Page 25 of Peripheral Vision (Tethered in Darkness Duet #1)

I wander outside of my building a little after ten o’clock, leaving roughly an hour until my next course.

There are tables scattered about the grass, some full with other students and some blissfully empty.

I spot one that’s close to the building and I’m about to approach it to take a seat when someone behind me taps me on the shoulder.

When I turn around, I come face to face with a girl that was in my first lecture with me, a few seats down.

She has long, wavy brown hair that falls just past her shoulders and her eyes compliment the shade nicely.

She’s smiling at me with a warm smile that is broad and inviting.

She extends her hand to me. “I hope this isn’t too strange, but this is the first time I’ve seen you in the lecture hall since classes started. I figured you were new to campus so I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Lacey.”

I hesitate for a few moments before slowly reaching out to shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Dylan.”

Her smile falls and she sighs. “Ugh, I’m sorry. This is totally weird, isn’t it?”

A rush of regret runs through me as I shake my head. “No, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be friendly off the bat. I was honestly kind of expecting to have to be the one to introduce myself to others, so this is kind of nice.”

Lacey’s smile returns, a little more tentative this time, and something inside me tells me that she’s probably more of an introvert like myself, trying to make acquaintances.

“Okay, good. This isn’t normal for me, I mean I don’t usually randomly approach people, but something about you made me think I should say hi. You’re in your third year, right?”

My shoulders relax as some of the unease leaves them.

“Yeah, I am. I’m studying chemical engineering.

I should be graduating this next spring, but I started a year late.

I’ve been doing online courses up until recently, obviously.

” I gesture to the campus. She doesn’t immediately respond right away and I immediately feel rude for not asking her about herself. “What about you?”

“Same, actually. Thank god. I was hoping to find someone to study with… but everyone else doesn’t seem as approachable as you.” I wasn’t sure how to take that, so I just ignored it.

“Well, I was actually going to sit outside until my next course if you wanted to join me?” Her eyes brighten at that as she nods her head.

“How is the adjustment going?” she asks.

I shrug, glancing around the courtyard as we take our seats. “No complaints... though it’s a bit slow. I literally don’t know anyone here and the campus is a tad overwhelming, but at least all of my classes are in the same hall. But on the bright side I was able to find a job almost right away.”

Lacey unpacks her bag, laying out study material before replying, “That sounds lucky. Where are you working?”

I unpack my own bag. “Sins and Sons bar.”

Lacey freezes in her spot, dropping a highlighter to the ground.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, suddenly nervous.

Swiping her highlighter off the ground she leans in, her voice taking on a note of seriousness.

“That place has a reputation. I’m sure you haven’t heard the rumors because you’re new, but there’s some shady shit that goes down there. ”

I blink, caught off guard. “Well, wouldn’t it have a reputation of some sort being a bar?”

She shakes her head, her voice lowering as if she doesn’t want anyone to hear what she’s telling me.

“Of course it would, but I’m saying that there are rumors that people, girls, have gone missing at the bar during peak hours when nobody would notice.

Not to mention the fights that break out and the crowd it brings in. ”

My blood chills at the mention of missing girls.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like an uncommon occurrence for bar scenes in big cities.

I’ve watched enough true crime to believe it.

But things like that can happen anywhere…

I should know given my current circumstance.

“Has it happened with their female employees that you know of? Callum and Audrey didn’t mention anything like that happening to me. ”

She sits back, crossing her arms. “I’m not surprised, it’s probably why they have a revolving door of employees. But no, I don’t think any of the girls have been employees, though I could be wrong. Just… be careful.”

I nod, the silence passing between us for a beat. “So, if you know about the bar's reputation, I’m assuming you’ve been on campus for a while?”

“Since I started my degree.” She nods, cracking her knuckles.

I wince at the sound of her bones cracking, making a disgusted face. “Right, so you probably know this place pretty well by now.”

Lacey laughs, the sound light and melodic. “Are you saying you need a tour guide?”

I return the laugh, and it doesn’t quite reach my mouth, suffocated by my closed lips.

“And maybe… a friend.” It feels weird to reach out for this olive branch, having had Thea as my only friend for the past couple of years.

But I won’t be able to see her as frequently as I used to, and if I’m being honest with myself, the prospect of being alone is starting to wear me down.

There’s a difference between the act and feeling.

Being alone, when it meant my dad would come home one day, was a moment I could choose.

It was empowering, enabling me to find myself and explore who I was without the outside pressure of a world that wants all of us to follow societal norms. But feeling alone?

Feeling alone is a moment that chooses you.

One where it is out of your control. And no matter how much you crave connection, it remains just out of reach.

“I’d like that. And besides, I’ve been here for three years, I have this place down to a science by now.

” We swap phones quickly, exchanging numbers, and relax into studying for the next hour before having to wrap it up for our next lecture.

The good news is with both of us trying to get the same major and being in the same year, it means we have most of our mandatory classes together.

The only thing we don’t is our electives.

During our courses we sit next to each other and during our other study break, around lunch, we spend less time actually focusing on our work and more time getting to know each other better.

Lacey is here on out-of-state tuition, having moved up from Florida.

When I had asked her why she made such a far move, she notified me that she had followed her girlfriend after they had done long distance for a year and decided how awful it was.

She’s planning on introducing us soon, mentioning that she had already graduated the year before and is actively working for a news outlet as a journalist. Turns out that she is also a few years behind in her studies due to starting late.

She’s twenty-three, her girlfriend and her having met shortly after she graduated high school, but sadly right before her girlfriend was set to move and start college.

She said that she had been nineteen and her girlfriend twenty-one when that happened, but they have been going strong ever since.

When she had asked more about myself, I opted against offering her any of the sad details about my life as I didn’t want to scare her away so soon.

I had just left it at not ever knowing my mom, and my dad not being around because he was military.

Apparently, that was enough information to get her to stop asking such detailed questions.

I told her that we moved around a lot, having only been born in the Midwest. I found relief in how easy it was to talk to her and despite the fact that Thea and I text every day, it’s nice having someone to be around in person.

When our last lecture finishes in the afternoon, we make plans to get together for coffee and breakfast later this week and talk about making an arrangement to meet up with her girlfriend and all go out for an evening. “Friday morning work for you?” she asks, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Any particular place in mind?” I ask as I stand with her.

“Nah, but I’ll figure it out. Take you somewhere good.” She waves as she heads toward the exit, leaving me to stand in the lecture hall by myself.

Guess it’s time to go get ready for my… whatever tonight is with Callum.