Thank you very much for your reviews! :)

Kitty (guest): I swear I read it somewhere, I just can't remember. Maybe somewhere online? I don't know. But, honestly, does it matter what her age is? I won't condemn anyone for thinking Sonya is younger/older. You can choose to interpret however you want it. Personally, I see her as an older sister too instead of a younger. ;)

Comrade's Roza (guest): You'll find out in this chapter if Andre likes Rose. For your other question, Mia met Nathan in college. And yes, I totally agree with you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 25

RPOV

Involuntarily, I took a step back. Glancing around, I realized the stairs were my only way out. There was no other way around; I had to pass Nathan if I wanted to leave.

Just my luck, I thought bitterly.

"Don't be shy. I won't bite," he teased as he started to climb the stairs towards me.

I gulped. I needed to get out of here – right now. I was lucky Andre was here with me. No way Nathan would hurt me now.

"What are you doing here?" Andre asked, scowling. His hand tightened in mine.

"I wanted to talk to you, but I can see you're busy," Nathan answered as his eyes drifted back to me. "I didn't realize you were into college boys, Rose. If you are, I could take you out some time. Show you a good time." He wiggled his eyebrows at me; an evil gleam in his eyes. "Would you like that?"

"No, thank you," I said, my voice cold. I turned to Andre. "Can we go now, please?"

"Of course," he said, smiling kindly at me. Wrapping his arm around me, he led me down the stairs, past Nathan. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Andre was glaring at him.

"We'll talk later," he muttered to Nathan.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "See you around, Rose!" he called after me.

I ignored him and quickly walked out of the building, Andre following behind me. He didn't say a word as we walked to the parking lot. When we were seated in his car, he finally spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," I said quietly.

He frowned, obviously not believing me. "Are you going to tell me now what the hell is going on?"

I sighed. "It's complicated."

"Did Nathan do something?" Andre said sharply. "You seemed afraid when you saw him."

"No, he intimidates me, that's all," I mumbled reluctantly. "I…don't like him."

"There's something going on, Rose, and I know it has something to do with Nathan," Andre said, frustrated. "You admitted it to me earlier. And you promised you'd tell me."

I didn't respond.

"Rose!" he said, glaring at me. I realized his patience was wearing thin and he was getting angry. "Please just tell me what's wrong!"

Tension hung in the air as we stared at each other. At last, I broke away from his gaze and said quietly, "I found out something about Nathan…something bad…"

It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the truth either. How long was I going to be able to keep this from Andre? He was obviously worried about me. I felt awful that I had to lie to him.

Andre went rigid. "Something bad? What do you mean?"

"I, um, I can't tell you yet," I said evasively.

Now he looked definitely angry. "That's ridiculous! Why can't you tell me?"

"Because you're his friend and I know you won't be able to keep quiet about this. You'll want to confront him," I told him calmly. "And that can't happen. Nathan will know I told you."

"And Mia knows, too?" Andre asked. "That's why you wanted to talk to her?"

I nodded.

He looked pissed. "So you lied to me? You knew you weren't going to tell me when you promised me you would?"

I looked at him pleadingly. "I want to tell you, Andre. I really do. But I can't. Not yet. Please, don't be mad at me."

Andre took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Very," I replied reluctantly.

"Shit, Rose," he swore, hitting his hand against the steering wheel. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Andre. I can't tell you yet," I said apologetically. "I have to check something and as soon as I've done that, I can tell you. And I will tell you. All of it."

He eyed me suspiciously. "How do I know you're not lying to me again?"

"I swear I'm not lying," I said sincerely. "I'll tell you everything. But not just yet."

"Because you need to check something," he stated.

I nodded. "It's important."

"Fine," he said flatly. "I'll wait."

I smiled, grateful. "Thank you, Andre."

"Whatever," he muttered grumpily.

"Can you do one more thing for me?" I asked tentatively.

He glanced over at me, his face impassive. "What?"

