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CHAPTER 37

DPOV

"Shit," I muttered as I pulled on my boxers and rushed after Rose.

I'd known something was wrong when she'd walked into the gym earlier. She'd been acting…strange. Not like herself. But I was too distracted to ask any more questions and my earlier worry had been soon forgotten with the way she'd started kissing me.

I knew I should have stopped her and make her tell me what was wrong, but instead I'd let her continue and even let her convince me to have sex with her. But then she panicked and ran out, leaving me shocked on the bed.

I heard her crying in the bathroom. I tried to open the door, but of course it was locked.

"Roza?" I said softly. "Please open the door."

No answer. She just kept crying.

I sighed and leaned my head against the door. "Roza, please. Talk to me." It tugged at my heart, hearing her cry like that. "I'm not angry at you if that's what you think. It's okay that you're not ready yet. I can wait," I said, hoping she would open the door. A minute passed and she still hadn't opened the door. "Roza, I'm begging you. Please open the door so we can talk."

I heard some shuffling and then, finally, the door opened. Rose walked to the other side of the bathroom and sat down in the corner, her cheeks wet with tears. It reminded me of that one time she hid in here after we'd had a fight about her going AWOL for a day. I'd been worried sick, calling her all day, while she'd been at the local college to talk to Mia.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered as she looked up at me. "I panicked."

"You don't have to apologize. You're not ready yet and that's fine," I said softly. "I should have stopped. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. It's..."

I walked over to her and sat down next to her. I hesitated, but then put my arm around her. "What's wrong, Roza? I know there's something else you're upset about."

Rose bit her lip, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. I couldn't bear to see her hurting like this. I pulled her closer to me and pressed my lips against her temple. Thankfully, she didn't pull away from me.

"Roza, please talk to me. I hate to see you like this," I murmured.

"I did something today," she said quietly. "Something you won't like."

A few moments passed.

"Okay," I said carefully. "You can tell me. I won't get mad."

She looked up at me. "Christian and I went back to the college to talk to Mia. When I couldn't convince her to come to the police with me, I went to Nathan's room to search for the pictures Mia told me about."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I wanted so much to tell her how stupid that idea had been, but I had a feeling she already knew that. Something could have happened to her. Nathan could have been there! He could have hurt her! Or maybe that was what she was trying to tell me… I sighed, dreading to hear her next words.

"I found the pictures and the tapes. There were also a few videos on his camera," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't watch them, but the pictures… It was horrible to see."

I wrapped my arms closer around her and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I'm sorry, milaya. That must've been awful."

She gave a slight nod. "I took pictures of the things I found. For evidence," she explained, "when I tell the cops."

"You still want to go now that it is certain Mia won't go with you?" I asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "It's the only way I can stop this." She looked at me again. "When I saw the pictures of all those poor girls, I realized… I could've been in one of those pictures of videos if you hadn't been there that night. If you hadn't walked into the room when Nathan was…" She closed her eyes and another tear rolled down her cheek. "Touching me."

I clenched my jaw as I thought back to that night. Rose on the bed, half naked and unconscious. Nathan on top of her…

"I hate it, you know," Rose said, her voice wavering. "I hate that Nathan has touched me in more intimate places than you ever have." She laughed humorlessly. "Well, I suppose not anymore after tonight. Not like anything really happened," she snorted. "Because I chickened out."

"Roza, it's okay. I understand-"

"I just… I want to get rid of all those bad memories from that night with Nathan," Rose sniffled. "After all this time, I still feel dirty. But I don't want it to taint me any longer. I want to move on and I want to be with you, Dimitri," she said, looking into my eyes. "I really do, but..." She started crying again. "I'm sorry I panicked. I was still upset over what happened today and I wanted it all to go away so badly, I wanted to forget about it and you always make me feel better and I thought…" She took a deep, shaky breath. "For a moment, when I was with you, I forgot about all of it, but then I got nervous and, suddenly, I couldn't stop thinking about it."

Rose buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. I kissed her hair again and stroked her back soothingly, hoping it would calm her down.

"Roza," I whispered, "it's okay. I understand that you panicked. It's fine. After today, what you saw, and everything that has happened to you these last few months…"

"Sometimes I'm just so worried that you'll tire of me," Rose cried, her cheeks wet with fresh tears. "I worry that you'll grow tired of waiting. Because I don't know if I'll be ready when I turn eighteen. I wanted to prove to myself that I am ready, but it turns out I'm not. I don't know how Mia does it, how all those other girls are doing it, but I feel like I can't move on as long as Nathan is out there."

