Okay, this might be my last update for a few days. I'm going to be camping, so the closest I can come to updating will be writing in a notebook to type up later. Also-I love all of the reviews!
This is my longest chapter so far, even without the surprise at the end, and I'd like to know what you think. :)
"…obviously a blood whore."
I spun around, my mouth instantly transforming into a snarl, ready to attack whoever was stupid enough to whisper about me in a voice that I could hear. The moment I turned, however, anyone remotely close to me was looking away, pretending they hadn't been staring at me. I dropped the wolf face but didn't relax. It seemed that every time I let my guard down, someone else dared to whisper about me as I passed. And I was getting pretty damn tired of it at this point.
I kept walking toward the building that housed my animal behavior and physiology class. It had been just a few days since Ralph leaked out my secret, but it felt like months. I was now six weeks pregnant, and throwing up every freaking morning without fail. So far my lay-low tactic wasn't working to my advantage; if anything, people were growing bolder and almost insulting me to my face. It was the blood whore rumor all over again, only this time there was no one to turn it on. I was going to have to figure out a way to end this.
I was relieved to leave the dark courtyard behind and enter the brightly lit hallway. That was, until I noticed a group of royals staring at me and standing right before the animal behavior room. "Can't go under them, can't go around them," I muttered under my breath, finishing the line from an old children's book. But honestly, I didn't really want to find a way around them. If they were looking for trouble, I would gladly give it to them.
"Oh, speak of the devil!" a girl I recognized as Carly called out as I approached. She stepped towards me. "Rose, we were just talking about you," she gushed. I looked at her like she was crazy. I may be wrong here, but wasn't it kind of, I don't know, bad to tell someone you were gossiping about them?
"You see, Camille here had this great idea," Carly trailed off, looking at Camille. A few of the boys in the group snickered.
"Yeah Camille, tell her your great idea," Xander Badica said, grinning.
Camille muttered something that sounded like "you tell her" and looked away. Though she was definitely a two-faced bitch, she wasn't the worst of them. I could tell she felt guilty.
"I'm waiting," I snapped. These people were wasting my time.
"Well, we were just placing a few bets on who the father is. My money's on Jesse. I mean, who's to say he was lying before? Once a blood whore, always a blood whore, right Rose?" Xander laughed as he draped his arm around my shoulders.
I could practically feel the steam blowing out of my ears. The entire group started to chuckle. My anger rose until it was a tidal wave and before I knew what I had done, I spun around and grabbed Xander's arm, twisting as I threw it off, and punched him in the nose. There was a highly satisfying crunch, a moment's pause, and then Carly shrieked.
"Ohmygod! You just hit him!" She wailed as Xander buckled and fell to the ground. "Somebody get help!" A few passersby looked on in amusement but said nothing. I had to give it to Xander—he didn't make a sound as he tried to stench the blood streaming from his nose.
I bent over so my face was inches away from his. "Who's bleeding now?" I hissed as I pushed him back. I stalked away, shoving the door open and once again emerging into the cool night air. I knew there would be hell to pay later, but at the moment I didn't care. I walked with my head high as people rushed past me, eager to see what the screaming was about. Good god that girl had a voice; you could hear her halfway across the campus. I shook my head and headed to my dorm. I was taking the rest of the day off.
I wasn't surprised to hear Lissa knock on my door about forty five minutes later. "What's up, Liss?" I asked, my eyes immediately falling to her hands. She held a Ben and Jerry's container of ice cream. I think I might have whimpered.
Lissa smiled and held it out to me, along with a spoon. "Thought you might need a little pick me up," she said.
I took it gratefully. "Oh, chocolate therapy. You're good," I said, letting her in and closing the door behind her. She sat cross legged on my bed, and I sat back against my pillows, digging into my ice cream.
"So how long can you stay before they'll notice you're gone?" I asked after a few mouthfuls.
Lissa yawned. "They probably already realized it. But it doesn't matter—I'm skipping." Though she was trying to play it cool, I could hear the excitement in Lissa's words. To her, this was badass.
"Well, aren't we a little rebel," I said, amused. Lissa grinned. "So what brings you here?"
"I miss hanging out with you. We never have time anymore," Lissa said sadly, leaning against my wall.
"I know. Life's a bitch." I immediately took a huge bite of my chocolate ice cream to emphasize the point, and we both cracked up.
"You make a great pregnant teenager," Lissa said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Why thank you, Princess." I gave a mock bow. Lissa let her head fall against the wall, her eyes closed.
"Are you alright?" I asked, watching her in concern. She looked exhausted, and the bond felt fuzzy, almost as if she wasn't tuned in the right way.
"Yeah. I'm just…worried," Lissa said, opening her eyes to look at me. "About the future. I've been thinking a lot about it. I'm scared to go to court, Rose. I don't want to go without you." I could tell she was trying to hold back tears.