"Please stay away from Nathan," I said. "He's…" I shook my head. "He's bad and you'd better keep your distance from him."

Andre looked angry again. "I hate this, Rose. You tell me to stay away from my friend, but you won't tell me why! It's so frustrating!"

"I know, I'm sorry." I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. He looked down at our hands and then back up at me. He seemed to calm down. "You have to trust me, Andre. Please just do as I say."

He studied me intently and then he sagged against his seat. "Fine," he said, resigned. "You'd better tell me everything after…after you've checked whatever it is you need to check. And I hope it doesn't involve something dangerous."

I squirmed around in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. "I'll be fine, Andre."

He sighed. "Okay. Shall I take you home now?"

I retrieved my phone from my pocket. I had three missed calls and one new message. All of them were from Dimitri. Normally, he wouldn't call me during the day because I'd be at school. Something must be up.

"No, I need to go somewhere else first."

Starting the engine, Andre backed out of the parking space. "Okay," he said, letting out another sigh. "Tell me where you need to be."

DPOV

"I wonder what's up with her," Ivan said in a hushed tone as he stood beside me behind the bar, watching Tasha with a look of confusion on his face. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy before."

I shrugged. "I guess she got good news? Whatever, it's none of our business."

When Tasha walked past, Ivan called, "Hey, Tasha. You look happy. How come?"

She turned on her heels and regarded us, the smile still on her face. "Oh, no reason. I'm just happy." Then she looked at me. "Oh, Dimka. I don't think Rose will come in today."

I frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged. "I visited my nephew this morning. Rose came by. I think they were planning on skipping school today."

I looked at her, alarmed. Why would Rose skip school?

"Are you sure?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I should believe her; she didn't like Rose after all and could be making this up. I wouldn't put it past her.

"Um, yeah," she said after a pause. "They were being very secretive and couldn't wait to get me out of the house. I called Christian's mother to let her know she should probably check in on him. She called me back later and told me Christian wasn't at school and he wasn't home either. I bet he went somewhere with Rose. No idea why, though." She smiled sweetly. "Is that all?"

"Yes," I muttered. "Thanks."

When she'd returned to the front desk, Ivan said with a raised eyebrow, "You don't believe that witch, do you? I bet she's lying."

"Why would she lie about this?" I said.

"Because she's an evil bitch out for revenge?" Ivan suggested. "Come on, Dimka. She's never liked Rose."

"I know, but-"

I was cut off when a young man stormed into the gym, an angry look on his face. He strode over to Tasha and shouted, "Did you tell my mom I was skipping school?!"

Was this her nephew? He sure looked like her, with his jet black hair and blue eyes. I walked closer, curious. Ivan followed swiftly.

"Christian!" Tasha said, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way home," he grumbled. "Thanks to you! Why'd you call my mom?"

"You don't have to get mad at me, Christian," Tasha responded, huffing. "I only called your mom for your own good. You shouldn't skip school."

"How did you even know we were going to skip school?"

"I could see you two were up to no good," Tasha said. "Besides, I don't trust Rose. She's a bad influence."

I stepped forward and cleared my throat. "Hi. Christian, right?"

Christian turned and looked at me, his eyes wide. "Are you Dimitri?"

"Yes," I answered. Did Rose tell him about me? "Where's Rose?"

He grimaced. "Umm…"

That didn't sound good. "She didn't come back with you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, she, um, stayed behind."

"And where is that exactly?" I asked sharply.

"Um, I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you," Christian said, shifting around uncomfortably. "But don't worry, she's not alone."

"Who's with her?"

"Andre. He's Lissa's older brother," he explained. "If you know who Lissa is, at least…"

My face darkened. Oh yeah, I know him alright! I took a deep breath, , willing myself to stay calm. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

Christian shook his head again. "No, I'm sorry. I had to leave very suddenly-" He turned and glared at his aunt "-but I'm sure Rose will let you know if she, um, needs you." Looking back at his aunt, he said, "And now if you'll excuse me, I have to leave. My mother is waiting for me at home. Thanks again, aunt Tasha. Very cool of you to snitch on me," he said sarcastically.

