Peripheral Vision | ✓ [NOW PUBLISHED AS HUNTINGTON AVENUE]

Chapter 24

"Why thank you," she replied in a bit of a sassy tone, yet her smile was still as genuine as ever.

I gave her a grin, realizing how much I was missing out on without my sight.

I have a lot of catching up to do.

~•~•~

"See you later, Hayleigh," I exclaimed as I exited the passenger seat of the car.

"Bye, Zach!" she replied, giving me a wave from the window.

I carefully shut the car door behind me and turned around.

Just like I had expected, the high school I attended looked absolutely massive. My peers were spread out everywhere, and it was extremely overwhelming. There were people at every corner, enjoying brief conversations and friends. I slung my book bag over my back and started walking across the school grounds.

I could feel the cool autumn breeze against my face as I made my way towards the front doors. I put both of my hands into my pockets, feeling a little bit self conscious, but not nearly as much as before. I could actually see what was going on this time.

Reluctantly, I pushed open the large doors, and like normal, I felt everyone's stares. I've gotten used to it kinda, so I brushed the thought of anyone judging me away. I could tell that they knew something was different, as my gaze was focused instead of all over the place.

"Hey Zach!" a voice called out, and I recognized that it was Luke's.

Sure enough, he was standing right in front of me with a friendly grin on his face. His blonde hair framed his face like a mop, and he gently brushed his slightly long bangs from his eyes. He was way taller than me, which was something I had expected. I'm not exactly vertically-inclined.

"Luke?" I asked, looking him in the eyes. I probably sounded pretty dumb since I'd know his voice anywhere.

Luke studied me closer, matching my dumbfounded gaze, and his eyes lit up like a lamp.

"I'm guessing it worked since you're staring at me?" he inquired, a smile growing across his face.

I nodded, turning my eyes away with slight embarrassment. I've realized by now that it isn't the most polite thing to stare at people. I most definitely wasn't expecting Luke to approach and pull me into a tight hug.

"Calm down, Luke," I joked, returning the hug with a smile.

"Sorry," he replied while giving me a hard pat on the back. "I'm just happy for you, is there a problem?" he teased.

"Not at all," I fired back as we broke apart, giving my friend a grateful look. "Thanks, Luke."

"No problem, buddy," he replied as he put a supporting hand on my shoulder.

I love having friends that actually care about me..

Kelsey's P.O.V.

"How was your weekend, Kelsey?" Amelia inquired with a sneer.

"Why do you ask?" I retorted with a suspect look. "Why would you care?"

"Because you're my old friend," she scoffed while slowly approaching. "Plus, I haven't gotten to insult you in three whole days, you creep."

I pedaled backwards, finding myself face to face with an animal who hated my guts. I was stuck between her, two of her friends, and a row of lockers lining the walls. It was three against one, so I remained quiet.

"What's so creepy about me?" I questioned, matching her hostile gaze with a smirk.

"You always figure out how to befriend the weirdest of people."