Vampire Academy

Mason Ashford

Rumours.

"You don't think she's actually into Zeklos, do you?" Mason paced back and forth.

Eddie threw his hands up, "I don't know, Mase. It's Rose we are talking about."

Mason shot his best friend a look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know how it is with her! She's never taken a guy seriously in her life. She hangs out with someone for either the thrill of it or if she genuinely likes them. And we all know that no one in their right minds will ever actually like Jesse Zeklos."

Mason stopped pacing, "So...you mean she genuinely likes me?"

Eddie groaned, "For fucks sake, Mason!"

"I don't understand," Mason said, frustrated.

Eddie shrugged, "It's Rose, you'll never understand."

"Well...that's also true."

"Are you going to attend Mr Nagy's class now or not? You know I hate it when he starts spewing shit about guardians and discipline."

Mason picked up his bag from the floor, "Yeah, I know. But if I see Jesse, you'd better stop me from smacking him."

Eddie grinned, "I won't stop you. Maybe I'll get Ralf."

The two of them had barely left the lounge when a buzz of excited Moroi and Dhampirs surrounded them.

"My, my Ashford. Never knew you had a thing for blood whores." A Badica kid said. Noah Badica. Mason knew he was a year younger than him.

Mason and Eddie froze.

"What the fuck did you say?" Mason grabbed Noah by the collar of his shirt.

Another Dhampir, another junior was quick to step in, but Noah continued to feel smug.

"Your girlfriend Hathaway. I heard Ralf and Jesse say she had sex with them and let them drink from her. Hey, do you think if I paid her enough she'd let me have a go?"

There was laughter.

"I don't think you need to waste your money, Noah. She'd probably beg you for a bite, being the whore she is," Ethan Conta, their classmate, grinned.

Mason and Eddie lunged.

Half an hour and two weeks' worth of detention later, the two of them found themselves cleaning out the cupboards in the staff room.

"It's not true. It can't be," Eddie murmured.

"Of course not!" Mason snapped, "Rose would never..." he trailed off.

He felt like he barely knew her. Ever since she came back from wherever she had been and all her extra training, Mason didn't really get to spend time with her as they'd once used to. But he knew he trusted her, trusted her with his life.

But this...all the stupid stuff that now filled his brain was beginning to get to him. He knew that she and Zeklos had been caught making out and who knew what actually went on with them. It was making his head hurt.

"Mason, stop. I can see the gears in your head working overtime," Eddie slapped his arm with the rag.

"But you have to admit that there a truth in all that."

"Rose is our friend. I trust her words more than some royal assholes' random shit."

Mason nodded, deep in thought, "yeah. Vlad, I swear if I see Jesse, I'm going to kill him. Moroi like him are not coming first in my life, ever."

"And I'll help you hide the body," Eddie chuckled.

"You better! Dead or not, I am not risking getting caught with Jesse," Mason gagged.

The two of them burst out laughing.

Mrs Callahan's shrill voice rang out from behind them.

"Ashford! Castile! Get back to work."

Thank you so much for reading!

Sacraa.