BooksBarbecue
Back Someone Had to Do It
Chapters (39)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Authors
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  37. THE STORY BEHIND SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT
  38. SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT: THE PLAYLIST
  39. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

I laugh at his canna-cough until it dies down. “Are we going to have to carry you out of here?”

“Maybe. Fuck.” He shakes his head and takes a breath. Then his eyes meet mine, still and pensive. “You really want to kill your dad?”

The indica-pearl blend is starting to turn my thoughts loose inside my head, distancing me further and further away from reality. I close my eyes and rock into the feeling of it.

Mei jumps in for me. “His ass deserves it. Who cheats on their wife while she’s doing chemo? He’s the reason she put that rope around her neck.”

My eyes flick open at the mention of my mom. At those words. It still hurts. It always hurts. I take a deep breath, count the thoughts away. Ten. Twenty.

Suddenly, the air around me seems lighter.

Thirty.

I feel myself float a little higher, and there’s a shriek in the room, a scream. And then I realize it’s my own laughter.

5

BRANDI

Adrenaline surges through my veins, and I don’t know if I’m going to collapse into hysterical laughter or have a full-on nervous breakdown. I want to swing my arms out wide and spin in a ridiculously happy circle. Before I get carried away, I pull out my phone and text Nate.

Where are you? I’m done.

His response is immediate: Over by the bar.

I head back inside to the main room and glance around. My eyes finally find Nate but he’s not alone. He’s standing between what I’m guessing is an Andy Warhol original and one of Richard Avedon’s iconic Beatles portraits, talking with two older men, no doubt fans of his dad’s.

I wave slightly, trying to get his attention. Nate’s head lifts and he spots me. I can feel the warmth of his smile from here. He quickly poses for a photo, then politely breaks away.

His eyes are about as wide as mine. “How’d it go? What’d he say?”

I can’t hold back my excitement. “I have an interview next week!”

“For real?” His entire face lights up. “That’s what I’m talking about, girl. Come here.”

Nate pulls me into a strong hug. I shriek with laughter when my feet lift off the floor. We’re tucked deep enough in the corner that most people don’t notice us, but a small part of me hopes Taylor is somewhere in the shadows, watching. She couldn’t be more obvious if she hopped into Nate’s lap and stuck her hand down his pants.

As soon as my feet hit the floor, Nate pulls me closer and leans for my mouth, but he grabs me a little too hard, too quick, and ends up stepping on the bottom of my dress. A small pink feather floats on the floor between us.