EXCITING NEWS! The Roommate Rulebook is now available as an audio book! You can get your very own copy on audible, iTunes, wattpad bandcamp and other audiobook retailers. I've worked super hard with both wattpad and Hachette, so would love for you all to hear it!
Please find the excerpt of the prologue above! :D
The Roommate Rulebook.
"This is it?" I asked, standing with one eyebrow raised in front of the small box room. My cousin smirked and nodded.
"What, not good enough for you?" he retorted. I frowned and gestured towards the bedroom with my head.
"I'd be surprised if I could fit in there, let alone my suitcase as well," I mumbled, taking in the room again. There was a single bed to the left with a cupboard wardrobe and small desk to the right. The laminated space between the bed and the desk was minimal but the room was better than living out in a youth hostel.
"I told you it was small on the phone," Dev said with a shrug. I shook my head, nudging my case inside the door with my foot before following him down the passage and into the front room.
"No, you said it was an ideal size," I answered. He slumped down onto the light brown sofa and stretched out, clearly making himself comfortable. I hesitantly picked up an old shirt from the arm of the chair and chucked it at him.
"You can't be more than five foot tall, how much room do you need?" he asked. I decided against arguing with him as he sniffed the shirt, grimaced and dropped it back onto the floor.
"You're gross," I muttered and he chuckled.
The room was somewhat tidy, the flat as a whole was cleaner than I had expected but the mess was unusual to me. Back at home, everything was spotless, Mum had a cleaner that came in weekly to make sure that every surface was polished and that every curtain was steamed. If anything, the untidy flat was relatively relaxing.
"You're gonna have to get used to it, Al, I've been living like this for two years and I'm not about to stop now."
And with that he turned on the T.V and increased the volume so that if I did have a response for that, he wouldn't have heard it. I took that as an opportunity to go and have a look around.
The kitchen was compact but complete with a microwave and coffee machine, so I had no complaints, and the bathroom was pretty nice. I frowned when I reached a fifth door, one that was sandwiched inbetween the bathroom and the airing cupboard.
"Dev!" I called but got no reply. With a grumble, I padded into the living room and pinched the sole of his foot. He made a strange squeak sound before frowning and muting the T.V.
"What?" he hissed, reaching down to rub his foot. I rolled my eyes at his action and pointed towards the hallway.
"What's with the other door?" Dev seemed to think it over for a moment before chewing the inside of his lip.
"It's the spare room."
"Is it bigger than mine?" I enquired and he nodded, sitting upright.
"Much."
"Can I have it instead of this one?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Why? How many hookers do you plan on keeping captive in there?" A grin spread across his face after my words.
"I don't need to keep them captive, they come voluntarily," he said, gesturing down his body. I rolled my eyes.
"If you pay them enough, which I'm sure you do." He shook his head.
"Don't need a hooker, I can go out on the pull pretty effectively, I'll have you know," he sniffed and I smirked.
"As much as I love discussing your sex life, why can't I have that room?" He sighed and ran his hands down his face.
"Because it's occupied by a lodger for five days a week," he admitted. Both of my eyebrows shot up so far I was surprised that they didn't get lost in my hairline.
"Lodger?" I echoed. He nodded.
"My friend lives here with me for five days a week. Didn't I tell you?" I shook my head frantically.
"No, you didn't!" I exclaimed. Dev rolled his lip inside of his mouth before slumping back down against the pillows.
"If it's too much of a problem, you can always go elsewhere. I'm sure that youth hostel down the road will be more than happy to take you on," he taunted. I left him there without an answer before heading back to my new room to unpack.
Unsurprisingly, not very many of my clothes were actually packed in my bag. I remembered packing my shorts and ripped jeans but they weren't there, which probably meant that my mum had sifted through and gotten rid of all the inappropriate items. That left me with three pairs of skinny jeans and several jumpers.
