Thank you very much for the reviews! :)

My apologies for the late update. I've been recovering from a severe panic attack and lots of hyperventilating so I was unable to write this week. I still feel pretty awful but I made an effort to finish the chapter and update at last. I hope you can understand.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 26

RPOV

My parents were both waiting for me when I got home at last. They looked up at me expectantly when I entered the kitchen. It wasn't hard to guess why they were looking at me like that.

"So we got an interesting call today," Mom started, her voice not giving anything away. She didn't look nor sound angry, but I knew she must be boiling on the inside. I glanced at Dad, but his face was just as impassive.

"Oh?" I said, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah," Mom said, gritting her teeth. Oh, there it was. Her death glare. I gulped. "Moira called us and said you were skipping school with Christian. The school called us too."

I frowned. "Oh."

"You earned yourself a detention tomorrow. You and Christian."

I shifted on my feet uncomfortably. Well, I guess I couldn't be too surprised about the detention. It was practically a given since I didn't write an absent note for school.

"May I ask why you skipped school?" Mom asked, her voice calm but cool.

Shit. What do I say now?

I chewed on my bottom lip. "Umm…"

"Right. I figured you wouldn't be able to tell me the reason," she said when I didn't give a proper answer.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, hanging my head in shame.

"Well, what's done is done," Mom said with a sigh. "I just hope you won't do it again."

I shook my head. "I won't," I promised.

She gave a curt nod. "Alright then. I have to go back to work."

Was that it? I thought, surprised. Wasn't she going to yell at me? Wasn't she going to demand I'd tell her where I'd been all day? I realized that this conversation could've gone a lot worse and that I was lucky I got away with just a detention.

"Oh, and Rose?" Mom said as she headed to the door. I looked up at her questioningly. "You're grounded for the rest of the week."

I suppressed a sigh. I knew it was too good to be true. "Okay," I said, knowing that if I put up a fight it would only make things worse.

"You're not leaving this house except to go to school and after school, you're coming straight home."

Shit. What about my self-defense lessons with Dimitri?

"Okay," I repeated sullenly.

"Good," Mom said, clearly satisfied. "I'll see you after work."

I let out a sigh and turned to Dad. He hadn't said a word since I'd arrived and it was worrying me. Usually, he was the first person to say something.

"Are you mad at me, Dad?" I asked hesitantly.

He didn't answer right away, which made me think he really was mad at me. But then, an amused expression crossed his face.

"No, I'm not mad at you," he said at last.

I stared at him, perplexed. "Um… Why not?"

He smiled reluctantly. "I'd be a hypocrite if I'd be mad at you for skipping out on school."

What's that supposed to mean? "Wait – are you trying to tell me you used to skip school?" I asked, incredulous. Did Mom know this? Rules were very important to her; I don't think she's ever broken one in her life before.

"Sometimes," he said with a shrug. Clearing his throat, he put on his serious face again and warned, "But that doesn't mean you can do the same, Rose. It's fine for this once. Just don't do it too often. You'll regret it."

"I won't do it again," I promised. "It was just today. I had a good reason for skipping."

Dad raised his eyebrow at me. "Care to tell me what that reason is?"

I shuffled around in the kitchen, avoiding eye contact. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't," I mumbled, sitting down next to him. "Not right now."

He sighed and reached out for my hand that was resting on the table. He squeezed it gently. "Rose, what's going on?" he asked softly. Concern for me etched his face. "A few weeks ago, you couldn't stand Christian and now you're skipping school with him, like you're best buddies."

I shrugged, still not looking at him. "I just realized Christian isn't that bad," I mumbled.

"You don't like him, do you?" Dad asked carefully. "I mean… Is that maybe why Lissa and you are fighting? Because you both like him?"

Oh God, this is getting awkward now.

I made a face. "No, Dad. I don't like Christian. He's just my friend."

Dad looked relieved. "Okay. Then if it's not Christian, then what or who's got you so preoccupied?"

Shit, what do I say now? I can't tell him about Nathan. Not yet.

Dad smiled slyly. "Is there some other boy maybe?"

Awkward! "Dad," I groaned, flushing. "Let's…not talk about boys. That just…weird."

He chuckled. "Right. I'm not the right person to talk about boys, huh?"

"Right," I muttered.

"But I'm serious, Rose," he said, leaning forward. "I know there's something going on with you and I hope that you'll tell me when you're ready. When you've figured out whatever needs figuring out."