"I did it for your own good!" she called after him.

He ignored her and walked out of the gym without another word. Shaking my head, I turned around and started for my office.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ivan asked as he stalked over to me.

"Rose and Christian skipped school," I muttered. "And Rose didn't come back home with him."

"Oh? Where is she now?" Ivan asked.

"I don't know," I said with a sigh. "Christian didn't tell me. But he said she was with Andre right now so I think she's at the local college."

He frowned. "What's she doing there?"

Finding evidence, I thought. Letting out another sigh, I said, "I'm going to call her. Can you watch the bar for me?"

"Sure," Ivan said.

I stepped inside my office and closed the door behind me. Walking around to my desk, I sat down in the chair and grabbed the phone, dialing Rose's number. Like I'd expected, she didn't pick up.

I was starting to worry now. She'd promised me she'd let me know if she'd look for evidence, but she just went ahead and left without telling me. What was I supposed to do now? I didn't know if she was alright; I didn't even know for sure where she was. I was just guessing.

Annoyed and frustrated, I called again and again. Still no answer. At last, I decided to text her. Hopefully, she'd call me back soon. But she didn't. Hours passed without so much as a text from her telling me she was okay. I was starting to get anxious and was about to leave to go find her.

Just then, a car parked in front of the gym and I saw Rose getting out of the passenger's side. I sighed in relief, but that was only short-lived. I felt the anger boil up inside me and I strode over to the door. I stopped in my tracks when a boy, who I recognized as Andre, got out of the car too and walked around to Rose. He stopped in front of her and then reached out, hugging her.

"Right," I muttered, feeling jealous all of a sudden.

I pushed open the door and walked outside.

"I'm sorry about my outburst in the car," I heard Andre mutter to her. "I'm just so worried about you." "It's fine," Rose replied, patting his back. "And you don't have to worry about me, Andre. I'll be fine."

I cleared my throat and she looked up at me, her eyes widening. She stepped out of Andre's embrace and gave me a hesitant smile.

"Hi comrade," she said tentatively.

Andre eyed me curiously.

I gave him a curt nod and then turned back to Rose. "I've been calling you all morning!" I said, trying to stay calm.

She looked at me apologetically. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Where have you been?" I demanded.

She glanced briefly at Andre. "Can we talk about this later?" she asked at last.

"Um, I should probably go," Andre spoke up at last, looking uncomfortable. He turned to Rose and hugged her goodbye. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Andre," she murmured, hugging him back.

I clenched my jaw. Why was I feeling so jealous? It wasn't like me. Besides, I didn't have any reason to be jealous. I knew Rose loved me and wouldn't cheat on me.

To my annoyance, Andre kissed her cheek before letting her go. "Take care, Rose."

He glanced over at me, gave me a slight nod and then got back into his car before driving off. Rose waved at him and then turned to me.

"Where the hell have you been?" I hissed. "I've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have called you, I know, but-"

"Yes, you should have!" I cut her off. "You promised you'd tell me if you'd leave to find some evidence. But you didn't! Instead I had to find out from Tasha!"

"Dimitri, I-"

"What if something had happened to you?" I exclaimed angrily. "You know Nathan's out there and that he wants to hurt you! How can I protect you if you don't tell me where you're going?"

"I'm sorry, okay!" she shouted, tears in her eyes. "How many times do you want me to apologize?" Suppressing a sob, she said, her voice softer, "I'm in no mood to fight with you right now. You can yell at me later, but now I want to be alone for a while."

And with that, she stormed past me and into the gym. I closed my eyes and cursed loudly, realizing I'd been a little bit too hard on her. I hadn't even given her the chance to explain. Maybe she had a good a reason for not calling me. Fuck. Sighing loudly, I walked back inside and went in search for Rose to try and make things right.

