The Leaking Heart

Chapter Two

The following day, Jason woke up with a new sense of excitement and he couldn't wait to get to school.
His father was reading the newspaper, while his sister was sitting at the table typing and his mother cooking.
He walked down the stairs and gobbled up his breakfast.
"Mother... Jason is eating like a pig." Sally said.
"No I'm not." He argued.
"This doesn't have anything to do with that girl from yesterday does it?" She asked.
"What? What girl?" His father asked as he looked at Jason.
"I'm not saying a word, we need to get going." Jason said and his mother took both him and his sister to school.
"Hey, yo! It's the Jackster!!" The jocks shouted as they greeted him.
"Hey guys, how is the season going?" He asked.
"Not bad we-"
"Excuse me." Jason said when he made his way over to Lucy.
"Good day Miss, might I have your coat?" He said in an English accent causing her to laugh.
"Todd Ferrell, not bad. I never expected you to read his novels." She said and he took her bag for her, walking next to her.
"Yes well, I'm not your average bloke."
"Good Lord, how many times did you read it?" She asked with a little chuckle.
"Quite a few times actually, my aunt gave it to my mother and I snagged it from her bookshelf one day." He replied.
"I'm guessing you were bored?"
"Correction."
"I must say, Lady in the Scarlett fire is one of my favorite novels of him." She said.
"What other books do you enjoy?" He asked.
"Oh no, I could never tell you a secret like that it would ruin me."
"Charlotte Terrance, Fair Lady." He said.
Lucy playfully hit his arm with the back of her hand.
"How right you are, I didn't think you'd read a book like that?"
"Why not?" He asked.
"Simply because it's made for women and sensitive readers and the story is about a woman's dignity, I don't see how a man could ever understand it."
"Yes and your point is?"
"You need to practically be a woman to understand Charlotte's writing."
"Yet I'm not and I understand it perfectly well." He said smiling.
"Of course you do... You're the gay." She said causing him to stop and look at her.
"No... I'm most certainly not 'the gay.'"
"Then how is it that you find it fascinating?" She asked.
"You know, if I had an answer to that question you'd be the first person I'd tell it to." He said and the two of them walked to class together.
"What is it you like about fair lady?" He asked as they walked.
Lucy's pink stick, reminded him just how special she was.
She was blind, yet she saw more than anyone he ever met.
"Well... Marissa is known to be a lady of the house and a proper English woman, yet she has a scandalous affair with Charles. In that era, affairs were frowned upon and woman were considered to be less than the dirt people walk on if they had an affair. I think, the fact that people treated her differently afterwards is what draws me in. "She explained while smiling.
Jason was currently at his locker when Goose and Bobby walked up to him.
"Hey, what's with you?" Goose asked.
"What?"
"You didn't even greet us this morning, you were too busy walking next to that blind girl." Goose said.
"Who is she?" Bobby asked with a frown on his face.
"She's someone new and fun." Jason answered.
"Yeah sure and now we are just second hand scrap metal."Goose said and Jason looked at him with a serious expression on his face.
"Alright, I'm sorry. Would you like to join us for lunch?" He offered.
"Shit Jackster, that's all you had to say." Bobby said and embraced him.
The time passed by quickly and Jason met up with Lucy in the library.
"Hey stranger." She greeted and he held out is arm for her, which she gladly took as he led her out of the library and to the ourside gardens of the school.
Goose and Boddy were already sitting on the grass waiting.
"Guys this is Lucy and she'll be joining us from now on." Jason said.
Just before Lucy could sit down, Jason took off his jacket and placed it on the ground for her.
"We don't want you to soil your clothes my Lady." He said and helped her to sit.
"I'm Zac, but everyone calls me Goose." He said and shook her hand.
"I'm Bobby."
"It's nice to meet you both." She smiled.
She took out her lunch box and brought it to her nose.
"Bread, peanut butter, fruit, yogurt and a lamb chop." She said to which all three guys looked amazed.
"How did you do that?" Goose asked.
"Keen sense of smell." She said whilr tapping her nose.
"I never asked, but why did they cover you with food yesterday?" Jason whispered to her while Goose and Bobby were talking ablut their lunches.
"Apparently some girls doesn't like the idea of me hanging around you and since my sight is hopelessly useless I can't identify them." She whispered back.
"Hey Lucy, I have a question." Bobby said and she nodded her head.
"Were you born blind?" He asked.
As quick as the words left his mouth, they were shoved back in by Jason's hand covering his mouth.
"You can't ask a question like that to someone you just met!" Jason said.
"I'm sorry." Bobby apologized.
"No it's alright, I'm just going to choose not to answer it if that's alright with you?" She replied.
"Yeah." Bobby said before happily eating his meal.
"Forvive him, he's a curious fellow." Jason chuckled.
"Oh, there's the bell." Goose said and stood up with Bobby following him.
Jason helped Lucy off the ground and cleared his jacket from all the grass that was sticking to it.
The days flew by like rough winds and the two of them spend a lit of time together.
People in the school started gossiping that they were together, since they studied together and sat together.
They seemed to get along really well and talk about their favorite authors quite often.
