Popularity Rules

by Shamika Lindsay

  Nearby, setting food items out on an available table, was Dylan, he seemed to have Avery so tightly wound around his finger I inevitably needed him. Trying to ignore the nagging feeling in my mind that I was being selfish, I spun a towel from my swim bag around my neck and made my way over to him.

  “Dylan, I was wondering if you and Avery wanted to come to the small diner across the street,” I mumbled as casually as I could to avoid him getting suspicious because him being nice didn’t equate being stupid.

  Dylan peered at me hesitantly for a moment. “With who exactly?”

  I shrugged, still attempting to be casual. “Oh, just me and a friend.”

  “Okay, I guess you want us to be your ‘wing-people’?”

  No. “Yeah, something like that.”

  Dylan seemed satisfied and nodded briefly. “Okay sure, we’ll be there.”

  I nodded at him before scanning the crowd for Avery, she was standing near the changing room, wringing water from her hair, if Dylan could keep quiet about it until after the party, that’d be great because she couldn’t protest much, if she didn’t know until it was too late. I hoped.

  “How much longer is this going to take?” I asked in exasperation, lugging a large cooler out of the ‘refreshment area’.

  We had spent the last hour and a half cleaning up. The poolside was in a state of disarray when we started. People tended to be excessively untidy when they weren’t the ones cleaning up afterward. It had been unnerving watching the time tick away and now it was half-past six and we hadn’t left yet. It was hard not to get annoyed, especially when Avery wasn’t speaking to any of us, including Dylan, who made more than the necessary effort to spike up conversation. But I guess I wasn’t much help either because I only grunted in response to his queries.

  Dylan dusted his hands and adjusted his glasses. “We’re just about done actually; we can get going now.”

  Avery straightened up from where she was bent over a garbage bag and cocked a brow at us. “Go where exactly?”

  I snorted and met Dylan’s gaze, he looked amused as well which seem to irritate Avery further, she huffed and grabbed the garbage bag roughly and stormed out ahead of us. I was accustomed to how temperamental she was so I paid no attention to how irate she was acting. We followed wordlessly and I struggled to lug the still full cooler out onto the pavement of the parking lot. Dylan stayed behind to close up but I headed to his car where Avery leaned against the passenger side. She sighed deeply and turned her head away from me. I took a quick glance over to where Dylan was. He was completely preoccupied with the number of locks he had to close.

  “Hey,” I whispered, coming to a stop beside her. Avery resolutely refused to reply. I used a finger to move her head around so she could look at me. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about my family, I’m sorry about how stupid I was, I’m sorry that I didn’t try to fix it, I…I’m sorry about—about everything.”

  Avery held my gaze for a long moment before she pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry I’m not good enough,” she whispered, looking completely indifferent.

  My brows furrowed and I spluttered to find something appropriate to care. “You are—”

  “Stop,” she said in a loud whisper, tugging her face from my grasp. “You are so typical! Stop trying to play me. I’ve had enough.”

  I stepped back a bit in surprise but, I remained quiet, noticing that Dylan was just about through with the locks. I had nothing to say, at this point I wasn’t exactly sure why I was even making them come to dinner with us. I could only hope that Chantal was still there, especially since she already assumed I didn’t want to go out with her. At least she wouldn’t be irrational if she did. Before Dylan could see me, I headed over to where my van was parked and got in. I sighed at how cold and lifeless it felt.

  Dylan flashed me to signal I should go. I nodded and did, making quite some effort not to look at Avery. If anything, she had probably already caught on and was very irritated. I pulled out of the now deserted parking lot and headed in the opposite direction of the route I would’ve normally taken home. The diner was just a couple meters away from the community pool and we could’ve just walked if we wanted to. The cramped parking lot was at the side of the diner and I made a great attempt to secure a parking spot close to the exit to be able to get away if I saw it necessary to escape. The air was still as I stepped out of the van and I accepted my deduction that I was in for a horrible night.

