And a birthday brunch is probably the dumbest thing anyone ever invented. I, personally, have nothing against bottomless mimosas, but I do have a slight problem with the birthday girl.
“Carly.” Ali, being the strong girl that she is, yanks the covers away from me, leaving me without my blankets, bracing the cool air coming in from my open window.
“Why does she have to turn twenty-one?” I complain to my best friend. Take it from me, turning twenty-one is the mostunbearable age a person can get because that’s the minimum legal drinking age in California.
“Because she stayed alive for twenty-one years,” Ali responds, pulling me up from the bed. “You just have to get through a brunch, and when you do, I will rewatch the entireAlienfranchise with you when you return.”
At the mention of my favorite horror franchise, I shoot up from my bed and slap my hair out of my face. “Deal.”
Keep in mind: Ali doesn’t mind horror films, but shehatestheAlienfranchise. For her to offer to watch with me makes me feel lucky to have her in my life. Some people have best friends, and I have Ali Rios.
“You’re starting to regret it, aren’t you?” I tease.
Her eye roll is so dramatic that it makes me laugh. “Only a little.”
“But you love me anyway.”
Once she leaves my room, I start the shower and begin my routine, taking a little longer in the shower to help me wake up. Uneasy is the last word I would use to describe how I’m feeling at this moment. All I can do right now is hype myself up for what’s to follow.
The doorbell rings as I’m starting my makeup, and the reflection in front of me frowns. Who could be at our door right now? I know Ali’s inviting Vinny over, but that’s not until this evening. I don’t remember if Crew said he would be tagging along.
Maybe he is.
The little tinge of hope has me stepping out of my room to the front door. Ali, however, looks fairly confused.
“I thought Vinny wasn’t coming until the evening,” I say to her.
She shakes her head in agreement. “He’s not.”
My hand reaches for the door, but Ali swats it away. “Carly Josephine Ryder, you are not delaying the inevitable.”
“But—” I try to protest, but Ali is not having any of it.
She points to my bedroom. “Go change into that pretty dress that makes you feel like a bad bitch while I answer the door and figure out what’s going on. This could just be a package delivery.”
My hopes from earlier deflate. I don’t know why I’m so excited about it, to be honest. Crew and I have only been friends for about a month or so, and most of the time we hang out, it’s with Ali and Vinny. We haven’t had a moment between the two of us since that day I took him to the beach.
Pushing it aside, I take my favorite dress off the rack and place it carefully onto my bed. Ali is right about this being the one dress that truly makes me feel like a bad bitch, an orange flowy number that falls just above my knees and with decorative wood buttons that don’t clash with the color of the fabric. Every time I wear it, I feel lighter.
I swipe on a layer of mascara, dab on some blush, and apply my rose-colored lipstick before grabbing my bottle of Adderall and heading out of my room to the kitchen, and reaching for a glass of water.
As I close the fridge, my eyes spot Ali and widen when they take in one major factor: she isn’t alone anymore. Instead, two men sit on the couch beside her.
What has me frozen to the ground is that one of them is staring at me.
Vinny and Ali are in a deep conversation while Crew’s dark eyes stare right at mine.
Eventually, Ali glances away from her boyfriend, and her eyes light up when she finds me. “See? I told you that dress would be great! You look beautiful, Carly.”
“Thanks, Ali-cat.”
She nudges Crew to her left. “Doesn’t she look beautiful, Crew?”
A beat passes before he clears his throat. “Yeah,” he croaks out. “What’s the occasion?”
“My doom,” I deadpan.
“Carly!” Ali scolds.
