C H A P T E R T W O
Zach's P.O.V.
The number of people in the cafeteria was immense.
Voices were everywhere, and they all meshed together so I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. Weaving through a bunch of people when you can't see anything other than darkness is an extremely difficult task.
I must've bumped into seven or eight of my peers. They all didn't seem very happy with me due to their unfriendly tone of voice.
I felt bad for not preventing myself from hitting people unintentionally, so I made sure to sit by myself. I can't cause any harm doing that, right?
I pulled out a chair and sat myself down at a table in the corner. Everything seemed quieter over there, and very peaceful. I set my water bottle down on the table and took my lunch out of my bag. I started to slowly consume the contents, which was a sandwich of some sort. After a few minutes, I thought I heard a bit of noise by my table, and some subtle laughing, but I waved that thought away.
I opened the lid to my water bottle and took a sip. In almost an instant, I gagged a bit. The water tasted quite a bit like soap, and the taste was absolutely horrible. It wasn't like that a few minutes ago.
"There's soap in that, you idiot!" I heard Jonathan exclaim in between laughing fits.
That must have been what the laughing was about.
Jonathan must've poured some soap or something in my water. I let out another sigh and pushed the bottle away, continuing my lunch. I tried to brush off the fact that these people were taking advantage of my inability to see, but that didn't work so well.
Life just isn't fair. At least to me, it isn't.
The bell rang after a few more minutes and I heard chairs being pushed everywhere. That must've been the signal for the end of lunch. Quickly, I put what was left of my lunch back into my bag and got out of my chair.
Following the sound of the other students, I found my way towards the exit. When I was about to go through the door, I slammed into someone on my way out. I heard her back away and let out a small gasp. Instinctively, I apologized, internally berating myself for being such a nuisance towards literally everyone in this place.
I was used to ramming into people by now. She responded to my apology, and her voice was extremely clear and soft. It was the type of voice that you would want to hear. It was calm, yet filled with emotion, and I could tell exactly how she was feeling in that very moment.
Am I crazy for noticing that much about someone's voice?
Long story short, it was a gorgeous voice, which to what I would imagine, belonged to a gorgeous person in turn.
I wanted to start a bit of a conversation with her, but I heard someone else, who must've been one of her friends, call her away. I heard her footsteps quickly guide her away and I walked off to my first afternoon class, running my fingers through my hair.
She's the first person who's actually been nice to me here, and I didn't even know her name..
~•~•~
"Zach!" the familiar voice of my mother called. "Time to go!"
I rushed towards the familiar sound of her car's engine and thrust the passenger side door open. I placed my book bag onto the floor by my feet and plopped myself down into the front seat, ready to get out of that overwhelming place called a school.
"How was school?" Mom had asked when I got myself settled.
"Fine," I replied, even though it was a bit of a lie. I didn't want my mom to be worried about me while I was at school because she already has Hayleigh to look after.
The car ride home was pretty much silent. I didn't want to tell my mom about the incidents at school, so I kept my mouth shut. Even though I was unable to see, I still gazed out the window and imagined what it might look like out there. Living in a world of total darkness can be lonely when there's no one else to share it with.
When we had finally arrived home, I slung my book bag over my back and headed towards the front door. Since I had already lived in this house for around two to three months now, it's been easier to judge the distance between things so I can find my way around. I opened the front door only to be greeted by something slamming into my lower legs.
"Hey Zach!" Hayleigh's sweet voice exclaimed as she hugged my legs.
I carefully picked Hayleigh up and she threw her arms around my neck. "Don't choke me, now," I joked, running my fingers through her soft, curly hair. She must've stayed with the neighbors while Mom was picking me up from school since she gets out much earlier than I do.
I lost my sight a few years before she was born, so I've never seen Hayleigh before. I wished with all my heart that I could see my beautiful little sister, but there's an extremely unlikely chance that will ever happen.
Who am I kidding, that's never going to happen.
