Andre smiled. "Okay, you got me. The party is this Friday and it starts half an hour after curfew. Don't get caught." He meant the last part as a tease, but it was a must for me. I couldn't get caught. If I did, it would mean no summer with Lissa –and him of course- for me. It would mean a whole summer alone, spending time with some other losers who got abandoned too. I didn't pity them. I got abandoned because my mom was some amazing guardian and she simply didn't had any time for me – or if she had it, she didn't wanted to spend it with me –, those kids got abandoned because they were so helpless their parents probably didn't want them anymore. Okay, that's not nice. I don't know anything about them, but I was certainly not planning to get to know them too.

The guys around him started to laugh, and I focused on them again. "We won't…" I paused for a moment so I could make my sentence even more perfect than it already was in my head, "At least, not by the guardians and teachers." I winked at them, took Lissa, turned around and walked away. That I didn't saw them anymore didn't mean I didn't hear them react. Lissa started to laugh – I guess she finally woke up from her daydream coma about the handsome guy – and took my arm. "I know this is how you and my brother respond, but you actually do care about him right?"

I knew Lissa just asked because she was insecure about a lot of things, but this was something she didn't need to be insecure off. She was my family, just like Andre and her mom and dad. If she only knew how much they were in my head. How much I appreciated them and how much I cared. But I knew Lissa, and I knew she wasn't insecure about me being not tight with her family, there was something else, and it got me kind of worried.

"Of course I care about Andre, he is like my brother. And I love your parents too, because you know they buy me Christmas presents and all." Lissa laughed and so did I. But I wasn't planning on letting this go so easily. "And now you can tell me what is really making you insecure." I tried to make my voice as soft as it can be and turn into the sweetest Rosemarie Hathaway. I stopped walking and took her hands. "You know you can tell me anything right? I'm here, and I'll help you get through it."

I saw a change in her eyes. I saw how she wanted to tell me. I saw how she needed to tell me. She opened her mouth to say something, but in that same moment Camille Contra, Abby Badica and some other girls we hang out with walked by. I wanted to make her talk again, but I understood that she wouldn't. "Meet me somewhat before curfew in my room, we'll talk than. Okay?" I nodded and we walked along with our friends.

We eat something, and we laughed about some gossips Camille was telling us. I played perfectly along, but all I could think of was Lissa. I was seriously worried about her. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes didn't. She faked her way through this, just like I did. Camille was giggling about this one rumor about Jesse Zeklos who had cheated on his girlfriend Molly. I didn't catch her last name, but I knew her a little and she was a beautiful girl. She was one of those girls the other moroi were jealous of.

Therefore, I knew Jesse too, and I knew that beauty didn't stop him from going around. He could get every girl from our age and the younger ones – if he wanted – easily without trying. He was gorgeous, for a moroi guy. Jesse is known for his "bad boy" looks with his short blonde hair, grey-blue eyes, pale complexion and tempting plump lips. He is quite tall and is very attractive and muscular.

I didn't feel like eating anything anymore – which was quite a surprise for a girl who eats as much as guys – so I stood up and walked away. Lissa called me back, but I said I really needed to finish some homework. I walked away from the cafeteria, and away from the people. It felt kind of silly. I was normally the one who loved it to be among people, but I really needed some time to think about Lissa. I was almost at my dorm when guardian Alto called me back and told me headmistress Kirova wanted to talk to me. I thanked him, although I was feeling like punching him.

After a long walk of hating everything I finally reached her 'place of doom' how I liked to call it.
I walked in and made myself mentally ready for another 'little chat', were Kirova would definitely make sure that her point was perfectly clear. I let myself in and sat down in a big chair at the other side of the desk. Her office was enormous. It wasn't like I'd never been here – it was basically my second home by now – but this was the first time I really looked around me. The blood red curtains were open and I could see how it got lighter every second.

The door behind me closed. I turned around and I saw Kirova coming in. She still had some blood in the corner of her red lipsticked lips.
"O, you are already here. I didn't expect that. You are usually at least ten minutes late." Her undertone in her voice made me shiver, but I didn't show her.
"You told me that if I'd behave, I'd get the chance to spend the summer with the Dragomir family." I tried to sound as nice and innocent as I could. Sure, she won't buy it. She knows me too good by now.

"Yes, about that. Why didn't they tell Alberta at that moment that you are also going with them to their winter break ski trip?"
I was shocked. I didn't know that. Without even wanting it or knowing it, I smiled.
"Think this is funny, Hathaway?"
"No, no! that's not it. I was just… I don't know. I didn't know."

"You need to make yourself more clear if you want permission for this trip." The expression of Kirova's face told me already everything I wanted to know. She needed to accept it, because I had been doing everything she told me to do. I followed every class. I didn't put up a fight and I didn't sneak out at night – at least, not yet.

"I'm sorry. I meant to say that I didn't know that they wanted me on their ski trip too. I'm just as surprised as you are."
It was the truth. She never told me. Andrew never told me either.

"Missis Dragomir called me this morning. She told me that they first wanted to spend a week with you, so they can be mentally prepared for the whole summer." There was Kirova's backstab I'd been waiting for. I'm sure that this weren't the exact words Missis Dragomir used, but if this was her way of dealing with the defiance, then so be it.

I wasn't planning on making this ruining my mood. I was so happy, nobody could possibly ruin it. Well, except one thing. Lissa was still not happy, and that made me worry like crazy. I'm her best friend, and if she couldn't even talk about this to me, than she probably couldn't talk about this with nobody. I needed to go to her.

