Chapter 31

Butterfly
According to folklore, people used to catch butterflies, whisper their wishes, and release them so they could take their prayers to the Great Spirit.

• o 🦋 o •

I’d managed to control my anger throughout all three games that we were playing. Both Mica and I sat out during the concerts since it seemed that location just reminded us of things we were trying to forget. After the third set of Riley’s band we were in the cafe eating some fries.

Riley was excitedly talking about the day.

“And that cake was so good!”

“I’ll have one sent over to your house.” Mica said. He sounded tired.

“Awesome!”

“So you’re enjoying yourself then, sweet?” Dax asked Riley.

She nodded happily. Then she looked up at Mica and then she looked at me and her smile faded.

“Is everything okay?” She asked not for the first time today.

I was getting tired of hiding and lying. I just ate my fries.

“Just enjoy your birthday, Riley.” I said.

“How am I supposed to enjoy it when I can tell something is wrong between you two. Mica?”

Mica looked up. “Uh.. I think we’re just a bit tired.”

I scoffed at that.

Dax kicked my leg under the table. I suppressed a groan.

“Mica and I are fine. In fact, we are going to do the potato sack race together.” I said.

Mica looked surprised. He fixed his face in time before Riley could see.

“Really?!” Riley smiled.

“Yep.” Mica nodded and plastered on a smile.

• o 🦋 o •

Mica and I were walking behind Dax and Riley. They were in deep conversation.

“Are you really okay with this?” Mica asked.

“Do I have a choice? Dax kicked me.”

“Oh..”

“Had a nice date?” I asked under my breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I growled.

We made our way to the field. Riley and Dax were just going to watch this one since Riley swore potato sacks were only for potatoes and that being inside one would be like admitting she had a potato head. Which she adamantly refused.

Riley makes no sense. What else is new?

Mica and I got inside a nice big potato sack. It was weird. We hadn’t been this close since our time at Mica’s house. I squeezed the edge of the sack.

“Three, two one… Go!” Waylon said.

We started hopping and much like last time we were completely out of sync and fell immediately.

“Get back up you two! Don’t let those losers beat you!!” Riley screamed. Oh God. She was totally going to be a soccer mom later, wasn’t she?

“Maybe you should watch me before jumping. I know you’re used to thinking about yourself but this won’t take long.” I said quietly.

“Why are you being so mean?” Mica asked as if he was innocent.

“I’m just being honest. You should try it.”

Mica looked offended and even a little mad. Good.

I got up quickly, before Mica even had the chance to. The potato sack pulled me back down and I ended up on top of him.

“GET UP!” Riley shrieked.

Mica looked really uncomfortable which made me angrier. I got out of the sack.

“Oh, I’m sorry I came too close. I’m sure you’d prefer your new boyfriend to be close to you!” I screamed.

“What are you talking about? Can’t you just push your feelings aside for one day?”

“Right, cause you’re the expert on that!” I don’t know what possessed me but I actually gave Mica a light push and to my surprise he pushed me right back.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on here?” Waylon came between us.

“He’s a cheater and a traitor and I can’t believe I ever lov-”

Waylon covered my mouth and shook his head. “Not here. Come on.” He grabbed both of us by the necks and dragged us off the field.

He took us to the basement under the cafe. It was dusty and there were only tiny windows where you could see people walk, letting a minimal amount of light into the room. It was filled with boxes.

“Now what the hell was that?! What’s going on with you two?!” Waylon shrieked.

Neither of us said anything. I mainly kept my mouth shut so I wouldn’t say something I might regret later.

Riley and Dax came in after Waylon.

Dax looked neutral as ever and Riley looked upset.

“Can you leave us alone for a moment?” Riley asked.

Waylon squeezed her shoulder and walked back up the stairs. Riley glared at us. The thing is, besides angry, she actually looked sad.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you two but this..” She shook her head and bit her lip. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Riley,” Mica took a step forwards.

“No! I don’t wanna hear it! You know, you bought all this stuff and planned this whole party for me but if you really thought all this stuff would make me happy you must crazy. I’m miserable! My friends can’t stop fighting and they won’t even tell me what’s wrong! Especially you!” Riley looked at me.

