The following chapter has mature and sensitive material that may be upsetting to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

I stood over Rose with a raised brow. Rose was sprawled out on her bed. I would have let her keep sleeping, but it was eleven in the morning and I knew her parents would be home soon. It was one thing about being blasé about drinking on her medication, it was another for her parents to see the aftermath.

She looked so much more at ease asleep, her hair wide over her pillow and her arms bent above her head. Her chest rose slowly, indicating that she was still deep in sleep. Bailey stayed glued to Rose all night, abandoning me for her bed. Not that I minded, Bailey could be a bed hog at times.

I set the glass of water in my hand down on the nightstand and gently shook her.

"Roza? Wake up," I said gently, shaking her arm. She groaned and shifted before I shook her again. Her eyes snapped open and she flinched away from me, her eyes, darting around frantically before she relaxed. I held my hand back and waited for her to relax.

"Sorry," she mumbled and I nodded.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to startle you," I explained but she nodded and rubbed her face.

"It's okay. I just thought I was somewhere else," she admitted after a moment and her face darkened.

"What is it?"

Rose got up and brushed passed me, heading for the bathroom. She made it into the bathroom before I heard the sound of her retching, not able to close the door. I frowned and waited for her to finish and come out. Bailey lifted her head off the bed and looked toward the door before looking at me, her tail starting to thump against the mattress.

I scratched Bailey's ears when a noise reached mine.

"Rose? Are you okay?"

It was a choked noise, but hearing her shed tears made my heart ache.

She cleared her throat and I heard the toilet flush, and then the tap. She rinsed her mouth out a few times before she came back out, her eyes red and downcast.

"Alcohol?"

Rose sniffed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, a small shake of her head.

"No," she said quietly before leaving the room, taking the glass of water I left on the nightstand with her. I looked at Bailey again and canted my head to the side. She jumped off the bed with a gruff and trotted after Rose.

I followed after them and find them in the kitchen, Rose popping slices of bread into the toaster, her eyes looking more haunted than they did upstairs. Her whole demeanour had shifted, and it was like watching her withdraw into herself.

"What did you dream about, Rose?" I asked, but my voice made it sound more like a demand. Rose's eyes stayed trained on the toaster. I moved around the counter and stood beside Rose, turning her slowly to face me.

"Tell me. You can tell me," I whispered, cupping her cheeks. This was something deeper than what we had all seen on the surface. When I started this job, I spent hours reading Rose's file, her medical records, accident reports, police reports, and social media posts. I knew that there was something she wasn't telling anyone.

Rose's nose flared and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Mason drugged me once," She whispered, "He told me that it was just weed but there was something else mixed with it too."

I nodded and brushed the tear away. "What happened?"

"I don't know how he got it, but it was laced with Special K," Rose explained after a moment and swallowed thickly. "I don't know what he was trying to do or had planned, but I was so out of it that I blacked out."

I felt my blood boil in my veins. How he got his hands on ketamine I'd never understand.

"Did you ever report this?"

Rose shook her head. "No, my clothes were still on when I woke up and I didn't feel like anything had happened so I never did anything about it. I never told anyone until now," she whispered, "I just, when I woke up, I was groggy and it reminded me of how I felt the next morning. And it made me sick to my stomach."

I breathed slowly through my nose as I processed what she told me. Not only was Mason obsessive, but he was much more dangerous than I originally anticipated.

"Please don't tell my parents," Rose pleaded quietly, and I shook my head, pulling her to my chest.

"Oh Rose," I whispered, rubbing my hand over her back. Rose sighed and rested her head against my neck, nodding slightly to herself.

"You have no idea how much relief I feel telling someone," she whispered and I nodded.

I pulled Rose back and wiped away a few more tears that spilled down her cheeks. I moved her around the counter and sat down, gesturing for her to sit too. I gripped one of her hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Is this why you started cutting yourself? Because of guilt or trying to suppress what you were feeling?"

Rose rested her elbow on the counter and put her head in her hand.

"When I woke that morning, I realized the red flags were too red. That was the day I ended things, but I couldn't help but wonder if he had done it before and I just didn't remember. I mean, ketamine is used as a date-rape drug, there's always the possibility. And the idea of knowing that it was so easy for him to take advantage of me scared me."

