Catch Me by Claire Contreras Read Free Book Online

and she’s gonna rub it in my face.”
    My words are pouring out of me quickly and my heart is hammering just as fast. In this moment I feel absolutely lost and afraid, and not for the first time I wonder what the hell I let my father talk me into. Hendrix’s face falls and he shakes his head slowly, standing up and walking around the table to hug me to his side.
    “You’re going to be fine, Bee. You’re going to be more than fine. And let people think whatever they want to think. Everyone thinks I’m the CCO because I’m Dad’s kid, and though that may be true, I also worked my ass off in school and have been working my ass off for years to get to where I am. So fuck ‘em, let ‘em say whatever they wanna say.”
    I nod and take a deep breath. “Thanks.”
    Nina joins us, wearing one of the T-shirts I bought yesterday. Her dark hair is pulled into a high ponytail and she’s barefoot, lazily swinging the black stilettos she wore last night in her left hand.
    “What’s up, bitches?” she greets. “You got coffee? Or are hens not domesticated?”
    Hendrix grumbles something that sounds like “fucking moron” under his breath as he reaches in the cabinet to get her a mug.
    “Sweeeet,” Nina says, placing her mug on the table and serving herself coffee. “I like this mug, you asshole.”
    I laugh, covering my mouth with both hands to keep the cereal from sputtering out of my mouth when I read the mug he handed her: I am surrounded by fucking idiots.
    “You can thank Bee, she gave it to me for Christmas,” Hendrix says.
    Nina rolls her big brown eyes at us. “Why do I hang out with you? You guys are so fucking weird.”
    “Because you have no friends,” Hendrix comments.
    “Because you love us,” I say at the same time.
    Hendrix makes a face. “That’s not corny,” he says, looking at me.
    I shrug and continue eating while they talk about Nina’s plays and the lack of clothing in the one she invited him to watch. I tune them out as I begin to worry about the day and how it’ll be to work with my brother every day. I make mental notes of things I have to do as soon as I get a break. Call Allie and ask her about the two pending microphones. Figure out what wholesaler we can get the earphones from. Find out who can put us in contact with a supplier for recording studios to see if bedazzled earphones are even a good option for us. I know I need to simmer down so I don’t stress myself out more than I am, but it’s so hard when I know I have things to do.
    “You’ll have to go to my next one, Hen,” Nina says. “It’s not nude. It’s actually a rockstar themed musical. You’d love it.”
    “Cool. I’ll go to that. Has Uncle Rob gone at all lately?” I ask, chiming into their conversation.
    “Sometimes. He’s been busy helping Victor set up his new store, so he hasn’t been by in a couple of months,” Nina explains as she slips her shoes on. “All right guys, have a good day at work. Bee, call me later and tell me how it went.”
    Hendrix and I get our stuff and leave shortly after Nina does, and he explains to me that he always tries to leave at the same time because even though the building is only ten blocks away, it’s taken him over an hour to get there sometimes. I’ve been to New York countless times, but I’ve never had to worry about how long it takes to get somewhere in the mornings, so this bit of information is shocking. My eyes are glued to the sidewalk where hundreds of people are walking and talking on their phones and texting. It amazes me that only a handful of them actually speak to each other and not the device in their hand. Not that I’m one to talk because I’m always on my phone, but it kind of makes me wonder how many landmarks and things are unappreciated by the people who walk past them daily.
    My phone vibrates in my lap, which makes me laugh quietly, and I see an email from Allie with images of the microphones she’s assembled. I practically squeal at the