Butterflies: A Tale of Love and Friendship
Friendships are easy—until feelings change. And secrets ask to be shared. Fresh from the summer that changed everything, Gabriel Scott steps into autumn surrounded by real friendships for the first time. But something’s different. Love—unexpected and quietly blooming—enters their world, leaving some hearts light… and others quietly hurting. And Gabriel, suddenly caught in the middle, must decide how to hold their friendship together.
Some secrets are heavy. Others glow. When Jack and Eddie confide in Gabriel, he longs for someone who might understand. Someone with wisdom and warmth, who always knew just what to say. He turns to the memory of Hannah—the red-haired girl who taught him how to be brave, whose light never truly faded.
Because even when voices go quiet… some friendships still speak. Gabriel still talks to her. In whispers. In questions. In firefly glimmers that feel like gentle answers. And slowly, he learns that loyalty isn’t loud—it’s listening when a friend is ready. It’s showing up even when the road twists. And it’s trusting that the ones who mattered most never really leave.
She changed his summer. Her light still guides his fall.
🦋 For every child learning that friendship takes courage—and every grown-up hoping they’ll hold onto the ones who shaped them… this story is yours.
"Fine," Eddie surrendered. "Well, let's see. Mr. Thompson had me reorganizing the boring books section when-"
"I think you mean the rare books section," Jordan snorted.
Eddie shrugged. "Does it matter? The kind that collects a lot of dust because no one ever reads those."
Knowing that Eddie thrived on undeserved attention, Gabriel did his best to suppress a laugh; though the whole situation reminded him of their summer adventures, and he inadvertently glanced around for Hannah.
"I was pushing that old, rusty book cart to the very end of the aisle-beats me how they could not have heard me approach-when I--"
"Who?"Liam asked.
Eddie grinned. "All in good time."
"Eddie!"Jack warned.
"I'm almost there. I promise," he said, holding up his hands in defeat. "Where was I? Oh yeah, when I heard them talking," he paused for effect, resuming his tale only a second before Jack could issue another warning, "they were huddled in a small circle, whispering. Or at least they were trying to, but I guess they too figured no one would willingly head to the boring books section; so whispering would be unnecessary." Eddie's eyes slowly moved from face to face, waiting for their excitement to peak before he continued. "So I snuck closer to hear what they were saying. I hid behind one of those humongous shelves, pushed a few books aside, and who did I see?"
"Santa Claus?" Jordan said grinning, even more so when the others started laughing.
"The Easter bunny?" Liam suggested. He turned to look at Jack, who guessed,"Captain Blackbeard?"
A disapproving frown on his face, Eddie shook his head.
"You're not taking this seriously," he accused.
Jack grinned. "At what point was this a serious story? I think we left 'serious' a long time ago."
Jordan snorted. "Yeah, the day we met you."
"What a ready wit you got," Eddie mused mockingly, then turned to the others and back to his story.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but all your guesses were wrong."
"Who would've guessed?" Jordan muttered.
Eddie clapped his hands together theatrically. "Ah, another quick wit remark from our angry, little friend.
"Before Jordan's anger could rise again, Gabriel simply asked, "Who was it then?"
Turning to look at him, Eddie said, "I'm glad you ask. Well, it was..." He held his breath for a second, looking them each in the face. "The senior class president and her group of little advisers."
"Seriously?"Jack asked, shaking his head. "That's the answer?"
