Beating the Buzzer | Book 1 in USC series

forty-one

With one last hug to my grandparents, we went our separate ways, promising to see them before they left town.

" I think that went pretty well," Dominic says from the backseat.

" It went more than well." I reach for the seatbelt, twisting slightly to buckle it. "They loved you guys, probably more than me at this point." I let out an exaggerated huff, crossing my arms and taking the dramatics a tad bit further.

Carson chuckled, leaning over the console to press a kiss to my cheek. " Stop being dramatic, Angel," he whispered, turning my chin, his fingers brushing against my skin softly as he pressed a kiss to my lips.

" Ahem." Dominic cleared his throat, staring daggers at the both of us.

Here he goes with this shit.

"Let's not act like you didn't give my best friend a lap dance in front of me and the majority of the school." I reminded him, turning my head slightly to see him shrug his shoulders.

" That doesn't count," he simply says, moving forward before I could drag him for the bullshit he just spewed."And it doesn't count because you and I were simply...associates."

I glare at him as he powers forward." But now we're siblings by chance... so keep it PG. Please and thank you."

I snorted, rolling my eyes as the car started moving." We'll keep it PG if you keep it PG."

Dominic's face fell, eyeing Rhegan out of the corner of his eyes knowing good and well he wasn't about to do that.

" That's what I thought." I turned around feeling triumphant at my win.

Who the fuck did he think he was telling me to 'keep it PG'.

The drive back to Jora's was silent, but a peaceful silence. When we got back to the house we found everyone in the theater living room watching the Scream franchise. Instead of joining right away, Rhegan and I rushed upstairs to change into more comfortable clothing.

" Those movies are more comedic than scary," Abel threw popcorn at the screen as the end credits rolled. Elizabeth sat in his lap, her head laying on his shoulder as he held her close to his body.

" We should watch Us," Skylar suggested." Now that one is good for a few jump scares."

The group went into a debate about what movie to watch next. I stayed silent, my eyes growing heavy with each passing second. Wrapping the blanket around me tightly, I snuggled closer to Carson as they came to a decision between Us and Halloween.

Why we were watching Scary movies in the middle of February, I had no idea. But the one thing I did know was that I wouldn't make it ten minutes into the movie without dozing off.

When I awoke the next morning, we were all in the theater room. Everyone was either spread out or cuddled up together. Feeling for my phone, I started to slowly come to my senses, realizing that I was straddling Carson's lap with his arms wrapped around my waist protectively. His hood was pulled over his head covering his eyes a tad bit.

Reaching for my phone, I looked at the time and date realizing that our relaxing weekend would be coming to an end and we'd have to head back to the chaos of college, paparazzi, and the whispers of my peers.

Groaning, I plopped my head in the crook of Carson's neck as he began to stir awake. His hands tighten around my waist as he turns his head slightly, his breath hitting my forehead as he exhales through his nose.

" What's wrong?" His voice had a raspiness to it that had my toes curling in my fuzzy socks. I shake my head, digging my nose deeper into his neck smelling a whisper of his cologne.