• Nora

    “How are the clouds today?” I asked. Stella pulled the comforters off me. Her arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me up off the bed.
    “There really aren’t many. The sky is a rich, deep blue. The clouds are grazing the steeple of the Holy Bread Cathedral two blocks down. The sun is just peeking through the trees, especially the one right outside your window. Did I tell you that those baby robins hatched yesterday?” she said. I remember exactly how Stella looks – curly blond hair, hazel eyes, tall, she had braces the last time I saw her.
    “Yeah, there were three, right?”
    “Yeah, but dad’s worried that they might fall out of their nest. It’s way to far from the ground”, she said. I could hear the frown in her voice. Ever since the accident and I lost my eyesight, she had been my personal narrator. She told me everything that happened, how everything looked.
    “Mom made pancakes for breakfast”, Stella said. A strand of hair brushed my cheek. “Here, up”, she said, heaving me upright onto my feet. The wooden floor was cool and I rubbed them together, using my body heat to warm them.
    “Oh, sorry, Nora, I’ll get you your slippers”, Stella said and reseated me on the bed. I groaned out of tiredness.
    “What day is it?” I asked, stretching.
    “Monday, but we’re off school for a staff workshop. Thank God. I didn’t finish my Periodic Table project”.
    “Mm”, I nodded. “Did dad already go to work?”
    “I think so”. I felt so guilty. I know that being blind wasn’t something I could control, but I would imagine how obnoxious I was, constantly asking my sister questions. She never raised her temper with me. I loved her.
    “Here. Right foot”, she said. I placed my right foot in her hand and she slid the slipper on. “Left”, and we repeated the process. Stella helped me up again and guided me to the stairs.
    “Good morning, my angels!” gushed our mother. She kissed us each on the cheek.
    “Morning”, we responded in unison.
    “You guys have anything planned for the day?” she asked.
    “I have to finish my project”, said Stella, helping me into a chair and sliding a plate of pancakes in front of me. I could smell the sweet syrupy aroma and dug in.
    “And I want to go to the park today”, I said through a mouthful of pancake. I could feel my mom’s discomfort and concern tense. “With Leo”, I added. Leo was my dog that my mom and dad had gotten for me after the accident. He was a guide dog. Mom relaxed a bit.
    “You be careful, Nora. You can never trust those jackasses on the road”, said mom. Stella and I smirked.
    “I’m always careful, mom. Just accept it”.
    “I know –” she began. Stella and I braced ourselves for a long lecture about how things had changed so much since the accident, but mom stopped herself. “I know”.
    Stella helped me dress and leash Leo. I’m not sure how I could live blind without her. In fact, when she was around, not being able to see wasn’t all that bad. I didn’t have to participate in gym, for one. I was still stuck in the same high school as Stella (mom and dad still couldn’t afford to send me to a school for blind children). I took all the same classes as before. Instead of reading the textbooks mentally, Stella or my mom would read them with me when I got home.
    I slowly walked down the street, with one hand holding the leash and the other to my side, balancing me. Leo knew exactly how to get to the park. He could get anywhere, pretty much, given he had just had a giant bowl of dog chow and a full twenty-four hours of sleep.
    And thus my day began.