Moving in with my cousin was meant to be some kind of punishment. According to my mum, he was meant to be sorting my 'attitude' problem out, but after witnessing his lifestyle for nothing short of an hour, I was certain that her plans were ruined. Being a younger sibling isn't easy anyway but being the youngest to one that just so happened to win multiple science awards, both national and international, made life that little bit harder. I wasn't about to beat her achievements so I never bothered making any, I figured that I might as well have a bit of fun rather than swamping myself with work.
Being arrested for underage drinking three months ago had been the final straw and that was when they made the plans to send me up with Dev to finish college here, rather than back at home with my bad influence of a best friend. By the time I'd finished taking everything out of my case and putting them neatly on the shelves, I found that I was knackered. I hadn't slept on the train and the trip had been several hours long.
Manchester wasn't exactly what I'd call a neighbouring city to Exeter. Instead of bothering with food and my cousin again, I just decided to go straight to bed.
After brushing my teeth and sorting myself out, I folded myself into my covers and was out like a light within moments. My sleeping patterns were pretty regular and I was what most would call a heavy sleeper, so when I was woken up by the sound of the front door opening and footsteps going down our hallway, I was a little bit spooked.
Quietly leaning over, I checked the time on my phone to find that it was 3.30am, freaking me out that little bit more. The first thought I had was of the lodger but because Dev had said he was only there five days a week and in the few hours that I'd been settling in he wasn't there, I was almost certain that it wasn't him.
More sounds came from the living room which only made my heart beat faster. I took a deep breath and leaned over to grab the only thing I had in my room that was remotely helpful in a burglary situation. My hairspray. I'd gotten that stuff in my eyes so many times that I knew how much it hurt. Before getting out of bed, there was another thump and I considered calling the police.
Back at home, if I heard something downstairs, I'd merely walk three feet into the passage and get my dad up. Then he'd go downstairs to his doom while I waited in the safety of my parent's bedroom.
Attempting to calm my erratic breathing, I took a few steps towards my door, biting on my lip with nerves. I managed to silently crack it open, just in time to hear someone ruffle through a drawer. I was armed and petrified as I padded down into the passage and peered into the living room.
There was a dark silhouette in the corner by Dev's sideboard, hunched over the drawers. I frowned and breathed deeply, flicking the lights on. The stranger seemed startled but my adrenaline was on an all time high. I darted forwards and pressed down on the bottle, aiming straight for his face.
By the time I got there, I realised how much taller he was and made for my escape back towards my bedroom.
"What the?" I heard a shout from behind me as I shot around the bend, skidding in my socks. My panicked arms flew out to the sides and I felt some hands on my hips, pulling me back and towards the floor.
This was the end, I cried internally as my chin hit the floor and I was flipped onto my back with a bang. The long shirt I was wearing rode up to my thighs as I felt a weight land on my waist, holding me down with insane strength.
"Don't hurt me!" I yelped, flailing like a fish out of water. I heard a grumble and a grunt when one of my fists hit home. The sensation was short lived as he pinned me down, glaring at me through the slits of his eyes.
"What are you doing in my house?!" he growled. Before I could answer, the passage light flicked on and Dev appeared at the other end, staring at the stranger and I in disbelief.
"Dev!" I exclaimed, attempting a kick on my attacker, only to realise he had said the same thing. I looked up into his angry face with confusion and his expression mirrored mine.
"Ash, do you mind getting off my cousin? She's half naked so it's a bit awkward," Dev groaned, rubbing his tired face. Â 'Ash' didn't move from his position, making my stomach ache all the more.
"You know this psycho?" I hissed and Dev rolled his eyes.
"Alex, meet Ash, my lodger. Ash, meet Alex, my crazy ass cousin."
A/N: Vote and comment to lemme know what you think. thanks, all!
NECESSARY AUTHOR'S NOTE: A lot of people are saying about Alex getting caught underage drinking being incorrect with the fact that she is in college, about to go uni and under 18, so I feel like I should clear this up. I'll use myself as an example.
I am 17, just finished college and turn 18 in August. I can start University in September, so the ages do add up. The legal drinking age in England is 18, so the ages here do add up in certain circumstances. :)