There was dust on the doorbell, which made it hard to press down properly. Once pressed, it didn't make any sound, and I stood there, wondering if Isaac could he could hear me or not. He suddenly opened the door, stepped out onto the porch, and extended his walking stick.

"Hi Isaac. I'm sorry if your feelings got hurt last night."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm fine." He seemed to have forgotten about yesterday, so I went with it.

"Why's your doorbell all messed up?" I asked.

"Well, we don't get that many visitors, and I don't really leave the house much, because of these." He paused to point at his eyes. "So the bell sort of just doesn't work anymore, but it's fun to see people try to press it." he said.

"I could use one of those." I said.

"Are you ready for support group?" Isaac asked.

"I hate it. It's boring and, just plain horrible." I replied. "My mom makes me go."

"So does mine."

Even though Isaac and I were standing on the leveled porch, he was still a little taller than me, and I practically had to look up to talk to him. He always dressed in these depressing dark colours, like black, blue, and brown occasionally, but I didn't hate it. That day, he was wearing a navy blue shirt and black pants. Plain? Yes. Repulsive? Definitely not.

I realized that I was staring at him, then suddenly looked away. It occurred to me that he was blind, and couldn't tell I was staring.

"With the shittiness of my eyes, I know you were staring at me." he said with a grin. "Wow. The doctors were right. My other senses are improving!"

I laughed and grabbed my oxygen tank. "Come on, we're going to be late." I said.

We got out of the car, laughing at some joke that Isaac had made during the ride. Our laughing settled and I couldn't even remember what we were laughing about. Compared to the night before, I felt so much better. Isaac and I were becoming the unlikeliest of friends.

We walked out of the parking lot and towards the church. I remembered Monica and Isaac making love passionately in front of Monica's bright green car. He deserved better.

I let Isaac walk in front of me so I could guide him in, but looking past him, I saw a sign that read 'Out of Service' taped on the elevator, and a dreaded flight of stairs going down. I remembered the stairs at Anne Frank house, where I could barely breathe.

"Shit." I whispered under my breath.

"What?" Isaac asked as he stopped suddenly.

"Stairs." I said.

"Don't worry, I'll carry you."

"And the oxygen tank? Yeah, I don't think so."

I stared at the stairs like it was Peter Van Houten drinking in my car.

"I can do it." I said, barely believing myself.

"You sure? We can just ditch if you want."

"No. My mom says I have to go, and I probably should."

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, preparing to conquer the stairs.

I can do this I can do this I can do this…

The words chanted in my head until I had enough power to start walking down the stairs. I dragged my oxygen tank down with me, which thumped with every step I took. About 15 steps down, I felt squeezing in my chest and it was difficult to pump air out of my mouth; almost nothing came out and I began to panic. I sucked and released air harder to take a couple more steps.

"Hazel, are you okay?" Isaac asked from behind.

I replied with loud wheezing and some stumbling.

"Hazel?" he asked louder.

The stairs blurred and I felt exhausted. I heard a muffled voice behind me, and I couldn't quite make out the words. Suddenly, everything faded.

My eyes started opening and I saw a familiar figure in front of my face. I could tell the figure was a male with brown hair. I smiled at the sight of him.

"Augustus?"

Filled with joy, I sat up and pressed my lips to his while running my hands through his hair. He kissed back too, with even more passion than I had given him. After five solid seconds, he pulled back. His hair was black and his facial features were all different. When my vision had settled, I realized I'd made a huge mistake.

"It's Isaac." he said.

I blushed and bit my lip, as if it would make things better.

"Oh my god." I said, breathing in the awkwardness in the air.

"Uh… sorry…" I said, still completely shocked.

"Well, it wasn't horrible. I actually enjoyed myself." he said.

His last remark didn't sink in much because I was still processing what I'd just done. Our friendship would be awkward forever. Looking around, I noticed I was in a hospital room, and I remembered that I'd fainted.

"Sorry…" That was all I managed to get out.

"It was fun while it lasted."

I shoved Isaac's chest and he barely moved.

"Let's just pretend that whole fiasco never happened." I suggested.

"You can pretend…"

"You're an idiot, you know." I said, half joking.

"By the way, your parents are waiting outside, talking to my mom."

"Oh. Let's get out of here."

He offered me his hand, but I got up myself, turning down any thoughts he had about us being in love.

When we were walking towards our parents, I said, "Thanks for somehow getting me to the hospital."

"Anytime." he said. I glanced down at his lips, remembering the accident which maybe wasn't so unfortunate after all.

"See you." I said.

"Bye, Hazel." he said.