Golden-Brook High

Jace

He nods, flashing a smile, and sits before her, looking down at his food.

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Nic

He smiles and chuckles. "I'm okay with it if you're okay with holding hands with a devilishly handsome teenage guy."

Rayah-

I flashed a smile back at him. "Um. You realize we kinda made out in detention right?" I ask with a smirk, still looking down.

Rose

I grin slyly. "I can't tell what you look like," I say, "so I really don't care." We walk down the hall to lunch.

Jace

He smiles and looks at her. "I'm not that stupid, Rayah. Of course I remember."

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Nic

He smiles and leads her to a table, not seeing his brother right away. "All the better for me to make it seem as if I'm amazing."
He sits at her side for a second.
"You want me to get you something to eat?"

Rayah

I look up at him, "Just wanted to make sure."

Rose

I feel the atmosphere shift from a few people to a whole crowd. I tighten my grip on Nic's hand slightly. "Sure," I say a little shakily. I can feel Jack tensing. "Please, don't pet the dog," I hear Nic say a little harshly. I smile, my head tilted down a little. Maybe this new school won't be so bad.

Jace

He flashes a smile and studies her.

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Nic

She tightens her grip on his hand and he smiles, noticing the oncoming crowd. He diverts them from Jack and heads off to go get her something to eat, hurrying. Once he has both trays, he walks back to the table and sets her tray before her.
"Hope you don't mind mac n cheese. They didn't have much else that actually looked edible." He flashes a smile.

Rayah-

I flashed a bigger smile, "What?" I asked, twirling some of my hair out of habit.

Rose

"Sure," I say. My hands find the edge of the table we're at and I try not to fall backwards. Being blind also means not being able to see whether you're going to fall off the bench. Which is exactly what happens. I slip off the bench and hit the floor and feel cheesy noodles on my face. The whole room goes silent but I can hear the pity as loud as if it were blasting through loud speakers.

Jace

He shrugs and looks down at his food, attempting to eat something.

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Nic

Rose falls backwards before Nic can catch her, mac n cheese all over her face. He hurries to help her up and grabs a napkin to dry off her face.
"Smooth." He jokes. "You're alright though, right?"

Rose

I gasp a little and try to stand up without Nic's help but I might as well have tried to fly to the moon without astronaut gear. Nic helps me up and I sit back down, completely humiliated. It takes a minute or two, but the talking resumes once more. "That happens sometimes," I say, trying to be stronger than I feel.

Nic

He flashes a smile at her and wipes the mac n cheese from her face, all the while watching for any protest.
"It's alright, you know. They won't remember in a few days." He tells her. "You just have to make sure you show them you know what you're doing."

Rose

"It's easier said than done," I say. I let him wipe the macaroni off but I really wish I could see what kind of look he's giving me. "Blind people are treated more like puppies than people." There's history to the bitterness in my voice but I hope he doesn't pick up on it.

Nic

He studies her, setting the napkin down once he's done, and smirks. "Well, I'll do my best to not mistake you for one of Jack's relatives."

Rose

I grin and laugh bitterly. "Tell that to those girls over there," I say, pointing in the direction of the voices. I hear them talking about me in the hall sometimes. I know they're talking about me and I can feel Nic turning to see them.