Someone Like You (6 page)

Chapter Eight

Priestly

Holy fuck!

Fuck!

What
was
that?

As
much as the girl annoys the hell out of me, she continues to surprise me. I never thought she’d have the guts to call me on my crap. Although, I have to admit that the whole ‘get my head out of my ass’ comment stung a little. Okay, it was probably warranted but still, it hurt. I may act like an asshole at times but I’m still human.

Anyway, the worrying thing is that I found the whole thing kind of hot
– in a weird way.

But
I don’t know why because I know I could never like someone like her.

She’s definitely not my type.

That fact was clearly established when we first met.

No, my hangover just must be worse than I thought; it’s messing with my h
ead. Besides, I’m the one who is supposed to be messing with
her
head.

Anyway, I really need to stop thinking about it all. I need to get out of here.

I glance at my watch – 12.10pm.

Good, it’s not too early to grab a beer. Maybe it’ll clear my head a little.

I leave the flat and make my way to
one of the student bars.

However, as soon as I enter the door, my gaze lands on Nixon.

What’s that little prick doing here?

He’s all over some blonde and just the sight of him makes my blood boil.

However, I shrug it off and order a beer, ignoring him and his blonde companion.

It’s probably best since I don’t want to get into a fight so early in the day.

Besides, at least he’s not pawing all over Temperance this time. That little prick should know better than to try to worm his way into her life.

Whoa!

Wait a second …

Since when do I give a fuck about Nerd Girl?

Well okay, even
I
would admit to being an asshole if I
wasn’t
worried about her associating with a guy like Nixon. Especially when she doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s capable of.

But still,
I need to get my shit together and focus on the matter at hand … and that’s the hot redhead who’s giving me flirty eyes from the other side of the bar.

***

Temperance

Why did I agree to this?

Anson has a serious shopping problem. For the past two hours, he has forced me into every item of clothing in the shopping mall … or at least that’s what it feels like.

“Come on darlin’, time’s a wasting!” Anson calls as he marches over to yet another clothes shop.

I force my tired and heavy feet over to him and heave a sigh.

“Can’t we take a short break?” I plead.

He rolls his eyes. “Fine! But only for half an hour.”

I nod and we both make our way over to a little café.

I gratefully flop down into one of the chairs with all my bags while Anson goes over to the counter to order for us both.

I check my phone and notice a message from my mother, asking how I am.

I quickly reply that everything is great and then take a rather large gulp of the coffee that Anson has just set down in front of me.

“So, please tell me we’re done for the day.”

Anson shakes his head. “Not even close. I haven’t even started the shoe shopping!”

I groan. “Can we leave that for a later date? Please? I’m dead on my feet.”

“Fine.” Anson replies with a frown. “At least I’ve sorted the most important bit.”

I nod and suppress the urge to roll my eyes.

Somehow I don’t think four dresses, two skirts and eight tops constitute as important … expensive would be more accurate.

Nevertheless, I decide to humour him.

“
Indeed. What did I do without you Oh Great One!”

“Wear hideous shirts that have no shape or style?” Anson suggests, eyeing my baggy shirt with disgust.

I shake my head. “I told you! You’ll never get rid of them!”

Anson raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you think.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, enough about my shirts! What do you think I should wear tonight then?”

“Where’s he taking you?” Anson enquires before taking a sip of his latte.

I shrug. “Don’t know. He was supposed to text me today.”

I check my phone and am disappointed when I notice that there are no text messages or missed calls.

Anson notices my frown. “You okay?”

I nod. “Maybe he’s busy.” I suggest half-heartedly.

“Hey, it’s still early.” Anson tells me. “He’ll call.”

I heave a sigh and lean back in my chair as I take another s
ip of coffee, idly wondering if Nixon has had second thoughts after all.

Maybe Priestly was right … maybe I do need to pay more attention to guys – then I wouldn’t be so scared of dating them.

Wait. What am I saying? I’m taking advice from someone like Priestly?

I need to get a grip.

***

Priestly

Why the fuck am I letting him get to me?

Better yet, why the fuck am I letting
her
get to me?

It’s been three hours since I walked into the student bar and spotted Nixon.

Now, I’ve tried to be good. I’ve tried to focus on flirting with the hot redhead but it’s not working.

All I ca
n think about is Nixon and if he’s tried to make a move on Temperance since that day I saw them having coffee.

Why the fuck this concerns me, I have no idea.

The chick is free to date whoever the hell she wants … except Nixon.

