The Popularity Project

Chapter Thirty Eight - Cooperation

Perry's POV

I shouldn't be here.

It's too soon, I shouldn't help her, not after the mess she made. I should let her solve her own problems, let her fend for herself. It's the logical option, but of course, who listens to logic? She hurt me, running out like that. Vivian regrets kissing me, I know she does. I know she didn't want to have sex with me anyways, but she sure led me on.

Here I am though, at her door, waiting for her to open and allow me in. Waiting for her to kiss me again, unrealistically imagining her lips on mine once more. Dammit, she shouldn't have kissed me at that party, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. I shouldn't have let Faye punch her, and I shouldn't have let her leave before getting an explanation.

I knock on the door and wait. A few minutes later, she opens the door, her lips part and eyes widen. She just looks at me, with those Bambi eyes and plush lips open.

"Perry, what are you doing here?" She whispers, stepping out onto the doorstep and closing the door behind her softly.

"What, is now not a good time?" I roll my eyes. "Look, Vivian, I just want to help you, and I need an explanation-"

"I was drunk." Vivian looks down at her small hands. I notice that her hands are shaking slightly, and have a bluish hue to them. I reach out to touch them, she recoils away, but I felt the cold. She's cold. Her face is sickly pale, her eyes are scary big because she has lost weight in her face.

"Don't lie to me," I warn her. "Are you okay?"

She nods her head and puts her hands in the front pocket of her grey sweatshirt. Her hair is up in a messy bun, and her face is makeup-less.

"Are you sure you don't have any feelings for me?" I have to know.

"Perry-"

The door behind her opens, revealing a solemn Ryder. He steps outside with us and closes the door behind him. He doesn't say a word for a minute, and Vivian is eyeing him with suspicion and wariness.

"Lets go inside," she sighs and opens the door. Ryder stands his ground for mere seconds before I push past him into the house. He grunts in irritation, then enters the house behind me, closing the heavy door with a loud thud.

"I don't want the two of you to-"

"You think you can sleep with my girlfriend?" Ryder roars. "You think, after the all advice I have gotten from you about her that you can just swoop in and steal her from me?"

"Advice?"

"Look, I'm sorry, we weren't in a sober state, and we did not have sex." I defend, Vivian looks at the ground.

"You kissed her though, and you-"

"Ryder, stop. We have more pressing matters right now. Naomi has been missing for three weeks now," she runs her fingers through her hair. "I'm not even... How can we even be sure she's still alive?"

Ryder turns around to face the girl, his whole stance changes. He takes her hands in his and presses his forehead against hers. I have to look away, the scene before me only reminds me of my loneliness.

"I promise we will find her," he says lightly, then turns around to face me. His face is set in a state of subdued irritation. "Truce, for now."

I nod my head and he does the same. His face has slipped into its unemotional tendency. How can she stand that?

"Okay, in the past week you have been AWOL, I managed to find some information that could help," I state. I pull my backpack off my shoulder and walk to into the grand kitchen and start emptying the contents on the island countertop. The couple follows and Vivian picks up the notebook I have been working in. She flips through the pages, reading my clues and observations.