Wings of a Butterfly (Butterfly Effect Duet Book 1)

Chapter 1

“. ..On recent news. Susan Carver, a twenty-one-year-old college student, has been missing for thirty-one days. She was last seen at a music festival in Arkansas. Her parents say she is a smart and responsible girl...”

“Skylar! Earth to Skylar.” Nicole’s waving her hand in front of my face.

“Uh-huh, yep.”

“Did you hear anything I said?” She’s standing with her hands on her hips in front of the TV.

Without responding to her, I shove another spoonful of cereal in my mouth and look up at her innocently. “Mmhmmm, yep.”

“Can you please answer me without your mouth full?” She hates it when I do that. It’s been a habit I can’t seem to break. She tells me repeatedly of her Misophonia, a condition that affects her; she has a severe hatred of hearing people chewing. It never sticks in my brain. I’m so forgetful at times.

I swallow my food before answering her. “Yeah, sorry, Nicci. What’s up?”

“I scored us tickets to the music festival happening in Memphis!” She’s squealing, jumping up and down.

“When is it?”

“Tonight.”

I groan.

She is the more outgoing one, the extrovert. Me on the other hand, I’m an introvert. Let me stay home, curled up on the couch with a book, and I’m good. After my most recent fight with my dad, she’s been trying to cheer me up.

He doesn’t understand my sexuality and constantly states, “You just haven’t even tried dick yet. You don’t know what you like.” I can’t help but roll my eyes at the memory. Same broken record of an argument, but new, shiny consequences. This time he’s holding my tuition over my head. It’s outrageous. I still don’t understand Boomers and their logic. He hasn’t been the same since Mom passed away from cancer my senior year of high school. I’ve been keeping him at a distance from my life ever since, but some of the things he says still bother me. I hurt, too, but that never mattered to him.

She gives me a disapproving look. I decide to feign excitement for her because at least she’s trying. “I mean, yay?”

“Oh, come on, Sky. It’ll be fun, and you need to get out of those PJs you’ve been sporting for the past three days. Plus, I know you had a fight with Steven. So, I’m taking you out.”

I whine indignantly.

“Oh, stop your pouting. Come on, I’ll pick out your outfit.”

“Okay, but only because you called him Steven and not my dad.” I know it’s wrong, but my dad has never really been my dad. We never bonded, never played sports together, and we never talk unless he’s hounding me about when I’ll be getting a boyfriend. He will never accept me for me.

We spend hours getting ready for tonight. Nicci does, anyway. It takes me a few minutes of Nicci throwing clothes at my face and yelling at me to put them on. She’s the more fashionable one in our dynamic.

“Are you ready for this?” Nicci turns to me with the biggest smile on her face. Her smile always lights a fire in my chest. I can never deny her when she gets like this.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Do you think I look fat in this?” I pinch at the roll that comes up over my skirt. Why do I let her talk me into these things? Nicci cut up this old band shirt I had on. I’m showing way more skin than I normally do and it’s making me feel uncomfortable. I pull the skirt up so that it covers up more of my exposed stomach.

“You look fine, babe. Stop messing with it.” If only I could be as confident in my own skin as she is. She’s gorgeous in her fishnets and short shorts. She looks like a rocker chick, and her vibrant green dreads just pop against all the black clothes. “Come on, or we’re going to be pushing it for time. Also, I’m driving. We already know how you drive, and we don’t need to get pulled over on the way there.”

I groan at the memory. “Yeah. I know. Did you get the stuff?”

“Yes. I did, but you aren’t getting any till we get there. Now let’s go.” Nicci grabs our stuff and heads to the SUV. I’m nodding my head, even though she isn’t even looking at me anymore.

We start walking out of my room when a green flash of light catches my eye. I look over my computer desk thinking I left it on or something. Nothing. Huh, weird.

Nicci’s voice carries from the front door, “Are you coming, Sky, or not?”