  Instead of waiting for my tag-alongs, I headed inside where I was immediately met with aromatic smells and animated chatter. I quickly scanned the crowd for any sign of Chantal but all I saw were couples and large groups of teenagers. I sighed, defeated. It seemed as if she assumed I stood her up and left. If that was true, I may have trapped myself in a dinner with Avery and Dylan. A rowdy group at the back of the establishment caught my attention and I noticed a few guys from the swim team. I fleetingly thought about spending time with them so I could possibly get out of an awkward night.

  One of the guys noticed me and gestured me over, still grinning at some innuendo, I could tell. The table was overcrowded with drink bottles and burger wrappers of all sorts. I frowned slightly. My chances of staying with them were dim, knowing they’d probably leave soon. I fist bumped all of them, including Stuart who resisted a little. I assumed he gave up the envy after the swim meet but apparently not.

  I ignored him and leaned on the column adjoining the table, if I was going to ignore Dylan and Avery, I’d have to get comfortable. “I thought you guys were coming to the community pool,” I quipped conversationally.

  “We were,” a guy to my right offered, gaining affirmative comments from around the table. “But—”

  Stuart quickly cut in, “But there was enough ego there for us all.”

  I raised a brow at him and then glanced at the other guys who were squirming uncomfortably. I sighed and chuckled slightly, not letting him get to me. “Maybe there was, who knows? What happens at the pool party stays at the pool party.”

  “Actually,” someone from the group piped up, “some persons from the party didn’t get the memo.” He held his phone up.

  I took it from his hand and sighed at the picture. It was the one from the pool party with my lips pressed to the girl’s cheek. The number of likes on the post in the short amount of time was astounding, and even with my lack of familiarity with the latest social media crazes, the numbers looked impressive; there were even a lot of comments, some of them compliments to me.

  “Thank God you’re still here,” a familiar voice panted in my ear.

  I spun around quickly and saw Chantal, breathing heavily and holding her side as if she had run all the way here. I admired her curly waves that bounced around her face as she trying to retain her composure and tried to speak. I noticed she was still in her marathon clothes. They looked crisp and clean, unmarked by sweat and grime. I smiled at her and gave her an awkward hug, trying to hold the phone away from her sight.

  The table gawked at us in unhurried silence. I tried my best to ignore them. “I thought you left,” I muttered after pulling away.

  Chantal smiled her usual easy, genuine smile and shook her head. “No, I was helping to pack up. Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay.” I was too.

  Chantal seemed to finally notice the hormonal teenage boys staring at us and smiled at them. “Hi, I’m Chantal. Are you Jason’s friends?”

  Stuart was the first to make a sarcastic reply, “Something like that.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him and felt Chantal pull the phone from my grasp. I closed my eyes briefly, expecting the worst reaction possible.

  “Is this you Jason? It’s so cute!” she exclaimed, grinning at me. This was weird. Why’d she think it was cute? I expected her to be disappointed, probably a little angry but definitely not happy.

  “Thanks,” I muttered unconvincingly, gently gliding the phone from her hand and passed it back to the guys. This was not the image I wanted them to have
of her. Now, she seemed like a crazily obsessed girl who excused my ‘infidelity’ and apparent reluctance at exclusivity. Chantal excused herself to use the bathroom and the guys waggled their brows knowingly.

  “Forbes, why am I not surprised?” someone commented lightly. “You’ve got her wound around your little finger, huh?”

  I clenched my teeth. “It’s not like that.”

  They gave up the jibe when Stuart nudged someone else, gesturing behind me. “Look who it is, those two lunatics.”

  I wrinkled my nose at the unoriginality and turned to look as well. Dylan pulled a chair out for her and she took it wordlessly, looking as grumpy as ever. I scratched the back of my neck uncomfortably. It was funny that I was the one forcing them to have dinner with me. Who was the crazy one now?

