Someone Like You (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Priestly

I wake up the next day, severely hungover and generally feeling like shit.

Ugh.

What makes things even worse is the fact that I didn’t wake up to music blasting … and that makes me feel even shittier.

No matter what, Temperance always picks a song to wake me up in the morning … except for this morning.

Fuck. She’s probably pissed about last night. I know it may have been harsh but it’s for the best. I need to pass my Business class and I can’t do that if I start to date Temperance; I’d inevitably fuck it up.

Besides, Dad said to treat her with respect. Dating me would not be a good idea for either of us. She
’s better off without me screwing everything up. She needs someone dependable … reliable … and that someone is not me.

I heave a sigh and glance at the clock – noon. I lie back down, idly wondering what work I’ve missed in my classes when my phone rings.

Glancing at the caller ID, I sit up and hit the answer button.

“Priestly.”
My mother says softly.

“Hey, what’s up? I’m just about to head out to class.” I lie, hoping that she’ll be quick.

She breathes heavily down the phone and I freeze in fear when I realise that she’s crying.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, feeling a faint stab of fear.

“It’s … it’s your father …” she cries before sobbing down the phone again.

I hear her voice but I’m deaf to the words that she’s saying. I feel numb. Empty. Angry.

After she stops speaking, I hang up and make my way
into the living area. The anger boiling up inside of me is like nothing I’ve ever felt before and I do the only thing I can do to unleash it. I grab a lamp that Temperance bought from a junk shop and hurl it against the wall.

It doesn’t ease the pain so I grab the other one and smash it too. When I can’t find anything else breakable, I throw the cushions across the room, hoping that will curb my rage. It doesn’t.

I then move into the kitchen. My fingers grab a glass from the counter and throw it across the room.

It smashes onto the tiles and I blindly grab another glass and hurl it across the room too.
Plates, bowls and anything else that’s still sitting out from the party last night, soon follow it and when they run out, I throw a kitchen chair across the room. It still doesn’t curb the rage building inside of me so I ram my fist into the wall. It creates a massive hole but it doesn’t satisfy me so I do it again.

I continue to pummel the wall until I feel a dull ache in my knuckles. I glance down and carelessly wipe the blood from them with my shirt before adding more holes to the walls.

But it’s not helping … the emptiness isn’t fading, the anger isn’t subsiding …

No, all I can feel is an ache in my chest so painful that I can’t handle it anymore.

I pound the wall a few more trying again to desperately kill this ache … willing it to fade … willing it to disappear …

***

Temperance

Perhaps it was cowardly of me to avoid him this morning. Well, it wasn’t like he was surfacing from his bedroom anytime soon, considering how much alcohol he consumed. Besides, I needed to get some studying done since I didn’t get the chance last night.

Still, I can’t help but feel an ache in my chest when I think back on our conversation last night. Sure, it was stupid of me to expect anything to happen between us but part of me thought that it could really happen … even if we are opposites.

However, despite my personal feelings, I can’t avoid him forever. I need to face him and accept that nothing is going to happen. I need to make this arrangement work … I have to.

Glancing at my watch, I notice it’s just after twelve-thirty. Heaving a sigh, I decide to h
ead back to the flat for lunch, knowing that Priestly will be there. Well, as the saying goes … it’s time to face your demons.

As soon as I enter the flat, my whole spine tingles with the feeling that something is very, very wrong. The living room is completely trashed and my first thought is that we’ve been robbed.

All of the lamps are smashed, the cushions have been thrown across the room but strangely, the TV is still here. Confused and slightly hesitant, I step into the room and glance around for any signs of life.

When I hear a crash from the kitchen, I bite back a scream and look around the room for a weapon to arm myself with. The only thing I find is a heavy textbook I left lying near the sofa. 

I take a deep breath and then burst into the kitchen angrily in a bid to catch the thief off guard when I discover Priestly.

I’m slightly taken aback when I see him slide to the floor and hold his head in his hands. I stop in my tracks, set the book down on the worktop and eye the mess around me.

Every plate and cup has been smashed and there’s also several large, fist-shaped hole in the wall. I glance at Priestly and notice that his hand is bleeding. Apparently he’s had quite the smashing time ...

I approach him cautiously and watch as he lifts his head and stares straight ahead. Frankly, he’s beginning to scare me but I slide down beside him as something is clearly wrong.

I glance at him and am startled to find his pale
grey eyes looking rather glassy. He doesn’t look at me and doesn’t even seem to notice that I’m there. It’s obvious that something is very very wrong. In fact, he looks like he’s in shock so I do the only thing I can think of, I rest my head on his shoulder, take a hold of his hand and give his fingers a gentle squeeze.

I’m shocked
when he responds by clinging onto my hand tightly. He doesn’t say anything but he grasps my hand desperately – as if he’s afraid to let go. I’ve never seen him like this and it scares me. However, I just let him hold onto me, as it is perfectly clear – that at this very moment – he just needs me to be there.