“You’re my best friend and you’ve been shutting me out for months!” Riley shook her head. “This is the worst birthday ever!” Riley ran up the stairs. She slammed the door after her.

I looked down in shame.

“Well.” Dax said. “Thanks a lot, guys. Great party.”

“Shut up, Dax. I feel bad enough-”

“Oh, you ought to. You ruined my wife’s birthday.”

“Excuse me- wife?”

Dax simply reached into his pocket and fished out a set of keys. He smirked. He had a weird gleam in his eye.

I frowned.

“You know what these are?” Dax tossed the pair of keys in the air and caught them again. “These are keys to this very basement. It’s shocking how people just leave things laying around in obvious places.. I found it in Waylon’s office in his desk, at the back drawer.” Dax smirked.

Ooh, so obvious.

“And?” I growled.

“And… You two are crappy friends. But that’s okay. I’m going back to Riley..” Dax walked up the stairs. “And I’m going to tell her that you two have made up and are busy enjoying each other’s company. That way she can enjoy the next hour.. or hours in peace. And I’ll let you out when you’ve actually made up.” Dax smiled a creepy smile.

Now that I thought about it, Dax was constantly giving psychopath vibes.

“Dax, I don’t think we can talk this out.” Mica said as he sat down on the floor.

“But you’re going to.” Dax smiled. “If you don’t, I’ll never let you out. I don’t care how long it takes. But.. try to kiss and make up before the day ends, kay? Have fun you two.” Dax ran up the stairs and closed the door.

“He’s joking. He has to be.” I ran up the stairs and then I heard the lock.

“DAX!” I screamed.

I banged on the door and did everything in my power to open it.

“It’s no use. When Dax has made up his mind..” Mica said.

I sighed. “So you’re giving up. Shocker.” I sat on the stairs.

Mica sighed exhausted.

We sat there in silence for about fifteen minutes.

“Why are you so mad at me?” Mica asked.

“Oh, I don’t know? Maybe it’s because you shut me out of your life out of nowhere!”

“It’s not out of nowhere! You know how my dad is!”

“Yes, I do.” I walked down the stairs. “He’s abusive and he should be in jail!”

“How can you say that?”

“I saw your neck last week! And all those times you were bruised and in pain and you said it was from ballet, were those from him too?! That’s not okay!”

Mica picked at the skin around his nails. “It only happens sometimes. And I swear he means well!”

“He means well when he’s beating the shit out of you?!” I screamed. I saw that image of Mica’s dad slapping him and cringed.

Mica stared straight ahead without a word.

“I know you care about him but he needs help!”

I paced around the room. “And then after cutting me off I see you on a date with that Long Island asshole!”

“What are you talking about?” Mica finally looked up.

“That idiot, Orlando! You were both suited up and going to a restaurant!”

Mica looked at me like I was crazy.

“He kissed your cheek!”

Mica got up. “We were just celebrating, it wasn’t a date!”

“Looked like one to me.”

“Why would I go out with someone when you and I…” Mica looked away sadly. “So recently..”

“Because you don’t have feelings.” I said under my breath.

“That’s not true!”

“Well, you hardly batted an eye when you stepped on my heart!”

“I’m sorry, okay? I never wanted to hurt you, I knew this would happen!”

“Yeah. You even warned me.” I laughed bitterly and shook my head.

“And you said you would never let me go.” Mica whispered.

“That’s what you wanted! You chose your dad over me! Over us!” I accused.

Mica actually started to cry. He tried to wipe away the first tear and move on but once it had fallen many others followed. Before he knew it he couldn’t stop.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

He covered his face. For a moment he reminded me of a terrified and embarrassed child. And I felt like a monster for yelling at him.

I pulled him in and held him. He cried in my arms as he’d done during the Spring Festival. I shed a tear myself and I remembered how good we were.

“I’m sorry I acted like an asshole. I was jealous and worried and.. I seriously miss you.” I said.

Mica cried even harder then. I stroked his back and his hair. I sighed of relief as I smelled his familiar scent.

It didn’t feel like anything had changed. He’d spoken the words that it was over but it didn’t feel that way. When I held Mica in my arms it felt like he belonged there. There was no doubt about it. He was still mine.

