When the Rain Stopped Falling (Published under Pop Fiction)

32: Jamais Vu of the Butterfly Effect

After the play, the butterfly effect suddenly crossed my mind. I don't know why but it somewhat struck me from the oddest of moment. The butterfly effect tells that even a slight change to how the butterfly flaps its wings can create storms. Absurd but said to be plausible. In simpler terms, the slightest difference from the past could change drastically the future as everything is connected. If one changes the first variable then the second variable would not occur and so and so forth. I wonder why I remembered it in the first place.

"Leslie, I'm so proud of you!" Jasper said out loud when he had finally had the chance to talk to his sister. Together they look so adorable.

"You congratulated me like I'm the star of the play,"

"Leslie, don't be humble. You should be proud to say that you're star of the play, it was fantastic!"

"Elois, shhh. The main actress might hear you. It might hurt her feelings or she might think of it in a wrong way," Leslie spun to check the girl she was talking about and I noticed that the girl has silver gray hair. I looked quickly at Leslie's hair and it was normal black color. Strange, because for a second there, I imagined Leslie's hair was silver and thought that she was the main actress. My head suddenly hurts like there was a jabbing pain on the side of it.

"But you still did well as the supporting actress," Jasper added.

"Yeah," I half-agreed.

"We should celebrate!" Leslie exclaimed as she gave the two of us a big hug all of a sudden.

"Yeah. It would be a double celebration!"

"Double?" Leslie stopped embracing us and looked at her brother intrigued.

"Yep. Elois and I are now official," Jasper proudly said. I can't help myself but to watch Leslie's expression changed from happy to a person about to explode/ And she did! She screamed and jump while she grabbed onto my arms.

"I'm so happy for the two of you!"

"Thank you," I managed to say.

"We should invite Cole as well. Even though he didn't attend my play, he still belongs to our circle right?"

"Yeah Cole. Let's invite him!" My heart fluttered as soon as I've heard his name. Although I don't know why. Maybe I just wanted us all to be together.

"Cole is still a weirdo though," Leslie muttered.

"Yeah, he is." I said then we both laughed.

"Hey, that's not the way how to thank my roommate. If it wasn't for him, I should not be here."

"Your brother has a point. Cole is our hero,"

***

Just like we planned, me, Jasper, and Leslie celebrated together at the Best Burger Diner in Town. We await once again for Cole to arrive. Funny, because this is also the place where Cole and I first met.

"Hon, what do you want to eat?" Jasper whispered. Even though he said it softly, we still got a squeal from Leslie.

"Oh I think I wouldn't get used to the two of you,"

"I just want some of those burgers," I answered.

Before Jasper could get up from his seat, Cole suddenly appeared out from nowhere.

"Cole, just in time bud!"

"I need to go to sleep two hours from now."

"Right," Jasper said. "I know that,"

"Oh Leslie, congratulations on your play. I am deeply in discomfort for not being able to watch it," Cole said to Leslie.

"No worries. I'm glad that you helped my brother out. On the side note, you have to know that your roommate over there has a girlfriend already,"

Cole looked at Jasper and I can't help but to bite my lips from the attention.

"You already have a romantic partner? Well good luck to you on that," he said. "I think relationships like that are just messy and aggravating,"

The three of looked at each other then shook our head out of disappointment but in a joking fashion.

"What? Have I said something wrong?"

"Oh nothing dear," Leslie said.

"Aren't you going to ask who my girlfriend is?" I nudged Jasper's shoulder as soon as he asked for it. Don't be too proud! I told him mentally. I hope he could read my mind though.

"I do not care. But because you seem to show her off, who is the girl you successfully courted?"

"Just look beside him, she's there," Leslie said. As a reaction, Cole looked at me then he said "Oh, her,"

"Are you happy?" I asked. Then my head started to hurt again. The question seemed to slipped out of my mouth like I was waiting to ask it from a long time ago.

"Of course. I cannot think of a reason why not."

***

Although the four of us had some fun, we had to cut-off the celebration early because Leslie said she was exhausted and Cole's schedule tells him he need to sleep by now. I was quite exhausted too, especially that my head still hurts from time to time. But even so, I have this weird urge to go to POW bookstore. I don't know why but I just feel it. It's like my day wouldn't be complete if I wasn't there. But my head is really in pain so of course, logic won and I decided to go stay and rest.

Today was a very long day, I concluded. Earlier in the morning, I could remember that I have something important to do. Like a mission or something. The strangest thing is though, I don't know if I had done that something. It is quite irritating- the feeling that I should know it but it completely eludes me. This is a serious case of Jamais vu, I guess.

Back when all four of us were going home from the celebration, Jasper and Leslie was busily messing up with each other by bringing out their past.

"Remember the time Jaser, when you were just a little kid and all you wanted to do was to become a Pokemon master or something," Leslie reminisced

"Yeah!" Jasper agreed. "And you were a snotty Jessie of Team Rocket by then,"

"Such crazy imaginations," Cole said.

"How about you Cole?" I asked "What do you want to be when you were little?"

"I wanted to have a family of my own," Cole answered.

Me, Jasper and Leslie looked at Cole with great shock. We never thought Cole would say such a thing.

"Really? You don't want to be a scientist with a nobel prize or something?" Leslie asked.

"No, I guess not. I am just being logical. I want nothing but a normal happy life"

"I want to be normal too," I said to him. It's a bit odd but it's like I wanted to say something to Cole but no words came to me. It's like I just have the feeling that I want to say some words but it wouldn't make sense if I would.

Before I go to bed, I tidied up my things on my table and I noticed a wilting leaf sticking out from between the pages of a book. It intrigued me, and so I grabbed that book and opened it. I corrected myself as soon I saw what's inside. It's not a wilting leaf but rather a dried flower. It was a carnation, my favorite. I tried to smell it but it has no aroma anymore- just perfectly dried. I tried to remember who gave it to me but my head hurt a lot when I did. Maybe I gave it myself? No one knows that this is my favorite flower. Not even Jasper. But since I have nothing to do with it, I decided to throw it away. Looking at it inside the trashcan, I immediately felt sorry. Sorry because I couldn't remember the significance of it yet it feels so special. And now, not only my head hurts but I feel pain here, right inside my heart. Maybe I just need some rest. Maybe tomorrow, it would all be alright. So I turned off the lights, and lay on my bed.

I closed my eyes shut, forcing myself to sleep. But the flower continued to bother me for minutes. Then I came to conclude that if I couldn't remember who gave it to me, then he must not be someone important. He. He? Who's he?

I opened my eyes, and turned on the lights.

I quickly went off to my feet to grab hold of the trash can and gain back what I threw. But after checking and emptying all the contents of it by the floor, I found no flower.

-End-