Someone Like You Read online

  Someone Like You

  Izzy Hodder

  Austin Macauley Publishers

  Someone Like You

  About The Author

  Dedication

  Copyright Information ©

  Acknowledgement

  Prologue

  Chapter 1FebruaryThe Story of Mum and Dad

  When We Met

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3My Much Braver and Better Best Friend

  Chapter 4The Man Who Would Do Anything for Me

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6My Reputation

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8MarchThe First Time (Or That Time)

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12AprilThe First Time Luke and I Fought

  Chapter 13Lily and Her Drink and Why I’m Probably a Terrible Person

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15MayThe Real Reason Tara Got Sick

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18June

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20July

  Chapter 21The Worst Birthday I Ever Had and Something You Don’t Know About Me

  Chapter 22August

  Chapter 23Just a Day in Time

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Izzy is a 21-year-old girl from Moate, Ireland. Her whole life, Izzy has enjoyed writing. She now lives in Dublin and studies Mental Health Nursing in Trinity. Her main loves in life are travelling and making strangers friends. Her hobbies include pole dancing, collecting pineapple-shaped stuff and eating Reese’s peanut butter cups.

  Dedication

  For girls, all of you, everywhere. Always stay somewhere between delusion and ambition.

  Copyright Information ©

  Izzy Hodder (2019)

  The right of Izzy Hodder to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781528915182 (Paperback)

  ISBN 9781528915199 (Hardback)

  ISBN 9781528961141 (ePub e-book)

  www.austinmacauley.com

  First Published (2019)

  Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

  25 Canada Square

  Canary Wharf

  London

  E14 5LQ

  Acknowledgement

  I should probably start my acknowledgements with a big thank you to where the whole inspiration for Someone Like You came from. I was on YouTube and I came across (somehow!?) a massive amount of video of young girls telling their own stories of becoming pregnant young. It made me realise how underrepresented the topic is. Why didn’t we have more books dedicated to these amazing young women? I didn’t know why, so I wrote one. So thank you to all of you brave girls who told their stories to the world.

  My incredible family also all deserve a thank you.

  My Tomato, who opened my manuscript, read for a second, turned to me and said deadpan, ‘Engaging first line Izz.’ Thank you for the endless support and probably being the only person who ever called me funny.

  My little man, I think you’re going to write some amazing books one day, but until then thanks for offering to give me the epic stories that enter your head….I’m going to let you write them though. I’m not sure I fully understand.

  Of course, my B.B cream, you are a series in yourself. Thanks for never ever failing to make me smile.

  To my mom, who let me write a book instead of studying for my Leaving Cert. and always encouraged me to be the most me there is. Because of that, Someone Like You exists. My love for you is bigger than anything. Sun, stars and moons.

  For my father dearest, I know you’re waiting for the day I write a bestseller about rocks. You’ll be waiting a while so thank you for supporting my other crazy stuff.

  To Kylie, for being a beautiful person inside and out. You are so selfless and so kind.

  To Eamon, whose advice I’d pretend to always ignore but really did listen to. Thank you for giving me Alucard, that was my first book to finish and that started it all.

  And, of course, for all the rest of my family, my pretend brother. Ben/Eoinie, thanks for never writing back (it made me write more), being a better skier, but a worse dancer (sorry it’s true).

  I’m blessed to have so many more incredible people and friends I want to thank.

  My jellyfish, of course, thank you for simply existing. For reading a page and getting bored but telling me it was amazing anyways. You’ve got my back before I even tell you what for and for that I can’t be thankful enough. Love you, obviously.

  DreDra, you listened to every single bizzare book idea of mine on our long walks every day for years. You deserve a medal alone for that. Oh also, the tan, thank you.

  To my primary school girls, who are all such characters that I couldn’t make up anyone as great as them.

  My Bed Buddy/Berlin Wall, for always making me laugh and the best toasties ever.

  My Amputee, for letting me dance with your kitchen utensils.

  My Edward Cullen, for being a vampire and creating whole new worlds for ourselves to live in. Bites are fun, right?

  And my partner in musicals, Jenny, I’ll never forget the time we escaped from gay camp.

  To an old man who’s younger than me (thanks for calling me an egg). Your never-ending support means a lot more than words and we always get them wrong with each other so I won’t even try.

  To the Bower, all my teachers and the whole class of 2017(just because I love that place so much) and the beautiful people it brought into my life.

  My starfish, who always, always believed in me. And made me feel special. You’re going so many places.

  My pumpkin-spiced latte, you’re sweetness and encouragement I’ll always love. I have learned so much of it from you.

  To Oblin2458, you are always you and that is so, so, so inspiring.

  Laina Bear, my partner in riots. You’re drive and passion for causes and people is beautiful.

