What is that. ((Open))

[Jackson Daniels]

Jacskon sat quietly in the classroom, his eyes instaring through the dark sunglasses he wore upon his face. He listened easily to the teacher speaking her lecture, not bothering to take down notes or anything like that. He'd never be able to read them. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and kept his mind on what was going on. They had been hesitant about letting Jackson attend this school because he was blind, but they had heard and watched the video of him playing the guitar and singing at an old club that was in his old town. That was when he had been able to see, when he was actually happy. Things had long since changed, and he hadn't picked up a guitar since. But his mother saw new opporttunities for him here, and she had packed up the small family and moved right away. He didn't know if he was happy about that or not. He had made friends in his old home, he still had the friends he had before his life was ruined. But now he had to come here and make new ones all over again. And he honestly didn't think he could do it without his sight. He hated that people spoke about him behind his back instead of approaching him. It was like he had a disease, and they wanted nothing to do with him. He had met three people so far, and they had been a little hesitant at first, but they had accepted him. He didn't know if there was a friendship there or not, but he definteily hoped so. He needed one. His gaze traveled downwards to his left, knowing that was where his companion was. His hand traveled downwards secretly and he stroked Jack's fur, still paying attention to his teacher. Jack moved slightly towards the hand, not minding that he was being scratched. He laid through all of class silently, never moving unless he was asked to, and never making a sound. He was not a disturbance, and most people wouldn't even know that he was there save for the fact of him. They saw a dog and they were instantly distracted, but things were better now. Jackson wasn't such a freak anymore.


Shaking his head, he looked back at the book he head, knowing it was there without seeing it. His free hand reached forward and he let his fingers trace over the binding, and then flipped it open. At least make it look like he was doing something. His fingers ran idily along the page, and the braille below was giving him a chance to figure out what was inside. He had gone to a special school for two years to learn how to do this, and it was amazing how quickly he had picked it up. That was why he was being considered for here. The only hinderance he had was his eyesight. Or lack there of. Suddenly, he was jumped into the present by the bell that sounded, letting him know that it was the end of the period. He let everyone else pass, for he would never make it out if they were all running for the door. He packed up his things and then shoved them in his bag, shouldering it as he stood up. Jack was up in an instant and Jackson's hand worked its way around the strap of the harness. He said goodbye to his teacher, only to be called back in a few seconds later. He stepped inside and Jack sat obediently by his feet. He didn't know what she wanted or needed, but he was open to anything. He heard the concern in her voice as soon as she started speaking. "How're you doing Jackson? Are you keeping up with everything?" She asked worriedly, not wanting him to fall behind because of his disability. Jackson nodded quietly. He hated this treatment. "I'm doing fine thanks. I've handed in every homework assignment, and I've kept up with the lessons." He said defensively, and the woman realized her mistake. He was extremely independent, with the exception of his dog, and she was being overbearing. Sighing slightly, she nodded her head. "Alright. But you come to me if you need extra help alright?" He knew that she was trying to be kind, so he just nodded his head and thanked her hastily, calling to Jack to lead him forward. The Shepard obeyed and bounced forward, his tail streaming up behind him as he trotted along to keep up with Jackson's fast pace.


The two traveled down the hallway, and Jackson knew that after that class, it was time to go to lunch. This had to be his least favorite part of the day. There were so many people in there, and he could barely keep his feet. He looked to Jack. "Easy boy. Let's not get picked off today." He said in a slight joking tone and Jack soon slowed down his pace to a gentle walk. He traveled forward, his eyes watching the young men and women around them. He was ready to stop Jackson at the last moment. But the canine was paying attention to the rowdy group of boys to their right, since he didn't want any of them to run into Jackson. Jackson trusted his dog, and was walking along normally. To his left, a boy was walking backwards, talking to his friends and not paying attention to where he was going. Jackson felt himself being bumped into, and suddenly he found himself upon the floor, turning a vibrant red at what just happened. The guy didn't know who it was at first and he turned around to speak normally to him, not noting the dog that was off to the side. He didn't know that Jackson was blind. "Watch where you're going next time!" He said angrily, and Jackson nodded his head. "Yeah. I'll have to be better about that." He said sarcastically, and attempted to get to his feet without embarrassing himself further. The laughter that rang out around him was enough to make anyone cringe. Jack came forward and stood protectively beside Jackson, trying to help him. But Jackson was covered with food from the kid's tray spilling on him, and the milk had spilled at his feet, making it quite difficult to find his footing. Was he ever going to fit in here?

