1994
Lissa heard the bell ring and the scraping of chairs against the floor as her students prepared to leave the classroom. Rose Hathaway stopped by Lissa's desk on her way out.
"Thank you so much for explaining the assignment again, Ms. Dragomir. It makes so much more sense to me now."
"Why, you're welcome, Rose. Any time you need some extra help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Rose smiled, showing her dimples. She was a slender brunette with wispy hair that tended to fall in her face a lot if she wasn't wearing a ponytail and soft brown eyes. She had a quick smile, a gentle manner, and an aura of innocence about her that charmed all the faculty members who knew her. She was a dedicated and enthusiastic cheerleader.
"You're coming to the game Friday night, aren't you?"
"Wild horses couldn't keep me away from that game, Rose." Lissa smiled reassuringly at her.
"Great! See you there, then!"
"Good-bye, Rose." Lissa watched Rose's retreating back for a moment before gathering her things and heading for the teacher's lounge.
Upon entering the lounge, Lissa noticed that the P.E. teacher and football coach, Dimitri Belikov, was sitting at a table drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He looked up when Lissa entered.
"Hello, Dimitri." She nodded a greeting on her way to the coffee pot.
"Hi there, Lissa." Dimitri and Lissa were the two newest members of the faculty and were both still learning the ropes.
"Rose Hathaway's one of your students, right?"
"Yes, I just saw her five minutes ago. She needed a little extra help with an assignment."
"That's Rose, always trying to do the best she can with any assignment she's given. I was just thinking how much more of a breeze teaching would be if all my students were like Rose."
"She always tries so hard, and she has such a pleasant attitude," Lissa agreed.
"She's certainly a joy to teach," Dimitri continued. He finished his coffee and headed for the gym. He couldn't stop thinking about Rose Hathaway. She seemed to have affected him in a way no other student had. It wasn't that hard to figure out why. Not only was she a good student and an excellent cheerleader, but she was also beautiful, intelligent, vivacious...and only seventeen. In addition, she was madly in love with his star football player, Adrian Ivashkov. Oh well, such is life, Dimitri concluded with a sigh as he reached the gym and prepared for his next class.
"Rose!" Rose heard the shout of her boyfriend, Adrian Ivashkov, over the din of the other students' voices. He reached her side and gave her a quick hug and kiss.
"Hey, how's it going?"
"A lot better, now that I'm with you again." Adrian put his arm around her and fell into step beside her as they walked away from the school.
"Mrs. Dragomir said that she was coming to the game Friday night."
"Which we're going to win, of course. We'll have to, with you there. You're my good luck charm, girl."
"Oh, Adrian!" Rose blushed with pleasure.
"Hi, Adrian!" Rose saw her younger sister, Sydney, rushing toward them, several strands of dark blonde hair, moist with perspiration, sticking to her forehead.
"Hiya, Short Stuff," Adrian greeted Sydney, who looked annoyed for just a moment but quickly regained her cheerful disposition.
"Are you coming over this afternoon?" Sydney asked hopefully.
"Of course I am! You know I'd never miss a chance to see your sister."
Sydney, looking crestfallen, fell into step behind Adrian and Rose.
While eating dinner that evening, Rose began to feel a slight pain that seemed to be located directly behind her right eyeball. Rose, who never got headaches, felt worried for a minute or two. Maybe it's just my hormones, or stress from school, she told herself.
"Do you feel all right, honey?" Janine Hathaway's eyebrows were creased with concern.
"I'm fine, Mom. Just a little tired, is all," Rose assured her. "A good night's sleep is all I need."
Adrian held her hand a little longer than usual when he said good-bye to her later.
"Are you sure you feel all right, Rose?"
"I'm fine, Adrian. Please don't worry about me."
"Okay, Rose. I'll see you at school tomorrow then."
He kissed her lips tenderly, even more tenderly than usual, before turning to leave.
From her bedroom window, Sydney watched the interaction and felt a longing stir deep inside her. Stop that, Sydney! You know it can never be, she told herself, trying with all her might to squash the sensation.
That night, Rose went to sleep and dreamed of a winning football game and dancing with Adrian at an after-game party.
