Bay slammed the back door of the small car shut as my mother started to pull away from the school. I slumped back into the cushioned car seat, crossing my arms over my stomach. He let out a sigh that tickled the back of my neck, as he was sitting directly behind me. I shivered slightly, becoming used to the odd sensation a few moments later. 

"What's your address?" my mom asked. 

"350 Walnut." he replied. I listened intently as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward and ignorantly pushing his breath farther onto my neck. "Thanks again for taking me home." he said. 

"No problem, sweetie. It's my pleasure." said my mom in a genuine tone. I hated it when she called people 'sweetie'. She had never even met this kid before. I didn't understand how she could let anyone into her heart no matter if they were her brother or a complete stranger. 

We finally arrived at his house, and I wasn't surprised to hear boys screaming at each other outside the car. He picked up his bag, and the warm sensation on the back of my neck ended. He groaned as he exited the car and thanked my mom for the second time, slamming the door and joining in the argument. As she started to pull the car away, I pressed my ear to the window and eavesdropped on the fight. 

"What's going on?!" Bay screamed. 

"Tell Brad he's a jerk! Tell him I never want to speak to him again!" demanded a higher pitched voice, probably Bennett. 

"What's your problem???" yelled a voice that didn't belong to Bay, but was just as deep. But that was the last of the conversation that entered my ear. 

...

My dad came home early that night, sometime around 5:00. He had come home in time for dinner, which was pretty unusual, but he seemed to be in a foul mood, as he stormed up the stairs and didn't come down until the next morning. 

My mother ignored it, however. She never seemed to let anything negative ever get to her, which frankly, I didn't really understand. I mean, how could one person never feel anger? Or disgust? Or just plain rage?

"Hey, sweetie, we were discussing a book in book club today, and I think you might really like it." she said before shoving a piece of perfectly cooked chicken into her mouth. 

"What's it about?" I asked, pushing the same chicken around on my own plate. 

"I can't tell you. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. But I did manage to pick up a brail copy on my way home from the meeting." she pushed a thick book across the table until it reached my fingers. I ran my fingertips over the front cover, enscribed, "Gemira's Heart." I assumed that it was a fantasy book, since that was the favorite genre shared by my mom and I. 

"Thanks. I'll try and get it done by the next book club meeting." I smiled. I knew she wanted me to eat more of the chicken, so I reluctantly shoveled a small sliver into my unwelcome mouth and and pretended like I was enjoying it. 

She cleared the table after we had finished eating, leaving me on the couch to start reading the book as she made her way upstairs to bed. I opened up to the first page, scanning my fingers over the text a absorbing the first chapter in less then half an hour. The book was pretty interesting so far, but I was only on chapter one, and I didn't know anything that was going to happen. But what made the book great was not the plot. It was the fact that the main character, Gemira, had a heart defect, yet she was still a fearsome warrior. Those were the types of books that I loved.

By the time that I had reached chapter four, it was already 10:00 at night, so I shut the book and continued up to my bedroom where I slammed the book closed and rested it on my nightstand. I shuffled over to the closet where I felt around for the comfiest nightgown that I owned, made of plush flannel material that fell nicely over my slim shoudlers and kept me warm. I ran my hands down my sides, feeling the soft fabric hug my small hips. I often feared that they were too small for my age, but I was usually fairly comfortable in my own skin, so I didn't let it bother me. 

The light switch was only a few inches away from the closet, making mornings and nights a lot easier for me. And yes, I'm blind. But everyone's eyes respond to light, and it's nice to know that I'm not in the complete dark all the time. Nevertheless, I clicked off the light and took the nine steps that it required to reach my bed. I pulled the sheets over my shoulders and nuzzled down, deep into the pillow. I didn't bother to set my alarm, since after all, it was friday night, and I didn't have to wake up early the next morning. But all thoughts aside, the first week of school was over, and the only things that awaited were sweet dreams.