The Popular Jerk and I

CHAPTER 7: Party, Wrecking Ball, Dog & Heartbeats

Matt's POV:

I pulled up to the curb in front of Jay's house. The party has already started. The street was packed with cars and it has always been like this every Saturday. I climbed out from my car and walked towards the front door. I saw a guy lying on the front porch already drunk, screaming 'I love party bitches'. A guy tried to help him up but he shoved him off. He was so drunk that any second now he could pass out.

I entered the house like a boss. A party is never a party without Matt Austin. Just like every party, everyone inside the house looked at me as I walked my way in. The girls were giving me seductive stares, hoping that I could spare them some time.

But sorry girls, I already have someone in mind.

So, I was in a cliché high school party similar to the ones you see in films. But the only thing that differs was that Jay never lets drugs enter his house. His dad is in the military so he barely stays home. His mom is a fashion designer who always goes to Europe every now and then. So, that means Jay always get to party every Saturday. His neighbors never complained since they got used to it.

Jay is the 'Mr. Goody Goody' in our group. He looks decent, smart, and charming. He's the quiet shy type and he barely talks to anyone except to me and Brad, despite his personality, he still throws a party every Saturday. That's why everyone loves him especially Brad.

Brad loves partying, and every Saturday, he gets laid to a hot chick. Yeah, yeah, he's a manwhore. But he's a one hell of a best friend. So, Brad is basically the 'Mr. Bad Boy' a.k.a 'The Fox' as everyone calls him. And as for me... what do you think? The Popular Jerk as Lily calls me.

I smiled at everyone who greeted me with a 'hi Matt' or 'hey man'. I gave a bro shake to my boys who are my basketball teammates. So yeah, I'm in the basketball team and also their captain.

"Matt! What up, best friend! I missed your pretty face. You should've come here earlier. A girl slapped me on the face and it felt so good," a drunken Brad said as his words slurred. I chuckled at how stupid he sounded. He was so wasted.

"Where's Jay?" Brad pointed to the dancing crowd and I spotted Jay dancing with a girl. I tapped on Brad's shoulder and said 'thanks man'. I walked my way towards Jay and got sidetracked by a girl, halting me in my steps.

"Hi, baby." A half-drunk blondie grinned as she blocked my way. She placed her hands on my shoulder and she started swaying with the music. I stood there still, annoyed.

"I missed you. Why are you ignoring my calls? You're not even talking to me at school," she whined and pouted at the same time.

I groaned and shoved her hands off my shoulders. "Stacey, I thought I made it clear that we're through."

"Come on, Matty babe. I know you still want me, do you?" She said to my ear. Her breath stung like a bee to my skin. She reeked of alcohol. I've never liked Stacey ever, even though we've dated for 2 years. I just got into a relationship with her because that was what everyone expected us to do. They wanted the most popular girl and guy at school to date. And so, we did.

I've got nothing to lose anyway, that was what I thought before. But I was wrong. If Stacey and I didn’t date, maybe, just maybe, Lily and I got the chance to be together a lot earlier.

That's why I broke up with Stacey on the first day of senior year before I announced my lucky girlfriend. I needed to break up with her and do something to get my real girl.

She ran her fingers through my chest. "Stacey, stop," I warned. She didn't listen but instead, she brushed her lips onto mine. I pushed her away and shot her a disgusted look while wiping my lips with the back of my hand.

"What the hell, Matt!" She exclaimed as she stumbled. Everyone looked at us, confused. Stacey took off one of her stilettos and examined it before she averted her gaze aggravatingly back to me. "Look what you've done! These are my newest Gucci and now there's a scratch!"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her. How typical of Stacey Jones and her stilettos. I walked past her and towards Jay whose face was dumbfounded by Stacey’s over reaction about her dear stilettos. I glanced at the girl who was standing next to him. This must be the girl whom he was dancing with. The girl covered her face with her blonde hair while staring at the floor.

"You don't have to hide your face..." I trailed off as I smirked. "Jenny Smith." The girl looked up at me with her lips twitched. She sent me a look saying 'please-don't-tell-Lily'. I sent her back with a reassuring nod and smiled.

"Matt Austin!" Stacey yelled. "We’re not yet done!"

I rolled my eyes and spun around to face her. We're already surrounded by the nosy people in a circle. "What?" I asked bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest.

