My Butterfly

it.”
    “The house is beautiful,” Jessica said, with a timid smile.
    “Oh, thanks,” Kathy said. “It’s been in the family for years. Are you from around here?”
    “Chester,” Jessica said.
    Kathy immediately cocked her head and put on a playful smirk.
    “Well, normally, we don’t entertain Chester Eagles, but we’ll make an exception tonight,” Kathy said, as her smile grew warm again.
    Jessica laughed.
    “Thanks,” Jessica said.
    “Well, how do you two know each other then?” Kathy asked.
    “I…we…,” I stuttered but didn’t finish.
    I couldn’t remember how I was supposed to know her. Was I supposed to know her from the golf course or through Jeff or somewhere else?
    “I’m getting my associate’s degree at West Central,” Jessica said, saving me from my stumbling tongue. “Jeff is in one of my classes. And I saw him talking to Will one day…”
    Jessica stopped and lowered her eyes, as if she had said too much.
    “I see,” Kathy said, giving Jessica another warm smile. “Well, let me take your coats.”
    Kathy put a hand on my shoulder and leaned dramatically to my side.
    “Julia’s coming tonight,” I heard Kathy whisper near my ear.
    I met her eyes. They were warning me, I knew. My lips immediately parted, and I felt my chest quickly rise and then fall. Then, I felt Jessica’s hand on my arm, and my eyes dropped to the spot on my bicep that Jessica was touching.
    “You want to go inside?” Jessica asked me after she had given her coat to Kathy.
    I caught Jessica’s hopeful gaze. It was making a direct path from the foyer where we were standing to the warmly lit room in front of us. Then, I stumbled onto Kathy’s stare again. It was still burning a stern warning straight through my forehead.
    “Uh, yeah,” I said, taking a step forward. “Uh, thanks, Kathy.”
    “Make yourself at home,” Kathy said in a way that sounded to me more like: Make your own bed. You’re the one who has to lie in it.
    Jessica and I made our way to the back of the house. She followed my every move, but then again, she knew Jeff and a couple of Jeff’s friends from school, of which, only one had arrived. Everyone else was a new face.
    “Do you want something to drink?” I asked her.
    “Sure,” she said, nodding her head. “I’ll just take whatever you’re drinking.”
    “Easy enough,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
    I ventured back toward the kitchen but took the long way to get there. If Julia were there, I could find her and explain everything before she could have a chance to get the wrong idea. I searched in between and around the swaying heads. There was no sign of her, but there was, on the other hand, an awkward, lanky kid across the room. I made my way over to him.
    “Hey,” I said, coming up behind Jeff and grabbing his arm. “Have you seen Julia?”
    “Hey, toolbag,” he said, putting out his hand.
    He started doing the stupid handshake he made up for us in the fourth grade. I humored him and forced my hand through the motions.
    “Where’s Jessica?” he asked me, ignoring my question.
    “She’s in the living room,” I said. “Is Julia here yet?”
    “Haven’t seen her,” he said, pushing past me and making his way toward the back of the house.
    I took another glance around the room before ambling back toward the kitchen.
    I got two drinks and then ventured back to the living room, where Jeff was already propped up beside Jessica, flapping his jaw. I saw him drawing the outline of a mountain with his hand, and I knew right away he was telling her the story of when he climbed some mountain in Colorado two summers ago. Jessica had that same look every girl had when Jeff was talking to her. I really hoped she wanted to come to this party as bad as Jeff said she had. If not, I really was going to have at least two girls hating me by the end of the night.
    I walked over to the two of them and handed Jessica her drink.
    She looked up at me, smiled and took the glass.
    “Here,” she said, “sit down. Jeff is telling me about his summer at Estes Park.”
    Her hand patted a small space on the couch beside her.
    I stared for a couple of seconds at the spot where her hand had just been. Then, I looked up and caught Jeff’s bugged-out eyes. I was pretty sure he was silently telling me to just do something, so that he could get on with his story. So, after a few more seconds, I reluctantly fell into the couch next to her.
    “Estes Park, huh?” I