The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 9

"Hey, you seen that hot chick?"

"Saw her leave right after the game. Better luck next time, man."

"Joey, wait. You know her, right?"

"Um, not really."

"Can you give me her number?"

"Just drop it, man, okay? You do not want to know her, trust me."

Joey couldn't believe this teammate of his had been serious to ask Ashley out after the game. His reason of not wanting to give him her number was because he knew how this guy talked about women in the locker room and it could get really nasty. And also, everyone in the team knew how many women the guy had gotten into bed with and most of them included drunk chicks.

It had actually been a lie when Joey told his teammate he saw Ashley walking out right after the game. He honestly hadn't even seen her after that at all. Now, he had to admit that he was curious whether or not she had acquainted with his teammate. And he had to admit, too, that he feared if she had.

A knock on the front door of his apartment distracted his thoughts. When he opened the door, Kirsten walked in before he even said anything.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, flopping down on his couch.

"Huh?" Joey closed the door.

"I'm sorry I went home in the middle of your game." She took a look around the apartment. "Where's Harley, by the way?"

"In the shower." After sitting down next to her, Joey explored her face which looked sad and languid. By that, he knew something was wrong. "What's with the long face?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, my feelings are mixed up."

"Did you have a fight with Liam?"

Kirsten shook her head frailly. "No, it's not about him."

"Is it about someone in your class, then? Your friend? Or your professor?"

Her head shook again.

"Do you want to tell me?" Joey asked softly.

She was just silent, drooping her head. Not saying a word either, he waited for her to start talking again and swung his attention to a rebroadcasted NBA game on TV. After a moment or two, Kirsten's words cracked the silence, "I met someone at your game today."

"Who?" he questioned as he turned the TV volume down.

"A... guy," she replied in a tone of uncertainty then turned to him. "Well, actually, my ex-boyfriend... if I could call him so."

Joey raised his eyebrows. "Oh, okay. Let me guess, you still can't move on from him?"

"Honestly, I don't think I still have feelings for him anymore," Kirsten admitted slowly.

"So," he continued since a hush descended over them again, "he comes back to you, tells you he still loves you and wants you back in his life, but you're with Liam now so now you're stuck in this love triangle?"

"Wha— No!"

"Oh, I know," he started again when his sister was busy fiddling a thread on his throw pillow instead. "He gets his ass on a spaceship, travels a million years from Mars to Earth, gets a fight with these- these big, ugly beasts just for you but he turns out to be a bad alien who wants to conquer Earth with his troops then kills every humankind into doom?"

She stirred in her spot, her eyebrows knitted together in absolute bewilderment. "Joey, are you drunk?"

"Nope."