Wait a minute.

Date.

Oh, shit.
Nerd Girl had a date last night …

No, it can’t be.

She wouldn’t.

Would she?

Fuck! I bet that Temperance
did
have a date with Nixon last night … and now he’s here, flirting with some blonde.

Okay, I may be an asshole and enjoy torturing the girl but even I don’t want to see Nerd Girl end up with a broken heart … especially at the hands of Nixon Kingsley.

That little shit better stay the hell away or I’ll be reconstructing his jaw this time.

Shaking off those angry thoughts, I shoot the redhead an apologetic look.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I gotta go.” I tell her.

That prick Nixon has totally thrown me off my game. I have to get out of here before I do something I’ll regret. Well, actually, I’d probably fucking enjoy it but no, I can’t get into a fight. Too much shit to deal with in the aftermath.

No, I need to calm down.

Maybe a few beers back at the flat will take the edge off.

I throw the redhead a smile. “I’ll call you.”

She pouts
but lets me go with the threat of “You’d better or I’ll make you live to regret it.”

I decide not to inform her that she didn’t give me her number … and judging by the bunny-boiler look in her eyes, I think I may just have had a lucky escape.

Fuck!

Maybe
Nerd Girl was right – I
should
pay more attention to girls I’m interested in … at least I’d be able to deduce if they’re going to attack me with a kitchen knife in the middle of the night or not.

***

Temperance

After our coffee stop, Anson walks me to the front door of the flat and hands me the rest of my many shopping bags.

“Be sure to call me tomorrow. I want details darlin’ – all of them!” he adds with a wink and then saunters off.

I shake my head as I unlock the door and haul my bags into the living area.

I really hope Nixon texts soon.

I heave a sigh and then stop abruptly when I notice Priestly lounging on the sofa, sipping a beer.

God, I hope our argument earlier doesn’t make this awkward.

His gaze lifts from the TV and scans over my various bags of clothing.

He raises an eyebrow. “
So, more of those awful shirts or something different?”

I roll my eyes. “Like you care.”

“Just curious.” he tells me with a smirk.

“Yeah, well you know what they say about curiosity. Although, I can’t say that I’d be so lucky
for it to be true in this case.” I retort hotly, shoving my shopping bags to one side of the room and flopping down on the sofa beside him.

He throws me a wide grin. “
Ooh, calmed down then, have we? I must say, your death threats are
quite refreshing – they’re a nice little step up from telling me to get my head out of my ass.”

I shoot him daggers. “Bite me.”

“Wow, I had no idea you were into that shit.” he quips with a wicked grin.

“And I had no idea that you could reach a new level of asshole.” I shoot back, trying my
best to keep my temper in check as well as not blush at his comment.

“Touché!” Priestly replies, shooting me a devilish grin.

I shake my head wearily and sneak a glance at my phone. I still haven’t heard from Nixon.

The disappointment must show on my face as Priestly throws me a curious look.

“Waiting for your hot date to call?” he asks with a smirk.

I narrow my eyes at him. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business.”

Priestly stares at me, his grey eyes full of …pity?

I can’t quite place the exact emotion but his expression is definitely a little
odd.

“You went out with Nixon, right?”
he asks, still staring at me.

I gape
at him, dumbfounded.

How the hell did he know?

I nod. “How the hell could you possibly know that?”

He grins. “I may look stupid but it doesn’t mean I am.”

I frown at him. “Whatever. Just butt out. I’ve heard all about you and Nixon.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Oh really? And what did you hear?”

I shrug. “That you were an asshole and beat the shit out of him.”

His jaw tenses. “Oh yeah? Nixon tell you that?”

Okay, what is his deal? He’s being super weird.

I shake my head. “No, it was Anson actually.”

Priestly looks surprised at this. “Well, whatever you heard, I doubt it was the truth.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh really? And what’s the truth?”

“I beat the shit out of him.” Priestly tells me seriously. “For a good reason.” he adds when I look at him, confused.

“Why? What’d he do?” I ask, finding myself curious.

“Why don’t you ask Lover Boy that yourself.” Priestly tells me abruptly.

“
Because I’m asking you!” I retort hotly.

Why is he acting so weird about this?

Priestly sighs heavily. “He’s not the guy you think he is. Be careful. That’s all I’m going to say, okay?”

I frown at him. “
What the hell is that supposed to mean? You can’t just tell me something like that and expect me to agree with you, no questions asked.”