After putting Hayleigh down, I went up the stairs into my room, cracking the door just a tad behind me. I picked up my guitar, which was in the corner of my room, and sat on my bed, positioning the guitar onto my lap comfortably.
The smooth, wooden body was a perfect fit for me. It was still a full-sized guitar, however it was a little smaller. Let's just say I'm not the tallest person, or the biggest either. My small stature helps me to get around easier, however it apparently makes me an easy target at school.
As I adjusted my fingers along the frets, I felt my way up and down the neck of the guitar. After getting comfortable and tuning the strings to their proper pitch, I began to play.
The strings vibrated gently against my fingertips, and I loved the feeling of it.. The sound was mellow and soft as I plucked the strings with confidence, rarely giving out a wrong note.
I had become so used to the fret sizes that I didn't have any doubt on where I was placing my fingers. I had picked up a guitar for the very first time a few months before I lost my sight completely, and I haven't been able to put it down since. I loved it so much that I practically had to beg my parents for a guitar for my next birthday, and that's the same guitar I was holding now.
Aside from my family, this guitar is my favorite thing in the entire world. It helps me cope with stress, and I play it whenever I'm feeling down. For the past couple days, as soon as I arrived home from school, I went straight towards the guitar.
I'd say that it's my light in the never-ending darkness that I experience daily, both mentally and physically.
Kelsey's P.O.V.
Time ticked by slowly as I was patiently waiting for the school day to finally end.
I couldn't stop thinking about that boy who ran into me in the hallway after lunch. I felt terrible that he wasn't able to see, and I wanted to help. However, if I did, my reputation at this school would most likely be ruined, and I don't want to risk that.
I wouldn't have any friends anymore, but I can't get the thoughts out of my head. I can't imagine being blind. I can't even comprehend the fact of not being able to see the world around you, your family, your friends, everything. It sounds absolutely horrible, and nobody should have to experience it, especially him.
He seems so nice, yet I don't even know his name..
"Ready to go?" Amelia had asked me right after our last class.
I nodded, waving away the thoughts swirling throughout my mind.
I walked with Amelia and her friends down the busy hallway. I couldn't imagine not being able to see how to get around everyone. As soon as we walked through the front doors of the school, I heard a car horn from around the corner.
One of Amelia's friends pulled up in a nice red sports car, and my jaw dropped. The car was absolutely beautiful, and it seemed like it was recently polished. It wasn't a Lamborghini, but it sure looked similar. The glossy red color made the perfect finish, and the car looked extremely new, possibly a model from this year.
Was Amelia expecting me to get in that?
"You don't want to take the smelly bus home, do you?" asked Amelia, winking at me.
"No, I guess not," I responded, rubbing the back of my head with confusion. Why was she being so nice to me?
Amelia smiled and led me towards the car. "If you're one of us, you get to ride with us. We can take you home."
I smiled and climbed into the back seat of the car. I wasn't sure why Amelia was being so kind to me. She's one of the meanest girls at school, and I don't like it one bit, but I didn't want to change my mind now. As soon as the car pulled away, more gossiping started.
"Can you believe Jonathan put soap into the new guy's drink?" one girl asked, a smile on her face. "Priceless!"
My gaze snapped up at that remark. "He did?" I asked, even though I clearly heard the statement. I was stunned.
Almost everyone in the car was laughing by this point. "Yeah, it was absolutely hilarious," Amelia responded with tears pricking the backs of her eyes from laughing so hard.
Half of me wanted to laugh, and the other didn't. Honestly, I felt bad for the new guy. He can't even see what people are doing to him, and that filled my heart with guilt. Taking advantage of his sight impairment is absolutely horrible, but I laughed anyway. It might've been fake, but it sounded real.
I just wanted to fit in..
~~~
More character development for Zach and Kelsey in this chapter! Who's your favorite out of the two so far?
Mine's Zach, to be perfectly honest. I just love his personality so much and it makes him so much fun to write about! *cough cough* if I had a boyfriend, I'd want his personality to be like Zach's. *cough cough*
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter since there's more to come! :)
~Eclipsityy <3