"It'll be fine," I said, putting my ice cream tub down for a moment. "Those royals need someone to shake things up a bit. And I won't be gone forever, Liss. It's not the end of the world."
Lissa smiled wryly. "When did you become the wise one?"
"I've always been wise. I just choose not to show off." I swung my hair back for dramatic effect. Lissa laughed again, but it died out after a moment and was replaced by a frown.
"Rose, did you really punch Xander in the face?" she asked, looking troubled.
"He's lucky I didn't kick him in his balls," I gurgled through a mouth full of half-melted ice cream.
"Ew, Rose, that's gross. And I know he must have been being a total asshole, but you have to watch it—they want you to get angry. It's entertainment for them." I could sense Lissa's worry, but I couldn't take the whispers and glares any longer. If it was a fight they wanted, then it was a fight they would get.
"Well, they won't find it so funny anymore. You should have heard Carly screaming," I chuckled. After a moment's frown of disapproval, Lissa joined too.
"I think pretty much the entire school heard her," she said, playing with a loose thread on my comforter.
"Good. It'll get the message out," I said firmly.
Lissa rolled her eyes. "You've been cooped up in this room too long; you're starting to go mental. Which is why you're spending tonight and tomorrow night in my room for a weekend movie marathon."
I groaned. "Please, not the crappy romance movies."
Lissa's eyes gleamed. "Oh yes. We're talking 'The Notebook,' 'Titanic,' 'Pearl Harbor' and anything else I can think of."
"Kill me now," I pleaded jokingly. "Or bring out the Bollywood. Just please, not 'The Notebook!'"
"Nope. We're doing a girl's night," Lissa said resolutely. "I need a break too."
Truthfully, I liked the idea of hanging out with Lissa for the weekend. Graduation was only two weeks away, and we were running out of time to be together. Pretty soon she would be at court and I would be…somewhere, getting ready for the baby. Our teenage lives were almost over, and we were going to have to pretend to be grown up. But not just yet. For now, we would enjoy life like we were supposed to. The worrying could start later—I wasn't in any rush.
Two hours later I heard a heavy knock on my door. Lissa had left half an hour ago to meet with Christian for a little while before our girl's night, so I knew it couldn't be her. Climbing out of bed I swung the door open to see an uncomfortable Eddie staring at me.
"Hey, Eddie," I said, not very surprised. "Kirova sent you?"
He nodded. "She needs you in her office," he said apologetically.
I looked down at my sweats and tank top and shrugged. "Lead the way, messenger man."
Eddie walked quickly down the hallway, and I found myself trotting to catch up. I frowned when I could feel my lungs working to take in oxygen on the stairs; I was falling out of shape, and fast. If only Dimitri would let me train again.
Eddie left me in front of Kirova's office and patted my arm lightly. "For the record, all the novices were cheering," he whispered, smiling, as he turned to leave.
"Miss Hathaway!" Kirova barked from her office doorway. I whirled around and slowly made my way over to the door.
"Kirova," I said pleasantly.
"Sit down," Kirova snapped. I plopped down in the same chair I'd been in the day Kirova called me down when Dr. Olendski told her I was pregnant. It felt like years ago.
"Miss Hathaway, as I know you're aware, fighting is prohibited at this school, and-"
"With all due respect," I interrupted, smiling slightly, "I wouldn't exactly call that a fight."
Kirova stared at me exasperatedly. "Physical contact of any kind is not allowed. In addition to assaulting a student, you skipped half a day's worth of classes. You've broken school rules, and I have no choice but to suspend you. You will attend classes and meals, but that is all. You will stay confined to your room." She straightened a few piles of paper on her desk.
"Oh, goodie," I said sourly, yawning.
"With one exception." I raised my eyes to her face questioningly. "You will return to your therapy sessions every day after your last class." I groaned. They'd let me quit therapy when I started acting normal again, a little while after the cabin incident. After my night with Dimitri the ghosts seemed to fade away, and I liked to think it was because my own inner torment that I felt in being denied Dimitri was now gone. But of course that was only one theory. Still, I didn't like the idea of going back to Deirdre. She made me examine my life too much, something I wasn't very fond of doing.
"Joy," I muttered sarcastically.
Kirova narrowed her eyes at me slightly. "I don't like your attitude, Miss Hathaway," she said warningly.
"I'm not a big fan of yours either. Let's just agree to…not like each other," I said as I stood up and stretched.
Kirova sighed. I thought I heard a quiet laugh, but I must have imagined it. "Goodbye, Miss Hathaway," she said, amused. Her serious face was gone.
"See you later," I said amiably as I walked out of the room. If she didn't hate me as much as she had reason to, and if I wasn't sure that I'd end up back in her office for something stupid within the next two weeks, I might have said that Kirova and I almost seemed like friends.
I had just ascended the stairs to my hallway (which, by the way, is unoccupied except for me, therefore it is 'my hallway') when I saw a dark figure leaning against a wall. I tensed for a moment but relaxed when I recognized the familiar scent of aftershave.