    Emery

    Gary and Luke were jacking off again. They kept whistling at girls walking by. I told them to cut it out, but they would just punch me on the shoulder and telling me I could be such a girl. The girls here weren’t even that pretty. Of course, there was Liana Howe – the dazzling junior at high school. Stella Everwood was pretty good-looking, too. Supposedly she has a blind sister, but I’m not in either of their classes so I don’t know for sure.
    “Hey Selina!” called Luke to a dark haired senior who often jogged around here. “Your a** is something else in those shorts!”
    “Cut it out, man. You guys can be such dickheads sometimes”.
    “Geez, Em! What’s up with you lately? We’re just having some fun”.
    “Some fun”, I muttered under my breath.
    “Hey. Two words. Wendy Hanna”, breathed Gary. He had recently developed a crush on a new girl that had entered our grade last semester. Wendy was cute. She had light blue eyes and light brown hair – kind of boring. Apparently she looked real good in a swimsuit.
    “You don’t even know her”, Luke punched him.
    “I know her number. Got it from one of her friends”.
    “Did you try it? It’s probably a fake”, I said.
    “No it ain’t, Em. You’re such a d**k. Don’t be such a downer. Geez”.
    “You didn’t try it”.
    “Not yet, but I’m going to. Tomorrow. As soon as my ma givse me my phone back”.
    “Your ma is so retarded”.
    “Yeah, maybe, but she’d slap you upside the head if you said it to her face”.
    “Whatever. Hey look” Luke paused and turned his attention down the street. “You know that girl?” asked Luke. We looked where he was directing us. I first only saw the dog. A chubby golden retriever with a green bandana around his neck.
    “Beast dog”, said Gary.
    “Not the dog, dumbass”, said Luke. “The female”.
    We glanced at the girl. Whoever she was, I had never seen her before, and I had been missing out. She had dark blond hair, wavy, up to her waist. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were flushed. Even from a distance I could see her bright green eyes, peeking out from under her golden eyelashes. But her eyes were blank. They didn’t move. She didn’t even notice us as she passed by.
    “Hey”, called Gary. She turned around in a confused way.
    “I’m sorry, were you talking to me?” she asked, massaging her temple as if she could read out minds.
    “Yeah. What’s your name?” asked Luke.
    “I don’t know you”.
    “Do you?”
    “No”.
    “So, what is it?”
    “Leave me alone”, her beautiful face looked nervous. She began to back away, her dog growling.
    “We aren’t gunna hurt you, or anything, babe! You’re in one of my classes at school! I’m Luke Winston. Remember?”
    “Sorry”, she said and began walking faster down the street.
    “Wait up, babe!”
    “Leave her alone, Luke”.
    “Ooh, Emery, you siding with the girl, now?”
    “Hey, girlie, my man Emery wants to –”
    “Cut it out, Gary”, I stopped him from saying something that would ruin my social life forever.
    “Chill, man. God. You’re such a freak today”.
    “She didn’t do anything to you”.
    “Yeah? And neither did Brittney Spears, but that don’t mean s**t”.
    “Let’s go, Luke. Emery wants to be left alone”, said Gary, turning away from me. They grabbed their bikes from the tree they had been leaning on and started riding down the icy street.
    “C’mon, guys! I was just messing with yuh!” I called after them, but they didn’t turn around. I took a deep breath. Why did I even bother? That girl thought we were freaks and that’s that. She’ll never look at me again. Yet, why couldn’t I restrain myself?
    “Hold up!” I called after her and started jogging down the street, careful not to slip on the ice. She heard me and started walking faster.
    “Slow down! The ground is slippery!” I called. She ignored me and started running towards the street. Her dog tried to stop her, just as a van turned the corner.
    “Stop! The car!” I screamed at her. She looked back and stepped into the street. I grabbed a stick from the ground and threw it at the car. It hit the windshield and swerved right in front of her. I sprinted to her side. The car had stopped down the street. And the owner had gotten out and was walking towards us.
    “Oh, ********. I swear I didn’t see you, ma’am”, he said. “Are you alright?”
    “Yeah – I – I think so”, she said, shakily. I knelt down beside her.
    “Are you hurt? I’m sorry. If I hadn’t have followed you this wouldn’t have happened”, I said, helping her up. She turned to my voice, panic in her eyes that looked like they couldn’t even see me.
    “Get away from me”, she said, struggling out of my arms.
    “Look, I’m sorry. That was just my friend. He’s stupid. He didn’t mean to offend you or anything –”
    “No, you look. I don’t care. Just leave me alone, jerk”, she said.
    “Here, I’ll drive you to the hospital. Make sure that everything’s okay”, the driver said.
    “Okay”, she responded. I’m not sure I felt comfortable having her drive off with this stranger, especially a stranger that almost killed her a minute ago.
    “Wait. I’ll come”, her eyes widened, “Just let me call my ma”.
    “C’mon, man, hurry up”.
    “Hey, ma? Look, there was this little thing, I’ll be back in a couple of hours”, I said, quickly advising myself not to let on about the near-accident. My ma agreed reluctantly, and I climbed into the slightly damaged car next to the girl.
    “What’s your name, miss?” asked the driver.
    “Nora Everwood”, she said without hesitating. Everwood, Everwood, why did that sound so familiar? Holy crap!
    “You’re Stella’s sister!” I gasped. That explained why she couldn’t see me. She was blind.
    “Maybe”.
    “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Look, I didn’t know it was you. I’m Emery Walk. We go to the same school”.
    “I don’t care”, she said coldly.
    “I’m sorry”.
    “Just stop apologizing okay?” she said. “Excuse me, sir, can I call my mother?”
    “Sure thing”, he said and handed her his phone at the red light. Nora felt the keypad carefully. “Could you please – ” she began.
    “Sure”, I said, receiving the phone.
    “The number is 458-9266”, she said.
    “Kay”, I said and dialed. I handed the phone back to her.
    “Mother? It’s Nora. It’s my fault. I stepped into the street at the wrong time and this – boy – threw a stick at the car so it wouldn’t hit me and the van swerved. Anyway, I’m being driven to the hospital to make sure I’m all okay”, she said. I could hear her mother on the other line.
    “What?! You almost got hit by a car?! Who is driving you? I’ll be at the hospital in five minutes!”
    “Okay. Bye mom”, Nora said and hung up. “Thanks”.
    “The name’s Elroy”, the driver said.
    “That’s my dad’s name”, Nora said, smiling.