Popularity is Just an Equation

by A. R. Perry

  “Ready?” Carter pokes his head into the kitchen and spins his keys around his pointer finger. In his other hand is my purse.

  “Yeah, but Carter, I need to tell you something.”

  “Let’s talk about it there. I’m starving and have to be at the bakery in a couple hours.”

  My phone chimes in my purse—most likely Blythe asking if I stopped being a chicken and got it done—but I ignore it. Steadying my nerves, I follow Carter out to his car, praying that by the end of this lunch Carter doesn’t hate my guts.

  Piper was quiet the entire drive to the restaurant, torturing me with her far-off stare.

  When I pull into a parking spot, she seems lost in thought, gazing out the passenger window with her chin propped on her palm and a pink nail clamped between her front teeth.

  No idea why I invited her here besides wanting to delay the inevitable. Between being dumped by Cristy and whatever Piper wants to talk about, I’m fairly certain I’ll never be able to eat another taco again, which would be such a shame for my stomach.

  But I can’t back out now.

  “Hey, space case.” I poke Piper in the side, and she jumps, whipping her head toward me. “We’re here.”

  “Oh.” She blinks, then blinks again a little harder this time. “Awesome.”

  When she still doesn’t make a move to open the door, I reach out and twine my fingers with hers. Dumb move. The gesture was meant to be reassuring, but judging by the way she tenses and the sharp twang in my chest, it’s doing more harm than good.

  I had every intention of letting Piper down gently. I’m too involved now, too conflicted to be impartial. The moment I saw her on the porch, however, every word I planned flew right out the window.

  So now here we are not on a date and she can’t seem to get out of the car, which seems ominous. All I want to do is pull her into a hug and say whatever is needed to say to remove the tortured expression from her face.

  “Do you not like tacos?” I ask, drawing her eyes. “‘Cause if that’s the case I might need to kick you out of my car.”

  My words are rewarded with the slightest smile. “Who doesn’t like tacos?”

  Cristy didn’t. Said they were too fattening. Talk about a red flag.

  “So, are we going to go in or are you going to make me sit here and watch everyone else enjoy them?” I point toward the window where a few people are sitting in red-and-white striped booth seats.

  Piper laughs, but it sounds off as her hand tightens on mine. “That would be a true form of torture, huh? I guess since we’re here, I can make it through an entire lunch with you. Might be difficult, though.”

  I slap a hand over my heart. “Ouch. I’m no Nash, but dang.”

  My words sober her up and she pulls away, leaving my skin cold. “Listen, we should call off this whole crazy plan of mine.”

  My heart hiccups, taking a bit of breath with it. This is what I wanted from the moment I realized I was in way over my head. So why does it feel as if she’s gutted my chest with a dull spoon? “Yeah. You never needed my help, anyway.”

  She scoffs, gliding her fingers down her arm. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m a hot mess most of the time. But I also—”

  Her gaze slides over my shoulder and her mouth presses into a flat line seconds before a knock on the window. I turn around and am met with Jordan’s goofy grin. His eyes flick between us, making me aware of how close we had leaned in.

  I lean away, clamping my jaw. Perfect. Jordan will have a field day with this whole scene, and it will end up getting back to Nash. If Nash thinks for even a second I’m into Piper, she’ll become off-limits. He’d never let a girl get between us.

  Piper will hate me for it, but deep in my gut, a churning I can’t deny is telling me I want her off-limits. I want her more than I should, despite how wrong we are.

  We don’t fit into each other’s lives. Not just at school, but also at home. Her parents would never allow her to fall for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, no matter how close her mom is with mine. I’ve seen enough movies, watched enough TV, to know how it will turn out.

  With my heart smashed all over the pavement.

  “Yo. You two plan on getting out anytime soon?” Jordan asks when neither of us makes a move for our doors.

  When I glance her way, Piper forces a smile and reaches for the handle. Her movements are stiff and even from here, I can see fear swimming in her eyes. We got caught together, alone, and she knows how this might affect her little plan.

