The Price of Popularity (BoyxBoy)

{20}

Asher was sitting in his last class of the day. The sun was shining bright through the windows, casting a glare on the empty whiteboard that stared back at him from the front of the room. He supposed that his teacher should have been writing on it or maybe teaching in some form of the word but she seemed more interested in marking the papers on her desk. He guessed that they were supposed to be doing some sort of work as well but he wasn't really interested. Instead he spoke in hushed voices with Beth and Chad as they sat at the back of the classroom.

'Are you sure you don't want the party tonight?' Beth asked with disappointment clear in her voice. The girl had been going on about the party for the entire week, not taking no for an answer so far. 'It's your birthday, you can't just not celebrate. We can do it at my place, your dad would have no reason to say no.'

Asher was sure that he didn't want to have the giant party that Beth was pestering him about. He didn't want to rock the boat. Things were going smoothly, no one had so much as said a negative word to Danny and that in itself was a bit of a miracle. Every day Asher would turn up at school expecting the worst and it never happened. It made his head spin.

Danny kept telling him that it was okay, that he should tell the truth. Asher would reply that he needed more time to think and Danny would back down. Somehow Danny was still in the dark about everything that Asher had lied about and that in itself was another miracle. Good luck seemed to be following him around for the last week and Asher wasn't going to rock the boat by throwing some huge birthday party for himself.

'I really don't want to celebrate,' he told them, hoping that this time they would accept his answer.

'Come on,' Chad said in slight confusion. 'You're basically a party animal. I don't get the sudden change of heart.'

Asher shrugged, 'I don't know. I just don't want to do it anymore.'

Beth looked at him peculiarly, 'Okay. Don't blame me for trying to give you a good birthday.'

Asher half smiled, 'Hey, I appreciate the gesture, I really do. Why don't we all have dinner tomorrow night and celebrate that way?'

Beth's eyes lit up, 'Yeah, I would like that.'

'Sounds like a good plan,' Chad agreed.

The bell signalling the end of school rang out and Asher sighed. Week one had passed with no casualties.

He was walking to his locker when he saw Danny leaning up against it with his bag slung over his shoulder. He wasn't alone, Ivy was standing next to him with a smile on her face as they spoke. He didn't like the interest that Ivy had been showing in Danny over the past few days. Danny kept telling him how nice she was and how sweet she had been to him but Asher saw straight through that. Ivy was out for revenge and was looking to take Asher down. Maybe she had caught the scent and was on to them but then again, maybe not. Asher pushed back those thoughts as he approached them. The week was over, he needed to at least not spend his entire birthday over stressing.

'Hey,' Danny called out with a bright smile as he saw Asher approaching.

Ivy wafted away just before Asher reached the locker with a sweet smile directed at Danny.

'What was that about?' Asher asked, looking over to where Ivy was just as she turned the corner into another hallway.

'We were just talking. She's such a sweet girl,' Danny smiled, completely caught up in her charm. 'I don't know why you two aren't better friends.'

Asher shrugged, 'She and I have had a difference of opinions in the past,' he thought about how he found her in his bed and the mere thought made him angry. 'It's best that we aren't that close.'