She threw her stiletto at me and I caught it in a flash. I flashed her a sly smirk. "Is that all you've got... Barbie?"

Everyone gaped including Stacey, for they knew how much she hates being called 'Barbie'.

She now has an offended look upon her face. Her lower lips quivered in embarrassment. Then she composed herself and straightened her posture. She faked a smile at me and said, "Matty baby, what are you doing? This is so not you."

I scoffed at her fakeness. "Stop acting like we're still together, Stacey. We broke up, remember?"

Everyone gasped in shock. Now it's official. I need to let everyone know that Stacey and I were through. This party just happened to give me the perfect timing.

Stacey's eyeballs were about to pop out. She was staring at me furiously. No one has ever dumped Stacey Jones before and I broke that record. I winked at her while smirking widely.

"You'll be soon crawling back to me, Matt Austin!" She yelled before she spun her heel and walked away like a limping dog with her one foot on stiletto and the other barefoot.

I waved the stiletto that she threw at me. "Bye, Stacey."

Everyone laughed. That was the first time Stacey got so embarrassed in public. I know a lot of girls want to be friends with her, but we all know that they were just after her popularity. They don't even like her. That's how plastic and fake girls are in Goldville High. Well, what do you expect? It's a town for stuck up rich kids anyway.

Jay patted my shoulder and said, "What a show, man."

"Sorry for that drama, man. I didn't start it," I said and held my hands up. Jay gave out a soft chuckle. I smiled at him in return. "Anyway, I need to go, man. Someone's waiting for me at home."

Jay nodded and we did our bro handshake. "See you on Monday, man." I said before I turned my gaze to Jenny. "Bye, Jenny." She replied with a smile.

I walked out from the party and towards my car. I started the engine and drove back to my house.

Lily's POV:

"Y-you a-are p-pi-piz-za d-dude?" I stuttered in wonderstruck. I could feel my hands shake and my legs getting numb from his presence. I have never seen a guy who looked so dreamy.

A soft smirk crawled its way to his beautiful pinkish lips.

He gave out a soft chuckle as I continued to stare at him dreamily.

"No, I'm Landon." He smiled.

What a perfect name for a very good looking guy, the voice inside my head commented.

He looked at me confused, and I quickly shook my head to get rid of the swooning me inside. I have never thought I would swoon over a guy, ever. What's happening to me?

"I, uh, I..." I stammered tangled on what to say next.

He chuckled. "Aren't you going to let me in?"

"Oh, right." I quickly opened the door widely for him to enter. "Do you need any help?" I asked, gesturing to the luggage outside.

He smiled and shook his head. "That would be rude of me if I let a pretty girl carry my luggage inside, don't you think?"

Oh my b****y goat. He's a gentleman! And he called me pretty, aww.

I nodded my head in reply and he softly chuckled. He went inside, carrying his luggage.

He was like a prince charming that came to life. He looked so dashing with his suit on. Even from a distance, I could smell his seductive perfume. When he walked in, I scanned him from head to foot and noticed how manly he was in every angle.

I bet this guy caught every girl's heart because of his pretty face and toned body.

What the hell? What am I thinking? I feel like those girls who swoon over Matt Austin! Yuck!

"You okay?" Landon interrupted my thoughts. I nodded in reply. Gosh, I need to get a grip of myself.

"Uh, Landon..." I trailed off as we entered the opened living room. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"I should ask you the same thing, girl-whom-I-don't-know-the-name-yet." He replied and I chuckled. He took a seat on the couch and crossed his legs as he stared at me intently.

"I, uh, I live here." I replied feeling uncomfortable from his stare. I took a seat on the couch across him. He studied me with his eyes. After he finished studying me, he flashed me a coy smile as he nodded with an 'ahh'.

"What?" I asked him, confused with his reaction.

"Did Matt get you pregnant and you guys got married?"

"Oh my gosh, no!" I rose from my seat in horror. What was this guy thinking? Is he crazy? This guy is insane!

What a turn off.

He suddenly burst out in laughter to the point he was clutching his stomach.

What is wrong with this dude? Did he just get out from the mental hospital?

"Um, I don't get it. Why are you laughing?" I asked innocently kind of pissed while crossing my arms over my chest.

He composed himself and ran a hand through his hair, "Nothing. I'm sorry about that."

Whatever, I thought as I rolled my eyes.

