RPOV

The football team continued to torture Dimitri. They stole his clothes, filled his locker with other exploding contraptions, and done day they all walked by the table where he sat alone and dumped their trays of food all over him. I hated hearing all the other students laugh. It wasn't funny. Dimitri didn't deserve this kind of treatment. Even though I did still hate him, he did the right thing by telling me about the book. I've grown to stand him. After that lunch dumping day, I went and sat at his table with him. When he heard me walk up, he flinched, but as soon as I set my tray down next to his he looked up. We didn't say anything during our thirty minute lunch, but we didn't really need to. The silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. When the bell rang neither one of us moved. Finally I picked up my bag and tray and rose from my seat.

"You don't have to do this you know." He tried to sound tough but I could hear the hurt in his words. These were his friends…

"I know I don't. But I want to. I'm the reason this is happening to you."

"Thank you all for coming."

"Why are we here?" Mia asked.

Liss, Meredith, and I had called all of the girls who were on the list to tell them the truth about the book. Andre had told Meredith, but once she saw what was happening to Dimitri she pretended that she didn't know so the same thing wouldn't happen to Andre. Christian had also told Liss. Although Christian was on the team he never acted like he was. He didn't partake in any of the pranks. Liss said it was because he didn't play any special position.

"Because the boys who you think like you right now are really only using you for sex." Meredith said bluntly.

"There's this thing called the book." Liss added.

"You're all full of shit." Natalie said. Jeeze we are just trying to warn them!

"No they're actually not." We all turned to see Christian and Dimitri enter the room. Christian went to stand next to Liss and Dimitri stood by me, but slightly behind. He always acted like this whenever we were in the same room.

For the past week we had eaten lunch together. Liss and Christian had joined, but one day I had to finish a project for 3-D Design. I don't know why but we had started meeting at my locker before walking over to our table. I saw Dimitri and told him I wasn't going to be at lunch. He nodded slowly and started to turn when I asked where Liss was. He said she and Christian were going off campus for lunch.

"Well come on I could use your help." I looped my arm through his and headed to the 3-D room. . Now this, this next little moment I'm going to share with you was somewhat pivotal. We actually had a conversation.

For our project we had to make a glass picture frame.

"Can you bring me the navy blue, pink, and purple jars for over there?" I got a piece of paper and cut out different sizes of hearts. Dimitri set down the bottles and took a seat next to me.

"What is that stuff?" Dimitri was pointing to the jars.

"Powdered glass."

"What are you making?"

"A picture frame. You pour the glass on the metal frame in whatever design you want and then use the torches to melt the glass to the frame. Mr. Tanner wants us to put a picture I it too so he can display them around the room." I put the navy blue on the top and left side of the frame and the pink on the right and bottom. Then I took the heart stencil and put a couple purple hearts all around.

"What picture are you using?"

"One of my parents and me. Liss took it when we were on a road trip."

"Are you close to your parents?" God he has a lot of questions.

"I was." I was now on the verge of crying since I was now thinking about my parents so I took a deep breath and calmed down.

"It looked like you were whenever I was over."

"Rhea and Eric aren't my real parents. My parents died in a car crash ten years ago."

"I'm so-"

"I don't want your pitty." I whispered. My eyes glazed over as I said, "I was there, and i still have nightmares."

"You were in the car?"

"No, Liss and I were at the hotel sleeping while my parents went to go get breakfast. We were in Pennsylvania and the roads were all covered in ice. Their car slid on the ice and they crashed into a tree. We were woken up by a cleaning lady and the police. Liss's parents were in Montana so it was going to take them a while to come get us. The cleaning lady stayed with us until we were picked up." I has never told anyone that story before and I don't really know why I told Dimitri. He probably wouldn't care anyways.

"My grandma lives in Russia and when we moved here five years ago she refused to come with us."

"Do you miss her?"

"Everyday."

Later that night dimitri and Christian came over to help think of a plan to sabatage the party that Andre had to throw this weekend.

"We can go all John Tucker and put estrogen powder in the drinks." Liss suggested.

"Babe, I thought we agreed that we were going to make the guys act like guys, not girls." Christian said as he wrapped his arm around Liss.

"Then we'll put viagra in the drinks instead." I said jokingly.

"Great idea Rosie! Does anyone have any? Dimitri?" Andre looked in his direction/

"Why are you asking me? I don't have a problem getting it up."

"Do yuo think any of our parents have any? I am so not down to going into the store and buying some."

"Mine doesn't have any." Dimitri said first.

"Oh does he not have a problem getting it up either?" Christian said between laughs.

"No. I don't have a dad." He got up and walked out the door.

"I was joking!" Christian said, clearly surprised like the rest of us.

It was 9:00 Saturday night and andre, Liss and I were setting up for the party. Rhea and Eric werecoming back form their weekend away Monday night so we had the house to ourselves. It turned out that Jesse actually had viagra so Andre stole some form his gym bag when he was in the shower. Only eight pills came in the pouch so we put them all in the punch and stirred it until they all dissolved. everything was ready; all we had to do now was wait for everyone to arrive. They started to arrive at 9:15 and everyone had arrived by 9:45. The girls all huddled in the living room while the guys downed the punch. Good! I kept finding myself searching for Dimitri. I didn't see him anywhere and Andre said that all the other guys threatened to beat him up if he came. Dimitri looked strong, but six on one wouldn't turn out well. An hour into the party i saw that the house was totally destroyed. How the hell did that happen? There were only like twelve people here! God I need a drink. I was pouring myself some vodka when Jesse came stumbling into the kitchen .

"Hey Rose. You look really sexy." I was wearing a red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and black strappy shoes.

"Thanks." I mumbled and started walking away. Jesse grabbed my arm and spun me around. He pushed me back until i bumped into the wall. He then tried to kiss me

"Jesse get away! Get off me!" I pushed him off and ran upstairs.

"I don't want you anyway Hathaway!" He yelled after me.

I didn't want to be at this stupid party anymore, but everyone had to sleepover, it was part of the rules. I grabbed a blanket and pillow and opened my balcony door. Dimitri had his curtains drawn but his light was on so i knew he was there. i knocked on his door until he opened it.

"You okay?"

"No. Jesse practically attacked me." dimitri looked like he wanted to go over and disrupt the party but i stopped him.

" Stop! Don't do anything. Things will just get worse for you."

"Do you know why you became my partner?" Dimitri turned towards me and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No."

"Jesse slept with my partner because he thought you were too hard to get ."

"I'm not losing my virginity to someone I don't love."

He didn't say anything else, he just went back to reading his book. I didn't know he liked to read for fun. it made him look kind of cute. No! Rose stop it! I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. just once, just lean over and -

"What are you doing?" Dimitri raised one of his eyebrows at me.

"Nothing,"

"You had this funny look on your face and you were leaning forward."

"I'm just tired."

"It's like 11:00."

"Your point? I turned over on my side so i was facing away from him. He got up and turned the light off but didn't lay back down on the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm sleeping on the floor."

"Why?"

"I don't want to sleep in the same bed as you."

"Fine then you take the bed!" I got my pillow and blanket and settled onto the floor. I fell asleep soon after, woke in the middle of the night because i was shivering. i didn't want to turn the light on so I just stayed there;laying awake but pretending to be asleep. Then I felt something warm touch me, wrap around me, and I realized it was Dimitri. He was soo warm and it felt so good. I stopped shivering after five minutes and began to drift off to sleep again. But not before I felt Dimitri kiss my forehead.