"Where do you think you're going to?" said Kirova while I was standing up.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you were finished." I sat down.
"You wished, Hathaway." Her smile got brighter. "I will let you go on this ski trip, but there will be some extra consequences with it."

Yeah, I definitely needed more consequences.

"Of course, so what are those?" And again, my sweet and innocence act didn't work.
"You'll need to get some extra credits for all those classes you skipped, and you need to finish it before the winter break."
"Sounds reasonable, I'll go to my room and study than." I really needed to get to Lissa, it was close to the curfew and I didn't want to take a change on screwing the summer and winter plans up. I just had about an hour to go up there, talk and get to my room before the clock strikes and my dream turns into a pumpkin.

"Oh, no Rose, still not done." I tried not to get annoyed, but it kind of failed. Even though I smiled, my eyes could probably tell that I wanted to kill her so badly, but I kept myself strong. I could do this.
"You'll go to the library for at least two hours a day to study, and the old consequences still count."
I'd rather fell off a cliff at this moment then being in this office, but I kept smiling.
"Here's your paperwork, these are the assignments you need to make and here are the extra books you'll read and make an essay of." She put down a pile high enough to be a small dog, and I tried not to cry. Not that I'd cry about this, but more about the fact that I needed to do this in just 1,5 months time.

"I will." Those were the only words I could think about at this moment.
"Yeah, I bet you will. Otherwise it means no winter break for you miss Hathaway."

She gave me the books and told me to go so I could study. I was finally free. I'd only had about half an hour to get to Lissa and back. Then the heavy weights in my arm reminded me that I first needed to go back to my room so I could drop off the stuff Kirova gave me. By the time I reached my room I only had 5 minutes to curfew. I couldn't go to Lissa right now. It'd mean that I'd be caught and no summer or winter break. It was almost tempting, almost.

I waited for about half an hour before I sneaked out so I'd made sure the first patrol was over. I sneaked out and went to Lissa. I sneaked into the hallway as quite as possible. When I walked towards the stairs I heard someone talk. There was a Guardian on his way to petrol my level. Of course, I couldn't have planned it better. Panic started to take over and thing straight wasn't an option anymore. I needed to get out, soon. Getting to the bathroom in a normal trouser would be too obvious, and going to my room wasn't an option because it was too far in the time I had.

With that out of reach, I chose the most illogical choice I'd have ever made, the window.
I opened it and while I climbed through it I watched if there was a guardian close – something I should've done before I was trying to climb through – and when I didn't saw anyone, I just dropped myself. It was a miracle that I landed on both feet steady and ready to run towards Lissa. So that is what I did. I did it as quite as possible and as sneaky as possible, but I ran, all the way to the dorms of the Moroi.

I knocked as quite as possible on Lissa's door. When she opened it, I saw her with red and puffy eyes – the kind you get when you've been crying for an hour straight – and I hugged her immediately.

We walked – still hugging – into the room and I closed the door. We sat down on her bed and Lissa started to tell what was going on.
She told me about feeling worthless. How she could never be the Princess of the Dragomir bloodline and How Andre was such a natural. How she was jealous of him – but that she loved him so much she was mad at herself for being that. That she felt like she was a failure, because she couldn't figure out what here magic was. She was equally good in all the four elements, but there wasn't a significant one she could do amazingly. Even though we were friends with the most popular girls of our year, that she had the feeling it was all because I did that. She felt like she could never be with a guy as good looking as the one of Andre's group. Lissa was taking herself down completely, and it broke my heart.

"Lissa, where is this al coming from?" My worried face matched perfectly with the tone I used in my voice.
Lissa took a deep breath and tried to calm down a little. "I don't know, I just… feel that way."

"Well, you shouldn't. You are not worthless, you are one of the last dragomir's in the world, and you are doing great. You can be jealous of your brother, that where you are brother and sister for. He would be devastated if he heard that you are giving yourself such a hard time just because you think he is a better prince than you'll be a princess. But Lissa, let's be real, you won't need to be a princess ever. You can be Lissa for the rest of your life, 'cause your mom, dad and Andre got the rest covered. You shouldn't worry about silly things like that."
I paused for a moment, but I saw in Lissa's eyes it was helping a little, so I went on with my speech.
"You are not a failure, you have some of the highest grades in class and that you haven't figured out your magic yet doesn't mean it's not going to come soon. Just give it some time. I'll help you practice. Lissa, our friends love you just as much as they love me. You are smart, sweet and beautiful. That's why the like to hang out with us, not because I'm just a cool dhampir chick."
She smiled, but I wasn't done yet.
"And oh, you could definitely have a guy like that. And we are going to fix that at the party. You'll see sweety. You'll see."

I saw in her eyes that she was okay again. And the weight fell of my shoulders. I told her to go to sleep, and tomorrow, everything would be better. She lay down in her bed and I sneaked out to go to mine.

Authors note:

Hey guys,
I'm so sorry it took me literally half a year to post a new chapter. I was so busy with school and my private life got crazy and that was a lot of stress and sadness and I just couldn't find the time to work on this piece. But I promise from now on I'll post every week a new chapter. I'll do my best.
So I'd love to hear what you guys think about this chapter, and what you think about my writing style and stuff. I'd also love to hear some ideas for the party what you really want to have in there.
I can't wait to hear from you!
Again, I am so sorry.

Thank you so much for reading!

Disclaimer:
I don't own anything from the VA series.