He rose from his seat and said, "I want to go upstairs to check on my room. Wanna walk with me?"

I was about to answer when a voice suddenly intervened.

"What in the hell!" He bellowed.

I spun around and saw Matt Austin walk in after he slammed the door.

"What are you doing here?" Matt Austin barked.

"That's not a good way to greet your best friend, Matt." Landon replied smugly.

"You're not my best friend," Matt Austin deadpanned.

"I'm not? Oh yeah, I'm your soon-to-be stepbrother," Landon replied sarcastically.

Matt Austin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He looked like he was going to do something bad. The tension was building up in the atmosphere. I could just imagine these two guys punching each other's pretty faces any minute from now.

And so I did the most stupid thing I could ever think of.

I sang.

I came in like a wreeeecking baaall

I never hit so haaard in looooove

All I wanted was to breeeaaak your waaaalls

All you ever did was wre-e-eck me

Yeah you, you wre-e-eck meeee

I let out a big sigh after I sang out loud. I found Matt Austin and Landon staring at me, dumbfounded. They were speechless. My face flushed in embarrassment as I realized what I’ve done. I am tone deaf! That just made me look even more ridiculous and stupid than I already was!

Gosh, why did I even do that?!

Matt Austin was about to say something when someone knocked on the door.

Thank goodness! Saved by the knock!

"Pizza's here!" I chirped as I quickly scooted my way towards the door.

I wish I could make myself invisible right now, I groaned inside my head.

I went back to the open living with the pizza box on my hand. When I arrived at the living, Matt Austin and Landon were out of sight. They were not present anymore.

Oh no.

They didn't go to someplace else and strangle each other, right?

I ran towards the dining room thinking that maybe they were in there but I found no one. I quickly ran into the kitchen and sighed in relief when I saw one of them.

Matt Austin was opening the fridge and taking out a carton of orange juice. I walked in and placed the pizza box on the island as I took a seat on a stool.

He whipped his head immediately as he heard the stool screech on the floor. He gave out a forced smile and drank the juice on his hand as he closes the fridge. He walked towards the island and took a seat on the stool beside me. I opened the pizza box and took a slice of Hawaiian pizza. I slid the pizza box to him. "Want some?"

He also took a slice of pizza and ate it while I noshed on my slice to my heart's content. I was so hungry and I got distracted by Landon's arrival. Speaking of that pretty face...

"Um, Matt Austin," I uttered as I swallowed the pizza in my mouth. "So what's up with you and Landon?"

He placed his hand on his chest and said, "Aww, I'm so hurt, Lily. You always call me Matt Austin. My name is Matt and Austin is just my surname. I wish you would call me Matt just like how you call him Landon."

I rolled my eyes as I chuckled and took another slice of pizza, "If I call you Matt that would be weird."

"Why? Is my name that weird?"

"I only call people by their first name if they're my friend."

"So Landon is your friend now?"

I paused. Is Landon my friend? I only met him. He's not yet my friend. Oh, right... He only told me his first name.

"No, he's not yet my friend." I took another bite on my pizza.

"Yet?" He raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. "And he only told me his first name so I get to call him Landon," I said in between chews.

He cursed under his breath but I didn't get to hear it because all I could hear was my munching through my ear.

"Call him Landon Hall. That's his full name," he demanded.

"I think calling him Landon is better." I insisted and swallowed.

"I think calling me Matt is better." He replied sarcastically.

I smiled half-heartedly at him and gave in. "Fine. I'll call you Matt from now on, happy?"

"Ecstatic." He said in a sarcastic way and smirked at me.

"So..." I trailed off. "You're stepbrothers?"

"Not a chance," he replied bluntly before taking another sip on his orange juice.

His face looked like he didn't want to talk about Landon. I know I have no right to ask about personal matters especially that we're not close friends. But seriously, I’m so confused. I don't understand what kind of relationship we're in. Matt's not yet my friend and I sometimes wonder if I would ever be his friend, because he always piss me off with his cockiness and his evil pranks. Honestly, I want to know more about the real Matt Austin. I know he pisses me off a lot, but I think he's doing that because he's lonely, or is he really?

"By the way, Lily..." he trailed off. I looked at him and answered him with a 'yeah?' as I chewed. "I was really astounded by your singing."

I swallowed and gape at him.