  Chapter

  XXIV

  I decided to move away from the guys’ table to avoid making any unnecessary ruckus—again. The whole diner was surreptitiously watching the group already, probably surmising that we were up to no good. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame them for that conclusion. Avery was the first to notice me approaching. She narrowed her eyes at me and folded her arms, looking about ready to throw an estrogen-fueled tantrum. I took the seat immediately in front of her and grabbed the menu, needing to give my hands something to do.

  “Your hair is really one of a kind,” I heard Chantal muse from behind me. I assumed she was speaking to Avery but her eyes were on me. “I can see it from anywhere,” she finished, running her hand through it. I fought a smile.

  She took the seat beside me and beamed at Dylan and Avery, not looking the least bit perturbed at our dinner guests. “Hi, I’m Chantal.” She held her hand out for Dylan to shake and he did, smiling at her and relaying his name. Next, Chantal held her hand out to Avery but she refused to shake it. Chantal pulled her hand back uneasily, her smile faltering. She whispered to me, “Is something wrong?”

  Avery spoke up, startling us all. “I’m Avery and I’m here so this duffus here can win you over.”

  The entire table fell silent, even more so than it was before, with me clenching my fist. Chantal, unlike her normal demeanor, was frowning at the table. Leave it to Avery to cloak the table with awkwardness. I clenched and unclenched my hands holding the dog-eared menu until the waiter came over. He stood poised with his notepad and pen, ready to take our orders.

  Without even giving the menu a second glance, I looked up at the waiter and gave him my order; chicken alfredo pasta, being a regular certainly had its perks. Dylan too, he didn’t even touch his menu but ordered their specially-made steak. And even Chantal, who left town for a while, knew what she wanted, a chicken and watermelon salad—that made Avery raise her brows at her condescendingly. Avery, on the other hand, purposefully flipped through the menu slowly, tapping her chin with her index finger and pursing her lips.

  The waiter let out an irritated sigh while she flipped through the pages painfully slow. Finally, she decided she wanted a cheese burger—a plain, boring cheeseburger and fries. Before she could do it again when he asked about drinks, I just ordered lemonade for everyone.

  “So Chantal,” Dylan began awkwardly, a moment after the waiter had left. “Where are you from?”

  Chantal finished sipping her complimentary water and gave me a knowing look. “I’m from here but I was on a student-exchange program for a few months.”

  Dylan nodded appreciatively. “Let me guess, French?”

  Chantal nodded excitedly. “Connaissez-vous le français alors?1”

  My brows furrowed as I tried to decipher what gibberish she just said, Dylan smiled widely at her. “Je fais, je suis dans la classe de spécialisation à l'école.2”

  “Wouh, c'est dingue,3” Chantal said with a huge smile.

  Dylan held a smug look and Avery raised a brow. Obviously we were both left out of the loop. “Tes cheveux sont vraiment jolis, j'adore ça.”

  Chantal looked startled. She fingered her hair and gave an unsure smile. Okay, that was enough. I slapped the table roughly, making everyone stare at me, surprised. “Uh, Dylan how successful was the pool party?”

  Dylan’s eyes flickered to mine and he beamed at me. “Really good actually. It did better than I expected. I think we can finally go to that forensic lab exhibit across town.”

  Before I could respond, Chantal grinned excitedly and almost bounced in her seat. “I wanted to go there but the entry fee is so expensive.”

  I looked over at Avery who was comically mocking Chantal’s every word with a sour look on her face. I stifled laughter and everyone turned to look me. I stared at the table with a smile. Why could they have fun and I couldn’t have any?

  Thankfully, the waiter came then, bearing all our dishes. I only hoped this would stop Dylan from impressing another girl I found interesting. As soon as my meal arrived, I dived in, making no effort to make eye contact with anyone. As usual, it was amazing, completely exquisite, for a low budget diner. Chantal tapped my shoulder and I swallowed before turning to her.

  My lips turned up again as I caught sight of her famous 100-watt smile; it was so contagious, and I almost forgot about her hitting it off instantaneously with Dylan. She held a forkful of her salad out toward my face. I raised a brow at her but tasted it anyway. I watched her expression as I chewed thoughtfully, she looked excited to see my reaction. I kept chewing, keeping a calculated look on my face; it was fun teasing her. I finally swallowed and gave her an expressive thumbs up.

