Chapter one

I was sitting out in the grass by myself. It was near dinner time, but I just needed a few minutes of time to myself. School was stressing me out and so were certain people. I know I should be going to the commons area for dinner, but I thought I'd wait awhile, besides the line would be too long anyways, so I figured I'd have time for it to die down anyways.

While I was sitting by myself, minding my own business, I heard someone call my name. "Hey, Rose." He called from behind me. Startled that anyone else was even there, I turned around.

"Mason, you really have to stop doing that." I muttered as I waited for my heart rate to slow back down.

"Sorry," he said with a lopsided grin and sat down beside me.

"So, what's up?" I asked, curious as to why he was here.

"Jesse is throwing a party tomorrow night and invited me. He also said I could invite a friend." He said while picking a handful of grass and started tearing it up.

"Since when do you consider me your friend?" I grinned.

"Rose, Rose, Rose. You really have no idea do you?" He asked with a hint of something in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Never mind. Just come, please?" he asked as he stood back up.

I thought about it for a minute. I told myself I wasn't going to go to anymore parties, but how could I resist, especially with Mason standing there looking so cute like that? Oh oh oh! I suddenly realized Mason liked me, grimacing slightly at the thought. Not that there was anything wrong with Mason, he was a great friend and a good guy, but really not the dating type; well okay, not really my type.

I could tell what he and every guy pictured me like. It was pretty obvious. All the guys were doing it. No one could look at me with out undressing me with their eyes. It was written all over their faces.

"Alright," I finally decided. Not that I would be going to hang out with Mason. A party usually meant alcohol. I hadn't had any in months and I was craving it.

"Good. See you there." He said smiling, eyes gleaming happily, as he walked off to towards the commons area to eat.

I supposed I should go eat too, not that I was really hungry, but I knew I would be later if I didn't eat anything now. I sighed to myself and made my way to the commons area literally running into Lissa in the process. "Oomph." She said, stumbling backwards.

My natural instincts took place and immediately caught Lissa from falling to the ground. "I'm so sorry, Lis. I didn't see you." I apologized and made sure she was stable before releasing my grip on her.

"It's okay Rose, honest." She said smiling. "You alright," She asked curiously. "You seem distracted lately. Been with Jesse again huh?" she smirked.

I shot her an evil look. "No, I wasn't! And besides, it doesn't matter. You were probably with Aaron anyway." I spat.

Lissa shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay." I said as we continued to make our way to get some food. "Have you eaten?" I asked.

Lissa shook her head. "No, I was just on my way to get some blood, first. I haven't had any in a couple days and was getting a headache, so I thought maybe it would help it go away."

I glanced at her nervously. Lissa never got headaches. "You sure you're okay? You never get headaches."

Lissa nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I promise Rose. Please stop looking at me like that."

"You're sure? I could go fetch the nurse for you?" I offered ready to rush off to the nurse if at all needed.

Lissa stopped and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. "Rose, trust me. Once I get some blood in me I'll be fine."

After agreeing with Lissa that she'd be okay, we made our way to the little room where the Moroi (vampires like Lissa) got their blood from.

We waited in line for an available donor and so I struck up a conversation. "So," I started. "What do you think of Mason?"

Lissa's eyes widened in amusement. "Mason Ashford!" She said laughing. "Why?"

Immediately I tensed up. To embarrassed at telling her now that she was making fun of me. "Never mind," I decided to tell her. It was stupid to bring him up.

"Rose, I'm sorry." She quickly apologized with a look of worry on her face. I didn't know what Lissa's problem was tonight. She never ever teased me like this. Something seriously had to be wrong with Lissa.

"You know, if this is the way you're going to be acting tonight I think I'll just leave." I said angrily, leaving a stunned Lissa in the line all by herself.

I decided I really wasn't very hungry and made my way back to my room, not in the mood to run into another person tonight, especially if they were just going to be teasing me. I was sick of it.

Thankfully, Lissa and I shared a separate room, so I wouldn't have to worry about running into her again that night. I slammed my door shut and jumped on my bed angrily.

"Dude, what's your problem?" My roommate asked looking up from her desk.

"Sorry," I apologized, not in the mood to talk to her either.

Either realizing that I was in no mood to talk or she saw the mean look I gave her, she didn't press on any further than that, for which I was grateful for.

I didn't sleep well that night and was extremely tired when my alarm buzzed loudly, indicating that it was another start of a school day. Groggily, I got up from my bead and slammed my alarm down on the desk, trying to get it to shut up, not even caring if it broke. Who needed a stupid alarm anyway?

I was to tired to do anything with my hair or make up so basically I went outside with the same thing I wore yesterday, whatever. I was glad I was going to be going to a party, realizing that I really did need some alcohol, something to take this buzz away. I just hope that this day wouldn't drag on too long.

