Distracted By You: Book 1 in The Exeter Running Girls Series Read online

  Well, we both knew she wasn’t coming back at this rate. She was too drunk to drive and god knows what she had planned with Mr Something Special. She was really pleading with me not to be too angry.

  “Fine.” I scuffed the ground with my shoes, watching as the grit flew up from the pavement around my black heeled boots.

  “Thank you, thank you!” Her voice was delighted down the phone. “See you, hun.”

  “Damn, you hun!” I muttered, ensuring I had definitely hung up the phone first. My gaze drifted up to the night sky as I stretched my neck, but there were far too many orange streetlamps and car headlights to see the stars. It looked like I was walking back to halls. It would take about an hour from this side of the city centre, but it wasn’t as though I had a choice. I could stick to fully lit roads and I’d get there eventually.

  “In need of a ride?” A voice walked past my shoulder. I turned round sharply at the deep voice – it was Tyler Aritza, swinging his car keys and walking straight out to his car parked in one of the spots in front of the bar. It was a smart car, a BMW with tinted windows. It seemed the guy had money in the family.

  I looked round on the pavement, there was no one else he could be talking to.

  “You offering?” My voice high with surprise. I coughed surreptitiously, trying to remove the sudden squeak.

  He popped the keys and opened the car door, looking up and catching my gaze with his dark eyes.

  “I was. You coming?”

  I couldn’t get in a car with him, no chance. For one thing, I didn’t know the guy, so he was still sort of a stranger. I may have been beginning to sober up, but the tipsy part of my mind thought I might just go giggly all over him if I got in that car anyway. I was smart enough to know it would not be a clever plan.

  “No thanks, I’m going to walk,” I moved away from the car, crossing my arms over my body to shield from the cold and what had just happened. I started walking down the path, but the guy was not going to give up easily.

  “First year, right?” He leaned his elbows on the roof of the car, drawing me to look back and find his eyes in the tinted orange streetlights.

  “Yep,” I stopped, curious as to where this was going.

  “So you live in the campus halls?”

  “Yep again.”

  “That’s an hour’s walk easily.” He shook his head.

  “I’m a good walker,” it seemed Tipsy Me wanted to sound stupid tonight.

  “I’m sure you are, but wouldn’t you rather be home quicker than that? You’d also be walking through the dodgy end of town. Dark night, girl walking be herself. It’s asking for trouble.”

  I suddenly felt all my feathers ruffled at the insinuation.

  “If a girl is attacked it is not her fault.”

  “I didn’t mean that,” he shook his head and his dark eyes held mine, imploring me to believe him. “Believe me, I would never say that. Yet the world is not always a nice place.”

  “Are you trying to be chivalrous?” I cocked an eyebrow, surprised by this turn.

  “Maybe,” he smirked, slightly pleased with himself. “I just don’t like taking the risk. Do you?” His tall frame climbed into the car, not pushing me any further. His new tactic made me hesitate on the path. Neither did I move towards the car or away. Seeing me pause, he leaned over to the passenger side and popped the car door open, swinging it so the streetlamp light bounced off the paint of the door.

  He waited, just sat inside the car where I could no longer see his face.

  Maybe three toffee apple ciders had influenced me more than I thought. I found my feet walking back to the car and pretty soon I had climbed inside.

  “Alright,” I huffed with a sigh. “Before we go, have you been drinking?” I asked warily as he put the key in the ignition, his profile coming into focus in the darkness of the car.

  “Only half a pint two hours ago so you’re safe with me.”

  Safe? The nerves in my stomach did not agree! If nerves were little people they were standing on each other’s shoulders, causing a ruckus and commotion.

  He backed out of the space as I attempted to convince my cider-hazy mind to look at the road and not at him.

  “So, are you going to tell me your name yet?” His dark voice was gravelly in the confined space of the car.

  “You never asked,” my eyes seemed out of control as they drew back to watch him drive. His left hand rested lazily on the gearstick; his right was placed at the top of the steering wheel.

  “Maybe not,” he winced, perhaps recalling the memory of when Leonora had been whispering about him. “But I do remember hinting for it.”

