Chapter 7: The Right Reasons

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

DPOV

"Wow Rose, I think you've finally met your match!" Eddie guffawed. The rest of the table nodded I agreement.

Gym was next and it was all I could do to keep my eyes away from Rose's long legs in her daisy duke gym shorts. We were split into teams and we'd be playing floor hockey as our first tournament. Rose was on the opposite team and let's just say that she is one lean, mean, scoring machine. She was far better than most of the boys on her team except for Andree. She was small and light and ran faster than a lot of them.

"Eat dust Belikov!" she shouted as she scored the winning goal for her team.

"Well played, I had no idea you played hockey."

"Eh, only in gym," she replied winking at me."

"Don't mess with Rose when she's playing sports. She's highly competitive and will run over anyone who gets in her way," Andree warned me as we changed back into our regular clothes.

"See this?" he asked pointing to a scar on his leg. I nodded.

"She cut me off while we were racing our bikes two years ago. She knocked the wheels right out from under me. I needed twelve stitches and had a walking cast for six weeks. She's brutal man."

"I'll keep that in mind." I kind of liked it when girls were spunky. I might have to ask her to go running with me one of these days. I wondered if there were any trails around here. So far I'd just been running through the neighborhood. No! I had to stop thinking about her. We could not be together! Why oh why couldn't she just be annoying or bitchy or anything, but the desirable, wonderful, person she was?

"Hey Sister Mary Rose, where's your habit and wimple?" a boy with dark hair and blue eyes sneered as Rose exited the locker room. His arm was slung around a trashy looking girl with a really short skirt and knee high boots. Her midriff was bare and her shirt was as low cut as was passable outside of a strip club.

Rose looked at him and scowled. "What the hell do you want Zeklos? Isn't your new girlfriend trampy enough for you?" she bit out in an icy tone. I'm assumed this guy was her ex from the way Andree was glaring at him.

"You're just jealous because you're missing out. It's not too late Rosie. We're always open for a threesome, that is if you give up your life in the convent," he snorted.

"Sorry, I wouldn't want to get whatever STD's you picked up from little miss hoe bag over there," she said pointing at the girl.

"You're just mad cause he kicked you to the curb. You're nothing but a goodie goodie," said the trampy girl twirling her hair and snapping her gum.

"You want to say that again?" Rose menaced stepping forward. I could sense a fight was about to break out.

"Sure, you're a virgin whose parents won't let her drive a car because she's such a moron," the girl egged Rose on.

"You did not just say that!" Rose screeched pulling back her fist. I couldn't let her get into to trouble, not over these losers. I felt a burning need to protect her so as she pulled her fist back I grabbed her from behind holding her arms at her side.

"Get off of me!" she cried struggling against me. She was strong, but no match for my brute strength.

"He's not worth it. Calm down Roza, this isn't you," I breathed into her ear. After a few moments she relaxed into my arms.

"There's nothing to see here, move along," Andree barked clearing the crowd that had formed.

"Always knew you were a chicken shit," Zeklos snarked before turning away.

"I hate you Jesse!" Rose screamed struggling once again to get out of the hold I had on her.

"Come on let's go," I said pulling her down the hallway and into an empty classroom. She was breathing heavily and I could see the rage in her eyes.

"Can I let you go now?" I asked. She nodded and I loosened my grip on her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. We still had a few minutes until the bell rang.

"What's to talk about? He said it all."

"You have nothing to feel bad about Rose. He's a user. I've seen his type a million times. Once they get what they want they move on. You're better than that," I told her.

"I just hate that the whole school knows I'm a prude. Who's going to want to date me now?" she huffed sullenly. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that she was still pure. Not many girls her age were. It also made me murderous at the thought of another man with his filthy hands all over her beautiful body.

"Don't sell yourself short. Any guy who would only be with you for that reason isn't someone you want to be with. When the right guy comes along, he'll be with you for the right reasons."

"Okay Mr. know it all, what are the right reasons?"

"Well for one, you're smart and funny and real. You don't take people's crap and you have a big heart. You're also very beautiful," I added without meaning to. Cue mental slap here.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked giving me a weak smile.

"You know you're gorgeous," I said stating the obvious. She'd have to be blind not to see it.

"Yeah well the only thing guys see when they look at me are these," she said pointing to her breasts, which were indeed quite drool worthy.

"Well men are pigs," I countered making a point to keep my eyes on her face.

"Are you?"

"I'd like to think I'm not, but I guess you'll have to make that judgment for yourself. Now come on let's not be late for next period on my first day," I told her.

Why is it that girls are so embarrassed to be labeled goody two shoes, but flaunt the fact that they'll sleep with anything that moves? In my opinion it was far better to be made fun of for being pure as versus having a reputation as the class whore. I'd never understand women.

The rest of the first week of school was about the same. I made damn sure there were no more incidents with the Zeklos kid. I had tracked him down after seventh hour while he was sneaking out to smoke. I grabbed him by the collar and threw him up against the brick wall. I punched him square in the nose before he even had a clue as to what was happening. Blood poured from his nose which I'd probably broken.

"Don't you ever treat Rose or any other woman the way you did today. She is too good for scum like you. You and your trashy whore girlfriend will stay away from her. If I see either of you so much as look in her direction, I will beat the life out of you and I will enjoy it," I growled. He looked like he was about to wet himself.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes," he stammered. "I'll leave her alone. I promise."

"Good dog," I said dropping him onto the ground before stalking back into the building. The next time he saw me in the hallway he trembled a little before quickly darting in the opposite direction. I guess he wasn't as dumb as he looked.

