Redemption

I am so sorry for taking so long with this update! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it all the same and thanks for all of the reviews.

Chapter Eight

The tears had finally stopped spilling, but my face was still covered in the now dried up drops of water. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and try and block out the image of Andre flying over that car.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dimitri asked as he unlocked the door to his house. "You haven't spoken at all for the walk home."

"What do you want me to say, Dimitri?" I questioned, my voice cracking as I spoke. "How was your day at school? Do you still hate me? Have you got your report for English done?" His facial expression was one of distaste. "Exactly, I didn't think that would suit your needs."

"Okay, I know you're angry, but please just shut the hell up" Dimitri scolded just as I was about to open my mouth to say more, but his next words made me stop dead in my tracks. "For Andre's sake."

"Oh, great, use his injury as a way to earn yourself some points" I scoffed following him into the hallway. "Jesus, way to be a good friend" His hand gripped at my wrist tightly to stop me from going further in.

"No, that's not what I'm doing at all" He snapped. "Fine, let's go to the hospital. I'll show you how good a friend I really am."

"Dimitri, don't do that" I sighed as he grabbed a set of car keys from the kitchen counter. "He just needs his mother and his sister by him right now. If we were there, the place would be cluttered and we're not needed there."

"Spare me the bullshit routine. I know that you want to go see him because you feel bad about not forgiving him" Dimitri said as he pushed me into the car. "He doesn't need anything right now because he's unconscious. He didn't look as though he was doing too well when we left. There's a high chance that he won't make it through this, Rose."

"Fine, just hurry up" I sighed. "I don't want to waste any of Lissa's and Rhea's time with him. I've done enough damage already."

"Oh, don't even dare start playing yourself for what happened to Andre" Dimitri warned. "As bad as this sounds, Andre brought all of this onto himself. He shouldn't have blundered into the road like that."

"Don't blame him for this" I retorted. "He's paying the price for it now"

"Rose, what are you doing here?" Rhea asked once Dimitri and I had found our way to Andre's room. "Dimitri, are you okay?"

"How's he doing, Mrs Dragomir?" Dimitri questioned, trying his best to keep his eyes from Andre's limp body. "Is he going to make it?"

"It…it doesn't look good, you two" She whispered. "There's a chance, but not a big one." It took me a moment to realise what she was saying. How could a car wipe out Andre like that? How could the adorable boy I knew as a kid be inches away from death?

"Where's Lissa?" I managed to choke out.

"She's gone to the toilets" Rhea sighed. "She's not coping very well. She'd want you to be with her" I didn't need to be told twice. As soon as I opened the door, I heard her soft crying.

"Go away!" She shouted. She had her head pressed against the counter, not able to see who had intruded.

"Lissa, it's me" I whispered. Her head snapped up and she wiped her eyes vigorously.

"Sorry, Rose" She mumbled. "I just needed some time away from that room."

"Hey, you don't have to try and explain yourself to me" I assured. "If you want to cry, go ahead. You've just been told that there's a strong chance that your brother will die. Not many people would be able to hear that kind of news without breaking down."

"What the hell am I going to do, Rose?" She asked. "Just this morning he was teasing you about kissing Dimitri and now he might not even live till the end of the night. How does that kind of stuff happen?"

"I really wish I knew" I sighed. "I just wish I hadn't acted the way I did. Maybe if I was friends with him, he wouldn't have gone out into the road like that."

"No, don't think like that" Lissa grumbled. "You weren't to blame for that. He was just being Andre. It was just a coincidence. What happened about the driver?"

"He sped off as soon as the ambulance was called" I answered. "It was practically hit and run"

"Man, I want to just get my hands on him" She said. "I want him to suffer for what he done."

"Lissa, calm down" I soothed. "He may be responsible, but you're better than that. Always remember that you're better than all of that."

"Whatever you say, Rose" She grinned before falling into a guilty state for having forgotten for a moment about her brother. "They say that he's conscious, but they don't think he will be for long. You should have your moment with him." I did just that. They were all respectful enough to leave me alone with him.

His eyes were open ever so slightly, his face taking on a strained look. His hair still managed to look attractive even though his face had lost all colour. "Rose, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Andre, how are you feeling?" I asked even though it was abundantly clear that he wasn't feeling good. "I'm sorry for saying what I did about you. I love you so much, Andre. Please don't die."