Again, not in the mood to eat, I made my way to my first class. Who cared if I was 20 minutes early. It'd give me a few minutes of peace and quiet before the mad rush of students came filing in the classroom. My first class of the day was Algebra 2. I hated Algebra and was horrible at it.

The 20 minutes went by fast, and before I knew it kids were filing in the classroom walking one by one, talking loudly. I spotted Lissa as she came in and she looked so sad. I felt badly for the way I treated her last night. I was just in too bad of a mood to do anything about it.

Lissa walked over to the back of the room where I was sitting and sat down in a desk next to me. I looked sheepishly down at my desk. Afraid to talk to her, for fear that she would just yell at me for how I treated her. And, she had every right to do so too.

"Rose," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you last night." She said trying to apologize, though I was trying my hardest to ignore her. "I don't know what got into me."

I could tell she was glaring daggers into my side, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of being the first one to give in, to apologize, even though she just technically did. I thought I'd let it draw out just a little bit longer.

After several minutes of me dejecting her, she turned back to the front. Thank God she didn't keep trying. She must have known I was in a bad mood.

I wanted to talk to her, really I did, but today I just couldn't. Maybe later.

I studied the room as our instructor Stan walked into the room and began trying to call the class together. "May I have your attention please!" He called out in exasperation after several failed attempts at bringing the class to order.

"Hey!" I yelled, in hopes of trying to shut the class up. "Shut it!"

Everyone in the class turned and stared wide-eyed at me, in shock that I, Rosemarie Hathaway, said something in class. God forbid that I was allowed to talk.

Stan looked at me gratefully and called the room to look at him. "Now, today we are going to start lesson 5. Please turn to pages 78-80 and do the problems there, until the bell rings."

Well, so far it seemed like a promising day. All we had to do was work on math problems; easy enough. Or so I thought. "Ms. Hathaway, may I please see you outside for a minute." Stan demanded, clicking his fingers on his desk, waiting for me to stand up and obey him.

Fuck! I thought to myself. What did I do wrong? Except for yell at a bunch of kids to be quiet, that Stan was trying to do himself.

I glanced over at Lissa who had the same look of confusion on her face as I did, and she shrugged her shoulders.

Seeing as I had no other choice, I ambled over to Stan's desk and waited for my punishment. "Outside please, Ms Hathaway." He barked as he went to stand up. "Now, I want the rest of the class to get straight to their work, and no talking. I shall know if you do and will send each of you into detention if you do not follow my orders."

"Sir, may I please know what the hell I've done wrong?" I demanded as we stepped outside the classroom?

"Ms. Hathaway, you are out of line." He told me.

Shit, I kept forgetting that I was talking to a teacher and that teachers didn't like to be cussed at, whatever.

"All I did was to tell the class to be quiet, just like you were trying to do, but failed. Like you do in everything." Shit, why'd I have to go and mess things up with my big stupid mouth? I was so careless.

"Ms. Hathaway are you wanting to go to detention?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Sorry," I murmured, though not really.

"You do realize you have failed to turn in the previous 2 assignments?" he told me.

So this was what this was about, some stupid home work assignment? That I could handle. And, I swear I turned them in. Unless, someone was playing a trick on me to try and get me in trouble? If that was the case, I was going to hunt this person down and beat the shit out of him. I had a vague idea of this mysterious person.

"I swear, sir. I've turned them in." I said truthfully.

"Really?" he asked uncertain. "Then how come I haven't come across either of the assignments?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "How the hell am I supposed to know, you're the one who's disorganized and go about losing other people's homework" There I go doing it again. Damn my mouth.

Before I knew it Stan reached and slapped me across my face. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again. Is that clear?" He shouted as I backed away from him in fear. "Now, all I wanted to know was why you weren't turning them in, but you have to go causing bigger situations then they really are."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Honestly, sir. I handed them in last class. Someone had to have taken them out, to get me in trouble."

Stan raised a curious eyebrow. "Really, like who?"

I shrugged again, really getting tired of the stupid questions. I was beginning to feel like it was the Spanish Inquisitor. "I don't know." I told him earnestly. "But I promise I turned them in."

Stan shook his head. "You know sometimes I just don't understand you, Rose." He said a few minutes later after he calmed down.

"May I go back in now?" I asked, realizing that he wasn't going to say anything else.

Thankfully, Stan nodded. "Fine, just do your work quietly and I'll try to find your other assignments."

I smiled to myself as I walked back into the classroom, happy that I wasn't in trouble. However, whoever this jerk was that stole my homework was in for it for sure.

I made it back to my seat and realized I had to face Lissa and apologize to her too. "What happened?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing, someone just stole my homework, trying to make me look bad." I told her.

"Why would they do that?" she asked curiously.

I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I swear, whoever they are is going to regret ever doing this. Oh and Lis?" I added quietly. "I'm sorry." I said, turning back to my work, though I could tell Lissa's mood had change and she was now wearing a big fat grin on her face like nothing ever happened between us.