Misguided Truths: Part Two (Misjudged #4)
Read Misguided Truths: Part Two (Misjudged #4) Online
Authors: Sarah Elizabeth
Copyright © 2014 by Sarah Elizabeth
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or passed, is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.
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This book is intended for adult readers only due to the sexual content and some strong language.
COVER DESIGN by ZK Designs & Sarah Elizabeth.
FORMATTED by Sarah Elizabeth
EDITED by Sarah Elizabeth
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I t
ake one step away from the bar, and shake my head to accentuate my words, “No. No way.” She doesn’t like the word no, I know this, and so I’m waiting for her to stick out her bottom lip at any… oh, yeah.
There it is.
“You’re going.” S
he states firmly while raising her eyebrows up high.
I throw the bar cloth down
, and turn to grab some more empty glasses from off of the tables up front, “Nope. Not gonna happen, Rach.”
She lets out a sigh, and when I glance over my shoulder, I see her following me around the room, “Yes it is. It is going to happen, and I‘m not wasting any more time arguing with you about this. I have better things to do on my only day off this week.”
“You didn’t seriously come all the way out here just so you could try and persuade me to go to some dumbass college ball thing?” Smiling at the two women who are seated by the window when I walk by them, I grab some empty dishes from off of the corner table, and almost bump right into her when I turn back around.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you
, but I’m really not gonna go. And, besides, I volunteered to pick up a couple of extra shifts this weekend, and I’m working ‘til close tonight. So …
I win
.” I flash her a wide grin as I go to walk by her.
She places her hand across my chest
, and steps right in front of me, blocking me from being able to get any further, “No, I didn’t come here only for this, but … okay, yes. Yes, I did. And, Brandon, you don’t. You’re not winning because, well, it seems that I already won!” She’s starting to look a little smug, and she crosses her arms across her chest, raising her chin up higher as though she actually thinks I’m gonna back down.
“Rach.” M
y shoulders tense, and my eyes narrow on her when I see a beaming smile crossing over her lips. “Hmm …what did you do?” I ask, eyeing her with extreme caution.
Over her left shoulder
, I see Layla walk behind the bar, “Hey, Layla!” I call over to her, which makes Rach drop her hand and turn around. “Can you tell this extremely stubborn friend of yours over here that I’m down to work tonight, and she needs to start allowing me to get on with doing the job you’re paying me to do?”
“He’s free tonight.
” I see her shrug her shoulders nonchalantly while she goes to open up the cash register.
“What? No. No, I specifically remember writing my name up on the board a couple of nights ago,” I head right over
, walking around the back of the bar to show her. Roaming my eyes over the white board, I look for tonight’s staffing list.
Huh
. My name’s not up there. “There’s gotta be some kinda mistake. I definitely—”
“Oh, didn’t I mention? My extremely stubborn friend over there is also very persuasive when she wants to be. So persuasive, in fact, that you now have the night off.”
When I turn back around to face her, I see Rach taking a seat on one of the bar stools. She rests her chin in her hands, her smile is still wide, and her eyes are dancing with her seemingly newer found amusement, “You think you’re both funny? Well, I hate to burst both of your little bubbles here, but I don’t even own a tux.”
Yeah, that ought to do it.
Layla pats my shoulder
a couple of times, and throws me what looks to be a sympathetic smile before she heads out the back, and when I turn to Rach again, I see her waving a bag up in the air, “You do now!”
“You didn’t.” M
y voice falters. “Tell me you didn’t.”
Yeah, and now I’m not feeling so confident.
“Oh, I did, Brandon. And, it’s nonreturnable. So, are you really going to have me waste four hundred dollars on—?”
“Four hundred dollars!” I swear my jaw just hit the ground, and I notice a few of the people around the bar starting to stare at the two of us. I lean in closer. “Tell me you didn’t spend four hundred dollars on that shit!” I whisper, so I don’t draw any further attention our way. My eyes widen when she lifts the black and white tux from out of the bag.
