A/n: I know there's a lot of speculation into the name Butterfly I just put it in really to show she was a little weirder than normal teenagers.
Thanks. I had no clue where the Specific-ocean was. :-) But I found a loophole. Just because she's FROM California… doesn't mean that's where she flew in from!
Chapter 2:
I wake up before Zoey or Nicole the next morning and I actually get breakfast. Usually I just roll out of bed 15 minutes before class starts. I sit at the table alone. It's early, so it's cold. Out here in the cold brisk morning I have space to think. So what if Logan has a girlfriend? Big deal. I mean it's not like I had a chance with him anyway. And if I did, did I really want one? I wanted him because he's 'the bad boy'. The classic case of first-14's. If you don't know what that means it's when a girl turns 14 and starts to discover boys in depth (not that most boys have 'depth' of course) some girls start earlier, some start later. But I'm 14 now. It's just a random crush on some random bad boy. If Chase was the bad boy it'd be him and Zoey I was mad at.
But I'm not mad at Logan. I'm not. I'm totally… the opposite of jealous. Indifferent yeah that's the word. She wants to get herself hurt, then by all means Butterfly's welcome to him. I refuse to be jealous. If I get jealous it means this is more than a stupid crush. I'm certain it's not more than a school-girl-crush. I refuse to let it be.
"Morning sleeping beauty… why're you up early?" Logan asks as he and Chase take seats besides me. I'm used to Logan's off-handed flirting. It's never really meant anything. Well… I'm assuming it didn't. I mean he had a girlfriend stashes away in… wait a minute… California? Liar. We ARE in California. No way did she take a plane to here from here.
"Didn't sleep well." I mutter, clearing my head. Ignoring all thoughts of where Butterfly really is from.
"I can see that…" Chase comments. "Your eyes are all bloodshot." I hide them from him. Staring instead at my cereal which turns out to be much more interesting than the boys. It's probably more intelligent too.
"Cram it."
"Hey… can I sit?" Before anyone answers Butterfly sits between me and Logan. She's wearing a black tank top and jeans. I see a tattoo on her forearm.
"Is that real?" I can't help asking. I may hate the girl but... wow.
"Is what real?" Logan asks. Butterfly laughs.
"Yeah…"
"Isn't it like illegal?" Chase asks in disbelief. What tattoo parlour in their right mind would do that to a 13 year old girl?
"Is WHAT illegal?" Demands Logan. He's sat on the wrong side of her so he can't see.
"Not if you have parental consent." Butterfly bites her lip. "Or are just really handy with a pen and ink."
"Huh?" Logan asks, he is now utterly bewildered. Then again the boy was born confused so seeing him like this isn't unusual for us.
"I forged my mom's signature." She grins. Oh great so she's a bad girl too. They deserve each other.
"Didn't she notice?" Chase asks.
"She doesn't care."
"That's not true." Logan whispers. "She's your mom she has to love you."
"You live in a fantasy world Logan!" She laughs. "I like that."
Ugh! Could they be any more obvious. I tighten my grip on my spoon. I want to use it to gouge out their eyes…. Slowly. Very VERY slowly. I am failing my 'refuse-to-be-jealous' mission spectacularly.
"So what did you do?" Butterfly turns to Logan to show off her tattoo. It's a blue and green butterfly flying diagonally across her upper arm.
"WHAT ON…" He looks really mad. I think he wants to borrow my spoon to gouge her eyes out with... feel free. She looks frightened.
"It's only a tattoo." She mumbles.
"Why would you disfigure yourself like that, are you crazy!" He looks dangerous.
"Sheesh quit telling me what to do!" She's going to cry. Go on break her heart Logan!
"Sorry it's just…" He sighs. "You're too pretty for tattoos." He's never apologised when he's upset me! She smiles.
"Thanks… I think. I have to go get my timetable and stuff sorted out so I'll see you three later." Smile, smile, smile. Does she have to be so freakin happy! Why couldn't he just crush her. She stands up and then turns to Chase.
"You busy Friday?" She asks.
"No, why?" He puts down his spoon.
"Well… neither am I." She smirks and saunters off. What a little hussy! She's dating Logan, she's flirting with everything male and she's leading Chase up the garden path, across the curb and into the traffic! Logan slams his fist on the table as soon as she's out of ear shot. His knuckles are turning white.
"Dude, you can NOT go out with her!" He growls.
"Why not?" Chase asks.
"Because…" Nobody else knows about him and Butterfly apart from me. And it doesn't look like he's about to tell Chase. "What about Zoey?"
"What about me?" Zoey asks brightly.
"Look man. This doesn't have anything to do with Zoey… or Dana or Nicole… or you for that matter."
"What's wrong?" Asks Zoey in concern.
"I gave up on that." Chase stands up and leaves.
