The Deepest Cut by J. A. Templeton Read Free Book Online

his effort to come off as American made me smile. The compliment didn’t hurt either.
    Milo gestured for us to enter.
    “Thanks,” I said, slipping past him, anxiously looking around the room at the others who stared back at us. Uncomfortable, I shifted on my feet.
    Aside from the pounding music, the voices had quieted, and as Milo shut the door, I fought the urge to turn and run, back to the safety of my room and Ian.
    I finally relaxed when I saw Megan come toward me. She had a drink in one hand, and when our eyes met, I could tell it wasn’t her first.
    She grinned. “Hey, I was wondering if you were gonna show.” She gave me a big hug and spilled some of her drink on my sleeve and the rest onto the floor.
    “Thanks for inviting me,” I said, grabbing onto a nearby chair to keep from falling over with her on top of me.
    “Watch it, love,” Milo said, righting the glass and pulling Megan toward him. “My
    mum will have my head if I make a mess of the place.”
    Megan snorted. “Yeah, your mum will be livid once she learns you had a party while she was away.” I could tell she struggled to focus. If she drank much more, she’d be on her ass in no time.
    I looked around the room and saw Shane was already busy tossing back a straight shot. A small crowd had rallied around him and they roared their approval.
    At the front of the crowd was a younger girl with black hair, multiple piercings, and black, emo-style clothing. She appeared to have her eye on Shane, and I had the feeling he had noticed her too, from the way he watched her.
    My little brother was definitely growing up.
    “You want a drink?” Megan asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said, and both Milo and Megan groaned. I had no desire to get drunk
    in front of strangers. My dad had always said you only had one shot at making a first impression.
    Megan’s lower lip jutted out. “Come on, Riley. Don’t be a buzzkill.”
    Buzzkill Riley—not a nickname I was wanting.
    “Sure, why not.” I was determined to sip on the drink in case Shane might need my help walking home later. One of us had to be clear-headed when we faced our dad who’d been surprisingly chatty at dinner. Both Shane and I had contributed little to the conversation, other than nod and answer each of his mundane questions. He seemed to like his job, which was good, but it also meant any chance of moving back to Portland wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
    “And you must be Riley,” said a gorgeous guy with light brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. He had an athletic body, and wore a button-up blue and white striped shirt, dark
    jeans, and skater shoes that he hadn’t bothered to lace. Aside from the unlaced shoes, he seemed fashionable and was definitely a hottie…and every girl in the vicinity seemed to notice him.
    “Yeah, that’s me.”
    “I’m Johan,” he said, shaking my hand.
    “An original name.”
    He flashed a grin, and my heart actually skipped a beat. “My parents would like to think so.”
    Milo pushed a drink into my hand.
    “Drink up, Riley,” he said, waiting for me to do just that.
    I brought the neon green plastic glass to my lips and winced as the strong liquor burned my mouth.
    Two girls came up to me and introduced themselves, but I quickly got the feeling they were using me to get to Johan, since they kept throwing glances his way. To his credit, he seemed oblivious to all the attention.
    I listened to the conversation going on all around me, while keeping an eye on Shane. I felt uneasy when he took yet another straight shot. I didn’t want to go off on him like our dad would if he knew Shane was drinking, but I didn’t want him getting sloppy drunk in front of people he’d just met either.
    “He’ll be okay,” Johan said.
    I smiled. “That obvious, huh?”
    “It’s good you’re looking out for him.
    That’s what family is for.”
    I nodded. I seriously wondered what others would think of my family if they knew the truth, especially about me.