Blind Love
chapter one:
hello friend,
it’s liam here. my tutor told me that i should write a journal or letters to a friend as she prefers, to practice my braille, i do not like practicing my braille. braille is hard, friend, it’s harder than how you write. you say your hand hurts when you write your handwriting and you complain about how long writing takes and that you’d rather type, but you have not experienced pain until you write braille. you see some more fortunate disabled people have their fancy little braillewriters or computers slash typewriters in your world, but since i’m more misfortunate i get to write with a slate and stylus or a pen and paper in your world, which takes patience and hard work. anyways, a plus side to today is that it’s the beginning of my last year in high school, which means that next year i get to go to a learning facility instead of college which means i get to be around non-judgemental people, hip hip hooray! let’s hope today goes well. xx
your friend, liam
//
“Rise and shine, sunshine,” Liam’s mom cheerful voice filled Liam’s ears.
Liam refused to get up and he hinted at this with a groan.
“C’mon Liam, it’s your first day of senior year, your last year, don’t you want to start it off with getting to the bus on time?” Liam’s mom encouraged.
“Not r’lly,” Liam jumbled up the words with his sleepy voice.
“Suit yourself, sleep more and get ready in three minutes and look like a zombie, or get up now and look like a prince,” Liam’s mom said and Liam although blind could tell she was smirking.
“Not very convincing,” Liam said smirking back.
“Excuse me?” Liam’s mom laughed and then added, “Get ready, sweet heart, we’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
After what felt like hours of weighing the pros and cons of sleeping more, Liam finally got up. He got up and didn’t have to use his white cane as he was used to his own room and home. Liam was greeted by licks of his golden retriever guide dog, Leon. Leon was a Christmas gift from Liam’s mom to him, Liam knew that his mom could never in a million years afford a dog let alone a guard dog and Liam was more than grateful.
“Morning to you too, Leon,” Liam smiled and walked slowly to the bathroom.
“Woah! Careful!” Liam’s mom said, unaware that she had left a wire from the clothing iron on the floor. She mentally facepalmed herself, she always got very stressed around Liam because she never wanted him to get hurt and when she left things lying around that Liam couldn’t see, she hated herself.
“It’s okay mom, I’m walking slowly, don’t stress.” Liam said, he’s lived long enough with his mom to realize how much she stressed over him.
His mom sighed and mumbled, “I just don’t want you to get hurt on your first day…. Or ever.”
“Good luck, sweetheart, I love you, call me if anything goes wrong,” His mom placed a gentle kiss on Liam’s forehead and ruffled his hair playfully, “Go get them.”
“Love you.”
Here we go; you got this, only ten month of this hell. You got this Liam.
Liam grabbed a hold of the bus handle and stepped over the steep steps and placed his white cane on the floor of the bus moving it around to be aware of his sorroundings.
“Hey look, it’s blind boy, didn’t think you’d come back for a fourth year,”
“Hey blind boy! Blind boy!”
“How many fingers to do I have up?”
“What color are your eyes underneath those black ass shades? Don’t be timid! Why do you wear those ugly ass sunglasses?”
Liam felt crumbled pieces of paper hit the sides of his head.
“Didn’t see that one coming did ya?”
Liam’s white cane felt a foot.
“Aw, damn it blind boy, I was gonna trip ya.”
“Don’t touch my foot with that nasty ass cane, blind, old boy.”
After what felt like years of verbal abuse, Liam finally found an empty seat in the back of the bus and set his backpack beside him because he knew no one would ever sit beside him even if it meant having to stand up the whole ride to school.
“Morning blind boy,” Harry’s voice said from behind him.
Liam hummed back.
“Don’t ‘hmmm…’ at me, you greet me with a morning, I’m trying to be nice,”
“Morning,”
“That’s more like it, blindie.” Harry replied.
Harry was the one Liam despised the most, along with his buddy, Zayn.
Second and last bus stop, Zayn’s stop, here we go, Liam told himself.
“Hey Zayn, look whose back, back again, Blindie’s back, tell a friend,” Harry sung to Zayn.
Liam heard Zayn plop behind him beside Harry and didn’t hear Zayn say anything to Liam’s surprise.
“Are you not going to say anything?”
“Hello, Liam,” Zayn’s deep voice said, his voice has gotten deeper, Liam thought since hearing was one of the last few senses Liam had he used the best out of it.
“Hello, Zayn,” Liam didn’t even think Zayn knew his name.
“Liam?” Harry judged Zayn.
“What? Do you expect me to call him blind boy, c’mon Harry that’s so freshman year.”
“What has gotten to you since you went on that lame ass exchange student trip?”
“Nothing, I just fucking grew up,”
Liam was amused at the argument they were getting into.
“Grew up?”
“Fine, what’s up mother fucking blind ass boy who can’t see shit and walks around like an old man with a white ass cane and fucking black sunglasses that don’t work for shit, only to hide your weird ass eyes. Happy, Harry? Happy? What good does saying this does to you? None.”
Ouch, that hurt. Even if he was trying to prove a point, that still hurt.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Zayn? I was just trying to make a conversation.” Harry replied taken aback.
Zayn snapped, “Nothing, alright Harry, nothing I just didn’t want to come back for a fourth year.”
“I can tell…” Harry mumbled and rolled his eyes.
“At least, it’s your last year,” Liam mumbles to this new Zayn and instantly regrets it once he gets a slap of reality.