He flashed me a sly grin. "You should audition on American Idol. I bet they will never get you." His voice had sarcasm written all over it.

I glared at him and smacked him on the arm hard enough to make him wince.

"That hurts!" he cried as he rubbed his arm on the part I just smacked him. I uttered an exasperated snort.

"That serves you right," I muttered. I took the last slice of pizza on the box and ate it. Gosh, I love pizza.

"You should know something about Landon," he said as I chewed my soul out on my last pizza.

"What?" I mumbled.

"His foot smells like a rotten dead body."

Gross!

I almost gagged at what he said. I quickly tossed the pizza back in the box and stared at Matt in utter incredulity. He never smirked or laughed at my response. His face spelled s-e-r-i-o-u-s. I can’t even tell if he’s telling the truth or not.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"He has a very bad morning breath worse than yours," he continued. And I rolled my eyes at him.

"He only takes a shower once a month." If that's true, how in the world does he smell good?

"He only smelt good because he drenched cologne all over his body." Whatever, Matt Austin.

"His D is very small like—"

"Okay, stop!" I exclaimed. "If you want to make Landon sound disgusting to other people, at least make up something that's actually believable, okay?"

He frowned in defeat and I shot him my unpopular smirk. I went down from my seat and threw the pizza box in the trash bin. I heard Matt go down from his seat and I could hear his footsteps getting closer towards me.

I spun around to face him, but he quickly wrapped his arms around my waist, his chest now touching my back. He rested his chin on my shoulder. Our faces were now just an inch away.

"W-what a-are y-you d-doing?" I stuttered in surprise because of our position. I've never been this close to a guy before, and I'm freaking anxious! I stood still and I didn't know what to do. Should I push him away or not? But there was a part of me that says not to.

"I broke up with Stacey," he mumbled. "That leaves you to be my only girlfriend now."

My heart thumped against my chest and I could hear it through my ears. I could have a heart attack right now. My heart never raced like this before ever since I was born until now. What is this jerk doing to me?

"I-I'm n-not your..." I stammered and took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not your real girlfriend, Matt. I'm just your pet-girlfriend." I stated, reminding him of our relationship.

His arms tightened around my waist and he sighed. "Can't you be my real girlfriend?"

My heart thumped a lot faster now and I can't even control it. I wonder if he could also feel the fast beating of my heart against his chest. My stomach was now full of butterflies and I didn't know how to stop them.

Why am I feeling like this in his arms?

"What are you guys doing?"

We quickly jolted away from each other when the voice interrupted us. I whipped my head and saw Landon standing at the door frame.

"What the hell are you doing here, Landon?" Matt screeched with irritation all over his voice. He glared at Landon who was looking at us probingly.

"I was just going to get some water," Landon answered.

"I, uh..." I mumbled nervously, still shock about what just happened. "I'll go feed the dog."

"What dog?" Matt looked at me confusingly.

"The dog," I said, not sure of what I was saying. I was fidgeting with my fingers nervously. "We have a dog, right?"

"We have a dog?" Landon asked looking at me incredulously, and then back at Matt. 'I'm confused' was written all over his face.

"Lily, we don't have a dog," Matt stated as he shook his head slowly.

"Oh, really? No, we have a dog. I'll go feed her now. Bye." I scurried my way out the kitchen and I heard Landon say 'weird'.

What the hell was I thinking? A dog? Seriously, Lily? Are you that dumb? Gosh! You could've just said goat instead of dog. No. I think that sounds a lot weirder. Ugh.

I ran like an athlete up the stairs and scooted directly into my room. I quickly locked the door and leaned my back against it. I was panting from the run and also from the abnormal heartbeat my heart was doing. Wow, this has been a hell of a Saturday for me. What are the odds!

Landon caught us hugging each other. No, Matt was the only one hugging me.

I touched my chest and felt my heart. It was slowly beating to its normal pace now. Thank goodness.

I walked towards my bed and sat down.

"Can't you be my real girlfriend?" Matt's voice echoed inside my head and my heart started to race again.

Lily Christova, what's wrong with you? Why is your heart racing for that jerk?

"I have not been myself today," I mumbled to myself. "Get a hold of yourself, Lily."

I sighed heavily and threw my back on the bed. I took a pillow and covered my face with it.

"Matt, Matt, Matt." I groaned. "What are you doing to my heart?"