(Asta x Noelle) Happiness is a Butterfly

Chapter Nine: Drunks & Jealousy Part 1

Packing for the trip made Noelle realize a lot of things.

Number one, Noelle hadn't been out in a while. I mean, she knew she was a loner, but she didn't realize that being by herself meant on average she wore the same ten different pairs of pajamas all week and occasionally went out in the little she unpacked. She had thousands of skirts, dresses, shirts, and clothes in general still packed away in boxes from when she first moved in. She had even thought she would've had to buy a bathing suit before realizing she had a least thirty in a box stored further along the way in her closet. What have I been doing with my life? Noelle wonders to herself. Then she discerned that for most of her two years away, she was either finishing her book or being depressed. More than likely she was doing both.

The second thing Noelle realized was that Asta was right, she had gotten skinnier. Super skinny. She wouldn't consider herself being chubby in her entire life, but as she tried on her old clothes, it made her wonder just how thick and bigger she used to be. Shorts that used to cling to her thighs could now go up to her with ease, not jumping involved, and certain shirts and dresses now looked like they were hand-me-downs. Did she look like she did cocaine or any other drugs? Now that she had realized just how small she was now, she wondered if Asta ever did believe her lie of "dieting". There was no way she would ever diet, she simply loved food too much. And by food, she loved sweets. Any sweets. From ice cream to donuts, and especially to anything and everything that was chocolate.

And Asta knew that. He was the one that gave her sweets in the first place. Throughout high school and college, there was never a week where he never got her one sweet thing, whether it be dessert at a bakery or simply just a candy bar.

The third and final thing she realized was that she was excited. The only person she had been around for two whole years was herself and occasionally her brother's family; now here she was going on a whole trip with old friends- well were they considered friends again? Either way, she was going on a trip with actual people. That thought ran through her again and again, and she knew if she said it aloud to anyone, they'd wonder what type of isolation she was in, to begin with.

Well, it was a very long story.

A story that included pain, heartbreak, embarrassment, and things that she didn't want to think about ever again. It was a nice wish, to never be allowed to think about what she went through ever again, for it to be just a bad dream and not an everyday nightmare. Too bad though, the mocking would never go away. She always had to be reminded of her past, no matter how hard she tried to get away.

There were certain doubts in her head, like whether or not she'd have fun or if something could go wrong...the daily thoughts for an over-thinker, but for once the excitement flooded those thoughts. She felt giddy the night before, like a kid on Christmas Eve mixed with a child before their first day of school. She was anxious yet enthusiastic.

Her flight rolled around the next afternoon. She was always an early bird she awoke at 6, showered, dressed, got breakfast which just consisted of a frappuccino, and double-checked all of her bags to make sure they were packed. Her flight was booked for 2 pm, so around 12 she headed to the airport. Most of her flight consisted of her listening to music and gladly texting Asta. He would be flying in an hour after her, sadly with Mimosa, but he had told mostly everyone was already there.

For once in her life, Noelle was going somewhere without much thought. Usually, she'd think about whether or not she should something for hours, weighing out the pros and cons. And if she did decide on doing it, she'd come up with a blueprint; like what she'd do and where'd she eat but this time she was just going with the flow of the wind.

Noelle arrived at the airport in Hawaii, being met with Finral and Vanessa. They'd be waiting for Asta and Mimosa to arrive before getting in the rental car and heading to their hotel. Small talk filled the air as they awaited everyone else. They talked about things like daily life and what'd they planned to do while here.