[shellyness]

Inevitably, Courtney was clearly not the best student at Matthew Hopkins High. She could thank her horrible short-attention span for that. She drummed her highly polished nails on her desk, glaring up at the front. Math. Numbers. Purely the worst subject for her. All that she saw was numbers. Numbers, numbers, and more numbers. In her mind, she would ask herself what was so special about numbers? And addition, and subtraction, multiplication, and division? Of course, today's society was purely based on mathematics. But since Courtney was much more intent in her looks, and personality (like the usual snob), she had been ignorant about this fact. Anytime now, the lunch bell would ring. Anytime now..Courtney's cold blue eyes peirced through the chalkboard. "Anytime now.." she hissed to herself.

And there it went.

Courtney insantly stood up, scooped up her belongings, and practically ran out of the room. She took a deep breath when she stopped in the hallway, fixed herself up, and began making her way to the Cafeteria. She let loose her blonde hair out of her messy bun and hurried before noticing a commotion right near the entrance of the Cafeteria. Courtney glanced into the cafeteria and then back to the hallway, her eyes narrowed. She walked over and saw a group of boys, surrounding another boy who was on the floor covered with food; his dog standing up before him. Usually, Courtney would've just flounced away the person she was. But for some reason, this had really touched her. She didn't even KNOW the boy.

"MOVE," she shouted to the group of boys. They turned around and hastily got out of the way. Ah, the wonders of being a queen bee. No one dared to get in her way. Courtney turned to look at the one who had apparently pushed the boy who was now on the floor. "What the hell is your problem, asshole? It's called having manners. Or are you too stupid to know what they are?" Many of the surrounding boys had made an "Ooooh" sound, and flauntered off. Courtney rolled her eyes and turned back to the one who was on the floor. "Here, let me help you." She helped removed some of the spilled food on him before grabbing his arm and pulling him up. As small as she was, she had strength. Miraculously, she had not gotten dirty herself.

"Those guys are assholes, but I'm sure they won't bother you again." Courtney figured that the boy was new. "I'm Courtney. Courtney Phillips."

[Jackson Daniels]

Being blind was absolutely perfect. Wonderfully life changing. And embarassing. In all of the commotion and happenings, his sunglasses had slipped right off, and he was now groping around for them, his heart racing at the thought of all these people seeing his eyes. He knew they knew there was something wrong with him because of Jack, but he didn't want them to know he was for a blind kid. Dogs were used for people who seizured, or had other types of disabilties. Not just for blind people. Jackson had even considered walking with a limp to hide the fact that he was sightless from all of these people. But he wasn't good at lying, and his eyes gave it all away. So as he scrambled for the coverings, he realized that the crowd was silencing themselves out of pity and guilt for laughing hysterically at the blind young man upon the ground. Jackson found it hard to believe that he would ever come into this cafeteria again. Eyes would be upon him in seconds, wondering if he was going to fall again. He started pushing himself up, but his heel caught in the spilled milk, and he was sent flying back to the ground. Now this was just getting frustrating. Why weren't they even offering to help? He wasn't one to accept it normally, but he couldn't figure out exactly where the milk was. He called for Jack to come over, and the Shepard came willingly, standing by. Jackson placed his hands on the dog's back, but as he pushed up, he slipped once more. This was impossible. Jack whined gently and looked at the boys who had gathered around. They were still laughing as if this was the funniest thing in the world. The dog resisted the urge to snarl, for those little actions would make it so he couldn't come with Jackson here anymore. But he didn't want Jackson coming to a place like this. He didn't deserve it.


They now both felt very helpless, until the crowd starting parting like the seas. Jack perked his large ears forward as the girl flounced her way over, looking angry and perturbed about something. Jackson heard the hush full over the lunchroom, and he tilted his head in question, not understanding. And where in the world were his sunglasses. The boys were still around him, some of them still laughing. "Yeah..hilarious. Don't know why I'm not laughing." He said furiously and embarrasingly. But his words only sent up more laughter, and if he was a girl, he'd be crying by now. But Jackson didn't cry, and the hurt that now gathered in his heart sat like a ton of bricks. He'd carry the shame in silence. Sighing, he heard the heels tapping on the floor and suddenly heard a loud voice snap through the silence. he flinched, and it wasn't even directed towards him. Before he knew it people were moving away from him left and right, and he looked around in confusion, not knowing which sound to focus on. He heard the group around him start to thin, and by the sound of their footsteps, they were moving quickly. The one who was now being yelled at flinched away, and he disappeared in another moment, hurrying out of the cafeteria. He had just been torn apart by one of the Queen Bees. Things weren't going to go well for him today, or anymore really. Too bad for him.Finally attention was being focused away from the blind kid on the ground, but there were questions floating around. Why was a girl like Courtney helping a boy like Jackson? It just didn't make sense. He didn't belong to a clique, and even if he did, it wasn't going to be the jocks. And that was where the Queen Bees were found. Not with the Outcasts. Which Jackson could very well fit in.