  My Megsta, some friendships surprise you with their reliability and love. Ours did this.

  And to my lil’ gang, just the galz. You girls are support and love in three people. Thank you so much for making me feel at home in a new place.

  Now I could go on, and on, but I’ll just say this: if you are in my life or ever were in my life, I’m thankful. Also thanks to chance and life for simply me being here and alive.

  Prologue

  It was a cold February day when I found out I was pregnant. I was seventeen years old. In that moment, my life was changed forever. I’m not the girl you’d expect to get pregnant. I led a sheltered life, a happy life. I wasn’t naïve, I knew what I was doing and I knew the risk, I just never thought I’d be in the 3%. Like all of us do every single day, I simply thought, things like that don’t happen, to people like me.

  Chapter 1

  February

  It’s crazy that the first thing you think about after peeing onto that stick is your parents. It’s not yourself or your own future or all the plans and dreams you had. It’s your mum’s reaction and your dad’s face when the realisation hits him. I couldn’t do that to them, was my first thought, yet I had was my second. I knew I w
ouldn’t be able to keep it from them for long. The guilt was already growing enormous inside of me. I stood up in the public toilet cubicle. I was in a Starbucks. How bad does that sound. I was in a Starbucks when I found out I was pregnant. Tell that story to your grandkids. I threw the test box and stick into the bin, looked in the dirty mirror, rubbed my tired eyes and walked back out.

  “Amy! Hey what took you so long; the guys are waiting at the park for us,” cried Lily. I was in a daze. I honestly don’t know how I was functioning. I don’t think I fully understood what was happening, or about to happen.

  “Oh Lily,” I froze at the table where her and my other best friend Tara sat sipping Caramel Frappuccinos.

  They both stared up at me. “You look kind of pale Amy,” said Tara, ever the blunt one bless her.

  “I think I’m coming down with the flu,” I lied. “I feel awful I might just head home.”

  “But, Amy wait; this was going to be our last girls night out! You know we won’t be out half as much soon, with exams and everything? Are you sure?” Lily argued.

  “Thanks Lily, but I’m sure. I need to rest, I’m sorry! I’ll see you guys tomorrow, have fun! Love you.”

  I walked out the door into the cold air of London’s February breeze. Mum would be home from work and Dad would be on his way. I had to tell them, they deserved that at least.

  The Story of Mum and Dad

  My parents were in college when they meet. Dad was doing medicine and Mum was studying to become a nurse. Dad says mum fell for his leather jacket and messy hair, Mum says she’s always wanted a doctor for a boyfriend but not a husband but hey that’s what happens right. When they started dating in third year of college, everyone called it puppy love. Black and white pictures showed them all over each other at concerts, lectures, college balls, road-trips, everything. They were as thick as thieves, my nanny Rose would say, referring to the many times my dad would somehow be there for breakfast but never there the night beforehand, claiming he had just popped over after his morning run. Neither of them had a relationship before each other. Mum, however, graduated three years before Dad was due to finish. There were loads of jobs for her in Australia and she wanted to travel. I’ve found her diaries from the time and I almost cry when I read them.

  “I can’t believe I broke up with Jacob today. It’s stupid and soppy but I feel like I’m leaving behind a piece of me. I know Dad doesn’t approve of his attitude, or the way he is at times but I love him. I really do, even if I’m leaving him. I’ll leave him behind, but he’ll never leave me.”

  Then a couple of weeks later the entries talk of parties and Australian boys; barbecues on the beach and everyone falling asleep around the campfire after work. Mum didn’t forget to live, she moved on I think. She even got involved in a short fling with a girl whose eyes she swore held the universe inside them. Meanwhile, Dad was still studying, his friends that he still has from college all say he mopped around, drank too much and failed a couple of exams for a few months before shaking it off and getting into a serious relationship with a girl called Lisa four years younger than him. She was studying tourism and I think he was attracted to her youth and sparkle, something he failed to find in people his age other than my mum. So it had appeared that he had moved on too.

  But then exactly one year after Mum moved away; Dad’s name popped back up in her diary.

  “I decided last night, after too many tequilas, that I needed to move. I’m falling too much here, but not into anything good. Eliza was fun but I don’t actually love girls. Josh was great but I mean, he’s never going to love something more than his board and that’s okay. I think I’m going to move to Melbourne. They say it’s colder there and I wouldn’t mind buying a few jumpers. A photo I thought I’d lost fell out of an old book I had today. It was of me and Jacob. A part of me still aches when I hear someone say that name, or I think I hear his voice from time to time. It’s funny because I thought or think I’ve moved on but I’ll never forget our love. I guess some loves just fade away as time passes, and others, well I guess other loves fade into us as time passes.”