  “Bro?” Jordan steps backward, throwing his arms out as Piper rounds the front of my truck and waits on the sidewalk.

  With a deep breath that does nothing to calm the nauseating swirling in my stomach, I step out, bumping Jordan with my door because I’m still pissed he interrupted whatever Piper was about to say.

  “You on a date or something?” Jordan asks, and I swing my gaze to Piper to see if she overheard.

  Her gaze is on the ground where she’s rolling a pebble under her sandal. The strain in her neck, though, and the way she tilts her head toward us tells me she’s trying to overhear whatever is being said and doing an awful job of hiding it.

  So, I put her out of her misery.

  “Want to join us for lunch?” I shove Jordan, forcing him forward all while dodging his question. Because this isn’t a date. No reason to say it out loud when it’s obvious Piper would never go for me.

  Piper’s wide gaze flicks between us, and her forced smile makes another appearance. “Yeah. Join us. In fact, I’ll call the girls and see if they want to come.”

  Great. “Good idea. I’ll go grab us a table.”

  I slip past her on the narrow sidewalk, keeping my focus straight ahead even though I’m dying to glance left and see how she’s doing. There might be a fake smile plastered all over her face, but her eyes never lie.

  Loud ranchera music helps drown out some of the thoughts swirling around in my head, specifically the ones revolving around Piper.

  Who am I kidding, they’re all revolving around her at the moment.

  I rest my balled-up fists on the top of the empty host stand, glimpsing red as Piper paces outside the window, her arm flying up in the air. A smile tugs at my lips. She’s cute when she’s all worked up.

  Except now she’s probably upset her plan is going up in smoke. The smile drops from my face and I rap my knuckles on the hard wood a little harder than necessary.

  “Dude, you okay?” Jordan rests an elbow on the wall next to me, his eyebrows arched.

  “Fine. Why?”

  “You’re about to rip that stand out and throw it through the window.”

  It crossed my mind.

  I relax my hands and take a step away right as an older woman, who could be a second mother with how much I come here, gives me a warm smile.

  “Carter. You disappeared for a while.”

  “Hey, Mrs. Garcia. School’s been busy.” No point diving into additional details. The night Cristy dumped me she supplied me with enough fried ice cream to give me a stomachache.

  She gives me a knowing smile. “Just you two today?”

  “Um no—”

  “The girls can’t make it,” Piper says as she slips inside. “So just…us three.” She glances between Jordan and me before focusing on Mrs. Garcia who is grinning from ear to ear, no doubt wondering if Piper is my new girlfriend.

  I guess it will knock her socks off when Piper returns with Nash one day.

  Again. Why did I need to ruin tacos?

  Mrs. Garcia leads us to my favorite spot by a large bay window. It’s a huge horseshoe booth meant for six, but to be fair, three big guys can take up a lot of room.

  “I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Piper says, sliding in. Her eyes are on the bright-colored mural on the ceiling.

  “Well, we’re glad to have you.” Mrs. Garcia sets the menus down with a wink in my direction before strutting to the front.

  As I move to the left toward the op
posite side Piper sat on, Jordan slams into my side, knocking me toward her, and he takes the seat across from her. He stretches his legs out so the only open spot is next to her.

  Piper laughs as the menus fly into her lap from where my hands landed so I didn’t end up on top of her.

  “I thought you could take a hit better than that.” She grins for real this time, slapping the plastic-covered menus on the mosaic tabletop.

  I’ve never hated my friend more.

  Glaring at Jordan, I take the spot next to her, grinding my teeth when our bare arms brush. He smirks, reaching for a menu. In some misguided way he thinks he’s helping since he's convinced I’m into her. He's not wrong, but why couldn’t he have butted in when Nash was ignoring Piper at the party? It was clear Nash was drawn to her from the moment she crashed into my life. Maybe if he had stuck his nose the mix, then I wouldn’t be sitting here with a knife tearing out my guts.

