"Why in hell did I just have to save Baie?" I ask, furious. I unbutton my dress shirt, grab my sweater, jacket and shoes that I threw off quickly, and start heading to the locker room.
"Reid, man, it was an accident. I tried to hug her, she pushed me, I stumbled back and we both fell. Everyone tried to grab her and I couldn't find her in the water. Then you came and saved her." Tyler explains, trying to wrap his head around it all.
"That doesn't answer my fucking question!" I yell, taking my wet slacks off. If she didn't make it, the last image of my little Baie would've been her crying. I shake my head and grab my swimming trunks and change quickly. I throw my sweats on and walkout, furious.
"Reid, calm down. It was an accident." Caleb says as he walks in. I sigh heavily and run my hands over my face and through my hair. I shake my head slightly and walk away, back into the locker room. I can't believe that that just happened, that Baie could've died right there. That I made Baie cry. That no one could find her in the water. How could no one find her? I mean, her hair is pitch black for Christ's sake! I sit on a bench and place my face in my hands. As more thoughts of what could have happened ran through my head, I hear the doors open and close. Soon, Pogue and Caleb are standing in front of me.
"What?" I say, trying to sound annoyed. I was actually happy that they came in, preventing me from crying. Caleb stood as Pogue sat next to me and pats my shoulder.
"Reid, man, come on, what's eatin' at you? We all have seen it lately and today just seemed to push you over the edge." Pogue explains. I look up at Caleb and look at Pogue strangely.
"You guys must be fucking hallucinating 'cause I'm perfectly fine. I'm acting just like I always do, nothing's changed so I don't know what in hell you're talking about." I explain, sitting up a little. Caleb sighs and turns. He starts to pace as Pogue just looks at me.
"Yeah, that's the problem. You're treating Baie like you would us and you're not seeing the effects. Dude, you fucking made Baie cry today! Do you not see what you're doing to her?!" Caleb yells. We all know that Caleb takes extra care of Baby Baie because of her… her disability? Caleb is, and forever will be, that annoying over-protective older brother, just like Tyler and Pogue, even though Tyler shouldn't be considered 'older'. They're twins. With me, it's a different love. I'm in love with the little brat. I would never admit it to anyone, but I wouldn't have to. Everyone already knew. Caleb stopped pacing and looked me in the eyes. "So, what the fuck has gotten into your brain?! To treat her like you would Kate, or one of us!" He yells. I shake my head and look down.
"I don't know, Caleb. I'm sorry; you really think that I want to hurt her?! My little Baie?! If you think so then you're fucking mental!" I yell right back, standing up. If he thinks that he can make me feel more shit then I already have, he has a rude awakening. "You really think that I'm not putting myself through enough hell?! You really think that I like seeing Baie in pain, much less on the fucking brink of death? You have to be kidding me! You of all of these punk ass, bitched face people should fucking know how much I care Caleb! Or when did you not hear about me being there every time I had her back, every time she cried, every time someone made the mistake of taking her kindness for weakness and trying to fuck her over backwards?!" I yell, willing him to understand. If he only understood how much I wanted to take back what I said, how much I wanted to make sure that I was never the reason she cried tears of hurt, but of happiness and love. Caleb starts to look down and Pogue is standing at this point.
"Guys, let's not let this get out of hand. Reid, we just wanted to tell you that you can't keep doing this: it'll tear you both up. It'll tear everyone up. One reason why I came in here actually was to tell you what Baie meant earlier. There is going to be a bonfire at The Dells and Kate and Baie's new roommate is going to be there. You gonna come?" He asks, trying to get us on a new topic.
"Is Baie gonna be there?" I ask. I'm her guide, whether she's mad at me or not. Pogue just smirks and nods, knowing my answer. Caleb looks down. He brings up a hand and runs it through his hair.
"Yeah, I guess." By the time he answers, everyone from the swim team walks in for showers, signaling that practice was over. I turn and open my locker, only to find my uniform still soaked. School's over. Fuck the damn dress code. I think to myself as I grab a pair of jeans and a simple black worn out t-shirt. I pull my red sweater over it and my leather jacket. As I exit, Aaron grabs my arm. I yank my arm from his nasty ass grip and keep walking, only to get hit with something in the back of the head. Before I have time to react, Pogue, Caleb and Tyler are pulling me away from him.
"You're gonna be fucking sorry the next time you fucking touch me Aaron!" I threaten as Caleb yanks my sweater, making me choke. Pogue and Caleb throw me in front of them and push me down the hall. "What are you guys doing?" I ask as they push me down another hall.
