Disclaimer: I do not own Hemlock Grove or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

A/N: It's been more than a year since I've updated this story. Sorry guys. What can I say? I'm awful when it comes to updating. Yikes. But here's a new chapter. Rest assured this story is not abandoned. Not totally anyways. Updates are just here and there. I gotta admit I missed writing Imogen and Roman scenes. Such an interesting duo.

Also when writing the scene with Roman and Agatha I just kept thinking about Gilmore Girls, more specifically any scenes with Lorelai and Jess because we all know how she wasn't a fan of his in the earlier seasons. But to be fair Jess was a jerk to her. Anyways, I just picture Agatha and Roman having the same relationship because we're all aware by now that Agatha doesn't trust or like him. And Roman...you guys are going to find out how he behaves in this chapter.

I do own the song mentioned in this chapter. Enjoy!

"I don't want to see you. I don't like you. I don't like your face. You look like an insufferable egotist. You're impertinent. You're too sure of yourself. Twenty years ago I would have punched your face with the greatest of pleasure." ― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

Chapter 12: I don't like him

Imogen felt suffocated.

The raven haired teen was now inside Roman's truck, and it was just the two of them.

After Letha and her finished shopping they met up with Roman at the ice-cream shop. The dark blond teen had been waiting for them there with saved seats. When they arrived they saw that he hadn't ordered anything, and Roman explained it was because he was waiting for them.

The moment Imogen took the seat next to Letha (purposely of course), Roman wasn't shy on asking her what she wanted. The seventeen year old politely declined wanting anything. She didn't miss the way Roman narrowed his eyes at her and she worried that Roman was going to be persistent like he'd been when at the coffee shop. Thankfully that hadn't happened thanks to Letha.

The kind blonde Godfrey didn't push on why Imogen didn't want anything, she just accepted her answer. Letha went on to happily order a Fudged Sundae with all sorts of toppings, candies mostly. Imogen thought the ice-cream looked pretty with all the different kinds of colors of the candy, but she didn't miss Roman's slightly grossed out expression. The murky green eyed teen was in disbelief that his cousin had actually ordered that.

Roman himself ordered a simple chocolate cone. He gave Imogen a knowing look when he took the first lick, making the raven haired girl avert her eyes. She was irritated because she knew exactly why he'd done that. No matter how much annoyance she felt the seventeen year old didn't comment on it. She didn't want to cause a scene with Letha there. The kind blonde teen thankfully hadn't noticed her cousin's rude behavior.

Now unlike with the ice-cream, Imogen couldn't deny Roman giving her a ride home. The main reason why was because he put her bike in the back of his truck. He did that without even asking her permission. That almost made Imogen yell at him. She didn't like him touching her bike. She had to remind herself that Letha was there...so she settled with glare instead. One that Roman hadn't missed and his only response to that was a smirk.

Letha had been dropped off first. The blue eyed blonde didn't leave without leaning over the seat to give Imogen a hug. The contact took her by surprise, but also Letha telling her to sit up front. Imogen didn't want to but Letha kept insisting in that sweet voice of hers. It was becoming clear that it was harder to deny Letha than it was Roman because of her kind personality.

And now there she sat in the front passenger seat.

Imogen kept silent, not uttering a single word to the Godfrey boy. Instead she focused on staying calm. Roman wasn't speeding by any means but that didn't mean she was going to drop her guard.

Roman took a quick glance her way and noticed the way she was fidgeting with her fingers that were on her lap. Before focusing on the road again he also saw how wide her dark eyes were. Her eyes were naturally big, something he liked. But they weren't always filled with anxiousness, at least not this kind.

She was on edge and usually Roman would be okay with that...when he was the cause of it. The Godfrey boy never thought putting her on edge was a bad thing because it was all in the name of fun.

Except since dropping off Letha, she'd been eerily quiet. He tried striking conversation by asking her what she decided on a costume but all Imogen gave him was a halfhearted stare before looking away from him. That irked him as it did concern him. She seemed more skittish than usual.

So because of that there'd been no teasing from him. It was so damn silent that he was beginning to wish that Imogen would say anything to him, and that included whatever weird random facts she knew. Finally he just couldn't take it anymore. "You okay there?" He asked wanting know what exactly was bothering the raven haired girl.

