put it in a pocket of her backpack.

The metallic clang of the slamming locker resonated in the hall as Jas witnessed the unspeakable crime.  Across the hall the same jerk that pestered her the previous week was at it again, and by the looks of it he was bullying the girl with the cane that she had seen in passing between classes.  Jasmine was by no means a vigilante, but she couldn't just stand there.  She turned in a panic to her side, eyes open wide with horror. "WHAT DO WE D-!?"  Apparently her sister whom had been standing next to her previously had taken off without her noticing.

Her face grimaced as she tried to focus on the scene happening before her.  Had it not been for that jerk the previous week, she'd still have her glasses and be able to better assess the situation.  She looked around as her face began to pale in a developing panic.  How could everyone just walk around and mind their own business when another person was clearly in need of help?

"Don't worry... I'll thave you..."

The blonde began to walk over trying to observe every valuable detail she could before coming to this girl's aid.  About 200 feet from the scene of the crime she saw a second person appear to shove the first suspect away.  Jasmine took a heavy sigh of relief, it appeared that their class mates weren't as apathetic to bullying as she thought.  She turned to go to the library before stopping...

"I should probably go to thee if she's alright...  Maybe they'll need a witneth at the printhipal's offithe"  Just as she turned the second individual appeared to grab the girl with the cane and run off.  Jasmine stared in horror as she struggled to start pursuing the two.  Clearly they were going to take this poor girl to a more bully-conductive environment.  She reached into her bag and withdrew a clip board and a paint brush.  If no one else would save her, then she had no choice but to end this circle of violence.  She dashed after the pair as fast as she could, bumping into the occasional pedestrian along the way.  Bystanders stared in confusion as the science geek brandished her art set like a sword and shield after the running pair.

"HELP!!! THAT GUY'TH CARRYING THAT GIRL AWAY!   THTOP THAT JERK!!!"  Jasmine bellowed at the top of her lungs hoping to bring attention to the situation.  Her heart pounded as she sprinted as fast as she could, pencils and books spilling out of her backpack which she neglected to zip up before running.

Amber pulls over to the side of a hallway to let Blind catch her breath. "Alright, we are out of the way. You can feel my face now if you would like." She said, sticking her face out.

Amber jumped slightly in shock when she heard yelling. "Guy?" she asked, "Guy?" She said again. Amber quickly looked herself over. Sure, her hair was red, and she was a little larger than the average girl, but she always thought her curves and body parts would be a give away.

She turned around and saw a strange girl running at her, wielding a paint brush like some kind of medieval weapon. Amber sighed and stood up large, trying to use her size and position as soccer captain to intimidate the stranger.

Blind couldn't help but laugh at how eager Amber seemed to get this over with. "My my, you are quite the eager one, aren't you?" She said, giggling. but her train of thought was interrupted when she heard some commotion. Opening her eyes to reveal her cloudy grey irises, she turns her head in several directions, trying to get a fix on just where this was happening. "What's going on? I don't recognize that voice"

Jasmine continued to dash, coming ever closer to the mysterious girl's aid. Her steps were quick and light as she sprinted toward the two as fast as possible. However as she continued to close the distance, she found that her energy began to escape her. Her steps became shorter and slower until she came to a stop. Pausing to catch her breath she continued to stare straight at the possible aggressor. Her eyes peered as if she were looking into a bright light as she grimaced. Sadly her glasses were destroyed previously by the same bully that picked on the girl with the cane.

But now that Jasmine was but a small reach away from the mystery bully, what she thought was a he ended up being a she. Her facial expression was a little difficult to make out, but her body language was a clear sign that she was ready to engage Jasmine- and by the look of her physique she could mop the floor with Jas.

Her fingers trembled as she held the paint brush and pointed it with conviction toward the girl. "Ok, not another move. I thaw you dragging thith poor girl away, and I'm not going to let you bully her!" Jasmine raised an eyebrow as she stood 'en guarde', trying to give the illusion that she was ready to strike. "Tho what were you planning, a thwirly?! Perhapth a good old fashioned locker thtuffing?! Whatever it ith, you'll have to go through me firtht! And I warn you- I didn't clean thith paintbrush completely and will THO thtain your shirt!"

Amber looked down menacingly at the new arrival. "You think I'm that kind of a girl?" She asked, kind of ticked off. If there was one thing Amber hated, it was bullies. Well, bullies and English essays. "I'd never do any of that stuff to anyone, especially a blind girl!" She said, gently yanking on Blind's arm to bring her slightly forward. "I'm not a jerk like that." She said. "I'm just guiding my friend through a crowd because she can't do it herself."

Blind had taken to standing idly by while Amber and the girl with the lisp talked it out amongst themselves. The girl with the lisp had apparently gotten the wrong idea about what was going on here. Amber tugging on her arm and mentioning she was blind gave her the perfect opportunity to speak up. "She's right." She said waving. "I arrived here yesterday and need a lot of help getting around. Amber here was simply showing me around."

Blind had her eyes closed. She usually keeps them that way because there was no need to have them open most of the time. the thought struck her that opening her eyes could help prove it. making sure her head was still pointed where she was hearing the voices, Blind opened her eyes to reveal the cloudy irises. "See? Blind as a bat." She said, giggling.

Jasmine's face completely went blank.  This was far too soon for stockholm syndrome to set in, so the only other logical conclusion is that she completely made a fool of herself and misread the situation entirely.  Instantly Jas dropped her art supplies and covered her mouth as her cheeks turned a deep red.  She slowly extended her hands in front of her nervously as she attempted to apologize profusely before she received a well-deserved beating.

"Oh my goodneth I am THO THORRY!  I- I can't believe I jutht did that.  I kind of jutht thaw the latht part of that whole bullying thing and...  I jutht tried to react and help before really thinking it through.  I'm not really one to pop up and jump into the frey like that- it'th jutht that the jerk who picked on you earlier actually broke my glatheth latht week.  I jutht didn't want you to end up like me- glathheth-lethh and full of a thirtht for vigilante thtyle vengenthe.  That ith, the thame bully you both jutht delt with broke my glatheth lath week, my vision ith pretty terrible actually which probably didn't help me gain a proper grasp of what was going on. I actually saw it happen from quite a ways away."  

Jasmine turned to the blind girl's guide and bowed her head, letting out a nervous laugh.  "Pleathe forgive me, I don't think that you're a bully or anything- I"  Jasmine trailed off, completly overwhelmed by her embarrassment.  "I'm tho thorry I jumped in without thinking back there, I gueth I jutht wanted to help her much like yourthelf.  I'm jutht tired of cruelty and tried to come to her aid, I hope you underthtand.  By the way you're actually incredibly nithe for offering to help her around like that I wish I actually thought of that mythelf."

Jasmine took a deep breath as she tried to gauge just how awkward the moment has become since she made contact with the pair.  Trying to move past this moment she extended her hand to her offering a friendly handshake,  "My name ith Jathmine...  A.K.A. the one who ruined your morning!"  Jasmine apologetically gave her a friendly smile after she tossed in that last joke.