RPOV

I ran past Tasha and Ivan without looking at them, for fear they'd see the tears running down my cheeks. I could understand Dimitri was upset, but to yell at me like that? Without letting me explain why I hadn't called?

I'd never seen him this angry before. It had been the last straw. Mia's story, seeing Nathan and then Dimitri yelling at me… It was all too much. I needed to be alone for a while and have a good cry. I realized that hiding in Dimitri's apartment wasn't the smartest option now that he was pissed at me, but I knew I couldn't go home yet.

If my parents didn't know already I'd skipped school, they'd soon find out and I could already imagine their reaction. It wouldn't be pretty. So I wanted to have a last moment of peace before I went home.

"Roza?"

Startled, I looked up at hearing Dimitri's voice. I hadn't heard him come up to the apartment. I was hiding in his bathroom; it wouldn't take long for him to find me. I put my hand over my mouth and suppressed a sob.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Roza, I know you're in here."

He didn't sound angry anymore, which was a relief. I was still angry at him, though, and I didn't feel like talking to him right now.

"Can I come in? Please?" he pleaded. "I want to talk."

"I don't want to talk!" I said in a muffled voice. "I want to be alone. Please go away."

It was quiet for a few moments. Then, the door opened and Dimitri walked in.

"I said, go away!" I cried, burying my face in my hands.

But instead of leaving, he rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms as he sat next to me on the floor. I should've known he wouldn't listen; it's not like I could make him leave his own apartment after all.

"Roza, I'm so sorry," he whispered, stroking my hair, as I cried into his neck. "I'm sorry, milaya. Please don't cry. I'm sorry." He kissed my hair and held me close, rubbing my back soothingly with his free hand. "I'm sorry," he repeated over and over again, his voice pleading.

Finally, I looked up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't call, but you didn't have to yell at me like that."

"I know." He looked pained. "I'm sorry. You wouldn't pick up the phone… I was just so worried about you. I was scared something had happened to you."

"I'm fine," I muttered.

Dimitri pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his neck again and took a deep, shaky breath, finally calming down. I felt Dimitri press his lips against my temple and I closed my eyes, glad to be in his arms after this horrible day.

"I'm sorry," Dimitri whispered again after several minutes had passed. He was still rubbing my back. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It wasn't just you," I mumbled, sniffling. "It was…everything. I just needed to let it all out."

He nodded, though he still looked guilty. To reassure him, I leaned up and kissed his jaw. He gave me a small, sad smile and lifted his hand to wipe a stray tear from my cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me where you were going?" he asked quietly.

"Honestly, I forgot," I answered in a muffled voice. "I was so worked up after Nathan's call…"

Dimitri stiffened. "What do you mean? Nathan's call?"

"He called me this morning."

I told him about the call and that I'd immediately gone to college with Christian to talk to Mia Rinaldi. When I got to the part where Christian had to leave, Dimitri cut in.

"Yeah, his mom called apparently," he muttered. I gave him a questioning look. How did he know? "Christian came barging in this morning. He was pretty furious with his aunt. Tasha was the one who called his mom and told her you two were skipping school."

I scowled. "Sometimes I really hate her."

He kissed my forehead. "Me too. Go on."

"Well, Andre came with me instead. He waited outside while I talked to Mia and…" Tears filled my eyes again as I thought back to what she'd told me. "What Nathan did to me is nothing compared to what he did to her," I murmured, a sob erupting from my throat. "She was his girlfriend and he raped her! He abused her for months until he'd finally gotten enough of her and then he dumped her. But that's not all," I said, remembering how sick I'd felt when Mia had told me. "He…he took pictures, too, and he made videos."

Dimitri stared at me, shock written all over his face. Then his expression turned into one of anger and disgust. Shaking his head, he said, appalled, "He's a sick bastard and he needs to be put in jail. Before he harms any other girls."

"Exactly what I thought," I muttered. I shook my head sadly. "Poor Mia… If I think back to all she's said, I realize I've gotten lucky."

