Yay! The previous chapter was slightly more successful than the first! Woohoo reviewers! I would do a shout out to all of you guys, but it is late and I am tired and I am trying to produce this chapter as quickly as possible. Oh, and there's going to be a semi-important author's note at the end, just a warning.

Okay, enjoy!

When I returned to the group, I made sure there was a smile painted on my face. I had gotten good at faking smiles, putting on a show. I was happy that Lissa couldn't see through any length of my facades, I didn't need her worrying about me. As much as she claimed she had settled in the past year, said she'd gotten stronger, I knew her and I knew that she didn't need any thing to make her hurt more than she already had.

Jesse was sprawled out on the floor, a second controller in his grip, pushing buttons at rapid speed. He was biting down roughly on his bottom lip as Eddie laughed and repeatedly pushed a button that appeared to shoot Jesse's character.

"Damn you," Jesse muttered and threw his controller down. "Rematch. Right now."

I turned my attention away from them, and located Lissa who had sat down on the recliner when I went to the kitchen. I froze when I noticed who was beside her, speaking in hushed tones and making Lissa giggle.

I marched over to the two, nearly gagging, and held out the sandwich I had completed. Lissa took it with a grin that had nothing to do with the food. I narrowed my eyes at Christian, and rested my hands on my hips. He still gave me the impression he would, without second thoughts, burn down a building for five dollars. "Step away."

Lissa's eyes bulged and irritation flickered across her face, but she didn't say anything. Christian, however, raised his eyebrows, that disturbing smirk never even wavering. "Rose Hathaway," he said. His voice was just as dark at his clothing. "I see California never improved your social skills. That is not the way to properly greet an old friend."

Scowling, I lifted my middle finger. Christian chuckled, low and cynical, and turned back to Lissa, who shrugged and happily continued their conversation. I gave her a look that told her there was most definitely going to be a lecture for her later.

"Rose, go easy on him. He's not as crazy as he looks," said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Mason's lopsided grin.

I almost told him that any amount of crazy was too much where Lissa was concerned, but I decided against it, considering the source. "Yeah, well, Lissa has enough crazy in her life. He can take his business elsewhere."

Mason laughed, his blue eyes full of humor. That was just like Mason; there wasn't a whole lot that he took seriously. "Rose, Lissa is the first girl I've seen Christian look at, much less talk to, with an expression other than disdain. If he likes her, cool. If she likes him back, even better."

He didn't understand. I was working my ass off to keep Lissa in a good place, and Christian Ozera was not going to be the one to let all my hard work fall to nothing. If she got her heart broken, I wasn't sure what I would have to do to repair it.

"Don't you want her to be happy?" he asked, dragging me away from painful scenarios.

I nodded. I did want Lissa to be happy, but there were other ways. Safer ways. Believe me, I was the reckless one; I liked danger and adrenaline. But when it came to Lissa, it didn't matter how drab I had to make life, I was the only one she had left, and I was going to make sure she was okay.

I had been so consumed in my own thoughts that when I blinked and refocused my mind, Mason had already left to talk to Adrian. That wasn't a conversation I wanted to join. I planned to just retire to my room, but as I headed towards the stairs, I caught glimpse of Dimitri, sitting alone and silently on the big couch, long legs stretched across it, watching Eddie and Jesse battle both verbally and virtually. His arms were folded behind his head, revealing large muscles and a bronzed tan. I paused in my tracks.

What was his story? I couldn't help wondering. He seemed much older than the rest of the guys, and though there was now a slight smile tilting his lips, he didn't seem to have much emotion to him. Where had they even met him?

Despite all of the weird qualities, the others seemed to value his presence. Very frequently Eddie would shout out, "Dimtiri, dude! Did you see that?" and Adrian would ask what he thought about something. And, despite my confusion, I was undeniably attracted to him.

Not sure what I was even planning to say, I strode over to him, applying my most dangerous grin. Like a gentleman, he moved his legs out of the way so I could sit. He was eyeing me curiously, the same way, I was sure, I was looking at him.

"Hello," I said, finally, breaking the silence that stretched between us. It wasn't uncomfortable or awkward, it was just silence.

"Hi."

"Where are you from?" I asked. Small talk was okay, I could deal with that.

