The Butterfly Effect (Rewritten)

Chapter Four - Medicine

Megan drove me home after school every day since freshman year. However, I was avoiding anyone close to me or in my family. I decided to stick around campus and wound up at the indoor pool where the swim team was practicing drills. A few stragglers took residence on the bleachers next to the water. It wasn't uncommon for people to hang out there after the last bell rang. There was plenty of eye-candy in the pool and it was one of the few places that contained a sense of privacy.

I sat the furthest I could get from others and read a book that had been on my reading list, but after a while, I lost interest. How could I focus on an alternate reality when so much had happened to me in the real world?

My phone received zero messages from my family. Good. They know to leave me alone. But some part of me wanted them to try. Part of me wanted them to see through my mask and ask me what was wrong. It didn't matter how angry I was with them. I just wanted someone to see how I was really doing. You put on too good of a show.

I packed away my notebook when the last of the swim team vacated the locker rooms. The school staff wouldn't begin locking up for another hour. They had to give the sports kids a chance for their rides to show up. I gathered my backpack and approached the girls' locker room. I reached for the door, about to push it open when it flew forth instead. I jumped back in the nick of time, escaping getting hit by a sandy-haired boy with a sleazy grin.

"My bad." He winked at me as he sauntered out.

I scoffed.

The inside of the locker rooms was empty, but I wasn't going to take any risks. I checked each row and even the coach's office that connected to the locker rooms. The door was locked of course, but I peered through the glass. The room was pitch black. I picked a row then unzipped my backpack and tugged out my one-piece bathing suit. I may not have been confident enough for a bikini, but I was comfortable enough to take advantage of a deserted, heated pool. It would be a much-needed spa day without the spa. And maybe I can make myself stop thinking.

I peeked out the door, double-checking the pool, then crept toward the water. I took a deep breath and dove. I resurfaced grinning. There wasn't even a shock of temperature. It was like bath water! I did a few backstrokes and floated for a while, reveling in this little piece of Heaven. If it weren't for moments like this, I'd lose my mind. I thought it ironic for a brief second, to be floating physically, but drowning mentally. What would it be like? I asked myself. If they found my body in the pool tomorrow?

I didn't have the guts to find out.

There are two types of people: those who liked to watch the world burn, and those who put out the fires. I was surrounded by pyromaniacs, and they were intent on setting me aflame.

If I had known what waited the next morning, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed. I wouldn't think about finishing the school year. I'd pack my bags and leave without a second thought. Emory Mathison would be a face you never saw again.

You don't guess that anything bad will happen to you on the average days. You tend to expect something that will tip you off, yet that never happens. It's a normal day, and no alarm bells are ringing through your head. You have no idea what's coming. You don't know when your life will take a turn for the worst.

I reached a few steps into the halls when everyone's cell phones went off at once. Different ringtones wailed in a shrill sync, including mine. I lifted my phone to find a message from an unknown number. I tapped the notification and found a video with a black thumbnail. I pressed the play button and watched as the black faded. It transitioned to a short-haired brunette girl in the locker rooms. My eyes widened in horror as she started taking off her clothes. No... NO! NO! NO! The girl in the video turned around to grab her swimsuit and her naked body faced the camera, showing the world it was me.