Just a Girl - Becky Monson Page 0,44
do. But then again, Thomas does surprise me often.
“Besides, now we have a new video to bring us joy.” He presses a button on his phone, and my rapping potty mouth plays at full blast. Which luckily isn’t that loud in the busy restaurant.
“I hate you,” I say.
“It’s kind of catchy, though,” Alex pipes in, bobbing his head up and down to the beat.
“Alex, you traitor!” I say, my voice nearly a screech.
“Yeah, Quinn. I mean, this is kind of a compliment,” Bree says. “Someone put a lot of work into this.”
“Bree!” I give her a scathing look.
I look around the table at my group of friends, all starting to dance around in their seats to my rap. Even Logan is doing a little head bob.
I can’t help but giggle. And then the giggle turns into full-blown laughter with everyone joining in. Well, everyone except for Logan. But he does smile, and it’s one of those big ones that Holly says are hard earned. She’s right—it is pretty dazzling.
Thank goodness for my friends.
Chapter 12
To: KCFL Staff
From: [email protected]
Subject: Station Dating Policy
Team,
Please see the attached dating policy for the station. I realize that in the past this hasn’t been enforced, but after speaking with Dwayne, we feel that it’s time to bring this back. It protects you, and it protects the station.
Please read, and per the policy, if anyone is currently dating among station employees, they need to report it to HR as soon as possible. Or you can speak directly with me or Dwayne.
Thank you for your help with this.
—HP
“A dating policy?” I say to Jerry, who’s currently behind me, reading over my shoulder.
“Yep, guess the rumors are true about the new dude. He’s a hard a—”
“Jerry,” I say, cutting his cursing off, my voice chastising.
He finishes the word and then leans over close to my ear and says it a bunch of times, accentuating the “ss” as he does, sounding like the snake that he is.
I nudge him in the chest with my elbow. “Get out of my space.” Does his breath ever not smell like he ate garlic? Gross.
“I did actually come over here to tell you something,” Jerry says, standing up straight and taking a step backward. “It’s gone.”
“What?” I ask, swiveling my chair around so I can fully see his face.
“The rap. It’s no longer on YouTube.”
“Really?” I swing my chair back around and quickly pull up the internet. I do a quick search, and sure enough, it’s gone.
“But . . . how?”
“Well, you know, I just really laid it on thick with the YouTube people.”
“You did?”
“I sure did. I just gave them some legal jargon and all that. I said, ‘You better take that down and hither to fore . . . something . . .’”
I twist my lips to the side. “You didn’t do anything, did you, Jer?”
He lifts his shoulders. “Well, I mean I was going to this morning, but it was already gone when I looked it up.”
“What was gone?” Brady says as he walks over to my cubicle, having just exited the audio booth.
“The rap of me on YouTube. It’s gone.” I feel relief course through me. Maybe this means Henry didn’t even have a chance to see it.
“Oh good,” Brady said. “They got my report, then.”
“You?” I question, my mouth dropping open. “How did you do it?”
Brady lifts his chin, slightly. “It was easy—I did some research and found out the music they used for the video was actually copyrighted.”
I stand up. “You’re a genius, Brady!” Before I can even think about it, I wrap my arms around him and pull him toward me. I feel him nuzzle his head into my neck as we hug—the scene, I’m sure, looking a little cozier than I intended. I pull out of the hug. “Thank you.”
“I’m just glad it worked,” he says, taking a step back and folding his arms.
“Yeah, thanks for doing that,” Jerry says. “I was going to get it done this morning.”
I purse my lips. “Go away, Jerry. You’re useless to me.”
“I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you,” he says, and I respond with a very deliberate eye roll. “I have a meeting anyway,” Jerry says, before turning and walking away.
“I’m so impressed that you thought of that,” I say to Brady, smiling at him. He looks cute in a dark-blue polo and jeans. The hair that usually hangs over his forehead is gelled back, and there’s a bit of scruff on his face that makes him seem