Rose got kicked out of Alto's class on Thursday for calling him a sniveling weasel. In her defense, he deserved it. I saw her and her father in Principal Kirova's office third period. She'd gotten off with after school detention probably because her father worked here. I'll have to tell you though that I thought she was being unfair when she'd accused Alto of being an asshole before school started, but now I had to agree with her one hundred percent. The guy was a dick. He went out of his way to make snide comments to me about being foreign even going as far as to insinuate that I was a communist and always hassled Rose most of the time without reason. He even made fun of the overweight girl that sat in the front of the class claiming he couldn't see the student behind her because she was too wide. She'd burst into tears and rushed out of the room. I'm surprised he hadn't been fired yet.

So far I hadn't been able to eliminate any suspects. Today though, I was going to make my first move. I sat next to Hillary Hansen in French and I'd made it a point to flirt shamelessly with her all week. Today I was going to ask her to 'study' after school.

RPOV

"Oh my God Rose, did you hear that Dimitri asked Hillary Hansen to study with him after school?" Lissa came barging into the girl's bathroom during our study period. My heart sank a little when I heard that. I mean he was really nice to me all the time and it seemed like he was interested, but I guess I'd misread the signals if he had asked another girl to 'study' with him after school. The guy was a freaking genius and absolutely did not need help with his homework. He'd gotten an A on Alto's first test which I'd been lucky to score a C minus.

I sighed applying a coat of sheer pink lip gloss to my lips. "What am I doing wrong? I thought he was showing an interest," I told Lissa.

"Did you do what I told you?"

"Yes, I've been passing him notes in class, sharing my lunch with him, asking personal questions about his family and interests. I am even holding off on friending him on facebook so it looks like I'm playing hard to get. What more can I do?" I asked throwing my arms up in exasperation. Truth was although he'd said the opposite, he probably didn't want to date a prude. Curses to Jesse Zeklos for announcing my virginity to the entire school. Yes, the entire school had heard the news. My father commended me on my good decision making skills that very afternoon. He never came right out and said that he'd heard the gossip, but from the proud look on his face, I knew he had. Why did life have to suck so much?

"I have the best idea," Lissa said her demeanor brightening instantly.

"Uh oh, I know that look. The last time you had that look I ended up in a wet t-shirt contest."

"No, no this is different, I promise."

"What then?"

"I'll throw a little impromptu party tomorrow night," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"How will that help?" I asked.

"It's going to be a pool party."
"Liss, I don't even have a bathing suit."

"Oh yes you do, check the bags from last Friday," she said smirking. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what was in the bag.

"Just trust me. Once he sees you in the suit I picked out he'll be saying Hillary who?" She said with an evil grin.

As I tried on my bathing suit, I tried to remember what it was that Dimitri had said about making boys want me for the right reasons. Right like he even believed that. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I realized the only thing boys were going to want me for were my huge tits. The suit Lissa had picked for me had to be the skimpiest scraps of fabric I'd ever seen. The tiny red triangles were barely covering my nipples leaving the majority of my breasts bare for the world to see. I turned around to view the back and got an eyeful of my nearly bare ass.

"If you think I'm letting you go to that party in that, you're insane!" Christian cried walking into the room.

"What are you doing in here Sparky?" I growled grabbing my robe and throwing it on over the offending suit.

"Where the hell did you get that? I know Mom wouldn't have bought it for you. Don't even get me started on the profanities that would come out of Dad's mouth if he saw you in that."

"Lissa bought it," I told him.

"I should have figured. You're not wearing it," he commanded.

"Who says that you can dictate my life?" I spat.

"I know what you two are up to. You're only wearing that to seduce Belikov and there's no way I'm going to let him take advantage of my little sister."

"Oh please you took Lissa's virginity when she was fifteen. You have no room to talk. You two go at it like rabbits. Why is it so wrong for me to want a boyfriend?"

"The only boyfriend's you're going to catch wearing that suit are horny pigs," he snorted.

"Well I don't have another one so what do you suggest I wear? The party starts in an hour."

"I'll swing by the mall with you on the way. We're bound to find something more suitable."

"You would do that for me?" I looked skeptically at my brother who was usually the first to tell me how annoying it was to have to drag his sister around everywhere.

"I love you Rosie, besides we can't have you running around looking like a stripper now can we?" I rolled my eyes. Same old Christian.

"Now this is what a bathing suit should look like," he said holding up a red and white polka dotted one piece suit with an attached skirt.

"Yea if you're eighty and have to hide your varicose veins," I snorted. Or if you want to look like Minnie Mouse, I added silently.

"Well how about this one?" he asked holding up a hot pink one piece with a Care Bear on the front. I sighed at his stupid joke. This is what I get for allowing my brother to take me shopping for a bathing suit. I might as well have taken my father and seventy-five year old grandmother.

"Wait, I think I found one," I told him grabbing it off the rack. It was coral in color and it had a regular bottom, but the top was like a tube top that would come all the way down to about an inch above my naval. It had spaghetti straps that went around the neck and three ruffles. It was flirty and cute and a little sexy without making me look like a whore.

"See, I told you we'd find one," he said bringing it up to the register for me. He pulled out his wallet as the cashier rang up the purchase.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Buying you a bathing suit," he replied handing the money to the lady behind the counter.

"Thanks Crissy, I promise I'll pay you back," I told him hugging him tightly.
"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid tonight and that will be payment enough."

"You have my word," I told him.

Uh oh! Do you really think she'll stick to her word? Isn't Christian the best brother? How sweet! Who liked that Dimitri defended Rose's honor and made Jesse bleed? Next chapter you'll be introduced to a very pivotal character. Any guesses on who it might be?