Fated - The Scorpion & The Butterfly

s i x

44 reads may not be much but I'm super excited my story is actually getting some attention 😊 it encourages me to keep going!
also, if you haven't yet, be sure to go back and check out "NOTES" before part one. i'll be using it to add visuals on characters and any other important things. they haven't been showing up on mobile in the banners.

thanks again for reading! <3

~x

The Butterfly

Sleep decided to avoid me last night. All I did was stare at the ceiling while my thoughts ran rampant. I glanced over at Stacy whose snoring also didn't help me sleep. I picked up my phone and checked the time.

7:56 AM

I groaned. I was so exhausted and I knew if I didn't want to sleep the day away - not that I would be able to anyway - I needed caffeine. I stood up to head to my closet to find something to wear.

Just a moment later there was a soft knock at the door that made me freeze. I looked over at the door wondering if I'd just imagined it. About a minute later there was another knock.

Who would be here so early? Please don't be Zack, I don't need to see him right now. I glanced at Stacy and she was still out cold. I opened the door to see a young blonde guy putting a bag on the floor beside the door. He stopped and looked up at me.

He wore a plain white tee shirt.

"Sorry, Rosie, right?" He asked as he stood back up with the bag in hand. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

I looked at the bag with a curious expression. "No, I wasn't asleep."

His eyes followed my gaze and he held the bag up. "Oh, Zack asked me to drop this off. He said you'd left some things at his apartment?" He seemed to be asking more of a question than making a statement.

"Oh, yea. Thanks." I took the bag and he seemed like there was more he wanted to say. I picked up on that and glanced over at Stacy again.

"I was hoping I could actually talk to you for a minute, there's a few things you should know about Zack." He shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at me, almost like it was a sensitive subject. It was.

"Um, I was actually about to head to the Cafe," I let out a small laugh as I motioned to Stacy who was still snoring. "I didn't sleep much last night."

"Great, I could go with you," He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind, of course."

I liked him. He seemed like the kind of guy that would open doors or buy his girlfriend flowers for no reason at all.

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Give me a minute to change and I'll be ready." I looked down at the tank top and pajama pants I wore.

He nodded. "I'll wait out here."

A few minutes later I was dressed and ready. I'd seen this guy around before so I knew who he was. His name was Noah Barrett, he was one of Zack's frat buddies. Probably the only actual friend he had.

-

The walk to the Cafe was filled with pleasant conversation. We got to know each other a little bit, sharing how we ended up in Los Angeles.

"The Big Apple, huh?" I asked him as we stood in line waiting for our coffees. "Pretty far from home." I smiled and he let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, guess so," He looked over at me. "I'm surprised you're from Texas, too."

I gave him a confused look and he took note.

"Oh, Zack moved here from Texas. About four years ago."

I froze. Was he joking? That's almost creepy.

"Really?" I mumbled before stepping forward once our names were called and grabbed our drinks, handing his to him. He'd been nice enough to pay for them.

"Something wrong?" He asked, taking his drink. "I can see the gears turning in your head." He gave me a soft chuckle as he took a sip.

"What was it I should know about Zack?" I ignored the question as we walked back out of the Cafe. Have I maybe met Zack before? Was that why he had seemed so familiar? There was no way. Was there?

"Well.." He started, already making me nervous. I listened as he continued.

"Zack comes from a fucked up past," He glanced at me like he was trying to catch a reaction. "His dad was a real piece of work from what he's told me. His mom wasn't much better, she ended up taking off when he was just a kid. Had to grow up with a mean drunk."

Mean drunk..

"Wow.." That was all I could muster as I took in what he just said.

Oh no.

My heart was telling me I could fix him and my brain was telling me to run. I've never been one listen to my head though. My last relationship was proof of that.

"He used to always talk about some girl and an accident that had happened back home too. He never really said much more about it other than that though."

Noah shrugged as we continued to walk. If the gears in my head were turning earlier, they were at full speed now.

"What town in Texas is he from?" I asked, glancing up as I sipped my drink.

"Uh, I think it was.. Upton..?"

My heart stopped and I froze.

Upton, Texas.

My hometown.

"I uh, I actually have to go," I suddenly started moving faster away from Noah before It turned into a full sprint. "Um, thanks for the coffee!" I glanced over my shoulder to see Noah standing there giving me a confused wave.

"Anytime..?" He called out as I disappeared down the street.

I wasn't going crazy. Four years ago was when I'd had a bad accident involving a Horseback ride and a Coyote. I ended up in the hospital for a week, unconscious for two days. When I woke up I had no memory of what had happened on top of other random gaps in my memory. The doctors said I had a mild form of amnesia. He said it was likely the memory would come back but it would take time. I thought everything had come back.

Being from the same hometown as me, talking about a girl and an accident four years ago?

The necklace.

That was when I had lost the necklace..