  “What’s good here?” Piper flips the menus open.

  “Everything.” Jordan does the same, pretending he doesn’t know what he will order.

  We’ve been here enough to try every item at least five times. Nash, Jordan, and I all have our go-tos. Tacos are life for me, but Jordan can’t resist cheese-and-sauce-covered items. My money is on the smothered burrito.

  “You’re not going to order something?” Piper asks when I make no move to grab the extra menu.

  “I know what I want.”

  Her eyes narrow. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  “He gets the same thing every time we come here.” Jordan reaches for the basket of chips the second they hit the table.

  “You’re never in the mood to try something new?” Her gaze travels over my face. I swear it’s as if she’s touching me even though she hasn’t moved an inch.

  I ball my hands into fists under the table to resist the urge to wrap my finger around the long red strands of hair that fell from her loose braid.

  “Carter isn’t much for stepping out of his comfort zone.” Jordan’s grin makes me frown.

  Why does it seem as if we’re talking about something other than food?

  When I meet Jordan’s gaze and his eyes flick to Piper, I know in an instant I need to change the topic before my idiot friend says something stupid.

  “The tacos are amazing.” I take a sip of my water, glancing off to the side, praying that segue didn’t sound as stupid to everyone else as it did to me.

  “Tacos…got it.” Piper runs her thumb across the edge of the table as she focuses on the menu in her lap.

  I glare at Jordan, and he shrugs. My foot itches to kick out and nail him in the knee, but all he will do is make a big scene and Piper will ask more questions.

  Well, two can play this game.

  “How come Blythe didn’t want to come?” I ask Piper, keeping my eyes on Jordan whose jaw clenches at the mention of her name.

  “Oh. She was…” Her gaze flicks to Jordan for half a second before dropping. “Busy.”

  “You guys ready?” Margarita, one of the regular servers, asks as she steps up to the table with a pitcher of water.

  Relief is visible on Jordan’s face as he turns to her. Whatever is going on with him and Blythe throws him off-kilter. He really doesn’t want to talk about it.

  Kinda like I don’t want to talk about Piper with him.

  “Smothered burrito,” he says, handing her the menu.

  I cover my smirk with a drink of water because, for someone who spouts the need for trying new things and stepping out of comfort zones, he sure is predictable.

  “Oh, um…” Piper scans the menu one more time, flustered the second Margarita looks her way. “Carne asada tacos with extra pico, jalapeños, and a side of sour cream.” She smiles, handing over the menu.

  Jordan snorts, his stupid grin back.

  “Same.” I pass Margarita my menu without looking at anyone. Either Piper has some secret intel on me or we’re on the same wavelength because she just ordered exactly what I always order.

  “What?” Piper asks, reading the weird energy that’s settled over our table.

  “You and Carter are p—”

  This time I kick Jordan. He hisses, reaching down to rub his shin as I glare at the chips. He needs to step out of our business before he makes things worse. It’s not as if I can come right out and say the reason Piper and I are hanging out together has nothing to do with us headed toward coupledom. She doesn't know I let him in on our little secret. His unwarranted attempt at Cupid will make me want to bash my head into the wall even more than I already do.

  “Did I miss something?” Piper glances between us, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “Apparently not.” Jordan sits up straight, sending me a what the hell look.

  I shoot one back that I hope is saying mind your own business, but I think it’s lost in translation when he once again smirks.

  “So, when did you become such good friends?” he asks, sliding the chips his way when I reach for them.

  “We’re not—”

  “Our parents are friends.” Piper’s head snaps my way, gaping at my quick denial, but then she blinks and her posture hardens. “What I meant was our parents have been friends for a long time. Carter and I never meshed well, though.”

  I swallow down the boulder in my throat. No, we never did mesh well, did we? Two different worlds. Two different outlooks on life. Two different paths after college. Someone like Piper would never want to be tied down with a guy who will peak in high school only to be saddled with a desk job at a firm he hates.

