How An Addict Heals, With Help from a Monarch Butterfly
by Reinhart Resurreccion-Reyes
Photo by Jonny Lew
I started doing ‘it’ when I was fourteen. I’d lock myself in my room, close the curtains—every measure you can think of for guaranteeing privacy. Since then, I found it difficult to stop.
A suggestion I heard was to join lots of clubs, so I tried that, including my high school’s band. Then I met her, during preparation for the spring concert. She had a small solo, avoided pictures yet danced like a butterfly just out of reach. My heart beat triple throughout. After, she slipped out to the hallway while the concert continued. I found her, sitting under a motivational poster about seeking support for ‘solitaries’ a few paces away from the backstage door.
“Hey.”
She glanced at me, quietly staring—her eyes reminded me of the night, endless and beautiful.
“Mind if I chill here?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I took the spot beside her, acting as if I had a book to read like she did. Instead, I looked back on my notes, took a deep breath, “Will you—”
“Sure,” she stared blankly at her phone, “I’d love to go to prom with you.”
As if the voice in my head wasn’t yelling at me to snap out of my stupor, she smiled at me.
Since then, we’ve hung out every other day. She had a knowing glance whenever we geeked out about high fantasy books. I spent my evenings reading the novels she read instead of doing…‘it.’ And, for the first time in a while, I was recovering.
Reinhart Resurreccion-Reyes’s “How An Addict Heals, With Help from a Monarch Butterfly” received fifth place in the BCPW’s 2025 Flash Fiction Contest. Reinhart attends St. Roch Catholic Secondary School.