"I need a man." I say, annoying my best friend all over again. I think that this is the billionth time I said it in the last two days. I swear, If I were my friend I would have killed me a long time ago.

"I know, Rose, I know." She says. I'm not surprised to hear her answer. It is what she says since I started it.

I started it two days ago, when I caught my boyfriend cheating on me with the slut of the school. At first I wanted to cry, but looking at my best friend and her boyfriend I realized that the whole blame is mine. I need a man by my side, not a seventeen boy who only wants to fuck everything with two legs.

Like I said, looking at my friend and her boyfriend I realized that. My friend is almost seventeen and her boyfriend is twenty one. I know it sounds like he is some kind of pedophile but the truth is that they are together since he was seventeen. And I also know that she was just thirteen, but back than she was pretty tall. She really looked like someone who is fifteen. But you know what, this is Lissa and Christian's love story. If you want to know more about it, ask them. But for the record, it is a really beautiful love story.

Back to me, I'm Rosemarie – Rose – Hataway . I'm not really tall and I have dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. I'm sixteen years old and like I said, I need a man. I'm done playing with kids. Please no offence at my age. I may be sixteen but I really think like someone who is 30 – or something like that, this is what my mom said once.

Lissa decided that it has been way too long since I'm crying for a man, so she made me, and of course for her too, a fake ID. This new ID says that my name is Rose Hataway and that I'm 19 years old. Lucky me my body lies, too. I may be just a teenager but I look like a woman. But on the other hand, this is what I say since I turned sixteen.

"Tonight when?" I ask Lissa after some time of thinking about my outfit that will make me look like a sexy woman.

"Christian said at 10 PM." She answers.

"Cool." I say back. When we hear the bell ring, we make our way to the next class. School is really boring for me, being the best at everything I do has become a routine. I go to school just because I want to graduate. My dream is to become a business woman, help my mother with money and make sure that she won't work so hard as long as she'll live.

The truth is, I'm not popular or rich as are the kids from this school. I can study at St. Vladimir just because I got a scholarship. My mother works as a housemaid somewhere where she also lives. She comes home once a week to bring me money and see how I'm doing. This makes me pretty sad but there is no other choice.

Lissa helps me too – a lot, I can say. She helped me find a part time job and lends me money when I really need it. She never wants it back even thought I want to. She is some kind of angel that lifts me up whenever I'm at the ground.

"Rose, could you please show to your colleagues how the homework is supposed to be done?" asks Mr. Alto, my math teacher. This happens every time when he want to see our homework. I'm always the one who has to show to the class how the homework should look like.

"Please Rose, show us!" begs Mia. Oh God, this little creature really hates me. I don't know what I've done so wrong to deserve her hate. But if she doesn't like me I don't like her either. It is fair, right?

After the class is done, I put everything in my bag in a hury because I need to go to my part time gob. I work at KFC five days a week – usually I'm free on weekends. Sometimes Lissa and Christian goes there to hang out, just to see me and make sure that I treat right my customers.

"Hey Rose, do you wanna come and have an ice cream with us?" asks Mia. What is she up to? Does she wants to kill me by putting poison in my ice cream or she just want to play with me?

"I better die alone than hang out with you, mini Mia." I answer. I added an "mini" because she is really short. If you don't hold her hand in public when it is crowded you lose her. Why can't her parents just lose her? It will be a better place where trees turns to green and flowers smile. Wake up, Rose, you will be late for your part time job.

- o-O -

"Ready, Rose?" asks Lissa .

"As I'll never be. How do I look?" I ask her. It is time for us to go out in a club where – please God help me - I'll find a man, or I'll die sad and alone.

Talking about my expectations: I want a tall man with broad shoulders, brown eyes and dimpled cheeks. Also, to have dark brown hair and to know how to behave with women. I do not want him to be some CEO of a major company but I want him to work. I want him to be the kind of man who takes care of his life, not to depend on anyone.

"Rose, what are you thinking?" asks Lissa.

"Ummm, nothing. Let's go!" I say and make my way to the car.

"So, what exactly will you do once we are in that club?" asks Christian when we arrive at the club. I take a look at it and from the outside it seems cool, like one of those clubs where just rich people goes. Hope the inside will look the same.

"I don't know, Chris. I'll just take a look , get a target and go home with him. His house, not mine." I answer him, smiling.

