Page 7 of Cheap Shot

“Your brother goes here?”

I nodded, and I tried not to show my discomfort. I hadn’t meant to bring him up, but it sort of slipped.

She cocked her head. “You do look really familiar.”

I doubted that. Ethan had blonde hair and shared my father’s chiseled features. If we stood side by side people sometimes noticed our eyes or smiles, but that was a stretch.

Hopefully, she didn’t know Ethan well. Part of my fresh-start plan included keeping myself separate from him. A condition he and I both agreed to when my parents suggested I come to West Penn. I hadn’t wanted to move back home, but they didn’t want me alone again. So, transferring to my brother’s school was the middle ground, with the promise that he would give me space and I would check in occasionally.

“Well, he’s probably coming too,” Emery went on. “Like I said, everyone goes.”

“He said he couldn’t make it.” And warned me to be careful. I’d felt a flash of disappointment then relief when he first replied to my text about the party. It was good I was on my own. I didn’t want to rely on him. If I used him as a crutch now, I might not stop. As much as I fought and begged for my independence, a part of me was relieved to know he was close if I ever needed him. He, and my parents, didn’t need to know that, though.

“Come on.” Emery took my wrist and led me through the front door and into a cramped hallway. She moved like she knew where she was going, so I followed along while glancing to the sides.

The music wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think, and I didn’t notice anyone falling over themselves, which was common at my last school. Maybe it was because there were so few options in the sleepy college town I’d come from, that people chose to get wasted merely as a way to pass time.

“Hey!” Emery waved to someone at the opposite side of the kitchen, and the others in the room shifted to make a path for us to get through. Once she stopped, I stepped next to her and smiled at the trio before us.

Two very tall and very muscular black guys leaned against the counter next to a woman with neon blue hair.

“Emery, you’re here.” The guy in the middle wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth while the other smiled at me.

“And who’s this?”

Emery pulled away and looped her arm around the waist of the girl. “This is Haley, my new roommate. Haley, this is Linc.” She gestured to the guy at the end. “And that’s Michael. They both live here.” The guy that kissed her winked at me. “And this is Tara.” Emery rested her head against Tara’s.

I grinned at them while trying to figure out the relationship between all four.

“You can call me Brown. Everyone else does.” Michael’s eyes glinted with mischief. I immediately grew suspicious.

“It’s his last name,” Linc explained, and I felt better calling him that.

“Nice to meet you.” I barely got the words out when someone bumped into me from behind, shoving me into Brown’s arms.

“Well, nice to meet you too.” He grinned down at me, and I stepped back, out of his reach, hoping he didn’t see the blush as my cheeks heated.

“Can I get you guys anything to drink?” Linc asked.

“I’m okay,” I said at the same time Emery answered, “Beer.”

Linc nodded and moved around us, returning just moments later with two blue cups. I took the one he offered me and looked inside at the clear liquid.

“It’s just water.” He put a hand on my shoulder, while shifting back into his place against the counter. I tensed at the contact, but he moved on so quickly that I didn’t think anyone caught it. The smell of alcohol was already getting to me. I had to focused on blocking it out, but I wasn’t sure I could stay composed if people continued to touch me, even in casual or brief manner. “If you’re holding something, people are less likely to bother you about not drinking.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I offered him a smile.

“You won’t get pressured much here,” Tara started, “since most of these guys don’t drink, but it’s a good tip for other parties.”

“Are you both athletes?” I guessed.

Linc nodded, and Brown lifted his own cup to his lips before answering. “Yeah, we’re on the football team.”

That explained their impressive physiques. “Cool.”

Tara was eyeing me and smirked when I caught her while taking a sip of water. “You aren’t going to freak out or fling yourself at them now?”

I nearly choked. “No.”