"Lucy..." Jason said as they sat in the library.
"Yes?"
"I'm busy with something this weekend, but if you would like... I want you to come and watch me." He said.
She stopped writing and lifted her head in his direction.
"Watch you do what?" She asked.
"I'm in a elite gymnastics team and we're having a competition this weekend, will you come?"He asked and she sighed.
"I'd love to, but I don't think it'll be practical for me." She said and he frowned at he looked at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Since I can't see, how am I suppose to watch you?"
"No, it's the thought that counts. I just want to know you're there." He said as he took hold of her hand, she flinched and pulled away from him.
"Please... Think about it." He said and wrote down his number.
"Call me on this number if you want to come, my parents and I will come to pick you up." He said.
"Very well." She said and he smiled at her.
Lucy got home that day and her mother greeted her with a kiss as did her dad.
"Hey Bunny, how was your day?" Her father asked.
"It was good, I need a favour." She said.
"Could either of you please put this number in my phone?" She asked, holding out the small piece of paper with Jason's handwriting.
"Who is Jason?" Her mother asked as she took the paper.
"A friend from school, she asked me to go with him this weekend. He said his parents will come to pick me up." She explained.
"Do you want to go?" Her dad asked and she gave him a nod.
"Very well, daddy's off to his night job so I'll do it for you honey." Her mother said and entered the number on her phone.
That very night, Lucy decided to call him.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Jason?" She said.
"Yeah, Lucy is that you?" He asked.
"Yes, listen I'll go with you but then you need to go somewhere with me." She suggested.
"Deal."He agreed.
She gave him her address and they spoke a few words after that before saying goodbye.
"What was that? Is it like a date or something?" Her mother asked.
"Mom, what are you still doing here?"
"It was just too juicy to leave."
"Just to put your mind at ease, it's not a date. Besides we have way too much to talk about than to worry about stuff like that."
"Oh really? A boy you can actually talk to... Isn't that strange."
"I know, he really understands me." Lucy said with a wide smile on her lips.
"Does he know?" Her mother asked.
"No."
"Be careful sweetie, you don't want to break this poor boy's heart." She said and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Her mother was right, she won't drag Jason into this.
They are only friends at school.
The days passed and the weekend arrived, Lucy was waiting on her porch for Jason to arrive.
"You must be Jason." Her father said and shook his hand.
"Yes sir." Jason said with a smile.
"Take care of her." Her mother said.
They kissed her goodbye and Jason led her to the car.
"Dad this is Lucy." Jason said.
"Ah! The girl your mother won't stop talking about." He said and she playfully hit his chest.
"Jason can't stop talking about her either." His sister said and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Who's that?" Lucy asked.
"Just my little sister." He answered.
"Off we go!" He said and drove off.
"So where are we going?" She asked Jason who sat next to her.
"It's a competition for the elite gymnastics teams." He said and told her about everything.
He told her how it worked, what he'll be doing and the intense training he went through.
"Wow... You must my really flexible." Lucy commented.
Her words caused Jason's face to turn bright red as his eyes widened.
Other girls told him the same thing before, but when she said it... It felt different.
"Look mom, Jason's blushing!" His sister teased.
"Shut up..." He muttered under his breath.
Lucy laughed and he smiled once he noticed it.
They stopped at the place where everyone got out of the car.
Jason went his own way to go warm up and get ready, while Lucy walked with his parents and sister to the seating area.
They waited quite a while until he came up.
Jason worked on the bars and did very well, as well.
He scored a 9.8 in almost everything.
"Is that good?" Lucy asked as she leaned slightly to the right.
"Yes, it's very good!" Jason's mother said with a smile.
Lucy was a bit sad, she won't be able to see him and watch how good he is.
Afterwards, Lucy congratulated him and he had a big smile on his face.
"Thank you so much for coming." He said as he dropped her off.
"Next time, I'm taking you somewhere." She said and he agreed with a simple nod.
The weekend passed and Jason couldn't wait for Monday, just so he could see Lucy.
He stood at the entrance gate in front of the school, closing his eyes.
That's when he heard it... Her walking stick and fhe sound of it hitting the asphalt as she walked.
"Who's there? Is that you... Jason?" She said and he smiled.
"I didn't make a sound... How did you know it was me?" He asked.
"You always wear a fresh shirt and I can smell the stay soft on it. Also there's the matter of your cologne that's the same and..." She said as she sniffed in the air.
"You have new shoes." She commented with a big smile on her face.
"Wow... That's incredible. You have a sharp nose." He said and offered his arm to her, which she gladly took hold of.
"I didn't always... It became like this when..." She stopped talking and Jason sensed that it was quite a sensitive topic.
"I'm glad you came to my competition." He said to which she smiled.
"Yes me too. You did very well."
The two of them walked together and greeted both Goose as well as Bobby while they were on their way to the lockers.
"You said you wanted to take me somewhere... Do you have something in mind?" He asked.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" She asked.
"Nothing particularly... Why?"
"Come with me after school finished." She said and walked off to her classes.
Jason was so excited for the day to end just so that he could go with Lucy.
When it was time for lunch, he couldn't find her.