"Hey, calm down" He chuckled, his voice brittle, reminding me that he could be on his deathbed. "I know you didn't mean it and I love you too, sis." Even though we weren't blood related, he was still my brother and I was his sister. "If I die, it won't be that bad. You'll have your memories of me and Dimitri can help you through it. He really does care for you, you know"

"Andre, if you die, it will be the worst thing in the world" I sighed, pressing my head against his for a moment. "I suppose I should give the others their turn to speak with you. I love you, brother"

I didn't wait to hear a reply. I simply turned on my heel and left to where Dimitri was standing as Rhea and Lissa went in to say their goodbyes.

"How was he?" Dimitri asked. Throughout this whole ordeal, I had forgotten how it would be affecting Dimitri. The boy lying on his deathbed was the boy that Dimitri had grown up with.

"He doesn't look good." I whispered. "He's so pale and his voice breaks whenever he speaks. It doesn't look like he'll make it." Dimitri's eyes filled with sorrow and he hung his head helplessly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. "I know that Andre treated you like a sister. You were his soft spot."

"Like shit" I answered. "It's all my fault."

"Stop saying that" He scolded. "If it was your fault, Andre wouldn't have been as happy as he was about seeing you."

"He said you care about me" I said, my voice in monotone. Now probably wasn't the right time to bring it all up, but I just couldn't restrain. Andre's words were searing into my mind. What if Dimitri really did care about me? After all, we had kissed and he's letting me spend the night.

"Can we talk about this later tonight?" He questioned. "I'd rather get through this before we talk about feelings."

"Sure, I don't mean to press" I defended. "I know how hard this must be for you. He was your best friend and you've already been through so much."

"Yeah" He sighed, saying nothing else on the matter.

An hour later, the door finally cracked open and Dimitri jumped up. He had waited for his turn to talk to Andre for long enough, but when Lissa and Rhea came out with tears coating their cheeks, we knew that something was up.

"Is he dead?" I questioned, believing that being blunt was the only way to get around a subject like this. She didn't have to tell me that answer for me to know. The way she averted my gaze was answer enough. Dimitri never even got to say goodbye.

It all moved so quickly after that. It was just like the moment of impact. I zoned in and out of focus, not able to come to terms with the fact that the boy who I had grown up with was gone. How could the kid I ate breakfast with this morning have stopped breathing so suddenly?

The first words were spoken when we reached the car park.

"Dimitri, are you okay for getting home?" Rhea asked. "If you want, we can give you a lift down to your house."

"No, it's okay, I brought the car" He answered, not making eye contact.

"I'm going home with Dimitri" I finally said. "He said I could spend the night and I think it's important that you two have some time to yourself."

"Rose, you're part of the family" Rhea assured. "None of that will change just because Andre's no longer here."

"I just think it'll be better this way" I said. "I'll be back after school tomorrow."

"I'll see you then, Rose" Lissa whispered, giving me a brief hug before they left.

"Come on, Rose" Dimitri sighed, taking my forearm and leading me back to where they parked the car.

Once we were in Dimitri's house, a woman with soft brown eyes soon appeared.

"Where on earth have you been?" She questioned with a harsh tone marking her voice. Surely she would worry if her son came home late only weeks after her daughter died.

"Andre died" He informed. "He was knocked over." His mother's eyes softened and she took a step back.

"My little Andre?" She questioned. Something told me that Andre was close with this woman. "Goodness, honey, come here." She pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair. "Who's this?" She asked after her eyes settled on me.

"This is Rose" Dimitri said. "She lived with Andre. Rhea took her under her wing when her mother left her."

"I am so sorry to hear about your loss" She sighed as she rested her hand on my shoulder and give me an assuring smile. "I'm Olena Belikova."

"Hello, Olena" I greeted, feeling nervous about saying anything else.

"Mum, is it okay if Rose spends the night?" Dimitri asked. "She thinks it would be better if she left Rhea and Lissa alone for a while."

"Of course. You're welcome here any time, Rose" She said. "Separate bedrooms, though." It just felt wrong for her to try and make this situation more light hearted, but I could see where she was coming from.

"I'll just go upstairs" I sighed, practically racing up the stairs, only stopping when I reached the top.

"Is this the girl that you were telling me about?" I heard Olena question when she thought that I was out of earshot. "The one that you kissed?"

"Yeah, Mum, but don't say anything about it" Dimitri whispered under his breath. Great, it seemed as though everyone knew about the kiss. Was it really that hard to trust people now? Dimitri is the next to add to the ever growing list of people who have betrayed my trust. I just needed Andre back.

I am so sorry. Ugh, I know you'll all hate me, but I can promise that good stuff will happen in the next few chapters. Hope you enjoyed even though it was a horrible chapter! Oh, and thanks for all the reviews.