The minute I saw him, I knew he was different. It wasn't just because he was the first blind guy I had ever met. Okay, that's like, half the reason. Still, that's not the only reason. He was different because of the way he held himself. I could tell he had been through something rough, yet he was still goofy. I don't know how I knew it, but I did.

I just didn't know how different he really was.

I was sitting in math class, dozing off when the teacher snapped my name.

"Elyse!" she cried. Mrs. Evans was a short and stout woman, with unattractive brown eyes. She had gray hair, and looked like an evil grandmother who would burn cookies on purpose. Talk about cruel!

"The answer is 13," I sighed, looking at the problem on the board. Easy.

Mrs. Evans clicked her tongue, the way she does when she's disappointed that I got it right. Right after this happens, the classroom door opens and a new student walks in. The first thing I noticed was that he was ridiculously, unnaturally tall. It was embarrassing for me. I was already the shortest, tiniest sophomore; I didn't need a stupid boy to rub it in. He had strawberry blonde hair that swept over his eyes, which was the new fad nowadays. Joy.

The boy held out a yellow sheet, and the teacher had to walk over and grab it. She read over the sheet, and then looked up at the boy, and then back at the sheet again. She acted like something was wrong here. I watched them curiously.

"Everyone, please welcome Iggy," Mrs. Evans said, "Here, I will help you to your desk."

I frowned, looking over Iggy again. He didn't look mentally challenged. In fact, he looked a bit dangerous. Mrs. Evans led him over to the empty desk to mine.

"Elyse will tell you what's on the board," she said, and went back to the front of the classroom. Okay, weird.

"Hi, I'm Elyse," I introduced myself, holding out my hand. Iggy looked my way, but didn't shake my hand. In fact, he didn't even meet my eyes. That's when I saw his eyes, for the first time really. They were the palest blue I had ever seen. "So, um…the board says-"

"Do you know how to build a bomb using a curling iron, hairspray and nail polish?" Iggy suddenly asked.

I was startled, but I answered honestly, "Well yeah, if you 2/3 nailpolish and 1/3 hairspray, and set the curling iron on exactly 130 degrees, and then-"

"Ever tried it?" he asked.

"Nope, and don't plan to," I replied. Okay, I'm not a goody-two-shoe, but I try to stay away from bombs. You know; things that kill people. I felt uncomfortable by being off topic while the teacher wrote on the board. "So, the board says-" I said it a bit louder than usual.

"I'm blind, not deaf," Iggy said, sarcastically.

"You're blind?" I gasped, unsure of what to say. I had never met a blind person before, let alone talked to one.

"Blind means that I can't see," Iggy said, with a smirk on his face. Now, he thought I was stupid. Great.

"I know what it means," I didn't snarl it, or hiss it. I simply said it.

So, that started our crazy friendship.

My name is Elyse, and this is the story about how I met a very special boy. He took me on special adventures. This boy was mysterious, goofy, dangerous, and most of all, perfect.

This is a story about love, friendship and what people will do to save the ones they love. This is also the story about choosing between family, and the one you really, really love.

This is also a story about you. This story involves the whole world. This story involves the human existence. The only reason you are alive to read this is because of this boy.

I hope this story makes you laugh, cry, and make you realize what is really important.