Chapter Seventeen
Carly
One thing my friends and I have been wishing for is to have a sleepover with Addie.
We’ve only been friends with her for nearly two months and haven’t had the chance because we haven’t gone home yet.
Sophie, Raven, and I have had loads of opportunities for sleepovers ever since we became friends in freshman year.
Considering we won’t be going home for a while, who knows when we’ll have the chance?
Which is why I’ve come up with a brilliant idea to have a sleepover in Raven and Sophie’s room on Saturday night.
Of course that’s not allowed. Students are supposed to be in their respective rooms after lights out at nine PM.
The school barely checks on the students, though—except for maybe freshmen during the first few weeks of school.
It’s still hard for kids to sneak out of the dorms because of the security guards, but that shouldn’t be a problem for us.
When there’s an hour before curfew, Addie and I hurry to our friends’ room.
We already brought our blankets and pillows earlier today, along with our pajamas, clothes, toothbrushes, and anything else we’ll need.
Raven puts her finger over her lips as she quickly ushers us into the room.
We’ll have to be as quiet as possible during the night so we don’t get caught.
Addie joked that with her grandfather’s power and influence, she’s sure she can get us off the hook if we get caught, but I don’t want to take that risk.
Harrington might not kick me out because she still has to uphold her image, but she can definitely dismantle the dance club.
That would hurt more than getting kicked out of school.
I drop down next to Raven on her bed and bounce. “This is so exciting!” I say in a hushed voice. “Our first official sleepover with Addie. We should celebrate. Chocolate, anyone?” I grab my backpack and rummage inside for the candy bars.
“Super exciting,” Addie says with a huge grin as I toss a chocolate bar at her. “What’s the plan for tonight? Movies? We can watch a movie from every genre.”
“How about that teen drama I was telling you guys about?” I suggest, chucking another chocolate bar at Sophie after handing one to Raven. “There are four seasons. We can binge season one all night.”
Raven frowns. “Is that the series with the subpar acting? Everyone is obsessed with the show because of the hot guys. And the writing sucks.”
“ Raven ,” I whine. “Everyone is obsessed with the show because it’s addicting. Come on, it sucks to watch a series all by myself.”
“Let’s spend the whole night reading!” Sophie says.
“I just started the most amazing book on the planet. It’s a star-crossed lovers romantasy with all kinds of supernatural creatures.
There’s romance and adventure and suspense, even a bit of horror.
And some people have even said it’s like a fairytale. There’s something for everyone.”
“I’m fine with whatever we do,” Addie says. “As long as we don’t play Truth or Dare.” She makes a face and shivers.
“Ugh, don’t tell me sleepovers are ruined for you because of that evil witch and her psycho minions,” I say as I hop off Raven’s bed and slide onto Sophie’s, where she and Addie sit side-by-side.
After wrapping my arm around Addie and squishing her to my body, I say, “Tonight, the four of us will make amazing memories. We’ll banish those evil memories to oblivion, where they can never see the light of day again. ”
Addie smiles. “Thanks. I guess I’m still a little traumatized about the whole thing. It’s not so much the fact that I was abandoned to freeze to death—I think it’s more of the fact that people could be so cruel.”
Addie has one of the biggest hearts in the world. She always tries to look at the good in people, even if they don’t deserve it. That can make her a target for evil people. I love that quality about her, and I will do whatever I can to look out for her and the rest of my friends.
“Did Clarissa say anything to you since she got back?” Sophie asks, turning a page of her book that’s sitting on her lap.
“We didn’t have a chance to interact much because it’s the weekend, but we have some classes together.”
“She and her parents are probably shaking in their boots,” I say with a chuckle. “If Clarissa knew back then that you were the granddaughter of Nathaniel Bradshaw, she would have thought twice about messing with you.”
“She would totally have tried to be your friend,” Raven says. “Girls like her don’t miss any opportunity to advance in life, not caring if they take advantage of other people or step on others to get to the top.”
“Weird how things turned out,” Addie muses.
“If my grandfather didn’t have any enemies and my parents died a natural death, I would have been sent to this school as Addie Hayes Bradshaw.
Who knows if I would have befriended you guys?
