Short Fun Writing Challenge

Prompt #4

“How can you ask me to do something like this?” She stands up, folding her arms across her chest. She raises her eyebrows at the headmistress and glares at her accusingly.

“I am a cheerleader. The head of the school and you want me to watch a retard for the day?” She spits out.

“Mr. Reynolds is not retarded. He is just a little handicapped.” The headmistress interjects but the girl scoffs.

“A little? He can’t see. He’s fucking blind!”

“Language Ms. Cooper!” The headmistress warns and the girl mutters a quick apology.

“Either way, I can’t do it. I won’t do it. I’m Jenny Cooper. The head of the student body and you want me to babysit a blind kid? You are crazy!” Jenny yells and the headmistress runs her hands through her hair.

“I hate that it came to this, but if you don’t do it, then I’m going to have to give detention.”

“I don’t care. I’ll take that any day.”

“And, I won’t let you perform at this week’s football game. It’s the first game of the season, the cheerleading captain should be there shouldn’t she?” The headmistress smirks when Jenny sighs.

“Fine. You win. I’ll babysit Bradley Reynolds...happy Mom?” Jenny growled before stomping out of her mother’s office. Mrs. Cooper, the headmistress, rubs her forehead and rests her head in her hands, her mind swirling with thoughts.

---***---

“Bradley?” Jenna calls into the room and she sees Bradley turn to the sound of her voice.

“You Jenna?” He asks. His voices was deep and a little raspy, something that Jenna loved. However, since Bradley was handicapped, Jenna can’t like him. He’ll only bring her down.

“Okay Why am I here? I want to get this over with.” Jenna grumbles and Bradley smiles.

“So do I. I’m not completely useless. I just need some help on this project and then I’ll be out of your skin.” Bradley promises.

“What project?”

“Biology.” Jenna smiles. This was her favorite class.

“Alright, what do you have to do?”

“Make a 3D model of a virus and a written explanation on how it affects the human body. Pretty easy. I’m done with the model, I just need you to add the last detail, however, I need someone to write the paper.”

“Sounds easy, let’s start.” Jenna takes the seat next to Bradley and looks at the virus displayed on the table. It was good-for a blind person. No, it was good for any person. If Jenna didn’t know Bradley had done it, she would have thought someone else-a seeing person-did.

“Okay, what do you have to write? You dictate, I’ll write.” Jenna declares and Bradley nods.

“The Human Deficiency Virus…” Bradley starts reciting his essay and Jenna quickly copies down what he’s saying.

---***---

“And...we’re done!” Jenna sighs, dropping her pencil.

“Yes, we are.” Bradley laughs. Jenna pushes her chair back and stands up, but Bradley reaches out for her hand.

“Wait, no! I wanted to ask you something!” Bradley mumbles, his cheeks tinted with a slight blush.

“If you’re going to ask me out...the answer is no,” Jenna drawled and Bradley pulled his hand back.

“What? No! I wanted to ask you what it’s like to see.”

“Ummm, it’s like seeing.” Jenna answers, a little unsure of how to answer that question.

“But what’s it like? What are the colors like? The objects? Big or small?” Bradley asks, his voice getting more eager as he asks questions.

“Well,” Jenna sits down again, “color’s are nothing but perception. Someone’s anger might be another one’s passion.” Jenna puts her hands on Bradley’s shoulders and turns him around.

“There’s a wall over there. A large, poster-free wall. The wall is quite, peaceful. Serene. Nobody’s touched it. It’s pure. Good. Nothing evil tainted it.” Jenna describes. Then she turns him to face the other side of the room.

“Now, there’s a break in the wall. A window. Beyond that window is mixture of good and evil, of destruction and peace. The sky is looking dark. There are dark clouds, overshadowing the pure clouds. Dark clouds are swirling around indicating a storm, might come around. A battle between good and evil. Does that give you a good idea of what seeing is like? What colors are like?”

“But, you only gave me the upsetting, gruesome side of it. You only described the two things. The Yin and Yang.” Bradley frowns, disappointed with the answer. He stands up, and grabs his cane. He feels his away around to the door, but just as Bradley was about to turn the knob, Jenna calls out.

“But that’s all the world is. There’s only two things: the good and the bad. There’s nothing in between.”

“Of course there is an in between. The inbetween is mercy, regret and guilt. You can’t be evil if you feel those things and you can’t be pure if you have experienced it.” Bradley retorts and he walks out of the room, tapping his cane on the ground in front of him, feeling his way around. Jenna sits in the room, thinking about what Bradley had just said. Is there really something more than good and evil? Something other than Yin and Yang?