I pursed my lips for a moment before I took her other hand.

"Can I ask you something and have complete transparency?"

Rose looked up at me and nodded. "Sure."

"You feel safer since I started working with you, correct?"

Rose nodded. "Yes."

"And you haven't felt the urge to cut yourself or harm yourself in any way?"

"No."

"Have you thought about why you did that?"

Rose thought about it for a moment before shaking her head.

"There are a lot of reasons why someone may want to hurt themselves. It's not always because they want to cause their death. Sometimes they want to feel something or use the pain as a distraction. But in many cases, yours in particular, it's a way to feel control. You went through so much trauma at once and you felt that nothing was in your control. By inflicting pain on yourself, you were in control. It gave you control over what you did, and what happened to your body, and what you felt. I think that what happened with being drugged is the root of that need for control," I explained and I watched her take in what I said.

Rose was quiet for a few minutes, jumping when the toast popped up in the toaster. She got up to get it and put butter on them before coming back and taking a bite. She chewed for a few seconds before looking at me with a slight smirk.

"Should I call you Dr. Belikov?"

I laughed. I had learned that sarcasm was Rose's response when she felt overwhelmed or uncomfortable, but I think it was more to break the heaviness of the conversation.

"I wouldn't call me a doctor, but I have an undergrad in psychology," I said swiping the second piece of toast from the plate.

"Do you really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to be a relief worker with the national guard, but there was some kind of hold-up with my visa at the time, so I started doing this. Now that I do this, I don't think I would have been suited for a relief worker. I do more help than I ever thought in this line of work," I explained as I brushed the crumbs from my fingers.

"Speaking of education, I remember reading that you were taking Animal Welfare and Behaviour. What were you going to do with that when you were done?"

I got my first genuine smile of the day.

"I wanted to be an animal behaviourist, or work at a sanctuary," Rose said as she eyed the coffee pot.

"I think coffee wouldn't be a good idea," I chided as I stood up, searching for the stove kettle I had seen in the past. I pulled it out of the cupboard and filled it with water before searching to tea bags. Janine was always sipping tea when I saw her, and I knew it was part of her upbringing. She wasn't born in America but in the highlands of Scotland.

Rose screwed up her face and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Hush, I've seen many mugs with teabags on your nightstand," I retorted and she stuck her tongue out at me.

I grinned and headed to Abe's office, opening the safe where he kept Rose's medication. I took them out and went back into the kitchen and set the two bottles on the counter.

"You want to know what a better form of control is than self-harm?" I asked.

"Making sure I eat three meals a day?" Rose asked and I smirked at her.

"Well, yes, but, taking your medication is a form of control. Studies have shown that people who have certain conditions, like ADHD, find they gain a considerable amount of control by keeping their patterns. That includes taking their medication on time every day. It can help," I explained and pushed the bottles toward her.

She looked at the bottles and bit her lip. "But my dad keeps those under lock and key. A few days after I came home, I kind of snapped."

"I will speak to them, but I don't think we need to worry about that anymore. Besides, one is an antidepressant for your anxiety, and the second one, you have two pills left in the bottle and then you're done. I'm not concerned about you misusing them," I explained. I knew that Abe was worried about Rose's safety, and why wouldn't he be? Rose was his only child and he worried about her. But he didn't give her enough credit. She went through so much trauma and was coming out stronger. Yes, she had days where she slipped backwards, but every day she was going up.

She let loose and had real fun last night, yes she used a bit of alcohol to help, but she relaxed. I even saw a bit of the person she was before Mason's inflictions.

Rose reached for the first bottle and opened it, taking the small pill out and swallowing it dry. She set the bottle back down and pushed the other one towards me.

"I don't like taking those," she said and licked her lips as the kettle started to whistle. Rose got up and poured water into the two mugs and came back, grabbing milk and sugar as well.

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. They make me feel…muted. I mean in the beginning it was great, but now, I want to be able to feel things. Even if it's sad or scary. It's better to feel it than feel nothing at all."

I nodded and smiled at her.

"I'm proud of you, proud of your healing and growth," I encouraged and Rose nodded.

