“Doesn’t he need money for the tickets?” Mason points out so graciously.
“I have an annual pass.” Family trips to Universal Studios are not uncommon for the Ryder family. Every year, during the Christmas season, we spend a week down in LA with my uncle, Bailey’s dad. When Carly and I turned eighteen, he gave each of us individual passes.
It’s crazy to me, but Carly and my cousin are not fazed by it whatsoever.
“Of course, he fucking does,” Mason mutters, which gets a laugh out of me. “In that case, I’m fairly sure that Diana won’t care.”
With that knowledge in mind, I follow Mason and Jake outside to the front yard, where everyone else is congregating. Ronnie and Enzo are animatedly conversing about what to do and where to go.
“Guess who decided to crash the party!” Jake calls out.
“And guess who told me to?” I respond with the same volume, earning me a light shove on the shoulder.
Lucia turns away from the group and smiles when she sees me. “Thank goodness! We’re at even numbers with you here, Carson.”
“What’s going on?” Mason asks as he approaches Lucia, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. I furrow my brows. That’s a new development.
“They’re trying to figure out the carpool situation.”
“I thought it was between me and Ronnie,” Jake says. “We’re the only ones who have cars.”
I step out of the conversation and towards the rest of the group. Emma is on her phone, Adrian is talking to Madi—again, a new development—and then there’s Diana.
How can a girl steal all my attention by doing absolutely nothing? Except, well, fiddle with her thumbs. Diana’s wrist is in a splint yet again. I feel somewhat accomplished that she took my advice and wore it when needed. She doesn’t use it all the time but still…
She does look a little uncomfortable right now as everyone discusses the transportation situation.
I slowly approach her. “Not a single word, birthday girl?”
She turns to face me, almost surprised to see me there. “It’s not crazy. Just a birthday.”
“Just a birthday? Of course, it’s crazy important! It’s not every day someone turns twenty-one.”
“Twenty,” she corrects. “I’m turning twenty.”
Oh. “I thought you were older.”
She furrows her dark brows at me. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
I snort. “You have seen the guys I live with, right? Trust me when I say that it’s the highest of compliments.” Raising a brow, I ask, “So what grade did you skip?”
“No, I just graduated a year early,” she explains.
“Wow. I feel like you should be tutoring me and not the way around.”
“In calculus?” She laughs. “No thank you.”
“Look at you guys getting along,” Lucia chimes. “So which car are you guys going in?”
“I’m going with Jake,” I answer immediately. Mainly because I’m the better driver of us two. Not to brag but it’s true.
Diana shrugs. “What about everyone else?”
“Emma and Enzo are going with Ronnie,” she answers. “To no one’s surprise. Mason’s joining them.”
“So you’re going with Ronnie, then?”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Lucia puts her hand on Diana’s shoulder. “I can tell Mason that—”
