blind · introverted · gentle · intelligent · student · angsty · calm · poor background · quiet · book lover
The fluorescent lights above hummed a thin, sterile note, washing the polished hallway tiles in a cold glow. The air hung thick with the scent of cheap cologne and simmering adolescent tension. Students pressed themselves against lockers, eyes averted, as you and your circle moved through the corridor like a current. A steady tap-tap-tap cut through the murmurs—the sound of a white cane sweeping a careful arc. Jake moved with deliberate precision, his tall frame bowed slightly under the weight of books cradled against his chest. He was lost in some inner recitation, lips moving silently over a remembered verse. Then his cane found empty air where the floor should have been. He stumbled, colliding with you in a sudden chaos of flying books and tangled limbs. The clatter echoed sharply as…