The Teenage Guide To Popularity [COMPLETE]

Chapter 19: Stand By Me,

"That's just... ridiculous. She wouldn't do that to me," Carter said quietly, her eyes now out of focus.

She found herself lost in thought again, but this time there were no colourful Disney characters, mad or otherwise, to keep her mind occupied. What Sterling had said didn't make sense. For one thing, it didn't match Aiden's story. There hadn't been any mention of Tala. Not once had anyone ever brought up her name, or even hinted at the possibility that someone may be betraying her.

"Maybe they're all rumours," she heard Sterling say.

Maybe Carter didn't have a full grasp on the whole popularity thing. As she glanced back at Sterling, saw the genuine expression of concern on the girl's face, she wondered if there were other things hiding, other lies or truths that were waiting to be uncovered. She had gone years without a single rumour passing through her small circle of friends, so she didn't really know how to respond to it now.

"Yeah, rumours," Carter mumbled.

"I wouldn't worry about it. People like to blow things out of proportion, so I'm sure a lot of it is crap."

"Did you hear anyone besides Melody say anything?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Other people." Sterling had on a rather annoying, nervous smile, and it filled Carter with a blaring sense of suspicion.

"Right, and which people would those be?"

"Uh... you know what.... we gotta go. Class, you know. I'll find you later, okay?"

Before Carter could question Sterling any further, the two girls had disappeared around the aisle and were out of the library.

Come on, you know this place is full of gossip. There's no way in hell Tala could be doing that to you. Don't get paranoid. Carter told herself as she leaned back against the wall of the aisle she had taken refuge in.

She hadn't ever been the paranoid type. Whenever someone had told her something shocking or strange, she had taken it upon herself to do some research before jumping to conclusions. That was the rational, smart thing to do, because there were always two sides to every story. No matter how big or small, how serious or light. Even if Tala really did do those things, maybe she had a very good, logical reason for it. Maybe it had nothing to do with spite or hatred or jealousy at all.

She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to a place where nothing and no one existed. No one besides Kiran. She needed to find him, have him tell her over and over again that no one else mattered, and that she was better than all the petty popular crap she had involved herself in.

***

There were many epic love stories scattered throughout the romance section of the library. Romeo and Juliet, probably the most prominent, was on the reading list of every high school kid throughout North America, but for Carter, it was the most unrealistic and irritating of them all.

Not that Carter was a cynical, loveless person, but there was something about that story that always bothered her. The leads were supposed to be really young, even as young as thirteen, and yet they fell head over heels in love with one another. What did a thirteen year old know about love? What if they hadn't killed themselves, dated for a while, and realized they were not compatible at all?

That had been the case with Aiden. Of course, she hadn't lusted after him to the point of seriously dangerous passion, but it had all been on the surface. Nothing deeper. When she saw him the next day at school, standing by his locker with some of his friends surrounding him, he could've been another good-looking guy in the crowd.