Lissa looks at me like she can't believe what I've just said. I know it doesn't sound like me, but if I want to get someone for good – I need to go though hell.

"But Rose, you are a virgin." She says still looking at me. "You can't give it to some stranger." Lissa adds. Her expression turns from happy to concern.

"He won't be a stranger after this night." I say trying to defend myself. I get out of the car and I make my way to the club. Very soon Lissa and Christian joins me. At the club entrance a big fat man asks for our ID's. Lissa looks pretty nervous but I look fine. What proof does this whale has, to tell me that the ID is fake.

Once we are inside, Christian lead us to our table and than goes to buy some drinks. I take a look around to find my target but it's a little too dark here to see something clearly.

"See something you like?" asks Lissa.

"It's too dark in here." I shout at her. The music is not that loud in here and not very crowded either. I like in here. I'll come happily when it will be a next time.

"What to you say about that one, the blond one?" asks Lissa, showing me a blond guy who stays alone at a table.

"He seems.. ummm, Okey." I say, still looking at him.

"He is lonely, go to him!" Dares me, Lissa. I quickly get up and when I want to take a step to go to that table, a tall man with shoulder-length brown hair comes and sits next to the blond one. He is dress in suit black pants, a white shirt and without a tie. His shirt has a button undone that shows a bit of skin. Without blinking I sit down again, next to Lissa, staring at the God which has just appeared in front of my view.

Looking at Lissa for just a second I see that she stares at him, too. This man is perfect. I don't know what kind of person he is, but from the outside, he looks perfect. Because of the darkness I can't see the color of his eyes, but I can swear that he has dark brown eyes, like chocolate... and I love chocolate.

Not even three seconds have passed since he arrived at the table, that behind him appears a beautiful girl, tall, with long black hair, and sits next to him. They talk and laugh and the three of them looks like they have lot of fun.

"Excuse me that I'm late with the drinks, but I met a cousin at the bar and I talked a little with her". Says Christian, trying to catch his breath. "Come on, let's sit at her table." He adds.

I and Lissa get up and start to follow Christian. To my surprise we stop at the table where my God sits.

"Hey Christian." Says the girl with black hair.

"Hey Tasha, ummm, this is Lissa, my girlfriend and this is Rose, her best friend." Says Christian, while he show us where to sit. I couldn't look anywhere but at the God. He seems very concerned about his phone, because he keeps looking at it.

"Nice to meet you, Lissa." Says Tasha. "I've heard so much about you." She adds and drags Lissa next to her.

"Yeah, me too." Answers Lissa a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, by the way, these are Ivan and Dimitri." Says Tasha.

So his name is Dimitri. Nice name. Now that I know it I will repeat all over again in my head.

While Lissa, Tasha and Christian talked all night to each other, Dimitri and Ivan did the same, and on the other hand I stared at the God that was in front of my view. I looked at him without blinking and he never, not even once, looked back. I'm so frustrated.

Will I ever see him again? I ask myself while Christian drives us home.

Three weeks passed since that night and I can't help but dream about him.

-o—O-

"I need a hug." I say to Lissa.

"Oh, come here little poodle." She says hugging the shit out of me. Right now I am at my part time job, ready to leave. This is one of the reasons why Lissa is here, to pick me up and take me home.

"Today was a really boring day." I tell her.

"Rose, can you do me a favor?" she asks looking at me with puppy eyes.

"Do you really think I can say 'no' when you have this face?" she looks at me a little bit and than says:

"Tomorrow will be a dinner at my house with some strange business men and I don't wanna be alone there. Please come!" she says, looking deep in my eyes.

"Of course I'll be there, Lissa." I say, taking one of her hands in mine.

"Thank you."

-o—O-

The Dinner is two minutes away and I and Lissa are not ready yet. Lissa wears a white dress that ends just above her knees and I wear the same dress, the only difference is that mine is black.

When we arrive in the living room, the guests are already there. I take a deep breath because I don't want to ruin this night. I just want to be here for Lissa and make sure that she won't die of boredom.

Lissa takes my hand and drags me after her, in the living room.

Taking a look around I see a face that I thought I will never see again in my life. My breath just stopped for a second and I'm sure that my heart skipped, not one, but several beats.

-o-O-

hey, Ummm... I thought better and I won't write the story called "Marriage"

I really hope that you will like this one.

please review and let me know what are you thinking.

lot of love.

Paula.