Huntington Avenue | ✓ [PV REWRITE]

Part I: Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 | ❝ Friends? ❞

Thursday, September 13th, 2018 - 3:53 p.m.

THE ROSEWOOD OF the guitar's fretboard was cool underneath Zach's fingers as he played. Six metal strings vibrated in time with the melody blissfully radiating from the mahogany instrument resting on the teenager's body as he laid on his bed. Playing the guitar whilst in deep thought was a hobby of Zach's. It helped to calm any anxieties residing in his mind.

The familiar tune of "Let Her Go" by Passenger floated through the air as he laid on his dark blue comforter in thought. Zach's head rested on a particularly large pillow as he continued to play. Guitar was a wonderful coping mechanism for someone trapped in a world of darkness. At least the pitch blackness was illuminated with melodious aspects which brought light in the form of music.

Zach could feel the beams of sunshine on his dimpled face from the open window nearby. The tranquil, warm weather fit the mood flawlessly as he hit the last note of his arrangement of such a gorgeous and classic song on the stringed instrument. He had been playing the guitar for around ten minutes due to getting home from school almost an hour prior and completing some homework in the gap between school and guitar.

It made no difference when he closed his eyes, letting himself rest after he set his guitar to the side. His mind began to rid itself of the stress he felt as he allowed himself a bit of downtime. Of course, he remembered what was going to occur that afternoon, but Zach had no idea of what time it was. He was simply taking advantage of the time he had at home.

A ringing from Zach's phone startled him out of his sleep-like state. He blinked his eyes open and felt around on his nightstand for his screaming phone. Zach grimaced as the sound got louder when he picked it up, however his eyes lit up when he recognized the ringtone as the one Kelsey had set for her contact.

Zach swiped across the bottom of his screen until the ringing stopped, signifying he had picked up. He held his phone up to his ear and exclaimed, "Hey, Kelsey! Your ringtone idea worked great."

"Awesome! I'm glad," was her cheerful response on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm getting ready to leave the house and will be there in a couple minutes. Is that still okay with you?"

"Yeah, of course," Zach confirmed, unable to wipe the smile off of his face.

Kelsey inquired soon after, "Is there anywhere in particular you wanted to meet? I know of a good cafe nearby that would be nice—unless you wanted to stay home."

"The cafe sounds nice," he agreed. "But wherever is fine. I don't mind."

"Want to try there? I'll pay."