“I.. I missed you too. Every day.” Mica pulled away and his face was like a beautiful painting. I brushed some hair behind his ear.

“Did it get bad? With George?” I asked.

Mica nodded.

I frowned. “Mica you have to get out of there.”

“Where would I go?”

“To mine! We would take you in in a heartbeat. Or Riley’s. You have to do something! I can’t tolerate this anymore!”

Mica stared at the ground.

Then he slowly nodded. “Just give me some time, okay?”

“What about Charles? I know he cares about you.”

“He.. My dad fired him. He blamed him for what happened with us.”

“Seriously?!”

Mica nodded.

I shook my head. “That’s messed up!”

“And other than that my dad just pretends nothing’s changed. I tried to talk about it. About.. my feelings for you but..” Mica’s eyes darkened for a moment.

I thought of ways to cheer him up. There wasn’t really much I could do. Not now anyway.

I looked around the room. I knew my throat always got scratchy after crying.

“There has to be some water around here.”

“Yeah.” Mica chuckled. “My throat’s dry.” His voice sounded a little raspy.

I found a box full of bottled water at the back. I tossed Mica a bottle.

We both drank in silence for a moment.

“Do you still have that butterfly I gave you?” Mica asked gently. His eyes were hopeful.

“Yeah.” I grinned. “I sleep with it. It’s my favorite.”

Mica smiled. It only confirmed to me that he felt the same way that I did. That nothing had changed.

“Do you still have my socks?” I asked. It was a dumb question. Mica was probably way better at cutting off emotions and letting go. Or at least it seemed that way.

Mica smiled. Then he rolled up his pants and pulled out the edge of his white sock. It revealed my terribly sewn-in message.

It felt like sunshine shone into my heart just then.

We chuckled quietly.

“So.. now what?” I asked.

Mica shrugged. “I’ll have to figure things out with my dad.. Maybe then..”

He kind of left the words hanging in the air without ever finishing them. I was too scared to ask him to finish them.

“We should probably tell Riley.” I said.

Mica nodded. “You’re right. I feel awful. I guess we made her feel sidelined.”

“Yep. We’re crappy friends. Dax was right about that one.”

“Dax is always right!”

Someone yelled from above.

Mica looked just as confused as me.

“What the..? Was that God?” I asked.

Mica’s eyes grew big.

The door opened and down the stairs came Dax. “Nope, that was just me.” He smiled.

I rolled my eyes.

“Have you made up?” Dax asked.

Mica and I smiled at each other. “Yeah.”

“Have you kissed?”

“Shut up, pervert!” I yelled.

Dax laughed and Mica did too.

“How’s Riley?” Mica asked.

“She cheered up when she heard you two were okay. Are you guys ready to join the celebrations or do you need another hour?”

• o 🦋 o •

In the end Riley, Mica, Dax and I had a blast at Riley’s party. She later told us her birthday wish had been for all four of us to get along and be friends forever. It seemed she was getting her wish after all.

A week later I told Riley everything about me and Mica and things with his dad. We sat on a little wall across the cinema that overlooked a ditch. Below our feet was a small walkway.

“Ow! Riley!” I said after she punched my arm. “Why?!”

“I knew that little shit had issues! Stupid. Dumb. George!” Riley continued to punch my arm.

“I’m not George!”

“I am angry!” Riley jumped off the wall and put her hands on her hips. “Grrr!”

“I get it, okay?”

“Get him outta there!”

“I tried! Mica keeps telling me he’ll get out but he never does!”

“MAKE HIM, STUPID!”

“How? I can’t control him, Riley.”

Riley grabbed my leg and pulled me down the wall. I landed on the ground. “I repeat: OW!”

She pushed me against the wall. “Mica loves you. And I know you got brains. Figure it out and get him outta that shit-show!”

I sighed. How was I going to do that?

“If you don’t get him out, he’ll never leave. It’s a cycle. Look it up. You have to think of something. CHECK your pocket.” Riley began to pace.

I frowned and reached into my pocket.

HERO Was scribbled on a tiny note.

“How did you do that?”

Riley faced me again. She looked serious. “Get him out. Scratch my last birthday wish. I wish Mica was safe. Make it happen.” Riley punched my arm and walked up the steps.

I stared at the little note.