Popularity is Just an Equation

by A. R. Perry

I gape at him, not sure how to respond. I’m out of my mind right now, so I’m sure nothing I have to say will be of any help.

  “Why is this weird?” he laughs. “We’ve hung out like this before.”

  “When we were thirteen.”

  “What does age have to do with it? I say we put on a movie from our childhood and veg out. Forget parties or your plan to get the guy. I could use a night of freedom.”

  I nod. “Yeah. Totally.” I can do this. A movie with a friend. Carter is a friend.

  “I have the perfect movie, too.” He exits out of Netflix and pulls up another streaming platform.

  A few minutes later Lord Business appears on the screen and I can’t stop grinning. We watched this movie more times than I can count and Carter would sing “Everything Is Awesome” to the point where I wanted to punch him in the face.

  “You don’t own this.”

  “I do.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me as he stretches an arm across the back of the couch. His fingers are almost close enough to brush my shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone but I still freaking love it.”

  “Oh, man. I can’t keep something this juicy to myself.”

  He glares. “Don’t forget I got dirt on you, too.”

  I bristle, sitting up and just like that the awkwardness flows out of my body. “Like what?”

  “Nash for one.” When I roll my eyes, he leans forward, tucking a leg under his butt so we’re facing each other as the movie plays in the background. “Your endless obsession with One Direction.”

  “Everyone was obsessed with 1D.”

  “Fine. How about how you couldn’t sleep without a nightlight until you were thirteen?”

  I scoot closer, pointing a finger at him. “Says the guy who had to sleep on my floor when we watched Sinister.”

  “A dude got run over by a lawn mower. I was mowing lawns for extra cash at the time!”

  I bob a shoulder, trying to contain my laughter at his horrified face. “You didn’t seem to complain about my night-light then. In fact, I distinctly remember you having to borrow my flashlight when you had to use the bathroom even though it was ten steps away.”

  “That never happened.”

  “Oh, it did. You woke me up and were all ‘Oh, Piper, I’m too scared to walk four feet. Please come with me since you’re so brave and strong.’” I add in a girly squeal for effect.

  Okay, I might be embellishing here, but it happened. There was never another scary movie marathon after that. Then again, that was the month before we entered high school and he stopped talking to me.

  He tips his chin, bringing him even closer to me. “You should be a writer because that was pure fiction.”

  “Nope. Totally happened. In fact, I found the perfect conversation piece for our next party. So, thank you for reminding me of that.”

  “You wouldn’t,” he growls.

  “I mean…it’s too good.” I burst out laughing at his expression. Mr. Popular doesn’t seem so keen on people learning about his soft side. He’s all power and aggression on the field. How would people feel if they knew he watches The Lego Movie and used to be afraid of the dark?

  “Piper.”

  I lean forward, reaching for my phone. “I have to tell Blythe. She’ll get a kick out of this.”

  Carter lunges across the couch, knocking over a box of rice in his haste. It spills all over the coffee table, but he doesn’t seem to care. “Piper, give me the phone.”

  Laughter shakes my entire body as I curl it to my chest. I don’t plan on texting Blythe, but the clear panic on his face is too much fun. “I just don’t know if I should start with the flashlight and work my way back to being terrified of scary movies or start at the beginning.”

  He reaches out again and I roll away to keep his hand at bay. “Everything Is Awesome” starts playing, my laughter devolves into a giggle fit where tears are streaming down my face and I can’t breathe.

  “Give me the damn phone, Piper.”

  He gets his hand on it and I kick my leg out to stop him from snatching it away. I nail him square in the gut and he tumbles back, locking an arm around me and taking me with him. I squeal and he grunts.

  We end up on the floor in a tangle of limbs. He’s groaning underneath me and I still can’t stop laughing. Until he locks both of my wrists in one of his hands and rolls us over, pinning me underneath him.

  “Got it!” he shouts as he takes the phone and tosses it across the carpet.