I shrug it off. A trick of the eye. Wait, is she giving me a choice? Because I’ll choose to stay home all day long. I know she meant that as a rhetorical question, but one could hope.

“Are you saying I have a choice?” I yell back at her.

“No.”

Yeah, I figured that.

I meet her in the foyer before we walk out the front door of our town house. We walk in sync to her powder blue Volvo XC40. That shit is fancy. I’ve asked her where she gets this kind of money, but she always blows me off saying her waitress job makes a killing. I’m doubtful, but who am I to judge? She covers my part of the rent sometimes because my bookstore job doesn’t pay much, but I love it. Plus, I’m hoping it’ll help when I finish my English degree. As if being surrounded by books will help inspire me.

We’ve been friends since middle school. We made a pact that as soon as we were eighteen we’d move out of our parents’ houses. Hers because she has tons of siblings, and she needed space and, well, for me, it was much more complicated.

She is my best friend. I’ve always hoped that one day she’d see me as more than a friend.

We get into her luxy ride. She’s so excited and it fills me with glee by proxy. She turns on the SUV and “Love Me or Hate Me” by Kelsey Karter comes blaring out of her speakers. She moves quickly to turn it down before she blows our eardrums out.

She laughs nervously. “Sorry.” Here we go!” She backs out of the driveway. She passes me the AUX cord and I playNF, whose lyrics reflect the dark emotions I’m feeling at the moment.

As Nicci drives, I look out the window, watching the colors of the trees and cars blend together. I’m zoned out. It’s always a good feeling to disconnect and just feel the music letting the world spin around you. I wish I would have brought a book with me, so I could get lost in another universe entirely.

***

“We are here! Do you see this?” Nicci is leaning out the window and letting the breeze blow her dreads back.

Her voice shocks me back to reality. I shake my head and reconnect with myself. The crowds of people and cars are overwhelming. Everyone is heading to these large stages and tents in droves. We’re at this large national park in Memphis that is surrounded by trees. I actually didn’t think this place was as big as it is or that this many people would show. This is supposed to be a Coachella-mimicked event, I think.

Nervous excitement runs through me. “Yeah, I see it.” I feel my face cringing at the idea of a crowd. This is not my thing. I usually just follow Nicci like a shadow. I think it’s because I want her to finally notice that I love her as more than a friend. I’m friend-zoned and not even sure if she’s into girls. I know she’s only ever been with guys, but has she ever been curious? She gets under my skin at times. I’m not sure if she does it on purpose or not, but it does things to me. Such as when she plays with my hair when we’re watching movies on the couch together. It makes my body burn up and brings a low throb between my thighs.

Pulling carefully through the crowds to find a parking spot in the grass, I see the event organizers signaling us where to park. Nicci gets us where we need to go and turns the car off.

“So are we doing this?” I’m extremely nervous, but I’m convinced this will be the only way I can get through all my nerves and just enjoy this moment with her.

“Oh, yeah. Let me grab them.” She leans into the back and grabs our bag with water bottles, blankets, and snacks. It has everything we need to get through this comfortably. “Okay, here you go,” she says, handing me a little piece of paper with an alien face printed on it.

“This is it?” I’m skeptical as I inspect it on her finger.

“Yes, for Christ’s sake, Sky, just trust me.”

“Okay. Okay, I trust you.” Holding my hands up to wave her defenses down. I’m with Nicci. She is my rock. I’ll be okay.

She looks at me with her eyebrows quirked up and sticks her finger out. She has a smirk on her lips, and I know what she wants me to do. I stick my tongue out for her to place the little paper on my tongue. I feel an electric rush over my body just from her touch. I’m tempted to lick her fingers clean. She lingers for a moment, and I see something in her eyes, but it’s gone before I can read too much into it. She pulls back and the paper has dissolved, leaving a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

She hands me a bottle of water to wash it down. “Here, take a drink of this.” I grab the water from her hand and take a mouthful, swish it around and rid my mouth of the bitter taste. “And here,” she says, handing me a sucker. “You’ll need this later.”

