Thanks for the reviews: Let Me Live Without This, Mistress of Darkness, inufan-308, Galateagirl, cutereviewgirl.

A quick note: So far so good, right? I'm really surprised about how popular this story is already. I kind of expected just Samantha-Girl Scout and a couple of the others that read A Collection to be the only ones to read this. Thanks!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 2: Trying to Figure out this Life

Isn't anyone trying to find me

Won't somebody come take me home

It's a damn, cold night

Trying to figure out this life

Won't you take me by the hand

Take me somewhere new

I don't know who you are

But I, I'm with you

I'm with you

Sam sat on a bench beside the fountain, her head turned toward the sound of the trickling water. She heard someone sit beside her and felt a familiar presence. "Hello, Danny. I'm guessing you accepted my offer."

"I talked myself into it," he admitted.

She heard footsteps, and someone else joined them on the bench. "Who's that with you?"

Danny looked over at Tucker, his best friend. "I'm Tucker," the black teen said, leaning over Danny to shake the girl's hand. "I hear you tutor."

She smiled. "Only for special cases. So, I guess Danny told you about our meeting on the bridge."

"Some of it," Danny interjected.

She had a feeling he hadn't told Tucker about the attempted suicide. "Am I tutoring both of you then?"

"No, I'm just here to lose a bet," Tucker admitted. "I didn't think you were real."

She laughed. "I'm very real, trust me." She turned her attention to Danny. "So, what do you need help on?"

"Everything," he muttered. "Tomorrow, I have a description exercise due, three pages of math, and an essay on the Romans."

She was silent for a moment, returning her unseeing eyes to the fountain. "What does that fountain look like?"

At first he was confused then he realized she wanted him to describe it so she could picture it. "Um…" He looked over the fountain, trying to decide where to begin. "Water is trickling down from a bronze statue erected in the middle of a small pool. Blue tiles decorate the bottom and the ledge around the base. Ugh, this is hard!"

She smiled, and Tucker laughed. "It was a good try," Sam assured him. "I probably should have started you on something easier." She reached out her hand, which he hesitantly took. "Take me to something else, and describe it. Don't tell me what it is. Let's see if I can picture it."

"I'll catch you two lovebirds later," Tucker said.

"We're not lovebirds!" they shouted. Danny was suddenly glad she was blind and couldn't see him blushing.

They spent the afternoon in the park while Danny described different things to her. Sam almost felt she could see as his skills began to get better and better. His math wasn't too hard, and when he had problems, he'd read the problem out loud to her. They skipped the essay altogether because there was no way he'd be able to research and write a ten-page essay on the Romans in one afternoon.

"We'll meet here every day after school, all right?" Sam brushed grass of her skirt as she prepared to leave even though she couldn't see it. "Remember to write your description tonight."

"I will. Sam?"

She turned toward his voice. "Yeah, Danny?"

He hesitated. "Thanks," he said finally. "I really appreciate your help."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow."

Danny sat at his desk, staring at the blank paper before him. He couldn't think of anything to describe now that Sam wasn't here. He was to write it like a paragraph for a story; Danny was no artist with words. He'd never be able to do this. He closed his eyes, and an image of Sam sitting alone on the park bench came to mind. He opened his eyes and began to write.

She sat alone on the rough, wooden bench in the park. Her face was turned toward the fountain, her raven hair moved by a gentle breeze. A smile tugged at her full, red lips, and she raised a hand to push back her dark locks, revealing her sparkling, lilac eyes. Her eyes were alive with so many emotions, yet her clothing was that of a goth. A black baby tee framed her slender upper form while a mini skirt adorned her lower half, revealing strong, creamy legs. But she would never know just how beautiful she looked sitting alone upon that bench because her eyes never betrayed this little-known fact: she was blind.

Surprised, yet satisfied, Danny set his pen down and carefully put the masterpiece away in his school stuff. Sam was right. Life could only get better after hitting rock bottom.

Danny could actually concentrate in all his classes the next day. His math teacher was amazed as Danny's hand shot up to answer almost every question, and he even tried his hand at those he didn't know. Even though he didn't have his essay, his history teacher was stunned that when she asked Danny about certain facts, the usual dozing teen was actually paying enough attention to at least make an educated guess. His English teacher was so enamored with his description that he sent it to be published in the school newspaper. Danny could only hope that Sam didn't attend Casper High, but his luck was never that good.

"Well, here's something new." Sam turned toward her teacher who sat down beside her. "Mr. Lancer never likes a student's work, but this Daniel Fenton must have made a good impression."

Sam looked surprised. "What did he write?"

The teacher read it aloud. Sam was flattered, embarrassed, and proud. She could almost see herself through Danny's eyes; it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever written about her. she had never know that her eyes had kept their unusual color, and she was happy to know that she didn't look blind. It was a little embarrassing to know that he thought of her like that. She had never realized just how beautiful she was; she didn't know she could attract guys like that. She would have to thank him for that after school.

Danny met up with Sam at the park after school. "You have no idea how much your tutoring is already helping," he said, breathless from his flight here.

"I think I have an inkling." She motioned to the paper in her lap, and Danny felt his face redden. "I help with the Casper High News so I get a copy of next day's paper: one in Braille, and one to show my parents."

"So…" He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "Did you like it?"

She was silent for a moment. "The last time I saw myself, I was five years old. I never thought I'd see again until I read your description of me. I can see myself through your eyes, and it almost seems like I could figure out my life." She turned to him as he sat beside her. "You're not the only one to have hit rock bottom."

"So I guess we'll figure out each other's lives, huh?" He held out his hand. "Together?"

She grasped the hand he held out, smiling. "Together."