"Goose, have you seen Lucy?" He asked.
"Bathroom dude, she's been crying since fifth period." He said.
Jason didn't think anything through and just ran as fast as he could to the girl's bathroom.
He rushed in without thinking and called her name.
"Lucy! Are you here!?" He asked.
He heard faint sobs and sniffing from one of the cabins.
He walked until he stood in front of it and slowly knocked.
"Lucy, it's me... Can you open the door?" He asked.
"No!" She refused.
"Why not?"
"They... They stole my glasses and made fun of me..." She said before crying even harder and louder than before.
"Calm yourself... What do you mean?" Jason asked as he stood against the door.
"Why don't you come out?" He asked.
"I... I can't."
"Why not?"
"I look hideous..." She said softly.
"I don't care... Please let me help you."
Lucy sniffed and slowly opened the door.
She didn't face him, her body faced towards the wall.
He saw her long slender neck slightly bend down when he walked up to her.
"Here." He said softly and gave her a handkerchief as he placed it in her hand.
She sniff, but took it from him wiping her tears away.
Her fingers drifted over the small piece of cotten fabric.
There was initials embroidered in the left corner.
"J. C. Does that stand for your name?" She asked.
"Yes, my grandmother made it for me." He answered and she smiled to herself.
After she dried her tears, she still didn't face him.
Suddenly she heard the tearing of fabric and the ripping of cotton.
"What are you doing?" She asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." He said in a low tone, grunting as he tore off the piece of fabric from his sleeve.
"I always carry a pocket knife with me, cause you never know when it might be useful." He said when he places the small reap of fabric over her eyes, and tied it in a small knot at the back of her head.
She flinched, but reached up the moment it touched her face.
"There, sorry it's not glasses but it'll do for now." He said and smiled even though he knew she couldn't see it, he felt that she knew somehow.
Lucy turned around to face him as her finger grazed over the fabric from his sleeve.
"Thank you Jason."
"Now, you said you wanted to take me somewhere and I believe we've had enough of this school for the day." He said offering his arm to her.
She smiled and reached out for it, before lacing her hand through his arm.
He walked with her out off the doors and stopped near the gate.
"We can't just leave..." She said.
"Why not? You only live once." He replied.
With those words she gladly went with him and told him where she wanted to go.
They took a bus and sat next to one another talking.
"I don't understand why the kids at school are so mean to you." He said.
"People fear the abnormal and the strange. It's not part of their environment, their not use to it and for that reason they will try to downgrade it or destroy that which is beautiful." She said as she smiled.
Little did she know that Jason was watching her with complete admiration.
"Every night... My heart burns like an organ of fire, turning it to dust, but in the morning... It'll starts beating again." He said cahsing her to turn her head.
It was like she was amazed and shocked beyond belief.
"George Garason, he's my favorite author..." She said in a soft tone before the bus stopped.
The two of them got off and she asked Jason to discribe to her where they were.
"It's along this road..." She said and walked forward, as her stick clicked against the asphalt.
Jason only followed her as she walked, until she stopped at a big old house.
"This should be it... Discribe to me what it looks like." She said and he inhaled sharply.
"Well its.. Its a... Big red house made off wood, but it looks abandoned. There's a whole in the roof and the windows are shatteded, along with the dreadful looking garden." He said, sounding disgusted.
"Great... Let's go." She said and walked forward.
"Lucy... Are you mad?" He asked.
"You just noticed? Come on." Her bravery just made him more daring and so he followed her to the door.
The steps cracked as they walked onto the proch.
"Open the door." She smiled and so he did.
"Everything in this house creak and squeak." He commented.
"Come now, there is a climax to this awful foreplay." She said.
Jason followed her inside until they reached, what looked like a living room.
In the middle a white piano stood, the light shined through the whole in the roof on the piano.
There were a few wild flowers growing in between the wooden floors and ivy's lacing around piano.
"Your mother and father mentioned that you love to play the piano. They told me while you were competing." She said.
He smiled and walked over to it before sitting down on the small bench.
He moved slightly forward and gently held his hands above the keys.
"What would you like me to play for you?" He asked, as his voice echoed throughout the room.
"Anything." She replied and he smiled.
"This is a little piece I wrote, but it still needs some work." He said before his fingers glided over the black and white keys.
The sound was soft and soothing, like a gentle breeze over calm waters.
"Ooohhh...." Lucy sang, her voice coursed through the walls and filled up the house.
Jason played and looked at her with wide eyes as she just filled in words to evefy note he wrote.
"Then you came and made my life feel so easy.." She sang.
"My pain drifted away into the shadowy darkness, while your light washed over me like a halo... Forever guiding my way..."
Lucy's voice sounded so pure and angelic that he had tears in his eyes after finishing his piece.
"Wow... You... Your voice... Its..."
"Thanks, I just thought you needed some lyrics." She said.
Jason stood up and walked towards her, his footsteps grew closer with ever shrieking sound until he stood in front of her.
"I wish your hair was longer..." He said gently.
"Why?"
"So I could brush it from your face and tuck it behind yoyr ear." He answered causing her to smile.