Page 58 of My Roommate from Hell
“In that case, what if I promise to be a better roommate? You want that, right?” He drops to his knees. “Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”
I look down at him. “Can you get rid of the ghoul in the bathroom?”
“It’ll be tricky, but I can make some calls, see if I can find an exorcist.”
“Can you fix the carpet?”
“I’ll figure something out.”
I wouldn’t believe him if he didn’t seem so incredibly desperate. I’m not just doing this because of him, though. The internship is in the distance, a glittering prize I’d almost given up on after last night. And really, how hard is it to pretend to be boyfriends with someone? We already share a room. A lot of couples I knew in high school led pretty separate lives. We can attend a few events together and make a few cutesy posts and call it a day. An interview withVogue, TMZ,orRolling Stonewould be too much, but I’m realizing now I am in the position of power. If I don’t want to do that, I don’t have to.
“I don’t want to do an interview with any magazines,” I say.
“I understand, but Dad will expect we tell people.”
“We can do something withPoint Press,and that’s it, and even then only if Tyrell writes it.”
It could be a great opportunity for Tyrell, and I want him to have that.
“Dad won’t be happy, but that can be arranged. So you’re considering it?”
“I don’t know, it’s so risky.”
“I know I’ve been a bad roommate. And I’m really sorry about that. I promise I’ll be better, just give me this chance. I won’t let you down. Please say yes.”
Am I seriously considering this?
It shocks me that I am. It’s wild, especially to leap into something so quickly, but this could actually be a good idea. If he’s true to his word, then this could solve all my current problems.
“What if I meet someone I want to actually date?” I ask.
“Then we break it off or figure something out,” he says. “Do we have a deal?”
I look around the room. It’s somehow already messy. Bell is on my desk, licking her paws.
“Fine,” I say. “But if you go back to how you were before, I’m calling it.”
“Done.”
“And,” I say, “we have to end it by the end of the semester, no matter what.”
“I’ll be going back to Hell then, so that’s easy.”
I remember Ashley.
“I have to tell Ashley,” I say. “I can’t lie to her.”
“Can you guarantee she won’t tell anyone else?”
“I can,” I say. “Actually, she’ll have to tell her boyfriend, Jackson. But they’re the only two.”
I don’t love the idea of lying to Tyrell because we’ve been becoming good friends and this could ruin that, but if I am going to do this, I can’t see any other workaround. Tyrell knowing our relationship is fake would be way too risky: he could expose us to the entire world in one video.
“I need you to swear to me,” he says, serious. “Nobody else can know. Tyrell especially.”
It does hurt, because it means lying to him for the entire semester. But I can’t see any way around it.
“Fine, I swear I won’t tell anyone other than Ashley and Jackson.”
