The Butterfly Effect

“Ugh” I screamed as I shut the lid of my laptop. I’d been trying to finish that paper for three days. It was my final assignment before summer break and I still couldn't get the words to come together. Normally writing came easy for me. I mean I’m an english major. I should be able to write a simple paper. But it was a nonfiction assignment.  My professor told me that my writing doesn't flow enough. That it sounded like I was just writing the information. This paper was worth a huge percent of my final grade and I had to get a good grade on this to pass. I slugged back in my chair feeling completely defeated when my roommates burst through the door.  I closed my eyes, mixing my research around in my head. I reformatted the info again and again. And when I just started to get something together...

“Felicity!” one of my roommates screamed, completely knocking my idea out of my head. I turned around in my chair to face them.

“What Jess?” I asked.

“Are you in or not?” 

Since I wasn’t listening I had no idea what they were talking about. 

“In what?”

“The party tonight!” my other roommate Bethany answered.

“What party?”

Jess signed, “There is a party at Lucas Mathews’ house tonight and we got invited!” 

“Seriously finals week starts tomorrow and you guys wanna go to a party?” 

“Come on, we've studied enough, we need to blow off steam.” Jess said.

“Yeah but sleep is important for finals too. And, speaking as someone who's been to parties with you, you won't be home till after 2 in the morning.”

“Felicity's right,” a soft voice said behind us.

We turned to see my final roommate Riley had snuck in the door. Unlike Jess and Bethany, Riley was really quiet and often kept to herself. She really only ever hung out with us. She was a criminal justice major studying to be a lawyer. She often wore darker colors and really didn't mind being alone. That was one thing about her that I really admired. She never cared what other people thought about her. She was her own person and no one else's opinions mattered. 

Jess and Bethany have been best friends since high school so they have always been close. They accepted me into their group pretty quickly, but they didn't always like Riley. When we first moved in they used to make fun of her. Eventually I sat them down and told them to stop picking on Riley. After that we all started hanging out. 

Riley went over to her bed and layed down, opening a book. I laughed at her comment and went back to writing. But, as soon as I opened my laptop Bethany spun my chair around and leaned over me.

“Felicity come on '' she begged, “it’s almost summer. It's time to let loose and have some fun”

“Sorry but I will ‘let loose and have fun’ next week”.

Beth sighed. “Fine!”

I gave her a confused look. I couldn’t believe she stopped arguing with me. 

“Jess, Riley lets start getting ready”. 

This time all of us were giving Beth a confused look. Even Riley had looked up from her book. Beth and Jess never invite Riley anywhere. Especially a party. I always do it. There was an awkward silence between the four of us until Riley finally spoke up. 

“Um...” she said softly, “you really want me to come with you.”

Beth smiled at her and walked away from me. She flashed a mysterious look at Jess before sitting on Riley’s bed. 

“Of course we do, right Jess?”

“Definitely! We really do not spend enough time together. Come on, you have to go with us.”

Riley looked at both of them before turning her gaze to me. She gave me a look that said what should I do? I shrugged my shoulders in response. 

“Um yeah I’ll go.”

“Perfect!” Beth screamed excitedly. “Come on, let's get ready.”

For the next 30 minutes they spent the time picking out outfits and getting ready for the party. But I had turned back to my story and stopped paying attention. 

“Um Felicity” I heard Riley say behind me. 

I sighed because she broke my concentration but I turned around anyway. Riley was wearing a cute black dress with matching sandals and a silver belt. She had her hair pinned in the back and was holding a silver choker. 

“Could you help me?” she asked, holding up the choker.

“Sure” I said and stood up to help her. She handed me the necklace and turned around so I could put it on her. “Are you excited?” 

“Actually I am! I still can't believe they asked me to go.”

I smiled at my shy friend as I hooked the clasp on her necklace. 

“Thanks” she said, turning around. Suddenly her face dropped. “Are you sure you don't wanna come? I would be a lot more comfortable if you did.”

This time I actually thought about the invitation. The idea of walking away from my paper for the night and going out was really tempting. I looked at Riley in her party outfit. She never cared much about her looks so seeing her in a dress was pretty rare. I really wanted to go and see her break out of her shell a little. But I couldn't get the paper out of my mind. I had to finish it so I could focus on the rest of my finals. I just couldn’t stop now. 

“Sorry Riley. Next time, ok?”

She looked down clearly disappointed. I opened my mouth to comfort her but Jess and Bethany came out of the bathroom. They were also dressed in party clothes, though they were a little less appropriate than Riley’s. 

