After a full day of scanning the hallways for suitable guys for Harriette, and asking Tamarai who they were, DaeRi had put together quite a list.
“Darian Bran, Bachelor Carter, Caleb, Elijah Smith, Gale Woods, Lucas Woods, Jason Manley, and Will King,” she read the list aloud to Harriette and Tamarai after school.
“I don’t even know half those people,” Harriette said.
“But Tamarai does,” DaeRi said, turning to Tamarai, “They’re nice people, right?”
“I don’t know them that much,” Tamarai shrugged. “I just know they’re names, and that both Lucas and Gale play on the football team.”
“Ew,” Harriette said, “I hate football players.”
“Okay, then, if you’re gonna be picky,” DaeRi said, crossing both of those names off of the list. “What about Elijah? He’s kind of short, taller than Collin, but not six feet.” DaeRi said.
“Look I’m not gonna go out with someone I don’t know,” Harriette said, “End of story. I don’t even care anymore.”
“But this isn’t about whether you care or not,” DaeRi said, “It’s about the people caring, the people who you’re supposedly so much better than. You need them to continue to think that, and if you don’t have a date for Valentine’s day, you’re not that great.”
“I don’t care what the people think anymore,” Harriette said, “What does being popular even mean? If it’s all about whether or not I have a boyfriend then I don’t really care. I want people to look up to me because I’m nice, and pretty and the kind of person you want to be.”
“People want to have boyfriends,” DaeRi said, “So they won’t want to be you if you don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Well then fine,” Harriette said, “I don’t want a boyfriend, and if they don’t like that then oh well.”
And with that Harriette got up and stormed out, only to come back a few seconds later and tell them to leave because they were in her room.
“Fine, whatever,” DaeRi said, “But this isn’t gonna last long.”
“Does it look like I care?” Harriette saide.
Daeri just shook her head and followed Tamarai out of the room.
“What are we gonna do?” She said, distressed.
“About what?” Tamarai asked.
“Harriette, she’s throwing away everything she worked so hard for,” DaeRi said.
“Well obviously she doesn’t care,” Tamarai shrugged, “And looking for a boyfriend is just causing her stress. I just want her to be happy.”
“Fine, but I care,” DaeRi said, “And I need a ride home, do you think your mom will drive me?”
“Sure,” Tamarai said.
--
After they left Harriette just lay on her bed, wishing that Collin was here so she could talk to him about everything that’s going on.
Daeri was crazy, that’s what Harriette thought, all she cared about was being popular, kind of like Harriette used to. Now all Harriette wanted to do was be happy, but that felt impossible lately. How could she be happy when everything felt like it was going wrong?
First all the fighting with Collin at the start of the school year, and now her boyfriend troubles. Why couldn’t she get a moment of peace?
“You okay?”
“Collin!” Harriette shot up at the sound of his voice. “I am not okay.”
“What’s up?” he said joining Harriette on the bed.
“Everything,” Harriette sighed, “DaeRi is going crazy trying to find me a boyfriend of Valentine’s day, and I don’t even know if I care. That’s what scares me the most. Why don’t I care? Before all I could think about was what would make me more popular, and what would make me less populars. Having no boyfriend on valentine’s day for two years in a row definitely lands in the latter category.”
“Have you considered that maybe being Popular is what is causing all these problems?” Collin said.
Harriette just stared at him.
“Like, imagine if you were never popular. Never had to worry about not being popular because you weren’t already.” Collin said.
Harriette thought about that, would she be happy if she was never popular? She always assumed she would be miserable, but here she was miserable and popular.
“But it’s too late now,” Harriette said, “I’m popular and I don’t want to be a loser. I don’t want to end up like Chris, Gregg and Sacia. Even worse Sonrisa. She fell apart.”
“I’m not telling you stop being popular,” Collin said, “I’m saying maybe if you thought like someone who wasn’t popular then you would be less stressed. How would you act in this situation if you weren’t popular?”
“I wouldn’t have this problem if I wasn’t popular,” Harriette said.
“Imagine you weren’t popular and both all of your friend had Valentine’s but you didn’t” Collin said, “What would you do?”
“I would try to get a date,” Harriette said.
Collin nodded, thinking. “Well now imagine if it didn’t matter who you went on a date as. What if you getting someone to take you on a date wasn’t so easy?”
Harriette smiled, picking it apart like that made her troubles seem a lot more easy. “I don’t want to just date someone because I’m popular so of course they’ll date me. You’re right. That’s my problem, I need to stop thinking like a Popular.”
