I'm Blind Not Fragile

Chapter 22

Sebastian's POV:
   
The bell rang and I stood up from my desk with my row. That's how our dismissals work at the Brooklyn institute for visually impaired students. Each row, starting front he front is dismissed so we aren't all bumping and knocking each other over on our way out of the doorway. I am significantly better off than a lot of my classmates.
   
I have a disease that causes my eyesight to deteriorate beyond anything lenses can correct. I have the Best disease. Well, it's actually an accelerated case of Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy. They labeled me legally blind when I was about 12. When I first met Raine I told her that I was completely blind since I was 8, because I thought that would help her to relate to me and make us closer. Even in the school for blind I don't quite fit in.
   
But as we get out of our seats I can see the vague blobs of people that help me avoid them. I can't function in a regular school, which is why I am able to attend this school. Nobody knows that I can actually semi see. It's just that being different from everyone else is hard. Like a blind kid in public school, being a seeing kid in a blind school can be just as bad. Normally I would lean over and whisper to Raine at this point. Say something, anything to make her laugh.
   
But Raine isn't here today. Or yesterday I haven't seen her since last Thursday. I'm starting to get worried. Had she said something to me about going on a trip? I don't think she had. I would have remembered. I don't think she's ever gone on vacation since I met her nearly two years ago. I remember that she has a dad but he works a lot. I don't think he even lives at their house the majority of the time.
   
I couldn't imagine not living with my grandmother. We are so close. After my parents died two years ago she's all the family I have left. A car accident that's all it took for me to become an orphan and have to move from New Mexico to New York. The life insurance was enough for my grandmother to afford my tuition at this school for the blind. In New Mexico I had to go to regular school for two years after I was declared legally blind, they had me work with special educators and I had to have special tools and special classes. It was all very lonely. Being isolated in my inability to see like the other kids.
   
So I walked out of the classroom alone. There are two types of schedules here at school. You choose one each semester. Some kids choose to have some free time between classes, about 40 minutes or so. But other kids choose to have all their classes back to back to back. It supposedly helps them if they have a schedule and can just memorize the route. The school has many differences from normal schools. Like the fact that there are two hallways on other sides of the classrooms. If you leave the classroom you're always turning right. So depending on what direction you need to go you choose one of the hallways to get you there. No kids running into each other from the other direction because they are all going the same direction. It's actually a really cool design.
   
Raine and I chose the free time between our classes. It's not much time, maybe 25 minutes after we walk to where we want to be. But it's enough time to go to the large tree Raine loves behind the school. I don't dare going somewhere else lest I get lost so I head there now. It feels wrong not to have Raine's steady footsteps behind me. The sound of her cane tapping on various rocks to warn her of their approach. I don't think Raine has ever been absent while I've been at this school. I hope everything is alright.
   
I know yesterday was her birthday. She doesn't celebrate it. I don't know why; she's never told me. But I heard her crying in the bathroom last year so it must be tied to some pretty serious emotions.
   
Raine doesn't tell me much. Sometimes I think our friendship is like the chains of paper people I would make when I was little. You tug a little too hard on either end and it rips right down the middle. And the paper people's hands are ripped apart, and you can try to tape it back together but it will never be the same.
   
Our friendship is so fragile, and we both keep secrets from the other. Raine is slow to trust, I get it I really do, but there is still a part of me that longs that we could be closer. I don't have many friends in this school, it's really just us, but I know she doesn't regard us like that. It's just become my reality that I will always need Raine more than she needs me.
   
I'm not stupid. Raine is a genius, but she thinks she gets away with a lot more than she does. I'm sure she doesn't even consider that I know about her boyfriend. Sometimes I'll see him walking her to or from school. He's tall, like Raine comes up to his armpits tall. He's got dirty blond hair, but for some reason I don't get golden boy, boy next door vibes from him. Then again who am I to judge I can barely see the boy.
   
