C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - F O U R
Zach's P.O.V.
I'll never get used to opening my eyes and actually seeing something besides the darkness.
I still feel like this is all a dream, but deep down, I know it's not. I reached for my phone, turning my school alarm off with a huff. Rubbing my eyes gently, my new vision came into focus in a matter of seconds.
This never gets old.
I sat up, my gaze suddenly landing onto my guitar. Its mahogany wood shimmered in the light ebbing from the nearby window and all six strings glowed a brilliant silver. I found myself walking up to it and gently grabbing it by the neck.
The wood felt smooth against my fingers as I adjusted its slender shape comfortably across my chest as I sat back down on the bed. I stared down at my fingers as I began to play.
I never realized how much effort I put into playing the guitar until I saw it with my own eyes. I felt my fingertips begin speeding across the frets until I couldn't play any faster.
The feeling was absolutely incredible. I never wanted to stop, but I had to eventually. After a few more minutes, I hesitantly stopped and put my guitar back on its stand in the corner.
I practically ran down the stairs since it took me a little while to get ready for the day ahead of me. I didn't sleep much the previous night since everything still is taking a long time to get used to. Seeing things isn't a big deal for most people, but it is for me.
It's a huge deal.
I never want to shut my eyes again.
"Morning, Zach," my mom exclaimed as I entered the kitchen.
"Morning," I replied while glancing around the room. I had gotten home late last night, so I haven't really gotten a proper look at the house.
The kitchen's theme was blue, white, and light gray. Everything looked extremely clean and tidy. It kind of reminded me of my old house which I vaguely remembered from a long time ago. Not that it mattered much, but I wanted to take a look since I was curious.
A moment later, I heard Hayleigh's loud footsteps from across the house. Honestly, it sounds a bit like a horse trotting around with metal horseshoes on the wood floor. I don't even know how she can amplify herself that much.
"Hi Zach!" she squealed as she rounded the corner.
"Hayleigh!" I exclaimed mustering up as much excitement in my voice as she had.
Without any hesitation, she jumped on me, practically tackling me onto the floor. This seven year old is extremely hyper this morning, even more than normal.
"Gentler please?" I asked while gently loosening her grip.
"Fine," she replied with a giggling sigh.
My lips twitched upward into a playful smirk as I stared Hayleigh in the eyes. It still gives me chills to just look at the people I've known for so long.
"Sorry, I'm staring again," I apologized while putting my hands in my pockets. "Am I being creepy?"
"No," laughed Hayleigh as she returned my smile. "Doesn't matter to me if you stare or not, I know I'm attractive."
"Hayleigh!" I burst out into laughter as I ruffled her long curly hair in a teasing manner. "That's true though, you are a very pretty second grader."
"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."
I replaced the expression on my face to anger, realizing she was referring to Zach.
"Nobody that I hang out with is weird, Amelia," I replied. "Leave me alone."
"Oh please," she laughed while pinning both my shoulders against the lockers. "Like I would leave the biggest loser in school alone just like that?" she snapped her fingers metaphorically, both of her friends closing in as well.
"I'm not a loser," I stated, my confidence fading away quicker than I had anticipated.
"Stop lying to yourself," Amelia said, faux politeness dripping from her lips, which were covered in red lipstick. "You'll feel better."
"Stop treating Kelsey like she's a mirror," a familiar voice exclaimed angrily out of nowhere. "She's not a loser and you know it."
I recognized that voice immediately as Zach's. I'd know that voice anywhere. Hesitantly, I turned around, and sure enough, there he was with Luke at his side. I flashed them both a quick, grateful look as Amelia and her posse quietly backed away a little. Amelia released her grip on me and rolled her eyes.
"How would you know if she looks like a creep or not?" Amelia scoffed. "You're as blind as a bat."
"Firstly, bats don't rely on echolocation all the time, since they can see quite well, and second, I'm not blind," Zach replied cooly, pointing to his clear, blue eyes. "That got fixed last weekend."
"Well good for you," Amelia exclaimed sarcastically giving Zach the death glare. "Not like I care."
"Do I look like I care about your petty opinions which are clearly untrue?" Zach inquired, taking a step closer to Amelia and I. "She told you once to leave her alone, so I suggest you do it."
"Oh, and your hair looks crooked," Luke cut in as Amelia stepped back in horror.
Amelia cares about her looks a lot. I could tell since she instantly ran off in search of a mirror. It's quite pathetic how self absorbed she is.
"Seriously, Luke?" Zach antagonized playfully. "Her hair looks crooked?"
"What?" he asked with innocence in his eyes. "It's the first thing I could come up with."
"In all seriousness though, you okay?" asked Zach, turning the conversation towards me. "You've been awfully quiet."
"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, my gaze lighting up a bit. "Thanks, you two goofballs," I added on jokingly.
"Who are you calling a goofball?" inquired Zach with a playful smirk as he stepped closer to me.
"You, who else?" I replied while shooting him an amused look.
"Um, hello?" Luke exclaimed teasingly from Zach's side. "I'm here too."
"Sorry, Luke," I mischievously symphasized, a smile creeping across my face. "I'm not purposely trying to make you seem like a third wheel."
"Wait, what?" he asked, clearly confused, but then he got an idea of what I was trying to say. He immediately got excited "Since when?!"
This time, both Zach and I burst out laughing while Luke just stood there with a bewildered look on his face. I discreetly took Zach's right hand out of his pocket and clutched it gently. There was an important detail I had forgotten to explain to Luke.
"This morning," Zach replied with a small smile appearing amongst his lips. "Kelsey's my girlfriend now."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his words, which still seemed foreign to me. Before our classes started, Zach literally pulled me into a janitor's closet and popped the question. Needless to say, I wasn't really surprised.
Both of us had already said we liked, no wait, loved each other, and this was bound to happen. Zach's my first boyfriend, and I'm lucky to have him.
"It's about time," Luke announced in triumph. "You two literally act like an old married couple fighting over the tv remote sometimes."
"No we don't," I quickly retorted while Zach was still laughing.
"But seriously, congrats," he added genuinely, giving us both a satisfied look, the kind of look like he's saying 'I knew it.' "You two are perfect for each other."
"The goofball and the loser," Zach mumbled under his breath so we could barely hear it, mocking Amelia's insult towards me.
"Hey!" I exclaimed a bit loudly while playfully pushing him aside.
Zach looked up and asked innocently. "What? I didn't say who I was referring to when I said loser," he snickered, his smirk back on his face.
"Aww," Luke cut in, giving us both puppy dog eyes. "That's adorable."
Zach quickly snapped his gaze towards Luke. "Zip it, Luke," he teased while giving him a friendly shove.
"What?" he asked ingenuously. "It's cute."
"I know it is, but stop it," Zach replied while staring him right in the eyes, laughing a bit. "We get it, it's cute."
The same thought replayed over and over in my mind for the entire day, and I couldn't make it go away no matter how hard I tried.
Zach's my boyfriend now....and I didn't want it any other way.
~~~
It's official! Zach and Kelsey are now a thing!! :)
This chapter just made me love Luke even more. He's just too funny in my opinion, and honestly, my personality is kinda similar to his, being the third-wheel and all! Hope you enjoyed! :3
~Eclipsityy <3