Aiden Hart

Girl Meets Popular

So I was with Riley and Maya in the hall and all Riley was bothered about was the party invitations.
"Look what's happening, look what's coming," she said, excited like mad.
"What's coming, crazy?"
"Invitations To the seventh grade parties. It's begun. We could be party girls. I'm going to need a party-girl walk." She started strutting and made herself look rather odd.

"Yeah, that's not it," I said to her whilst Maya just laughed.
"You know, there is going to be boys at these parties. But not just any boys. No, opposite-sex boys. They're the best kind," she said.
"Yeah, you sound ready for this," I said to her, being sarcastic but she didn't see the sarcasm.
"Oh, I am. And I may just be the first girl who crosses over from our side of the room to the -"
"Yeah, it's gonna be us."
"Yeah, it's gonna be us."
"Yeah, it's gonna be yous."

"You know what pretty-boy hipster is handing out invitations to - Don't you?"
"A party," Me and Maya said in unison.
"Membership cards to the popular club," Riley corrected us.
"Why can't you just let it be a party?" "Because this is it, right here. This is where you two go one way and I go the other way. You two get the invites and you marry pretty-boy hipster and I end up marrying Anthony Delveccio and we buy things in bulk. You're gonna be popular. I'm not. Good for you. Good girl. Bye-bye, Maya. Bye-bye. Aiden."

When the hipster boy walks over, he places an invitation in front of Riley. Riley pushes it to Maya. Hipster boy puts it back in front of Riley so she realises it's for her.
"Yay! For me. Maya, Aiden" I know you two didn't get one, but is it okay if I'm really happy?"
"You go get 'em, tiger," Maya said.
"I love you, but You're a lot of work," I said.

"Boom!" Riley shoved her invitation in her dad's face.
"You got invited to something?"
"So much for genetics, baby."
"Ooh, seventh grade party. Yup, I didn't get invited to a whole lot of these. Good for you. I'm proud of you."

"Boy-girl party?"
"Yup," Riley replied.
"You can't go," both Mr Matthews and Riley said, Riley mocking her father.
"May we approach?"
"Hurry, please," they said in unison again.
"We're gonna keep your young'un out of trouble, sir," I said to him.
"Hart, you are trouble, you both are. Why would I want my young'un anywhere near the same party you're gonna be at?"
"You wouldn't," Maya said.

"Say it. You know you wanna say it," I said to him.
" You can't go if Maya and Aiden are invited."
"Maya and Aiden are not invited." "Then you may go."
"Thanks, daddy."

"All right, good day, everybody. Sit down! Sit down. So there's this guy Damocles who really really wants to be king. One day he gets an invitation to come sit on the throne and actually hang with royalty."

"No!"
"Sup, riles? Pop's lesson hitting a little close to home?"
"Nope, what he's saying has nothing to do with me. Yes, I've been invited to hang with middle-school royalty, but nothing bad could happen."
" I'm sure you're right."

"Farkle," Mr Matthews said.
"When Damocles sat on the throne he noticed a sword hanging over it, help up by a single tiny thread," Farkle explained.
"Maya."
"Be careful what you wish for."
"Aiden."
"Being what other people want you to be is just a sword hanging over your head."
"Good."
"Riley."
"Nothing to do with me."

We walked Riley to the Party and everything seemed normal at first.
"Well, looky here, teacher daddy, nothing hanging over my head except this here halo of popularity. And yay for you, my best friends, for watching me with a smile."
"Yeah, we're smiling, we're watching." "All right, all right. Half hour you can stay. I'm waiting right here. I changed my mind. I want you both in there. Protect your friend," Mr Matthews said to us both.

We can't do that, sir. Wasn't invited."
"Why is that exactly?"
"About to find out, sir. Smile. Watch."
We watched as Riley walked into the party surrounded by vaguely familiar faces, but one stuck out.
"Greetings, fellow partygoer."
"Farkle?"
"Starting to become clear, sir?"
"Oh yeah. I'm smiling real big."