The Popularity Project

Chapter Six - Pancakes

"Alright, let's make a deal. I'll tell you one personal tidbit of information about me, then you'll tell me one about you," he suggest while we stuff our faces with the true to their name delicious pancakes.

"I don't know..."

"Why not? I can keep a secret," he smiles and wiggles his eye brows. "What is so scandalous you're afraid to tell me?"

"It's not scandalous, just not something I want to tell a stranger," I shrug and drown the remaining pancake in syrup.

"I'm not a stranger, Vivian Parker, just an old friend. An old best friend," Ryder smiles.

"Alright," I nod my head, making a decision. I simply will not approach the subject of Damien, no one needs to know about that. I had hoped Gemma wouldn't even know, but Ollie beat me to it.

"So, Vivian, what do you wanna know about this sexy lad?" He gestures to himself and plasters an arrogant smile on his face.

"Why are you so close with Gemma?"

"That's... alright but you owe me a big one because I don't tell just anyone about this," he warns. "I know it's weird, but your grandma took me in after you left. I'm not sure what compelled her to do so, but I was grateful. My parents abandoned me and moved to Italy. They chose money over me, I guess you can say that I have issues no with abandonment. They left me so much money, but I was too young to handle it. So they bought me a butler who took care of me. Except he didn't care about me at all. Gemma did though, I think I reminded her of your memory or something. Anyways, when she was admitted to the mental institution, I visited her as much as possible. She always talked about you and I always felt connected to you. We've both been through terrible things and survived."

"Oh, I'm so sorry your parents left you," I reach across the table to touch his hand. He gives me a small smile, then wraps his hand around mine to start drawing circles on the top of my hand with his thumb. I have to use all my resolution not to pull my hand away. I don't want him to clam up.

"Wait, why exactly was she admitted, Ollie mentioned it but..."

Ryder sighs, "that's another secret, I believe you owe me one first?"

"It's information about Gemma though, that shouldn't count," I reason and see my window for pulling my hand back to my lap.

"True..." Ryder exhales. "Nonetheless, she should tell you this herself."

"Is something wrong with her?"

"I'm sorry, Vivian..."

"Just tell me okay, because I have lost everyone in my life, I just need to know if I'm going to lose her too soon so I can be prepared," I plead and he reaches for my hand the way I previously did. Except, I don't give him my hand, I give him a stubborn glare.

"She has Alzheimer's and it's fairly bad," he states.

"That doesn't mean she's going to die, though. Right?"

"Vivian..."

"No," I stand from the table and pick up my dishes to put in the dishwasher. "You don't understand, she's all I have here."

"That's not true," he wraps his arms around me from behind while I am washing the syrup from the plates. I jump at the contact and turn around in his arms to forcefully push him away.

"Don't touch me," I look at the ground while he glares at me like I'm the crazy person, not Gemma. "Just go, please."

"Vivian," he sounds irritated.

"Go," I say firmly and turn around to finish cleaning up the mess he made.

He just storms out of the room, but I don't hear the front door open or close, so I know he hasn't actually left. I sigh and finish rinsing and storing the dishes in the dish washer. By the time I join Ryder in the living room, he is looking at the photos Gemma has floating around the room in identical light picture frames. I stand next to him to look at the one he is staring at. It's our wedding photo, the one Gemma took of us as children. I wore a white dress and carried flowers, and he wore a nice black suit.