Peripheral Vision | ✓ [NOW PUBLISHED AS HUNTINGTON AVENUE]

Chapter 20

C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y

Zach's P.O.V.

"I love you."

I froze at a start, thinking I had just jeopardized our whole relationship.

I couldn't believe those words had escaped my lips, however, it was a true statement. I guess I really do love Kelsey. She stayed completely silent, and must've looked just as surprised as I felt.

Quietly, I backed away from Kelsey, starting to turn around before her gentle hand grabbed mine, spinning me around, pulling me towards her.

"I love you too, Zach," she replied with a sweet, genuine tone to her voice

It felt like my heart skipped a beat. Instantly, most of my nerves about us two went away. I actually didn't ruin something for once. Before I could even retaliate, I heard Hayleigh's loud footsteps come running towards us.

"Zach, we'd better go before we miss the plane," she stated playfully while grabbing my hand and pulling me away.

"I guess I'll see you later, Kelsey," I grinned, amused at Hayleigh. "Thank you.."

"Anytime," responded Kelsey in her normal, kind tone. "Be safe, you'll be okay.."

I gave Kelsey a small wave before following behind my extremely enthusiastic little sister. She seemed really excited, while my anxiety was quickly returning.

The now familiar flashbacks roared through my mind, and I slammed my eyelids shut in an attempt to make them disappear, however that immediately failed. It only kept making them worse.

"You okay, Zach?" asked Hayleigh, sensing my concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, my statement somewhat true. "I just don't like flying."

"I can tell," Hayleigh noted honestly. I was making it extremely obvious that I did not want to go on this flight. However if the surgery works, it'll be totally worth it.

It didn't take us long, surprisingly, to get through security. There were tons of people everywhere. I could tell by just listening to the immense amount of voices at every corner, and we managed to get into the shortest line to my dismay. Knowing me, I wanted to procrastinate as long as I could before doing something I didn't want to do.

Once again, to my worry, the plane arrived early. There was an announcement five minutes prior. After someone checked our tickets, we walked down the long hallway, or whatever you'd call it, towards the plane. Hayleigh stepped into the giant plane immediately, and I paused, my nerves getting the best of me.

"Come on, Zach," Hayleigh prodded gently. "There's people waiting."

I hesitated just a little while longer, really starting to get scared. My heart was pounding a hundred miles an hour, probably more than that.

There's no going back now..

It's now or never..

Cautiously, I put one foot into the plane, and then the other. I could feel myself shaking extremely hard, flashbacks absolutely everywhere in my mind.

Reluctantly, I walked through the plane, the dwindling thoughts becoming stronger with each step. Hayleigh kept a firm grip on my hand as she led me to our seats on the crowded plane. I stepped back, letting Hayleigh get the window seat while I sat in between her and my mom.

"You get the window seat on the way back," demanded Hayleigh in a friendly tone as we all three sat down.

I smiled a little, then it quickly faded away when the safety announcements began playing over the loudspeaker. I remembered back to when I heard those same words right before the accident, and my anxiety grew stronger.