He shook his head and lifted his hand to his shirt, feeling the food substances upon it. Well this was great. Frustration tore through him. He couldn't see his God damn shirt to wipe it all off! He felt like yelling at the first person that approached him. Except for her. For she had helped him, and he could only be thankful. But her movements were fast and quick, and he hadn't expected her to sweep in on him like that. He flinched as she brushed the food off of him, and he was suddenly being dragged to his feet. Well that was new. He stumbled slightly and his hand went to her arm to steady himself without really meaning to. Finally straght now, he let go of her and then looked in her direction, his eyes down to the floor. "Yeah...you can say that again." He pointed out about the asshole part and then looked over his shoulder. Where was Jack? Jack had placed himself off to the side, watching his owner carefully. He didn't want to impose on anything. Jackson picked up on the panting and the slight whines, for his hearing was much better than anyone elses. Feeling comforted, he lfaced her once more, listening to her words. He stepped to the side and realized with a grimace that he had found his sunglasses. With a crack, he lifted his foot up quickly as he smashed them and leaned down, groping for a moment before finding them. "Well that's lovely." He said under his breath and then heard her next words. "It's nice to meet you Courtney. I'm Jackson Daniels..and I really appreciate your help." He said easily, not wanting to point out that he hadn't seen the kid coming or anything like that. That would just give it all away. He was about to walk away, for he knew who she was. She was part of the popular crowd, and there was no way she'd want to be around him.

[shellyness]

Courtney had noticed how he refused to look at her. She had thought this rude before glancing down at his dog. She pondered for a moment. Disabilities? Possibly.

"It's nice to meet you Courtney. I'm Jackson Daniels..and I really appreciate your help."

She nodded. "Good to meet you, Jackson. And it was my pleasure, no one has manners anymore these days." See? Courtney Phillips could be nice. If she tried, that is. Usually, she was a downright bitch. She still was unsure of why she helped Jackson. Courney glanced down and noticed that his glasses had broken when he had stepped on them. She looked back up at him. He seemed quite unsure of himself. As if whether he was even allowed to talk to her. For some reason, Jackson had really gotten to her. The way he refused to look at her in the eye. It also intruiged her in a way. She bent down and lightly patted the shepard, smiling kindly. "He's so cute. What's his name?" She straightened back up and raised a brow as Jackson proceeded to walk away. Her hands instantly went to her hips. "Oh, you're walking away from me now?" she said in a teasing voice, but being perfectly serious at the same time. She walked forward, and grabbed him by the arm, leading him towards the cafeteria. "Come with me." But as soon as she said that, she dropped her hand. "Oh, perhaps you should clean up first?"

[Jackson Daniels]

Jackson took a deep breath, exhaling softly. He really shouldn't be near her right now. He honestly shouldn't. He felt the stares on himself as people passed by, no doubt furrowing their brows at this new guy near Courtney Phillips. The Courtney Phillips. She was never nice to anyone unless she wanted something, she was part of the Queen Bees. And now she was around that freak. Aidan could hear them all now, and it was making him highly uncomfortable. He shook his head slightly, and whistled softly to Jack. The Shepard came bonding over, wagging his tail slightly and looking back to Courtney. Jack touched his nose to Jackson's hand, and he whined gently, pushed it a little. Jackson looked down at him, giving him a confused look. What was he on about. But apparently Courtney was thinking the same thing about Jackson leaving. He heard her first words, before he had started to leave. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, unfortunately. You don't have to be so nice though." He pointed out, feeling as if she was going out of her way. He really appreciated it, he did, but it was different. No one had ever helped him before in this school, so why were they starting to now? Maybe it was because she didn't know he was blind. That had to be it.