***

Priestly

I don’t know how much time has passed since I started my one man mission of trashing the flat. All I know is that it didn’t help calm the storm raging within me. In the end, exhaustion took over which is why I’ve been sitting on this cold, hard tile floor, trying to accept the fact that my dad is gone.

But every time I tell myself that he’s not coming back, it feels like some horrible nightmare that I can’t wake up from. This kind of stuff sh
ouldn’t happen. It’s something so horrifically tragic that you believe it happens to other people. You don’t believe it could happen to you until it does. It’s the kind of thing that blindsides you, just when you think everything’s okay.

Then there’s Temperance.

I can’t even begin to fathom why she’s sitting here beside me. I don’t even know when that happened but the soft touch of her fingers against mine is the only thing that feels real to me.

I listen to her steady, even breathing. Glancing at her face, I watch her sleep.
Even when she’s dead to the world, her face is pinched with worry. I swallow back the lump of guilt in my throat.

Treat her with respect son.

My father’s words echo in my ears and I turn away from Temperance, ashamed that I haven’t obeyed his wish. Even though we’re not dating, I know that I haven’t always treated Temperance the way I should. Last night, I was impulsive, selfish and harsh.

The cold, hard truth is, I don’t deserve her. In fact, I don’t deserve anyone. All I do is make false promises and fuck everything up.

I heave a sigh, pull my hand from Temperance’s and stand up. She doesn’t stir so I just leave her there while I head to my room to pack a bag with only one thought in my head.

I need to say goodbye.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Temperance

I
jolt awake at the sound of a phone ringing. Rubbing my eyes, I take in my surroundings and realise that I’m still on the kitchen floor. One glance to my side reveals that I’m alone.

I heave a sigh and
fish my phone out of my pocket only to discover that it’s not mine ringing. Slowly, I stand up and stretch out my sore, aching muscles before carefully tiptoeing across the kitchen floor, trying to avoid the broken glass.

“Priestly?” I call out, making my way into the hall.

The ringing grows louder and I follow it into his bedroom.

I find his phone under his bed and hit ‘answer’ as I look around the room distractedly.

“Dude!” a booming voice shouts down the phone. “Where are you? What the fuck happened last night? Did you and Nerdo finally hook up? Or are you still avoiding her? Where have you been all day man?”

I glance at the caller ID, confirming my suspicions.

“Uh, Carter?” I say hesitantly. “This is Temperance.”

“Fuck.” he replies abruptly. “Um, can I talk to him?”

“He’s not here.” I tell him quietly as my eyes travel around the room.

C
lothes are lying everywhere and his wardrobe doors are flung wide open which strikes me as a little odd. Sure, I’ve only been in his room once or twice but I definitely remember it being a lot neater than this.

“Well, where the fuck is he?” Carter shoots at me hotly.

“I don’t know.” I tell him firmly.

I hear him sigh heavily. “Well, when he comes back, tell him to ring me.”

“Wait.” I say suddenly. “Um, can we talk?”

There’s a long pause before he eventually replies. “What about?”

“Um, well I came back to the flat at lunch and … and well, he … he’d trashed the place. Something’s really wrong with him. What’s going on Carter?”

“He trashed the flat?” Carter repeats, sounding confused.

“Yeah. He punched holes in the wall for God’s sake.” I tell him hysterically.

“Okay, that is weird.” Carter admits.

“And his clothes are all over his room, it looks like he was packing in a hurry or something.” I add, idly wondering what the hell is going on.

“Where the hell would he be going Nerdo?” Carter asks hotly.

“I don’t know.” I reply angrily. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be his friend!”

He grunts angrily before sighing again. “Fine. Wait there. I’m coming over.”

“Thanks.” I tell him quietly before hanging up.

There’s a knock at the door and I glance at my watch – 10.35pm. Priestly’s been missing for over an hour – that I know of – and despite my history with Carter, I’m glad to see him because I’m really starting to freak out.

Carter strides into the room, pushing past me as he heads for the kitchen.

“Holy fuck!” he calls out as he assesses the damage. I follow him and watch as his gaze lands on the holes in the wall and then the bin bag of broken glass that I cleaned up while I was waiting for him to arrive.

“He seriously did all this?” Carter asks, turning to face me.

I nod. “Yeah. Any idea why he’d be so mad? He was acting weird when I found him.” I tell him quietly.

“Weird how?” Carter enquires, glancing at the damaged walls again.

“He was sitting on the floor with this really blank look on his face. He didn’t even seem to notice that I was there.” I say, trying to remember every detail in the hope that it will lead to some sort of clue as to Priestly’s whereabouts.

“Did he say anything?”

I shake my head. “No. I just sat down next to him and then I guess I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was gone.”

