Great. “Dad, I gotta go.”
“I’m sorry, Princess. I’m really sorry about your cat.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. Not sorry enough to save her. “Bye,” I said before hanging up.
“No go?” Vi asked.
“No go,” I said.
I called my mom next. At least it was morning there. I led with: “Any chance you want to give me three thousand dollars so I can save Donut?”
She responded with, “I wish I had three thousand dollars. What happened to Donut?”
I spilled the story in a rush.
“Did you ask your father?”
“He won’t help.”
“Typical.”
I shut my eyes. “Mom—not now.”
“Call me when you get home?” she said.
“Yeah. I have to go.”
“I’d give you the money if I had it,” she added.
“This coming from the woman who left her cat in another country,” I mumbled.
“What, hon?”
“Nothing. Bye.” I hung up. “Do you want to try your mother?” I asked Vi.
“My mother does not have an extra three thousand dollars.”
“Anyone else we can ask?”
“Noah?”
I didn’t know if he had access to that kind of money but I could try. I dialed his cell and listened to the voice mail. “Oh right, his cell is at our place.”
“Can you call his house line?”
“At one thirty in the morning?”
“It’s an emergency,” Vi said.
My heart pounded as I dialed the number. I hoped he answered. “Hello?” his mother squeaked.
Aw, man. I should’ve hung up. No. Caller ID. They knew it was me. That’d be worse. “Hi, Mrs. Friedman,” I said, cringing. “I’m so, so sorry to be calling so late. Is Noah there?” Obviously he was there. It was the middle of the night.
“April?”
“Yes.”
“He’s fast asleep. Can I tell him you called in the morning?”
“Oh.” Now what? Insist that she wake him up so I can borrow money?
There was a rumble and then we heard a “Hello?” Noah.
“Hi,” I said. “It’s me.”
“I got it, Mom,” he said.
“It’s late, Noah.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Friedman,” I said. “It’s an emergency.”
“All right. Good night. Noah, I’m here if you need me.” Finally, she hung up.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Donut got hit by a car,” I said, sniffing.
“Oh shit. Is . . . did . . .”
“She’s still alive. We’re at the vet. She needs surgery. Three thousand dollars’ worth. And I don’t have the money. I asked my dad and my mom and Vi doesn’t have it either. We probably have eleven hundred, nine if we want to eat. So I was wondering . . . do you have it? I would pay you back. In installments. I could pay you at least five hundred a month until I paid it off. What do you think?”
He paused. “That’s a lot of money. My parents would kill me.”
“So . . .” I held my breath.
“I can’t.”
He can’t. He can’t or he won’t? I knew he had money in his bank account. Bar mitzvah money. “Never mind.”
“Where’s the vet?”
“It’s Norwalk Emergency.”
“Do you know who ran it over?”
“Ran her over. Not it.”
“Her.”
“No. I don’t know who did it.” What kind of a jerk runs over a kitten and doesn’t even stop, anyway?
“Oh, April, don’t cry.”
“I have to go.” I hung up. “Well, that was a bust.” My face burnt from the humiliation. “What now?”
“Marissa?”
“She has zero money. Joanna?”
“Same.”
“Lucy?”
I shook my head. “Last resort. What about Dean?”
“Dean’s always broke. But you can ask Hudson.”
“Me?”
“Yes! Hudson gave her to you.”
“But that’s even worse. He gave me a present and I killed her.”
“You didn’t kill her. We’re going to save her. You should ask Hudson.” She looked up at me. “He has extra cash. Plus, he likes you.”
I flushed. “He does not.”
“Trust me. He does. He thinks you’re the hottest girl in Westport. Call him. He’s up. He’s always up.”
The hottest girl in Westport? Was that a joke? It wasn’t that I thought I was ugly. But there were many girls more attractive than I was. Like Pinky.
Wait. Stop. Donut.
“I don’t even know his number,” I said.
She reeled it off to me from her cell’s contact list. I dialed. What choice did I have?
He answered after two rings. “Hello,” he said, all calm as though he normally got calls at two in the morning. Which he probably did. Teacher calls. Sex calls. Drug calls even. Maybe he dealt to Ms. Franklin. No. Maybe?
“Hey, Hudson? Sorry to bother you—this is April. I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”
“What’s up?”
I couldn’t keep the tears out of my voice. “I . . . we’re at the vet. Donut had an accident. They won’t do the surgery unless we pay them up front and we’re short twenty-one hundred dollars. You seem to always have extra cash on you and I wondered if I could borrow some. I swear I’ll pay you back. I get money from my dad once a month, so I can give it to you in installments and—”
He didn’t hesitate. “Where are you? I’ll be there in ten.”
PARTY AT THE VET’S
Hudson met us in the waiting room in fifteen. Not that I was complaining. “This is the second time you came to my rescue,” I said, looking up at him. He thought I was the hottest girl in Westport? Insane. Especially coming from the guy who could be the hottest guy in Westport. Those cheekbones. Those blue eyes.
He blushed. “Don’t worry about it.” He handed a credit card over to the receptionist.