She seemed so sure of herself and positive of where she belonged and where everyone's else place was. Jackson wasn't like that. He used to be, definitely. But things had changed. When he had had his eyesight and his father was still alive, Jackson had been the total opposite. He was outgoing and not shy at all, and he wasn't afraid to look anyone in the eye. He was the quarter back of the football team, was on the starting line for the varsity soccer team, short stop for the baseball team and a part of the track team. He had done it all, and he had done well at what he did. But that was all ruined on his way to an out of city baseball game. He still blamed himself to this day, and ever since then, he had been shut up and solitary, not trusting himself to get close to anyone. And he didn't know what to do now. He heard her words about his dog, and he looked to Jack, who was now being petted softly. The dog reached up to lick her hand, and Jackson looked back to her, his eyes still diverted. "Thanks. His name's Jack. I didn't name him.." He said with a shrug. When he had gotten Jack he hadn't had the heart to change the dog's name. It was similar to his, but he didn't care. It wasn't a big deal. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled softly and then began his slow movements to move away from Courtney. It wasn't like he didn't want to be around her, because he did, but he could hear all of the whispered words around them. Why was she with him? What were they doing? What did she see in that blind boy? He could hear them, but of course they did not know that. They didn't think enough to understand that his other senses were much more powerful because of the loss of his sight. He relied mostly on his hearing and his touch. That was how he got around. Hearing her words about him walking away, he looked hastily back at her, reddening slightly. Oh..no. I mean, it's just..don't you...well....no. I'm fine. I don't have any other clothes here, and I think this is about as clean as I'm going to get right now." He finished, not knowing how to answer her first words. Suddenly her hand was on his arm, and he jumped slightly, hoping she didn't notice that. He hadn't expected the touch. As she started pulling him into the cafeteria, he shook his head frantically. "It's not a good idea Courtney. I'm not..I'm not like you. I wish I was, but if you're seen with me they'll all talk. Courtney..I can't see. That's why the guy ran into me. I didn't know he was coming. That's why I couldn't get up. I couldn't see the milk on the floor. Please Courtney, I don't want them to talk about you for being near me." He said painfully, looking in her direction. And finally his eyes met hers. The blue, green, grey and brown hues mixed perfectly together, making them quite attractive. But the film that hovered over them gave him an eery look, and he knew that. That was why he wore sunglasses or glasses to help. But she kept pulling him, and he was trying to make her understand that this could ruin her reputation. He liked her, he did, but he didn't want to ruin things for her.

[shellyness]

"Yeah, unfortunately. You don't have to be so nice though."

She knew she was being a bit too nice. She felt a ripple of shame overcome through her, but she ignored this feeling. "No worries," Courtney said brightly. She could feel several eyes upon the two. "Courtney!" someone called her. She turned around, seeing one of her friends. "Later," she said in a cold voice, which in others words meant 'F*ck off.' But she was being nice, wasn't she? She really didn't care much what people thought about her, or what rumors were said about her. It was high school, after all. Besides, it wasn't her fault that some people had been jealous of her. After all, she WAS Courtney Phillips. So she couldn't blame them in a way. Basically, to put it short, she just really didn't care. They weren't her. Nor did they pay the bills. So why try to impress people who were not significant in her life? Sure. She dressed flashy. She did what she wanted. Sure, she was a Queen Bee. But that's because that was who she was. Purely her.

She giggled lightly as the dog softly licked at her. "Thanks. His name's Jack. I didn't name him.." he had said. "Mm, irony at it's finest, huh? He is adorable, though." She patted him once more before grabbing his arm again.

"Oh..no. I mean, it's just..don't you...well....no. I'm fine. I don't have any other clothes here, and I think this is about as clean as I'm going to get right now."

She raised a brow in amusement. It was odd, the was Jackson stuttered. "Okay then, if you're su--" and her words were interrupted.

"It's not a good idea Courtney. I'm not..I'm not like you. I wish I was, but if you're seen with me they'll all talk. Courtney..I can't see. That's why the guy ran into me. I didn't know he was coming. That's why I couldn't get up. I couldn't see the milk on the floor. Please Courtney, I don't want them to talk about you for being near me."

She slowly dropped her hand out of shock. How could she have been so stupid? It seemed somewhat obvious now. What Jackson didn't realize, though, was that Courtney didn't judge people for if they had disabilities or anything like that. Queen bee or not, that wasn't the way she rolled. "Oh..I didn't realize," she said sheepishly, a flush creeping up upon her pale cheeks.

"Please Courtney, I don't want them to talk about you for being near me."This kept ringing through her head. She felt entirely horrible. She really didn't want Jackson feeling like that, especially worrying about HER. "Don't worry about me," she said in a thick voice, her eyes brightening up a bit. For some reason, she felt like a bitch. And wasn't quite sure why.

