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“Yeah, sure. I mean, that’s not what I came to talk to you about, but that sounds good.”
“Oh. Well, what’s up?” Why was I so nervous?
“I’m sure you heard about my party on Saturday.”
“Yeah,” I drawled. The conversation with Lauren on Monday felt like forever ago.
“I think you should come.”
“You do?” I stared up at him in disbelief. “You’re inviting me?”
“You were never not invited,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But, yes, this is me officially inviting you.”
“Um, why?”
Carson laughed and reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, sending shock waves up my spine. “Don’t overthink this, Mia. It will be fun.”
“Fun,” I repeated stupidly.
Why couldn’t I just not talk?
“Yeah, fun. I believe Merriam-Webster describes it as something that provides amusement or enjoyment.”
“Ha-ha, I know what fun is.”
He grinned. “You might have to prove it.” He winked and took a couple steps back, further into the hallway. “So, I’ll see you there.” He pointed at me. “Eight o’clock tomorrow night.”
I reached out as if to bring him back. “But I didn’t—”
“Don’t overthink it,” he said again, then turned and hurried away before I could say no.
I dropped my arms by my side, then turned back to my locker and screamed inside to muffle the sound. When I emerged, Ethan leaned against the locker next to mine, brow raised. “What was that?”
“Huh? Nothing. Just your brother. . .” And an epic freak-out on my part. Carry on.
“Yep, I got that part. It was definitely Carson, but it also looked like you and Carson flirting.”
I rolled my eyes. “We were not flirting.”
“Well, I don’t know what you were doing, exactly. You looked more like a deer in headlights, but that was definitely Carson flirting.”
“It was not,” I said, but my voice cracked, betraying me. Was he flirting? Now that I thought about it, his behavior was a little suspect. And why did that give me butterflies?
Ethan’s smile faded. He stepped close, hastily shoving my hair from my face and said in a breathy whisper, “Don’t overthink it, Mia.” Then he stepped back and guffawed. “You should’ve seen your face!” He pointed, laughing harder.
I smacked him. “You’re hilarious.” Glaring, I asked, “Are you ready to go or what?”
“Yeah,” he said through the tears forming in his eyes. “Let’s go.”
Once we were in my car, headed away from the school and toward the coast, Ethan turned to me. “So, are you going to actually go?”
I glanced over at him warily. Ethan and I had never attended one of Carson’s parties, which might sound weird, but when you factored in how Carson and I couldn’t stand each other, it made perfect sense.
But something was changing. And I did want to go. Not for Carson, of course. Call it curiosity. Boredom. Call it. . . I shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind seeing what all the hype is about.”
Ethan grunted in response, and I realized he was going to make me work for it. He was my best friend. He knew what I thought before I did. His silence told me he was going to make me ask. “I’ll only go if you go. Will you please, please go with me?”
“Are you sure Carson wants his little brother hanging around? It might put a damper on things.”
