An Eye For An Eye

•Chapter 1•

A flash of golden blond hair and a high pitched hyena cackle of a laugh signaled that my best friend had arrived.

"Bye, Jebb!" Shelby giggled quietly. I guessed she was on the phone. "Yeah, how's four sound? Okay. Okay see you then. Bye." Her form bopped closer to me. "Hey, Lola. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"You look good."

"Hair?"

"Nothing out of place."

"Clothes?"

"No tags. Not inside out. Cute dress by the way."

"Thanks. Teeth?" I smiled widely.

"Clean as my grandmothers china."

"Perfect."

This had been the morning routine since our Junior year, when Shelby had finally gotten her drivers license. She picked me up for school at 7 AM, and then she'd tell me if I had screwed up hair, or if I put my clothes on the right way, and in general just made sure that it looked like I didn't get ready like I was legally blind. The only thing different about today was that she wasn't helping me walk down my driveway to her car. Today, I was bringing Chief to school with me for the first time.

Chief was a beautiful black German Shepard. Or so I've been told by the service dog trainer that's been helping me with him for the past month. All I can see is a large, panting black mass. But, he's my large black mass. When I'm walking, he tells me if it's safe to go forward by nosing my hand; he tells me to stop by sitting down and making a sharp yap sound. Chief can pull me through large crowds easily when I have him attached to a short leash. It involves a lot of bobbing and weaving, but it gets the job done. Usually people step out of our way.

He also gives me loving, albeit slobbery, kisses, and cuddles with me often. Basically, I've concluded that he's the only boy that will ever truly love and care for me unconditionally. And I'm cool with that.

I came to a stop when we reached the bright red blob that was Shelby's car at the end of my driveway. Out of my right eye, I could see most colors, but shapes were always blurred, blobby, and fuzzy-- like when you get water in your eyes. It was my left eye that was almost completely dark. I could only see vague hints of shapes out of that side, and everything was always muddled and dark.

I felt Chief tug slightly on his leash as he sat down next to me. I told Shelby, "Go ahead and open the door."

I let Chief jump into the backseat, and then I slid my hand along the smooth metal of the car until my fingers stumbled across the handle. I slid into the passenger seat with a little help from Shelby.

Shelby groaned. "Only one more day after this, and then we're free for a week. Finally." I heard the click of her seatbelt, and then the car engine came to life. She turned up the radio. Some fast paced dance song with a heavy beat.

I lowered my window as we flew down the road. The days were beginning to get warmer, and I liked the feeling of the wind in my face; the way it blew my hair into my eyes. It reminded me I even had eyes.

I wished I could see them. Wished I knew what my face looked like. I had fuzzy memories of looking in the mirror when I was a kid, before I lost most of my sight. I couldn't remember details really, just that my hair was made up of dark, coffee colored waves. My eyes were pale blue. The rest of me wouldn't look the same today as it did 12 years ago. Colors were all I could remember.