  “Not the same thing,” I half laughed. “It’s Ivy.” I closed my eyes, briefly, hating the sound of my name. My parents once said they had chosen that name because it represented their love for each other – how it just kept growing. What a sick joke that now was. More like poison ivy.

  “Ivy. Nice name.” He turned a corner, his focus on the road. I wasn’t sure if he meant it. It was too dark to determine his facial expression and I was too tipsy for any perceptive skills to be on high alert. “Call me Tye.”

  “Tye? Like a necktie?”

  He shook his head, laughing quietly without humour.

  “With a y instead of an i. It’s not like I haven’t had those joke before.”

  “Sorry,” I cringed at the mistake and looked down at my handbag in my lap, suddenly wishing we had already reached my halls.

  “I have probably had that joke about as much as you have about the plant.”

  “Okay, I get it,” I waved my hand in the air, showing he could stop talking. “No more references to ties – necktie, cravat, bow or any other.”

  “Cravat? A little out of my class, princess.” The nickname snapped at my attention – my eyes lifted sharply back to him.

  “Whoa, less of the princess, chauffer,” I tried to refocus my eyes on the road, distracted by his smile that had been momentarily visible in the passing streetlamps. “Princesses get drunk on champagne rather than toffee apple cider.

  “Yuck,” he practically wriggled in his seat at the thought. “Who drinks toffee apple cider?” At his look of disgust, I raised my hand. “Course you would, princess.”

  “Less princess, please!”

  “Nah, I like it,” his smirk was now evident, even through the darkness. It peeved me, I found myself folding my arms again. “You better start giving me directions to your hall.”

  “Lafrowda block. Do you know it?”

  “Oh yeah. We’re fine,” he took the next turning away from town and headed back up to the campus. “So what happened to your designated driver?”

  “Leonora got drunk and went home with guy number four.” I kept my eyes through the passenger window, chastising myself for looking at him so much.

  “Number four? This week?”

  “This evening.”

  “Okay,” he drawled out the syllable, nodding thoughtfully. “What Benji says of her is beginning to make more sense.”

  “It was a competition between her and Ellie, they like the chase is all. That reminds me, I should introduce you to Ellie some time.” I turned my gaze back out of the window.

  “Why?”

  “Think you’d like her.” That was the gut-wrenching truth. If Leonora did not push his buttons, then Ellie certainly would. Yet being here in his car, alone… well, it was easy to pretend Ellie did not exist at this moment. Just as long as Tye kept talking I thought I would be happy. It was surprisingly easy to talk to him, and I gave up trying to train my eyes away and let them willingly slide back to ogle him. Hey, a girl can look!

  “If she goes home with four guys’ numbers from one night out, no thanks,” Tye shook his head just as we pulled up outside Lafrowda block. As we came to a halt, I rested my hand on the door handle – the ladybugs scattered across the back of my hand fell into the glow of the streetlights and I hesitated. One of the ladybugs was chasing the other, little fast lines drawn b
ehind him to show his speed. “Everything okay?” Tye noticed my pause, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “All good,” I replied chirpily, jumping out of the car, and ignoring my strange moment. I bent back down to look through the doorway with a smile. “Thank you for the ride.” It had saved a long walk home and now I had actually spoken to the guy I kept thinking about.

  “How often do you get stranded on a night out?” He leaned forward onto the passenger seat, causing the streetlight behind me to fall onto his features. He really was a good-looking guy – strong jaw line, dark eyes, stubble across his chin. Concentrate Ivy!

  “Not often,” I shrugged as though it were no big deal. Sure I was angry, but as I said, I could never be too angry at Leonora. The girl had some serious issues to deal with.

  “So it has happened before?”

  “Once or twice. Why?”

  His happy features angled down into an arrow, displaying anger. Wow, did he look livid.

  “It’s fine,” I waved it away with my hand.

  “It is not fine,” he shook his head and the muscles in his neck grew taut.

