Quantum Leap: Blind Date- September 15, 1995

Chapter 4

Sam hoped to block out his gym class experience. He was expected to do almost everything the sighted kids could do, including participating in team sports. Sam figured the teacher just couldn't be bothered with changing the class to make it easier for him. The other kids seemed hesitant to include him in the game. Occasionally, while they were playing soccer, he would hear someone say, "Here, Hikaru," which was quickly followed by Sam staring in their direction and hoping he would feel the ball when it game to him so long as it wasn't his face. Instead he almost never felt it; someone else stole the ball before he even had the chance to dribble it. Gym was almost always a drag for him, except when they were playing basketball, but operating in the dark was so much more hopeless and dreary. He was relieved to hear the bell ring so he could just go to lunch.

He was so hungry. Sam just wandered the halls to find lunch without Al, trying to find the sound of a lot of kids talking at once, but luckily he didn't have to walk for more than a few minutes before he felt someone tap his shoulder and say, "There you are!"

He let his friend lead him to the lunch room. It was a boy, so either Sal or Eddie, and he appeared to be almost a foot taller than him. The noises in the room almost deafened him, making it impossible to tell where he should be going and if anyone was actually talking to him. Finally, though, he was sat down at a table and was greeted by his friends.

"Hi, Hika!"

"Sup."

"HEY HIKARU-CHAN!"

"Hi," he said back. At first he felt relieved to be there, but then he realized he would have to talk to these people without knowing anything about them. "So..." he began. "Anyone gonna get me lunch?"

"I WILL!" a boy shouted. It was a different boy than the one who helped him out in the hall. Sam heard his chair being pulled in and out as he left his chair and ran off.

One of the girls laughed. "He's only doing that because he thinks he's funny," she told him. It was Claire!

"Aaaand because he likes her!" another girl added. She nudged Sam's side.

"Stop it," Sam said, smiling.

"Ooooh, she's blushing!" the second girl said loudly.

"Shut up, Roxy!" Claire hushed her. "What if she likes Eddie?"

"Yeah, what if she does?" the boy, Eddie, agreed.

"Well, I don't," Sam said, trying to sound playful and casual. He hoped he didn't just ruin something, because what if he was there to get her and Eddie together? He knew she didn't in the original history because she died, so what if he just made a massive mistake?

"You know that'll only make them try harder, Hika," a third girl said mysteriously.

"She's right," Eddie said. Sam was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"I HAVE YOUR FOOD!" the boy, who must have been Sal, shouted. He placed something down in front of him.

Sam held his hand out to touch it when Sal placed a fork in his hand.

"It's mashed potatoes and corn and green beans," he told him.

"Great," he mumbled.

"I know what you mean," the third girl said. It must have been the Japanese girl that Al told him about. "School food sucks. They don't even get the noodles right when they're trying."

"Yeah...." Sam wasn't a huge fan of Japanese food, but if he was supposed to like it more than American food, he would have to at least pretend to like it. He decided to pretend like he was tolerating the potatoes and vegetables.