The Butterfly Thieves

Chapter Nine

         I couldn't stay in my room all day. By the fourth time Thomas came by my room knocking, I gave up and came out.

However, I decided I didn't really want to speak to them. I just grabbed a book off the shelf and walked out into the garden. They weren't too uptight, considering you could see my favorite bench from the window.

I grabbed 'The Bell Jar' off the shelve and opened it up.

That was usually how I selected any books from his bookshelves, closing my eyes and picking one, letting my hands guide me. Reading hadn't been a thing for me for a while, I don't remember the last book I had read.

I used to do it all the time . . . but Mikey didn't like smart girls, so I didn't read.

I opened the book and getting lost in the words.

I was only forty pages in before I heard footsteps walking down the brick path. I sighed and looked up.

"That's a lovely choice for a book," Jason said. "Very fitting for you."

"Meh," I said, not wanting to really give the satisfaction of having a conversation with me.

"What do you mean by that?" he laughed.

I put the book my lap. "It means, I don't want to speak to you."

"May I ask why?"

"Because you been through the exact same thing that he is doing to me, and you still choose to be friends with him! So he could do this to other people? Why didn't you call the cops? Why didn't you turn him in? What's wrong with you?"

Jason just rubbed his chin. "I know this is hard to see now, but Thomas is a really caring man. He wouldn't have picked you if he didn't see something in you."

"Why couldn't he see that in someone else?" I asked, picking up my book again.

"Because you're not just someone else. You're special." He sounded like he was reading a script, trying to figure out how to butter me up.

"Whatever, shut up."

"Why?"

"Because that's bullshit and you know it."

"No, it's not. If you weren't special, Thomas wouldn't have picked you for the chance to be a citizen at Earnest Town. Trust me, he's given you a wonderful chance at life."

"And how do you know I need a chance?"

"Thomas told me about your boyfriend. I'm hoping he's an ex now," Jason said.

I just tighten my lips. "You two shouldn't know anything about me!" I screamed at him. I held my book up, not wanting to see his stupid looking face.

He ended up sitting on the bench next to me, without my permission. I didn't really want him near me, I didn't want his energy in my field. He was too close to my bubble. "Can you take a guess what I was doing before Thomas found me?"

"I don't know, and don't care."

He laughed. "If you guess it right, I'll get you a cookie."

"Don't you dare be all classical conditioning me!"

He laughed again. "Fair enough, but will you try to guess?"

"I don't know. Weed?"

"No."

"Meth?"

"Closer but no."

"I don't know, what?"

"I was very close to joining MS-13."

My mouth dropped. "What? Why?"

"Because my dad wanted me to. He was high up in that whole deal, and he got my older brother, but I didn't. I had to give up school, I had to be tough. But, I got a second chance at life. Why? Because Thomas brought me to a safe place. My father told me only a true man would join. I didn't want to part of something like that. Thomas saved me. Told me a true man did the right thing, no matter who disagreed with you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I'm sorry you have an asshole dad."

He laughed. "Don't we all though?"

"Well, they're more songs about daddy issues than mommy issues. Maybe that's saying something."

Jason gave another big laugh. "I suppose that's true. I mean, I can think of ten songs on the top of my head."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"DADDY!" he started screaming and singing. Seeing him act that way actually made me laugh. "Daddy! Why must you do this to me! Daddyyyy!"

God, he was annoying as hell. "Oh my god, stop it, you idiot."

"DADDDDDY!"

"You're stupid!" I shouted. "You're annoying!"

"Oh, oh, oh," he kept going on.

"And you have an awful voice."

"And daddy issues," he snapped his fingers and shot pretend finger guns at me.

I just rolled my eyes. I didn't want to admit it but having him there was actually fun. It was better than Thomas and his quest for curing me of my problems. "Jason, I don't want to be here."

"Neither did I, at first."

"But I was fine, I really was."

"Milly, your boyfriend made you do so much, plus stealing, and bad crowds . . . what else would have happened to you?"

"I was going to leave him . . . soon."

"Now, he's on the run from the law. Don't you think, if Thomas hadn't had saved you, you might have ended up dead because of that Mikey person?"

I narrowed my eyes. "He wouldn't kill me."

"No, but would he stop you from being killed? A man protects the ones he loves. Mikey didn't love you. You have to know that, right?"

I raised my hand up, and chucked the book at Jason head. He screamed in pain, and I saw I got his nose just right as it started bleeding. I got up, and walked away, hiding in the garden away from those crazies.

"Fuck you!"