"Dimitri," I said happily as he made his way over to me. He pulled me into a hug and then lightly kissed my lips. Dimitri had a very strong sense of job importance, so even though I saw him for hours every morning, that was strictly teacher-student time, no kisses allowed. Of course, there was that time yesterday morning…and after class today…But still, it was nice to see him without having to pretend to listen to him lecture.
"Roza," he murmured, holding me tight. I sighed and tried to let go of all the things that bothered me. No more Ralph, no more Xander, no more suspension. Unfortunately, those things couldn't just float away.
"How are you feeling?" He asked over the top of my head. I pulled back so I could look at him.
"Okay. Kind of stressed, I guess," I admitted.
He frowned. "Why, what's wrong?"
I laughed. "Have you not heard everyone talking?" I asked, trying and failing to not show how much it bothered me.
Dimitri looked away. I immediately realized I'd said the wrong thing. "Okay, I'm going to stop your deep internal struggle right there, comrade. Don't you dare tell anyone the truth."
He ran a hand through his hair and looked back at me. I could see the anger and anguish burning in his eyes, his frustration at not being able to help. "This is hurting you, Rose. I can't stand by and watch, not when I could stop it so easily."
I shook my head. "It would ruin both of us, Dimitri. Who would hire one of us? And graduation is only two weeks away. Just two more weeks and it isn't a problem," I said persuasively.
"This isn't right," he said, slamming his fist into the wall. I jumped back in surprise. Dimitri always had such perfect self control.
"Calm down, cowboy. This is what I want." I reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. "Dimitri," I groaned.
"I can't forgive myself for this, Rose. I've already ruined your life," he said.
I reached for his hand again, and this time he let me keep it. "No you haven't," I said gently. "Think of it as an adventure. One we can have together." I reached up and put a hand on his cheek. He rested one of his hands over it but didn't remove mine.
"Roza," he whispered thickly. I turned my hand over to take his and brought it to my stomach after lifting up my tank top slightly. Not the best clothes for a perfect romantic moment, but you make do with what you have.
"This is our baby, Dimitri, and I love it. I'm not sorry any of this happened, and I don't want you to be either," I said, looking into his eyes. His gaze fell to my stomach, and then he crouched down. His hands held my belly and he kissed it gently, running his fingers over my soft skin. I smiled.
He stood back up and pulled me closer. "I love you, Roza, and our baby. And I swear to you, nothing will ever hurt either of you as long as I'm here." The look in his eyes was so intense, so real, it practically burned me.
"I love you, Dimitri," I whispered. He brought his lips to mine, and kissed me so long and hard I was dizzy from lack of oxygen. I backed up to the wall as his hands played with the hem on my shirt, lifting it up again. I held him tightly, my nails practically digging into his back. I had just reached for his shirt when he backed away slightly.
"Dimitri," I growled angrily.
Amusement glinted in his dark eyes. "I almost forgot something," he said as he picked up a plastic bag I hadn't noticed before. I frowned as he gave it to me.
"What's this?" I asked, spinning the bag around and trying to figure out what was inside.
Dimitri chuckled. "Open it and you'll find out."
I did as he said and pulled out a bottle of prenatal vitamins. I looked at him wordlessly.
"I, um, called that doctor to see what kind you should have…I want to make sure you're both healthy," he said, blushing a little bit. I grinned. He was adorable.
I hugged him tightly. "Thank you," I whispered. I'd known that Dimitri cared about me, but I hadn't been as sure about the baby. All his apologizing and agonizing over it made me think he didn't want it. Maybe it's stupid to see prenatal vitamins as a promise, but I did. I knew, really knew that Dimitri would stay with us, and that set my heart on fire. We were like a family, I thought happily to myself as Dimitri kissed me gently. I was surprised how that word zinged through my mind. Part of me wondered if it was because a family was something I'd never really had, but I decided to ignore that part. My life was no longer about the things denied me—it was about everything I was about to find instead.
On that romantic note, I have to share this with you guys. My brother's friend was watching me type up chapter 12 I think it was and he decided he was going to finish the chapter for me. This is completely unedited and exactly what he wrote. Also—keep in mind that 1. He has never heard of VA and 2. We were watching the first part of the seventh Harry Potter movie at the time and I was mad because in the movie the bridesmaid dress was grey, not gold like J.K said it was. So, read this for a laugh :)
"its alrght dont be sorry!" I exclaimed angrily at Lissa SWAG!. "Yo man cheeel" Lissa screamed at me. "lissa listin to me I love you!" I screamed and *BOOM* *BOOM* and lissa dropped o the floor? "Woah now rose just put the gun down where did you even get that gun?" calmly said principle kirova.?"get da fuck outa my school you crazy a** B****" said pincincple kirova
AND J.K ROWLING LIES ABOUT THE COOR OF HER DRESSES IT WAS GOLD I SWEAR GOLD!
FIN.