Everleigh Woods made friends easily. But only a handful of them were truly close to her and she was rather selective of them. She was fiercely loyal to the ones who made the cut and would protect them with her life if she had to.

I sit on the buoy and it feels like I never left. Like yesterday was just a wild dream. I look behind me to see no trace of the world that I was in minutes ago.

I take a deep breath and dive into the water, swimming slowly this time, not wanting to go back.

I miss Everleigh. One great day and she was the best friend I never had.

I kick the water hard and fast and reach the shore. I walk to the beach chair to see that my dress is still there.

Did I just come back to the same day?

I quickly put it on and go home, expecting my parents to not know about my little adventure.

"Paris Elaine Dayton, where the hell have you been?!" my mom yells. She looks upset with her hand on her head. Her dark unkempt hair was all over the place. It reminded me of how my hair looked before I dyed it.

I guess I really was gone for a day.

"I was at Lisa's," I try my luck. "I told you that I was spending the day with her."

"Wait, you did?" My dad asks, standing next to my mom.

"Yeah, don't you remember?" I lie.

"We tried calling you," My dad says, narrowing his dark eyes.

"I left my phone at home," I shrug. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"It better not, young lady."

I let out a sigh when I get to my room. I'm lucky enough to have parents who are rather lax.

I check my phone to see two missed calls, one from each of my parents, and five texts from McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Good to know that no one other than my parents missed me too much!

I spend the rest of the day moping around and missing Roque Lake. I binge watch Jane The Virgin on Netflix to distract me from how boring my life actually is.

***

I get into the bus and sit at the back as usual. Stacy joins me two minutes later and Lisa two minutes after that.

"Darcy's party was so lit!" Lisa exclaims.

"Right?" Stacy agrees.

"We wish you could have been there, Elaine. It's just that you wouldn't have known anyone and it would have been awkward for you," Lisa smiles at me apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," I smile. Everleigh took me to Stellan's party even though I didn't know anyone there either. But I guess that's just Everleigh. "I went another party anyway," I say, surprising myself.

"Oh, one of your parents' office parties again?" Stacy asks. "Was the cute photocopy guy there?"

"Stace, he's like forty," Lisa rolls her eyes.

"No, it was a friend's party," I state.

"What friend?" Lisa asks, surprised.

"His name is Stellan. You don't know him," I say, mimicking the 'you don't know him/her' that they always say to me.

"That's a weird name," Stacy wrinkles her nose.

"It's Swedish," I defend him. "That's where his family is originally from." I didn't know this or think of this when I wrote his character. Stellan was a name I just randomly came up with.

"Still weird," Lisa agrees.

They continue to talk about Darcy's party. Whoever Darcy is. I tune out as usual.

I get to class and wonder what could happen if I change parts of the book. Would things change in that universe? Or is it fixed? I take my phone out to edit the book.

Everleigh Woods has bright blonde hair and brown eyes.

I wonder if her hair and eyes have changed.

The rest of the day goes like any other ordinary day. Stacy and Lisa gossip about people and make fun of their 'fugly' outfits and Nicholas and his Spanish girlfriend publicly display their affection.

I decide to add some things to my book and hope that they make a difference.

Stellan Astor was happy. His father never abused him verbally or physically. He treated him well, like he deserved.

I wonder if it made a difference. I hope it did because Stellan deserves it. How nice he was surprised me. The guy that I spent hours talking to about anything and everything was not the shallow jock from my book. I never wrote anything about his father, other than that he was away a lot. I never wrote anything about Stellan's allegedly bitchy sister. I never wrote about how he never met his mother. I guess I never really wrote anything important about him. But he still exists, more real and multi-dimensional as ever. 

"Earth to Elaine!" Stacy waves her hand in front of my face.

"Oh, sorry!" I exclaim and she laughs. "So... I was thinking,"

"What?" Lisa asks.

"I think y-"

"Sorry, hold that thought!" She interrupts. "Look at the snapmap! What's Darcy doing at the club without Justin?"

"Probably the tennis instructor," Stacy laughs and Lisa joins in.

"Guys, I was saying something!" I state.

"Right, sorry! Go on," says Stacy.

"I was thinkin-"

"Oh my gosh!" Lisa exclaims. "You were right! The tennis instructor is on the map too!"

"I want you to call me Paris!" I yell, annoyed.

"Wait, what?" She asks.

"I want you to call me Paris. It's my name," I shrug. I liked the way it sounded when everyone at Roque Lake called me by my real name. 

"Sweetie, Paris is a nice name for a city, not a person," Lisa chuckles. "Just kidding!"

"I mean, unless you wanna seem like you're trying to copy Paris Hilton," Stacy chimes in.

"Seriously? That's ridiculous," I state. 

"We're just kidding, Elle," she smiles at me sympathetically. "Sure, we'll call you Paris."

"Yeah, I mean, it's my name. It's not even a bad name," I shrug. "Some might even call it beautiful."

"Anyway, remember how I told you about Justin buying Darcy a mustang? Turns out it was a used car. Talk about cheap!"

"I still wouldn't mind getting one from my boyfriend," Stacy giggles.

"Speaking of boyfriends, what's with Nicholas and the Spanish tramp?" Lisa wiggles her eyebrows.

"Who cares? I'm so over that guy," I roll my eyes at the thought of him.

"You gotta admit that he's hot though," Stacy shrugs.

"Meh," I say, ignoring the fact that my best friend just called my ex-boyfriend hot.

"That's not what you said a couple of months ago when you were so into him," she states.

"Well, I used to think he was hot but I just don't find him that attractive anymore. There are plenty of guys who are better looking and have better personalities," I shrug.

"Like who? The mysterious Kellan?"

"It's Stellan," I correct. "And yeah, actually. He's a good example,"

"Really? Show me a picture of him,"

"I don't have one."

"That's what I thought," she chuckles. I wonder if she's actually being condescending or if it's just me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demand.

"Nothing, Elaine." She looks at me like I'm crazy.

I go back home after school and continue to edit my book.

Derek Catallano grew up in several different foster homes, feeling like an outsider everywhere and with everyone. That was until his social worker, who he was remarkably close to, decided to adopt him when he was fifteen. Edith, his new mother, gave him the life he had always wanted. She was a woman who was pure of heart and Derek loved her to death.

Soon after that, he met Stellan Astor, his best friend, and Everleigh Woods, the love of his life. The sky finally started to clear up after the hurricane that was the first decade and a half of his life.

The next day goes exactly the same way and I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. The same rut that I've been in for a long time now.

I dramatically decide that I've had enough in the middle of class and march out, ignoring the looks I receive from my friends and ignoring the teacher when she demands that I halt.

This is so unlike me. I don't do stuff like this. I sit at the​ back of the class, being invisible. It's what I do best!

But how can I sit around and do the same trivial things everyday when there's a whole other universe out there calling me?

If I go back to the buoy, will I be able to go back to Roque Lake? Or was it just a one time thing? There's only one way to find out.

I go home and drop my things off, leaving my parents a note saying that I'm going to be out, and hasten to the beach.

I'm going back.

...

A/N

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