Read Online Finding Abbey Road by Kevin Emerson - Free Book Online Page B

what I dream about, what I’ve imagined, I—I don’t know.”
    â€œIs that what you want to ask us?” Dad says slowly. “To take a year off before college?”
    â€œNo, I mean, not yet. It’s something I’ve thought about but I’m not sure yet. I’m still trying to figure it out. I just wanted you to know that it was . . . a thing. On my mind.”
    Another deep breath. Hands clasped because they’re shaking. “What I really wanted to ask you is about Dangerheart. We know . . .” I pause again, my nerve failing . . . almost there . Just have to get this out. “Remember I told you about Eli White’s lost tapes . . . we know where the third one is, now. It’s actually in London and . . . we want to go get it.”
    Silence. It occurs to me that I barely spent two minutes trying to tell the truth and I’m already back to lying. Oh well. There’s no going back now.
    So I stumble on: “It—it’s important to Caleb and Val, but it would also be huge for the band. I mean, we’ve come this far, and to find all those lost songs would be amazing. And then this whole big search would be over. No more asking to go on crazy trips or anything. And we can make the money back from gigs, and it would only be a few days of school and then, like I said, this would be behind us and—”
    There’s a flat smack as Mom places a trio of forks on the counter. “Wait,” she says. “You’re asking to go to London.”
    â€œYes, just to find this last tape.”
    â€œNot a week after you lied your way to New York. . . .”
    â€œI didn’t—” but I stop. Even though that’s not exactly how it happened, or maybe it kind of is, I need to focus on the goal here. “Yes, I guess that’s true.”
    â€œWhen are you proposing to do this?” Dad asks.
    â€œWell, it would be best to do it soon, so that we have the song and we can—”
    â€œHow soon?”
    It seems totally insane to say this. “This week.”
    Mom looks at Dad. Dad looks at Mom.
    And of course I know. Obviously the answer will be no.I can barely believe I’m letting these words come out of my mouth. There is no possible way that they are going to go for this. And each silent second feels like a year.
    â€œCat,” Dad finally says. His eyes flash to mine but then his gaze settles somewhere back on the counter. “Where is all this coming from? I mean, you’re running off with this band, missing school—”
    â€œIt would just be a couple days,” I repeat.
    â€œIt’s not just that,” Mom says, and suddenly her tone has gone cold. “The office called today. We know you skipped all of your classes after third period.”
    â€œOh, that . . .” Crap! Busted again. “Well, it was because Caleb and I had to talk about this lost song. We’d just figured out where it was, which is why I’m here now. If we went and found it then we wouldn’t have to miss any more school or anything I swear—”
    â€œOkay, enough,” says Dad. He doesn’t sound mad . . . but getting there. “Caleb seemed like a nice enough kid the few times we’ve met him, but this is all getting out of hand. Cat, I know you’re in love, and this lost song business is certainly intriguing, but you can’t just fly off to London and miss school, and you can’t just talk about taking a year off to mess around with your band.”
    â€œDad, it’s not messing around!” I know I sound petulant when I say this, but I can’t help it with my heart on overdrive.
    â€œBut you’re going to have so many years after college,”Mom says. “If you get out of school and you want to manage bands, you’ll have a whole decade in your twenties. I know that seems like forever from now, but it’s not. Take it from us. You’re going to have so much