Thanks for the support on the running! (Specifically puppylove216. Thank you soooo much. I love support. Here's an extra chappie 'cause it made my day. )

1.5 miles in 14 minutes!!! Bad, but working on it. Here's another chapter dedicated for the support. I love this one because Dimitri gets soooo jealous!!! Remember, more reviews, the faster I update! R&R Plz!!!

DPOV

After my shift, I entered the commons, getting ready for lunch duty. I needed find Alberta, since I didn't get to before. A shrill, girly voice was raised in outrage as I passed through the doors.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A blond, Barbie-like girl that couldn't be older than thirteen or fourteen was staring at Rose and Vasilisa in hatred. Lissa, I meant. Rose didn't see me lurking in the shadows as I contemplated showing myself and breaking up the fight.

Rose crossed her arms protectively. Man, she looked so strong and cute when she went into her protective mode. I know I'm way older than she is, but I'm still twenty-four and only a guy. I pushed these thoughts away for later.

"Are you lost, little girl?" Rose sneered in a taunting tone. "The elementary school's over on west campus." She watched in amusement as the girl turned a bright pink. The doll-faced girl's sapphire eyes were filled with anger and hate.

"Don't you ever touch me again," she said, trying to feign nonchalance. "You screw with me, and I'll screw you right back."

I could see Rose smirk and open her mouth to release a torrent of comebacks that would embarrass the girl even more. Then, Lissa gave her a look, which stopped her cold. Instead, she went with a brutal threat. "And if you mess with either of us again, I'll break you in half." I winced at her crude wording. "If you don't believe me, go ask Dawn Yarrow about what I did to her arm in ninth grade. You were probably at nap time when it happened." I could easily remember what happened. It was a subject Kirova had brought up when she was briefing me on Rose, before I started looking for them. The poor girl never even had a chance.

Doll-face paled. Her skin was already white and delicate, but it was easy to see how scared she was of Rose. Jill, a staff member, walked by, giving them a steady, don't-give-me any trouble, look. Doll-face backed off. "Come on," she growled at the boy next to her and grabbing his arm. He looked uneasily at his girlfriend, probably wondering if there was something wrong with her mental health.

"Hey, Aaron," Rose said, a friendly note in her voice. "Nice to see you again."

He nodded and smiled shakily, but didn't reply. He allowed his girlfriend to drag him off to who knows where.

I walked away, hoping that Rose would calm down and comfort Lissa. I still needed to find Alberta and get to my lunch duty. And stop getting distracted by Rose.

*******************

Rose and Lissa reentered the commons as I stood in the corner of a room, scanning for any possible fights. They stood in line and got their food, Rose filling her plate to the top while Lissa simply grabbed a yogurt. I watched them discreetly, but my eyes were mostly on Rose. They got checked out and begun talking, but I was too far away to make out words, especially in the noisy lunchroom.

Lissa handed Rose a sheet of paper, most likely comparing schedules with her. Rose grimaced then stopped walking and drew closer to her, attempting to keep what she was saying private. After a minute or two, they continued walking and searching for a place to sit, but they both had looks on their faces that worried me.

"Lissa!" A girl yelled from a table in front of me. It was Prince Victor Dashkov's daughter; Natalie, I believe. Luckily, I was leaning against the wall behind a white column, so I was safely shadowed, invisible to Rose and Lissa as they approached. I felt bad about eavesdropping on them, but it wasn't like I could move from my post.

The two girls sat down and Natalie hugged Lissa tightly. I blocked out most of the mindless stream of chatter Natalie kept up, until she asked a question I couldn't ignore. "What'd you do for blood, Lissa?" My breathing stopped.

It would not be good for either Rose or Lissa for this to get out. Rose would be named a blood whore and Lissa may be looked down upon by some of the higher royals. I relaxed a little when I heard Rose say, "Oh, it's easy. There are a lot of humans who want to do it." Her voice was even and smooth, sounding totally believable. If I hadn't seen it done myself, I might be tempted to believe her.

One of the other girls asked, "Really?" All of their eyes were wide, totally sucking up everything Rose said. Rose nodded.

"Yup. You find 'em at parties and stuff. They're all looking for a fix from something, and they don't really get that a vampire's doing it: most are already so wasted they don't remember anyways." She shrugged coolly, dismissing it. Natalie dropped the subject and started on a different one.

A part of me was proud of Rose, how she confidently lied to save both Lissa's and her skin. The other part was worried, worried that someone would see through her vague descriptions and details. But until then, I wouldn't worry about it.