"He gave up on what?" Nicole asks. I look at Zoey. Well done Chase… you just broke Zoey's heart without even realising it.
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Butterfly is in mine and Logan's IT class. It's the only class Logan and I have alone-together. (I know it doesn't make sense but it's the one we share without Zoey, Chase, Nicole, Michael or Quinn) I take the seat next to him on his left and she sits next to him on his right. I know I seem like a pathetic puppy but I need to prove to myself I can be not-jealous. I've not been succeeding so far. I hate failure. The second I see her bat her eyelashes and I don't get jealous I'll know I'm cured. Logan gets up to speak to Lewis Kew.
"You said you're from California." I say conversationally.
"I did."
"But you said you were jet lagged." She's tip-tapping away at Logan's keyboard
"I'm FROM California. It's where I was born…" She rolls her eyes. "I'm live in…"
"Hey girls…" Logan says taking his seat. Butterfly smiles.
"Just explaining to Dana not to take things too seriously… the stress could cause premature aging. And we wouldn't want to ruin that pretty little face now would we. After all. Looks in your case... are everything." She says sweetly. I don't think Logan's listening.
"Why I oughta…" I make a grab for her. Logan forced me back into my seat. I huff and cross my arms. My IM window pops up.
Flutterby: Hey, what's your deal? I've TRIED to be nice and you're all nasty to me.
DangerCruz: Nice? Ha! How did you get my screen name!
Flutterby: Logan's computer… you're avoiding the question!
DangerCruz: Prick me and I bleed, Butterfly.
Flutterby: Still avoiding.
DangerCruz: I can't stand you. You just waltz in and suddenly you're the it-girl of PCA! Stay the hell out of our lives.
Two seats down Butterfly bursts into tears. I raise my eyebrows but ignore her. I can pull crocodile tears too girly. I just refuse to resort to those sort of low tactics.
"What's wrong?" Logan whispers. She points at the computer and shows him the IM conversation.
"Dana… leave her alone!"
"Why should I!" I snap.
"Because she's new and you know better!" he growls at me.
"When I was new you were the one who should've known better!" I snap, again at him. I should be tearing her hair out. Not arguing with Logan.
"Who's the one who backs you up in every fight?" Logan demands.
"Zoey! Because you're the one who's always fighting with me!" I scream at him. I don't care who's listening.
"Mr Reese! Miss Cruz! If you can't keep your voices down I'll have to ask you to leave!"
"You don't have to ask!" I stand up to go but Logan pulls me down to my seat.
YouKnowYouWantMe: That's not true. I defend you behind your back ALL the time
DangerCruz: Then defend me to my face now! She started it!
YouKnowYouWantMe: I'm not getting into this with you Dana. Leave her alone or else.
DangerCruz: Or else what?
YouKnowYouWantMe: You don't want to know.
DangerCruz: So what you're saying is when it comes to a choice between ME and her…. Me one of your best friends who you've known for over a year and her, a girl who just randomnly showed up out of the blue yesterday. You'd choose her?
YouKnowYouWantMe: Her. Hands down.
I stand up.
"Where are you going?" He asks, I move my hand out of his way so he can't make me sit down again.
"Well you've made it crystal clear where I stand!" I gather my book bag and hit the off button on the computer.
"Dana…" He complains.
"You know what Butterfly… you're welcome to him." I tear out of the room despite the fact that Miss is screaming like crazy at me.
'I will not cry' I tell myself 'To cry means you are jealous.' I think determinedly. 'I refuse to get jea…' oh to heck with it I'm crying. Why am I crying! I can do this. I can stop myself being jealous. Just because he likes her better than me…
"Dana?" Chase asks in shock. He takes me by the un-tattooed forearms and sits me down. "Are you ok?" he's never seen me cry. To be honest I don't think I've cried since I came to PCA.
"Of course I'm ok." I run my hand through my hair. It's all tangled. I don't think I brushed it this morning. No wonder I feel like crap, I look like it.
"No you're not…" He whispers. "C'mere." He wraps his arms around me. Sometimes it's just nice to be held.
"It's just… she's been here two minutes and…" I lay my head on his shoulder. Sometimes it's just nice to have a shoulder to cry on.
"And you're worried she's taking your place?" He asks knowingly. Know-it-all.
"Yeah… I just had a huge fight with Logan and…"
"Zoey's right. You are jealous."
"I'm NOT it's not Logan I want… it's… I don't know what I want."
"Well… if it'll make you feel better. You don't have to worry about her and Logan. I'm going out with her this Friday night,"
"What!" I snap. "You can't! What about Zoey,"
"She has a boyfriend." He sounds really hurt.
"Ouch…"
"I heard her and Nicole talking about how great this guy was... how gorgeous and funny and sweet he was..."