"He won't be out there for long anymore," I said. "We'll go to the police and tell them everything. You can show the pictures you took. Nathan will go to jail and it'll be all over. You'll finally be able to move on."

She nodded, but didn't respond.

"And you know that I love you, Roza, and I'll never grow tired of you," I added after a few moments. "I'll wait as long as it takes. I don't mind."

A reluctant smile crossed her face. "Liar. Every guy wants to get laid. You're a very patient guy, Dimitri, but you can't tell me you can hold out for that long."

"I can and I will," I said firmly. I squeezed her hand gently and then lifted it, pressing my lips to her palm. "It's true that I want you, yes, but you're the most important person in the world to me, Roza. So I'll wait until you're truly ready."

She smiled again and leaned her head on my shoulder, sighing. "I'm still sorry."

"Don't be, love," I murmured.

She lifted her head from my shoulder. I leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Are you mad at me for breaking my promise?" Rose asked quietly.

"No," I said.

She looked at me, uncertain. "You sure?"

I nodded. "It was stupid to go to Nathan's room, but you did find the evidence – and without bumping into him. So that's good, I guess."

"Yeah, I really need it now that I'm certain that Mia won't go to the cops," Rose said. "And now that I know, I won't have to wait any longer."

"What do you mean?"

Rose looked me in the eyes and didn't flinch as she said firmly, "I mean that I'm going to tell my parents tomorrow and, afterwards, I'm going to the police." She took my hand and squeezed it. "I'd like you to come with me."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Yes. I want it to be over, Dimitri," she said without hesitation.

"Then I'll go with you, Roza," I answered.

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, I remembered something. Something I'd tried to tell her when she first walked in here tonight.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but didn't get the chance," I said sheepishly.

"What?" she asked.

"Your parents visited me this week."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Both of them?"

"Yes. But not at the same time," I responded. "They, um, were worried about you."

I told her what we'd talked about and reassured her that I hadn't given anything away. I still felt bad about the lies I'd told them, but it had been the right thing to do. I wasn't the right person to tell them what was going on with Rose. Rose had to tell them herself and I was glad she'd decided to tell them tomorrow. I would be right beside her when she did and I would support her.

"I guess it's about time I tell them the truth," she said when I finished. She let out a sigh and shook her head sadly. "They're going to be so disappointed in me."

"Roza, don't think like that," I said. "What happened that night wasn't your fault. They'll realize that, too, when you tell them. They're your parents."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about everything. All the lying I've been doing," she said. "They're never going to trust me again."

"You don't know that," I said softly. "Like I said, they're your parents. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Well, I guess we'll see tomorrow," she said, unconvinced. She started to get up. "Can you drive me home? I promised my dad I'd be home by eleven."

I nodded and stood up, too. I quickly got dressed and then brought Rose's clothes to the bathroom and waited outside until she was finished.

The ride to her house was silent. When I parked my car on the driveway, she turned to me and said quietly, "I'm really sorry about tonight, Dimitri."

I reached out and took her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. "It's fine, Roza. It wasn't the right time." I squeezed her hand gently. "Please stop worrying about it."

"Okay." She gave me a tiny smile and then leaned forward, kissing me. "I love you, comrade." She started to get out of the car. Before she closed the door, she said, "See you tomorrow, then? Here, after school?"

I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be here." She started to close the door, but I leaned across the passenger seat and grabbed her hand. "I love you too, Roza."

She smiled and I let go of her hand so she could close the door. I watched her walk to the front door and slip inside before I backed out of the driveway and went back home.

RPOV

I was nervous and on edge all day. This was it. Tonight I'd tell my parents. I'd finally be going to the police and tell them the truth about Nathan. Tonight it could be all over. Or…tonight could make it all worse. It all depended on the police officers and if they believed me. Please believe me.

"Rose-"

I shrieked and nearly jumped ten feet in the air when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun around and saw Christian. I let out a sigh of relief and leaned against my locker, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Jeez, relax, Rose! You're in school. Nathan isn't suddenly going to show up here.

Christian looked at me with worry. "Are you okay, Rose?"