“It’s not my place to tell you. Just ask the little prick yourself.” he replies agitatedly.
“Oh and while you’re at it, you should ask him about the blonde he was draped over earlier.”

“What
?” I ask, completely dumbfounded.

“Still think he’s a good guy?” Priestly fires back at me.

I stare at him, wondering if there is any truth to his words.

“You’re lying.” I say eventually.

Priestly grunts in frustration. “Fine. Don’t believe me. But you can’t say I didn’t warn you. You should stay away from him.”

I frown at him but don’t say anything.

Okay, we’ve been flatmates for a short period of time but Priestly’s odd behaviour is freaking me out. Why does he hate Nixon so much?

“Why are you doing this to me? What is wrong with you?” I ask, still mulling over everything.

“Nothing.” he grunts. “I’m out of here.”

I watch him grab his wallet and keys and then leave.

What the hell?

Chapter Nine

Priestly

What the hell is wrong with me?

I don’t know why I
’m letting everything get to me.

If she wants to date Nixon – fine!

Why the fuck should I care?

I’ve warned her that he’s not the guy she thinks he is. So, I can’t do much more than that.

Still, maybe I should have told her why I hate the guy. Then again, it’s not my place to talk about that shit; it’s not my story to tell.

I sigh heavily and go for a walk around the campus. I just need to clear my head for a while.

Why am I letting this annoy me? This is what I wanted in the first place.

All along, the plan was to piss her off so she’d leave.

I grunt in frustration and continue to walk, not caring where my feet lead me.

Why is all of this such a big deal to me?

It’s not like I can force her to stay away from Nixon.

And I sure as hell can’t force her to listen to me.

Fuck.

I need to get my shit together
!

I suck in a breath and glance at my surroundings. I have somehow
ended up near Carter’s dorm building. I heave a sigh and take out my phone to call him.

“Hey, I’m outside your building. Wanna grab a beer?” I ask, idly kicking at some stones.

“Sure, I was just about to head out anyway.”

Carter ends the call and appears five minutes later.

We walk to one of the student bars but all I can think about is the whole Temperance-Nixon situation.

Should I tell her the truth about Nixon?

I should warn her, right?

Oh why the fuck do I care?

She’s not going to listen anyway. Miss Know-it-all thinks she has it all figured out.

“Did you know that that little shit Nixon’s here?” I suddenly blurt out to Carter as we take a seat at the bar.

He looks confused. “Okay. That was random. What’s going on?”

I heave sigh. “I ran into him a few days ago and meant to say to you. Then I found out that Nerd Girl went on a date with him.”

Carter orders us beers and then eyes me curiously. “Okay, I can see why that would be a problem since Nixon is a scumbag but what’s really bugging you?”

I shrug. “Don’t know. I’m wondering if I should tell her the truth about him. I did warn her that he’s not a nice guy but she didn’t want to listen.”

Carter takes a sip of his beer and frowns at me. “Well, you’ve warned her, what else can you do? You really don’t want to start into the whole messy truth about Nixon, do you? Besides, why do you care about her all of a sudden? You’re trying to get rid of her, remember?”

I nod. “I know but still, you know what Nixon is like.
And he was all over some blonde earlier today. Now, as much as I want her gone, I’m not just gonna stand by and watch her make a stupid mistake. I’m not
that
much of an asshole.”

And maybe, for some bizarre reason, I feel obligated to protect her from creeps like him, I don’t add.
The girl is nervous enough around normal guys, never mind potential psychopaths.

“
Yeah but you have no problem with making me act like one.” Carter says, shooting me an accusing look.

“
What?” I reply, feigning innocence. “It was your bright idea!” I tell him with a smirk.

“
Yeah but I didn’t volunteer to be the one to mess with her!” Carter reminds me.

“Okay, then maybe it isn’t such a good idea after all.” I say,
admitting defeat.

Maybe that would be going too far. Especially now that I know Nixon is trying to worm his way into her life.

“But what am I going to do about Nixon?”
I ask, mulling it over as I nurse my beer.

“Um, j
ust keep reminding her that he’s bad news?” Carter suggests with a shrug. “Without all the details of course. I know you don’t want to start into that shit again.” he adds before ordering another beer.

“You’re right. But I just can’t give her friendly advice about him – I still want her gone.” I say before taking a long drink of beer.

Carter shrugs. “Well, now that you have wisely decided to let me off the hook, you’ll just have to come up with something else to drive her away.
Besides, it’s your problem man, not mine.”

