Trouble Read online

  I mean honestly, I barely see the guy in passing for a whole year and then he has to walk into PJ’s on my shift, when the place is empty!

  As Dan goes to take a seat over in a booth, I realize how it would look if Chad walks in and sees Dan, our town’s precious QB, unattended without a drink or anything and I’m sitting there drinking the company tea and writing on the boss’ dime. An internal debate begins as I think about how it would look following Dan over to his table, but I am at work after all, and who else is going to serve the only customer in the bar? I slide off my seat and walk over to Dan, with the most pleasant, non-annoyed, non-sarcastic, non-fake smile I can muster.

  “Sorry Dan, how rude of me, can I get you anything to drink” He looks at me, his eyes feel like they’re burning holes into my skull.

  “Coke is good,” he says, no please or thank you. Typical.

  I move over to the bar and pour a large class of coke, with a few cubes of ice. Hang on a minute, why would Dan want to meet with Chad, does he want a job? Does he need a place to stay? Oh god. Please don’t be either. It has to be one of those two options. Please be about football, please, please, please! Knowing Dan, he’ll get whatever he wants. Football players always do. It’s how the world works. Man, I can’t stand football players.

  I walk slowly over to the booth, taking care not to spill the coke. I force a big smile back onto my face, making sure to put on my best Southern manners, despite my immense apprehension of the whole situation.

  “Here we are, one tall glass of Coke. Is there anything else I can get ya?” I say, my voice sweeter than the Coke I place on the table with my very best waitressing skills.

  Dan looks at me, waiting a few seconds before his answer. I feel his dark eyes penetrating into mine. I start to feel a shiver running up my spine, tension beginning to fill my arms and chest. I start to lose battle of staying cool and begin fidgeting with my bar towel, needing something to do with my hands.

  “Nope.” Just nope. Nope. With that stupid gorgeous grin on his stupid gorgeous face.

  Seriously? He waited that long just to say no? What’s wrong with this guy? Seriously, I put on my best manners, with my best fake smile, the least the can do is respond in a timely fashion. I don’t bother responding, and turn on my heel, heading back towards the bar.

  “What’s up? Dan says, a sound of curiosity in his deep voice, and I can’t help but feel my inner sass start to dominate my southern manners.

  “Well you aren’t going to drop dead if you decide to answer me in the same decade that I say something, oh and maybe throw in a please when I’m offering you a free drink?” I hear my voice turning all squeaky as I finish my rant.

  A smirk starts across Dan’s face as he studies mine, “I didn’t realize this was free,” he responds, sounding amused.

  “Oh please, you’re a football player, when have you ever actually had to pay for something? Anyway, that’s not the reason I got you that for free. I got you that because you’re meeting with Chad, It’s what he would want.”

  Dan’s grin immediately flattens and his lips go tight. “That’s funny, I didn’t pick you for the judgmental type, Grace.” His eyes feel like a physical force, pinning me against the bar.

  Excuse me, how dare he call me judgmental, I’m the innocent bystander in all of this! “Hah, well you’re an easy guy to judge, Dan.” Before he has a chance to answer, I’m spinning on my heel to hide behind the bar, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a comeback.

  As I reach the other side of the bar, the front door opens. It’s Chad. I give him a short wave and start polishing glasses. Chad walks directly over to Dan, shakes his hand, and immediately laughs at something Dan says. What could Dan possibly have to say that anyone could find humorous, the guy is about as funny as a weed problem in a garden. Honestly! Not only that, but how is he not all worked up after that gigantic showdown we just had?

  They take a seat and talk for about ten minutes, before Chad calls me over to the booth. I take a notepad, expecting there to be an order of food and drinks. “Grace, this is Dan. I expect you’ve already met as you got him a glass of Coke.”

  My eyes fall on Dan as I answer “Uh yeah, we’ve met” I turn back to Chad, but feel Dan’s gaze penetrating the back of my skull.

