Page 27 of Just for the Cameras
And mean.
It disgusts me.
To have a platform such as his and say something like he doesn’t care about flamingos—how dare he!
“Yeah, brought a spare pair of pants to keep here,” OC says as he walks in with Travis at his side.
“Great idea, man,” Travis answers, walking by us. “But maybe try not to sit in giraffe dung this time.”
“That’s the mission,” OC answers before they exit as well, leaving me alone with Graydon.
Trying to speak in a steady tone, I say, “I find it extremely offensive that you don’t care about the flamingos, especially when you haven’t given them a chance—”
“The first day I was here, you made me wash dishes. Excuse me if I’m lacking a connection.”
“It’s because you made fun of me for my pants,” I snap back. “And Iwasn’t in the mood to hang around and give you the lowdown on my favorite things in this world.”
His face remains expressionless as he asks, “Do you think that’s professional?”
Excuse me?
Do I think that’s professional? Look in a freaking mirror, sir.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as rude as him before.
“Do you think it’s professional to make fun of someone’s pants?” I ask.
“I was pointing out the facts.”
“Just because it was a fact doesn’t mean you needed to point it out,” I counter, hands on my hips.
He drags his hand over his face, clearly bored of this conversation. “Can we just start this fucking jail time so I can get on with my day?”
Jail time?
Wow.
Just wow.
“You know this is important to me, right?” I ask. “Like there is a lot riding on you being here and helping?”
He’s barely listening. His eyes aren’t even on me.
I poke his shoulder. “Hello, I’m talking to you.”
“Yeah, I know, and it sounds like you’re gaining the courage to go on a tirade. Not interested in hearing it.”
Anger consumes me, and when I get so angry, I start to cry. It’s a horrible attribute, I hate it and wish it wasn’t something I was prone to do, but unfortunately, that’s how my body and brain work.
So as tears well in my eyes, I say, “You are so…privileged. You know that? You have the opportunity to make a change, to help, and you’re choosing indifference.”
His eyes finally land on my watery ones, which don’t seem to affect him one bit. “Privileged life?” He shakes his head. “You know nothing about my life. Don’t make assumptions you can’t back up with facts.”
He’s right; I don’t know what his life was like or is like, but I do know he’s a self-centered ass, which makes a tear fall down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away, but I know he saw it.
Catching my breath, I say, “Either way, you have to be here, so don’t you think it’s worth trying to make something of this rather than wasting your time? It’s not going to hurt you to learn about flamingos and possibly help a group of animals that are floating close to the endangered list. You are blessed with a celebrity profile because you can toss around a ball—”
“I don’t toss around a ball. I fucking annihilate grown-ass men.”
