Chapter 2

"Three dead " I heard the police whisper. Obviously. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. It wasn't a thing to do in this situation but come on. Lissa and I were in their office right now. Scratched up an bruised but still definitely alive. So it was obvious that the "three dead" where the others. They were currently breaking the news to us but I wasn't listening. Lissa started sobbing uncontrollably, and I finally regained movement in my arms and pulled her towards me. Don't get me wrong i'm dying inside but I had to be strong for her. Lissa. The thing is Lissa is an orphan her parents died in a car accident 2 years ago. And now to loose her brother to the same thing. Andre was her only living relative. He always looked after her and took care of her, and now she's alone. She will probably have no where to live I mean we are only 16 she doesn't have a job, Andre usually supported her, yeah she might have an inheritance from her parents but she can't touch the money till she 18. I would tell her to live with me but my parents would most likely say no. They really don't care what happens to me and one teenage girl is enough for them to handle.

Through my train of thought I noticed an hour passed. I wonder if my parents were going to come, I gave the police their number.

Right on cue my parents walk in. In no rush might I add. For someone who just heard that they're daughter was in a car accident that led to the death of 3 people they look surprisingly calm. But then they saw me and their faces went from calm to furious on .1 seconds. "Rose, what the hell where you thinking!?" my dad angrily whispers. " I never made you our for such an idiot Rose do you see what you did!?" my mother adds. I just sit quietly though. Because everything they are saying I've already asked myself. My dad huffs angrily and turns to the police officer and starts asking when I can go." What about Lissa?" I interrupt quietly. "What about Lissa?" my dad asks me. "Andre was her only family, she has no where else to go." i said barley audible. Lissa started trembling beneath me and I knew she was going to break out into fresh tears so I pull her closer in my arms."If that's so we'll need her to stay here. Fill out some papers and make arrangements for her brother, then we'll have to look into who her parents entrusted her to live with if something were to ever happened",the officer replies. I just nod.I give Lissa one more hug and stand to go with my parents.

The drive home was quiet. My parents didn't want to talk to me, they didn't care if I was okay or how I was feeling. I know how they saw me and that was trouble, a complication, an issue that seriously needed to be solved. It was something I always was. I seemed to always get in fights in school, always get detention, get bad grades, I was trouble and everyone knew it. Hell I knew it. Once we parked outside the driveway to my house I jumped out of the car and ran inside. I kicked off the shoes before dashing up the stairs and slamming the door to my room. I changed into pajamas and laid down in my bed. I closed my eyes and started to relax for the first time all day. Then my phone chimed. I groaned and reached for it on my nightstand.

"I'm at your backdoor." -Dimitri

I sat up and ran back downstairs. All the lights were off so I assumed my parents went straight to bed. I go to the backdoor slide it open and take two steps outside in bear feet. It was cold and i decided to just run out in shorts and a tank top. Smart.

I look around and then I see him standing there. He had a somber face on and just stared at me. He knew me and he knew exactly what I needed. I ran to him and started crying. All those tears iv'e been holding back for what felt like forever just came pouring out. Only Dimitri ever saw me like this not Lissa or my parents. I felt the need to be strong and confident around them. But not with Dimtiri, with him I can be real. I buried my face in his warm chest and I felt his arms come around me and pull me into him.

"It's okay Roza, i'm here, it's okay." I heard him repeat quietly. I shivered and he obviously felt it, he pulled me inside with him and up to my room. We settled on my bed cuddling.

"How did you know?" I ask suddenly. He raised an eyebrow and asked "Know what?" " How did you know, about, what happened?" i managed to stutter."Oh, well it seems that Lissa's parents put my parents down as her guardian if anything were to happen to them or Andre." I nodfed, this made sense their families were really close.

" So Lissa is going to be living with you." i replied. " Seems like it." he says shortly. " Dimitri what was I thinking, I am such an idiot, you told me too, i should've been smarter. Its all my fault." I whisper. " He turns to me his eyes suddenly filled with a fire. "This is not your fault Roza, this is no ones fault, things in life happen, and you just happen to be a victim of it." he says to me while reaching for a strand that fell out of my ponytail and tucked it behind my ear. I nod and snuggle deeper into him.

"God Dimitri you should've seen my parents. They were so angry. They blame everything that happened on me."

