Don't Judge Me

Chapter 3 ~ If Only

My world is dark, black, invisible. I know by touch and sound and taste and scent. I don't have the eyes of other people.

I can't see.

It doesn't scare me, the blindness, in fact it's comforting, really. I've lived without sight for a long time. Was I born with it?

That's a question for another day.

Today is... normal. People don't talk to me, don't interact with me. They don't want someone like me on their hands.

But that's okay. I have my friends anyways.

"Sabrina!" The voice of Piper, one of my best friends for years now, snaps me out of my thoughts. My head goes up, almost as if I was looking at her. I'm not, but I can still tell which direction she's coming from.

"Hi Pip." My voice is soft, quiet. I imagine Piper smiling at me with her eyes glittering. The thought of her smile makes me happy. It always has.

"You ready to go to class?" Her voice is curious, with a distinct silvery accent that I've discerned over the years. I nod, holding in a gasp as I feel a warm hand grasp my wrist.

"Y-yeah!" I chirp, sliding my arm back so my hand grasps hers. I can feel myself start to blush. Piper laughs, her voice ringing in my ears. I can see her giving me that smile again.

"Let's go then." She pulls me along, making sure I don't get knocked over by or trip over anything or anyone. I won't say anything, simply following her motions. I can feel people staring at us.

A blind girl and a child of divorce. What a pairing we make. I hear Piper whisper to me to just ignore them, her warm breath brushing past my ear. I nod slightly, focusing just on getting to class. People brush past me. I ignore them as best as I can.

We finally get to class, I brush my hand on the door frame to read the Braile. Room 205. Science class.

Piper lead me into the classroom. I found my way to my seat, touching the edge of the table to get my bearings. The teacher called all of us to attention and I moved my head up, titled so my right ear could pick up any sounds they made. Piper quietly whispered to me what the teacher was saying. I nodded slowly, still listening.

A kid behind me whispered something to their friend, "How come she doesn't get in trouble for talking to her friend?"

"Because her friend is blind. She can't see."

"Why is she at this school if she's blind?"

"I don't know."

"That's weird. She creeps me out."

I could feel Piper's glare scrape past me and land on the kids behind us. A growl left her throat and the kids behind us gave muffled shrieks.

"Stop staring and mind your own f*cking business." Piper hissed, her voice low and quiet. The tone of her voice was sharp, sending a chill through me. She may be sweet as hell to me and our other friends, but when she was angry she could be TERRIFYING.

I felt a soft brush of hair against my face as Piper turned around again. I reached out and touched her hand.

"Thank you." I whispered, smiling.

Piper squeezed my hand, "No problem, Sab."

I could feel myself start to blush and ducked my head, still holding Piper's hand. I listened to her tell me what was going on in class. I was listening the best I could, but my brain kept going back to Piper.

Stop thinking about her, pay attention!

Harder said than done.

The class bell shattered my thoughts and I nearly jumped. I breathed in once, twice. I packed my things and grasped Piper's hand again, letting her guide me along.

Piper looked at me, "You okay Sabrina?"

"I am..." I could feel my blush deepen slightly. Goddamnit me stop-

Piper smiled, "Okay." She chuckled and I followed her like normal.

-Lunchtime-

I was eating my lunch slowly, listening to the others talk. Piper was holding my hand under the table so I knew she was there.

I could feel Gia looking at us, "Gia? Why are you staring?"

Gia snorted, "Because I sense gay-" She started laughing after that and slammed her head on the table. Lara boi-ed her but started laughing too.

I felt my face go red and hid it in my sleeve. Piper sighed and just hugged me sideways. I blushed even more.

Piper whispered in my ear, "Don't mind them, Sabrina. You know how they are."

"R-right...." I muttered, playing with a strand of hair.

Piper sighed. I could imagine her frowning, "Do you wanna talk about this?"

"Mhm..." I gave a nod, eyes looking downwards.

Piper stood up, leading me to the bathrooms for some privacy. I knew my face must be beet red by now and I hid it expression with my hair. Piper gave a soft chuckle.

Cold air hit my skin as we entered the bathroom. Piper made sure the door was locked behind us, "What's wrong, Sab?"

"I..." I didn't want to say it. I was so scared that she would... no, Piper would never do that. I know her.

Then why is my heart beating so fast?

"Sabrina, you can tell me." Piper said softly, holding my hand with a gentle grasp.

"Piper..." I turned away, not wanting her to look at me. She gently grasped my chin and turned my face towards her. I blushed even more.

"What is it?" Her voice was the softest I'd ever heard it. I tried not to think about her but that was really, really difficult since she was literally right next to me.

"Can I.... feel your face? I know it sounds weird but it's so I can imagine you better."

"Uh... okay." Piper sounded hesitant, maybe even a bit embarrassed. I imagined her blushing and kicked away the thought.

I reached my hands forwards and touched her cheeks. Slowly, my fingers traced across her cheekbones, her chin, her nose and eyelids, her temples, then over her lips. I could feel the warmth coming off of her skin and I knew she was blushing. Her breathing slowed, catching at times. I traced over her lips again and she gasped.

I drew my hands back, almost reluctantly. I could imagine generally what she looked like now, smiling.

"Sabrina...."

"Yes, Pip?"

"... Nothing." I could tell Piper wasn't willing to tell me what she had just thought. I didn't blame her. If she had done that to me... I nearly shivered at the image that flashed in my head.

Stop doing this- I could feel myself getting even redder if that was even possible. Piper giggled and I hid my face.

"You're adorable when you get flustered."

"Piper!"

She just laughed sweetly, her voice tinkling like bells. I started to laugh along with her.

God I love her...