"𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍." || 𝐌. 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐎𝐍

𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚

Terrance should have been there. Terrance wish he hadn't found out through the news. Terrance was terrified for his best friend. Terrance didn't know whether his best friend would be alive when he next went to Hurricane, Utah.

New York City, 1983

"Terrance dear, are you alright?" Cassie Valentine calls from the kitchen. She'd heard the news, and she knew how awful Terrance would feel. After all, he'd only been gone a couple of weeks and his sister and best friend had already experienced a horrific tragedy. He knew he should've stayed, but he also didn't regret leaving. His Aunt Cassie knew she'd have to call his mother and tell her everything, but at the same time she knew that would only make his trip home worse. If only he'd have brought his sisters with him, then just maybe she could do more to help them. "Cass.. this is so awful! They're just kids, I should've taken Lily with me at least, Mum likes Daisy more than Lily so it would be no use to bring her.."

The Valentines were a dysfunctional family since they had their first child. Dorothy Valentine née Johnson was a cold-hearted mother despite popular belief. Adam Valentine was always so loving towards her, his loyalty unwavering The poor soul really, trapped in such a loveless marriage. The eldest child, Terrance Valentine, was a fighter. Not in the way his parents had hoped of course as he's managed to bring their reputation down ever so slightly. The middle child, Lillian Valentine, brought their reputation right back up. She was the golden child who has achieved the most in the family and therefore must continue to do so or else she'll be a failure to all. The youngest child, Daisy Valentine, is the sweetest child on earth. Poor girl has been traumatised to the point of silence since the bite though.

When the Valentines showed up to Hurricane Utah in 1979, they were the talk of the town for weeks. Everybody wanted to talk to them and quite frankly, they hated it. The small, quiet town of Hurricane was a massive change compared to the loud, bustling streets of Manhattan, New York. Terrance quickly befriended Michael Afton, who found it funny that Michael's middle name was the same as Terrance's name. Michael Afton, who had so much faith in everybody, even when they had no faith in him. After that, they met Jeremy Miller and Alison Winters. The two always came in a pair; It's what made all four of them so compatible.

Lillian had always struggled making friends, and being in a completely different country made it ten times harder. So when she was approached by Lorelai Miller, someone she knew was very popular within the community, she had to cease her chance. She wasn't very liked in her old school, mainly due to her brother constantly getting into fights. His reputation always brought down hers and it was beginning to take a toll on the whole family. I'm sure you can imagine Rory's shock when she found out Lily was related to Terrance. It didn't matter to Rory though. In fact, it practically brought them closer. Whenever their brothers met up, the two would come along and meet each other. It was the perfect arrangement. Then they met Millie Brookes, the gossip. Millie was the whole reason the town even knew who the Valentines were, praising their status in New York.

The three girls were inseparable, as were the tormentors. That was, of course, until Terrance ran away. Many people believe the butterfly effect can't be real, as it would make no complete sense. However, if you believe, I advise you to continue reading as these chain of events may help you prove it.

Hurricane, Utah 1983

It was a couple weeks into the new school year, and Michael Afton had finally decided to show his face at school again. It was October, so he'd missed at least a month of school. Jeremy and Alison has stuck by his side, they knew the truth and that's all that mattered. On top of that, they both had been going to school as normal and knew the rumours that had been spread about Michael. They could prepare him. As soon as the now trio walked through the gates, people began to stare and whisper and stare and whisper and-

"Mike! You're back in school!!" Lily calls, running over to him in excitement. Was it actually excitement? She tackles him into a tight hug, shocking everybody around her. Completely different circles suddenly mixing at the unnatural interaction. Lillian knew it was bound to cause rumours. She didn't care. It meant that, hopefully, the negative rumours would evaporate and become simple whispers people would forget they even uttered. Mike hesitantly hugs back, though it doesn't register fully in his head that this is a good idea. It doesn't register fully that she is trying to help him. It doesn't register fully that this could gain him back his reputation. All he could register is that Lillian Valentine had her arms wrapped around him and that her hair was down. Her hair was never down.

Alison and Jeremy look between each other in surprise at the scene. Jeremy leans in towards Mike. "She hasn't spoken a word to anybody this whole school year, not even to Rory." He whispers and Mike tenses. He hugs her back a little tighter as his little brain cells finally compute what is happening. As soon as he understands, he lets go of Lily and grabs her wrist gently, moving towards the back of the school and taking her with him.

"This isn't for the best Lily, my reputation's never been worse and I will not allow you to get dragged down with me!" Lily simple stares, a small smile appearing on her face. Mike gazes at her in disbelief. "How can you be smiling?! Fuck, why are you even trying to help me?" He continues on and Lily's smile grows. It was one of her genuine smiles, the one she would only do for the people she truly cared for. Mike had only seen it once; when Terrance painted her for his art project. He'd never seen a smile so wide.

"Because I like you loser. Plus, you were right. God forbid I actually fall in love and start a relationship with someone who would ruin my reputation. However you were also wrong. I'm not a saint. If I was, I wouldn't have hugged you as soon as you stepped through the school gates. If I was, I wouldn't have gotten into fights with people who started rumours about you. If I was, I wouldn't be saying I love you right now."

Mike being speechless wasn't something that came naturally. In fact, all of his teachers have sent him out at least once because he couldn't stop yapping. His silence made Lily uncomfortable. It made her so uncomfortable that she began to pull a cigarette out; it had become second nature for her. Mike's eyes widen and he quickly takes the cig away from her. "Let's not ruin your lungs princess, yeah?" Lily rolls her eyes at him, causing him to chuckle slightly. "We better go in to school, can't have our saint being late for class now can we?"

Lily sighs but complies, walking to the front of the school with him. She stayed with him and the rest of his group for the whole day, surprising many of their fellow pupils and even the teachers. Their art teacher, however, didn't bat an eye. She'd seen their sketchbooks and that was enough for her to know this was bound to happen eventually. Ms Swift wasn't surprised either, but she still didn't know whether they were ready for this.

————

Michael Afton knew a lot of things. He knew that his brother, Evan, would be looking down at him and laughing over how awkward he was with Lily. He knew that settling back into the school environment would be easier with his friends to support him. He knew that Terrance would go into cardiac arrest if he ever saw his new found friend. In his opinion, the most important thing you could know is that Lillian Valentine never failed to be a saint towards everyone, even if she couldn't see it herself.

Lillian Valentine knew a lot of things. She knew that to be popular you had to be pretty, presentable and perfect. She knew that her reputation had already been ruined so there was no point in hiding herself. She knew that her brother, Terrance Valentine, would laugh in her face if she was to tell him about her new friends. But in her opinion, the most important thing anybody could and should know is that making your handwriting neater just to give notes to Michael Afton is incredibly hard, especially when you know he's just going to throw them away.