Imogen continued fidgeting with her fingers. "Hmm." She quietly replied. This time, for whatever reason, she found her voice. "I just..." There was a sigh, and a furrow of her brows. At that moment a car passed by them rather fast and it had Imogen jumping in her seat. She had even released a low gasp. Her cheeks burned, and Roman was able to see that. Her overall flustered state now made him realize why she was so damn tense.

"Don't like cars?" Roman finished for her.

Imogen looked down at her worn out shoes, her cheeks still red. "Just don't go pass the speed limit." She really didn't want to get into the reason on why she disliked cars so much.

"Damn, and just when I was about to hit the gas." Roman joked stealing a glance. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy Imogen's blush properly because of the way her hair now served as a curtain. There was no doubt though that she had on a nervous expression as well. He strangely got the need to sooth away her nerves. "Relax, I'm just fuckin' with you. I'm a good driver." From the side he could see how she remained stiff where she sat. "If you want I can turn on the radio for you." He suggested in a lighthearted way that he knew would probably annoy her. Now that she was talking again things were able to go back to normal between them. "Maybe that'll help calm you down."

Imogen got the strength to lift her head. "I am calm." She stubbornly insisted with a deep frown. She hated how she sounded so childish but Roman had a way with pushing her buttons.

Roman smirked her way, glad for her sudden change in demeanor. "That sounded convincing. But hey, it's up to you anyways."

Imogen let out a huff before she reached over to turn on the radio. She didn't miss the low laugh Roman released. That got him a narrowed look from her. She switched radio stations until she settled on one that played a familiar song that she loved. Her politeness though sought out Roman's thoughts on it. This was his truck after all.

"Is this okay?" Imogen asked with a sigh.

What was currently playing was the song, Time Of The Season by The Zombies. Imogen wasn't expecting Roman to know the song but he did and he told her something that caught her by surprise.

Roman nodded his head. "Yeah, I love The Zombies."

That was an exaggeration. It wasn't exactly his taste in music but the band was good enough. The only reason the Godfrey boy was able to recognize the band was because the song had been one of the few he'd seen when searching through Imogen's iPod. He really lucked out on that and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity to trick Imogen into thinking they had something in common.

"You do?" Imogen asked in complete disbelief.

Her surprise was just confirmation that she had fallen for his lie. "What?" Roman made a face that made it seem like his feelings were hurt by her reaction. "You didn't think I had good taste in music?"

Imogen quickly shook her head, feeling a bit bad. "No...just not what I was expecting coming from you."

"Well, Immy." Roman exaggerated that annoying nickname he had for her with a grin. "Always expect the unexpected with me."

Imogen felt her cheeks warm up more than they already were. She found the blurry images outside the window to be more fascinating now. "Yeah...maybe." She faintly answered.

The raven haired girl went back to being quiet again much to Roman's chagrin. Despite the silence he didn't sense that same tension from before. Not to mention when he glanced at Imogen again he didn't see her fidgeting with her fingers anymore. Instead he saw the slightest movement from her head, nodding as the song continued playing.

Tell it to me slowly (tell me what)
I really want to know
It's the time of the season for loving

From what he was able to see, Roman was glad that her hair wasn't shielding her face. Her cheeks were starting to cool down, and were now a light pink color. It was a nice color on her but he missed her redness, and he badly wanted to be the cause of it again. She'd just calmed down, and oddly enough he didn't her all skittish like when she entered the truck.

Still, he didn't want the radio to be the only thing that stopped the silence from taking over.

"So...you're really not going to tell me what you decided on for the Homecoming dance?" Roman casually brought up. Even though he sounded like he was nonchalant about it, he really wanted to know.

Imogen slowly looked away from the window. "Nope."

Roman's response was rather vulgar but he said it anyway. "I'm betting it's slutty." He told her, smirking. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." The dark blond knew her costume would be far from that since her regular outfits were far from being slutty. Except he just wanted to stir that fire she had inside her, and he exactly how.

Just like he was expecting, Imogen's response was instant. She looked his way with a look that was both anger and annoyance. This was the kind of reaction he liked getting from her.

