Unbreakable

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE:

The whole situation seemed overwhelming. I took a deep breath and began to walk forward, trying to make my way to the end of the room so I could sit at the back table. I probably looked very weird, sticking my hands out in front of me while trying not to bump into anything. I finally got to my destination and sat down on the end seat and opened my lunch. If anyone was sitting at this table before, they were definitely gone now. I really was turning into the girl in my story from English class. I unzipped my lunch box and snagged my sandwich, maneuvering my fingers to try and open the plastic wrap. I bit into my favorite: turkey on white bread with american cheese and honey mustard. I was about halfway through my Granny Smith apple when a sharp noise blew through my ears. The teacher standing behind me blew her whistle, signaling for the kids to go outside. Like a stampede of wild bulls, everyone charged for the backdoors, gasping for fresh air and soaking up the sunlight like sponges. I was in no hurry, going outside meant more socializing, and a higher risk of getting hit in the head by a basketball.

 I finished my lunch and meandered outside onto the blacktop. I could instantly tell that the back of the school was split into two section. One was a field of grass on the left and the other was a small square of blacktop infront of me. Kids screamed, laughed, shot hoops, and trotted passed me. I didn't know what to do, once again I was standing there trying not to be noticed, when I was in the middle of a sea of kids, looking clueless and lost. I went out onto the grass and sat down against the wall. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least I was alone.

I played with my fingers and waited for the bell to ring again. Kids ran past me, soccer balls bounced to the left and right of me, missing me by a hair. The sun shone down on me and forced tiny sweat beads to form on my face. I was finally peaceful, until a sweaty hand grabbed my arm and jerked me aside.

"Hey!" I yelped, startled by the encounter.

"I gotta show you something", the voice said.

 I groaned; Robert. I followed behind him, my legs dragging, him pulling me like a dog on a leash. I couldn't tell where we were going, but the sounds of the screaming children became quieter and quieter until I couldn't hear them at all. Robert dragged me to the front of the school and opened the double doors, allowing me to head inside first.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"Just come to the art room", he responded.

I reluctantly followed his instructions and made my way to the art room. I sat down in my usual spot, and waited for Robert to give me further directions.

"Well!" he said.

"Uh-"

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Robert marveled.

"Robert.... I sorta can't see what you're looking at" I responded, hoping that he remembered I was blind.

"No no, I realised that. I mean the silence", he said.

I began to relax, taking in his last sentence. I guess it was kind of pleasant, having no one else in the room but us. I heard the chair pull out across from me as Robert sat down.

"So, blind" Robert said

Ugh. He had called me that all throughtout the day. I pictured the moment again, me telling Robert I was blind, him saying "nice to meet you Blind!", and me being officially annoyed.

"My name is Emm-" I started

" I never really got a chance to know you! I know I talk all about myself..alot. My parents say that I talk too much, and personally, I don't know if I agree with them. They also that they my room is really messy, but that takes too long to clean and.... oh sorry. Anyway, what's your story? Siblings? Pets? Hobbies? Weird talents?" Robert inquiried.

"Well", I started, "I have no siblings, just me. I also have no pets. I would really like a dog though. As for hobbies, I am sort of in to music. I never really got a chance to play an instrument though, because I am unable to read the music. And weird talents.... I don't think I have any. Although, I am double jointed in my thumb!" I showed Robert my thumb and he laughed.

"Maybe I could teach you! I do play the saxaphone", Robert informed me.

"I doubt anyone could-" and I was cut off for the tenth time that day by the bell.

I rushed out the door attempting to beat the crowd, and hurried to my locker. I pulled out my History binder, my last period for today. I followed the voices of a group of girls talking about the History class upstairs and down the hall. I went to the back of the room again, only to find that there were tables instead of desks. Great, another person. Thankfully, no one sat with me. They were all with their friends in the front of the room.

"OH MY GOODNESS! DID YOU HEAR ABOUT NICOLE?!?!" one girl shouted from across the room.

Obviously, no one had, so basically the whole class crowded around the girl to hear about the gossip.

"Class!" a man shouted. "Please be seated!"

Instantly, everyone was at their tables, pulling in their chairs, and adjusting their binders.

"Welcome to Social Studies! I am Mr.Parson." he announced

After going over the all of the class procedures, he gave us an introductory work sheet to do. It was one of those things where you get to know all the people better even though you have been in school with them for 3+ years. He excused me from the activity, so for the rest of the period I sat at the back and doodled on a notebook paper. People rushed back and forth.

"Were you born in July?"

"Do you walk to school?"

Everyone was trying hard to get at least one person for each category before the period was over. I let my mind wander off. To Robert, to the conversation in the art room, to how I survived my first day of school. I let it wander farther back, digging into the deepest memories in my possession: my last sight. I had woken up early one morning, and the birds were chirping, and my mom was making breakfast. Only a small portion of my vision remained, a little circle that allowed me to see the world. And as the day wore on, the little circle grew smaller and smaller until it broke and disappeared. I thought things like this were unbreakable, they were never to leave me unsupported. But as fast as my mom drove me to the hospital wasn't fast enough. My vision was gone, and I was officially blind.

"Ok!" Mr.Parson shouted awakening me from my day dream.

"No homework for today! You may pack up and leave!"

Finally, the end of the day. I walked out of the room and went to my locker downstairs. I placed only my English binder in my bag and exited the school.