The Stoner & The Blind Girl

Part 1

~

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

-William Shakespeare

~

There she stood, at her locker as she was helped to get her books. I couldn't help but look her way. She had this way about her where you couldn't help but stare.

She had always been there; here for as long as I could remember.

Not ever really trying to be at the forefront of a picture but never in the background. She wasn't exactly easy to forget about.

Or ignore.

No matter how hard she tried to hide attention always seemed to find her and not always in a good way.

It was clear she wanted to fade away with the way she hides behind her cousin's lead.

But, I think it's hard for her and in a strange way, I think I can understand that about her. I think we have that in common.

She was beautiful as she stood holding tightly onto her walking cane. Her brown hair long and down around her, her large dark black glasses covering her eyes.

I wonder what color her eyes are...

I don't talk to her. I have never even said a word to her. And, if I did, I'm not sure what I'd say. I don't think I'll ever say anything to her either.

With the help of a girl she was lead away from her locker and to her next class. Everyone moving around her as if they would get infected if they got too close but staring at her.

I closed my locker as she walked past me.

I mostly kept to my friends and she mostly keeps to herself and her cousin who helped lead her around.

From time to time she'll talk to teachers but never anyone else, never to other students. Well not including her cousin that she always seems to be with.

I think everyone is afraid of her in some strange way.

I began to walk to my next class as the halls began to empty.

Emma, that's her name, has a lot of special type of classes. By special I mean classes for people with disabilities, but I don't get why she's there.

Yeah, she isn't like everyone else but the other kids that are placed in the special classes all have a form of Down syndrome.

Which is a disorder that makes people slower at learning but Emma's not a slow learner she is actually pretty smart.

She's just well...blind.

She seemed like a sweet girl, kind of shy at least from what I've seen.

I walked into my class and took my seat as I looked out the window I sat by.

In middle school, I used to see her more, but when high school started I could only catch glimpses of her in the cafeteria, rarely in the halls, or even in the courtyard when the weather was nice enough to go out.

She's never really in the halls. It's not a good idea for her. Mostly because the halls are always crowded with kids that never consider anyone else trying to walk by. I only ever see her in the halls because my locker is only a few down from her.

Plus, she has to walk with that stick.

The long white one with a red ring and a white rubber ball at the end whatever it's called, a walking seeing stick or whatever.

But with her stick and someone leading her, she needs room to walk down the halls.

I think teachers let her leave her classes early or something so she can get through the halls before the student rushes come by the ring of the bell.

Kids are also really mean and cruel. I remember back in middle school that she'd constantly got tripped and knocked down, once someone even stole her walking stick.

When people would mess with her they would ask if she could cry, if blind kids could cry.

Can blind people cry? I don't want to sound like an inconsiderate stupid jerk but I was curious too. Can they cry?

When people would pick on her I never liked to stay around long enough to find out, when I saw the principal rounding the corner or a faculty member I knew it was my cue to leave.

I probably could have helped her. Could have stopped people from messing with her. But, sometimes it's easier to pretend like you didn't see anything.

After that, it's like she disappeared. From what I heard, though she had her cousin escort her from room to room.

Not to sound weird or something but sometimes I would think about her, I know it seems creepy but I find her interesting.

Sometimes when I'm alone in my room painting or down in the art classroom drawing before the first period started, running paintbrush bristles over the canvas for each stroke, I would find myself thinking of her.

Or sometimes when I find myself in Devon's room, my best friend, with several grams of weed and a six pack of beer my train of thought would slowly turn back to her, to Emma.

Devon walked into the room with our other best friend Levi. "Hey, bro," Devon said as he took his seat. "Hey," I replied. "You coming over after school?" Levi asked as he throws a small ball of paper at Devon.

I nodded my head yes as Devon throw a paper ball back at Levi. I joined in and soon we were all playing around throwing balls of paper at each other. It's got to the point that the teacher said he would kick us out of class if we didn't stop.

After that class became pretty boring as the teacher began actually teaching.

Devon and Levi were my closest friends. I've been friends with Devon since pre-k and Levi joined us back in middle school. My other best friend was Michael didn't have this class.

Other than that I don't have many friends.

Emma's friend count was pretty low too. As I said, she never talked to anyone other than teachers and her cousin.

A few times I've seen her and her cousin talking to the people I tend to get high with.

And by that, I mean Devon, Levi, and Michael. That was back when her cousin who's name I didn't care enough to remember dated Devon, or maybe it was Levi I can't remember, a while back.

Plus stoners, aka my friends, weren't as judgmental as the other kids who attended our dumb school was.

I mean she didn't ask to be blind, no one does. Who in their right mind would want to? Like 'Hey, can I please not see anything?' No, it doesn't work like that. The world is an unfair place.

By the time class was over and I was out of class I only saw the back of a familiar head of brown hair round the corner.

Dang, I missed her again.

Typically she sits outside by the fountain or alone at the lunch table. Her own cousin didn't even sit with her. It's kind of sad.

I tend to stare when I see her, but so do other people. It's not like she could stare back or tell that we were looking her way

She's usually doing something to keep herself busy, no she is probably just doing something, anything, so she doesn't have to be social. I don't blame her.

[Published October 25th, 2015] {Revised June 17th,2019}

If you liked it, I would love it if you could vote or comment on what you think!