She attempts to pass it over to me, but I step back, hold my hand up, and shake my head again, “Don’t you want to see it?”
“No! Rach, listen. You can’t go spending that amount of cash. Are you crazy?”
Her eyebrows have begun to furrow, and a frown is forming over her mouth, “Why are you so against the idea of going?”
“Well, firstly, I’m not here for this kinda stuff. We both know why I’ve come to Seattle, and we also know that I can’t afford to give up the opportunity for extra work. With my tuition fees and everything else, I need every single dime I can get a hold of right now.”
“It’s one night, Brandon.
One night
. And, if you’re so worried about the cash then I’ll happily give you what you would have earned for missing your shift tonight.”
I stand straighter
, and rest my hands on my waist while narrowing my eyes on her, “Why are you so determined on this?”
“Well, we don’t know how long you’re going to be here, and it would make me feel a whole lot better if you started to make a few friends. I hate that you’re on your own. It’s not healthy to work all the time or just sit in you room when you’re not.”
“Alright, listen.” My voice is a little softer now because I can see that she’s only doing this because she cares about me. I lean over the bar, resting my hand on top of hers. “I spent pretty much the last eighteen months with only myself for company. Well, technically I wasn’t on my own, but you know what I mean. And, to be honest, I kinda like spending time by myself. I’m a pretty cool guy to be around, y’know?” Her eyes dance with amusement again, and she almost,
almost
, cracks a smile. “The only friend I need is sitting right here in front of me.” I add with a little more seriousness now. It’s true. I’ve got Rach; I don’t need anybody else.
She appears to be thinking over something for a
second before smiling solemnly, “So, you definitely won’t go to the ball?” She asks in defeat when she lifts her gaze back to meet with mine.
“No. I’m sorry, but going to some dumb college bal
l really isn’t an option for me,” I squeeze her hand once before removing it from hers, and then turn and reach for another bar cloth. “Don’t look at me like I just lost your kitten.” I say when I see her watching me through the mirror that’s set behind the lined up bottles of liquor along the wall. She gives me a small smile, and lets out a sigh while shrugging her shoulders.
“Okay, have it your way.”
***
“You look great!” I hear her sa
y brightly, and this makes me glare directly at her through the reflection in the mirror. She’s standing behind me with her hands clasped firmly together. “I told you that you would. Ever the pessimist, Mr. Taylor!” She steps forward, and then starts messing around with the collar of the white shirt she bought for me.
“I look like a penguin. A stylish penguin, granted, but still a fucking penguin,” I turn around and let out a deep sigh. “Whoa! What’s that?”
“What? This?” she holds up a black rag in front of me. “It’s a bowtie of course.” She rolls her eyes before lifting it up and around my neck.
I raise my eyebrows
, sliding my hands inside my pants pockets when I see the concentration washing over her face, “You do know that I’m just gonna walk into the tent, wait for five minutes until I know you’ve left campus, and then walk right back out again, don’t you?”
“Quit slouching
your shoulders,” she insists, and my eyes widen with surprise when I feel her slapping at my pants. “Get your hands out your pockets! You know this is a big event, don’t you? It’s like one of the biggest nights until you graduate, so stop acting like some rebellious teenager!”
“I am a teenager,
” I keep my face straight, and cock my head to the side. She actually looks as though her head’s about to explode.
“No, you’re not! Not anymore. Now, will you just do as you’re told for once?”
“Yes, momma,” I lift up my right hand and salute her like the good little boy I supposedly am, but I’m unable to control my laughter any longer, and this action alone earns me another slap, this time across my stomach. “Geez, Rach!”
Knock! Knock!
A wide smile crosses over her face, causing me to immediately narrow my eyes on her again, “Are you expecting somebody?” I ask, though she really shouldn’t be, I mean, we’re in my dorm, after all.
“No, but you are!” she practically sings her words while making her way
toward the main door. “Hey, Mark! He’s almost ready.”
