What I Hate About You (#1 What I Hate About You)

Chapter 9

I turn back to my drawing.

Just as I put my pencil to paper, the phone rings. Groaning at the thought of picking up the phone, I put my sketch book down on the table and force myself off the floor to answer it. The phone is connected to the wall beside the doorway to the kitchen.

“What?” I answer, letting out a frustrating sigh.

“Hi, I was just wondering if Alex is there?” a guy’s voice asks.

Okay, who on Earth is calling me? No one ever calls me.

 “You’re talking to her. What the hell do you want and who is calling?”

“Alex, it’s me, Nathan.”

I almost drop the phone when he said his name. Nathan Bridges? Is he going to start stalking me by phone now? How on earth did he get my number? Why is he calling me? Doesn’t he have anything else to do? I thought I made it clear to him that I do not want to go out with him when I ripped up the rose in front of me.

“Nathan? Is it the same Nathan who handed me the rose in class today?” I ask, double checking to see if I have the right one.

“Yes, that’s me.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. I just wish everyone will just leave me alone. “What do you want now? Didn’t you get the message today that I’m not interested?”

“I just want to talk to you.”

“That’s nice, but I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t like you, okay? Get that into your head. I. Do. Not. Like. You.”

I hang up the phone. I didn’t even get a chance to walk away when the phone rings again. I groan in frustration. That better not be Nathan. If it is, I swear I’m going to scream.

I pick up the phone on the second ring. “What now?”

“Hi, it’s me again.”

This guy just doesn’t know when to quit. Doesn’t he know the meaning to ‘I don’t like you’?

I roll my eyes for the second time when I learnt it was Nathan on the other end of the phone. He better be glad he is speaking to me on the phone because if he was standing right here, he wouldn’t be standing for long. I ask him who had given my number to him.

“Lindsay,” he answers.

I slam the phone down. Just when I’m about to turn away, the phone rings for the third time. I am so going to kill Lindsay! Of course when I answer it, it’s Nathan once more. I tell him off and make him quit calling otherwise I’m going to find out where he lives and do horrible things to him. I slam the receiver down harder. I march over to the couch and sat down, continuing to draw, and hoping there won’t be any other interruptions.

Mum opens the door. Behind her is Dereck. I roll my eyes. Does he seriously have to walk into his house like he lives here?

“Hi, Alex,” Mum greets me. “How was your day?”

I ignore her.

“Alex, it’s not nice to ignore people when they ask you something,” Dereck says.

I look up at him and frown. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mother invited me for dinner.”

I look at my mother. She gives me a half smile. She knows I don’t like him being here.

“Dinner should be done in about an hour, sweetie. Is spaghetti okay for you?”

I ignore, closing my book and put Scottie onto my shoulder before walking pass the adults and went upstairs to my room. I decide to do some of my English homework.

Around six o’clock the doorbell rings. I immediately know who’s at the door without even going to answer it. I put my English book down on my bed, and step over to the window. I glance out to see who is at the door. I see my sister walking down front lawn with Simon, hand-in-hand. I feel disgusted seeing them together. Just imagining what he might end up doing with her on their “special” night sickens me. I wonder where he is taking my sister. They reach his car, and he opens the passenger car door for Lindsay before hoping into the driver’s seat. I watch them until the car disappears down the street.

I take a break from my homework and head downstairs. I don’t want to be near Dereck, but I know Mum will come up soon to tell me that dinner is ready. I walk into the kitchen to see Dereck setting the table. His back is to me. I narrow my eyes at him. I really hate it when he acts like he is mum’s new husband and the father of Lindsay and me.

“Oh good, Alex, you’re here,” Mum says. “I was just about to come get you.”

I watch her place the spaghetti onto three plates. Without saying anything I sit down at the table. Dereck places a glass of water down in front of me. I hate water. I grab the glass and went over to the sink and tip it down the sink.

“Sorry, Alex,” Dereck apologises. “I didn’t know what drink you wanted. I thought you might like water. Your sister always has water.”

I place the glass on the counter and turn to him. “Thank you for calling me fat.”

Dereck looks at me confuse and Mum turns to me, scolding to be nicer.

“I-I didn’t call you fat,” he says. “I just assume you would want water.”

“Lindsay only drinks water because she is too afraid of putting on weight,” I say.

I walk over to the fridge and grab a bottle of Coke. Mum comes up to me, grabbing my arm and making sure I look at her.

“Hey, please be nice to Dereck, Alex,” she tells me. “I know you dislike him, but I want you to be nice. I want you to like him. I know he isn’t like your dad, but the least you can do is try and show some respect. Now please apologise to Dereck.”

I roll my eyes.

“Alex, don’t roll your eyes at me when I tell you do something,” she scolds.

I turn to Dereck, who is just standing there staring at us. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,

 I walk over to my glass and pour the drink in before placing the bottle back in the fridge, and then sat back down at the table. Dereck sits across from where Lindsay usually sits. Mum sets our plates on the table and then takes her seat in between us.

We ate in silence. I keep my eyes focus on my food so I didn’t have to look at Dereck. I eat quickly so I could escape the silence. I do glance at Mum and she has her eyes on her food, stirring her fork around her food. She seems to not want to eat it at all. Something was on her mind, or she was probably trying to figure out what to say without me getting all bitchy about it.

I dump my cutlery into the dishwasher and then leave the room. Mum doesn’t talk until I reach the stairs. I stop to listen to what she has to say.

“I’m really sorry about, Alex.”

“Jean, it’s okay,” Dereck says.

I walk back to towards the kitchen so I can hear clearer. I hide behind the wall so they can’t see me.

“No, Dereck, it’s not okay. I just wish Alex could just show some respect for you.”

“She doesn’t think I’m replacing her dad, does she?”

“I don’t know what she is thinking anymore. I thought by now she would be over with her father leaving like Lindsay is. I can understand if she is angry about what happened, but I wish she didn’t drag everyone into it.”

I move away from the wall and head upstairs. I don’t want to hear the rest of the conservation.