Peripheral Vision | ✓ [NOW PUBLISHED AS HUNTINGTON AVENUE]

Chapter 32

"I guess so..," I replied while keeping my eyes on Ace who was currently chasing a butterfly.

I felt my phone start vibrating from my back pocket and I took it out, handing my mom Ace's leash. I checked the home screen and realized that it was Zach.

I looked up at my mom and she gestured for me to take the call. After handing my mom Ace's leash, I hesitantly walked over towards a nearby tree and answered the phone.

"Hey Zach, is everything okay..?" I inquired while waiting for a response.

"Actually, this is Luke," the voice on the other line replied. "Zach's having a rough time right now..."

"Is he okay..?" I asked, my voice soon becoming thick with concern.

"Let's just say that his sister's elementary school burnt down while Hayleigh was still in it, so he went in there and got her," he explained a bit quickly, seeming quite a bit worried. "Everyone's okay, but he really needs some help... It's bad.."

"Where are you?" I questioned him, a look of shock plastered upon my face. "Where's Zach? I need to see him.."

"We're headed over to my place, but he kind-of passed out earlier, so I'll let you know when you can come over..," replied Luke with a bit of fear in his voice. "I'll drop a text."

"Okay, thanks Luke..," I responded before I hung up the phone.

Hesitantly, I walked over towards my mom, who had a concerned expression on her face. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know..," I replied, my voice wavering quite a bit. "I really don't know.."

Zach's P.O.V.

The first thing I remembered was a dull pain in my forehead and an extremely sore spot on my right hand.

I felt too exhausted to move and I had no clue where I was, which filled me with a lot of anxiety. I tried to open my eyes, however when the oxygen hit them, my eyelids slammed shut as my eyes would burn too much for me to handle. A moment later, I heard footsteps enter the room I was in.

"Hey Zach, you awake..?" Luke's voice inquired from a few yards away.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, my voice extremely dry.

I heard Luke's footsteps come even closer as he stated, "This might feel cold, but it'll help your eyes."

I was a tad confused until I felt a damp cloth cover both my eyes, soothing the burning sensation quite a bit. Still, I wanted to know where I was so I asked a moment later, "Where are we?"

"I took you over to my place," Luke responded with a comforting voice. "Nobody's home right now, and even if they were, they probably wouldn't mind."

"Why?" I inquired nervously.

"Well....after you almost tore Jonathan apart, you had one of the worst panic attacks I've seen and passed out," he replied. I couldn't see it, but I could picture the expression of worry on his face.

With that realization, everything came back to me in a flash.

The school..

My sister...

Was Hayleigh okay..?

It seemed like Luke read my thoughts to the exact as he responded, "Your sister's okay. Your mom took her to the hospital and they said she's fine."

I breathed a long sigh of relief with the fact that Hayleigh's going to be just fine. "Thank God.."

"You're not in such great shape yourself," Luke continued softly. "You good?"