The New Normal

Chapter Thirty One

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I groaned as I fumbled around the nightstand, trying to find it but refusing to open my eyes. I did not want to wake up yet and I had no intentions on staying awake after this phone call. Finally, I grasped it and slid the green button to the right. "What?"

The person on the other end let out a deep chuckle. "Glad to hear you're still a morning person."

I propped myself up with my elbow. "Who is this?"

"Damn, Juliet. It's me, Chad, I wanted to see if you needed a ride to school," he answered, sounding hurt that I didn't recognize his voice.

"Chad I-"

Tyler stirred beside me, looking very disgruntled. With dark eyes, he took the phone out of my hand.

"Chad, shut the fuck up, I'm driving her," he growled into the phone and hung up.

I arched a brow as I looked up at him. "Are you good?"

He pulled me close and nuzzled his chin between my neck and shoulder. "I'm perfect, Sweetness."

After Chad called, it was hard to get back to sleep so Tyler and I called it quits and decided to get ready for school. I had to go to my house to change and to get my school bag.

Once we got to school and out of Tyler's car, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. We walked over to our usual spot towards Seth's car and when we reached the group, there was a silence that fell onto them.

"What?" Tyler snapped at everyone.

They started talking all at once. But eventually, it died down the Colson being the soul speaker.

"They decided today was a half day because there's some sort of conference for the teachers in the school board so were all trying to figure out what to do," he answered, sounding bored at the subject.

"It's not even a half day," Kimberly interjected. "It's barely even a day. Everyone is excused after first period."

I pouted my lip. "But we were going to do pottery today in art class. I was looking forward to that."

Tyler let out a sigh of relief. "I wasn't. You damn well know someone was going to try and recreate that scene from Ghost."

I rolled my eyes and looked at everyone. "If it's barely even a day, what's the point of staying here?"

Ryan nodded his head and pointed at me. "The lady makes a good point."

"Well, there's a winter carnival in the town over. Why don't we go there?" Stella proposed, leaning into Ryan for warmth. He kissed her on the forehead and held her close.

"Oh, yeah!" Kimberly second. "We could even stay the night and make a trip of it. I mean, tomorrow is Saturday. My mom and dad went to Korea for the week because some long distance relative died or is getting married, I can't remember, so they won't be on my case."

"Juliet and I can say we are at Kim's," Stella proposed and I nodded my head in agreement.

Colson rubbed his hands together, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Yes, ladies! I'm liking this."

Seth smacked him upside the head and nodded his head towards the rest of us. "I'm in."

"Same here," Tyler answered, his voice rumbling through his chest and continued to hold me.

Ryan looked everyone that looked at him and a bright smile appeared. "Oh, what the hell?"

"Everyone meet at my place in an hour?" Tyler suggested and he was met with enthusiastic murmurs of agreement.

An hour later, everyone was all packed and ready to go. Ryan brought his van so everyone could travel together and Stella called the hotel ahead of time and booked three rooms. One for Stella and Ryan, another for Kimberly and I, and the last for Seth and Tyler. Though, she did warn me that things could get spicy between her and Seth, so I may have to share a room with Tyler instead.

When we got in the van, Stella sat up front with Ryan, respectively, and Kimberly and Seth sat in the middle seats, leaving Colson, Tyler and I wedged in the back. I didn't mind, it was only a couple of hours. Although, Colson made it awkward from time to time when he'd hit on me.

"You know, J, you are a fine specimen," Colson mused, his blue eyes sending me a wink.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and gave him a strange smile. "Um, thanks?"

He shot me finger guns and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. I suppressed a laugh because it was horribly cringy but I didn't want to be a jerk, so I stayed silent. Tyler, on the other hand, reach behind me and smacked Colson upside the head. "She's not into you, dude."

Tyler's friend waved him off with his tattooed hand. "Psh, you wish."

Tyler's eyes darkened, as if he didn't like the thought of me possibly liking Colson and only I could tell that someone could cut the tension between the two of them with a knife. Placing my hand on Tyler's knee, I smiled. "So, what are you looking forward to most at the carnival?"

He relaxed under my touch and thought for a moment. "The games. I'm good at them."

"I always sucked," I murmured more to myself rather than him.

Kimberly whipped her head in my direction. "I'm convinced they're rigged."

I nodded my head in agreement, causing Tyler to chuckle. "They're not rigged, you guys just don't know how to work the system. I'm the master."

Simultaneously, Kimberly and I rolled our eyes at his cockiness. Whereas Tyler brushed it off and winked at the both of us. "I'll win every game, just you wait."