" Roza you weren't driving it wasn't your fault." he says. " I wasn't driving but I was drunk, I saw Jessie passed out when he was driving, and I did nothing."

"You were in shock it'snot your fault, your parents have no right to blame this on you." he said shaking his head." You know, they acted like they didn't care, my parents,", I take a breathe," They were angry yes but then it was like they didn't give a shit what happened, not once did they ask if I was okay, or how I felt. I feel like no one cares about me. I'm an inconvenience to everybody.

"You are no such thing," he grabs my face in his hands," don't you ever say that! If your parents don't care about you then don't care about them but don't you ever say that no one cares about you cause that's not true!" " What about Lissa ? or Eddie? Hell what about my mother and sisters! They all love you so much Roza..." he takes a breathe and looks in my eyes," What about me Roza, I care about you so much, more than anyone i probably know, I love you."

I felt fresh tears well up in my eyes. " I love you too Dimitri." I reply. But he obviously didn't like the answer. He let out a low exasperated groan."No Roza, you don't get it." He pulls back from and starts tugging on his har. I could see he was struggling to find words. Then he turned to me and said " Do you remember that day when we were 4 and we went to the park?" he didn't wait for a reply, " remember how you wanted to go on the swings but that idiot Ralph ran to the last swing available and just hogged it knowing you wanted it?" " I remember, but then he suddenly he wasn't on the swing anymore ?" he was confusing how did our conversation lead to talking about this." Well it was because I saw your face, you were heart broken, you wanted to go on the swing so bad so I went up to him and told him to get off or I would tell everyone in Pre-k that he still wore diapers." He said a ghost of a smile flickering." Why would you do that " , I asked letting out a small chuckle. The smile was gone now an his expression became serious. " For you, I would do anything for you Roza because I care." And then things started clicking in my brain.

"Fifth grade", I said quietly. He immediately knew what I was talking about because he nods. "Mia Rinaldi spread rumors that you had a thing for that kid who picked his nose. I told her that if she didn't lave you alone I would tell the same kid she had a crush on him." He threw his head back chuckling, " She didn't listen and let me say the boy was excited when I told him the news, he was like glue on paper to Mia that whole year, and ultimately she left you alone." I didn't know he was behind that i just thought it was luck.

"Eighth grade?", I ask. " Those idiots I son't even remember their names, they started rumors saying you were sleeping around, I don't think i've ever been so pissed off in my life. Then one day you told me that one of them grabbed your ass, sure you said you punched him but him and his friends deserved so much worse", he said shaking his head. " It was you, you were the one who beat them up?" he nodded. "I couldn't let them get away with touching you." he said with a shrug.

"But why? why do this, all of this for me." he lets out a breathe. "Because I love you, not just love you, but i'm in love with you Roza, I'm so in love with you, I've always been. God i don't think i have a single memory that doesn't include me loving you." He has his eyes closed and head throwed back against the headboard of my bed. As if he wasn't expecting an answer.I shifted so I was standing on my knees, I was as tall as him now.I grabbed his face in my hands and pull him up." Open your eyes comrade" I say a smile on my lips. Slowly he opens them and looks into mine. "Smiling I lean down and kiss him. It was a sweet kiss, our kiss. My hands that held his face ran back to his hair and knotted themselves in it. One of his hands came up and cupped my cheek while the other wrapped around my waist pulling me we pull away foreheads still touching. " I love you too Dimitri." "Oh roza you don't know how long i've waited to hear that", he said still cupping my cheek. "but you are not emotionally stable right now, you've been through a lot today you might not be thinking straight.", he says pained.

"Come on comrade since when have I ever been emotionally stable? But trust me on this one, I know how I feel, and I love you." He smiles a full rare grin that only I ever see and pulls me down for another kiss. This one was more passionate compared to the first, this one was desperate as if we have been waiting for years and believe me, we have. Our hands tangle in each others hair and i desperately try to pull him closer if that's even possible but then i hear a cupboard open in the kitchen and we freeze. I slowly pull back and wait we hear the tab running then a door closing and we both let out a loud breathe. We look up at each other and start laughing. He pulls me towards him and we get under the covers. "Goodnight my Roza, I love you.", he says. I smile and reply,"Goodnight comrade, I love you too.