  “Okay, great. Look Grace, I know this is a huge ask, as you’re a girl and generally girls like to live with other girls, but Dan needs a place to stay, and I want to do him a solid. I haven’t exactly promised him the room, but I’ve told him I have one available. How do you feel about that, did you want to chat with Dan about it first?”

  Is Chad serious? What the hell am I going to do, say no to him right in front of Dan? Tell him who he can and can’t let live in the flat?

  “Sure, if you think he’s ok, then whatever, I guess,” I look at Dan, and he seems about as surprised at the situation as I do.” I pause, before continuing “It’s your flat, if you think Dan is okay then he’s okay, I guess.” I say, repeating myself, feeling annoyed and bad for Chad at the same time, he’s already doing me a massive favour and he needs someone in the flat.

  But Dan Swanson, really? I mean, for all the problems I have with the guy, I don’t find him creepy or anything. No, definitely not creepy. There’s no way you could possibly find Dan Swanson creepy. Just kind of dickish. Is that a word? I don’t think so, but I’m an author, I can make it a word in my next book.

  Chad looks at me thoughtfully before replying, “hmm, not that convincing Grace. Look, if Dan moves in then rent goes down for you. You were there first so if you have any doubts you just let me know and we’ll sort something else out, but for now you’d be doing me a huge favour.”

  I give Chad one of my thoroughly practised fake smiles “Okay, I guess we can give it a go.” I’m pissed. In fact, I’m more than pissed. I was totally railroaded here. Typical football players looking out for other football players, I should have expected nothing less.

  “Thanks Grace, that’s awesome. Oh and hey, Dan will be working the odd shift here as well, but you he won’t be taking any shifts from you, I promise.” And it gets even better. Great.

  Dan

  “Shit dude, it was the most awkward experience of my life. That girl, Grace Miller, was literally going off at me right before Chad walked in, next minute he’s telling her that I’m her new room mate. I had no idea that he already had Grace Miller of all people living in his flat” I’m looking ahead at the road as I drive back to campus.

  Jake slaps his thigh, finding the whole situation far more funny than me. "I mean dude, what are the chances of the only place you can move into straight away be the place that Grace Miller is living at?”He says, after a solid minute of laughing.

  I ignore Jake’s unhelpful commentary on my current predicament. “I get the feeling we won’t be seeing much of each other. I can’t miss a single class, Coach will be on my ass to be the first at training, the last to leave, and on top of that, I have to work at Chad’s bar as well.”

  Jake looks over, with a smirk on his face, “well, you might get to see her at work, buddy.” I give the comment the reply it deserves, which is nothing.

  The rest of the ride back, Jake is generally giving me shit about my situation. I mean, there’s not much left to do but just laugh at the giant shit sandwich that the universe has handed me to eat. It’s really un-fucking-believable how bad this year is turning out.

  Of course, if something bad happens and a football player is involved, everybody immediately points the finger at the football player. People can’t just see us like they would a normal 22-year-old guy. People think we’re arrogant. I guess that’s true for some people, but not me.

  So I get into a fight that wasn’t even my fault. I wouldn’t have needed to knock the guy out if he wasn’t trying to put drugs into Rachel’s drink. I wasn’t going to let shit like that happen. He got aggressive, we fought, he ended up in an ambulance. Everyone there saw what happened, but it doesn’t matter. Dan plays football, Da
n is a role model and Dan should be held accountable. Well thanks the Dean being a completely traitorous asshole, I get kicked out of the dormitories, because that’s where the fight happened. Not only that, but I get a suspension from the first game of the season. I bet if I was one of those silver spoon babies, my daddy could have had a quiet word with the Dean and all would be well, but not for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, Dan Swanson. My mom can’t even get time off work to see me on my birthday, and I don’t blame her for that, but things aren’t exactly easy. Anyway, enough complaining.

  I have 24 hours to left to move out of my dorm but I want to be gone tonight. I feel betrayed by the college, I would have avoided this if I stayed in the frat house, but the partying was getting old. Just like she promised, Rachel is at my place, not a minute later than she said.

  “Honestly Rach, you’re wife material. Has anyone ever told you that?” I ask, putting my arm around her shoulders.