"No!" Imogen denied vehemently. "It's nothing like that." She suddenly became apologetic. "But it's not like I think badly about females who dress that way. It's their choice if they want to. And you know what? They shouldn't have to deal with offhanded remarks from others." She pointedly told him. "Especially from males."

Roman chuckled at her little rant there at the end. She went from being mad and irritated to being almost protective towards slutty girls. That was funny. She sounded like a fuckin' feminist. "Like I said, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I'm sure you mean that." Imogen muttered with a shake of her head.

"Regardless, I'll find out eventually." Roman brought up as he made a turn.

Imogen furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"At the Homecoming dance." Roman answered her.

Now the raven haired girl understood and her stomach did a weird flip. "You're going to the Homecoming dance?" Imogen asked beyond shocked. Maybe it shouldn't have been such a shock, but taking Letha and her shopping for the dance was one thing, but then to hear him say he was going was another. "But why?" She questioned with a small frown.

Roman smiled slyly at her. "Why not?"

That was it. He said nothing else to her about that and Imogen was too in shock to even further her questions. That, however, didn't stop her thoughts from going all over the place. Not even the radio station that was now playing some other old rock song could get her thoughts to settle.

It wasn't until they pulled up to a familiar road that Imogen stopped thinking about Roman and the Homecoming dance. She had made sure to tell the Godfrey boy the directions to her place.

Now the raven haired girl was thinking about her grandmother...and how she hoped her car wasn't parked near the trailer. If it was that meant she was home, and she seriously didn't want her grandmother to find out that Roman had given her a ride home.

Imogen had to stop herself from actually cussing aloud when she saw her grandmother's familiar old car parked to the side of the trailer. She was home. This wasn't good...but maybe she'd be able to get away without any problems. She rushed her thank you and goodbye to Roman once he parked his truck. With the bag that had her outfit for the Homecoming dance, Imogen got out of the truck.

The raven haired girl really shouldn't have thought she was going to get away so easily from Roman. He had gotten out of the truck as fast as she had, and he was already walking over to get her bike out from the back.

Imogen had been planning on doing that herself but now she had to wait until Roman set it on the ground. The O'Dwyer girl's eyes widened from growing panic as she took hold of her bike. Roman remained standing there. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to walk you to your front door." Roman replied in an obvious tone of voice.

Imogen started shaking her head. "No, you can't. Get back inside your truck."

Roman gave her a odd look. "Why?"

"My grandma can't see that you're here." Imogen hurriedly told him.

"Why the hell not?" Roman asked, his voice hardening.

"Imogen?"

Shit! Imogen's stomach was in a knot when she turned around. She forced a small smile on her face. "Hi, grandma."

Agatha O'Dwyer stood a few feet away from the teens. Her expression was one of confusion and immense worry. She stared at her granddaughter before her stare went to the Godfrey boy. Without saying anything else, the older woman hurriedly made her way to her granddaughter.

Imogen began searching for the right words. If it weren't for her guilt and nervousness she would have noticed the protective stance her grandmother had. Roman certainly had. "Um, grandma, this is―"

"Roman Godfrey." Agatha interrupted with a clip tone. Her eyes hadn't moved away from Roman since coming to her granddaughter's side. "Yes, I know who he is."

"Oh, right." Imogen awkwardly replied. "Uh, Roman, this is my grandma, Agatha O'Dwyer."

It didn't take long for Roman to reply. He gave the older woman a charming smile that she was able to see through. "Nice to meet you, Agatha."

Agatha's eyes were steel now. There was no fooling her with his so called pleasantness. "Ms. O'Dwyer will do just fine."

Imogen had the urge to hide her face in her hands because of how tense the conversation remained between the two. She was able to look at the two but with anxiousness in her eyes. Her grandmother hadn't behaved this way when meeting Peter. But Agatha never had a problem with Peter to begin with. Unlike with Roman, who she disliked very much right from the start.

Roman for the first time really examined Agatha O'Dwyer.

Maybe it was weird to think this but he did so anyways. For her old age, Imogen's grandmother remained on the hot side. He hoped the years will be that kindly to Imogen as she aged. He noticed, however, that the older woman's style wasn't the greatest. Not as awful as Imogen's but still bad in his opinion. At least the older woman knew her way around a hair brush, something Imogen wasn't really skilled at apparently.