I can’t imagine not having you as friends.
And there’s no way I would have ended up with Caleb. ”
“I guess sucky situations can sometimes lead to happiness,” Sophie says as she turns another page. “You really never know.”
“Speaking of sucky situations,” Addie says as she throws me a teasing grin.
“What?” I ask.
“You know who I’m talking about.”
“Do not. So do you guys want to watch a movie or what?” I grab the TV remote and start browsing through the selections.
“You should have seen her face when Ryder joined us at the diner last night,” Addie tells the others with a laugh. “She stared at him like he was some weird alien that crashed down on Earth.”
“He is a weird alien that crashed down on Earth,” I mutter.
“Yeah, right.” Addie pokes my arm with her elbow. “Admit you tolerate him much more than you did before.”
“Only because he’s bringing value to the dance team.”
“Uh huh.”
“He’s still my enemy.”
“Uh huh.”
“Will you stop with the uh huhs?”
“Nope.”
“Ooh, this is the perfect enemies-to-lovers romance trope!” Sophie gushes. Her eyes get wide. “And it’s a brother’s best friend romance trope, too!”
“What the heck?” I gasp. “It’s nothing like—”
“You guys have the perfect making for it! Don’t deny it, Carly. He’s the super sexy best friend of your brother whom you grew up with—”
I reach over to grab her arm and shake her. “Take that back!”
“No way.”
“Take that back or it might come true!” I shake her harder.
“You’re shaking the whole bed,” Addie complains.
“Tell her to take it back, Addie!”
“Heck no. I agree with her.”
“You agree with her? What’s wrong with you people?”
“Carly, Ryder ditched the Parker twins to hang out with you. They’re the hottest girls at school. No guy would just pass them up for no reason.”
My brows shoot up. “Were we in the same restaurant, let alone the same planet? He didn’t ditch them to hang out with me. He ditched them to hang out with the team. You know, because he’s part of the team and he probably felt left out because we were all hanging out together?”
“Yet, he sat down next to you.”
“If I recall correctly, someone told him to sit down next to me.”
Addie gives me an innocent face. “Oh, did she? Well, it must have just been a coincidence.”
“Coincidence, my butt,” I mutter.
“Why are you so upset about it?” Raven asks. “Isn’t it a good thing if you guys are getting along? The last thing you want is for your energies to be off during a dance performance.”
“Because she doesn’t want to admit that she might not hate him as much as she used to,” Sophie says.
“That’s not true. I still hate him with every fiber of my being.”
They all give me “yeah right” looks.
Fine, maybe they’re right. I might not hate him like I did in the past, but I’m still wary around him. I know how much he enjoys messing with me, and the last thing I need is to lower my guard and get hurt again.
“Can we talk about something else or watch something?” I say.
Addie sighs like the world is coming to an end. “Fine. Guess what my grandfather texted me this morning? He’s buying me a car!”
“Ooh!” Raven and Sophie say. All four of us have licenses, but Addie is the only one who doesn’t have a car. Her parents couldn’t afford it.
“He sent me options of all these expensive cars,” she tells us. “Like the kind of cars the other students drive. But I told him I want something plain and simple. Like the ones you guys drive.”
“How did he take it?” I ask.
“He tried to reason with me, told me a member of the Bradshaw family can’t be seen driving a piece of junk. No offensive, guys.”
“Meh,” we say.
“In the end, we decided to compromise. He’ll buy me a semi-expensive car. Despite our differences, I was glad we could reach a compromise. I bet this will be my life from now on.”
Sophie shakes her head. “I can’t imagine being thrust into the rich world like you were. You’re a superstar for handling it so well.”
Addie shrugs. “I don’t know about that, but thanks. I don’t want to lose my grandfather.”
A cloud suddenly settles on Sophie’s face. She closes her book and hugs it close to her chest, biting on her bottom lip like she’s reliving a hard memory.
I stretch to rub her arm. “You okay, Soph?”
She blinks and forces a smile. “I’m okay, thanks.”
“You sure?” Raven asks. “You know you can talk to us about anything.” She gets up from her bed and squeezes herself between us, putting her arm over Sophie’s shoulder. “We’re always here for you.”