"Baie's out of her shower. So we are all going to go help her get ready. And you're her guide so we thought you might want to be there." Tyler explains. As I look over my shoulder, I see that the guys' eyes turn black and their clothes appear on their bodies, not having enough time to change. I shake my head and walk to Baie's dorm, not bothering to knock. As I walk in I see that Kate isn't fully dressed yet, so I cover my eyes and walk right back out, knowing that if I did watch or say anything sarcastic, Pogue would beat the living hell out of me. I close the door behind me and lean against it. As the boys walk up, they try to open the door, but I stop them. They all look at me sideways and I shake my head.
"Well, Kate isn't fully dressed, so I think we should all just stay out here for a second…"I explain, receiving a punch in the gut from Pogue. As I sink to the ground, I notice that Caleb pushed him away and Tyler crouched next to me.
"Did you see anything?" Tyler asked. I shake my head and grab my stomach, trying to stop the pain.
"Other than her legs, no. And I wasn't exactly looking on purpose either." I choke out, rolling on my back. Caleb spreads his hands to my direction.
"Hear that Pogue, that was for no reason." Caleb explains. Pogue sighs and he offers me a hand. I grab it and pull myself up slowly. Pogue shakes his head and walks to the door. He opens it slowly, trying not to scare Kate. He ushers us in. As I walk past him, he slaps the back of my head. I flip him off and go and sit next to Ty on Baie's bed. Baie is sitting in the chair in front of their vanity. Kate was in the middle of doing her make-up and after she was done Ty would do her hair. Ty always got shit for doing Baie's hair, but who the fuck cares? That's his sister. I run a hand through my hair and get looks from Caleb and Pogue. I sigh and walk over to Baby Baie. I lean to her ear and whisper six words that no other person will ever hear.
"I'm so sorry, forgive me, please?" I whisper in her ear, ever so softly. I see her shudder and smirk playfully.
"I'm not so sure yet. Prove to me that I should forgive you." And with that, I was shooed away by Kate. I hang my head low and resume my spot next to Ty. Tyler just raises his eyebrows and looks at me expectantly. I shake my head and place my elbows on my knees, head in hands. I sit like that until I feel Tyler get up. My hands move slightly as I watch Tyler blow dry and straighten her hair. Her long, pitch black hair that every girl envies. And those beautiful crystal blue eyes that every woman admires. Those eyes are the only eyes that will ever affect me in way no one can understand. They bring more than any words could describe. Reluctantly, I look around the room, hoping that no one caught me staring. As I look at my brothers, I see that my hopes are crushed. Caleb is staring in disbelief and Pogue shakes his head while Kate just smirks. I shake my head and walk to the door, only to be stopped by a voice.
"Reid, wait. I'm almost done." Baie says. I shake my head, forgetting that she's blind. I stop and speak.
"Uh, Baby Baie, the boys and I have to go. Kate will be your guide until I get there. I'll find you at the Dell's, okay? I promise." I reassure her, looking at Kate with a threatening glare. Pogue stands abruptly and places a protective arm around her waist. Kate puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Pogue, it's okay. He loves her and if I ever let anything happen to her, I probably would let him kill me." She whispers low enough so Baie won't hear. Pogue stands down and I turn on my heel and walk out, only looking back to see my Baie looking at her beautiful reflection, unknowingly.
I hope one day she'll finally be able to see how beautiful she is, how much she affects me. And one day, I hope I have enough courage to tell her, my best friend, how I truly feel. On that same day, I hope she'll tell me that she feels the same. Every day after that, I pray that I can make her smile and help her see, truly see. I think to myself as we all walk out. If she only knew how much she affected me, let alone everyone else. If only she could see…
As Pogue and the boys walk out, I notice that Reid looks back a final time before leaving. I don't think he realizes it but around Baie, his eyes give away every feeling he feels. I think that her 'condition' affects him the most.
"When is our roommate getting here?" She asks lazily. I giggle and shake my head.
"In about, uh I don't know, five, ten minutes?" I respond. I walk over to my dresser and pull out a peach half shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I slip those on and as I do, there's a knock on the door. I walk over and open it, to reveal a pretty girl. She was a little taller than me, really pretty complexion, pale blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"Hi," I greet, holding my hand out. "I'm Kate." I introduce. Baie stands and slowly walks over.
"And I'm Baie." She introduces. I grab her hand and guide her over next to me. She grabs my arm, as she usually does Reid. I smirk and look at the girl. She smiles sadly at Baie and turns to me.
"I'm Sarah. It's really nice to meet you!" She says excitedly. I move Baie and I out of her way and grab one of her bags. I place it on her new bed and walk by the wall, taking Baie with me. Sarah turns to me and points to Baie and mouths 'Is she blind?' I nod and silently moved a hand in front of her face to show her. Sarah just smiles sadly towards her and walks over.
"So," I begin. "there is a party tonight at the Dell's. Would you like to come with us?" I ask. I watch as her face brightens and she smiles happily. She nods and I smile warmly at her. About a half hour later, I lead Baie to Sarah's car and we, well I, lead her to the Dell's to meet our boys.