  I stop moving. Stop breathing. When our eyes meet, he sucks in a sharp breath, which forces his face another inch toward mine.

  All I want to do is lean in and plant my lips on his. We’re both sucking in ragged breaths as if we’ve just finished running a marathon. He must be on the same wavelength, must be thinking what I am because he inches forward, his eyes searching mine for something. I hope they’re screaming yes.

  When the warmth of his breath ghosts over my lips, my eyes flutter closed. I’ve only ever kissed John, but this is different. I’ve never had such an aching need before.

  One. Two. Three seconds tick by and then Carter is scrambling off me and the front door swings open.

  “Mom. Dad,” Carter says as he shoots me a panicked look and pats around on the floor. “You’re home early.”

  “What are you guys doing?” Mrs. Jackson laughs as she hangs up her coat.

  “Piper dropped her phone we were… oh there it is.” He points to the toward the kitchen where he tossed it earlier.

  I sit up, flustered, and run a clammy hand down my face. “Oh. Wow. Glad we found it. I was worried for a second.” I jump up, avoiding eye contact as I pick it up. “It’s late. I should get home.”

  “Oh, don’t mind us, dear,” his mom says as she passes me on the way to the kitchen.

  “No. She has to get home.”

  The sting of his rejection resonates deep in my stomach. Clearly, he was caught up in the moment and now that the spell is broken, he’s regretting the almost lip-lock.

  “He’s right. My friend is waiting for me.”

  I gather up my stuff, dashing into the bathroom to collect my clothes. “Thanks for lending me these sweats. Can’t believe I spilled stuff all over Blythe’s dress.” I spit out the lie to explain why I’m wearing their son’s clothes.

  Mr. Jackson watches us with raised eyebrows. He’s never been one to wear rose-colored glasses, so I’m certain he’s reading the situation for what it is.

  “See you at school,” I call over my shoulder as I race outside. I don’t even care that the door slams or that I’m barefoot.

  The second my butt hits the seat, I’m reversing out of the driveway. When I dare glance back, Carter is standing on the porch staring after me with an unreadable expression on his face.

  Not exactly the ideal response after…whatever that was.

  When I hit a red light, I lean forward and bang my forehead on the steering wheel.

  Things just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

  I almost kissed Piper last night.

  If my parents hadn’t walked in right at that second, I would have leaned down and pressed my lips to hers and forgot all about this stupid plan of hers. The way she felt in my arms. The dreamy look in her eyes before they fluttered closed. I’ve never wanted a girl more.

  And I do mean never.

  Not Abigail Brown freshman year.

  Not Cristy.

  Not even my celebrity crushes.

  I toss a croissant into the display case and watch as it bounces off the glass and lands all crooked between a plate of cookies.

  This is bad.

  Sleep evaded me all night and the tiny bits I managed were filled with denim-colored eyes and crimson hair. Piper quite literally turned into the girl of my dreams. And like most dreams, us being together in real life is unattainable and so bizarre if I said it out loud to anyone they would tell me I’m crazy.

  And I must be crazy because I cannot. Stop. Thinking. About. Her.

  Sure, sh
e was caught up in the moment too and would have kissed me back. But the second it was over, she would regret it. Piper isn’t the type of chick to bounce between several guys—especially not friends.

  A groan escapes my lips as I tug on the ends of my hair.

  No way I can continue helping her now. I can’t push her at my best friend when the result will be me turning into a jealous monster. Seeing them together will be pure torture. I won’t be able to take it. I knew this plan was a terrible idea from the very start. Coaching her on how to win over the most popular guy in school? What is this, a teen rom-com?

  If my mouth hadn’t gone all haywire last night, I could have let this fizzle out how I planned.

  I blame it on the dress and morbid curiosity.

  She wasn’t lying when she said she went all out. Piper has always been pretty, but last night she was a knockout. Even when she changed into my sweats. No, especially when she changed into my sweats. It should be illegal for a girl to be that gorgeous lounging around the house.

