by Bella Emy
A
Butterfly
In
Maple Grove
Bella Emy
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Bella Emy
Cover & Formatting © Bella Emy
Table Of Contents
Dedication
Present
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Part Two
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Present
Chapter Eleven
Author’s Note
Also by Bella Emy
A Love Beyond Time
Chapter One
About the Author
Follow Bella
Dedication
Dedicated to all those second chance loves.
Present
I sat on the wooden bench located in front of the high school football field, clutching my purse with my right hand. It was late afternoon, but I had taken the express train over to get here as fast as I possibly could; evening would soon make its way.
The autumn colored leaves fell gently to the ground from the maple tree that I had spent so much time reading under during my high school days. My nerves were getting to me, I knew. I rubbed my hands together, trying to force the late October chill out of them. For a summer that had been exceptionally warm, it had seemed as though the fall would never be making its way to Maple Grove–a city known for its beautiful maple trees stretching for miles, still as beautiful as it had always been.
I had come back to visit two weeks ago when the news of Aunt Karen’s death had taken my whole family by surprise. She had been sick, but we all thought she would’ve had a little more time.
After the funeral, I had decided to start heading back home to Virginia, but right before I hit the highway, I chose to stop at a convenience store to grab a drink and a snack to accompany me on the road. That was when I had run into him. That was when the conflict within myself had begun.
Part One
Eight Years Prior…
Chapter One
“No, no, no! I’ll be home by seven or so… okay, Mom. Yeah, love you, too.” I quickly hung up the phone, and stashed it back into my black book bag. Mom always wanted to know my every move. Didn’t she know I was sixteen and a responsible junior in high school? Okay, okay. Yeah, she did know that. But come on! It wasn’t like I was at some party getting drunk! I was at school, for goodness’ sakes! I decided to stay after and get some reading done.
It was a beautiful October afternoon. The leaves were like a canvas of oranges, reds, browns, and yellows. The crisp air felt like heaven on my warm, tanned skin. My shoulders were exposed, as the sleeves on my pink top were designed that way. I loved the fall, and being outside enjoying a good book didn’t compare to much else for me.
I could’ve gone home and read on my porch swing, but I preferred to be here, in front of the football field. From my position on the ground, I could easily get a sneak peek at Ryan Acosta, the most gorgeous senior on the varsity football team, every now and then. I’ve had a crush on Ryan for as long as I could remember. I had first laid eyes on him making my way out of the library one afternoon. He was walking down the hall with his arm around Sarah Michaels, the cheerleading captain. That was my freshman year, and even though he was only a sophomore back then, he had already become one of the most popular guys in school.
Sarah was your typical mean girl. If you were to see her walking down the hall, you’d move out of her way. Now a senior as well, Sarah was the original Queen Bee of Maple Grove High. She had long, blonde hair, a chest bigger than her head, and a teeny tiny waist. Because of her ridiculous body proportion, my bestie, Jen, and I referred to her and her clan of fakes, as ‘Silicone Barbies.’
As much of a bitch as she was, her flawless skin and perfectly pearly whites made her the most beautiful girl at Maple Grove. Even I had to admit that.
Ryan and Sarah had broken up just two weeks ago over some heated discussion, which I only caught the end of the rumored gossip from Jen. It had been going around school for the past two weeks. Supposedly, Sarah had been caught locking lips with one of Ryan’s friends in his car while waiting for him to come out of the locker room. Sarah begged for forgiveness, but Ryan had claimed to be done with her. She had acted like she was the one to break it off with him, but according to Jen, that was a lie.
Anyway, here I sat on the freshly cut lawn, on this beautiful autumn day, reading a fantastic story, which I had just started the previous night before bed. I always read right before falling asleep. If I didn’t read at least a few paragraphs at night, I could not sleep. Most people my age would check their phones. Not me, though. Cell phones didn’t excite me much, and social media was pointless in my eyes. I preferred to indulge myself in a good book, preferably one with romance. I was a total hopeless romantic in that sense.
My other love was photography and I was hoping to make a career out of it one day. For now, I’d take pictures on my spare time and read. Those were my loves. In real life, love had not been too kind on me.
I’d only had one real boyfriend all my life. Justin and I dated for a little over a year before he broke it off with me. He was moving to a larger city in Maine–a nice five-hour drive from Maple Grove–so we ended it. It was his decision mainly, but it made sense to me as well. There was no way we’d be able to see each other often. Back then, neither one of us drove, and why should either one of us hold back if we were to meet someone else? It just did not make sense to be together.