It wasn't like Imogen's hair was a total bird's nest. Roman was beginning to notice that there was some effort, but there was always room for improvement. He would see to that once she was putty in his hands.

"Ms. O'Dwyer then." Roman said before his eyes gleamed with upcoming mischief. "Yes, I do believe that sounds better anyways...ma'am."

Agatha knew the word ma'am was a dig at her age. He had used it in such a smug way. She had never been self conscious about her age but a comment like that coming from Roman Godfrey, of all people, sparked annoyance in her.

"I was just dropping off Imogen." Roman smoothly told her.

Agatha remained reserved. "How kind of you."

Her short answer made Roman chuckle. "I'm a very kind person."

Agatha didn't say anything to that, just stared evenly at him. Imogen wanted this to end already.

"I should go." Roman's intense green eyes moved over to Imogen. "I'll see you at school, Immy." He grinned before shifting his gaze over to Agatha. "Ms. O'Dwyer." He sharply told her before getting inside his truck.

When he had driven out of their sight, Agatha turned to look at her granddaughter with a serious expression. "I thought you said you weren't friends with him."

Imogen bit her bottom lip. The seventeen year old was worried about her grandmother's reaction with what she would soon say. "I'm not...but he offered to give me a ride home." It was more like forced but she still ended up inside Roman's truck.

Despite figuring that part on her own with seeing her granddaughter next to the Godfrey boy, Agatha felt her blood run cold. "A ride?"

"I went shopping." Imogen finally sheepishly admitted to her.

Agatha then noticed the bag that Imogen was holding. That was certainly a surprise and it showed on her face. "You went shopping?" She repeated in disbelief. Her granddaughter didn't seem like the shopping type, at least not for fun. Usually the shopping trips they did were quick, and planned way ahead. This wasn't at all like that though. This was majorly different and it didn't necessarily sit well with Agatha. She blamed Roman Godfrey's presence for that. Even with him now gone from her property, Agatha felt annoyance and extreme concern swirl inside her.

Imogen nodded her head.

"What for?" Agatha asked in soft curiosity.

"The Homecoming dance. I'm going." Imogen told her without breaking eye contact and she didn't miss her grandmother's frown.

"You are?" Agatha was nervous to ask but she did anyway. "With who?"

Imogen cleared her throat. "With Letha. She convinced me to go."

"And just Letha?" Agatha asked carefully. She could accept Imogen going to the dance with Letha, but if that good for nothing Godfrey boy was―

"Yeah." Imogen answered causing Agatha's angry inner thoughts to come to a halt. She purposely left out the part that Roman was going to the dance because technically she wasn't going with him. He was just going to be there. That's all. Just like the majority of her classmates. She'd just have to make sure not be anywhere near him. The gym was pretty big anyways. She'd be able to do that...she'd have to.

"What is it grandma?" Imogen asked quietly when she saw the way her grandmother furrowed her eyebrows. She was thinking heavily about something...and Imogen could tell it was bothering her.

Agatha briefly closed her eyes. She had seen the way the Godfrey boy looked at his granddaughter and it left an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She also hated how he called her Immy. It was a nickname, and that was not good.

"Imogen, I do not like him." The older woman solemnly told her.

The O'Dwyer girl knew exactly who her grandmother was referring to. As if that wasn't already clear. "I know nana." She used the affectionate nickname she had for her. "If it's any reassurance...I don't like him either. He is Letha's cousin though...and Letha is my friend now. As much as I want to avoid him he's going to be around regardless. I just...I want to keep things as civil as possible. I'm just trying to be the bigger person here. I'm an O'Dwyer after all." Imogen brought up with small smile. "Besides, you know I'm not one for drama."

Agatha let out a tired sounding sigh. "I know, honey. But with Roman Godfrey, I know for certain that drama will be guaranteed."

Imogen pursed her lips and the hold on her bike handles tightened. She couldn't come up with a reply for what her grandmother said. Nonetheless she knew her grandmother was right about that.

Extremely right.

Roman Godfrey brought drama wherever he went, and it seemed like Imogen would now be involved in whatever way possible.

Whether she wanted to or not.