Huntington Avenue | ✓ [PV REWRITE]

Part II: Chapter 23

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Chapter 23 | ❝ And I love you. ❞

Thursday, December 20th, 2018 - 6:10 p.m.

A DULL ACHE throbbed through the muscles of the teenage boy resting on the couch. Zach's thoughts were too incoherent and desolate to determine whether he was conscious or not, but either way, Zach felt much more well-rested. Due to his nightmares which had been plaguing him for a long while at that point, he felt as if he got the best sleep he had in ages since his mind was too exhausted to formulate dreams—or nightmares in Zach's case.

Once Zach's imagination finally deemed the boy awake, he pried his sore eyes open. His vision without his glasses was blurry - as per usual - but since sand had gotten into them the previous day, the blue irises of them throbbed the moment light hit them. Zach squinted as he carefully viewed and analyzed his surroundings.

He recognized his pair of glasses neatly folded and placed on the coffee table in front of him. August must have put them there before he left with Harper and Mason the previous day. The television in the same room was on at a low volume with an episode of cartoons playing that Zach recognized a bit in the background. He was confused as to why the television was on in the first place, but when he noticed a curly head of brown hair nearby, Zach knew wholeheartedly.

Surely enough, as soon as a bit of movement on the couch was executed, Hayleigh turned around and her neutral expression became a cheerful grin. "Finally, you're awake!" she beamed. "I was wondering if you'd sleep for the entire day."

"...What time is it?" Zach asked in foggy confusion.

"Oh, uh," Hayleigh paused to look at the time displayed on the clock hanging on the living room wall. "It's ten minutes after six o'clock."

Zach was flabbergasted. "At night-?"

"Actually, yeah," Hayleigh replied to his dismay. "Don't worry, though. Mom called your school and said you weren't feeling well so they said it was okay to stay home. She also called the doctor about what's going on and they said to rest and keep a blanket over you. Are you still cold or anything?"

"Maybe a little bit, but I'm much better. Thanks, Hayleigh," he authentically responded, which caused Hayleigh's smile to widen.

"Good! You sound better too—not as sleepy and grumpy."

Zach rolled his eyes, it being a trigger of soreness in them. "I'm aware I'm always sleepy or grumpy to you, but sleeping until evening on a Thursday is not one of my strong suits."

"You do sleep late if you don't have school, though," Hayleigh commented simply to amuse her brother.

It partially worked.