Here is the continuation of the chapter:
Carly leaned in close, her voice taking on a playful tone. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day where you'd be in trouble again," she said, her breath tickling my ear. "But I have to admit, it's kind of cute."
I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as I tried to move away from her. "Carly, stop," I said, trying to sound firm.
But Carly just laughed and continued to tease me. "Oh, come on," she said. "I'm just trying to have a little fun. You're not still mad at me, are you?"
I sighed, feeling frustrated. "Carly, I'm with Marie now," I said again. "Can we please just drop it?"
Carly's face fell, but she quickly recovered. "Fine," she said. "But I'm not giving up on us that easily."
Kylie rolled her eyes from the floor. "Dude, Carly, get over it," she said. "He's moved on."
Steve chuckled, clearly enjoying the drama. "Yeah, Carly, you're not exactly the most subtle person I've ever met," he said.
Carly shot Steve a look, but he just grinned. "Hey, someone's got to tell you the truth," he said.
The tension in the room was palpable, and I knew I had to find a way to diffuse it. "Hey, let's just focus on getting Steve and me out of trouble," I said, trying to change the subject.
Kylie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's focus on that."
But Carly just smiled, her eyes locked on mine. "I'll let it drop for now," she said. "But this isn't over."
I knew I was in for a long night.
The rest of the evening was tense, with Carly's flirtatious comments and attempts to get my attention making me increasingly uncomfortable. Steve and Kylie seemed to be enjoying the drama, but I just wanted it to end.
As the night wore on, my mom called a family meeting to discuss Steve's and my latest escapade. We all sat down in the living room, with Carly hovering around the edges of the conversation.
"So, what's going on with you two?" my mom asked, her voice firm but concerned. "You're always getting into trouble, and it's getting old."
Steve and I exchanged a glance, both of us knowing we were in for a lecture. "We're sorry, Mom," I said, trying to apologize. "It won't happen again."
But my mom wasn't having it. "See that it doesn't," she said. "You're both old enough to know better."
The meeting dragged on, with Carly occasionally chiming in with snide comments or attempts to deflect attention from herself. I was relieved when it finally ended, and we were all dismissed to our respective rooms.
As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help but think about Marie and how much I wished she was there. She would know exactly how to handle Carly's antics, and she would make me feel better about the whole situation.
But for now, I was stuck dealing with Carly's games and Steve's mischief. I just hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.