Author's Note: OK, next week I will be gone to be a Youth Leader at Children's Camp with my church, but I think I'm going to get this update, and another one done before I leave Monday morning, because Sunday I have to stay at a friend's house all day. So, I won't be gone for very long, but I won't be able to update until probably the next Monday after that.

Chapter Fourteen

And The Doctor Said

Two weeks went by were things at school slowly began to be normal again, with just a few major changes. Ashley A. came back to school with a completely new nose, everybody knowing this one was fake, instead of just assuming like with the last one, Ashley T. had since stopped hanging out with the Ashley's and started hanging out with TJ's group, Vince had come back to his old group, leaving most of his popular group in the dust, and of course, Spinelli's eyesight had not yet returned to her. But, the two very major events that had changed the school completely, one was Lawson's court date being set, him getting prepared for court, and the second was that the legendary drinker at their school, who could down more drinks than anybody else, had quit drinking cold turkey. The Hustler Kid had joined the alcohol prevention program that Mike Frecely, and King Bob formerly, belonged too. He was allowed to go around to other schools in the area with Mike Frecely, showing other students that if he could reform then any student could, and showing the other student's that Mike Frecely's speaking, along with certain events, really could change somebody's life.

This particular day during their study hall, TJ, Ashley T, Gretchen, Vince, Gus, Mikey, and Spinelli were in an otherwise empty classroom. Gretchen and Vince were, as usual, fighting. The rest of the group had accepted Vince back, but Gretchen still didn't want anything to do with him. Ashley T was arguing with Mikey over whether or not the dating service was a complete and total failure. Gus was trying to make a project for the art class that he had signed up for, figuring it would be easy, only to find out it wasn't. The others could hear him muttering under his breath. Spinelli was using the computer in this particular room that could hear her voice and type out her assignments for her. She would read brail from her text books, or from the sheet containing the questions and then speak out loud to the computer, and the answer would appear on the screen. TJ was just sitting back, watching his girlfriend struggle with her homework, he knew that all she wanted was to have her vision back. To be able to do things normally. Over the past two weeks Spinelli's temper had been flaring, she had become extremely moody and distant. TJ knew as her boyfriend it was his duty to help her out during her time of need. But, Spinelli kept a closed heart and wouldn't let anybody in. Of course she did tell TJ she loved him all the time, but she wasn't willing to share with him the pain that she felt about not being able to see. Also, when she had heard news of Lawson's court date, Spinelli had become extremely quiet and hadn't wanted to talk for hours. TJ was afraid if she didn't express her emotions she might blow or something. So, he quietly stood up and went to stand behind his girlfriend.

"Hi beautiful," he greeted her.

"Hey," she greeted back, then said, "Crap, Teej, you just made it type that and I was almost done. Thanks a lot."

"Sorry," TJ muttered.

"Yah, its okay," Spinelli said, not sounding as if it was okay, "I don't know how to backspace though."

"Here, let me help you out," TJ said, leaning over her and pressing the backspace button, "You know, you could learn to type without being able to see."

"But how am I supposed to know if I made a mistake or not?" Spinelli asked, "Quit trying to make this better Teej, it's not going to be better. Ever."

"But ..," TJ started, but Spinelli interrupted him.

"Trust me," Spinelli said, angrily, "I want this to be better to, but I don't think its going to end up that way for me."

"We have to find a way to help Spinelli," TJ said to his friends later that day, when Spinelli wasn't there, "The doctor said the blindness may only be temporary. Maybe we can do something to help Spinelli get her sight back. Like, try something that's supposed to help."

"You're reaching Teej," Vince warned him.

"So, its the love of his life," Gretchen snapped at Vince, "Some people will do anything for the one's they love."

"Oh, some people," Vince said sarcastically, "I take it that's a stab at me, isn't it?"