[[ooc: Thats really touching lol]]

[Jackson Daniels]

Aidan's muscles flexed slightly as he pulled himself to a stop, and realized he was losing his balance once more. Something was wrong. He didn't usually get so clumsy. He could usually function without many problems, and yet today it was different. He had made a fool out of himself in the lunch room, and now everyone would know him for being the one that fell and couldn't get back up. He didn't want that to be him. Sighing softly, he noticed with a slight grimace that his head was aching. He didn't remember if he had hit his head upon the floor or not when he had been knocked down, but it didn't matter. He'd be fine. Shaking his head slightly, as if it would get the pain to stop, he glanced over as he heard her voice once more. No worries. Despite his uneasiness and embarrassment over this whole entire situation, he gave her a thankful smile. It was nice to know that someone actually cared and wasn't helping him out of pity. She had no idea that he was blind, and he would have kept it from her for longer, if she was not about to make a fool of herself for hanging out with a blind guy. He took a deep breath and exhaled, then heard her voice ringing across the floor. He backed up a step hastily, trying to block the fact that she was standing right next to him. He could just be making sure that his dog was alright.


At that thought, he bent down slightly, letting his hands run over Jack's head, scratching him easily behind the ears where his favorite spot was. Jack wagged his tail happily, and Jackson kept at it until he heard Courtney's cold tone ripple across to her friend. He furrowed his brow and straightened, looking to her quietly. "You could have talked to her. I don't want to impose." He said politely, showing he was one of those that actually still had manners. He stood still now, and Jack looked from Courtney to Jackson, and kept repeating the process. Maybe Courtney would help Jackson feel at more ease in this school. Anything could and would most likely help. Jackson ran his hands over his shirt once more to brush any extra food off that might still be there, and he felt a few pieces of salad fall off. That was great. He probably had dressing all over him. At least there were only two more periods before he could get changed. As she spoke about Jack's name, he smiled and then felt her grab his arm again. He didn't flinch this time, because he was a bit used to it, but his heartbeat did start to race once more. He had to make her understand that it wouldn't be good if she was seen with him. Seeing as they were about to move and enter the cafeteria again, Jack lifted himself from his sitting position, and looked to Jackson quietly. He'd be paying more attention this time, and now that Courtney was here it'd only help. Jackson was definitely still hesitant though. Hearing her cut off words, he cringed slightly, wondering how she was going to react.


Most people didn't realize at first that he was blind. He usually hid it so well that it was a bit difficult to believe. He backed away an uncertain step, and realized that a person behind him had to sidestep to keep from missing him. Why was he being such a clutz today? "Watch it. Can't you see where I'm going jerk?" The girl threw out, not realizing. Jackson reddened and let his eyes drop, wanting Courtney to figure it all out. He wanted to hang out with her, become friends, but things here just wouldn't allow it. He couldn't let her ruin her reputation because of him. Hearing her words, he nodded his head slightly. "Most people don't. I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry Courtney...really sorry." He said honestly and then waited for anymore words. He felt awkward now waiting for her response, and he wondered how angry she was going to get. At her next words, he heard the thickness in them, and he instantly felt worse than he already did. He hated making people feel bad, or anything along those lines. "You should go with your friends...if you want.." He finished, letting her know he wouldn't mind if she wanted to go and sit with her friends now. It would bother him slightly, but not much. He couldn't attach himself like this. It only hurt him in the end.


OOC: Lol...which part?

[shellyness]

Noticing how unsteadily Jackson was walking, Courtney frowned slightly. "Are you okay..?" She figured he had probably hit himself when he had fallen. Nevertheless, she steadily grabbed his arm again, smiling lightly. Again, she didn't care what anyone else said or thought. She still wasn't quite sure why she was being so nice. She liked Jackson. He seemed like a nice guy, and certainly a good friend. Which was saying something, since most people at Matthew Hopkins were every bit fake. Except of course, Zia, and a few other select people. Not many people opened up to Courtney like this.

"You could have talked to her. I don't want to impose." he had said, referring to when Courtney had talked to the girl. "On, don't worry about it. It's fine," she said sincerely. As they entered the cafeteria, Courtney's blue eyes wandered around, glancing at the table where she and her girls usually sat. Clearly, making him sit there was not the best option. She was willing to sit with him, if it was alright with him.

"You should go with your friends...if you want.."

"Don't be silly, Jackson," she said with a smile. "I'll sit with you. It's nothing, really." And she meant it.