unpopped: chapter fourteen

“Hey, Brayden! Are people with you? I’m making dinner right now and can add more pasta to the pot.” A man’s voice shouts from down the hall. He sounds hot.

Brayden’s house is an old Victorian five minutes away from the sex store. He wasn’t kidding when he said it was just around the corner. I know his dad is a professor, but this is a really nice place. I mean, it has a wraparound porch in the front. It looks like the kind of house that production studios would rent and film a teen movie at.

The energy is warm when I walk in. I wonder if both of Brayden’s parents are academics. He hasn’t mentioned his mom. Maybe there’s drama there. Everyone says that academics are insufferable, but I think it’s charming. My favorite movie is The Dead Poets Society so it’s possible that I’m the only person in the whole world that hasn’t become disenchanted by higher education. Then again, I got pissed off when that one professor asked us to role play as the devil’s advocate. I mean, really, what is the point of arguing for something I don’t believe in?

I snap out of my daydream in time to see Brayden untying his Converse and kicking them into a pile of running shoes by the door. I bet his dad runs marathons for charity. I’ll keep an eye out for pictures of smiling athletes. Delilah and I follow suit and her Doc Martens land with a loud thump.

“Delilah and Erin are here too. We just finished up our meeting.” Brayden replies.

“Delilah! What a pleasant surprise to see you again.” A tall man in a sauce-stained t-shirt and gray sweatpants peaks out of the kitchen. Dark brown curls tangle on top of his head. He must be Brayden’s dad. He’s hot. He definitely runs marathons for charity.

“Hey, Dr. Parker! I’ve missed your cooking. How are your classes going this semester?” Delilah asks. Her eyes sparkle with flirtation. No offense, but how do I tell Delilah that I’m actually in love with Dr. Parker and she’s breaking girl code when she flirts with him.

“Classes are going well. I got a course release so I can finally get some research done.” He turns toward me and my insides melt, “I take it you’re Erin.”

I smile and wave like an absolute loser, “Hi! Yes, I’m Erin. I just met—”

“She’s in the club too. She usually has work after meetings so she’s never able to hang out after.” Brayden interrupts.

He looks between Delilah and I, “We’re actually gonna go upstairs now. We all ate before the meeting so you don’t have to make extra food.”

Okay, rude. I kind of wanted to ask Dr. Parker if he wanted to run away together? Was he happy that Brayden had a new friend? Brayden said he and people usually smoke weed after meetings. What if Dr. Parker thinks I’m a bad influence? Should I say something about winning the DARE essay contest in fifth grade?

“Are you coming, Erin?” Delilah calls back to me.

She and Brayden are already at the top of the stairs. Dr. Parker is back in the kitchen. He’s turned music on. God, why does he have to be a Carole King fan too? Is anything hotter than a dad that listens to female songwriters? I’ll have to ask Brayden if his dad has Spotify. Is that weird? Oh my god, I should sign up for one of his classes. Was Delilah actually flirting with Dr. Parker? I’ll have to ask her for the gossip.

I follow the sound of Brayden and Delilah’s voices to the end of the hallway. There are family pictures hanging on the wall. Goddammit. Brayden’s mom is hot too. Where the fuck is his mom?

“Delilah, what the fuck was that?” I hear Brayden ask.

I reach the end of the hall. When I push the door open I see that he’s pacing. This must be his bedroom. It’s cozy. He has a full bed and lots of hardcover books. Maybe he’ll let me borrow some? Thank god he appreciates warm lighting too. I can’t handle an artificial light headache tonight.

“Brayden, do you think I wanted this bullshit to happen tonight? I have been busting my ass trying to get things to run smoothly. This is the last thing I wanted to happen.” Delilah sighs and throws herself against Brayden’s bed.

“Um, what happened tonight Delilah?” I sit next to Delilah on the bed.

“It’s such a disaster. Andrew’s gonna murder me and Triple X will fall apart and it’s all my fault.” She throws her arms up in the air.

Is Delilah...crying? I have no idea what’s going on but I kind of want to tell her to chill out. Is that bitchy? I also want to tell her that she looks really pretty right now. The tears collecting in her eyes twinkle in the glow of Brayden’s string lights. Should I give her a hug? Or would that suggest that I want to start kissing? We can’t kiss in Brayden’s bed. Right?

“Delilah you have to tell us what’s going on.” Brayden sits down at his desk.

He’s really organized. There are different containers for highlighters, pens, and pencils. I bet he always does his homework on time. Does he like to write too? He and Lydia would like each other a lot I think.

Delilah jolts up. She looks at Brayden and then me, “Okay, but you both have to swear on your lives that you won’t tell anyone.”

“We swear,” I say.

*