  Then again, she never planned on watching some stupid childhood movie with an old friend. She got all dolled up for Nash.

  He’s such a lucky bastard.

  Things only got worse after she left. When my mom left to take a shower, my dad berated me for close to thirty minutes about wasting time goofing around when I should be studying. In this case, he was right. I do have a lot of homework, but I wasn’t about to admit that to him.

  “Why are you trying to glare a hole through that muffin?” a syrupy sweet voice asks from the front door.

  I suck in a lungful of air and hold it until the edges of my vision blur.

  As if my mood couldn’t be any lower.

  “What do you want, Cristy?”

  She bites her lip and drags a hand up her bare arm before securing it at the elbow. “Maybe I missed you.”

  Ha. Yeah, she missed me all right. It’s obvious she’s threatened by someone she deems lower than she is and needs to assert her dominance.

  “Can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

  Her nostrils flare, but she keeps the plastic smile in place. “I was super bummed when Nash’s party got canceled. I was hoping we could spend some time together outside of school. Like old times.”

  Old times. What she means is make out and utter a handful of words to each other. This time apart has me realizing that’s all we did. We didn’t have a relationship at all. We never talked about anything real unless she counts the number of likes her most recent photo got as a real conversation.

  She’ s clueless about the stuff I go through with my dad or how much pressure I put on myself to snag a football scholarship. Hell, she probably doesn’t even know my favorite movie.

  “What is this?” I ask, motioning to her and the ridiculously short dress she’s wearing. She’s up to something, and not because she regrets breaking up with me.

  “I told you, I missed you.”

  “You broke up with me.”

  She walks closer, swinging her hips in the way I used to drool over. Tonight it’s not doing it for me.

  “Temporary insanity.” When she reaches the counter, she leans forward, placing her hands on the surface and pressing her cleavage together.

  Keeping an air of interference and boredom on my face, I continue filling the pastry case. “Whatever you hope to accomplish here isn’t going to happen.”

  “Because of that little nerd who’s been following you around like a lost puppy?”

  Her sweet facade crumbles, and here stands the real Cristy. The one who thinks she can have whatever she wants just because she wants it.

  “She’s not a nerd.” I slam down the tongs a little harder than necessary.

  Defending Piper is the worst idea. It will only egg Cristy on. But I can’t help it. I can’t stand hearing people trash her when she’s not around to defend herself and when she’s never done a thing to wrong anyone. She’s too sweet and caring to stoop that low.

  Cristy takes a step backward, her expression morphing into pure shock. “You like her.”

  “What?” I snort.

  Busted.

  “You like the little nerd girl,” she laughs, but it’s not at all friendly. “This is rich. You already attained the best so what, you’re slumming it now?”

  “Watch it.” I grip the counter, leveling her with a glare.

  “You should know before you get too invested that Little Miss Perfect is playing you.”

  It’s not me she’s playing, but that’s none of Cristy’s business. “We’re old friends. She’s not playing me. Nothing else is going on.”

  “Funny ‘cause I talked to her ex and according to him she never mentioned your name once. So, what, she gets dumped and now all of a sudden you’re old pals?” She cocks her hip to the side, crossing her arms over her chest. “Wake up. She’s using you to get to him.”

  This stops me dead in my tracks. It never occurred to me that she might want her ex back. What if this whole play for Nash was nothing more than a way to spark jealousy and win him over? But she never mentioned him. Not once beyond telling me they broke up.

  No. This is Piper we’re talking about. She would never do something so deceitful and backstabby.

  “Your desperation is showing.” I grab a rag and turn to wipe down the counters, giving her a silent screw you and the side of my face as I twist away from her livid expression. I don’t want to hear any more of her nonsense.