  “If it were an issue, it would be my issue to deal with. As it is, I’m fine with it. Okay?” As nice as the protective guy thing he was showing was, it was still my life and my decision. Sure I was peeved with Leonora, but this guy did not know the situation and really, in truth, did not have a right to comment. “Trust me, it’s fine. See you.” I shut the door and hurried inside, suddenly eager to run away and be gone from that angry look.

  I had only walked back once by myself through the darkness. Overall, Exeter was a very safe city – nothing of interest ever happened here.

  Chapter 2

  Apart from spying Tye at the back of the lecture hall in mechanics, I didn’t see him again for a few weeks, and certainly didn’t speak to him. When we did speak again, well… I say speak, I literally collided with him one day at the gym.

  “Whoa, princess, watch where you’re going.” We backed away from each other in surprise. So much so that I nearly tripped over the running machine I had just stepped off, I had to reach out to the handles to balance my weight and stop toppling over completely.

  As a student, I had discount for the campus gym, but today was my last session as I had cancelled my membership. I was in the middle of project Save Every Scrap of Money You Can Find. Running just outside would be a lot cheaper, but I wouldn’t be able to use the other fitness machines to keep up my fitness, so I was making the most of my last session, this meant I had sweated. A lot. I’m talking tomato red cheeks, rather unflattering against the white hair, sweat dropping down forehead into eyes and clammy under the neck.

  Well, the new year had not long begun, and I think this was going to be one of my most embarrassing moments of it. Crashing into the guy you think is as hot as hell when you’re all sweaty and disgusting. It’s hardly the greatest move anyone can make.

  “Oops, sorry,” I steadied myself with the running machine. “Stop calling me princess!” I clocked onto the nickname again and blew a strand of hair out of my eyes in exasperation.

  “It suits you though,” he winked and carried on past me.

  “Legs turned to jelly and not from exercise,” I whispered into the air. Despairing of myself even more, I cast a glance over my shoulder to see him take up position on a running machine next to a guy I didn’t know. He was a good runner, his athletic arms evident as he strode out on the machine. “Stop staring,” I berated myself and moved away, covering my face and the tomato-tinged cheeks to hide my embarrassment.

  “So, who is next on your list?” I asked Leonora and Ellie as they leaned over the coffee counter, silently getting a thrill out of listening to their exciting lives. I was making frappuccinos for them – this was their fifth time in as many days. They claimed they weren’t abusing my new staff discount card at the uni coffee shop. Strangely enough, I didn’t believe them.

  “Mine is a guy called Andreas,” Leonora spoke with a dreamy smile. “German, thick blonde hair, almond coloured eyes. Oh – he has dimples when he smiles too-”

  “Ellie, tell me yours before she gives me this poor guy’s measurements.” I passed them the first frappuccino with a pretend roll of my eyes.

  “Well, my next guy I haven’t actually met, but Leonora thinks I should go for him,” Ellie smiled sweetly, her beautiful dark eyes sparkling with intrigue.

  “Oh? Who’s that?” I looked over to her as I began the next frappuccino.

  “Tyler Aritza.”

  I nearly dropped the cup of ice – the cold cubes tipped over the edge and escaped across my hand.

  “Careful, Ivy,” Leonora said with a little worry. “You okay, hun?”

  “Fine, just slipped,” I fixed the frappuccino, suddenly eager to avoid their gaze. “Why him?” I mean, why, why of all people did she have to choose him.

  “Well, he wouldn’t go for me,” Leonora offered, twirling her spoon in her coffee. “So he will probably go for Ellie. We’re going to test out your theory. Fifty-fifty of the female-fancying population, right?” Damn me and my theories! It had been an entertaining night last term where we all got tipsy at Ellie’s playing board games and I came up with my theory. It did not seem so fun at that moment.

  “Right,” I smiled, hoping they couldn’t see how fake it felt. I passed them the second coffee, placing the cup down slightly heavier than I’d intended. I think Leonora noticed, she was always more perceptive than Ellie, but she didn’t say anything. Her gaze was too focused on the new ladybugs on my hand.

  “We have to go,” Ellie was pulling Leonora away. “See you at the party, yes?”

  I nodded to them both, unsure really what she had said, my mind concentrating on something else entirely. Remind me why I’m friends with two of the biggest flirts at the university?

