Popularity Project

4 | The Popularity Begins | 4

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The Popularity Begins

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"So, Mackenzie, wanna maybe get out of here?" Some random guy asked. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good."this brought on a loud and simultaneous reaction from everyone else. I pulled out my phone and checked the time to see it was nearly twelve o'clock. I sighed and got up then set out to find Cameron. I searched the whole bottom floor and came up with nothing. I was currently stood at the bottom of the stairs contemplating the different outcomes of ascending. I had heard enough rumours and seen enough trashy romcoms to know what happens upstairs at parties. I sighed and started to climb the stairs, hoping he'd come out of one of the rooms fully clothed and without a girl attached to him.

When I reached the top, I slowly went to the first room and opened it slightly.

"Cameron?" I called. I was greeted with silence so I pushed the door open fully and saw about seven different people passed out. Some were on the bed and some were on the floor. I shut the door then continued on to the next room. The door was ever so slightly ajar so I pushed it open gently and took a step back. I waited a moment then walked in and my jaw dropped. There before me were the two people I didn't expect to see, especially not together.

"Chloe?" I asked, my voice an octave higher. She pushed off Wyatt and pulled on her shirt.

"Shit, Mackenzie! W-what are you...?"

"Mackenzie?" I heard Cameron call. "Alex told me you came upstairs, where you at?" I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to blink away the burning sensation in my eyes. "Hey, Mack- shit."

"Hey, Cameron." My eyes shot from Chloe to him and back to her again.

"Isn't that your friend?" I took a breath and stood up straight.

"She used to be." I turned on my heel and walked out of the room but as soon as I was out the room, I ran downstairs and outside. I was about to keep running, all the way home, but Cameron grabbed my arm.

"Mackenzie, you should calm down."

"Calm down? Cameron, I'm calm. I'm perfectly fine. And I don't need you awkwardly trying to comfort me. I just want to be alone."

"Okay, I'll leave you alone, after I've taken you home. It's not that I don't think you're in 'any condition to walk home' it's just... You don't exactly know where you are, right?" I sighed and looked down at where his had was still on my arm.

"Okay. Thank you." The drive back was done in silence and I was quite content in keeping that way, until he took a wrong turn. "Um, Cameron? My house is the other way."

"I know."

"Then why did you turn this way?"

"Because I said I'd take you home. I didn't specify which one."

"Seriously? Cameron, I just want to go home - my home."

"Come on, it's... Half twelve on a Sunday morning. Your parents are probably asleep so it's not like they'll miss you." I sighed and slumped against the window.

"Fine, whatever. I need my car anyways." I muttered. The drive back was done in silence. As soon as he pulled into his drive and stopped the car, I got out and grabbed my car keys. "Uh, so forget about this whole thing, okay?" I said.

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Why?" I laughed. "Cameron, this whole thing is a joke. I never wanted to be popular. I never wanted... You know, if I never went to that stupid party - if I had just listened to myself - maybe I'd still have a best friend."