“Oh? Okay.” I grab the sucker from her and put it in my back pocket.

“Are you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

We get out of the car, and she grabs my hand, dragging me to the check-in booths. The lines are pretty long, and we pick one to wait in. I look around, checking out the people around us. They’re all wearing something similar to us. All alternative aesthetics with band tees, fishnets, and vibrant-colored hair.

I look back at Nicci and see she’s checking out this guy with tattoos and brown hair. His side profile is all I see of him. The look in his eye says he’s plotting something wicked. Maybe he’s thinking of how he’ll rip all of Nicci’s clothes off. That wouldn’t be the first time she’s run off with a guy we’ve met during an outing. He looks scary honestly.

She smirks at the attention he’s giving us. When Nicci sees what she wants she goes for it hard, as in hard to get and a big fat tease. She turns to me and grabs my face in her hands. Her lips are on mine at lightning speed. I’m in shock, but it’s like a switch flipped in my head, and I take it all in. They are so soft, and her tongue runs over the seam of my lips. I part them to let her in. I’m melting into her touch, and if we could be melded together like this forever, I would die for that. My head is swimming. I can’t believe this is happening. Her tongue is massaging mine, and I bring my hands up to cup her face pressing her lips harder to mine. I’m soaring with the feel of it. I pull her bottom lip into my mouth, sucking on it before dragging it between my teeth. She pulls back. Her eyes are still closed. She looks like she’s blissed out and she gives me a mischievous smile and cuts her eyes to the guy that was eying us before. My heart sinks a little. She used me for this. She has never done that before. I don’t even think she knows how I feel about her. My heart is crushing a little at the thought, but I push it away. I should have known what this was.

“God, you were amazing. Where did you learn to kiss like that, my meek little bookworm?” She sounds breathless, but her demeanor is cool and calculating. She’s playing games with this guy in the other line. She doesn’t know that she just played me too. I give her a weak smile in response and shrug.

We make it up to the front after a few more minutes. We had a lot of space to move up after our little performance. Nicci pulls out her phone and shows the attendant our e-tickets, and he waves us on to the check-in where they’ll inspect our belongings for any weapons. As soon as they’re done we’re cleared to go in.

I can see the sun setting below the tree line. The sky is purple with pink hues. Soon the real fun will begin.

I can feel myself gritting my teeth because my jaw starts to ache. Nicci looks over to me. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, just starting to feel a little anxious.”

“Get your sucker out and let’s go listen to the bands. It will help. I promise.”

I do as she says, pulling the sucker she gave me earlier out and putting it in my mouth. The ache in my jaw starts to ease a bit.

We walk around in search of the perfect spot to lay our blankets and sit our stuff. One that’ll be close to the stages and the bathrooms. Finding a middle ground would be perfect. We end up walking around enjoying the small bands playing music until the main stage lights cut on. The sky is almost pitch black now, and the lights look like they’re vibrating from the bass that begins to pound.

The crowd is running to the main stage, almost knocking me over, and Nicci grabs my arm to hold me up. “I’m okay. I’m okay,” I say, straightening my skirt and running my fingers through my hair.

“Now that Ms. Clumsy is okay, we should go and get a good spot toward the front.” She’s pulling on my hand, leading us toward the front of the stage.

They start playing, and I can feel the vibration from the bass reverberating through my chest. Down so deep that I can feel it in my soul. It feels amazing! Nicci is spinning me with a huge grin on her beautiful face. This is all I’ve ever wanted. I wish she wanted the same. I can’t say she wouldn’t. I just can’t ever tell her.

The lights from the stage are like little orbs floating around my head. I feel as if I’m in another world when the lights burst in little butterflies. Almost as if they’re hatching from their cocoons. This is euphoria.

The bodies around us are moving in sync, and it’s like we’re one whole entity. I’m out of my body, floating up high. The sweat running down my back is cooling. I feel so free, and all my anxieties are gone in this moment.

