Project Popularity

Chapter Six

Oh yeah. I definitely preferred the guys’ side of the table.

“Hey, Jamie,” Seth enthused, giving me a high-five. “What’s up, girl?”

“About this morning,” said Bryce, like he was finishing off a conversation that he started with me earlier. “Luke was the one who told me to write the note. So it’s really his fault.”

“Hey!” Luke cut him off with a laugh. “You’re the one who actually wrote the note. I only made a suggestion. By the way, shouldn’t you be at detention?”

Bryce, like he had suddenly been hit by a brick wall, groaned. “Aww, man. He’s going to give me an extra day for skipping!”

“Idiots!” Roger bellowed with guffaw.

“You’re the one to speak,” retorted Bryce. “I’m not the one failing Home-Ec.”

The rest of the guys doubled over with laughter and I giggled when Roger whacked the back of Bryce’s head, like a mother would to a child. Paul, looking more out of place than I did, smiled awkwardly and quietly resumed eating.

“You guys are going to scare her off.” I involuntarily raised my head when I heard Adam Bryant approaching the table, filling the empty seat across from mine with a warm and genuine smile. “Hi, Jamie.”

“Hi, Adam,” I said, feeling my face heating up, which was completely ridiculous considering he was Lucy’s crush. Not mine.

Okay. I’ll let you in on a little secret. In junior high, I kind of had a crush on Adam. But the second I found out Lucy liked him, too, I told myself I had to get over him. It wasn’t that hard, considering he was way out of my league and didn’t even know I existed. But Adam was just so.. Adam. Even though he hung out with the jocks, he was different. A good kind of different.

Oh. And he was really, really cute, with his chestnut hair and blue eyes…

But anyway, junior high was junior high. This was high school, and I was so over my crush on him.

“So, Luke, how did you and Jamie meet?”

Everyone at the table quieted down when Summer abruptly spoke from the end of the table. I didn’t look at her. Instead, I took a bite from my pizza and started chewing. I couldn’t answer her with food in my mouth, right?

Luke, looking indifferent, turned to her without any expression. “We met at a Duke party.”

“A party that I wasn’t invited to?” she chuckled. “Now that’s a first!”

“Believe it or not, not everything is about you, Summer,” Luke retorted with patronizing smile. “Well, maybe Paul would disagree.”

The jocks and the girls shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and they all abruptly seemed fascinated with the food on their plate. Paul turned as white as a sheet; he opened his mouth to speak, but when Luke shot him a deadly look, he coughed back whatever he had planned to say. The momentary silence was so awkward that I could practically see the tension in the air.

“Agh,” said Bryce, making a face at his corndog. “This tastes like shit.”

Summer completely ignored his attempt to change the topic. With a flip of her hair, her gaze shifted from Luke to me. The contempt was clear in her eyes. “So, why the sudden change, Jamie?”

I straightened myself and shrugged, feeling brave after catching the encouraging look that Luke threw me. Everyone at the table was staring at me; even though I didn’t detect any animosity in their eyes, it made me a little bit uncomfortable. “It’s senior year. I wanted to try something different so I don’t leave any regrets behind.”

Summer raised her eyebrow without saying anything, looking unsatisfied by my short reply. The girls at the table started murmuring among themselves while the guys just shrugged and continued eating. Obviously, my sudden popularity didn’t bother or matter to them as much as it did to the girls.

The bell rang and saved me from the awkwardness that ensued. Luke and the guys quickly got to their feet and headed for the door, which left me no choice but to chug down what was left of my drink and follow. I mean, leaving me alone with Summer and the rest of the girls? No, thank you. When Roger cracked a joke about Michael Rickman as he walked by with his head down- a guy who would have graduated last year if he hadn’t been caught shoplifting a month before graduation- the jocks guffawed. All except Luke, whose thoughts seemed to be a million miles away.

“Luke, are you okay?” I asked him quietly, nudging him in the arm with my elbow.