The Price of Popularity (BoyxBoy)

{11}

Chad clapped his shoulder, ‘Look after this one, she’s a keeper.’

‘Hey,’ Beth huffed. ‘I help you study all the time.’

‘Yes, Yes love,’ Chad agreed dutifully.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes. She then looked down at her phone which sat in her hand, ‘We should get going if we want to make it to dinner with your parents on time.’

Chad nodded, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’

All four of them stood up, Jess passed Asher his backpack and he took it with a smile, ‘Thanks.’

They walked down the bleachers and down the small path that led to the parking lot. Chad swung his arm around Beth as they walked and she leaned into him even though he probably smelt of sweat and grass from practice.

Chad’s car was in the first row of cars and he and Beth made their way over to it. ‘Have fun studying..’ Chad winked at them, Beth elbowing him gently in the ribs.

‘Bye guys,’ she smiled, eyeing her boyfriend.

Asher and Jess walked over to their cars which were parked only three cars apart. Jess followed Asher to his car as they talked, ‘Will you be okay to follow me? If we get separated I’ll pull over until you catch up.’

‘Sounds good,’ he nodded. ‘Let me text my dad and let him know I won’t be home when he gets home.’

 Asher pulled the cell phone out from his backpack. He saw that he had a missed message from his father.

                Make sure you come home right after practice. – Dad

He frowned at the phone, replying to the message.

                Do I have to be home now? I made plans to study with a friend. – Asher

He looked up at Jess, ‘My dad wants me home.’

She looked disappointed, her big eyes reminding him of a cartoon animal. ‘Well, we can always study tomorrow night?’ she offered with those disappointed eyes.

                Yes. Come home now please, we have dinner plans. – Dad

Asher didn’t remember making any sort of dinner plans with his father. His dad wasn’t home until late at night most of the time anyway, there was usually no use in making dinner plans with him. He, however, did see the use in making plans with Jess who he now had to cancel on.

Asher nodded, ‘Yeah, is it okay if we do that? I’m so sorry to cancel on you,’ he told her sincerely.

Jess shrugged, ‘It’s not your fault. Don’t even worry about it.’

Asher turned towards his car but stopped, turning back. ‘I don’t want you to feel like you owe me something.’

Jess seemed surprised by the sudden comment, ‘I-I don’t.’

‘You don’t have to study with me if that’s why.’

She shook her head almost fiercely, ‘I’m helping you because that’s what friends do for each other.’

Asher lent back against his car, ‘How are you doing since the whole Maisy thing?’ He had avoided the topic of Maisy with her but since he knew that she genuinely considered him a friend he thought that it was the right thing to do.

She lent onto the car too, ‘It’s strange when my friends stare at me like I’ve committed treason or something. They were the people I told everything to, you know. I trusted them and we had fun times. I wasn’t like them, I was shy and quiet but they took me under their wing and I became like a mini version of Maisy without even realising. I never liked the way the school worked, like some people were worth more than others, but I never said anything, and truly, I didn’t understand how bad it was until I was the one being kicked out by her. One day I had heaps of friends and I knew where I stood, but then in one second I lost it all.’