“Ok Riley let's get out of here!” Jess said as she opened the door. She stopped and looked at me, “Last chance Felicity.”

“I’m good. Have fun guys.” 

Riley smiled at me as Bethany pulled her out the door. I smiled after them. I was a little disappointed I was gonna miss it but I shook off the feeling and went back to my paper. 

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. My head was laying on my desk and I realized that I had fallen asleep while writing. I started looking for my phone through the piles of research on my desk and glanced around my room to see if I’d woken my roommates. Jess and Bethany were out cold on their beds. I looked over at Riley’s and froze. It was completely empty. I started looking even quicker for my phone but, when I finally found it, the ringing had stopped. I stood up and turned all the lights on. 

“Jess! Bethany! Wake up!” I screamed, shaking them both up.

“What the heck Felicity?” They both said groggy. 

“Where is Riley?” They both looked at me confused.

“Is she not here?” Jess asked. 

“No she's not. She went to the party with you. How could you come home without her? What did you do, ditch her?”

“Wait hold on” Bethany said. “She was at the party talking to some guy. And then she just took off. We assumed she came back here.”

“But if she's not here then where is she?” Jess asked. 

We were startled when my phone rang again. We stood frozen for about 30 seconds. I walked slowly to my desk and picked up the phone. 

“Hello?” I said, my voice shaking. 

“Is this Felicity Turner?” a man's voice said.

“Yes.” I said, still confused. 

“Miss Turner, your roommate Riley Henson was found dead this evening.” 

The next couple days were a complete blur. The man on the phone explained to me that Riley was hit by a car. He asked us to come to the station. When we arrived they asked us some questions about Riley, but they kept Jess and Bethany longer to talk about the party. The university moved finals week due to what they called “A grieving period”. I spent the next two days sitting in my room. I didn't eat, sleep, or even talk to anyone. My parents called and my friends visited but I just sat quietly, completely lost in thought. I had so many questions. Why was Riley so close to the road? Why did she leave the party? Why was she alone? I felt like I knew the answer to that last one. She was alone because I didn't go with her. I should have known Beth and Jess would ditch her. But that still didn't explain why she left the party. She was smarter than to walk away by herself. Especially at night. Something had to have driven her away. 

A week passed with no answers. Until one day, while I was lost in my thoughts, a knock on the door startled me. I was shocked to see Riley’s father at the door. 

“Hello Felicity,” he said.

“Hello” I responded confused. 

“Um… would you mind stepping out with me for a minute. My wife is outside at a table. She uh...she couldn't bear to come in.”

I looked at him before answering. I hadn't seen Mr. Henson in a long time but I could see how this had strained him. He had dark circles under his eyes and I could see tears on his shirt. 

“Um of course let me just grab my key”.

We walked out of the dorm in silence. As soon as we stepped outside I saw Mrs Henson sitting at a picnic table. She looked completely drained. But she forced a smile when she saw us and stood to give me a hug. I sat down across from her and Mr Henson sat next to her. 

“So Felicity we um… we have something for you.” Mrs Henson said, picking up a brown messenger bag from the floor. I recognized the bag as Rileys. Mrs. Henson pulled a black leather notebook from inside it. “Riley left this for you”. She said, clutching the book tightly. Seeing his wife couldn’t continue, Mr. Henson took over. 

“There are some things you should know before you open this”, he said, his face darkening. “You see Riley...um she…” 

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket but I ignored it. That was, until it continued to buzz over and over again. 

“Go ahead check it” Mr. Henson said, “I need a minute anyway”. 

I nodded and pulled my phone out. I was surprised to see that almost everyone I knew had texted me  a link to what seemed to be the same video. I clicked on the video and almost dropped my phone in shock. 

“Is everything alright?” Mr Henson asked, clearly noticing how my expression had changed. 

“Um yes...uh… everything is fine” I responded, clearly lying through my teeth.

 I tried to put my phone away but Mr Henson snatched it before I got a chance. Before I knew it he and Mrs Henson were both watching. After about a minute Mrs Henson was sobbing and Mr Henson was holding back tears. He looked furious. When the video ended he stood quickly tossing my phone on the table. 

“Let’s go,” he said to his wife before storming off. Mrs Henson stood up to follow but stopped and looked at me. 

“Sorry Felicity.” She looked down at the black notebook. “Here” she said, handing it to me, “this will explain everything.” 

