Chapter Four

"Get the fuck out of bed."

My eyes squeeze shut and I pretend like I didn't just hear my father come into my apartment, like he isn't going to make me do something.

"Dimitri Belikov, get out of that bed!"

"Why?" I ask, gripping the messy sheets underneath me. I never bothered to make them again after Rosemarie left last week. It's not like there was anyone I needed to impress anymore. My entire house is messy, actually. I stopped caring. Why clean when you're just going to lose those you care about, and eventually die anyway?

"Look, I know that you're having a tough time right now, and I don't blame you. I know how much Ivan meant to you."

Fuck you, I think, knowing that my father was never particularly fond of my friend, him often taking me away from what I needed to do. One semester, my grades dropped significantly because he decided to drag me out of my apartment every night for some form of party, a different one every night.

"But, even what that being the case, you can't just stay in this apartment day in and day out, acting as if you don't have a life to live." I don't respond. "I've made plans for you. I don't expect you to being working yet, your mother made it very clear to me that if I tried to… well, that's against the point. I've made plans for you to go speak at a local high school, talk to them about what to expect in college, yada, yada, you'll be informed when you arrive at one. They'll be waiting for you in the main office."

"One is in an hour," I note, sitting up in the bed.

"Then you better get your ass up and get ready."

I hate my father sometimes. He's never been a grade A parent, often spending the majority of his time at work, away from our family. He isn't a great man, but attempts to do his best when it comes to taking care of us in a financial sense, something he can do with ease. Never was there a need or want that was not accessible to me. I just wish he had spent more time with all of us that had not related to teaching me how to be a 'proper business man'. I wish he had spent more dinners with us, been to school events. Well, it's too late to wish anymore, that time has passed.

"You must be Mr. Belikov!" A woman asks, approaching me as I sit in a chair in the main office of a local high school. Thankfully I live not too far from it, being able to make it there with ten minutes to spare. "My name is Alberta Petrov."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," we shake hands, and she proceeds to lead me to the classroom where I will be speaking.

"So, if you were not told already, this hour should be spent with you talking about your college experience. You can go into as much or as little detail as you please, as long as you stick school appropriate topics. Now, the teacher will be stepping out for a short time during the period, we're very thankfully that you were able to come and take over, Mr. Belikov."

"Happy to be here," I tell her, faux smile on my face as she opens the classroom door.

"Hello Mr. Alto, class, today we have brought in a very special guest for you, please take this opportunity seriously and to full advantage. Would you like to introduce yourself?" She asks me, nodding at Mr. Alto afterwards.

"Gladly," I tell her, watching as the two step out of the room and vanish down the hallway. "Well, my name is Dimitri Belikov," I start, voice strong. "And, today, I will be discussing the college experience and—"My voice cuts short the moment I spot her. My eyes went to her instantly when I looked out into the room filled with seniors. I don't know how long I stared at Rosemarie, her sitting in the far back row, staring right back at me. She looks different than she did the evening we met, the evening we spent time making love. This time, she's dressed in simple jeans and a black shirt, wearing a necklace that trails down between her breasts; I can't see the charm on it, covered by the fabric of her shirt.

"Talk," she mouths to me, knowing that this silence between us has gone on for too long.

"And… and I'm here to answer any questions that I'm able to."

For the next half an hour, I spoke to them about how hard college can be, but how fulfilling it is at the same time. When the question portion of the hour rolled around, the majority of the hands going up belonged to the boys. Nodding at the boy in the front, he smirks, and leans forward in his desk.

"How much tail can you get in college? Even better, how much tail can you get?" Other boys in the classroom laugh, the girls roll their eyes, including Rose, and I smirk myself, not willing to give into his childish words.

"How much are you able to get?" I respond, stepping towards his desk. The boy is taken back by the question, moving away from me in the desk. "Based on the looks of you, you like to say every girl in this high school swoons when you walk by, that they would be more than happy to take up your time, even though you leave the moment you get off. This, I might mention, likely isn't long."

Everyone in the room laughs, Rose's coming off the loudest, or, at least, she's the one that stood out to me. "Y-you can't talk to me like that!" The boy yells, voice breaking, causing him to turn red.

"You should have thought about that before you asked me a question related to sex and not college. How good are your grades?" I ask him, raising my brows. He doesn't question, gripping the edge of his desk in anger. "Poor I imagine based upon your reaction to that question. Well… what's your name?"

"The pricks name is Jesse!" Rose yells from the back of the classroom, grin on her face. He looks back at her, pure rage on his face.

"Shut up!"

"Shouldn't have been an asshole!" She responds, leaning forward in her desk. My eyes catch on her breasts for a fraction of a moment as they become further pressed together and exposed from her actions. Dragging my eyes away from that portion of her body, I then move them back to the boy before me.

"Well, Jesse, I think it's time for you to grow up. You're a senior in high school, and it's time for you to act as such. Stop worrying about sex, about what girls think of you, and begin to worry about the life you are leading and how to improve it. Because, believe me, at the rate you're going, you will be very lonely and unsuccessful. Then again, you may already now that, leading you to act like a total fuck boy. Did I use that right, class?" They all laugh again and I look towards Rosemarie once more, even though I know I shouldn't. Jesse notices where I'm looking and glances back to see who it is that's caught my attention. When he turns back, a smirk on his still pissed off face has appeared. Knowing that I've spent to long, once again, staring at her, I clear my throat and address the class for the final time.

"It was a pleasure to meet you all today, and I'm sorry I couldn't answer more questions, you can thank Jesse for that. Have a great day!" I tell them before walking out of the classroom, a small round of clapping beginning as I do.