I nodded. "Thanks, Dad," I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. In this moment, I really wanted to tell him everything.

He squeezed my hand again and gave me a small smile before getting up. "I'm afraid I'll have to go back to work, too. But I'll be back before dinner." He kissed the top of my head. "See you later, kiddo. And listen to your mom, please. Stay here."

"I'll stay," I promised. I gave him a little wave. "Bye Dad."

I waited until he was out the door and then took out my cell, dialing Dimitri's number. I guess I'd gotten lucky with my punishment; Mom could've taken my phone and laptop away, too, but she hadn't. Thankfully.

"Hi Roza, are you okay?" Dimitri's soft voice answered.

"Hey," I said, suppressing a sigh. "I'm…okay. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm grounded the rest of the week so I won't be coming to the gym this week. Sorry."

It was quiet for a few moments. Then Dimitri said, "So your parents found out, huh?" He sighed. "Well… I'm going to miss you. I've gotten used to seeing you every day."

"I could sneak off and come and see you," I suggested. I knew I'd miss him terribly if I wouldn't get to see him all week.

"No, please don't do that," Dimitri said softly. "I don't want you to get into more trouble."

"I've also got detention tomorrow," I muttered unhappily. "Mom was angry. Dad not so much. He seemed more amused than anything."

"Well, you shouldn't have skipped school," Dimitri said, trying to sound stern but failing. "Will you call me if there's something wrong?" he asked after a few moments, serious again. "Or if you need me or something."

"Of course," I replied.

"Maybe I could come and see you this week when your parents aren't around?" he said, sounding hopeful.

My heart lifted at his suggestion. "Yes, please. I'd like that very much."

I could almost hear his grin. "Okay."

I smiled, but it disappeared quickly as I thought back to today's events. I wish I was still with Dimitri, wrapped up in his comforting arms.

"I've got to go, milaya," Dimitri murmured. "My self-defense class is about to start in two minutes."

"Oh okay," I said, sad I had to say goodbye to him already. "I'll talk to you later, then. Bye."

"Bye Roza," he said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said before he disconnected. With a heavy sigh, I jumped up from my chair and went upstairs, figuring that a long and hot shower would help get rid of all the tension from today.

I didn't see or hear from Christian until the next day at school. I felt bad. Aside from getting a detention, his parents had grounded him as well.

"Stop apologizing, Rose," he said. "It was my decision to come with you. It's my own fault I got in trouble. Stop worrying about it. Now, are you going to tell me what happened with Mia?"

I glanced around. The hall was packed with students, all on their way to class. "This is not something I'd like to discuss in the school's hallways," I said at last. "Can we talk about this later, somewhere private?"

"Sure," he said. "Well, I have to go. I can't miss another class or my mom will go psycho on me."

"Okay, I'll see you later," I said before parting ways with him.

Later that day, when I was about to meet Viktoria and Eddie for lunch, I was stopped by none other than Lissa. I'd been expecting a visit from her all day and I was surprised it had taken her this long.

"Rose, I need to talk to you," she said coolly. "Now."

Avery was with her. She smiled smugly at me as I turned around and faced them. "I'm listening. Say what you want to say so I can be on my way," I said, not too kindly.

Lissa shot daggers at me as she stared me down. "Is it true you skipped school with Christian yesterday?" she demanded.

I shrugged. "Yeah, that's true."

She gaped at me; disbelief in her eyes. "I can't believe this! Are you doing this to hurt me?"

I frowned. "What? No. Of course not, Lissa."

She looked hurt. "Then why? Why are you suddenly all over my boyfriend? Are you trying to make me jealous?"

My mouth dropped open as I stared at her, incredulous. "What?" I squeaked. This is insane!

"If you are, then it's not working!" she said, her eyes blazing angrily. "Besides, Christian would never leave me for someone like you. You're just a-"

"Just what?" I said, getting angry myself. "I don't know if you realize it, but you used to be friends with me so be careful about what you say because you don't want to insult yourself while trying to insult me!"

She flushed bright red. "You haven't answered my question," she said at last, flustered. "Why did you skip school with Christian?"

"It's none of your business," I snapped. "Not anymore."

She scowled at me. "I want you to stay away from Christian. You're a bad influence on him. He would've never skipped if you hadn't made him!" she lashed out.

"I didn't make him do anything," I retorted. "He wanted to skip school with me. Ask him if you don't believe me. And you can't forbid me to see Christian. He's my friend."

She snorted. "Since when?"

