Hollywood and Mr. Popular (the original)

Chapter 11

I give Ashley one last hug before she climbs into Deuce's car, who smiles at me, and they drive away. I wait until they've rounded the corner to sigh and go back into the house, which now has an empty feeling. It's now 3:00 in the afternoon, and I'm all alone. With this in mind, I make my way upstairs and turn on Guardians of the Galaxy, but even that doesn't make me feel better.

After accidentally running into Alex, he had quickly apoligized and then tried to apoligize on Max's behalf. Not wanting to hear it, I offered him a small smile and pushed past him, waiting inside Deuce's car. The two, that being Ashley and Deuce insisted on asking me a thousand times what had happened and if I was alright, and I insisted I was.

I had been mostly truthful though. I mean, screw Max, just because he didn't like me didn't mean he had to be rude to me or make assumptions about me despite how right they were. Eventually, I change out of my clothes and into more comfortable pajamas and lie on my bed, just thinking. Even though Max was a jerk and probably deserved it, someone had beaten him up pretty good. It could've been anyone, but my mind was leaning towards Eli. While the thought of it may have seemed as a peace-maker to him, I felt it was kind of shallow. I didn't want Max to apologize because Eli made him, I wanted him to apologize because he meant it. I try to put it behind me, figuring it was all taken care of now, but my mind keeps drifting to Eli.

Was Deuce right? Was Eli bad for me? I'm not that naive, I know he probably is, but still. I haven't had many real friends in my life, and I enjoyed Eli's company, but I'm almost a hundred percent sure friends don't have sex with each other. Hell, I don't know if Eli and I were really friends before. Most of the time, I was annoyed with him but a few days later well, you know. It probaby wasn't healthy for him to have that much control over me.

Besides, even though he said I was special to him and he had done things for me he'd never do for other girls, was I supposed to believe that? He's an actor for crying out lied; he'd said himself that he always played the jock/manwhore. I eventually stress myself to sleep, waking up to the alarm I had set for school.

Ugh.

*****

I pass the sign up sheet behind me, not bothering to look over it. School talent show? No thank you. I turn around and raise an eyebrow at Eli, who is, surprisingly scribbling his name on the sign up sheet.

"You're actually signing up for that?"

"Yep," he says, passing the clipboard to the next row, "in fact, I signed us up for a duet." My eyes widen in horror.

"You did what!?"

"Relax, Angelface. I perform in the talent show every year, it's no big deal." I sigh. It's not like I've never sang in front of an audience before, and I do enjoy singing with Eli.

"I'm picking the song." He scoffs.

"No chance. I'm sorry, but I refuse to sing Justin Bieber in front of the entire school. I refuse to sing Justin Bieber period." I cross my arms.

"You're just jealous because he has a bigger fan base than you." He glares at me before smiling.

"Insulting my fan base, that's a low blow, JJ. But not for long." He winks at me, and I roll my eyes, turning back to the front of the classroom. Mr. Jacobs asks if there's anyone else who'd like to sign up, then turns to the front of the class room and lectures us on parabolas. I can't get out of there fast enough. As soon as I exit the classroom, I bump into Ashlyn.