  Two weeks later Mum moved to Melbourne. She found a job, an apartment and a cat, named Blue because she found it behind her blue bin out the front.

  A month later Dad’s college offered three students the opportunity to study abroad for a year in a partnering university. Dad won the scholarship and by chance was sent to the University Hospital in Melbourne. He moved there three weeks later.

  Two days after Dad arrived in Melbourne, he was rushing on his way to one of his first lectures. He had bought new shoes that kept untying so he was looking down at them.

  At the same time, Mum was tying a scarf around her neck with a coffee in her other hand, late for an appointment with the dentist. She wanted braces and had been saving for months.

  Neither of them saw each other until Dad leaned down to tie his shoelaces and Mum’s scarf flew away from her in the wind and landed at his feet. They looked at each other and that was that.

  How do I do it, was all I could think walking home. What if Mike’s home already? I pulled my key out of my back pocket to open my front door. We lived in one of those typical London houses, five storeys high and narrow with a tiny back garden. Mum had it showered in Dahlias and Daffodils and she even owned another two plots down at the local gardens. Our house always smelled good, and today as I walked in, the fresh scent of poppies hit me straight away. I shrugged off my jacket

  “Hello,” I called out, no response. I bounded up the stairs only to hear the shower running in my mum’s bathroom.

  “Yo, Amy.”

  I spun around, I hadn’t seen Mike behind me, he was talking in all this weird slang these days but for a fifteen-year-old-boy, he wasn’t too bad.

  “Mike, hey,” I said taking the next flight of stairs to where my bedroom was.

  “Wait, Amy I want to show you my new pictures,” he raced up the stairs after me, his laptop underneath his arm.

  I sighed, but only mockingly. Really I loved looking at Mike’s latest pictures, it was like watching little clues into his life, where he’d been, how he’d captured it.

  “Sit down and show me, what old building did we break into this weekend?” I joked, referring to how Mike and his friends were always finding old dilapidated houses and schools to crawl into and wander around, taking actually really good pictures of what they discovered.

  “It’s crazy Amy you’ll never believe what we found down near the wharf! It was like this great old B&B maybe? There were tons of rooms, like eleven stories but it looked just like a normal house! Super creepy and on the inside there was all bedrooms, but some messed up shit definitely happened there.”

  I interrupted, because when Mike gets excited he can just talk and talk.

  “What kind of messed up stuff?” I asked, “And who did you go there with? Doesn’t Rob get scared when it gets at all spooky and isn’t Liam away with his dad this month?”

  I know, who was I to be protective and all in the right when here I was after getting pregnant, but still, he was my little brother.

  “Chill Amy, I was there with someone else, anyways it was cool okay.”

  I nodded.

  “Sorry Mike, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that, it’s, it’s been a hectic day.”

  Mike rolled his eyes and stood up, “what had a fight with your boyfriend or something stupid like that, honestly Amy open your eyes, the worlds a bit bigger,” and with that he walked out of my room.

  “Arghh,” I groaned out loud and flopped back on my bed.

  “Amy, is that you hunny?” Mum yelled out, the shower off.

  “Yep, I’m home,” I yelled back.

  She knocked gently on my door before opening it.

  “Hey you, tough day at school?” I sat up; my mum was so pretty, even standing there in her towel with her wet hair drying on her shoulders. Her eyelashes were longer when they were wet and her red lips stood out even more against her sallow ski
n. My heart sank.

  “Something like that.”

  “Aw, well don’t worry. I’ve got your favourite in the oven! If Luke’s coming over later that’s fine,” and with that name’s ink left dripping in my mind, she shut the door.

  Luke, Luke, oh god Luke, every single inch of me wanted him to be beside me in that moment.

  When We Met

  “I think you dropped this,” said the boy with the glasses and the blonde, floppy hair. He sat behind me in geography. We’d never spoke before. But then again it was only the third week of school. I turned around to see him picking up my bumblebee eraser. I blushed violently. He was cute. I hadn’t noticed that before.

  “Thanks,” I said trying to hide my embarrassment. Of course my first encounter with a boy in my new school would have to involve my beloved bee eraser from 6th grade. I turned back around with a smile. A few moments later there was a tap on my shoulder. Then a folded sheet of paper landed on my desk. I nervously picked it up and unfolded it quietly while the teacher talked about the formation of a volcano.

  ‘Random fact – Did you know bee’s communicate by dancing, not too sure how I’d fair if I had to be a bee…’

  I smiled and scribbled down something on the back of the folded note and subtly put my hand behind my back. He plucked it out.

  This went on for weeks. We rarely spoke or even saw each other much outside of this class. It was the only one we had together that year. One day though I stayed back late in class to talk to the teacher about my last essay. It was last period and when I walked out of the class the boy with the floppy hair was there, I knew now his name was Luke.