"Russia," he told me. Something cooled in his expression, like tension was melting away from the lines of his face, when he said it. He was clearly homesick. "Siberia."

I made a face. "Why'd you come here?"

Shrugging, he ran a hand through his dark lush hair. "Why does anybody move to a different country? Better opportunities, maybe. My mom dragged me and my sisters here when I was ten."

The irony in that didn't escape me. Dimitri was brought, apparently against his volition, to Florida when he was ten, while I was so desperate to escape at that age. Trenton could not have been the first place he had moved to. Dimitri was at least four years older than me, and if he had been here before I moved, I would have known him.

As if reading my mind, he explained, "I was homeschooled for a while. My sisters as well. My mother was a little…overprotective." His jaw clenched and his eyes darkened. "There were things that she wanted to keep secret. Our location, for example."

Admittedly, I was curious, but there was something in his face that told me this was a touchy subject and prevented me from pushing for more. I also got the impression he wasn't necessarily used to attention being focused on him. And that he was perfectly okay with that. He didn't seem like the type to talk about himself a lot.

My questions were just going to have to wait.

"I can't imagine being taken to Trenton for 'better opportunities'," I admitted. "I was way too eager to get away from here."

"You moved to California with your mother, right?" I nodded and he continued. "Did you not like your father?"

There was something in his voice—not something completely obvious, but definitely there—that sounded like he knew all about that subject. Perhaps he did. He had said that his mother was very protective and wanted to keep their location hidden. I got the feeling that it had a lot to do with his father, and as much as I would have loved to connect with him on that front, the truth left my lips before I could stop it.

"I didn't know him very well," I explained. "He was a lawyer just like my mother, but he traveled a lot. Did a lot of side jobs that, quite frankly, I don't want to know the details about. At that point, my mother worked from her office. We had the money and my dad had a solid income pouring in, so she didn't need to travel like she does now.

My father, though, was always out of country for my birthdays and holidays, and it got to the point where he would even stop sending cards. Sometimes he would make up for it with expensive souvenirs, but he knew as little about me as I did of him.

When I was informed of the divorce, well, you could say it didn't come as much of a surprise. And my mother was the safe bet. So I went with her."

Dimitri nodded in understanding, then asked the question I should have been most expecting, but wasn't. "Then why did you run away from her?"

The way he phrased it made me hesitate. He acted like I was specifically trying to get away from my mother. In fact, he sounded just like her. As if what I had done was nothing more than a stunt to get back at her. Like my decision was based on her.

"It's complicated," was my only response. Though in retrospect it was actually quite simple: my best friend needed help and I was the only one that could give it to her.

"Hey Di," Jesse grunted, interrupting a conversation I was sure we would never get back. "You're up."

The video game controller thumped into Dimitri's lap as he nodded and stood up, heading over to the center of the living room floor.

Jesse plopped down beside me and grinned. "Eddie told me you were pretty," was his opening line, and I grimaced. "But he didn't tell me exactly how sexy."

I scoffed and shook my head. I officially knew what Eddie had meant when he told me that some of the guys were trouble. Jesse wasn't bad, per se, he was just a pig. I knew the type all too well, and I was not willing to deal with it. Instead, I decided it had been an excruciatingly long day, and that it was time to just call it a night. I stood from the couch, told Lissa I was headed to bed, then trudged, suddenly exhausted, up the steps.

A thought occurred to me as I began the second flight. School. Knowing Abe, Lissa and I were already enrolled and we were going to begin that following Monday.

I groaned. Loudly.

Well, that should be fun. It was precisely what I had been fearing on the plane, seeing all of my old friends. Mason and Christian weren't awful, but they were guys. What about Mia and Jill, who I had been inseparable with.

That should be fun.

Okay, so mostly this chapter was a filler. There are a few changes I am making to the characters. For instance, Dimitri is only going to be 21 rather than 24 and Adrian is Rose's age. But….besides that I think I'm staying kind of in character.

Uhmmm, as for my semi-important author's note: I need a critique. I am writing my own story, and I need someone that I can send chapters to who will give me productive feedback and help me out. So, if you want to do that just send me a private message.

I had something else as well, but I can't remember :O

Anyways, review this chapter, tell me what you think. There's going to be more action in the next chapter. Lemon included!