  “Of course people tell me that Danny. So Chad came through for you, by the looks of it?” Rachel knows how things went down and she’s barely left my side since I received the news from the Dean.As many times as I said I didn’t need help, she’s here to help me move my things.

  “Yeah, I knew he would have something for me. Anyway, I could have always crashed with you if I got desperate” I say.

  Rachel rolls her eyes as she plops down onto my bed. “Oh honey, guys and girls a lot more desperate than you have tried harder and gotten less far.”

  I don’t own much, so it doesn’t take us long to load up my truck and head over to my new flat. It’s in a surprisingly nice part of town, a quiet area with trees lining the street. It’s a girly looking little cottage which definitely doesn’t look like it would fit more than two small cats in it, let alone two people.

  Grace

  My bus was running late so by the time I get back to my flat it’s well past midnight. I say good night to Todd, the bus driver, who is always on the night shift, and walk down the street to my little cottage. The scene out the front of my house makes my stomach turn upside down and my heart beat out of my chest.

  Dan is out the front, with a couple boxes in the back of his car, saying goodbye to the same girl who was with him at the party when he humiliated me. She’s getting into what must be her car, and doesn’t notice me on the sidewalk. He gives her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Great. I can only imagine the cute little dates I’ll be bearing witness to if she’s spending every weekend here. Nothing against her, but it dawns on me that my little cave of privacy is no more.

  “Hey, Grace. No time to move in like the present” Dan says, as I walk onto the front lawn, watching the girl drive off down the street in a brand-new Jeep. A grin flashes across his face, clearly finding his sarcastic remark funnier than I do. I snap back, triggered by the sarcasm in his voice.

  “If you think that you’re going to be having people over and throwing parties and stuff you can think again. This is a house of peace and quiet,” I huff.

  Dan looks pleased with my answer, before retorting with the same sarcastic tone “You don’t need to worry Grace, I don’t think we’d fit a pet goldfish in here let alone a third person.”

  Oh, so now he’s making fun of my house? “Well actually, I already have a pet goldfish so I hope you like a tight squeeze” He suddenly laughs “the tighter the better” he responds in between bursts of laughter. I’m an idiot. I stomp towards the door, and make a beeline straight to my room. As soon as I shut the door I realize that Dan has never actually stepped foot in the house, and regardless of how douche I think he is, it wouldn’t be nice if I didn’t at least welcome him in. I drag myself back out towards the front door, to find him standing with a duffel bag and three boxes on the front porch.

  I lift one of the boxes and take it inside, placing it in his room. By the time he has made it to the front door, I’ve moved in the other two, leaving him with only his duffel bag to take inside. He looks surprised as he steps through the front door.

  “Wow Grace, are you actually doing something nice for me right now?” I huff, exasperated by his sarcastic remark after my good deed.

  “I thought it would be nice if you were welcomed into your new home.” I say, relenting and letting him win the banter match.

  A more sincere look takes over as he takes a sincere tone “I appreciate it Grace, thank you. I know that I’m probably not the first person you’d pick for a housemate.” He says, surprising me with what I’m interpreting to be humility.

  “Well… you’re welcome. I know what it’s like to feel unwelcomed in someone’s home.” I say, feeling immediately guilty of my snarky remark. “Anyway” I continue “I’m going to do some writing,” and I leave before he can connect the dots with my last comment.

  Chapter 8

  Dan

  I take a seat in the living room in front of the tv. The couch is a 3-seater, yet small. I can lie down on it with my feet hanging over the end. There’s a decent sized TV, one of those fancy ones that has Netflix on it, and the Netflix button on the controller. To be honest, the place is actually kind of cozy. The living room leads into the kitchen, which doubles as a small dining room with a diner style booth to eat at.

  The house is essentially a big square. My room is obviously the smaller of the two, with the door at the back of the living room. Grace’s room is next to mine, which goes to the corner of the house. Together, our rooms make up the left side of the house. The kitchen is on the opposite side of the living room, with the bathroom in the middle.