  “Fine.” Her voice has taken on a sharp, grating quality and her eyes are so bugged out I’m worried they might pop out of her head. “Don’t believe me. But don’t come crawling back when the truth comes out. She’s not as sweet and innocent as you think, and if you need proof, why don’t you have a chat with her ex. His name is John Davis. He tried out for the team freshman and sophomore year, so I’m sure he’d love to spill his guts to the golden boy.”

  The bell above the door chimes and a few seconds later the walls rattle as Cristy leaves in a huff. When I’m sure she’s gone, I turn around and stare out into the parking lot as she jumps into her car and peels out.

  I toss the rag into the water bucket at my feet. Cristy is just a jealous mess because another girl is treading on her territory. I saw the dirty looks she’s been shooting Piper ever since we’ve been spotted talking. For whatever reason, Cristy is regretting dumping me and this is her way of trying to lure me in.

  Whatever. I’m not falling for this drama.

  I glance at the clock and groan when it tells me I still have another three hours before I’m free. With my luck, Cristy will come back and there won’t be any place to run because since she quit my mom decided there was no point in replacing her.

  But maybe being stuck here isn’t the worst thing. I promised Nash I would come over and play some new video game he got. My original plan was to lay groundwork for him and Piper. Now though…I can decide if spending an entire night with Nash or being locked in a four-hundred-square-foot store with a livid Cristy is the better option.

  All I need now is for my dad to bring up college. Might as well add a fifth circle to my personal hell. Perhaps I’ll tell him to go to hell and get grounded for eternity. Anything has to be better than how I’m feeling.

  Sighing, I rest my head against the wall. Life might be much simpler if I got back together with Cristy. If there was a barrier between Piper and me, I’d be able to resist her.

  Oh, God.

  I just considered getting back with Cristy.

  It’s safe to say my head is not in the right place. Thank goodness we have tomorrow off school. It will give me time to screw my head on straight.

  Time to come up with a gentle way to let Piper down.

  By the time I reach Nash’s house, I’m two seconds away from falling asleep. The bakery had a random late rush and with no one there to help, I got to run around doing everything for a solid two hours.

  Not even the energy drinks sitting in the plastic bag on my passenger seat could save me, but I promised
to come over and Nash would never let it go if I bailed, not with how much time I’ve been spending with Piper that is normally dedicated to my friends.

  I let myself in, not bothering to knock since I’m here almost as much as I’m at my house. His mom made me a key for emergencies, but the door is always unlocked so I’ve never had to use it.

  The moment I step inside, I’m overwhelmed by the aroma of pizza, which sends my stomach into a frenzy. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until right now.

  “Suck it!” someone shouts from the den.

  I laugh as I round the corner and catch the tail end of Nash’s terrible victory dance.

  Jordan tosses his controller on the table. “Beginner’s luck.”

  “That was our third game, dude.” Nash grins when he sees me. “Ahh, fresh meat.”

  “S’up.” I nod as I set the bag on the table and grab a slice of pizza.

  “You’re late.” Jordan kicks my ankle, still annoyed by his loss. None of us are good losers, which is what makes us fierce rivals on the field.

  “Bakery got slammed. My mom is refusing to replace Cristy, so this is my life now.” I take a seat on the worn leather couch. “But I’d take that over the conversation I had with Cristy.”

  They both stop what they’re doing and turn to stare at me. Before today, Cristy and I haven’t spoken a word to each other since I called her out in the cafeteria. All of us kinda assumed she was done with me, but after our conversation today that might not be the case.

  “She stormed into the bakery in a skimpy dress and said she missed me.”

  “Ugh.” Jordan pretends to gag next to me. “Please tell me you kicked her out. She’s only crawling back ‘cause no other guy can spend more than a few days with her before realizing she’s a callous witch.”

  “I don’t know what that says about you since you dated her for six months,” Nash says with a snort.

  “That was freshman year, and she was the first girl I ever really dated long-term. What can I say? I was naive.”

  “So how did she take it when you told her you were never, ever getting back together?” Nash asks with a mouthful of pizza.

  “Well, Taylor Swift, not well.”