"Rose, don't think you got lucky," Dimitri said quietly. "What happened to Mia is horrible, but what happened to you is awful, too. Even though you weren't raped, he still assaulted you. I don't want to think of what would've happened if I'd been too late. Ten seconds later, Rose, and it would've been too late."

I flinched. I didn't want to think about that. "I know," I whispered.

Dimitri tightened his arms around me.

"I can't imagine how Mia must be feeling right now," I whispered. "With everything that's happened to her. And she had no one to talk to…" I lifted my head to look at him. "At least I had you to talk to…and Viktoria. She had no one."

"She has someone now," Dimitri murmured, stroking my hair gently.

I nodded. It was quiet for a few moments. Dimitri continued stroking my hair as I sat in his lap, pressed against his chest. The steady beat of his heart was calming and I almost drifted off, exhausted from all the crying.

But I forced my eyes open and whispered, "I ran into Nathan. When I was leaving."

Dimitri went rigid again. His hand hovered over my hair and he clenched his jaw. "What happened?" he asked after a few moments.

"He was taunting me, but couldn't say too much because Andre was with me," I murmured. "We left quickly and I asked Andre to drop me off here," I finished my story. Sighing, I muttered sadly, "He was pretty mad at me."

Dimitri started stroking my hair again. "Why?"

"Because I wouldn't tell him what's going on," I answered. "All I told him was that it had something to do with Nathan."

"Why didn't you tell him the truth? You say he's your friend, right?"

"He is, but I can't tell him. He would go after Nathan and then Nathan would know that I'd told him and then it'd be all ruined."

Dimitri nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's probably better to wait to tell him, but I get why he got angry. He's your friend and he's worried and well…" He didn't finish his sentence.

"What?" I asked.

Dimitri let out a sigh. "Well, it's obvious he's completely smitten with you."

I flushed bright red. "That's not true," I said, though I wasn't convinced anymore. Mia's earlier comments had got me thinking. When it comes to you? Yeah. I'd say he'd react pretty bad. And she'd asked Andre if I was his girlfriend.

I thought back to Andre's behavior around me these past couple of weeks. Was there any difference? Maybe a little, but wasn't that just because he was worried about me? Then I remembered how happy he'd been when he saw me today and how he'd hugged me goodbye and kissed my cheek. Could it really be that he had feelings for me?

I loved Andre as a friend. He was like an older brother to me. If he truly did have feelings for me, things would get awkward. I didn't want that. I didn't want anything to change between us.

"Roza, what are you thinking?" Dimitri asked softly, snapping me out of my reverie. He shifted on the floor and I realized he must be uncomfortable, sitting on the cold hard floor with me on his lap. I started to get up, but he pulled me back. "No, you don't have to get up," he said quickly. "I just want to stretch my legs."

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. "I think you might be right," I said reluctantly.

"About what?" he asked, momentarily confused.

"Andre."

Dimitri gave me a small smile. "Well, I understand why he likes you. You're a wonderful girl and I'm glad to call you mine." He kissed my nose. When he pulled back, he looked at me with a sad expression on his face. "I'm really sorry for yelling at you. Can you forgive me?"

Looking up at him, I offered him a smile and caressed his cheek. "Of course, comrade. I know you only yelled at me because you were upset and worried. I should've called you immediately, like I'd promised you. I'm sorry, too."

Dimitri buried his nose in my hair. "I love you, Roza," he murmured.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you too, comrade."

Silence fell and then, suddenly, my stomach growled loudly. I realized I hadn't eaten all day. I blushed and Dimitri chuckled softly.

"I hear you're hungry." He pecked my lips before lifting me off his lap and getting up. "Come on, I'll cook you something."

I smiled at him gratefully and followed him out the bathroom.

Thank God Andre was there to keep Nathan at a distance! And just like some of you already figured out, yes, Andre has feelings for Rose! And now Rose knows, too. What is she going to do when Andre decides to act on his feelings? ;)

Please leave a review and have a nice day/evening! ^^