Chapter 12 Mental Preparation
Mental Preparation
Carly
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping…
And I do not want to get out of my fucking bed, despite Ali’s insistence.
“I know you don’t want to do this,” Ali continues as she pulls the bedsheets off my body. “But Carson told you that if he has to bear a birthday brunch with Bailey and not have your commentary to tide him over, he’ll personally nab his roommate’s car and murder you himself.”
Groaning, I pull the covers over my face, hiding the sunlight. “I don’t wanna,” I mumble into the sheets. My bed is right where I want to be on a Sunday in March.
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 most unbearable 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 entire Alien franchise 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 she hates the Alien franchise. 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.
I shrug. “Fine, my cousin’s birthday brunch. Ali, I don’t really see a difference.”
“Ugh.” She facepalms. “What is it with you three and your dislike of family?”
Well, my only problem is with Bailey and her mom, my aunt Janine, who asks way too many questions and speaks when no one wants her to. The rest of my family is crazy but still lovable.
“Not all of us have amazing relatives, sweetheart,” Vinny reminds her. “The ones who don’t are a large gang of misfits.”
“Misfits with shitty families,” Crew adds. My eyebrows furrow at his comment, and I’m tempted to ask more, but he would have told me about it if he wanted to.
I nod, downing my dose of medicine and chasing it with water. Honestly, there might not be enough Adderall in the world to get through brunch.
“Well, you’re all a bunch of lovable misfits,” Ali says, bringing the two boys in between her into a group hug, while shooting me a wink. This is my cue to head back into my room before she gets too mushy.
I run through a checklist of everything I need to get through my brunch.
Car keys? Check.
Phone? Check.
Lip gloss? Check.
Wallet? Yup, I have that.
That leaves…
“Must be a glamorous doom you’re heading towards.”
I spin around to find Crew leaning against my door frame. Crew has already visited the apartment before, so why do I feel a little fluttery inside with him standing like that?
Placing one hand over my heart, I say, “You are just full of surprises today.”
“Well, I aim to please.”
“You know, I didn’t think you’d be visiting today.” Or at all. Wouldn’t he have better things to do today?
“Well, I had nothing to do.” He straightens up, stepping into my room with ease. “Might as well, right?”
“At least you’re enjoying the company for now.” I step over my backpack and open the nightstand drawers. What am I missing? I always remember to bring five things, regardless of where I’m headed.
“Before you march off to your doom?” He kneels to meet my gaze. “Family troubles, too?”
They weren’t always “troubles.” Bailey used to be my favorite cousin growing up. Sadly, times have changed, and it’s best not to dwell on it. People always change, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“It’s probably nothing compared to what you have.” Even though I know nothing about his family troubles.
“Don’t compare your problems to mine,” he murmurs. “They are just as valid as anyone else’s.”
When my hand finds the camera, I pull it out of the drawer and place it in my tote bag in an attempt not to act like I was affected by a sentence that I’ve heard multiple times. “I’m just not my cousin’s biggest fan. We don’t have a great relationship anymore. That’s all.”
Instead of continuing with the discussion, I rummage through my purse, mentally checking off everything. “Okay, I think I got everything.”
“You don’t have your ring.”
My ring? I lift my right hand and, to my surprise, he’s right. I forgot to put my Claddagh ring back on my finger after waking up. Reaching for my nightstand, I grab the ring on top and stand back up, turning around to face him. “Why are you always around when I’m forgetting it?”
Crew shrugs. “Why are you always forgetting your ring when I’m around?”
“Touché,” I chuckle. Since I have everything, all I have to do now is drive to Carson’s and pick him up, because he doesn’t trust anyone else to drive except for me and Diana. Since Diana wasn’t invited, Carson and I have to fend for ourselves at the birthday brunch.
And the worst part? I can’t even drink any mimosas because I’m driving. Well, I could drink, and Carson can drive since he doesn’t drink. Still, I need the car for school more than he does, and I don’t want to wake up hungover tomorrow.
“Should I do a proper send-off, since you’re headed to your doom?”
I playfully roll my eyes at him exiting my room and swatting his chest—his really firm chest. “You’re hilarious, Movie Star.”
“He tries,” Vinny teases.
“Try to have fun, Carl!” Ali calls out from the kitchen.
I smile and nod, knowing damn well that I probably won’t, but who knows? Maybe something good might happen—who am I kidding?
“See you later?”
I nod and open the front door, but when he places his hand on my shoulder, I am still at the unexpected motion. Crew leans closer, and I get a whiff of his woodsy scent, like the palm trees.
“You can get through it,” he whispers into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Just don’t think too much about it.”
Shivers that stay with me as I nod and head towards my car.
Don’t think too much? When it comes to me, that’s easier said than done.