Page 135 of Please Hate Me

I was literally fucked within an inch of my life, and now I was supposed to take care of Mason? How did Sophia even expect me to do that?

... How did she know I’dwantto do that?

A month ago, if you asked me to describe my personal hell, I would have told you it was eating snacks in my bed and watching videos on my phone with Mason Albright. But, as she offered me a bite of fruit salad and nestled into my chest, I wasn’t in hell at all.

Mason reached forward, swiping up on the screen as I used my teeth to slide the chunk of melon off her fork. She had coated the entire salad in a mix of Greek yogurt and sunflower butter. My nose wrinkled as I chewed—it didn’t taste bad, but it was definitely weird.

I used my free hand to pull her fingers closer, squinting so I could examine her nails. They were mostly iridescent, with black constellations in the middle.

“Did Jade do these?” A full mouth muffled my words.

“No,” Mason sighed as she looked at her hand like she had never seen it in her life. “I shared a photo of my last set on social media, and now she’s booked out until December… but she still makes time for Sophia.”

Mason smiled at the end of her sentence, but I knew it wasn’t real. Usually, I had a pretty good read on how she was feeling. More so than anyone else in the house, at least. Apparently, I was the expert on Mason-fucking-Albright. That fact was once mortifying, but now I wore it like a silent badge of honor.

“Did she pay you to advertise for her or something?”

Mason’s hair rubbed against my bare chest as she shook her head.

“She’s a good person, and good people deserve good things. She tried to return the tip I gave her, so I wanted to do something she couldn’t make me take back.”

Should I remind Mason thatshe’sa good person? That she deserves good things too?

My face heated as she studied me, and I had to look away to compose myself. When I looked back, she was sucking on the spoon; gaze laser-focused on mine. Just being this close to her had me feeling the same way I did in high school: that disgusting, saccharine, all-consuming love. The type of feeling you’d risk everything just to keep. I had come to terms withthe fact that I’dneverget over Mason. But, I wasn’t ready to willingly be in love with her again.

Before I could love her, I needed to know she wouldn’t leave this time.

I turned the butterflies she gave me into anger, focusing on Jade being a bitch rather than my feelings for Mason. If I were in Mason’s position, I’d be pissed. Scratch that, why wasn’tSophiapissed?

“So, you save her dying business, and she repays you by blowing you off?” I snorted.

“Well… she didn’t exactly do that.” Mason looked away as she spoke.

“Then what did she do?” Because it sure as fuck sounded like she was taking Mason for granted.

“She got excited when I called and told me she’d do my nails after hours, but I wouldn’t be allowed to pay her.” Mason swallowed before taking another bite, seemingly determined to talk with her mouth full.

“I hate getting special treatment.”

“Then why the fuck did you become a celebrity?”

She pursed her lips off to one side in thought, like I had asked her something that actually mattered, rather than a rhetorical question. After a few moments and some obvious inner turmoil, she answered:

“My dad wanted me to.”

I jerked back at her statement. Did she not see how that was a genuinely terrible reason to doanything?

“If James wanted you to jump off a bridge, would you?”

The way Mason hesitated told me more than she ever could have, and I didn’t want to risk her answering. So, instead of leaving it at that, I fell back into old habits.

“Is that why you never fixed your fucked up teeth?” The question came out as more of an insult.

Mason’s hand went to her mouth, and my heart sank. She rolled her lips in as if that would prevent me from seeing her teeth.

“You think my teeth need to be fixed?” Her voice shook, and I realized if I wanted her to feel better, I’d need to tell her the truth, not disparage her.

“No! I didn’t mean it, I was just being a dick… I really like your smile. I always have.” My admission caused my cheeks to blaze.

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