𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 ✰ bryson

≈ e i g h t e e n ≈

brynn's pov

"Hey, Annie!" I give my roommate a hug, welcoming her to the party. "Glad you could come!"

"Glad to be here! Thanks for inviting me." She smiles, glancing around at the already rowdy party. Knowing who she's looking for, I nudge her. "If you're looking for Hayden, he's in the kitchen." She colors, but thanks me, drifting off in that direction.

There are actually quite a few people here tonight. Friends of Carson and Hayden, friends of friends, and a bunch of people I never even new existed are dancing around, drinking, making out...it's a little much, but I'm a little invigorated by all the energy.

Someone hugs me from behind, and my heart skips a beat. "Hey, baby, how are you liking the party so far?"

"Fun," I turn around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "I like it."

"Where's Kenzie?" Like a good big brother, Carson looking out for his underage sister. Glancing around, I shrug. "Good question. I have no idea."

We find her chilling on the couch, surprisingly not next to a random college fboy, but with Johnny. Carson breathes an audible breath of relief. "Phew, I thought you'd be trying to get laid with some random guy."

Kenzie slaps him on the arm. "Hey, I'm not that wild."

"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past you," I laugh. She scowls at me, but ignores it and goes back to talking to Johnny. Carson isn't done, I notice with amusement.

"What's that in your cup?" He asks, taking it from her and taking a sip.

Grinning smugly, Kenzie laughs. "Haha, I knew you'd ask. It's just sparkling cider. Chill."

"Good." Turning away, but then turning back again, Carson adds, "Don't drink later, either, miss."

"Can't promise you that," she giggles. Giving her a dark look, Carson takes my arm and we leave. I laugh, hugging myself into his side. "You're a good brother."

He smiles. "Am I?"

"Even if she doesn't think so, yes, you are." I wink at him. We pass by a group of people dancing in the middle of the living room, and I tug his arm. "Come on, let's dance."

"You're asking me to dance?" he teases, "If I'm remembering correctly, last time, you told me I was really bad at dancing."

I flush at the remembrance. "I don't want to think about that time, but hey, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself." One of my favorite songs is playing, and I stand on tippy-toes to wrap my arms around his neck and sway to the music. His hands come to rest down at my waist. "You're really pretty, you know that?" Carson pulls me closer.

For once, I control myself to not blush. Teasingly, I pull him closer, "No, I didn't. When'd you find that out?"

"Oh, I've known it for a while," he counters, smirking. "I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"Good one, Lueders."

"That one didn't make you blush," Carson says, with a considerable amount of disappointment in his voice. I can't help but laugh. "That was your goal?"

"Well, no," he says, throwing his hands up defensively. "But it was supposed to be a nice bonus." Before I can answer him, he tightens his arms around my waist and attaches his lips on mine. Everything around us seems to melt away as he moans into the kiss. I want to stay in this moment forever, just us two, together...

"What the he-"

We jump apart, startled as a horrifyingly familiar voice pierces through the loud noise of the party. Around us, everyone falls into a deathly silence. My heart stops as turn around, my gaze falling on the one person I hoped I'd never ever see again.

Meika.

"What is going on here?" She demands, her voice risen many an octave. Before any of us can speak, still in shock, she screams on. "I leave for, what, one semester, trusting that my boyfriend is being loyal. Then I come back, hoping to surprise him for the holidays and find him sucking face of the girl who he told me was just his 'little sister'?"

Stunned, I'm frozen in place. I barely even notice the faces of everyone at the party staring at us three. Meika goes on, her voice breaking a little bit. "I thought I could trust you."

Someone turns off the music, and a silence, thick and cold as ice, settles over the room. My cheeks are hot, and I'm too shocked to even feel the embarrassment of everyone witnessing this. "Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?" she demands. She then turns to me, narrowing her eyebrows into the fiercest death glare I've ever seen. "I knew I had a bad feeling about you."

"I-" I turn towards Carson, a horrible feeling of disgust forming in my stomach. "I thought...I thought you told me you broke up...with her."

He clears his throat. "I-uh..."

"So you didn't-?" My eyes widen. "You didn't break up with her? And I was head over heels for you, thinking you weren't taken, and I was..." I don't even want to bring myself to say it. "...I was out here kissing someone else's boyfriend?"

"Brynn, but-" Carson shakes his head, at a loss for words. "I was...I was going to tell her."

"When?" Meika and I burst out at the same time. 

He stammers, his pride beginning to waver. But not low enough. In a last attempt, he bursts out, "I just wanted some fun, okay? I was bored."

"Fun?" My mouth drops open, unable to comprehend what he's saying. "That's all I was to you? Just a boredom reliever?"

"No, no," Carson lets out a sigh of exasperation. "That's not what I meant. I-"

"I'm out. I'm leaving." I say, tears springing to my eyes. Scrambling for words, Carson calls out something to me, but I don't look back. I push past bystanders, not daring to look at the sympathetic glances they're throwing my way. "I can't believe...all this time-" Unable to get another word out, I run for his door, slamming it on my way out.

As I run down the stairs, I can faintly hear Meika shouting something to the effect of 'screw you, fricken prick, go die in a ditch'.

Yeah, screw you, Carson.

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