Bounce by Noelle August Read Free Book Online Page A

for us both to get what we want.
    Right?

   Chapter 9   
    Grey
    H ow did the audition go?” Alison asks as she sets a takeout bag from our favorite Mexican restaurant on the kitchen table.
    Brooks and Alison eat over so often, we all have our regular spots.
    Adam’s house doesn’t look like a war zone anymore, but it still doesn’t look normal, either. Some of the furniture, rugs, and paintings have been taken to special cleaning services, so the rooms feel empty. With so much cleared out, Adam decided to have the house painted, so a lot of what stayed behind is now in the garage or the storage pod on the driveway, where they’ll be until the painters finish up later this week. And there’s a piece of plywood where the new, custom glass door will go. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it looks like he just moved in.
    I spoke with Ali a little while ago. Insurance is paying for the sliding door, the television, and a few minor repairs, but the total for the deductible and for the various cleaning services is twelve thousand dollars.
    It’s hard to believe that much damage happened in one night.
    The further I get away from what happened, the worse I feel about it. I guess I thought I’d just run the vacuum after the party and wipe down the counters, and that’d be it. I didn’t expect all this upheaval.
    As we all take our spots around the table, I tuck into my tacos. All I want to focus on right now is getting this food into my stomach. I feel like I could eat everything on the table and still be hungry.
    â€œThe auditions were great.” Adam grabs a burrito and takes the chair next to Ali. “We’ve got three strong contenders. Funny thing is, two are Mia’s friends. Beth Pierce and Skyler Canby. Sky was a real surprise. Apparently she’s only been acting for a few months.”
    So much for blocking out the day.
    Ali smiles. “That’s great! Mia must be so happy for them.” She dips a chip into the guacamole. “Wait—I thought I’d heard that Skyler was a musician?”
    I pause with a taco halfway in my mouth. “What?”
    Skyler plays music ? I don’t have the mental power I need to process that right now.
    â€œYeah,” Ali says. “Mia told me about her once, but I can’t remember what instrument she plays. I just remember it was something I didn’t expect.”
    Excellent. Now I’m picturing Skyler playing the flute while wearing pale pink lingerie. Weird image. Awesome and weird.
    â€œShe should be acting full time,” Brooks says. “Maybe soon she will be. The girl’s got serious talent.” He looks at me. “Did you get a chance to talk to her?”
    I stop chewing, wondering if I missed something. Was I supposed to interview her while we were acting? I swallow. “Well, we said the lines from the script. And we kissed. You were there.”
    Ali’s eyebrows go up. “Kissed?”
    But Brooks forges ahead and says, “That’s okay. It doesn’t matter. I’ll spend some time with her tomorrow and get a good read on her. But if she’s a friend of Mia’s, we can count on her being smart, dedicated, and responsible. I already like what I saw.”
    Suddenly, I’m not loving a lot of things.
    Brooks’s comment, doesn’t matter, felt patronizing. A brush-off. And the emphasis on Skyler being smart and responsible and dedicated . I mean, shit. Is she perfect? Because, yes, she was hot. And cute. But no one’s freakin’ perfect.
    My nerves are shot today, no question, but all this focus on her sterling qualities isn’t helping. It’s making me feel pretty small—like a guy who Sharpied his scalp and threw a party that caused twelve thousand dollars’ worth of damage.
    Then there’s the other comment Brooks made. I already like what I saw . What the hell is that supposed to mean? Pervert. I mean,