“Shut up, blind boy,” Zayn and Harry snap at the same time.
Liam flinches at the verbal abuse, he still flinches every single time a rude word is thrown at him, he’ll never get used to it. No one should ever get used to verbal abuse.
Liam follows their rude directions and keeps his mouth shut the rest of the bus ride.
At school Liam meets up with his assigned helper, Louis Tomlinson. Louis isn’t exactly what Liam would consider a friend, but it’s the only thing he has close to a friend. If asked if he had friends Liam would only have Louis as an option even though they’re far from friends. Louis doesn’t dislike Liam since he practically can’t since he gets paid to guide Liam around linking arms, Louis just isn’t friend material he’s just a… therapist. That’s what Liam secretly thought of Louis as; a therapist. Liam wouldn’t tell Louis his deepest darkest secrets and if he did Louis didn’t give an input he just listened and nodded, like a therapist. At least Louis kept Liam company, that’s all that mattered.
Liam knew exactly what Louis looked like without being able to have the ability to look at him and observe his features. The second week Liam met Louis he kindly asked Louis if he was allowed to feel Louis face which Louis cordially agreed.
Liam felt Louis and realized that he has soft skin with slight stubble coming in above his gentle jaw line. Louis has delicate features, not very prominent cheek bones, thin lips, and small nose which Liam envied. Louis hair is feathery and as soft as cotton candy. As described by Louis, himself, he has blue eyes which everyone compliments and very gorgeous hair both which cause Liam long even more to wish he had his eyesight back.
“Morning, Liam,” Louis greets Liam as soon as he hops off the bus and Liam reaches around to find Louis’s arm.
Linking arms they begin walking, “How was the bus ride?”
“Alright,” Liam has denied and promised himself to never allow Louis into the horrible life that is his bus ride life, which is actually the least of his bullying problems.
“That’s good, so your first period is calculus,” Louis chirps, Louis is usually professional with hints of positivity all around which cause Liam to like Louis even more.
“Fabulous,” Liam groans and realizes he enters the school when he hears side conversations all around; he continuously pats and swipes the floor with his white cane.
One of the very, very few perks of being blind is that people think you’re some weird bug and every time they hear you patting your stick on the floor they spread apart and you feel like you’re Moses parting the red sea.
“Look at you, Moses,” Louis jokingly elbows Liam’s side with the arm they’re linking. They’ve constantly joked about how Liam feels like Moses every time he hears the scrambling of feet spreading apart for him to cross the hallway and he hears the mumbles all over the sides talking about ‘hey, look it’s the blind boy, he showed up again.’
“Shuddup,” Liam chuckles as they finally reach their destination.
“I’ll be out here when you come out, promise.” Louis said.
What Liam liked about Louis was that he always kept his promises.
“Alright, I’ll see ya.” Liam smiles and fixes his black sunglasses.
“I’ll see you around, buddy, good luck! Don’t stress.” Louis pats Liam’s back and Liam hears Louis footsteps walking away and being drowned in the sounds of teenage conversations.
“Morning, what’s your name?” The teacher asks considering Liam has never had this class before.
Liam wanders his white cane around the room to get to know his surroundings, “Liam,”
“Morning, Liam, you will be sitting with,” Slight pause, “Candice, Pedro, Zayn and Hilary in the back of the room.”
Liam looks at the professor until he remembers.
“Right, I’ll guide you,” Liam can hear the embarrassment in the teacher’s voice.
Liam laughs obviously used to it.
“Here you are,”
Liam sits on one of the desks that is attached to four others and waits for his group partners to sit. He could not believe his luck when he realized he was sitting to Zayn. Liam rolled his eyes and waited impatiently and anxiously for the abusive whisperings and snickering that would come from his table partners. He knew that Zayn had the upper hand and could control anyone and he knew the girls will laugh at whatever Zayn said and Pedro would do just about any form of bullying to be as ‘cool’ as Zayn is.
But, Liam can see through the ‘cool’ façade, he knew that the whole ‘cool’ thing is bullshit. Being blind gives doesn’t necessarily make you blind to those labels, instead it makes your eyes open more. He knew that the ‘cool’ thing in high school is bullshit, it’s all just a joke and the people who knew that it was a joke were the ones who were considered ‘cool.’ That is one of the reasons Liam slightly, minorly is thankful he became blind, he got to realize ‘cool’ is more like bullshit.
In sixth grade, when Liam wasn’t blind, he did everything to try and be ‘cool,’ but now that he’s finally opened his eyes he mentally slaps himself at how stupid he was.
Zayn’s raspy voice, which Liam has concluded is because he has one too many cigarettes a day, greets, “Blind boy.”
Bully, Liam replies mentally.
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A/N: I don't think I've ever had an opening chapter be so long in my life of writing. Anyways, I missed writing so much. Mainly writing for you guys because you guys are literally the best readers ever, have I ever told you that? Because if I haven't it's true. And if I have you have to hear it more often. Anyways, I know that this chapter is really boring but many beggining chapters are really boring sigh I promise it gets betterrrr!! :D
Anyways, I'm trying to make the part of Liam being blind sound as real as possible so if you have any constructive critism and helpful tips and suggestions please be sure to comment them below I'll be sure to read them all! :)
Thank you guys so much for reading. Your opinions really help me and mean a lot to me so I'd appreciate if you commented and told me what you thought of this chapter. Thank you guys so so much for reading and being just.... the best! :)