I loved Justin, of course, but life got in the way. Ever since the break-up two years ago, I’ve had total tunnel vision for Ryan. I knew he probably didn’t even know I existed–we’re from two totally different worlds–but a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
I took a glance at the football field, scanning through the tens of black and red uniformed players, looking for number seventeen, but he wasn’t there. Where was Ryan? He was their star quarterback. Maybe he was still getting ready in the locker room.
My heart sped up as thoughts of him raced through my mind. He looked so good in his uniform–even better than his regular clothes, if that were even possible. His muscular chest and shoulders were completely accentuated in the uniform; his sweet dimples slightly visible from his helmet. Every time he were to take it off, his sandy brown hair cascaded out of it like a waterfall. His mesmerizing green eyes would go right through to my soul.
We had only locked eyes a few times, and each time, I was sure he thought nothing of it. I, on the other hand, began to feel as though my feet were being lifted off the ground.
Chapter Two
“May I join you?” a deep, sultry voice sounded, coming from a few inches in front of me.
I peered over my book, just enough to let my large brown eyes meet the sharp, green ones looking directly at me. Oh. My. God!
Please tell me I am not dreaming!
I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me. I could recognize those eyes anywhere. It was Ryan. What was he doing here? Why wasn’t he on the field getting ready for practice?
His stare alone was enough to make any intelligent girl stupid. I could feel my whole entire body start to turn to mush.
Those eyes, though… those gorgeous green eyes. They were the kind of green like freshly grown grass making its debut on the first day of spring; the type of green that emeralds were made of. They were mesmerizing and enchanting, and I just could not get enough of them.
“So? Is it okay?” he asked again.
Shaking my head, coming back to reality, I blurted out, “Uh, yeah… yeah. Sorry. Sure, sit.”
God, Lacey! Real genius. Wow, he is so freakin’ hot, though!
He sat down to my right, not too close, but close enough that if my stomach were to start growling, he would hear it.
“Lacey McAllister, right?” he asked, dimples and all in plain view making my heart melt.
He knows my name? He knows my name! Holy shit, holy shit!
I was totally freaking out and hoping it didn’t show. I could scream like a teenaged girl at her favorite boy band’s concert, when he’d just touched her hand as he’s swooning the crowd with his smoky voice.
All I could muster was a soft, “Yes.”
He placed his book bag down and I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“You sit out here by yourself often?”
Slowly gathering the courage within me to speak, I replied, “Once in a while. It’s a gorgeous day. How come you’re not at practice, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Everyone knew he was on the football team. This would not blow my cover, letting him know that I knew almost everything about him.
He took a deep breath and said, “Coach gave me the day off to rest my arm for the big game Saturday. You gonna come? Or do you hate football?”
I shook my head letting him know I didn’t despise it. “No, I like football. I’m planning on being there, for sure.”
“Cool.”
He looked at me for a moment, and noticing I would not be adding anymore, said, “Yeah, so I need to rest a bit. I decided to wait out here for my boy to come out of detention. He’s got another hour, so I figured I might as well wait out here and enjoy the breeze. Mind if I hang out with you for a bit?”
Do I mind? Oh, hell no!
I was loving this! This was the most I’d ever spoken to Ryan. I had dreamt about something like this so many times before, but never in a million years did I ever think it would be happening.
“Not at all. It’s nice to have company. What did your friend do to have a sentence to serve with the guards?” I asked, intrigued, referring to the detention staff.
He chuckled. “Bobby likes to get stupid. He pulled a prank on Ms. Wilbington and so now he has to pay.”
I wanted to ask about it further, but didn’t want to pry. I let it go, allowing my gaze to drop to the ground.
He stared out at the football field in front of us, and immediately I looked back up at him.
He looked like one of those models you’d see on the cover of a magazine. He sat as still as a statue, with his knees up and arms wrapped around them. He donned a black and red hoodie with Maple Grove High’s logo. His denim blue jeans and white Nikes suited him well.
Hell, who was I kidding? He was hot!
I could honestly stare at him all day and not get tired. I wondered how someone could look so perfect and make it so effortless.
What I would do just to place my lips on his full ones…
As if feeling the weight of my stare on him, he quickly turned his head to look directly at me.
Shit!
I quickly withdrew my glance, but realizing he was smiling at me, I looked back at him, and felt like I was on cloud nine. His dimples were evident once more.
“You’re a junior, right?” he asked me.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen you around the halls… wait a minute. You’re in my English class, aren’t you?”
I blushed.
Fuck!
Would he remember that embarrassing moment I had last week when Mr. Smith had called on me and I had not even been listening? I prayed he had forgotten all about it.
“Yes. It’s always been my favorite subject, so they placed me in a more advanced class.”
His beautiful green eyes widened saying, “Oh yeah, that’s right. Hey, don’t let Mr. Smith get to you. He’s a prick. I’ve had him two years in a row. Thankfully, I won’t have to see him soon enough.”