Fuck it, he’s right.

I down the rest of my beer and get up.

Okay,
before I come up with an alternative plan to get rid of her, I have to warn her about Nixon and make sure she knows I’m serious this time. I don’t have to be nice about but as long as I get my point across, that’s all that matters.

“Thanks.” I tell Carter. “I’ll catch you later.”

I leave the bar feeling much calmer and make my way back to flat.

***

Temperance

My God he’s such an asshole. What the hell is his problem?

I sigh heavily and start to unpack my shopping bags when I hear my phone buzz.

Nixon.

Finally! He remembers!

‘Dinner?’

I grin and quickly reply:

‘When? Where?’

A few seconds later and he replies:

‘Surprise. Pick u up @ 8.’

I frown but agree and then glance at my wardrobe of new clothes.

I have no clue what to wear and no matter how excited I am about the fact that I have a second date, Priestly’s words are still echoing in my brain.

He’s not the guy you think he is.

There is the chance that Priestly is just messing with me – something he seems to love doing – but there’s also the slim chance that he’s telling the truth.

As much as I want to believe that he’s just trying to screw up my love life for his own sadistic pleasu
re, his bizarre behaviour earlier suggests otherwise.

I’m going to have to ask Nixon about it. I have no other choice. I have to hear his side.

Maybe Priestly is overreacting. Nixon seems pretty harmless.

I flop down onto my bed and stare at the ceiling, mulling it all over.

I’m going to have to ask him.

It’s as simple as that. I need to know what happened before I get involved with him.
That and I’m going to have to ask about the blonde Priestly seen him with.

I glance at my watch – 6.46pm.

Okay, I have about an hour to get ready and prepare myself for confronting Nixon.

God, I have a feeling this could get ugly …

***

Priestly

Okay, as soon as I get back to the flat, I’m
going to make Nerd Girl listen to me.

She’s not going to
interrupt or criticise me – no, she’s going to listen to me for once. She needs to know how much of a creep Nixon really is. The little shit really knows how to get under my fucking skin.

Still
, I can’t just let Temperance ignore my warning. The chick can be pretty damn stubborn when she wants to be. I’d admire her for it but not when she’s making such a stupid-ass decision.

Okay, enough! Get a grip Priestly.

Nerd Girl is none of your concern.

I repeat, Nerd Girl is none of your concern!

Just warn her about Nixon again and then go back to annoying the shit out of her.

I walk along the street, focusing on my sole mission of talking some sense into Nerd Girl when my phone rings.

Dad.

“Hey, what’s up?” I ask as soon as I answer.

“Good. How’s school?” my father asks.

“Fine.” I reply, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

“I hope Carter isn’t getting you into too much trouble.” he says with a chuckle.

“Nah, he’s just helping me throw wild parties and chase girls.” I tell him with a smirk.

I hear booming laughter before his tone turns serious. “Well, I hope you’re finding some time to study Priestly. This isn’t high school anymore.”

“I am Dad.” I say, trying not to think about the fact that I’ve skipped a shitload of classes already.

“Hmmm. I hope so. So, as for chasing girls – any you have your eye on?”

“Nah, I’m just playing the field – much to the disgust of my roommate.” I add with a laugh.

Wait a minute.

Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that!

“Roommate?” my father enquires.

Shit.

“Yeah, Temperance.” I tell him quickly. “Don’t worry, she’s the sensible type … a bit nerdy.”

“Well, perhaps she’ll be a good influence on you son.”

“Hmm.” I reply offhandedly. “Maybe. But she seems a little too sensible if you ask me.”

“Well, she sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. Treat her with respect son.”
he tells me firmly.

“I will Dad.” I promise as I let myself into the building. “Look, I gotta go. Talk to you later.”

“Okay son … but Priestly, remember what I said. No screwing around.” my father reminds me.

“I won’t. I’m going to study right now.” I lie.

“Good … I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. See you later.” I tell him and then hang up.

Okay, it’s time to face The Nerd Girl.

I push open the front door and hear music coming from Temperance’s bedroom.

Good
, she’s still here.

I sigh heavily as I
make my way to her room and find her door wide open.

I smirk to myself and prepare myself for some smart quip when I find myself speechless.

She’s standing at her wardrobe wearing just a bra and jeans.

Ah, so that’s what’s she’s been hiding under those baggy shirts.

It’s then that she notices me and screams.

Yeah, I guess I deserve that …