Chaos Theory

chapter one

The fact that Del is still breathing after almost seventeen years of life has a habit of baffling him. It should be unsurprising to the average teenager—and Del is about as average as you can get—but when one has five older siblings who all apparently have a death wish and a best friend with a car that sounds like it's about five seconds away from exploding any time a key is put in the ignition, death seems as if it's a heartbeat away.

Darcie, owner of said explosive device and Del's best friend of twelve years, is tapping her acrylic nails against her striped steering wheel cover to the low eighties pop playing through the car radio as if the sounds of her old Honda aren't concerning at all. It isn't Del's first time in the death contraption and it's always had a way of putting him on edge, but today it's affecting him more.

Darcie edges along a curb and Del grabs at the ceiling handle bar like a worried mother before he's even aware he's reacted. "Oh come on," Darcie huffs, rolling her dark eyes, "I know you're worried about your first day of work, but that does not mean you get to offend Patsy with your soccer mom reenactment."

Maybe he is more nervous than he let on. He's taking over his sister's job at the ice cream shop along the boardwalk since she's gone on her senior trip and won't be back until late August. He knows he shouldn't be so nervous. He's been visiting and watching Indie and Darcie scoop ice cream and sweet talk customers for two years, but Del's never been good at talking to people in general and he has no idea how bad that's going to affect him.

"Sorry," he mutters. He wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans and sighs. "It's just gonna be us today?"

Darcie goes quiet for a moment, tucks a strand of short dark hair behind her ear.

Del feels his stomach tighten with nerves. "Darc."

"We may have trained someone last week and he may be working with us today."

"But—"

"I said it was just going to be us," she interjects, "I know. And I'm sorry but I knew you were going to be anxious and did me telling you it was just us help out?"

"Well yeah, but—"

"People. Awkwardness. I know. But it's Preston."

Del comes close to choking on his own spit. "Preston? Preston Walsh?" The day just keeps getting worse. He has to get over how stupid he is around the general public, firstly, and do it with his crush's best friend watching it all unfold? Great. Fantastic.

"Look, I know he's Cody's best friend and everything, and that you've been gay for Cody for centuries—"

"That's a hyperbole, but okay."

"But," Darcie shoots him a look, and the bold orange eyeshadow she's done today makes her appear even more ruthless. "You know Preston, you guys sat together at lunch like every day."

"You mean where I read a book and everyone collectively pretended I didn't exist."

She gasps. "We did not!"

It's not like Del minded. Indie did it purposefully, only because Del had asked her to since every time she attempted to bring him into conversation he always said something stupid and it was getting to the point where he'd wanted to die anytime she said his name. Darcie was the only other person he knew at the table and she usually only bothered him for help with last minute calculus homework. She meant well, of course. She was just easily distracted and it didn't take much to forget about Del.

He doesn't want to make her feel guilty where she doesn't need to, so he moves on. "So is there a certain reason it's Preston working with us and not someone else?"