I focused on Rose again. Her eyes wandered, narrowing playfully as she directed her eyes at a group of novices. Ashford. I held back a growl that rose up in my throat. Damn him. Couldn't he just leave her alone? I watched her smile at him, which made my blood boil and heat up in my veins. And, yes, I was jealous yet again. I stared at the floor, unable to watch Rose and Ashford again. I was soon thrust out of my thoughts by Rose's voice.

"Hey, Natalie. Who's Aaron's new girlfriend?" Her eyes were glued onto the blond girl she had been fighting with earlier.

Natalie looked in the direction Rose was staring at. "Huh? Oh, Mia Rinaldi." Rose's face was a question mark. "Don't you remember her?"

"Should I?" Rose inquired. "Was she here when we left?"

"She's always been here," Natalie said. "She's only a year younger than us."

Rose gave Lissa a confused look and was rewarded with a shrug. She asked, "Why is she so pissed off at us? Neither of us know her." Natalie shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Maybe she's jealous about Aaron. She wasn't much of anybody when you guys left. She got really popular really fast. She isn't royal or anything, but once she started dating Aaron, she–"

She was rudely interrupted by Rose, yet again. "Okay, thanks. It doesn't really–" She dropped off suddenly. I looked up from the floor, alerted by her sudden pause in words. My eyes saw her staring up at Jesse Zeklos.

I knew who he was, obviously. He was a smart, playboy type of guy and the ideal boyfriend for a lot of girls. I hated seeing a flirtatious sparkle in Rose's eyes as Jesse met her eyes. But I had to say, I felt worse about Jesse than I did about Ashford. My eyes narrowed on his face as he smiled at Rose.

"Hey Rose," he said cockily. "Welcome back. You still breaking hearts?" His eyes were filled with a little more than appreciation as his gaze slid over Rose's body. Rose smiled lazily in return.

"Are you volunteering?" she asked him, allowing hope to color her words.

Zeklos's grin broadened. "Let's hang out sometime and find out. If you ever get parole." He continued walking, lazily slouching, hands in pockets. And honestly? After seeing Rose watching him leave with a dumb smile on her face, I wanted to go break something of his, preferably something that would leave a permanent mark on his good-looking little, face of his.

"Oh my gawd." A voice startled me from my murderous thoughts. "That was Jesse." She emphasized his name with obvious awe.

Rose leaned back in shock and smiled a gorgeous smile that made my heart race. "Yes," she breathed, "It certainly was."

"I wish I looked like you," the girl added. I looked at her, as did the rest of the table. Rose looked almost human, obtaining all the more defined features that humans had. Everyone else was jealous and I could see why. She was beautiful.

*******************

After classes ended, I went looking Rose to start her first practice. They were standing outside and Lissa was, like always, standing with her. They were talking in hushed voices, even though no one was around. I ducked behind a corner, straining to hear what they were saying. They both looked upset, and I could tell that they were worried. I caught the end of Lissa's statement.

"–stay, and we'll keep out of all that stuff. We'll 'coast through the middle' like you want. Hang out with Natalie, I guess."

I really didn't know what to think. It was good Rose wanted to stay off Kirova's radar, but the real question was why. They were quiet and whispering, so they obviously didn't want anyone to hear what they were saying. I concentrated on their words, or more like their pondering silence.

Rose finally spoke up. "All right then. We'll see how this goes. If anything goes wrong–anything at all–we leave. No arguments." Lissa nodded. I decided to butt in before they could start planning escape.

I stepped out of my hiding spot, my body towering over them both. "Rose?"

She looked up in surprise, but covered it up smoothly. "You're late for practice," I said. "Princess." I nodded in respect. Rose and I walked away for our first training. Her face was worried and she seemed deep in thought. While we walked, I made no effort to make small talk. I was her teacher, as much as I would want to be more.

After a while, the silence grew a little awkward. Rose blankly stared straight ahead, not making any noise at all. I leaned towards her, grateful for the faint sound of her breath entering and leaving her lungs. Her face suddenly exploded into a bunch of different emotions. Fear, surprise, confusion, anticipation were all spread out across her face. She inhaled sharply. I said her name. "Rose. Rose!" I didn't know what was happening and was scared for one of the few times in my life. Scared for Rose.

Ya like it? I just love a jealous Dimitri, don't you? Tell me what ya think. R&R!!! (I love reviews!!! And critism!!!)

~Leena