Chapter 22

yup. heres an extra one for today. 2 or three more tomorrow, i promise. :)

         When I arrived at school people were quiet, almost in that eerie way. I didn't know what exactly  was going on. The day after Nathan had gotten suspended everyone was louder then an angry crowd on Super Bowl Sunday. Okay, that was an exaggeration.

        I walked slowly down the halls, careful not to bump into anyone. They usually just moved out of the way when they saw me coming. That was good, I guess.

        I don't have many friends in school. I certainly don't have anyone I can call my best friend. It's just not possible. Being blind, everyone's afraid to approach me. It's fine with me, though. I already have enough going on, I don't need the ups and downs of friendship. 

        My books disappeared from my hands. I panicked. “Uh, um-”

        “Calm down, Izzy.” Joshua laughed. “It's just me.”

        “Oh, god. You scared me.” I started walking again. “So, how's your day been so far? Why is everyone so quiet?” 

        “I'm not sure. I can find out if you want me to.” 

        “It's not important, I was just curious.” I explained.

        “Oh, alright.” He paused. “I'll find out.”

        I laughed. 

        “And your next class would be...?”

        “Math.”I replied.

        “Ah.” He grabbed my arm. “Izzy,” He said. 

        “Hm?” I wasn't paying much attention, but the way he said my name made me feel as if something were wrong. 

        “I...do you want to hang out...tomorrow afternoon?” He asked.

        “Um, yeah.” I paused, evaluated my feelings. I smiled. “Yeah, I do want to hang out tomorrow.”

        “Okay.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “Oh! We're at the math classroom.” I hadn't even been paying attention. I'd been thinking about Joshua. “Here's your, uh, stuff.”

        He handed it to me. “Goodbye, Joshua.” I whispered. Why did I whisper? 

        “Goodbye, Izzy. I'll see you later.” He walked away, or so I assumed, but when I stepped forward, I bumped into him. 

        “Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you had already...” I trailed off when he grabbed ahold of my arms.

        “Izzy...” Joshua whispered. Wow, this was weird. 

        “Joshua?” I responded, but it sounded like a question.

        He put his forehead on mine. “Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?”

        “Um...no.” In truth, no one had.

        “Well, you are. You're very, very pretty.” He let go of my arms, and I knew he'd actually walked away this time. 

        I was speechless. I was pretty. I couldn't remember how to make my feet work.