  “Then why are you two hanging out so much suddenly?” Jordan cocks his head to the side, studying me, watching for any cracks in my armor.

  He won’t find any.

  “Class project,” Piper says the same time I mumble out, “Favor to my parents.”

  Jordan laughs, shaking his head. It’s obvious we’re lying. He won’t call me out on it here, but he’ll get a kick out of goading us, trying to get us to break. If there’s anything Jordan loves in this life, it’s pushing people until they break, spilling their deepest, darkest secrets.

  I wonder if that’s what he did to Blythe?

  His knuckles rap on the tabletop. “You guys might want to get your stories straight.”

  Piper sucks in a sharp breath, avoiding my gaze. I’m about to say something, tell him to back off, or maybe kick him under the table again, but the waitress shows up with our food. Piper digs right in, content to focus on something else besides Jordan’s prying.

  Without meaning to, my attention drifts to her when he lets out a moan on the first bite. Biting my bottom lip, I grip my plate, the heat stinging the tips of my fingers. She’s not making this easier for me. Especially not while wearing those freaking shorts. Yeah, I noticed the second I opened the door, and it took all my willpower not to press her against the wall and claim her mouth.

  Now here she sits, making tacos sexy somehow.

  I swear she’s doing this on purpose to torture me. Push me to my boiling point.

  “These are amazing.” She dips the taco into sour cream before diving in for another bite.

  “Orgasmic, even.” Jordan throws me a sly smile, but all Piper does is nod.

  Either she can’t hear the sounds she’s making, or she’s trying to push buttons.

  “I think this is my new favorite spot. Well worth the drive.”

  My stomach clenches, making me queasy and not the least bit hungry. It wasn’t an intentional jab, but a reminder that we come from very different parts of town. Sure, we share the same school, but that’s only because I’m at the border of the school district. A few houses over and I’d be in a contrasting world.

  “So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Jordan asks in between gigantic bites of his burrito.

  I haven’t even touched my food.

  “Work.”

  Jordan nods at my words. “What about you, Pipe?”

  Her eyebrows quir
k up, but she doesn’t comment on the horrible nickname. “Catching up on homework.”

  “So…nothing?”

  “Not all of us can be the life of the party all the time.” Piper smiles, but it’s missing the glint in her eye.

  “Want to go play mini golf or something?”

  My spine snaps straight as I turn to glare at him. What the hell kind of game is he playing at? If I can’t have her, then he can’t. I haven’t been torturing myself for the past couple of weeks for him to swoop in.

  Piper shifts next to me, brushing her bare thigh against my hip. “Um… I should get some extra reading done. Mr. Davidson hasn’t dropped a pop quiz in a while. It feels imminent.”

  If this moron can’t take the hint that she’s not interested, then I gotta talk to Coach. He might have been hit in the head one too many times.

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon. You can study later tonight. Or follow my lead and just wing it.” Jordan jostles his eyebrows, trying to avoid eye contact with me even though I'm glaring a hole through his head.

  “Um…” Piper glances my way, sliding a hand up her arm. When I don’t look her way or say anything to talk her out of going, she nods. “Yeah. Sure. I can’t remember the last time I played mini golf.”

  My jaw clenches so hard I think I hear one of my teeth crack. She can’t be serious. Doesn’t she realize hanging out with Jordan might put Nash off? Jordan doesn’t want to be her friend, that much is clear.

  “Awesome!” Jordan slams his hand down on the table, making a passing waitress jump. “Too bad you gotta work.” His mischievous gaze settles on me and he winks before turning his attention back to his half-demolished burrito.

  We sit in silence for the next couple minutes. My stomach has soured to the point where I can’t even stand the smell of my tacos. It’s a shame because they look amazing.

  “So…” Piper must feel the tension surrounding us. I won’t look at Jordan because I might be tempted to punch him. And if I look at her, I might be tempted to kiss her. It's a terrible position to be in. “Either of you decided what colleges you want to apply to?”