My heart is pounding, but I can barely keep my eyes open. I haven’t solved any of my problems tonight, but somehow, I feel a thousand times better.
You know what they say, Cookie. Good things come to those who wait.
Mm-hmm … so sleepy, Ol.
Get some shut-eye then.
Later, Hater! Xoxo, C
Hate You Later! Xxoo, O
I fall asleep with the laptop on the floor beside me.
hudson
How doI prepare for my lunchtime meeting with Xander and Georgia?
By getting up early and rereading last night’s message thread with “Cookie.” It’s still funny. Stupid, maudlin, and funny. Ten minutes after I go back over the transcript, I’m still grinning like a fool. I can’t stop thinking in clichés. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean I am one.
I’d had a couple more beers after I got back from The Onion—no Georgia this time—and I’d been feeling lonely. Part of me was wishing that my Petfluencer buddy would take the bait and agree to meet up. Another part was glad she didn’t. Either way, it was fun to flirt.
My phone rings and it’s Lilly, FaceTiming. She’s probably at school, getting ready to start her day. From what I can see, she’s sitting on a bench near a playground, flanked by two friends I don’t recognize.
“Hey, Lill! How’s it going?” I walk out onto my balcony and she stands to walk as well, leaving her friends on the bench behind.
“I just want to go over the speaking points for your one o’clock with Georgia Starr and her brother, Xander,” she says. “I had Dad’s assistant loop me in on your planning committee meeting. I just got the calendar notification.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” I ask.
“One, because this was my idea to begin with. And two, do you know who Xander Starr is? His TikTok videos get a million views!” Lilly says. “I want in on that meeting. I have a favor to ask of him.”
“Wait, what meeting is this again?” I feign ignorance, just to wind her up. What’s the point of having a little sister if you cannot occasionally wind her up?
Lilly lets out a long-suffering sigh and says my name in a reprimanding way.
“Hudsonnnnn.”
“Lillyyyyyy.”
I’m pretty sure that Lilly will take over Farm & Holm someday. She’s intense. In the best way.
“Cut it out,” she says, looking down her nose at me exactly like Oliver.
“Fine … yes, I’m going to the masquerade planning meeting today, Lill. What is it you want from this Xander guy?”
“He’s a groomer. Does radical pet transformations. I can’t believe you haven’t seen them?”
I shake my head to indicate I have not.
“So, here’s the thing. Don’t agree to anything unless Xander comes to my birthday party.”
“Pardon?” I ask, genuinely confused.
“Don’t let them have the space for their event unless Xander Starr agrees to come to my birthday party. My friends are obsessed with his feed. I’m hoping he can teach us some cool transitions, maybe give us ideas for original audio and share his thoughts on how to find the best-trending hashtags?”
“English, Lill.”
“I thought you were up on influencer culture, Hudson. This is all pretty 101.”
