Page 34 of Celebrities Don't Date Bookworms

Why was he so insistent about this?

“I don’t want your money,” I said. I wasn’t sure why it would feel so wrong to let him pay me back, but it did. There was something gross about knowing he was a millionaire and able to do that when I couldn’t. Maybe that should have been a reason for me to say yes, but I just couldn’t.

“There you are, girls!” I almost let out a sigh of relief as I looked over and saw my mom walking towards us. She came up and put an arm around myshoulders, looking at Hudson curiously. “Who’s your friend?”

“He’s not my friend,” I murmured, but she probably didn’t hear me because Sloane said louder,

“This is Hudson! He’s starting at our school on Monday.”

“Oh, isn’t that nice?” Mom said. “It’s nice to meet you, Hudson. I’m sure you’ll love Summerfield.”

“I’m sure I will too,” Hudson said with a polite smile. My mom’s face lit up as she heard his accent.

“You’re British!” She said. “Isn’t that great? Have you ever heard of the boy band Take Five? They’re just my favorite, and a couple of them are British too, and?—”

I groaned, cutting her off. “We get it, Mom. You like the stupid band.”

“Don’t be rude,” Mom said. “Maybe Hudson here does like them.”

“Well, actually—” Hudson said.

“I’m sure Hudson has somewhere else he needs to be!” I said before Hudson could tell my mother all about how much he liked Take Five. If my mom found out who he was, she would never let it go. She would probably insist that I needed to befriend him and bring him around enough until she got an autograph. In fact, she would probably secretly hope we would fall in love, like Sloane.

“Unfortunately, I do,” Hudson said. “I’m meeting some friends. But it was lovely to meet you, Mrs…”

“White,” Mom supplied. She held a hand out for him to shake, which he did immediately. “Ana White.”

“It was nice to meet you, Mrs. White,” Hudson said. I wonder how much PR training he had gotten. Was this his real personality or just all that training being put to use? He nodded at me. “And I’ll see you at school.”

“Yes, you will,” Sloane said deviously. I glared at her. I had no idea what she was up to, but I knew I didn’t like it.

“What a nice boy,” Mom said once Hudson walked away. “If he’s in your classes, you should offer to show him around.”

“He’ll get assigned a guide,” I said. “It’s school policy. There’s a whole club.”

“Well, then you should offer,” Mom said. “Don’t you think it will make him more comfortable to be shown around by somebody he knows?”

Fat chance. If only she knew how many girls would be volunteering before me.

seven

Group name:I promise this isn’t a group chat, Dad

Members:Ni-Ni, Bay, Sharky, Tis Moi Luca, Not Zesty, Eggo

12:58 a.m.

Bay

Anybody else awake?

Eggo

I am

Bay

I was aiming for someone else in my house

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