What he looks like isn't important, the point is Raine never told me about him. Why would she hide her boyfriend from me? Does she think I'd be jealous? Maybe once upon a time, but I would be happy for her when she told me.
   
I'm sitting at our tree when someone approaches me. He's only maybe a couple of inches taller than me, definitely older, he must be a senior or something, old enough to have a 5 O'clock shadow. His blurry form approaches my tree and I start wondering if I told anyone where I was going. If I die right now does anyone know where I am?
   
"Hey Sebastian" at his voice I visibly relaxed. It's Raine's brother, Eric, I could barely identify him, but his voice is familiar. But why is he here?
   
"Uh Hi. It's Eric right? You have a familiar voice" I said in a nice simple tone. Letting him know I know who he is. Could save us some awkwardness.
   
"Haha, yeah. We met a couple times when you were hanging out with my sister."
   
"Yeah I remember. Not to be rude, but why are you here? Is Raine ok?" I asked, getting a little anxious, what if she hasn't been at school because she's been in the hospital or something? She's definitely not on vacation, not if her brother is here.
   
"Well I actually came to talk to you about that. I was wondering when the last time you saw her was?"
   
"Wait, you don't know where she is? I saw her last Thursday in school, but not since. Where do you think she is?" I am getting more concerned, as far as I know Raine and her brother are very close and she tells him a lot.
   
"Thursday? I thought she was hanging out with you on Friday?" Eric asked, confused. And at this point I think I'm starting to piece together what's going on with Raine.
   
"Oh yeah on Friday, we went out for lunch." I said hoping that would be enough to cover for Raine.
   
"Really, because she said she was going to your house." He responded suspiciously
   
"Yeah that's what I meant, she came to my house and then we went to lunch." I changed the narrative quickly. Chances are she was off to see her boyfriend for a long weekend and used me as an excuse to not have her brother ask any questions.
   
"Sure. How about we cut the bullshit and you just tell me where Raine went. Because I get the feeling you're not being all that truthful to me punk. And I don't care if you're blind or not I will knock your teeth out if you get in my way of finding Raine." Eric said with a strong enough hint of viciousness for me not to question if he was just posturing.
   
"Ok ok jeez. No I didn't see her Friday, last time I saw her was at the end of school last Thursday. I swear." I rushed out making sure I only said the truth. I felt bad for ratting Raine out, but in all honesty she never actually told me to help her keep the lie. If you're going to make up an alibi -and you know if you have an obsessive brother who is willing to talk to your friends and check alibis- the courteous thing to do is at least give them a heads up first.
   
"Well why did you lie to me before? How was she meeting on Friday? I know she called in sick and she went somewhere, so if you weren't the one she was with who was?" He questioned. I remembered his earlier threat and decided it would be best to not retry to mislead him again.
   
"She was probably with her boyfriend." I grunted. Still upset she never told me about the tall boy she seems to spend so much time with.
   
"Her boyfriend?"
   
"You don't know?"
   
"No" he seethed
   
"She's with him all the time. You know tall, Blond, at least 17?" Saying this made me realize that a blind kid probably doesn't know these things about people. But I don't think Eric is in the mood to be suspicious of me right now.
   
"I've never met him. What's his name? Where's he from? Where an I find him?" Eric questions quickly. The fact that Raine would have kept the fact that she has a boyfriend from her brother is very out of character. I always thought they were rather close.
   
"Heck if I know, I've never seen him before. Nor have I met him. Raine doesn't talk about him either. He's an unknown but if you want to know where Raine is, I would start there. Especially since it appears that nobody has seen her since last Thursday and it's Tuesday now. It's been nearly a week. How do you not know where she is?" I ended, pretty snarky.
   
"Thanks for the information Sebastian. If you hear from Raine will you let me know?" Eric says as he turns to walk away
   
"So long as you do the same" I reply to his retreating back. Maybe this is just one big accident and Raine and her boyfriend just had a long weekend together and lost track of time. Yeah that's totally it. Raine is fine.