"Since you dropped me like I never meant anything to you," I exclaimed angrily. She flinched at the sound of my loud voice and looked momentarily hurt again. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down. "Look, Lissa, I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose," I said, exasperated. "You should know that. You were my best friend, after all."

She avoided my gaze, looking uncomfortable.

"Anyway," I continued, clearing my throat, "you don't have to fear. I'm not going to take Christian away from you. He's just my friend and I needed his help with something."

Her head snapped up and her anger had returned. "I don't care if you needed his help. Next time, ask someone else," she said icily. "Stay away from Christian."

I smiled wistfully. "You know what? Mason was right about you. I finally get why he and Eddie never wanted to hang out with you. You're the most selfish person I know. And it's only now that I'm no longer your friend that I realize that."

She stared at me, shocked. Then, without another word, she spun around and stormed off. Instead of following, Avery stepped closer to me.

"You fucked up big time," she said, that smug smile still on her face. "But don't worry, I'll be there to take care of her now."

I bet that Avery was partly responsible for the way Lissa was acting right now. The only bad influence here was Avery and she was slowly but gradually changing Lissa into someone she was not. Well, most of the time.

I smiled sweetly at her. "Shouldn't you run along now, puppy? Your boss is waiting for you. Don't want to make her angry, do you?"

Before she could form a reply, I turned around briskly and stalked off to the cafeteria. I found Viktoria and Maya sitting at a table in the corner. I hadn't spoken to Maya since the Christmas party. When I reached the table, she offered me a smile.

"Hi Rose," she said.

"Hey," I said, returning her smile as I plopped down onto the empty seat next to Viktoria. I cleared my throat, but it seemed like she was preoccupied with her phone. Idly, I wondered if it was Ivan distracting her.

"Rose!" Viktoria exclaimed, finally looking up. She gave me a broad smile. Yeah, it was Ivan distracting her, alright! "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "You?"

"Great!" she beamed.

I wanted to talk to her about yesterday, tell her what I'd found out. And I wanted to know what the deal was with Ivan. I wanted to know if they were just flirting or if that kiss I'd witnessed had actually meant something. I hoped for Viktoria it was the latter. But, obviously, I couldn't talk to her here, not with Maya sitting with us.

As on cue, Viktoria asked, "Where were you yesterday?"

I groaned inwardly as Maya looked at me curiously. She wanted to know, too. "Long story. I'll tell you some other time," I muttered, giving Viktoria a pointed look.

Her eyes widened briefly and then she nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"Where's Eddie? And Adrian?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Here we are," someone behind me called.

I craned my neck over my shoulder and noticed Adrian. He grinned at me, patting my head, and then sat down next to me, dropping his lunch tray in front of him on the table. Eddie sat across from us, next to Maya, and smiled at me.

"Good to see you, Rose," he said. "I missed you in class yesterday. Where were you?"

Ugh, not again.

Thankfully, everyone at the table was too distracted to hear my answer when someone unexpected stopped at our table.

"Christian?" I said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

He gave me a wry smile. "Mind if I sit with you today? Lissa is kind of pissed at me."

"Sure," I said. I knew Lissa had asked – more like demanded but whatever – to stay away from Christian, but I could hardly send him away. "Sit down and make yourself at home."

He smiled at me gratefully, ignoring the shocked stares from the rest of my friends.

Adrian recovered first and clapped him on the back. "Threw you out, too, didn't she?" he said with a grin. "It's kind of a surprise to me. Normally, you can't do anything wrong in her eyes. Makes me wonder, what did you do?"

Christian's eyes met mine briefly. Shaking his head, he muttered, "I have no idea."

"Girls," Adrian said, sighing dreamily. "They can never make up their mind about what they want. One minute, it's-"

"Yeah, yeah," Christian cut him off. "Let's not talk about it anymore, okay? It'll only ruin my mood."

I smirked. "You sure it isn't already ruined?"

Christian glared at me, but I knew he was only teasing. "Can you believe I'm already starting to regret coming over here?"

"Aww, Christian," I said, hiding a smile. "Don't fret. I'll stay quiet and let you eat."

He grinned, but it disappeared quickly when he looked up. "Damn," he muttered.

I followed his gaze and saw Lissa standing in the middle of the cafeteria with her lunch tray, staring us down. Then she turned around abruptly and stalked off toward the exit, Avery scurrying after her.

Damn, indeed, I thought.

I gave Christian a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."

"Don't worry, Rose," he said. "I'll make it up to her later. When she's calmed down."