  “Oh, Ivy, you just don’t understand. You don’t really know what he is like.”

  “He’s my dad. So I think I have a little idea.” My latest attempt at calming down my mum was not going well. Actually, that was an understatement. It was going catastrophically bad – like being on the other end of a nuclear bomb going off.

  They had argued for years. I was not so blind to not see that most happily married parents didn’t argue as they did. Even childhood birthday parties were home to arguments over chocolate caterpillar cakes, but I was still amazed they could give up on each after so long, and after all they had been through.

  I was in my room with my phone pressed between my ear and shoulder, perched in my desk chair as my hands busied themselves doodling. There were now four ladybugs on the back of my left hand. One of them was wearing a little top hat and carrying a cane. I kept dreaming of a tattoo – perhaps if I had a tattoo of a ladybug it would stop me wanting to draw one there.

  “Have you spoken to him recently?”

  “No,” which was sadly the truth. I had called him twice last week, but he had never answered. In a way, I was actually very glad. If he had answered, I wasn’t sure what I would have said.

  “He’s just so selfish.”

  Her insult took me by surprise and the pen jabbed harder into my skin than I expected.

  “Ow!” I pulled back the pen to see a bead of blood emerge from one of the ladybugs, turning the black outline into a fitting red splodge.

  “Darling, you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Paper cut.” It felt easy to lie. She didn’t need to know about my new weird habit. “I’ve got to go. Call you tomorrow?”

  “Okay, sweetheart.” Her voice switched from soft to bitterness once again. “If you do speak to your father, tell him he’s a hard-hearted bast-”

  I hung up the phone. A beat later I repeatedly tapped my forehead against the desk, ringing out a soft repetition of thuds.

  Divorce sucks.

  Being the only child when your parents are splitting up was also nauseous. Something in the back of my mind told me it would be nice to talk to someone going through it, who really understood it al
l. Receiving daily phone calls from my mum where we only spoke of the divorce and her heartbreak was gut wrenching. As though those little lady bugs had crawled up my arm and down into my skin, forming a pit in my stomach.

  I looked down at the ladybugs at the thought and wiped the bead of blood away.

  To top off my miserable mood, I had promised the others I would join them at a house party tonight. One where Tye was likely to be.

  I huffed before standing and pulling out my traditional skinny jeans from the wardrobe, throwing them on the bed. The last thing I needed to see was Ellie making out with Tye. It just wouldn’t exactly help to improve my bitter mood.

  Perhaps the skinny jeans were not a good idea.

  “Wow, I like this look,” Cara’s sing-song voice cooed in my ear as Leonora and I joined her at the party.

  “Thanks,” I looked down at the dress I had opted for. Short, black and white, low v-cut cleavage, it certainly suited my odd hair colour and stood out more than the jeans. I tried not to analyse why I had made this decision. It wasn’t as if I was trying to impress anyone… right? “How drunk are you Cara?”

  “Not enough!” Cara grabbed our hands and dragged us towards the kitchen. Only when she could swap her own hand in mine with a drink did she let go.

  I raised the glass of alcopop to my lips then stopped as my eyes fell on the dancing ladybugs on my hand. I suddenly didn’t feel like drinking anymore. I put the cup back down as Cara looked at me questioningly.

  “Not thirsty,” I shrugged, though I was painfully aware of Leonora watching me carefully. “Whose house is this by the way?”

  “Nobody knows!”

  It was a busy party. Instead of taking part in her usual competition with Ellie, Leonora stayed with Cara and me to drink, dance and generally chat. Cara tipped dangerously from tipsy to very drunk, whilst the two of us stayed completely sober. Leonora was taking her responsibility as designated driver very seriously after her recent mishap.

  I always think parties are a lot better when you do drink, yet I still didn’t feel like I wanted to pick up that glass. Leonora knew this, perceptive as ever, constantly passing me fanta instead. Tonight alcohol would just bring back memories of something that had happened long ago. Something that had started my parents evolving from bickering, to full on shouting matches. I did not want to think about it that night.