  I decide to take a shower after moving all my stuff, which is the precise time I realize I don’t have any towels. It’s late, and I doubt any shops would be open selling towels. I enjoy the idea of having an excuse to annoy Grace a little. It’s not like I want to be mean or bully the poor girl or anything, but for some reason I feel a strange thrill when she gets all red and angry with me. especially when her voice starts to jump an octave. Yeah, I’m kind of freaky.

  I knock at the door and hear an annoyed groan on the other side.

  ‘What?’ is all I hear, the annoyance clear in her voice. I love it. I don’t want to push my luck seeing as I'm the one asking her for a favour, after all.

  ‘Hey Grace, turns out I don’t have any towels. Do you have a spare? I’ll return it washed and everything’. I ask, speaking to the closed door.

  ‘Oh, how gracious of you, returning my towel washed. And they say chivalry is dead’. Grace says, emphasising the fact that it's her towel, as her door opens and she hands me a pink towel, neatly folded into a square.

  She looks up at me, but I don’t see any annoyance on her face.

  ‘Well, are you going to say thank you, or did the lecture I gave you about manners at the bar earlier fall on deaf ears?’ Grace continues, as I stand there holding the towel.

  ‘Thank you, Grace. I humbly accept your generosity. She catches onto my sarcasm and gives a defiant look, serving me an answer with an equal amount of sarcasm ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what part of generosity you mean, letting you move into my personal place of peace and quiet, or lending you my towel?' Grace says.

  Damn, slam and dunk, score for Grace. ‘Well, both I suppose', I say lamely, and with that she closes the door and I hear her fall back onto her bed.

  ‘Oh, and you’re welcome Grace’ I shout out as I’m walking into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and turn on the tap. ‘Um excuse me, what in god’s name should I be thanking you for’?

  Bingo, this girl is like a fish in the lake, always taking my bait. I love it. ‘Well, for having your rent reduced, of course. I love helping people out, hell, I even like helping you out buddy’. Silence on the other side of the door. I take off my clothes and step into the shower. I thought she’d walked off, ignoring my last comment, before she replies only just loudly enough for me to hear her.

  ‘You’ve made it pretty clear we aren’t friends Dan’, and with that I hear her door close. Well that escalated quickly, when have I
ever made it clear we weren’t friends, I’ve only met her twice… is it because of how I acted at the party?

  I decide that our little game of verbal volleyball has taken a serious ending for the night, and decide to get some sleep. It’s not until I lay down that I realize how tiny my bed actually is. It is seriously a small child’s bed. Come on Chad.

  Grace

  It’s early. Too early. Who gets up this early, is this guy serious? It’s 6.30 am! I roll out of bed, my hair a tangled mess, so I work it into a bun. Dan is on the floor, doing push-ups, sweat glistening over the rippling muscles on his back. He doesn’t notice me, grunting as he keeps pushing up and down, up and down. I realize I’m holding my breath and haven’t moved for a good ten seconds.

  I’m out of my room now so there’s no retreating. I walk towards the kitchen, getting my favourite cinnamon cereal, and sitting down in the kitchen booth. Before my logical brain can stop me, I find myself turning my head to catch a glimpse of Dan, as I notice the grunting has stopped. He is sitting on the ground, leaning back on his hands, breathing heavily and looking straight at me. He doesn’t flinch when I catch him, but I act like a skittish wild animal and look the other way the second we catch eyes, looking back down into my bowl of cereal.

  Dan

  “You’re up early” I say, trying to keep the conversation light after last night, “well it’s hard to sleep when your new housemate is grunting 3 feet away in the living room.”

  I get up and walk into the kitchen, to stretch out my back in the doorway, “jeez Grace, I’m starting to get the feeling you don’t actually want me living here” I say, as I enter the kitchen.

  “Ya think? Chad didn’t really give me much option did he?” I think back to when he told Grace I’d be moving in, and she’s right, she didn’t really have much option. Sure he made it sound that way, but she wasn’t ever going to say no to him.