BUTTERFLIES

JADEN'S POV

I HAD MADE A MENTAL NOTE TO TALK SENSE INTO DEJA THE MOMENT I GOT HOME. I BARGED INTO HER ROOM AND SHE LOOKED UP AT ME FROM HER PHONE WITH A CONDEMNING LOOK ON HER FACE. I SLAMMED THE DOOR AND HER STARE GRADUATED TO A GLARE, EXACTLY THE MOOD I WANTED.

"UHM…COME IN" SHE SAID SARCASTICALLY AS SHE DROPPED THE BAG OF CHIPS IN HER HAND AND PICKED UP HER PHONE IGNORING ME.

"WHAT DID YOU DO AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?" I SAID WITH A FROWN. SHE LOOKED UP AT ME WITH A CONFUSED LOOK.

"WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"JAEL." I SAID FOLDING MY ARMS AGAINST MY CHEST. SHE LOOKED UP AT ME WITH A SMIRK AND THEN GOT UP FROM HER BED FOLDING HER ARMS. SHE RAISES A BROW AND THEN SAYS,

"YOU REALLY WANNA KNOW? WHY?" SHE SEEMED TO BE DARING ME WITH THE SMIRK ON HER FACE; WELL I KNEW SHE WAS DARING ME.

"LOOK DEJA, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU AND MONDE ARE PICKING ON HER BUT IT HAS TO STOP." I SAID MY VOICE CALMER THAN I WANTED IT TO BE. SHE RETURNED TO HER BED.

"IT'S NOT AS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT MONDE IS A JEALOUS PERSON, SHE LIKES TO PROTECT WHAT IS HERS. JAEL SEEMED LIKE A THREAT WITH THE WAY YOU ARE ALWAYS SO COSY AND SMILEY WITH HER." SHE SAID HER EYES AND FINGERS ON HER PHONE. I SIGHED IN EXASPERATION AS I REALISED THAT DEJA WAS STILL BENT ON MAKING MONDE AND I A 'THING'. I HAD NEVER LIKLED MONDE IN THAT WAY PLUS SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND'S SISTER. I HAD TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO DISSUADE HER THOUGHTS BUT IT NEVER WORKED AND I NEVER TOOK IT SERIOUSLY.

"DEJA, I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MONDE, I TOLD YOU FROM THE BEGINNING." I SAID MATTER OF FACTLY AND ALL SHE DID WAS TO RAISE HER BROW AND CONTINUE STARING AT HER PHONE. YES, DEJA WAS RUDE.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO JAEL ANYWAY?" SHE LOOKED UP FROM HER PHONE WITH A SMILE THAT ANNOYED ME TO NO END.

"OH, NOTHING MUCH. JUST A THREAT LETTER AND A CONSTANT REMINDER THAT WERE WATCHING HER. YOU KNOW, SHE'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH." I HATED THAT SHE WAS CALLING JAEL WEAK BUT I DID NOTHING EXCEPT GIVE HER A GLARE. SHE LOOKED UP AT ME AND SMILED.

"JUST LET ME BE BIG BRO. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO PROTECT HER STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER. PLEASE CLOSE THE DOOR ON YOUR WAY OUT." SHE TURNED HER BACK AGAINST ME AND I KNEW THAT SHE WASN'T GOING TO TALK TO ME ANYMORE. I WAS ABOUT TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN SHE SPOKE AGAIN.

"OH YEAH. YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW. I NOTICED SHE IS A BIT OF A DANCER; LET HER KNOW THAT MONDE ALWAYS WINS." HER WORDS PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE COS I KNEW THAT SHE WAS INDIRECTLY IMPLYING THAT JAEL WAS A BETTER DANCER THAN MONDE. I LAUGHED AND LEFT HER ROOM.

NEXT DAY…

JAEL'S POV

AS I OPENED MY LOCKER, RUMPLED PIECES OF PAPER, SWEET WRAPPERS AND ALL FORM OF TRASH POURED OUT OF IT. EVERYONE AROUND ME BUT ONE GIRL THAT I WAS TOO SHOCKED TO TAKE NOTE OF BURST INTO LAUGHTER AND MY WORST NIGHTMARES WALKED IN.

"YOU LIKE YOUR PRESENT?" MONDE SAID WITH A MOCK SMILE AND EVERYONE WENT QUIET. I SIGHED AND THEN SAID,

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?"

"OH C'MON. I JUST FILLED YOUR LOCKER WITH TRASH BECAUSE ITS OWNER IS A DIRTY BAGGAGE OF TRASH." I WAS UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY SO I JUST BENT TO PICK THE TRASH THAT HAD FALLEN OUT WHEN DEJA SPOKE AGAIN.

"YOU KNOW, A SCHOOL LIKE THIS ISN'T MEANT FOR CHARITY SEEKING PARASITES WHO TRY TO LIVE OFF OTHER PEOPLE PRETNDING TO BE WHO THEY'RE NOT. IT'S FOR CLASSY AND SOPHISTICATED GIRLS LIKE US. AND YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO STOP RUBBING DIRT ALL OVER MY BROTHER, HE DESERVES BETTER THAN A PSYCHOPATHIC MELANCHOLIC." SHE AND MONDE BURST INTO LAUGHTER. I DIDN'T BOTHER TO STAND UP TO FACE THEM OR DEFEND MYSELF. I JUST STAYED ON MY KNEES TRYING TO REARRANGE MY BOOKS AND STUFF WHEN SOMEONE JOINED ME ON THE GROUND, I LOOKED UP AND SAW JADEN. HE PICKED UP MY BOOKS AND STOOD UP.