Crap! He did remember. I had been so busy daydreaming that everything Mr. Smith had been lecturing about was going in one ear and out the other. Thankfully, Ryan wouldn’t know I had been daydreaming about our first kiss…
I shyly nodded in agreement.
“That book any good?” he asked.
“Huh?”
He chuckled again, showcasing his perfectly shaped dimples. God, they drove me nuts. What had he said again?
He pointed to the rectangular object casually sitting in my hands. I looked down at it and exclaimed, “Oh! Haha, yeah, it’s a very good book. I’m enjoying it. Do you read much?”
He looked at me with a smile adorning his face, and again, I felt as though I could fly.
“Many people wouldn’t think so, but I actually do enjoying reading. I’m into thrillers and suspense novels mostly, and I like Stephen King.”
“Yeah, I love Stephen King. He’s a great author. My favorite would have to be Nicholas Sparks, though. I’m a sucker for romance.” And picturing you and me as the main characters, I thought.
“Aww, nice. My sister loves him. A Walk to Remember is her favorite book of his,” he replied.
I smiled. “I loved that story. Nights in Rodanthe is mine.”
Not knowing if I should ask him if he’s seen the movie, I swerved the conversation to safe grounds.
“How old is your sister? I didn’t even know you had one.”
Okay, so that was a total lie. I could practically write his biography. I knew everything about Ryan.
“Really? She goes to this school. She just started freshmen year. I thought you knew her? She’s gotten pretty popular, being a cheerleader and hanging out with Sarah and all.”
Sarah. Eww, gross. The mention of her name was enough to make me barf.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot,” I lied. I could feel my cheeks turning warm and the slightest shade of red.
“No worries,” he added.
I smiled nervously, and decided I’d best change the subject yet again.
“So, besides reading and football, what else are you into?”
Cars - all types, Hockey, basketball, music, Asian food, the color blue, The Walking Dead, cruising around town in his 2008 Honda Civic… I knew it all.
“Oh, just your typical stuff. Sports, TV shows, going to the movies… you know. What type of movies do you like?” he asked me in return.
“Basically romance, comedies, and dramas, but I love suspenseful horror movies as well.”
He looked pleasantly surprised. “Nice! What’s your favorite scary movie?” he asked, imitating Ghostface from the hit movie Scream. We both laughed. Whew. We had broken the ice.
“Hmm. I think my favorite has to be I Know What You Did Last Summer. I’m not too keen on the classics because the effects look so fake now-a-days. I know for back in the day, they were cool and all, but I can’t get over how unrealistic they are.”
He gasped. “I’m offended.” He feigned offense. No more than three seconds later, he laughed and I joined in.
“Ok, wise guy, what’s yours?”
He smirked. “Wise guy, huh? Hmm. Giving someone you hardly know a nickname is quite forward of you. Naturally, I’ll have to return the favor, butterfly.”
Someone I hardly knew? I doubted that.
“Butterfly?” I asked, intrigued as hell.
What could make him call me that?
“Yes, butterfly.” He smiled, pleased with himself, and it didn’t matter at that moment what he called me. I loved the mere fact that we were embarking on this new road to friendship, breaking unknown grounds.
Chapter Three
“So, what is it?” I asked again.
“My favorite horror movie? Grease.”
With a look revealing that I found his answer to be absurd, I questioned, “Grease? How could Grease be your favorite scary movie?”
He then brought his knees down to sit Indian style, bringing his hands in front of him, setting the mood.
“Picture this: a bunch of teens, singing and dancing before you on screen. And those outfits? What could be more frightening? The only good thing that movie had to offer were the cars.”
I laughed at his bizarre response. “What about all the other musicals, then? For instance, West Side Story?”
“Just as scary, maybe scarier, I don’t know. But you did ask for my favorite.”
“True,” I responded.
We were falling into a natural rhythm and I couldn’t believe how easily conversation was coming to us. Usually my first time getting to truly know someone, I was shy and guarded. But something about Ryan made me want to naturally open up to him. I was finding it easy to talk to him.
“Favorite food?” he asked.
I had a few things I particularly enjoyed so it would be a bit difficult to pick just one.
I brought a pink polished fingernail up to my chin and thought. “Does it have to be just one?”
“Wow. You mean you like more than just salad?” he joked.
I shrugged, saying, “Huh?”
He chuckled. “Well, it seems every girl that I’m interested in loves to just order salad in front of me. Why can’t a girl just order fries and a burger once in a while and eat like a normal person? Not everyone is a vegetarian. I’m not judgmental and I would never call a girl fat. I’m not sure why chicks think they need to be someone else around me. I would rather you get the fries and shake over a salad any day.”