He motioned to Vi and Lucy, both asleep on the couch. “Dean is doing a Starbucks run. There’s a twenty-four-hour one down the street. He’s getting Frappuccinos for everyone unless I call and tell him otherwise.”
“That sounds great,” I gushed. “Thank you, guys. So much. And I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. Starting next week.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal,” Hudson said.
The receptionist ran the card through and then handed it back. “The doctor will start the procedure in about twenty minutes. You guys can go home or you can have a seat. It’ll probably be a few hours until we can see how she’s doing.”
“Thank you,” I said to her. “I think we’re going to stay.” I looked over at Hudson. “You guys don’t have to stay, though. Obviously.”
“We’ll keep you company. We have nothing else to do.”
“Psht,” I said, waving my hand. “Who needs sleep?” I was giddy with relief. Donut might not make it, but at least she had a chance. “Seriously, Hudson, it is a big deal. I swear I’ll pay you back.”
He nodded. “I trust you. If you think it’s worth it, then it’s worth it.”
I stared at him. Noah hadn’t trusted my judgment. My dad hadn’t either. “But why? You barely know me.”
He smiled. “There’s something about you. . . . You don’t screw around.”
I swallowed. Our eyes locked. What did that even mean? I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so instead I asked, “How do you happen to have so much extra money?”
He smiled and took a step closer to me. “Does it matter?”
I thought about it. “No. I’m just curious.”
“You think I’m a dealer?”
“No,” I said, embarrassed. “Maybe.”
“So you’d take my money even if it was drug money?”
“Oh, now you’re testing my ethics.”
He nodded. “Yup.”
; “No, I wouldn’t take it.”
He shrugged. “Then I guess I can’t help you.”
“Seriously?”
He cracked another smile. “No. I can still help you.”
I motioned to the empty row of seats across from the sleeping Lucy and Vi and we sat down. “But, Hudson—where, or who, is the money from?”
He put his feet up on the table. “If I told you I’d have to kill you.”
I put my feet up beside him and kicked the side of his shoe. “Lines like that make people think you’re up to no good.”
He continued smiling. “I like a little mystery. What else do these people say?”
“I’ve heard a few career ideas tossed around.”
“Such as?”
“Gigolo,” I said. “Boy toy.” Then felt my cheeks burn up.
He laughed out loud. “Seriously? That’s awesome.”
“You’ve been spotted entering single women’s houses at odd hours.”
He laughed. “Like who?”
“Like Ms. Franklin’s.”
His eyes widened and he laughed even harder. “You think Ms. Franklin is hiring me for sex?”
“I didn’t say that. You asked what people are saying.”
“What do you think I do?”
“Model maybe?” I blushed again as soon as I said it. Now he knew I thought he was hot. He thought I was flirting with him. Was I flirting with him? It was easy to flirt with a guy who you knew thought you were pretty.
He laughed. “I have been told I have a nice ear.”
“And what would an ear-model model exactly?”
“Earmuffs? Earphones? Q-tips? My ear could get a lot of work.”
“Can I see this glamorous ear?”
He bent his head closer to me. “Not bad, huh?”
“Nice size. Not too big, not too small. Flat. Not too much lobe. Excellent ear. How’s the other one?”
“Not as good. It has a weird Spock-like bump on the top.” He turned to show me. “Feel.”
I giggled. What was I doing giggling at Norwalk Emergency? “You want me to feel your ear?”
“It sounds weird when you say it like that. Just touch the edge.”
I reached up and rubbed my finger against the top. His skin was cold and smooth and soft. His hair tickled the tips of my fingers. Warmth spread through my hand, and up my arm and down my spine.
“Hey,” Hudson said, looking toward the doorway.
I followed Hudson’s gaze and dropped my hand. Noah. “Hey!” I said. “What are you doing here?”
He shuffled from side to side. “I thought you might want company,” he said. “But it seems like you already have some.”
“I . . .” My heart raced. I jumped out of my seat. “Hudson lent me—lent us—the money.”
Noah eyed Hudson warily. “Wow, man, that was big of you.”
“No problem,” he said, returning Noah’s look.
Dean showed up then carrying a cardboard tray of coffees. “Who knew the most happening place to be at two A.M. on a Tuesday was the Norwalk Vet Emergency? Frappuccinos?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to go,” Hudson said, standing.
“You don’t have to,” I added quickly, touching his jacket sleeve. Then I dropped my hand. “I mean, go home if you want to. Obviously you don’t want to hang out here.”
He zipped up his coat. “Good luck.”
“But I just got here,” Dean said. “And I already drank half my Frap. I can’t go to sleep now.”
“I can drop you off later,” Noah said. “If your brother wants to take off.”
“Cool. Thanks, man.”
Hudson waved and headed to the door.
“Thank you,” I called after him.
He winked and let the door swing behind him.
Dean placed the tray down on the table. “I brought six. Would you like one, Marcy?” he asked the receptionist, reading her nameplate.
“Sure,” she said. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Vi stretched her arms over her head and opened one eye. “What’s going on here?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Dean said, sitting on her lap. “I came to rescue you.”
“Your brother came to rescue us. What do you have to offer?”
“My body?”