Carter paces the floor as he throws out suggestions. “Maybe he just went for a walk to clear his head? Or to one of the bars?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I know you’ve known him longer but there seemed to be something haunting him.”

“Like what?”

I shrug. “I don’t know but what would make him so angry that he would lash out like that?” I ask.

Heaving a sigh, Carter rubs his hand over his face wearily. “I’ve seen him lose his shit plenty of times – the worst time being back in high school with your friend Nixon.” he says pointedly.

I shudder at the sound of his name. “Nixon’s no friend of mine – not anymore.”

Carter raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything else
.

“
Well, why would he pack a bag then?” I ask, changing the subject. “Where would he be going?”

“Home?” Carter suggests.

“Why?”

He shrugs. “Don’t know.
Maybe he decided to go home early for the Halloween break? Or maybe he just needed to clear his head or something.”

Or maybe he wanted to get away from me.
Carter had said on the phone that he’d been trying to avoid me.

I shake my head in a bid to erase that thought and nod at Carter. “Maybe. Have you got his home number so we could check?”

He nods. “Yeah, give me a minute.”

Carter takes out his phone and dials Priestly’s home number, keeping it on speaker.

It rings … and rings … and rings … until finally someone picks up.

***

Priestly

The phone rings but nobody moves to answer it. Heaving a sigh, I slowly make my way over to it but my grandmother seems to appear out of nowhere and beats me to it, shooing me away. I throw her a shrug and glance around the crowded room before sneaking out the back door.

I suck in the cold, night air and relish the burn in my lungs.

Everything has been chaos since I arrived home. Visitors have been dropping by every two seconds, brandishing yet another dish of casserole, pie … whatever.

Yeah … because food is going to make everything better.

What bullshit.

I never understood why people bring a shitload of food when someone dies. It all goes to waste in the end. Because you’re in that much of a fucking daze, the last thing that registers in your mind is that you’re fucking hungry.

Heaving a sigh, I head down to the wooden bench at the end of the garden and drop down onto it. I run my fingers over the grooves in the wood, trying not to think about the fact that Dad made it for Mum.

But as always, the memories take over.

It was about five years ago and Mum had been harping on a
bout some ‘love seat’ she’d fallen in love with at the garden store. When she told Dad the price, he’d shaken his head and jokingly told her he could make one for a lot less.

And Mum, knowing that Dad was never one to reject a challenge, bet him he couldn’t.

For two weeks solid, he worked at making the damn thing; building it, sanding it, shaping it into something that resembled a bench.

Unfortunately, his finished product looked nothing like the love seat in the garden store but Mum kept his handiwork regardless, displaying it proudly – wonky
edges and all, citing that it was more beautiful since he’d put the effort in, therefore adding a piece of himself to it.

Pulled back to the present, I rub my hand over my face wearily, trying to ignore the burning behind my eyes. I can’t lose it. I just can’t.

***

Temperance

Carter and I hit the road as soon as we finish talking with Priestly’s grandmother. Despite the shit that’s happened between us, I have to admit that Carter is actually a pretty decent guy.

Sure, he ca
n be a bit arrogant but he did help me find Priestly. So, all in all, he’s not as bad as I thought he was.

“Do you think he’s okay?” I ask, breaking the silence between us as Carter focuses on the road before him.

Carter heaves a sigh. “I dunno. Priestly has pretty fucked up ways of dealing when bad shit goes down.”

I eye him warily. “Um, you’re supposed to make me feel better ... not worse.”

He shrugs. “Sorry. I’m just telling it like it is. He’s not gonna take this well.”

Carter’s gaze flickers over to me as he continues. “I know he complained that his dad gave him a lot of shit but he was close to him, you know?”

I nod. “Yeah. He mentioned that he was going to spend the break with him. I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now.”

Carter sucks in a deep breath. “I know. But we’ve just gotta let him deal in his own way.”

“Okay.” I agree reluctantly.

I glance out the window and then look back at Carter as something occurs to me.

“Carter, earlier on the phone, you said that Priestly was avoiding me.” I pause as he shoots me an uncomfortable look.

“Um, yeah.” he admits, turning back to face the road.

“Why?”

I don’t know why I even want to know. I’ll just torture myself about it later.

Carter clears his throat, looking awkward. “Um, maybe we should talk about this later, yeah?”

Heaving a sigh, I shake my head. “Please. What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything. He did.”

“What do you mean?”

Carter shoots me a wary glance. “Um, I know that he kissed you.”

Embarrassed, I can feel my cheeks redden as I quickly resume looking out the window. “Oh, right.”

But, as I stare out the window, I can’t help but feel a bit mad. He said that he just wants us to be friends and I can handle that but if he’s going to avoid me, things are just going to get awkward.

“Uh, yeah. So maybe you two should talk … when this is all over, I mean.” Carter tells me hastily.

I nod. “Sure.”