Read Online Thin White Line by J.A. Templeton, Julia Templeton - Free Book Online Page B

minutes. He even held your hair for you.”
    Shoot me…
    “Where was Ryder?”  I ask, almost afraid of the answer.
    “No room for him in Deklan’s truck. Trust me, though, he wanted to come home with you.”
    I smile and she rolls her eyes. “You need to be careful with that one. I mean it, as in seriously careful. He had you locked in Deklan’s room.”
    Yeah, I know that, especially since she keeps reminding me.
    “Deklan was ready to kill him.”
    “So Deklan doesn’t drink?” I ask, changing the subject.
    “He’s not a big partier. I mean, he loves living in the house and having people over, but he hates drugs.”
    “So that’s why everyone panicked when he came upstairs to Curtis’s room?”
    She nods. “Exactly...and speaking of Deklan and his place, we need a ride over there to get my car. I’ll call Sadie and have her pick us up. She owes me one.”
    “Sadie’s nice.”
    “Yeah, but she’ll get you in trouble if you let her.”
    I’m surprised Brooke would say that about a girl who I assumed to be her best friend.
    “Is she…”
    “Umm…Gay? No, just sexually confused. Trust me, I’ve seen her girl-on-girl moments. I think she does it more because it turns the guys on so much.”
    My cheeks turn pink. Last night I’d seen the responses to our dirty dancing. If memory serves, I kissed her, too.
    Her phone beeps. “Sadie will be here in an hour. You mind if I take a shower?”
    “Go ahead. Towels are in the linen closet in the hall.”
    While Brooke takes a shower, I lie back on my bed and try not to think about puking in front of Deklan. I saw him watching me throughout the part of the night that I do remember and I know he wasn’t happy at all with Ryder when we were locked up in his room.
    Brooke walks through my bedroom door a few minutes later, her hair wrapped in one of our rattiest towels. “Get in the shower.”
    “Why?”
    “You’re coming with.”
    The idea of getting in a car when I feel like I still might hurl is far from appealing. I’m not sure if I really want to see anyone from last night, either. I wonder what they all thought of me.
    “Just come with me.”
    She grabs her purse and shuffles through it before finding a mint container. Opening it, there are pills of varying sizes and colors. “Here. This will help with nausea. In fifteen minutes, you’ll feel good as new.”
    Warning bells go off in my head. “What is it?”
    “It’s the gold standard remedy for nausea. They give it to patients going through chemo.”
    I take the pill from her and she hands me the water bottle. I slide the pill into my mouth and swallow a minimal amount of water.
    “You mind if I borrow some clothes? I’ll bring them to school tomorrow, I swear.”
    She’s already rifling through my clothes before I can respond.
    I take a shower and, by the time I step out, the nausea I felt upon waking is a thing of the past, and I’m excited at the prospect of seeing Ryder again.
    Thank God my mom isn’t home. She left a note saying she’s at the Farmers Market with Aunt Shelley.
    Right on time, Sadie pulls up to my house. Like Brooke, she doesn’t look any the worse for wear after last night. She’s looking gorgeous in a cute, flowery sundress and flip-flops, her hair is in a ponytail and there is zero makeup on her face. I can’t decide if she looks more beautiful without the makeup than she does with it.
    Lucky.
    I made sure to at least wear enough makeup that I don’t look as hung-over as I feel. I don’t think it helps, though. I don’t own enough makeup to cover the dark circles beneath my eyes.
    My head still pounds a little, but the pill has taken the edge off my headache almost as much as it helped the nausea.
    “So...did you stay with Jack last night?” Brooke asks Sadie.
    Sadie lifts her sunglasses and winks. “Got to scratch that itch.”
    Brooke shakes her head.
    Sadie pulls into traffic and I watch the passing landscape, saying very little, my thoughts