Quantum Leap: Blind Date- September 15, 1995

Chapter 3

"Math is next. Down the hall and take a left at the end of it, then keep going for a while."

"Which way do I go down the hall, Al?" Sam asked, slightly annoyed.

"Right. And don't hit anyone! The last thing you need is to trip right now, Sam, and even worse if you trip anybody else."

"It's so crowded," he mumbled, walking slowly to avoid stepping on anyone's heels. It was a wonder anyone could get around in these halls; every square inch must have been occupied by someone. The scents and elbows of the students kept him on track and aware of where he was going; when the crowd shifted left, he knew he was at the left turn Al spoke about. Sam literally followed the crowd blindly.

Al didn't like the looks all the students were giving Sam. They didn't just think he was stupid, but they pitied him. Well, sure, he did look pretty dumb walking around like that, but Al could say that because they had been friends for so long and this was a new obstacle. Everyone else was just being mean and probably thought that way about all blind people. Sam was dysfunctional as a blind person, yeah, but he wasn't born blind and he couldn't navigate on his own yet. Not everyone knew it was only his first day.

"Okay, Sam, you're coming up on the classroom. Can you get to the left side of the hallway?"

"They're all coming from the other way on that side!" Sam complained. "I'll have to go against the current, you know? They'll pummel me!"

"No they won't, Sam, they'll part the Red Sea for you," he reassured him. "You're a blind girl, and a pretty one at that. Who wouldn't stop an entire crowd to let you by?"

Sam could hardly believe that would happen, but he tried it out anyway. As soon as he stepped to the left, he felt people nearly bump into him trying to stop the entire flow. He heard grunts and cries of complaint from the crowd, but no one dared to speak against him.

"See? What did I tell you? Now keep going- that's the classroom right in here."

Sam wished he had his sight at the moment. Surely everyone was walking through Al and it must look really strange. Unfortunately for him, he would probably never see a sight like that again. Would he even see again? Last time he was fine, so maybe he would be fine once the leap was over.

"What class is this again?" Sam asked.

"Ma-"

"Algebra 2 is the class, Miss Akiyama," a stern, powerful voice said from right in front of him, "and if you are not properly prepared for this class, I suggest you find something else to do with this period."

The class was silent, as were Sam and Al. Al broke the silence for Sam, but Sam broke it for the rest of the class.

"Geez, that's harsh," he said.

"I'll be fine," Sam said in a small voice and looked around where he thought Al was. He stared at him expectantly.

"Hm? Oh, right! Come over this way, Sam. This one's empty." Al continued to speak as Sam made his way toward his desk, bumping into other desks along the way and accidentally resting his hand on a few shoulders of fellow students. "Yeah, it's right there."

Sam sat down and felt around in his backpack. The folders were all written in braille, so he had no idea what they said, but he did get his hands on something he thought would be useful. It had braille on it but it felt like a handheld game.

"Al, what's this?" Sam whispered.

"It's a calculator, I think," Al told him. "Press a few buttons and see. I don't see a screen with numbers but i guess you wouldn't need that anyhow."