The Butterfly Effect

Chapter Four - Goodbye Stranger

Two kids were laughing and screaming. A little blonde girl in braids was wrapped up in a puffy, pink snow jacket. A pink kitten beanie was adorned on her head. The little blue-eyed, blonde girl reached down and cupped a pile of snow in her hand. She molded it together then chucked it. The snow flew and hit a little boy in the shoulder. This boy was slightly taller than the girl. He was home to dark golden locks and a pair of gray-blue orbs. The royal blue knit beanie he wore on his head pushed his curly hair down to frame his face, giving him an almost elvish appearance. The little boy grinned and threw a snowball at the girl.

The little girl dodged the attack. "You'll never get me, Jason!"

The boy gave her a Jack-O-Lantern smile. "We'll see about that, Ems!"

Emily watched the kids chase each other, swearing revenge and exchanging fist-fulls of snow. They could not have been more than six years old, maybe seven. She recalled this memory clearly. It was from the good days. After their snowball fight, Jason and Emily would track slush into her house. Emily's mother would scold them, help them get dry, then set them up in the living room with steaming cups of hot chocolate. Emily's dad would come in and light a fire not long afterwards. Only then would Megan run down the stairs to join the gathering.

"I don't understand," Emily turned her gaze to Divina."Why are you showing me this?"

"Was he not your friend?" Divina asked in return.

Emily stared at the children once more. "He was... but that was a long time ago. He's not my friend anymore."

"Hmm... I think you'll find that friendships may end, but some bonds are never severed." Divina mused.

Before Emily could question what the Reaper meant, a new portal opened. She followed Divina in without another word. The next scene Emily recognized immediately. It was her grade school. Emily knew it instantly because that was where the bullying originated. It was also the time when Jason stopped being her friend.

To the left of them, a group of kids stood by a brick wall outside. A large tree shaded the kids from the sun. Jason was right in the middle of the group, soaking up the attention. Girls attempted to flirt and guys talked about thirteen-year-old boy topics. There young Emily came; shy, timid, and alone, walking passed them. This was a part in her life where she stopped eating. It wasn't that Emily thought she was fat, not yet anyway. She kept losing her appetite due to depression. Two years had passed since Jason had stopped being her friend, and that was when everyone started turning on Emily. No one likes to admit it, but kids are cruel. With a lack of friends and the constant put-downs, Emily's self-esteem took a nosedive. When you don't have anyone around to defend you, you become nothing but an easy target to people.

Emily's thirteen-year-old self walked passed them, trying hard not to stare at her former friend.

Back in the group, a boy nudged Jason. "I dare you to ask that girl why she's so skinny."

They thought they were being discreet, but Emily had heard it loud and clear. Her head jerked in their direction. A couple of the guys laughed at her hurt expression, but Emily's gaze had landed on Jason. He shook his head and looked away from young-Emily. She hurried away with eyes on the verge of tears. She remembered locking herself in the girl's bathroom for the rest of the break. To this day Emily didn't know what was more painful; the fact she was being judged for her weight, or the disappointment in Jason's eyes-like he had expected better of Emily, and she let him down. It was ridiculous to still feel tied to him, but he was Emily's partner in crime for years. No romantic feelings had ever risen either, making their friendship nearly flawless.

Later that day Emily found a post-it note on her locker. One word was written on it with black marker in handwriting she hadn't recognized. Eat. Somehow, that one little anonymous note had turned her entire day around. When Emily got home, she picked up the first item of food I could find. A red apple. It may not have been much, but it was the first thing she willingly ate in days. It meant more to her than she could ever describe.