Vi shook her head. “Not interested. Anything else?”
A hurt expression crossed Dean’s face, but he quickly washed it away. “Would you be interested in an icy, dessert-y coffee drink?” he asked with a flourish of his hand.
“Oh, that I’ll take.” She looked up at Noah. “Hey. You’re not Hudson.”
Did she want to torpedo my relationship as well as her own? “Noah came by,” I said. “To keep us company. Hudson just left.”
“But he gave you the money?”
Not helping, Vi. “Yup. All good.”
Noah looked at me quizzically. “So. Hudson gave you three thousand dollars.”
“Actually, I only needed twenty-one hundred. And he didn’t give it to me. It’s a loan.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed it?”
“But why would he lend it to you?”
I crossed my arms. “Because he trusts me to pay him back? Because he doesn’t want Donut to die?”
Vi smirked. “Noah, are you jealous that Hudson saved the day instead of you?”
Noah ignored her and turned to me. “Can you come outside with me for a sec?” He marched out the door. I followed. The air bit my skin. I didn’t remember where my coat was but it wasn’t on me.
“April,” he said, “a guy doesn’t lend a girl two thousand dollars. Unless he wants you.”
“We’re just friends,” I said.
“Then why were you touching him?”
“I was feeling his”—this was going to sound weird— “ear.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Is something going on with you two?”
“No! Of course not!” I laughed. “You don’t really think I’d do something like that, do you?” Did he think I was . . . my mother?
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t. I just don’t like some other guy hitting on my girlfriend.”
I nodded. “I’ll pay him back. As soon as I can.”
“I bet this was all Vi’s idea,” he grumbled. “She’s such a bitch.”
“She is not! Noah!”
“She wants to hook you up with Hudson so you guys can be a little foursome.”
“You’re acting crazy.” What was his problem? “First you’re jealous of Hudson. Now you’re jealous of Vi?”
“I’m not jealous,” he said. “I don’t like when you get bossed around. And Vi is always bossing you around.”
“She is not.” What was happening? Things had been amazing—the best they’d been in months—and suddenly the ground we stood on was covered in cracks. One misstep and we’d fall through.
“She is. I know you think she’s God’s gift to—”
“Noah—not now, okay?” I couldn’t deal with this here. I just couldn’t.
He looked at me. He must have seen the pained expression on my face because he pulled me into his arms. “Sorry.”
“Can we go back in?”
He held open the door.
Inside, Dean was scowling. “If you don’t want me to be here, I’ll go home.”
“You don’t have to be here,” Vi said.
Dean sighed. “I know I don’t have to. I don’t have to do anything.”
They looked up at us and then back at each other.
“You know what?” Dean said. “I think I’m going to call a cab.”
“I can take you home,” Noah said. “And then I’ll come back.”
“You don’t have to come back,” I said quickly. Maybe it would be better if I was just here with Vi and still-sleeping Lucy.
“I know,” he said, kissing me on the forehead. “But I want to.”
I hesitated, then put my arms around him. “Thank you.”
&
nbsp; “I love you.”
“You too,” I said.
After they took off, I turned to Vi. “What was that about?”
She waved her hand in the air. “He was being way too boyfriendy. Clingy. Not cool.”
“But he came to keep you company.” I drained the last of my coffee.
“Did I ask him to do that? No, I did not.”
Lucy groaned in her chair. “Did I hear something about coffee?”
I handed her a Frappuccino, then leaned the back of my head against the wall. “I’m tired.”
“Me too,” Vi said. “It’s almost three.”
“Lucy, do your parents know where you are?” I asked.
“Nah. My mother took two sleeping pills before bed. She’s out cold.”
“What about your dad?”
She looked up at me. “He died.”
“Oh.” I lost my breath. “I didn’t know.”
“Cancer,” she said.
“That sucks,” Vi said.
My eyes stung, but I blinked them away. Here I was worrying about my cat, when she had lost her father. “When did it happen?”
“Four years ago.”
“I’m really sorry,” I told her.
“Yeah, well . . . shitty things happen.” She motioned to the waiting room. “Did you see the car that hit Donut?”
“No,” I said. I wanted to know more about her dad, but I didn’t want to push her if she didn’t want to talk about it.
I sat back up. “But we heard it. When we were in the hot tub. Vi, Do you remember?”
“Omigod, I do,” Vi said.
“And you know what was weird? The car that did it didn’t have its headlights on.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I remember that.”
“So why would someone be driving by our house with their headlights off?”
“Maybe the headlights were broken,” Lucy said.
“Or maybe they didn’t want us to see them,” Vi said.
“That’s crazy,” I said. “Who would do that?”
“I don’t know,” Vi said, narrowing her eyes. “But I’d give anything to find out.”
Maybe my dad was right. Maybe bad things did always happen after ten P.M.
number seven
harbored a fugitive
LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE
WEEEooooWEEEooooWEEEoooo!
On Sunday, Noah and I were downstairs when my dad called. Vi was upstairs with Joanna. We stayed downstairs a lot, whenever Vi was home. These days Vi and Noah were like two dogs, marking their territory. Me.
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