The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 3

I waited for what seemed like forever at the door for Layla. When it comes to waiting for friends to come over, I suck at keeping my patience.

When she finally rang the doorbell, I was standing there with an eager smile on my face.

"What's up Hail?" she asked with a warm smile on her face.

"'Nothin much, what bout cho?" I say with total sarcasm on the "slang" and short cutting of my words. We both laughed at my statement.

"I'm going over to Stacey's house. You coming or what?"

"Like you could get there without me."

"Lettuce grows where we go!"

"Really?" I say with a furrowed brow.

"Sure!" she says in her perky voice.

We hop in my car and drive down town.

"Where does she live?" Layla asked making idle chit chat.

"On the edge of town, the farthest away from my house you can get within a mile of a restaurant," I answer in monotone.

"Okay," Layla says, ending our conversation. I'm not one for talking in the car.

We pull up on Stacey's driveway in minutes and Clara bounces out of her statue position next to a waiting Stacey. If Layla is really perky, then Clara is the perky queen, but only to her friends, or close to that. She's the devil to the transfer students from Holland, apparently speaking Dutch disables you from being popular, or treated fairly nicely by Ms. Queen Bee. I hate her, I have plenty of friends in the "outcasts" group.

I put a plastic smile on my face and returned her hug reluctantly. She didn't notice a thing, but I knew that she wasn't happy that Stacey invited me, she hated me.

Unlike me, Layla and Clara were friends. Perky people make perfect partners for friendship. They ran into each other's arms squealing. I rolled my eyes and Stacey's frozen figure chuckled.

"As cute as mice are, their squeaks get annoying, shush it," Stacey interrupted the Layla and Clara's hug. "Get in the car."

Clara hopped in the back with Layla and I took shotgun in Stacey's car. She drive like a speed demon to Sami's Sushi.

"So, anything happening?" I asked "Why are acting all calmy? Normally, you're all 'Clara.' Why are you too cool for it? I kinda like this you. It's more my st-"

"Oh, shush it," Stacey interrupted. "Clara sees me as cool, calm, collected. I'm also not always 'Clara,' just when I'm excited."

"Oh, okay." I stopped talking, not wanting to keep talking.

The restaurant was one of many on the square. A band was setting up on the summer concert stage, and the grass lawn in front of it was full of blankets. We walked along the pavement square until we reached the break in the chain fence that surrounded the outdoor eating area for Sami's. We walked up to the ordering desk and got what we wanted. The lady gave us our food, and we took seats outside.

The band started playing in the background, a distant noise. Clara started filling the air around her with her voice.

"Okay, I need to everything about crushes, boys, I want me some gossip," Clara demanded. She eyed Layla and cleared her throat.

Layla gasped in realization."Oh, me. Um, Jack and I started dating in February, but then he dumped me for Kaitlyn Rosalie." She bowed her head in shame. "Jack said that dating me was a joke. I hate the jerk." Layla had started talking faster and louder. I placed my hand on her back and started rubbing to soothe her.

"Oh, sorry sweets," Clara said with little compassion. "Stace?" she asked. "Any boy drama, or drama drama?"

"Drama queen," I muttered under my breath.

"Not really, Damian and Jessica broke up last week in the 9th grade hallway, and Finnick and Marry are now officially dating on both of their Instagram profiles." For calm and collected, she knew how to gossip.

"Ooooh!" Clara squealed. "Did you know that Ellie set them up? Yeah. Cool right. Ellie is so good at those sorts of things." She paused to take s breath. "Crush Hailey?"

"Um," I stuttered. I had one, but Clara was sure to share the info with him. Lay offered to tell him, but I don't want to ruin the friendship in case he likes someone else.

"Hailey?" Clara asked, pulling me out of my train of thought.

"Er, kinda. Ethan's nice and cute, but his grades are a mess. He relies too much on others for my taste," I admit, not telling them about Brett. I look up at them and Clara looks disappointed in my boy problems. Nothing but a crush that you don't even know that you like. Clara's eye said to me.

"Oh, so anyways," she said, dismissing me, "Andrew and I are in LOVE!!!!!!!!" she squealed.

She kept on blabbing while I finished my sushi and tuned her out. I watched the people walking in and out of Sami's. Some guy with dark brown hair and amber skin caught my attention.

He turned around and I was shocked to see Brett Tidwell staring right back at me with a smile on his face.