When we stopped in front of Carson’s Jeep, Ethan offered his brother a head nod, then turned his smile to me. “Told you we’d find you a date.”
I laughed, thinking about the day in the gymnasium when I snapped and tried to strangle Carson.
“What’s so funny?” Carson asked.
“I can’t believe we’re together.”
“Me neither, especially after I left that welt on your eye with the basketball. You should’ve seen your face.” He laughed, and I smacked him lightly on the chest.
“I saw yours,” I shot back. “When I tried to unsuccessfully throttle you.”
Ethan snorted. “Just think, had Mr. Gorby not pulled you off him, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
We all laughed, and I added, “Who would’ve thought I’d end up with the boy who tried to drown me when I was nine?”
Carson opened my door, then rounded the other side. “Hey, I was a kid. It was my way of flirting.”
He closed his door, and I reached across the seat to grab his tie. I tugged on it, pulling him closer, murmuring against his mouth, “Thank, goodness, your flirting skills have improved over the years, huh?” Then I pressed my mouth to his, sinking into the kiss until Ethan groaned behind us and started banging on the backs of our seats.
“Come on, guys,” he said. “You promised you’d keep the PDAs to a minimum tonight.”
“We’re not even in public yet,” Carson protested.
“There are two other people in this car, so it counts as public domain.”
When Carson grumbled, I laughed. He turned the keys in the ignition and started the engine. “Wait!” I screamed.
Carson jerked in his seat. “What?”
“You just about gave me a heart attack,” Ethan whined.
“I almost forgot,” I said, then reaching into my clutch, I pulled out the envelope and pushed it toward him. “Read it.”
His brows furrowed as he turned his questioning gaze from me to the envelope. I watched as he paused, reading the return address, waiting for it to register. His eyes lit up before he tore into it, yanked the letter out, unfolded it, and read out loud, “We at Duke University, are pleased to grant you, Mia Randalls, early admission into the. . .” His voice trailed off before he flung the letter aside and lunged at me, crushing his mouth over mine again as I laughed.
By the time he pulled away, I was breathless, and it took me a moment to clear my head. “Looks like we’ll be going to school together in the fall. Think you can handle that, Brooks?”
He smirked. “The real question is, do you think Durham can handle that? Carson Brooks and his girlfriend, Mia Randalls. Watch out Duke, here we come.”
A swarm of butterflies rioted in my stomach. It was the first time he referred to me as his girlfriend. Slowly this time, I closed the distance, but before my lips could meet his, Ethan leaned past the front seats between us. “If I have to watch my best friend and my brother make out one more time, I’ll vomit all over this precious Jeep.”
“You’re such a killjoy,” Carson said.
But all I could do was smile, sighing contentedly as we pulled away from the curb and headed for the Sweet Water gymnasium. My life may still be messy, and parts of my future uncertain, but already, things were looking up.
EXCERPT
I hope you enjoyed sharing time with Carson and Mia at Sweet Water High. If you love YA romances and want more Sweet Water High, keep reading for an excerpt from the next book in the series by author Victorine E. Lieske, Falling For My Best Friend.
For more information about me and my books, read on after the excerpt.
SYNOPSIS
It was just a fake kiss. It wasn't supposed to make my heart stop.
He was my best friend since...forever. Parker was just, Parker. Dependable. A little geeky but so was I. And we weren't supposed to have chemistry. I was in love with Lucas. Dreamy, hot Lucas. But Lucas was in love with Charlotte, which stunk.
And then I kissed Parker and my world shifted and I started to wonder, was Lucas the one for me? Or was I chasing after the wrong guy?