Page 66 of Catcher

“Joseph,” my mom snaps, but she’s still watching me anxiously. “What kind of trouble, sweetheart?”

I take a shaky breath. “I’m not sure, but it’s bad.”

My dad leans forward. “Did he come to you?”

I nod.

“When?”

“About a week ago.”

“What did he want?” His voice sharpens with every question.

“Money,” I admit quietly.

My mom exhales. “Oh, Ruby…”

“I didn’t give him any,” I add quickly. “I told him I couldn’t.”

“That should’ve been the end of it,” my dad says, already angry. “You shouldn’t even be entertaining him.”

“It’s not that simple,” I say, my voice cracking. “It hasn’t been simple for a long time.”

My mom leans forward, reaching for my hand. “Honey, what aren’t you telling us?”

I close my eyes for a second, gathering the strength to say it out loud. “He’s been using my name.”

Silence.

“He… opened credit cards. Took out accounts. Everything under my name.” The words spill faster now. “I didn’t know at first, and by the time I did, it was already bad.”

My mom closes her eyes and lets out a long, exhausted sigh as she lowers herself to the sofa. “Ruby…”

“He did what?” Dad’s voice booms through the room. “He ruined your credit? He put debt in your name?” He paces once, dragging a hand through his hair. “That son of a⁠—”

“Joseph,” Mom snaps, but there’s no stopping him now.

“How much?” he demands.

I hesitate.

“Ruby,” he presses.

“A lot,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

My mom’s eyes fill with tears. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because I thought I could fix it,” I admit. “I thought if I just worked more, cut back, figured it out⁠—”

“You shouldn’t have to fix something he broke,” my dad says more gently.

“I know,” I say, my own frustration bubbling over. “But he’s my brother.”

“Yeah, and Robby is our son, but that doesn’t give him the right to destroy your life,” he fires back.

“There’s more,” I add quickly.

Both of my parents look at me.