  Avery pushed her chair back and threw her napkin on the table. “God, I can’t stand another minute of this.” She stood and adjusted her denim jacket before giving Chantal a scathing look. “You’re so typical. Who orders a salad? You’re not a freaking rabbit!”

  Chantal’s eyes widened and her brows furrowed. I could tell she was probably wondering why Avery harbored so much resentment towards her. She looked just about ready to burst into tears and as torn as I was, I was a little more concerned about where Avery was going as she stormed out of the diner; she really had a flair for theatrics.

  Dylan was about to get up, but I beat him to the chase. I was surprised at how quickly he conceded when I told him I’d talk to her. He didn’t even make a second guess. In fact, he looked relieved. Outside was a lot cooler than when we just came, I noticed. But if I knew Avery, that wasn’t a deterrent from being dramatic.

  The parking lot was dark. The only light barely caressing the grounds was a streetlight at the end of the road. There was someone leaned up beside a car and I approached them in a huff.

  “Don’t you think you could afford to be a little nicer?” I asked in a strained whisper.

  The girl, who was not Avery, looked bewildered. She cowered away from me with furrowed brows. “What is your problem?”

  I ran a hand over my face and backed away slowly. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

  It was getting frustrating walking around the parking lot looking for Avery when I knew the conversation would possibly end in choice words from both of us. I circled the perimeter twice just to ensure I didn’t look like a stalker again. Finally, I spotted her, scrolling through her phone and fuming. Once again, I noticed how expensively new it looked. She turned as she heard me approaching and made a show of rolling her eyes.

  “What is your problem?” I demanded as I came to a stop beside her.

  Avery placed her phone into her jacket pocket. “Thanks for pushing your perfect girlfriend in my face.”

  “What?” I asked, my brows furrowing automatically as I remembered the conversation at the community pool. I swore she had said she’d had enough. “I’m not the one snuggling up to anyone!”

  “First, you tell me about some crazy ‘feelings’ you have, then you throw it all away by forcing Dylan to take me here!”

  I recoiled a little, noticing how it must’ve seemed, but remembering, at the same time what she had said to me just today. But, if anything, it did seem as if I was playing with her, still that didn’t give her any rea
son to insult Chantal the way she did; especially since she was with Dylan.

  “Is that supposed to make me just forget about what you just said to Chantal? Not everyone can handle your sour-puss attitude.”

  Avery jutted her chin out defiantly. “It’s not to make you feel anything. Frankly, I don’t care what you feel.”

  That stung a little, but I ignored it and stared coldly back at her. “This is not about me because you’ve made one hell of an impression on your ‘boyfriend’.” I spat, ensuring I put extra emphasis on boyfriend.

  “I really don’t care—”

  “Then what do you care about? Elijah? Huh? Your old life? Everyone who pulled you down? Well, if that’s how you feel, why not leave and go back to Elijah and be a ‘beta’ again? Since that’s what you care about, by all means go!” When I was finished speaking, my throat hurt and I was nearly out of breath as I raced through the sentence. I inhaled deeply for a moment and measured her expression.

  Undeniable shock flittered across her face and she replied in a harsh whisper, way softer than I spoke, “The mere fact that you think that’s what I care about just shows how naïve you are.”

  I held her gaze with narrowed eyes for a moment before shaking my head slowly. Maybe everyone was right and Avery was a lost cause. If you had to fight this hard for something, was it even worth it in the end? I was about to tell her that we could stop this back and forth, in limbo thing. I was done. Done fawning over her, done with being walked all over when I offer to help her across. But I didn’t get the chance to, an oddly familiar voice was approaching and made the words die in my throat. Avery and I both froze and listened.

  “…wasting time. I need to get back home,” Elijah said, his voice sounding tired.

  Another unrecognizable voice quickly spoke up, “I’m sure you can find someone to replace her. She is a good fighter but there must be someone else.”