Chapter 15: Butterflies
Chapter 15
The day had barely started when I got the news.
"Josh is spending the night," Dad said casually while buttering toast, like he was announcing we were out of orange juice.
"Josh?" I blinked. "Why?"
"He's your friend," he said. "His parents asked, I said yes. Figured it'd be good for you."
"Hey, I'm Jake, not Drake, you don't need to pair us" I murmured, so no one listened.
Friend was a generous word. Josh was... okay. We'd talked a few times at school. He was one of those kids who always had cookie crumbs on his shirt and thought burping the alphabet was peak comedy.
"Jake needs more friends," Alan chimed in, clearly proud of his insight. "Real, in-person, age-appropriate friends."
That part I actually agreed with. I did need more people around me, more friends. I just didn't think middle school kids were the answer.
Still, I nodded. No point in arguing—it was already settled.
Truth is, I'd long accepted that I didn't quite fit in. I had made a personal goal of transferring to high school by next semester. I never changed that plan because, frankly, sixth grade was comically easy. I finished assignments in minutes and spent the rest of the time reading while the teacher pretended not to notice. With all that free time, I was learning to sing and practicing piano on the side.
But high school... that would require effort. I'd need to actually interact, engage, socialize. Otherwise, what's the point of skipping ahead if I'm just going to be the quiet, weird kid sitting in the back corner?