Bounce Read Online Free Page A

“Partied too hard and fell asleep first.”
    â€œWell, it could be worse. Your head could be covered in penises.”
    â€œYeah, skulls are probably better.”
    â€œProbably.”
    Something about this guy makes me edgy, though I have no idea what it is. Maybe just the sheer size of him. Or this wiry energy he puts out, like a stick of dynamite waiting to be lit.
    I don’t really have time to ponder that, though. I need to get back inside and find a clipboard. Preferably attached to a person who can tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do.
    â€œNice hair, by the way,” he says. I feel flattened by his gaze, but it’s hard to tell if he’s mocking me or sincere. And then I get annoyed because he’s just some kid, and he’s got me feeling unbalanced.
    â€œAnother late night decision,” I tell him. “But at least I was sober for mine.” Which is mostly true.
    His features shadow, and he stoops to pick up his cigarette butt and thrust it into his pocket. “Your loss.”
    â€œNo doubt.”
    We stand for a moment, this strange combative energy between us, like a wind that’s blown up out of nowhere.
    â€œOkay,” I tell him, after a few seconds of awkward silence. “I’ll leave you to your lung polluting. Have a nice life.”
    â€œOh, I’ll see you again real soon,” he tells me, and there’s that grin again, only less flirtatious. Also less sincere. “You’ll be reading with me today.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œSurprise.”
    â€œVery funny, but I’m reading with Garrett Allen.”
    â€œNope. Even funnier. Garrett had some kind of spa accident. He’s got a crick, whatever the hell that is. I’m his stand-in.”
    Shit. An image of Christina being thrown into some random minivan flashes through my mind, and I want to cry.
    â€œWell, okay then. Guess . . . ​I’ll . . . ​see you in there.” Yeah, buddy. Take that .
    â€œLooking forward to it,” he says and fishes another cigarette out of his pocket. They don’t seem to come from a pack. Instead, it’s like his pocket’s some weird dispensary of loose cigarettes.
    I head back inside, and for a second I contemplate finding some way to lock him out of the building. Or dye my hair back to blond so he doesn’t know it’s me. Then I remind myself that he’s just a kid. He’s not making the big decisions. I don’t have to worry about him.
    Beth’s waiting for me right inside the door. She’s talking to Mia, who, hilariously, turns out to be the person with the clipboard.
    â€œWell, shoot, where were you?” I ask.
    Mia arches a brow. “I’ve been here. Where did you go?”
    â€œWrong turn,” I tell them and flop down onto the sofa. I wish I had my cello with me, though it’s probably not appropriate audition-wear. I just miss the weight of it against my legs, the feeling of knowing what to do with my hands.
    â€œI got us checked in,” says Beth, who hands me pages. “Want to run these lines with me?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œTurns out Garrett is down for the count,” she says, cheerily. “Maybe I’ll have a shot at this, after all.”
    â€œOf course you will,” I tell her.
    Now I’m just not so sure about myself.

   Chapter 5   
    Grey
    I t’s eleven thirty by the time Brooks calls me into the studio. When I see the set inside the soundstage—a living room with a couch and chairs, lit up under bright lights—my stomach twists. In front of this, beyond the reach of the spotlights, is a table where I see my brother and a few people I don’t recognize—an audience of one row. That makes me even more nervous. Until I remember I don’t give a shit.
    â€œYou ready?” Brooks asks me, pushing floppy hair behind his ear.
    He’s amped up, eyes intent,