She hugged Collin, “Thank you!”
“Anytime, I’m always here for you.” Collin said, patting her back.
--
The next day Harriette entered school with a new bounce in her step and a smile on her face, today she was gonna fix all of her problems. Okay so maybe not, but she’ll look at them in a different way.
Tamarai and DaeRi were waiting at her locker and seeing DaeRi caused the Harriette’s new bounce in her step to fade a bit.
“Hi,” Tamarai said, “You look happy.”
“I am happy,” Harriette said, “All because of Collin.”
They all glanced at Collin who blushed and then told Harriette that he would meet her at homeroom, quickly getting away.
“What happened?” DaeRi asked.
“He told me the the answer to my problems,” Harriette said.
DaeRi’s face lit up, “So who are you going to ask out?”
Harriette laughed, “He didn’t tell me who to ask out, he told me the way to feel better about that. I have to stop thinking like a Popular.”
DaeRi’s face fell, “No. What?”
“He said ‘how would you react to this situation if you weren’t popular,’” Harriette said.
“And what did you say?” Tamarai asked.
“I said I would try to get a date,” Harriette said. “But not like picking through all the guys and picking out the suitable ones, no I would work to get anyone to ask me out.”
“Anyone?” DaeRi said.
“That’s great, Harriette!” Tamarai said, a lot more like the reaction Harriette had wanted, “I’m so glad you’re happier now. I was afraid you were never gonna cheer up.”
The bell rung then, calling them all to their separate homerooms.
--
By Lunchtime Harriette found out that pretending she wasn’t popular was harder than she thought. With Valentines day next week she already had about five people ask what she was doing and every time she answer with a nonchalant “I don’t know.”
If she wasn’t popular she probably would have just said “I don’t know, I need a date but I have no idea who to ask.” She would have been... Honest. She hated that her Popular Self was a liar.
“Where’s Tamarai?” Harriette asked as she sat down at their table, where DaeRi was the only other person at it.
“With Teddy,” DaeRi said, gesturing to a table a few tables away where the rest of the newspaper/yearbook committee sat. Sitting with them also was Payton, who sometimes sat with them too.
“Hey,” Collin said, sitting next to Harriette said. “What are you guys looking at?”
“Tamarai,” Harriette said.
“Oh, what’s she doing over there?” Collin asked.
“Flirting with Teddy,” DaeRi said, “What a stupid name. Teddy.”
“What’s wrong?” Harriette asked suddenly realising that DaeRi was acting particularly bitter.
DaeRi sighed, “It’s just Payton. I think I should break up with him.”
“What? Why?” Harriette said, shocked. DaeRi had seemed like she liked him so much before.
“This might sound rude but he can’t talk,” she said, “And it was okay before, but have you tried having a conversation with someone who can’t talk? It’s impossible. and sometimes I feel like he’s not listening to me.”
“Is this about prom?” Harriette asked.
“Only a little bit,” DaeRi said, “I just really want to go and isn’t listening to me.”
Harriette sighed, “do you like him?”
DaeRi shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Are you breaking up with him so you can date another senior?” Harriette asked.
DaeRi’s face changed from her usual pale complexion to a blushing pink,“What? What kind of person do you think I am.”
But the pink said it all, that was exactly what she was planning to do.
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Harriette shook her head, “You are the most stuck up, obnoxious, single minded, person I have ever met. And quite frankly you don’t deserve to sit here.”
“What?” DaeRi said, now she looked like she was going to cry, “Is it that bad to care about keeping my popularity stance?”
“Maybe not, but the way you’re going about it is all wrong,” Harriette said.
“I’m sorry that I care and you don’t,” DaeRi said, grabbing her stuff and standing up, “I was just trying to help you.”
“And what about Prom?” Harriette said, “That had nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, but it had nothing to do with popularity either,” DaeRi said, “I just thought that if I went then next year everyone will look at me and think well she’s already done this so she’s cool.”
“That sounds like it has to do with popularity,” Harriette said.
“You’ve changed,” DaeRi said, “And I think if anyone doesn't belong to sit here, it’s you.”
And just like that she was gone, and everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them. Harriette felt her face go red. She glanced at Collin who was just looking at her with a shock expression.
“Wow,” he said, “You have changed, in a good way.”
Harriette grinned and at that moment she felt like nothing really mattered, it didn’t matter if the next day she was a social seper because at least she had Collin. And herself.
Okay, she takes that back, it would matter. Ew, a social leper?
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