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

I glanced around the hallway. A few students had stopped to stare at me. Jesse and Ralf were two of them. Ralf was sneering at me and started to laugh when he saw the frightened look on my face. Jesse, on the other hand, frowned and stalked off. Weird. I was sure he'd laugh along with his best buddy.

"So, what's up?" I asked Christian, turning away when the students dispersed. Ralf left too.

"I was worried about you. I mean, after yesterday," he said awkwardly. "I just wanted to see for myself that you're okay now."

I forced a smile onto my face. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay," he said, looking more relaxed now. "That's…good."

"I'm telling my parents tonight," I told him after a few moments. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be. It'll be okay," Christian said, giving me a sympathetic smile. "You didn't do anything wrong. Nathan did."

"I know," I said quietly, "but still… I lied to them."

"Because you were scared," he said. "I'm sure they'll understand that."

He sounded like Dimitri. He'd said something along the same lines last night. Maybe they were right and I was being stupid.

"Yeah, anyway, after I tell them, I'm going to the police," I said.

"Good," Christian said. "It sucks that Mia won't go, but they have to believe you when you show them the pictures you took yesterday."

I nodded. "I hope so."

Suddenly, I noticed Lissa standing a few feet away from us. For once, Avery wasn't hovering behind her. She was all alone now. Our eyes met briefly and I quickly looked away, taking a step back from Christian at the same time. I didn't want her to think I was trying to seduce him or something.

To my surprise, she didn't glare at me. Instead, she walked over to us. Christian had started to say something else, but fell silent when she stopped next to us.

"Hey," Lissa said hesitantly, her eyes searching mine.

"Um, hey," I said, confused. I glanced at Christian, who looked just as bewildered as me, and he gave a small shrug. "Well, I should go. Bye."

I quickly walked away from them. Before I turned the corner, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lissa looking at me. As soon as she noticed me looking back at her, she turned away and said something to Christian.

Well, that was weird. I shrugged and kept on walking.

When the school day was over and I followed the students out of the building, I spotted Nathan's black car immediately. I'd figured that one of these days he'd show up again and it seemed like today was that day. Nathan's eyes were searching the crowd and, at last, they found me. He stayed in his car, though. Probably because there were still too many students mingling around.

I knew that if I left now, he'd follow me with his car so instead, I took out my phone – I made a big show of it so Nathan would see – and dialed Dimitri's number.

"Hey, could you pick me up at school?" I asked when he answered. I didn't even have to tell him the reason; he'd already guessed.

"Nathan, huh?" he said. "I'll be there in five. If he comes for you just go back inside the school and find a teacher."

"Okay," I said. "See you soon."

Nathan was still watching me as I put my phone away. Deciding to be bold, I gave him a cold smile. His eyes narrowed and he glanced around the street if it was safe to get out of the car. Lucky for me, a couple of students had lingered to talk. They were just a few feet away from me. But then, they suddenly started moving away. Crap!

I nervously glanced back at Nathan, who was smiling now. Okay, Dimitri, please hurry up. Please – oh no, he's getting out of his car. He's getting out of his car!

I started to walk back to the building and hoped I'd find a teacher, but then I heard a voice call, "Roza!"

Thank God! I sighed in relief and turned back around. Dimitri walked over to me in quick strides. I glanced behind him, where Nathan stood frozen in the middle of the road. He sent me an icy glare before slowly turning around and walking back to his car.

"You're right on time," I told Dimitri when he stopped in front of me.

Dimitri glanced over his shoulder at Nathan, who was now back in his car. He backed out of his parking spot and raced away.

"Let's go," Dimitri said, looking back at me. He took my hand and led me back to his car.

"Who's covering for you at the gym?" I asked.

Dimitri smiled. "Who do you think?"

"Aww. Poor Ivan!"

He snorted. "Right. Vika offered to help him so I don't think it'll be that bad."

"That's nice of her," I commented.

When we arrived at my place, I started to get nervous again. Dimitri noticed and he grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. He looked at me and gave me an encouraging smile. I took a deep breath and walked up the path to the front door.

"Dad? Mom?" I called when I walked inside. It would figure they were both at work now that I finally wanted to tell them the truth. "Is someone here?"

"Something the matter, Rose?" Dad said as he walked into the hallway. He'd been in the kitchen and it seemed like he was ready to go to work. He shrugged on his coat and, as he looked up, he noticed Dimitri behind me. "Oh, Dimitri. Hello. It's nice to see you again." He looked at me again. "Sorry, little girl, but I have to go. I need to check on a patient. We'll talk later."