I took the notebook and watched her walk away. As I stood to go back to my room I couldn't stop thinking about that video. It started as some guy fumbling around, clearly drunk. Suddenly he sat the phone on a table, but never turned off the recording. After he walked away you could see Beth, Jess, and Riley sitting on the couch. I didn't have the sound on but it was clear by the look on Riley’s face that Jess and Beth were picking on her. Eventually Riley pushed through them and took off. The video ended after that. 

When I got back to my dorm I went over to Riley’s bed and sat down. I flipped the notebook over revealing a stunning blue and purple butterfly with silver sparkles. I opened the first page to see a note in Riley’s hand writing. There was a date in the topic corner. The same day Riley was found dead. It said,

“Dear Felicity,

If you're reading this then I’m probably gone. I know I probably should have told you but Jess and Bethany are always making fun of me. When it started they did it in front of you, but after you talked to them they started hiding it. In the last couple weeks they had stopped and when they invited me to this party, I really thought that maybe they were changing. So I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. I regret that now. They only wanted me to go so they could make fun of me in front of their friends. When this started it was just little digs about my clothing or my hair. But tonight they went too far. Apparently they found my journal in the dorm room. Inside I wrote pretty personal things. Well the two of them decided to read it at the party and make fun of me for them. For a while I just sat there taking it but after they finished they went right back to my clothes and my hair. And I snapped. I can’t do this anymore. I know this is gonna upset my family. But I also know that other than you that’s about it. So I am writing you this note because I want you to understand why this happened. 

I bought you this notebook after reading the first story you ever shared with me. I knew you would be a great author one day. I would be honored if you wrote one of your stories in this. There is something else I wanna tell you. I don’t wanna be a lawyer. I wanted to be an artist but my family didn't think it was a safe path. That's why I am so inspired by you. You are following your dream no matter how scary it may be. I really think I’m a good artist. I even drew a butterfly on this book. I wish I had pursued it. You are my best friend and I am really going to miss you. But don’t be sad. I’ll be ok. 

-Riley

I closed the book and rubbed my fingers over the butterfly. I couldn't believe how little I knew. I really had believed that Riley wanted to be a lawyer. But the butterfly was beautiful. As for Jess and Beth, my head was in the same place as Riley’s. I really thought they were trying to change. If I had paid more attention or gone to the party they would have never driven her this far. I hugged the book to my chest as tears rolled down my face. Suddenly I heard my computer ding. I looked up to see that I had gotten an email. I walked over and saw that it was from my nonfiction professor. 

“Dear Felicity,

I know you are going through a difficult time and I am terribly sorry for your loss. Unfortunately the school is requiring me to collect your final paper. Please try to get it to me as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Professor Kiel.

While I was reading the email Beth and Jess came back into the room. 

“How could you!” I screamed.They both stared at me, stund. “How could you treat someone like that! You two are the reason Riley is dead!”

They both stared at me in silence. I felt tears roll down my face and my blood boiling. Beth made a smug face.

“Man. We were really hoping you wouldn’t find that out.” she said

“Yeah I mean we took the video down like 2 minutes after it was posted.” Jess added.

“You knew? You knew it wasn’t an accident. You knew she…” I couldn’t get the words out. 

“Yes we knew. We also knew that people would find out. But don’t worry. My father handled it”

It took a minute before I realized what she was talking about. Beth’s father was incredibly wealthy. He’d been paying anyone who knew the truth.

“Yeah, even her parents went for it. Of course I’m sure there was a threat involved” Jess added.

 I believe hitting is wrong but I almost smacked both of them. How could they do this to a grieving family? I opened my mouth to yell some more but then I had a better idea. I walked away from them, grabbed a pen and sat on Riley’s bed. They both scoffed and left the room, but I didn't care. I opened the book and for the first time since I got that final paper, I wrote. 

After two days of writing, I was walking into my professor's office. He smiled when he saw me.

“Felicity, how are you?”

“Fine, I have my paper.” I slid the journal to him. 

“Um…you know you could have typed it.” He said, chuckling. 

“Yeah I know. Also um I know that it’s supposed to be a nonfiction book and it technically is. I just didn't do a lot of research”.

He raised his eyebrow confused. 

“See um I wrote about a biography”.

He smiled, “Oh good idea.”

“Thank you”. I said walking out the door. 

“Felicity. Writing your story is very brave but, can I ask about the title?” I turned around to see him looking at the first page. “Why did you call it The Butterfly Effect?”

I smiled looking at the journal in his hand. “Because it’s not my story” I said, “It’s Rileys”.