"APOLOGISE!" HE COMMANDED LOOKING AT MONDE AND DEJA. I KEPT MY EYES ON THE GROUND UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO. I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT THEY WOULD NEVER APOLOGISE SO I DIDN'T EXPECT IT.

"NOW!" JADEN'S DEEP VOICE RUMBLED THROUGH THE SILENT HALLWAY. EVERYONE SEEMED TO HOLD THEIR BREATH. I MANAGED TO LOOK UP AND AS I SAW MONDE OPEN HER MOUTH TO SAY SOMETHING UNTIL I HEARD MYSELF SAY,

"IT'S…IT'S OKAY." JADEN LOOKED AT ME INQUIRINGLY AND I NODDED.

"DON'T LET THIS EVER REPEAT ITSELF." HE SAID AND LEFT AFTER WINKING AT ME WITH A REASSURING SMILE. MONDE GLARED AT ME AND WAS PULLED OFF BY DEJA WHO JUST LOOKED AT ME EXPRESSIONLESSLY. SHE SEEMED SHOCKED THAT HER BROTHER WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. EVERYBODY CONTINUED WITH THEIR BUSINESS AND GOSSIPED UNDER DISGUISED WHISPERS. I KNEW THAT I HAD JUST IGNORANTLY MADE MYSELF A TOPIC AMONG STUDENTS.

I FINISHED WITH MY LOCKER AND ENTERED THE CLASS WITH MY HEAD BOWED. AS SOON AS I WALKED IN EVERYONE WENT QUIET AND THEY ALL LOOKED UP TO STARE AT ME, I WALKED TO MY SEAT CONSCIOUS OF THE EYES THAT FOLLOWED ME. I HAD BEEN ENJOYING MY SOLITUDE WHEN THE GIRL NEXT TO ME SAID,

"THEY WON'T STOP YOU KNOW." I LOOKED UP AT HER SURPRISED THAT SHE WAS TALKING TO ME. I KNEW THAT SHE WASN'T AMONG THE CLASSY GIRLS SHE WAS ALSO EASY GOING AND I NOTICED THAT SHE DIDN'T LAUGH THIS MORNING. I SMILED AND NODDED.

"YH. THANKS."

"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T STAY IN YOUR SEAT ALL DAY STUCK WITH YOUR HEADSET AND COMIC. NOT EVERYONE IN THIS CLASS IS LIKE THEM." I KNEW SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT MONDE AND DEJA AND I SMILED. SHE WAS A NICE PERSON IT WAS OBVIOUS.

"SAMANTHA." SHE SAID STRETCHING HER HAND FOR A HANDSHAKE, I TOOK IT GLADLY AND TOLD HER MY NAME.

"YOU KNOW, I WAS ONCE A VICTIM OF THEIR BULLYING. I BECAME POPULAR BECAUSE I BEAT DEJA AT THE SPELLING BEE. I WENT THROUGH HELL. THEY JUST HAVE FUN PROVING THEIR WORTH. IN TRUTH DEJA IS NOT AS AGGRESSIVE AS ROSEMONDE BUT SHE IS MORE POPULAR." I SIGHED AS SHE TOLD ME HER STORY. SHE TOLD ME THINGS ABOUT SCHOOL AND WE WALKED TOGETHER THROUGHOUT SCHOOL HOURS.

I WAS TO MEET JADEN AFTER SCHOOL FOR MY ENTRY INTO THE AUDITION; I WAS SINCERELY HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT BEFRIENDING HIM. AS IF HE SENSED MY FEAR, HE TEXTED ME:

DON'T YOU DARE!

I SMILED AND THEN WENT TO MEET HIM. I PEEPED INTO THE ARENA IT WAS EMPTY, I GUESSED THAT HE BULLIED EVERYONE INTO LEAVING. HE WAS SITTED ON ONE OF THE BENCHES BOPPING HIS HEAD TO THE SONG HE WAS LISTENING TO WITH AN EARPIECE STUCK IN HIS EAR. HE SUDDENLY LOOKED AT HIS WATCH THEN IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DOOR; I QUICKLY HID MYSELF AND THEN PEEPED AGAIN AFTER A FEW SECONDS. I WENT IN AND CLEARED MY THROAT.

"HEY. I MIGHT HAVE TO DISCIPLINE YOU FOR ALWAYS COMING LATE." HE SAID WITH A SMILE, I SMILED BACK AND THEN DECIDED TO SAY WHAT HAD BEEN ON MY MIND SINCE MORNING. HE HAD HIS BACK TO ME, DROPPING HIS STUFF WHEN I STARTED SPEAKING.

"JADEN…DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT TO THEM? ESPECIALLY YOUR SISTER AND BEFORE EVERYONE?" I SAID TWIRLING MY FINGERS UNABLE TO LOOK BACK AT HIM AS HE STARED AT ME ARMS AKIMBO. HE TURNED BACK TO WHAT HE HAD BEEN DOING AND THEN REPLIED.

"NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO HURT YOU NOT EVEN ME, MY SISTER OR HER FRIEND. NOW LET'S GET TO RECORDING, ENTRY CLOSES IN TWO DAYS. IT'S NO ONE'S FAULT THAT YOU SAW THE POSTER A WEEK TO THE CLOSING DATE." I DROPPED MY STUFF AND WE GOT TO BUSINESS.