DEAR BUTTERFLIES [ COMPLETED ]

15

( PAST )

Four years ago

ELIZABETH'S POV

We were dysfunctional and unstead, but that is what made us what we were. It was something we didn't like, something we never thought we'd share but here we were today. 

I stood there, right in front of the mirror staring at the version of me I always dreamed of becoming, a version that had one thing in her head that got her here, a lust for proving people wrong. It didn't sit right with me that I'd have to share my stage and pretend I was okay with it. 

I really wasn't, it bothered me to my soul. And in all honesty, it wasn't primarily about Aries, it was about a golden moment being taken away from me on the pretext of sharing. Aries was a secondary problem, a problem I could cut off with a scalpel probably but what we had planned for today was going to take us working together and I couldn't risk anything. 

It was best not to give it a piece of my mind. 

"You look different", he said. He was dressed in a crisp black tuxedo that hugged him in all the right places with a white shirt that had its top button unbuttoned and a tie loosely tied around his neck that showed his tattoo, a snake that made its way down to his chest. 

I was not staring. 

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, James", he said, a slick smirk dancing on his lips with that annoying little twinkle in his eyes,

"Anyways, what do you mean?" 

"You're wearing a dress" 

"Congratulations on the observation, Knight. Got something to say about it ? Any criticism?", I asked as I turn around, trying to put on my necklace, only for it to be snatched right out of my hand and him staring at me. 

"Hand it back, Knight" 

"Turn around, you're going to take forever putting this on"

And I did. For some reason, I did without putting up a fight. 

I could feel the metal of the necklace against my skin whilst his cold hands on my back. His warm, ring clad hands that were clasping the hook of the necklace, right against my back. 

"We're getting late, let's go", I coughed out, trying to hide the red cheeks I knew I had because of all the heat that crept up to them, it was disgusting. 

We found ourselves backstage soon enough, the red and black gowns and caps decorated with our degrees, each one of us holding ours with pride unseen. The crowd had turned into a wild ocean of cheers with every student who received their degree. 

"And now, for the valedictorian speech, I'd like you to welcome two of our brightest doctors, Dr. Elizabeth James and Dr. Aries Knight", we heard the announcer say. It was time. We left without hands connected, mine wrapped around his elbow. Apparently, it was protocol. 

"You ready, James?" 

"Yes, you?" 

"Yes, you sure you want to do this ?" 

"It's my last day here and I think it's about damn time. It needs to be done" 

"Then let's do this", he said as we made our way to the podium.

"Good evening one and all", I said. Let the show begin. 

- - - 

"Today, we are gathered here to celebrate each and every single one of you who made it to graduation, who worked hard to get here and as valedictorians we know we are expected to share our experiences and efforts, but that's not what we are here for today" 

"We are here to talk about something we mutually find important, something we agreed to address today, on this stage"

"We are amongst the few who have been blessed by a great university like this one, we are considered the lucky 5% who were able to get into the Ivy league universities, but what some of you don't see or know is the life behind the curtains and blinds of prestige and reputation. What some of you don't see is the hypocrisy and dust under the rugs'', he said. 

"We are here to raise a voice" 

"We aren't ruining their reputations, they did that with their actions" 

"We aren't disrespecting them, we are describing them" 

"We aren't trying to get clout today, we are trying to explain something that should have been done way earlier" 

"And most importantly we aren't here to speak negatively of them, we are here to describe what happened, to describe what they did. We are here today to use this platform to showcase what goes unpunished here" 

"And we may be causing a scene here today but we weren't the ones who took advantage of an unconscious girl in the library. We aren't Professor Daniel who refused to pass a student just because she said no to fuck him" 

"We aren't Dean Jackson who decided to brush the matter with a simple warning notice which ended up being thrown in the trash can" 

"What we are here for is to speak for Aurora Michaels, Issac Alison, Rylie Jones and many students like them who were either forced to transfer or found dead in their dorm rooms because they couldn't deal with the trauma" 

"We are here to call out the blind and ignorant staff of this university, professors like Dean Thomans, Dr. John Roberts and Dr. Nelson" 

"Fuck you", we said together into the microphone before leaving the stage, leaving the professors and staff with their mouths open. This was just the beginning.

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Here's chapter 15, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Tag me if you post about Dear Butterflies on social media.

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Word count - 966 words

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Until next time my loves 💛🦋

UNEDITED