The Teenage Guide To Popularity [COMPLETE]

Chapter 23: Last Friday Night,

It wouldn't get any easier. But that was life. If everything was easy, what would be the point in even trying? That was Kiran's logic, and it was a logic that he applied to almost every aspect of his life. When it came to girls, that logic would get flipped on its head, turned over, danced a strange jig, and then presented itself in a completely unrecognizable form. It drove him crazy, especially since this particular girl was Carter Vance.

He knew, without a single doubt in the world, that he was inescapably in love with her. He had always been in love with her. It had taken a useless lump of a troll in the shape of Aiden Ryerson, a whole mess of high school drama, and years upon years of heated yet fantastically passionate arguments to make him realize that.

Now that he had, he wasn't sure what to do next.

Even now, as they stood in pathetically awkward silence in Elena's over-sized kitchen, after all the accusations and lies had been shot out, he wanted her. Probably more than before. There was something about her over-dramatic behaviour that he found attractive. She had been crying a moment ago, but now the tears were gone and had been replaced with a confused daze, like she was lost in her own melodramatic thoughts.

He moved right next to her and leaned against the cabinet counter. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"No. I have to find Leigh," she said, but didn't move at all. She wouldn't look at him, and like always, it angered him. He kept that anger buried beneath his fake indifference. 

 "I'll help you find her."

"No, I think you should leave. It might be better if we had some time apart."

"Better for who?" If she was going to say Leigh, he would lose it. Actually, if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was already losing it.

"For both of us. I need to get over even the thought of you being with those two, and I can't do that if you're here all the time. And you clearly need to get over the fact that I used to be with Aiden."

The absolute truth was that he had no relevant history with Tala. The usual locker-room talk suggested she was easy. Kiran wasn't one to ever use or even repeat such a dumb rumour but, after watching Tala attempt a social massacre on Carter, he had decided to make an exception.

When it came to Ashton Rhodes, that was a thing he wished had never happened. She had kissed him, once, and he hadn't exactly pushed her off straight away. It had happened right after Carter had kicked him out of her house, so he was feeling more worthless than he would ever care to admit. He didn't even like Ashton. If anything, he found her highly irritating and immature. "I don't care that you were with Aiden."

"Then why'd you use it as some sort of leverage? Like if I ever hooked up with him it would mean it's okay for you to sleep with Tala or Ashton?" She wasn't yelling, or hissing, or glaring at him. She just stood there and stared straight ahead.

"I only did it to prove a point. I swear to you, I didn't do anything with either of them," he somewhat lied. Why drag it out more? He knew her, and he knew she'd overreact and take a random kiss for more than it really was. 

"Maybe it's better if we go back to being friends."

"Don't be like that, Carter."

"That's the thing though, I don't know how I'm supposed to be like around you now." She finally looked at him, and he had to resist the urge to grab her right then and there. In the blaring frustration of it all, he could've sworn she moved closer to him. "I don't know how to talk to you without... without..."