"I tried making it up to her a hundred times, Christian," I said. "But when she's that pissed..."

He smiled slyly. "I have other – better – ways to make it up to her, Rose. If you know what I mean," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm sure I'll get her to forgive me."

I made a face. "Eww. I didn't want to know that."

"That's my guy," Adrian said, a wolfish grin on his face, as he clapped Christian on the back again. Christian almost choked on his drink and the rest of us laughed as he wiped the water off his chin, glaring at Adrian.

"Not sure you'll be making it up to her later, pal," I said, grinning. "You're grounded, remember?"

Christian's face darkened. "Don't remind me."

Viktoria leaned in, then, and whispered in my ear, "Rose, what's going on here? Since when are you such good friends with Christian?"

"I'll explain later," I whispered back.

Eddie looked at me in confusion, probably wondering the same thing. Maya looked even more curious than before, but, thankfully, she didn't ask questions.

The rest of the day passed slowly. Detention was even worse; time seemed to have stood still. There weren't any students in the room besides Christian and me. Even though it was just the two of us, Mr. Harrison, our chemistry teacher, wouldn't let us talk. So the both of us sat there in complete silence, bored. I decided that if I was going to have to sit an hour in this stuffy class room, I'd better get some work done.

I left with Christian after detention. As we walked home, I informed him about Mia and what she'd told me. When I was done, I made him promise me to never repeat this to anyone again, especially the part about the videotapes and pictures. I'd been evasive about that part, but I was pretty sure Christian had already guessed that Nathan had taped him raping Mia. Needless to say, he was disgusted.

"That son of a bitch!" he cursed.

"Yeah," I said quietly, not wanting to talk about this anymore. We reached our homes. "I hope Lissa will forgive you soon," I told Christian earnestly.

"Thanks," he said, giving me a small smile. "I hope so too. See you tomorrow, Rose."

"Bye Christian."

I went inside my house. I'd just closed the front door when my phone started buzzing in my jeans. I struggled to get it out of my pocket and answered the call.

"Hello," I said distractedly as I made my way into the kitchen and dropped my bag onto a chair.

"Hello, Roza," Dimitri responded.

"Comrade!" I exclaimed, happy to hear him.

I could hear him chuckle over the phone. "Are you home yet, Roza?" he asked.

"Just arrived," I answered, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. "Why?"

"Are your parents there?" he asked, ignoring my question.

I frowned. "No."

"Are they coming home soon?"

"No," I said slowly, feeling a little confused. "Comrade, why are you asking all these questions?"

"Well, I thought that maybe I could come over and spend some time with you?" he said casually.

"Really?" I said, excited. But then I remembered something. "But what about the gym? Shouldn't you be there?"

"No, Ivan's here," Dimitri said. "And normally you'd be here right now, training with me. But since you're grounded…" A few moments of silence passed. "I don't want to miss you all week. So what do you say? Want me to come over?"

"Yes, please!" I said, barely able to contain my grin. Dimitri dropping by would make my day so much better. "When can you come?"

"Ten minutes?" he replied.

"Okay! See you then."

Exactly ten minutes later, Dimitri arrived. I threw the door open and wrapped my arms around his neck. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close, before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

"Thank you for coming," I said, happy to see him.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked as he walked inside.

"Sure," I said, smiling tightly.

He eyed me carefully, not buying it. "You were so upset yesterday. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

I let out a sigh. "I'm feeling better." My smile turned more genuine and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "Especially now that you're here."

Dimitri smiled and tugged me closer to him. "Good. I'm glad." Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he murmured, "I don't like to see you sad."

"Well, I'm not," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him tight as I leaned my head against his chest. Closing my eyes, I murmured, "I'm very happy. Because you are here."

Dimitri kissed the top of my head as he held me. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, giving him a small smile. Stepping out of his embrace, I asked, "Do you want a tour of the house?

He smiled again. "Sure, Roza. Lead the way."

I held onto his hand as I dragged him through the living room, kitchen, etc. I took him upstairs next and, last, I showed him my room. I was a bit nervous about that; I'd never had any boyfriends in here before. Not that I'd had that many serious boyfriends. Only Adrian and that had lasted merely two months.

"So, um, this is my room," I said, clearing my throat, as I opened the door. I was glad I'd cleaned up in here yesterday. My eyes flicked to the window and I quickly walked over, shutting the curtains.

