Page 24 of Claiming Atlas

There’s a party bus waiting for us when we leave the club. Because of course there is.

I look at Scarlet and raise my eyebrows. “This is your idea of low-key?”

She smiles, nodding. “Babe, there is nothing low-key about a DUI.”

“Jesus, Scar, they do have Ubers and taxis here, you know.” I shake my head and follow her to the bus. There’s no point in arguing now.

Des, Staci, and Lexi are already on the bus. When I step inside, Des hands me a glass of champagne.

I look at it warily, then glance at the seemingly unlimited supply in the built-in coolers on either side of the bus. I look back at Des, eyebrows raised.

She smiles sheepishly. “I know, girl, you don’t drink,” she says, but still pushes the glass toward me. Very contradicting.

Scarlet steps into the bus behind me, then grabs the flute from Des and presses it into my hand. She meets my gaze, a determined glint in her eyes. “Drink. Relax. You promised, remember?”

Inhaling a deep breath, I nod, then take a sip of bubbly. “You two are really good at peer pressure.”

“Thank you.” Scar thanks me like I just paid her a compliment.

I tip the glass back and drink the champagne down in one long gulp.

“Yay! There’s my girl!” Scar jumps up and down, then moves to the back of the bus to join Brandon. He’s brought a few friends with him, but thankfully, no sign of Chad. I’m probably judging him a bit too harshly, but whatever. Not like I’ll ever see the guy again anyway.

When we’ve all loaded in, there are twelve of us total. Me, Scar, Brandon, three of his friends, Des, Staci, Lexi... and a few other girls from the club whose actual real names I don’t even know. Brandon’s friends already have girls on their laps. Hopefully this means that I’m in the clear and haven’t likely beenpromisedto anyone.

Scar means well, but—

“Kayla!” She shouts from the back. “Come sit with me.” She climbs onto Brandon’s lap, then pats the tiny space between him and one of his friends. I finish my glass of champagne and move to stand, but Des grabs my empty flute and fills it before I can protest.

She grins innocently and I shake my head.

The bus driver lurches out onto Paradise Road, and when we hit a bump, I lose my balance, toppling forward into Brandon’s friend’s lap.

Bus – 1. Kayla – 0.

Everyone scrambles to help me up, and Des chastises our driver up front. My just-filled champagne flute is empty, and I’m now covered in bubbly.

What a way to start the night.

Shaking my head, I freeze when Scarlet leans forward, pulls my sweater down, and proceeds to lap the champagne from my cleavage. Everyone cheers and I know I’m in for a wild ride tonight.

She looks up and wipes her lips, looking at me through her eyelashes. “You better start drinking, babe.” She leans forward so she can whisper. “It will make me molesting you all night a whole lot more tolerable.” She laughs, bounces my boob with her fingertips, then sits back down on Brandon’s lap.

His friend stands and offers me a stack of cocktail napkins. “You okay?”

I meet his gaze and smile. “Yes, thanks.”

“Okay, everyone,” Destiny calls, “we have twenty minutes until we reach our first stop of the night—”

There are multiple stops?I bite back a groan.

“—so if y’all could move to the sides of the bus, I’d like my girl Kincaid to sit right there in the center.” She points to the very middle of the back of the bus, where Scarlet is making out with Brandon.

The music stops.

Des clears her throat loudly. “Excuse me, Miss Scarlet?” One hand on her hip and the other on the stereo’s volume control, Des stares pointedly at Scarlet and Brandon, who eventually catch on and stop kissing long enough to relocate to the seats along the side, then resume making out. “Okay then. Kayla, darling, have a seat.” She motions toward the back of the bus. “And can someone fill my girl’s glass up, or what?”

Staci jumps up to retrieve a bottle of bubbly, then fills my glass and sits back down with her girlfriends and Brandon’s two friends. It would appear that Brandon and Scar have one whole side of the bus to themselves.

---