"Will you two shut up?" TJ snapped at both of them, "We're trying to help Spinelli here, not listen to you guys argue over the same crap you've been arguing over for two weeks. We realized Vince was being a jerk, and we even know why you can't forgive him Gretch, but if you guys don't shut up I'm going to make both of you hate me too."

"I have heard something," Ashley T spoke up quietly. She still felt a little weird being in this group after so many years of making fun of them, and she didn't like to speak out in front of all them yet.

"Go ahead," TJ urged her. He knew Ashley T felt a little weird, and he also knew he should do something to make her feel welcome, but right now the main thing on his mind was helping Spinelli, but he had a feeling that Ashley T and Mikey had become very close since she came back to school last week.

"Well, I don't remember where I heard it, but I did hear that music can help bring back sight, especially like opera music (A/N: thanx lilvickiryan for the idea it really helps with this particular chapter)," Ashley T said, nervously. The other five friends looked at each other, none of them had heard of this before, but it didn't mean that it wasn't true.

"Spin hates opera music," Gus mused.

"But if it'll bring her sight back ..," Mikey said, "I'm sure she'd eagerly listen to it for once."

"OK Spin," TJ said, leading his girlfriend back into the same classroom the next morning during their study period. As the two of them walked in they heard opera music playing from all directions and Spinelli wrinkled her nose.

"Why are we listening to opera? Teej, you know I can't stand opera," Spinelli informed him.

"Well, we had this idea, see, Ashley T heard somewhere that if you listen to opera music then it might help get your sight back," TJ explained. Spinelli sighed as she heard TJ's explanation.

"Teej, do you mind if we talk alone for a minute?" Spinelli asked him. He nodded to the others, who quickly left the room.

"What's the matter baby?" TJ asked her.

"TJ, you have to accept the fact that my sight isn't going to come back," Spinelli told him, sighing as TJ helped her sit down.

"Temporary blindness means that it will come back," TJ said to her, sitting down next to her.

"Not this time Teej," Spinelli said quietly, "The doctor said it might be temporary blindness, we have to face the fact that my sight is not coming back."

"You have to have faith!" TJ commanded of her, "You have to believe in yourself. You will get your sight back."

"TJ, I love you," Spinelli started, "That's why I'm going to tell you this. I'm going to the doctor today. He says he'll be able to tell me if I'm ever going to see again today."

"And you don't think you will?" TJ asked, desperately.

"TJ, that night," Spinelli said, TJ didn't have to ask what night she was talking about, "I lost my vision of myself, of who I was. I had become madder at my best friend, at you, for drinking, and still rode with my drunken boyfriend, that I knew I shouldn't have. I became the one thing in the world I truly hated her. A drunk driver and a drunk driver's companions. I always said the idiots who let them drive drunk deserve to be thrown in jail too. My vision of myself being better than that was destroyed. Then, my real vision was destroyed. I think the symbolism between the two will always be there, I will never be able to see that vision of myself again, so I don't think I will ever gain back my real vision either."

TJ opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words. He had never even drawn the comparison before, and he knew no one else had. But, when he finally did speak, he said something simple, something that showed Spinelli that he really wanted to be with her, no matter what, "Can I go to the doctor's with you?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli, Ms. Spinelli, Mr. Detweiler," the doctor said at about six that evening. He looked around at the two adults, and the two teenagers that sat in his office. Normally, nobody but family was allowed to hear about the medical problems of the person, but he had realized just how much Ms. Spinelli had needed this young man, so he snuck him in, saying he was a brother, and now Mr. Detweiler was holding Ms. Spinelli's hand, looking nervously at the doctor, hoping, praying for the good news that he wanted, "We got the tests back. And Ms. Spinelli, I'm so sorry, but you're vision isn't going to come back. You are permanently blind."

The doctor watched as the two adults in the group burst into tears, and as the two teenagers hugged. He was amazed by the teenagers ability to be stronger in this situation than the adults. He knew that this young girl, and this young man, who was obviously head over heels, could pull through this. He had just hoped that maybe this one girl, just this one, could have completely healed.