While shaking my head, I make my
way through to the bathroom to rake some gel through my hair, enjoying the first couple of minutes peace I’ve actually managed to get since she walked into the bar earlier this afternoon.
Mark
also works at the bar, and is a friend of both Rach and Layla. I should’ve realized she would pull something like this. Where’s the trust, y’know? Did she actually think that I wouldn’t go there on my own? Okay. You got me. Of course I wouldn’t have. She knows me too well, and it’s kinda scary.
It’s been almost three weeks since I walked through the campus gates for the first time. Classes start on Monday morning, and though I’d seen the flyers pinned up all around campus about the ball tonight, I had absolutely no intention of attending it whatsoever. I guess she’s right in a way. I have been constantly working my ass off, but I need to, she knows this. The way I see it, attending some college ball is the last thing I need to be doing.
Once my spikes are, well, spiked, I make my way back into the living area and see Rach and Mark talking by the couch.
“So, has she hired you to be my sitter for tonight?” I muse with him as he stands with a smile. “Just so you know, I like warm milk with my cookies before you put me to bed, and I always stay up past ten o’clock on a weekend.” I laugh when
I see him turn away from her, and it’s pretty obvious that he’s trying his hardest not to laugh along with me.
“You’re already running late
, so I’ll get out of here. Please try and have maybe a little bit of fun tonight,” she stands and places a kiss on my cheek. “Call me tomorrow.”
When she closes the do
or behind her, I let out a sigh, “Okay, so now she’s left, you’re welcome to do the same, bro.” I loosen the bowtie, and slump down on the couch while reaching for the TV remote.
Before I have a chance to grab it, I see Mark pick
it up and holding it away from me, “I promised your sister that I’d make sure you go, and she wants photographic evidence. Now, I know she’ll come down on you a hell of a lot harder than she will me, but I’d rather not risk it. She looks and sounds like she could be pretty brutal.”
Smiling at the way he referred to Rach as being my sister, I think over what he just said, and then let out a sigh in defeat
. He’s right. She can be brutal, “Fine. Fine. We’ll go, but I’m staying for no longer than thirty minutes. Take some photos as soon as we get there, and then we can separate. Deal?”
“Fine by me.” H
e nods, and makes his way over to the front door. Grabbing the eye mask that Rach was so adamant on me wearing tonight, I place it over my eyes and adjust it until it feels a little more comfortable, and then grab my keys from the coffee table before following after him.
“Alri
ght, let’s get this over with.”
***
Yeah, and this is exactly why I didn’t wanna come.
“What’s with the music, bro?” I ask Mark when we step inside the tent. “Tell me.
Other than Rach being a bully, why were you so willing to come here tonight, anyways?”
He shakes his head, “The women,” he answers while blatantly staring at the group of around five females who are just walking by us. “Did you see the rack on
the one wearing the red dress?” Usually this type of conversation wouldn’t make me feel uncomfortable in the slightest, but, well, it just did.
“Do you think you could maybe lower your voice a little bit?” I tilt my head
toward her. “The one with the rack doesn’t look so happy that you’re talking about her in that way.” I start to laugh when we both look back over to her.
Yep. She just flipped him the bird.
“He doesn’t get out much,” I point to him while calling over to the girl, and then smile my apologies her way. I
then grab a hold of his arm, and drag him toward the refreshment table. “Don’t you know anything about women?” This earns me a shrug of the shoulders as his response.
We have a couple of drinks, and
then he takes a few photos with his iPhone. Me posing with a bottle of beer, one of me smiling sarcastically with one of the passing servers, and then there’s another one of me sitting in the corner of the tent while pretending to take a nap.
We start talking about work, though the conversation is soon cut short when Mark decides to try his luck with the girl who just walked by wearing a green dress. I watch how he interacts with her
, and instantly roll my eyes. For the whole time he’s been standing with her, he’s been staring directly at her chest, not even once making any attempt to gain eye contact with her.