I grab Nicci by the arm to get her attention. “Hey, I’m going to head to the bathroom. I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

Nicci just smiles and waves me off continuing to dance to the music. I don’t think I have to worry about her moving anytime soon.

As I head toward the bathrooms, my sight starts to get a little fuzzy, making me stumble over my feet. I’m probably dehydrated. That’s what my logic is telling me. When I make it there, it’s like a ghost town. It feels weird here, like a whole other universe. You can’t even hear the music here. It’s as if the sound has been sucked from this area. No one else has to pee? Weird. I actually expected a long line where I bounced around trying not to pee myself.I shrug to myself and push the door to the bathroom open.

Feeling uneasy, I step inside and check the stalls. All are empty but only one looks decent enough to use. I plop down on the toilet, letting out a sigh.

“Ugh, sweet relief!” I say to no one but myself.

There’s writing on the stall door. These are always a lot of fun to read when your vision isn’t all fuzzy. I finish and leave the stall to wash my hands. The water feels so cool and refreshing. We had a bag with supplies for instances like this, but I honestly have no idea where we left it after we rushed to the main stage. I splash some of the cool water on my face and the back of my neck. My skin feels so hot, and the cool tap feels better than any oasis in the Sahara. I take some of the water in my cupped hands and drink it. My throat and mouth are so dry, as if a cotton ball was stuck in my esophagus. I cough on the first sip but by the second and third it goes down smoother.

Okay, time to get back out there. Nicci will worry about me soon.

Opening the door of the restroom, I step out. Surprised to see Nicci at the door.

“I thought I told you to wait for me.”

She doesn’t say anything and just smiles at me wickedly. I smile in reflex, and she’s pushing me against the wall beside the bathroom door. Her body presses to mine. I’ve never experienced this side of her. I’m hot all over again. I’ve always dreamed of this happening but to actually have it happen is a completely different story. I wonder what changed her mind. Maybe that kiss we shared earlier did it. She has my throat in a vice grip, but not enough to stop my breathing, just to hold me in place. She looks at me with her pretty eyes, and I’m sucked into her atmosphere.

Her lips are on my jaw. The electricity of her touch is tingling, running straight to my core. She runs her hand down my side, over my curves. I don’t feel insecure in her hands. She’s touching me like I’ve always wanted. Her hand finally reaches the edge of my skirt, her fingers lightly touching my skin there, softly running back and forth, causing goosebumps to come up. My body shivers involuntarily at her touch. She looks at me with that smile that seems out of place on her, but she’s touching me. She. Is. Touching. Me. I’m lost as she moves. Her fingertips trail under my skirt and up to the edge of my panties. She pulls at the edge of them, moving them aside. She’s teasing me at my entrance.

“Please, give me all of you.”

Her mouth comes down on mine hard and her finger is inside of me. I’m overwhelmed by her. She’s working her finger in me and her tongue’s running over mine. She slips in another finger, and a moan slips from my lips but her mouth captures it. Her other hand, still around my throat, is increasing in pressure and making my head swim. Our kiss breaks with a pop and I’m having a hard time breathing, my breath successfully stolen and neither lung functioning.

She’s smiling at me as she’s working me to the edge of darkness. Her thumb pushes my panties further out of the way, allowing her palm to push up against my clit, giving me the friction I need. The sparks are going off in my head and blackness is edging my vision. I’m smiling at her. This is all I’ve ever wanted.

Whatever she will give me, I want it all.

The bubble of pleasure is bursting, and stars are exploding beneath my eyelids. I reach my hand up to brush along her cheek. I just want to feel her. My fingers brush her lightly and I see something there. My brain is all messed up.

She pulls her fingers out of me and grabs something I can’t see. Then her hand is covering my mouth and nose with a cloth. If I could scream, I would. The grip she has on my throat is tight, suffocating. I can’t breathe let alone speak. It’s then that my orgasm takes over, consuming the rest of my vision.

The last thing I see is that wicked smile.