“Thanks. I just got a memory of my brother and sister. I barely remember them because I was only three when they died, but sometimes I’m hit with a memory out of nowhere and…I don’t know, it’s jarring. And painful.”
“What was the memory about?” I ask softly.
“Adam and Gina coming home with their licenses.” She smiles sadly.
“They both wanted to get it on their birthday and were worried one of them would get it and the other wouldn’t.
The memory is hazy, but I remember Adam throwing me on his shoulders and telling me that twin telepathy worked for them that day and that we were all going out for ice cream to celebrate.
” Her chest heaves and she lowers her eyes.
“I wish I remembered what flavor of ice cream I had, or what flavor they had.” She raises her eyes, and I see tears in them.
“I wish I remembered them more. I’m glad Gina was obsessed with taking photos and videos.
Sometimes I wonder if my memories are my memories or just their videos. ”
Addie slides her hand into Sophie’s and squeezes it. “I’m worried I’ll forget my parents, too.”
Sophie nods with an appreciative smile. Raven and I can’t understand what they’re going through. I’m glad they have each other to rely on.
Sophie laughs lightly. “Sorry for downing the mood. I guess talking about cars jarred that memory from the recesses of my mind. Brains work in funny ways.”
“Never apologize for the way you feel,” I tell her. “Like Raven said, we’re always here for you. You don’t have to try to hide or be brave. You can let us know if you’re feeling crappy.”
“Agreed,” Raven and Addie say.
Sophie nods. “Thanks. The same for you guys.”
My phone beeps with a text. I nearly drop my phone when I scan the screen. Why is he texting me?
“Your parents?” Raven asks.
I shake my head. “It’s Ryder.”
They gape at me, and Addie says, “Ooh.”
I give her a face before reading the text.
Ryder: Evenin’ Cap’n. Why are you not in your room?
Carly: Are you spying on me?
Ryder: Yep.
Carly: Creep.
Ryder: But a hot creep, right?
Carly: A creep is a creep, no matter what he looks like.
Ryder: Gasp! Did you just admit that I’m hot?
Carly: No, Ryder Bennett. You’re the one who admitted that you’re hot.
Ryder: You admitted it, too.
Carly: You’re such a pest. I’m blocking you.
Ryder: Hey, it’s fun texting with you!
Carly: I wish the feeling was mutual.
Ryder: Well, you just broke my heart.
“Oh my gosh,” Sophie gasps. “Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is Carly smiling?”
My eyes snap to her and the others, who are watching me with intrigue. My lips do feel lifted…
“He’s irritating me,” I tell them.
“I’m sure he is,” Sophie says with a giggle as she pokes Raven’s ribs. Raven giggles, too.
My phone beeps again, drawing my attention back to my texts.
Ryder: Actually, I stopped by your room like five minutes before curfew. Felt like I had to jump through hoops with that security guard. I don’t think he likes me very much.
Carly: That’s because you’re super annoying.
Ryder: This girl is chipping away at my heart piece by piece…
Carly: Why did you come to my room?
Ryder: I wanted to ask your help with a dance move I was struggling with. I was practicing today and realized I wasn’t getting it right.
Carly: Oh. Well, you can stop by my room later tomorrow. I’ll probably be back around dinnertime.
Ryder: Be back from where?
Carly: None of your business.
Ryder: Another piece chipped away…
Carly: Goodbye, Ryder.
Ryder. Oh all right. ‘Night, Captain.
When I lower my phone, I find my friends still watching me with intrigue.
“What? He just needs some help with the routine,” I say. “He’ll stop by my room tomorrow.”
“So you guys are going to have alone time?” Addie says, waggling her brows.
“No, because my roommate will be present.”
“Your roommate will be hanging out with her boyfriend.”
“No she won’t.”
“Yes she will.”
“Ugh! What about you, guys?” I ask Sophie and Raven.
“We have a project due on Monday. We need to spend all evening in the library.”
“Convenient,” I grumble.
“Enemies-to-lovers romance trope, here we go!” Sophie cheers.
I grab another chocolate bar and throw it at her. But it misses and smacks into the wall.