Page 56 of Hate You Later
The song “Love Cats” by The Cure suddenly trumpets out from beneath the table. Hudson reaches down into his pocket and fishes out his phone.
“Yep. Speak of the devil. This is her FaceTiming right now,” he says. Hudson presses the screen. “Lilly? We talked about this. You shouldn’t be cutting class.”
“Don’t worry about me, Hudson. I’ve got a 4.0 GPA. Everything’s on track for Stanford. Are you there with them?”
“Yes, I’m here.” He sighs and turns the phone around, slowly rotating it so we can all see.
“Everyone … say hi to Lilly.”
A young, freckle-faced girl waves. She seems to be sitting on the vanity of a sink in a public restroom. Probably the girl’s bathroom at her school. We’re all reflected on the screen in the mirror behind her.
“Let me talk to Georgia first!” she demands.
“I’m here. How can I help you?” I raise my eyebrows and wave. “Why me?”
“I understand you punched my brother Bryce?” she says.
“What! Where did you hear …?” I look at Hudson, but he shrugs. Kenna shakes her head. Xander looks amused.
“It was all over Twitter. Someone texted me a photo. But that doesn’t matter. The point is, Georgia, that you are my hero. Bryce is such a jerk. I can’t believe he tweeted what he did about the pet shelter. I know how much you and your family have done for Kismet Rescue, and my friends and I want to help. We thought maybe if we got a little assistance from Xander and got better at making videos, perhaps we could mobilize and make a difference.”
I have to pick my jaw up off the table. Who is this kid?
“Any friend of the shelter pets is a friend of ours.” Xander kicks me gently under the table.
“Okay, but I still don’t get why you need me?” I ask.
“Because you’re the GOAT, Georgia,” Lilly argues. “I gotta get back to English class, but please, please, please say yes? Huds, I’m counting on you to close this deal.”
She hangs up abruptly, but we all keep staring at the screen for another ten seconds.
“So now you’ve all met my boss.” Hudson smiles wryly.
“Um … what’s the GOAT?” Emily asks.
“Greatest of all time,” Kenna answers, still staring at the blank screen.
I turn back to face Hudson, hating it that I have to crane my neck so much to meet his eye.
“Are you punking me? Is this some kind of a setup? Your family are the ones who forced the shelter out. And you have to know that our charitable efforts are being undermined by your rent hike.”
Xander looks miserable, but I keep going.
“So, from where I sit, it feels kind of cruel for you and your family to be pretending you care about us and our shelter efforts.”
“You think my little sister is pretending?” Hudson challenges.
“She’s a kid,” I respond.
I’m not really questioning his little sister. She actually seems sincere enough. But I’m definitely questioning him and his hundred-dollar bills, rock-hard abs, and forest-fresh scent.
“Don’t confuse me with my stepbrother, Georgia.” Hudson’s frown deepens. “I’m not going to apologize for having a successful business, but I also don’t share Bryce’s sentiments about the shelter. It should have been handled differently. I think that’s what Lilly was getting at. We both feel that way.”
“Really?” I counter. “I might have bought that line a few weeks ago. Before the rent hike on a building that you barely maintain. And before you tried to kneecap me with your new, “affordable” pet clothing line. Why not throw a flaming brick through my shop window while you’re at it?”
Emily stiffens, biting her lip, and Kenna and Xander are frozen like statues, looking shocked and confused. I wish I’d had the chance to speak with them before this confrontation.
Hudson is glaring right back at me now. “Look, Georgia, I won’t argue with you about how amazing your handmade clothing is, but not everyone can afford to spend fifty bucks on a silly little outfit for their cat.”
