The Teenage Guide To Popularity [COMPLETE]

Chapter 36: To Everything, There Is A Season,

Leigh was happy. Super happy. If happy had a definite visual counterpart, it would be that of Leigh's super happy face. There she was, in Elena's mansion-of-a-house, ruffling through brilliantly beautiful designer clothes and drinking mocktails in the process.

How had she ended up here? Unlike Carter, she had never done anything to try to fit in with this crowd. She hadn't catered to their needs, sucked up to them, pretended to like a guy just to get invited to the party. She had always been herself - maybe a little too excited, but if she was being honest with herself, she was always a little too excited.

It's happening. It's actually happening. she thought, smiling like a giddy fool. What made it all that much more awesome was that they appeared really invested. They laughed at her jokes, took all of her fashion advice to heart - or seemed to, at least - and were generally very interested in what she had to say. Unlike Carter, they never threw in snide jokes, sarcastic comments, or anything of the sort.

Unlike Carter, neither of them had their hands all over Kiran.

For the past couple of years, the only person Leigh had ever shared secrets with, relied on, wanted around whenever there was a crisis, was Carter. Was it selfish of her to want more? To seek out other friends?

"Hey Leigh, what do you think of this?"

Leigh blinked, having been snapped out of her little thought trip, and stared at Georgie. The girl was holding up another outfit. "It's lovely. You should match it with a thick leather belt."

"You think? Wouldn't that be too much?"

"No. It'll be perfect. Do you have a hair clip with lace on it?" Leigh asked, her level of excitement reaching its tipping point.

"I think I might have something," Elena interjected.

And so it went on. For hours.

Hours of fawning and giddiness and other girls actually thinking Leigh's suggestions were worth a damn. All she wanted to do now was hold on tight and never let go. And regarding her issue with Carter, maybe this new-found place would act as a distraction and help her get over Kiran faster. Then her and Carter could go back to how things were before.

Maybe.

***

The week had gone by without anymore random, social hiccups.

People were still going on in hushed, semi-excited tones about the suspensions of Ashton, Sterling and Dawn. Some were obsessing over Elena's next party, for which Carter had been invited to at the last possible second. How was it that Leigh had been informed of it a week before her? How was it that Elena and Georgie were basing the entire theme of the party around Leigh? Leigh. The girl who wore tutus and fishnet stockings and leather, finger-less gloves? The girl who had worn her hair in bubblegum pink all of last year?

On the one hand, Carter was extremely happy for Leigh. After all, Leigh had been the one who wanted desperately to be a part of that crowd. On the other hand, Carter couldn't help but feel jealous. What had Leigh even done to win them over like that? Offer them a year's worth of free fashion advice?

Maybe she did more than sit down at a stupid table, Carter thought bitterly as she ruffled through her notebooks, wishing the semester would end already.

There were only a few days left before the end of the semester, though what was only a couple of months now felt like a lifetime of theatrical episodes. Stupid cliffhangers. Pointless plot devices. Commonplace characters and overused literary techniques.