"Thank you, but do you think you can hand over an Advil or something? My head is killing me," she chuckled, "I shouldn't have mixed my drinks."

I nodded and got up as I heard the alarm system beep, indicating that the front door opened. Rose groaned quickly, but it wasn't out of pain. It was an exasperated groan. I tried to fight the smirk on my face as I handed her the bottle and watched her eagerly take one.

"Rosemarie?" Abe called out. Rose's head snapped up and she looked at me, something flickering over her face. I had never heard Abe call Rose 'Rosemarie' directly."

"Kitchen," she called out, startling Bailey. I clicked my tongue to get Bailey's attention and let her out into the backyard as Abe walked in.

"What is this I hear about you punching Jesse Zeklos last night?" Abe asked as he set his carry-on bag on the island, brows raised. Janine looked surprised about this and gaped at Abe before Rose.

Rose shrugged. "He grabbed my ass again,"' Rose said as she sipped her tea. Abe looked at me and a genuine smile crossed his face.

"That's my girl," he murmured as he leaned down and kissed her hair. I looked at Janine and I saw a small smile cross her face too before she relaxed.

"The party was good?" she asked, casting her eyes at me.

"Party was good, Rose had a good time," I supplied with a smile. Rose looked up from her cup and smiled softly at me.

RPOV

I twirled my hair over my finger as I listened to the girls' chatter. I glanced at the guys and got up, moving to plop down on the couch beside Adrian, dropping my feet in his lap.

"What's wrong, huffy?" Adrian asked as he tapped the bud of his cigarette into the ashtray.

"Nothing, just tired. But I don't want to bail," I said with a yawn, "Dimitri is running me ragged in the gym."

Adrian snorted as he took a drag of his cigarette and casually glanced around the room before holding it out to me. I took it with a smile and took a small drag before giving it back to him.

"I'm not surprised. He's a bit of a monster. Used to lug his nephew and nieces around at the same time," Adrian said and I furrowed my brows at him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Adrian cleared his throat. "He's my cousin. His father was just as bad as mine was," he said and I nodded.

"I've heard. Except your dad didn't hit your mother," I said dryly. I was a little sad that Dimitri hadn't divulged that he knew Adrian, but it reminded me that this was a job to him. He wasn't paid to be my friend.

"Wait, he's never asked you about me, has he?"

Adrian bobbed his head from side to side. "Sort of. Nothing that he couldn't get from anyone else. What kind of things make you angry, or anxious, signs that we notice dictate your mood. Mostly things he actually needs to know. Although, he did ask about Blake," he said and I groaned.

"What? Why? I never told him about Blake," I moaned and Adrian laughed.

"Apparently you still have a photo with him on your Insta. But either way, nothing that I felt was overstepping. He's a good guy."

I nodded and played with the hem of my shirt and looked at him curiously.

"Do you think that I would be stupid if I admit I kind of like him?"

Adrian shrugged. "I'm not in any place to judge. And I don't think it's that whole Saviour thing either. You two are a lot more alike than you realize," Adrian explained and extinguished the cigarette. I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest.

The basement of Eddie's house had always been the main hangout when we were teenagers. Eddie was house-sitting for his parents over the summer, so we had made this our go to spot for days I didn't want to be out in public.

While Mason would know that I would come here, he wasn't stupid enough to try. He'd be outnumbered by a landslide.

"What are you going to do when we all go back to school next week?" Adrian asked. I shrugged. It was something I was trying not to think about. I was going to miss everyone, and I knew that I'd feel alone.

"I'm not sure. Probably work out more and maybe see if I can start doing school online somewhere else. I don't know if I can even get into a decent program after being expelled," I said quietly, smiling at Mia and Lissa as they laughed on the other couch, Sydney shaking her head at the two.

"I'm sure with the restraining order and everything, the university may make amends. It wasn't your fault he was causing issues, you were damaged in the cross-fires," Adrian explained and I pursed my lips.

"Do you think that would work?"

Adrian shrugged. "Would it hurt to try? I mean, Dimitri could really help you out there."