"I didn't know." I confess. "But Chase… I hate to break it to you but there's no way Butterfly's gonna say yes. She's dating Logan."
"She already said yes…" he pulls back in confusion. "I asked her out like an hour ago." I widen my eyes.
"She kissed Logan last night… and they both said they 'loved' each other." The L word. Stupid word. Tennis is better. Love counts for nothing. Chase furrows his eyebrows.
"You probably misheard… listen I have to run but uh… don't worry. Butterfly's a lot like you, you know. That's why you two don't get on." Cheek. That lousy flirt is nothing like me. He ruffles my hair.
"There's a big difference."
"Like what? She's nice to him and you're not?" He says pointedly
"Hey!" Just whose side is he on here? Mine or the infamous Butterfly's?
"Just be nice to him on Saturday." He warns.
---------------------------------
The reason I'm supposed to be nice to Logan today is because it's his birthday. Wow, the idiot finally turns 14. Not like it's some huge accomplishment. Zoey threw him a party anyway. That's the problem with having your birthday in the Summer. Nobody comes to a party or gives you presents or anything.
"Hey…" He says to me. I hand him his gift a little roughly and go and sit down. He follows me and sits besides me.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
"What's wrong? What's wrong he asks!" I laugh. "I thought we weren't talking."
"Oh yeah. I meant to clear the air with you…" He won't say sorry. he's too proud. When he upsets Butterfly it's 'Sorry sorry I promise I won't do it again' with me it's 'get over it'
"Yeah well you didn't." I growl. Chase came back really depressed yesterday from his date. I think Butterfly came clean to him about her thing with Logan. Either way he's sat secluded away from us. Butterfly cautiously approached him.
"What's going on there?" He wonders.
"They're dating." I say viciously. Go on Logan, dump the cheating cow.
"Impossible…" Logan laughs. "I told him not to."
"They went out last night- like it or not…" His face looks livid. Oh no! Why'd I have to open my big mouth. I've ruined his birthday!
He stands up angrily and ploughs through the crowd to them.
"You're seeing him!" He roars. The guests go quiet.
"Logan! Don't you dare cause a scene." She warns calmly.
"I told you to stay away from her Chase. You're a Backstabber! And you're moving out of out dorm!"
"Come on man, you're over reacting! I've gone on one date with her."
"Over reacting… to over react would be to dump this punch bowl over your head! Now get out!" Chase looks frightened. I can tell that Logan is going to hit him. His eyes are narrowed and he's rolling up his sleeves. So I rush up and stand infront of him.
"Logan think about this… you're about to hit your best friend…" I warn. It's one thing for him to like Butterfly more than me… but Chase is his best friend. It's like the unwritten rule.
"Get out!" He hisses his orders to Chase. Chase scrambles off of the chair and out of the door. Zoey gasps. Butterfly growls.
"Now look what you did!"
"And YOU!" He turns on her. I don't stand infront of her. If he wants to hit her good on him. Infact I'd like to deck her one myself. "You're no better! I TOLD you that you weren't…"
"You can't tell me what to do." How come she's so calm? Logan advances towards her manacingly. He's going to deck her one! Yay.
My instincts get the better of my. My hand darts out and grips Logan's shirt. He turns to me. The mood he's in he might very well hit me. But I don't care. This is partially… well wholly my fault.
"Logan…" I whisper. His face softens and he stalks off with his hands in his pockets. I turn to Butterfly.
"You'd better leave." I order.
"It's a pleasure." She storms out, slamming doors. Logan's sat on the sofa. Now I'm not a brilliant agony aunt, but if I caused the damage then I'll pick up the pieces. I'm big enough to admit when I'm wrong. I knew how much trouble I'd cause and I did it anyway. I'm awful. I don't deserve him.
"Logan…"
"I was out of line I know." He sighs and rakes his hands through his hair. Have you ever just wanted to kiss someone? Right now that seems like such a good idea. But I restrain myself.
"I was out of line. I'm… I'm sorry ok." He looks up at me in confusion.
"It wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was. I shouldn't have opened my big mouth."
"Sometimes I like it when you open your big mouth…" He smiles at me. I sit down besides him. "I guess I can't keep her sweet forever… I mean teenage girls never stay innocent for long do they…" So he's still hooked on her. Even though she's cheating on him with his best friend! Man how screwed up in the head is he.
"No… they don't. She's 13 now so…"
"14." He says absently. He's actually hurt. I stare at him for a while. Trying to psycho analyse him. And trying not to think 'god he's cute god he's cute god he's cute' He looks at me, assesses me carefully.
"Do you want to go to the dance with me tomorrow?" I suddenly stop breathing.
A/n: That's that over with. If you've figured it out please don't say in a review… it may spoil the ending if you're right.