"No, Dad," I said, sidestepping him. "I need to talk to you right now. It's important."

His brows furrowed as he looked at me.

"Please," I added. "I need to tell you something."

His eyes flicked to Dimitri and then back to me. He looked confused. "Rose, what's going on?"

"It's a long story," I said evasively, not wanting to get into it just yet. "Where's Mom?"

"She's working," Dad answered. "What's this about, Rose?"

"I can't tell you without Mom here." He started to protest, but I cut him off, "I'm sorry, Dad. I know you have to go to work, but what I have to tell you…it's really important and Mom should be here to hear it, too."

"Fine," Dad said after a few moments of hesitation. He still looked confused. "Let me call the hospital…"

He left us standing in the hallway. I glanced up at Dimitri and he squeezed my hand again before pulling me to him.

"It'll be alright," he murmured, kissing the top of my head. "You can do this. And I'll be right beside you if you need me."

I gave him a small, grateful smile and led him into the living room. We sat on the couch, waiting for my dad to come back.

"I called your mom," Dad said when he returned five minutes later. "She'll be home in about half an hour."

"Okay," I said.

"So, you're sure you can't tell me already?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, we should wait for Mom."

He eyed us suspiciously. "You aren't pregnant, are you?" he exclaimed suddenly.

"Dad!" I groaned. How embarrassing. Especially after what happened last night – or rather, what didn't happen. "No, of course not!"

Dad relaxed again and took a seat across from us. "Oh. Okay. Forget I said anything, then."

An awkward silence fell. I stared at the clock and watched the minutes tick by.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up again," Dad started after ten minutes had passed, "but if you're not pregnant, then why is Dimitri here?"

"For, um, moral support," I answered, glancing at Dimitri.

"Moral support," Dad repeated. He frowned. "Why do you need moral support? Did you do something you weren't allowed to?"

"No," I said, indignant.

He eyed me, doubtful. "Are you sure? Because you'd better tell me now…"

"No, Dad," I said, starting to feel irritated. "It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

"Let's just wait for Mom, okay?"

Dad didn't ask any more questions, but he kept looking at me suspiciously. Time went by, agonizingly slow. Finally, thirty minutes had passed and Mom still wasn't here.

I squeezed Dimitri's hand tightly. "Are you sure Mom said she'd be home in half an-"

I cut myself off when I heard the front door shut. I got up quickly, just when Mom walked into the living room, an annoyed look on her face.

"Why did I have to-"

She stopped abruptly when she saw the three of us standing there in the room. Frowning, she said, "Okay, something's going on here. What is it?"

"I need to tell you something," I said. "Why don't you sit down, Mom?"

She glanced between Dimitri and me. "You aren't pregnant, are you?" she nearly shouted, getting worked up. "We told you-"

"I'm not pregnant, for the love of God!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands in the air.

"Then why's Dimitri here?" she asked, confused.

"Moral support, apparently," Dad said dryly.

"Guys, please just sit down so I can tell you!" I said impatiently. They were getting on my nerves and I was already nervous enough. They complied, stunned for a moment. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

I stood in front of them and Dimitri stood beside me. I gripped his hand tightly as I prepared myself. I was sure hell was going to break loose as soon as I told them. This was my last moment of peace.

"Rose, are you going to tell us what's going on or what? You're starting to scare me," Mom said tightly.

"Remember the weekend you guys went on a trip? It was at the beginning of the school year…"

They nodded.

"Yes. What about it?" Dad asked, frowning.

"Remember I told you that I'd been home all weekend?"

They nodded once again.

I grimaced. "Yeah. I lied."

They looked at me, shocked.

"Okay," Dad said at last. "Then, where were you?"

"And why are you telling us now?" Mom cut in.

Breathe, Rose. Just breathe. "Because something happened that weekend…to me."

"W-what do you mean? What are you talking about?" Dad said, his face pale.

I bit my lip and forced my tears back while tightening my hold on Dimitri's hand. Dimitri glanced at me and gave me a small nod, encouraging me to go on.

"Rose, what happened?" Dad demanded, getting up.

Taking a deep breath, I told them.

That was it for this chapter! Please don't hate me :P So, how will Abe and Janine react? You'll find out next chapter and you'll be pleased to know that the cops will finally be involved ;)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter! I hope you have a nice day/evening! :)