I shrugged and chewed my bottom lip, pulling my phone to text Dimitri but thought better of it. It was his night off, I didn't need to bother him tonight. I set my phone on the coffee table when it buzzed. Adrian leaned forward and picked it up to hand it to me with a smirk on his face.

Everything running smoothly? -D

I smirked at Adrian and typed a quick reply back, trying to hide my burning ears with my hair.

"It's almost like he knew we were talking about him," Adrian chuckled and moved on the couch so Eddie could sit.

"Who me?"

"No. Belikov," Adrian said handing Eddie a beer. Eddie smirked and twisted the cap off his beer and took a sip.

"He seems to be an okay guy," Eddie commented and I nodded, crossing my arms loosely over my chest.

"Yeah, he's pretty great," I said quietly with a small smile.

It was strange sitting in this office. It looked exactly like a Dean's office would look, but it still felt weird being in there. One phone call to Detective Tanner and he provided me with a copy of every piece of documentation the police department had.

Dimitri made a few calls and then I had an appointment with the administration of the university. I crossed and uncrossed my legs nervously, tugging on the hem of my shirt.

"Stop fidgeting," Dimitri whispered, putting his hand on my now bouncing knee. I swallowed and nodded, letting out a slow breath as I tried to calm myself. I felt anxious and like I wanted to puke. There was a very good possibility that the university wasn't going to let me back into the program, or even into the university itself.

The door behind me opened and I turned my head, coming face to face with the dean.

"My apologies for my delay, I got caught up by a professor," he explained as he came around his desk, another man following him. The second man was holding a stack of file folders. The Dean sat down at his desk and took the files from the other man and looked up at us.

"I see that you have brought the documentation that we spoke of over the phone," he addressed Dimitri. Dimitri nodded and handed over the thick folder.

"Yes. This is the documentation we have from the local police department. A copy of the restraining order is clipped to the top."

The Dean nodded and opened the file, reading through the papers on the top before looking at the file he brought in and comparing the two.

"You had made numerous complaints to your Dorm Monitor about multiple break-ins and vandalism," he said and looked at me. I swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, sir."

He set the file down and folded his hands on his desk and cleared his throat.

"It appears that one of the resident assistances failed to submit the documentation properly. It is why the issue wasn't taken more seriously. As for the mark on your record, the university was not aware of the severity and depth of the situation," he explained and sighed.

"What plans do you have in place to prevent disruptions from happening? We need to think of the safety of other students as well."

"I have a plan in place. I intend on attending the classes with Rose for security purposes, and if needed, I have a contact that can act as a second body. The threat seems to have decreased, and I am confident that Rose is in a healthy position, mentally and physically, to return to classes."

The Dean nodded and looked at me. "I see that in the accident you were in, you were put into a medically induced coma. Did you suffer any residue injuries?"

I shifted in my chair. I wasn't used to people asking me about the accident. Most of my friends avoided the topic.

"I had a concussion. The concussion itself has healed, but I still get headaches and I have some pain in my lower back and my shoulder, but nothing that's not manageable," I explained, "Mostly just anxiety. But I'm in therapy for it."

The Dean nodded again. "I'm glad to hear that your concussion healed. I ask about any lingering injuries because reinstating you as a student means we need you to sign new documentation. We recently enrolled in an insurance policy for our students. If there is specific benefits you require, we can try to accommodate that."

"My parents took out an insurance policy for me when I started university, but I'm sure the extra coverage wouldn't hurt. But does this mean that I am being reenrolled?"

The Dean smiled at me. "Yes. The expulsion will come off your record and transcripts. If the documents were filed correctly, proper steps would have been made with campus police, and so on and so forth. We did not do our due diligence for you, as our student. We will require you to write a test to see where you are in regards to memory, but other than that, you should be good to return where you left off."

I let out a sigh of relief and smiled for the first time that afternoon.

"Thank you," I said quietly, not able to truly comprehend what he said.

"I would like to go into detail about your security. We do have campus security that we could work with as well," the Dean said, turning his attention back to Dimitri. I tuned out for the rest of the conversation, the idea that I was going back to school was running wild in my thoughts.

So I know that this was a heavy chapter, but we're going forward with some flirting and slow burn for these two.

Let me know what you think!