"What was that for?" Dimitri asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Christian could see us if he walks into his room," I said with a shrug. "He doesn't need to know you're here or he'll ask even more questions." I rolled my eyes. "It's annoying, really. Every time I look outside, I see his face. He has this annoying habit to turn up the music when he knows I'm around," I rambled. "Really, he's always finding new ways to irritate me. But I guess lately he's been kinder and-"

"Why are you so nervous?" Dimitri asked, an amused expression on his face.

I looked at him, flustered. "I… I'm not-" I cut myself off and sighed. "I don't know," I said at last, chewing on my bottom lip. "I just never had any boyfriends up here."

He arched an eyebrow as he stepped closer. "Boyfriends? How many were there before me?"

"Not that many," I said, blushing. "Just one, actually. But it wasn't serious. It was nothing like…you and me."

Dimitri stopped in front of me and, slowly, reached out and rested his hands on my waist. "Relax, Roza. I'm just teasing you." He lifted his hand and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. "You don't have to be nervous around me," he said softly. "I won't hurt you." He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. "I would never hurt you," he whispered against my lips. He kissed me again, more passionate this time. When he pulled away, I looked up into his dark eyes.

"I know," I whispered back, grateful that my boyfriend was an honest and respectful man.

Dimitri smiled, but his smile was only brief. "You look tired. Have you slept at all last night?" he asked, concerned.

"A little," I admitted. Most of the night, I'd been staring at the ceiling, thinking about Nathan and what Mia had told me. Poor Mia…

"Come," Dimitri said, tugging me towards the bed. He slipped off his shoes and lay down on top of the bed. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down next to him. "You can rest now."

Snuggling closer to his side, I made myself comfortable on the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head on his chest. We lay in comfortable silence for a while.

Dimitri stroked my hair gently; it was comforting. I smiled involuntarily. I knew he used any excuse to touch my hair. He loved my long locks. I think he'd be very upset if I decided to cut it short one day. Lucky for him, I kind of loved my long hair, too, so there was no chance of that happening.

"Can I ask you something?" Dimitri asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure," I mumbled sleepily.

"Why's your last name Hathaway?" he asked. "Why not Mazur? Like your father's…"

I lifted my head and gave him a funny look. "That's not really the question I'd expected."

He shrugged. "I've been wondering about it for a while now."

"My parents split up during my mom's pregnancy," I explained, resting my head against his chest again. I'd heard this story many, many times and I actually thought it was pretty funny. "But as soon as I was born, Dad insisted he and mom should get married. He really wanted to work things out with her. It took him a while to persuade her, but they got back together eventually. Mom wanted me to have her name, though. In case it didn't work out the second time and Dad would leave again. There was a lot of arguing about the name thing, but eventually they settled on Rosemarie Hathaway-Mazur." I looked back up at Dimitri. "That's a mouthful, don't you think?"

"It is," he agreed.

"It's my official name, but everyone just says Hathaway," I said with a shrug. "It's shorter and easier to remember. Dad still grumbles about it sometimes," I said, smiling a little. I nuzzled my face in his neck and tightened my arms around him. "He thinks I like you."

Dimitri arched an eyebrow, amused. "Really?

My smile grew wider and I pressed my lips against his neck. "He didn't say it literally, but he was probing when you left."

"What did you tell him?" he asked.

"I denied it, of course." I sighed. "I wish I could tell him. I know I'll have to tell my parents eventually, but I'm scared of what they'll say. I'm scared they'll force me to stop seeing you."

Dimitri pressed his lips against my forehead. "It can't be that bad if your dad was asking if you like me, hmm?" he said, trying to cheer me up.

"Yeah. My dad might be easier to convince that you're a decent guy and not just trying to take advantage of me," I said in a teasing voice. I lifted my head to look at him and grinned as he narrowed his eyes at me playfully. Then I sobered. "But my mom…"

"Don't worry about that now," Dimitri murmured, running his hand through my hair. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

He smiled and kissed my lips. Sighing, I rested my head on his shoulder. Another silence fell. I closed my eyes and, slowly, I started to doze off. Sometime later, I woke from my slumber when Dimitri moved away from me. Still sleepy, I reached out for his hand, trying to stop him from leaving.

"I'm sorry, milaya," he said softly, "but I have to go back to the gym." He kissed my hair. "Go back to sleep. I'll call you later."

"Okay," I mumbled.

I felt him press another kiss to my hair before I drifted off again and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I don't know when I'll be able to update again since I still feel so bad. I won't make any promises, but I'll try to update within a week. Hope you have a nice weekend! :)