Rose pursed her lips, straining her ears. She could swear her brother was walking down the stairs. She had been waiting for a few hours for him to finally come down. She had spotted the mail almost instantly. She clapped her hands together, making her way into the hall. Finally. She noticed him standing and staring at the kitchen table and she grinned when she saw the birthday present she had given him earlier glinting on his wrist. Rose leaned forward to grab the letters from her brother’s hands, grinning at him and opening the mail.
“This a gross invasion of my privacy, you know,” he told her, opening the box of cereal beside him. He dug his hands into the box, pulling out a handful and shoving it into his mouth. Rose stuck out her tongue and smiled, flicking through his stuff.
“Ooh, a check from Grandma. I get half of this!” Rose said, her voice filled with excitement. Andrew rolled his eyes, staring at his sister in disdain as she rifled through his birthday cards
“I can’t open this one,” she said, passing it to him with a sly smile. Andrew furrowed his eyebrows.
“Why not?” he asked, taking the letter from her. Rose stared at him, her hands clasped together in anticipation. Andrew opened the letter, his eyes locking immediately on the letterhead. His hands froze and he glanced at his sister who nudged him.
“Open it!” she demanded. Andrew pursed his lips, pulling the letter from the envelope and grinning when he saw the glaring words. Congratulations, we are happy to inform you that you have been accepted. He cleared his throat and glanced at Rose who arched her eyebrow.
“Well?” she asked. He ran a hand through his hair.
“I got in!” he said, his voice filled with disbelief. Rose let out a squeal and jumped into his arms.
“Oh my God! This is amazing! We need to tell mom and dad! Come on!” Rose exclaimed, pulling him up the stairs into the living room. They both stopped in their tracks, glancing around the room at the decorations.
A mixture of Happy birthday and Congratulations Son. They glanced at Abe who was smirking at them both, a massive cake in his hand.
“Congratulations Andrew,” he said brightly. Andrew sighed; they had read his mail. Andrew shook his head and glanced at his mother.
“Does anyone respect my privacy in this house?” he asked. Janine laughed and shook her head.
“With your father on the scene? Not a chance my boy. Happy birthday and congratulations. I canny believe my baby is finally going to uni,” Janine said, wiping her eyes. Andrew rolled his eyes, leaning down to peck his mum’s cheek.
“Love you, ma,” he said softly. He glanced at his family and smiled.
“I better go phone Dimitri!” he said, grinning and running to get his mobile. He grinned when it was already ringing.
“Did you get in? Yes? Fuck yes!” he shouted. Janine scowled, clouting her son over the back of the head.
“Watch your fuckin’ language!” she snapped. Andrew rolled his eyes.
“Alright maw,” he muttered, to another forceful slap. Abe sniggered and glanced at his son.
“Did he get a place?” he asked. Andrew nodded enthusiastically. Abe smiled, wrapping his arm around Janine who shook her head.
“Our wains are growing up,” she said, wiping another tear from her eye. Abe smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“That they are,” he said softly. Andrew turned to face his parents.
“Can Dimitri come over?” he asked, covering the speaker on the phone. Abe and Janine shared a look before shrugging and nodding their approval.
“Sweet. They said it’s cool. I’ll come pick you up in about twenty minutes? Yeah, I’ll see you soon!” Andrew said, hanging up the phone. Rose grabbed her jacket and grabbed the car keys from the table. Andrew shook his head.
“No way. Not on your life,” he snapped, pointing his finger at Rose’s face. Rose groaned and stamped her foot.
“You promised you’d take me for McDonald's,” she whined. Andrew gave his sister a dark look.
“Can you act your age?” he muttered, shoving past her. Rose grabbed her brother’s arm and blinked at him innocently.
“So, I should totally call up Jesse? I’m sure he’d love to take me out,” she said, smirking at her brother. Andrew sighed and glanced at his sister in disdain.
“You are a brat,” he muttered, swiping the keys from her hands. Rose arched an eyebrow and waited. Andrew groaned.
“Hurry up then,” he muttered, shoving her. Rose smirked and shoved him back before climbing into the car beside him. They rode in silence for most of the journey. Andrew seemed to be fighting the urge to say something. Eventually, He glanced at her and then focused on the road in front of him.
“You wouldn’t seriously go out with Jesse, would you? The guys a total asshole,” he commented. Rose smirked and glanced at her older brother.
“He’s so hot though,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Andrew rolled his eyes, pulling into the space outside of Dimitri’s flat.
“Can you not?” he said, his face filled with disgust. Rose smirked and shook her head.
“You said that I should act my age,” she said snottily. Andrew pulled a face and turned away from her. The car door opened, and Dimitri jumped into the back, shoving a present in Andrew’s face.
“Happy birthday,” he said, grinning at Andrew. Andrew glanced at the present and turned to face Dimitri.
“You didn’t have to get me anything…” he said softly, he knew how much Dimitri struggled. Dimitri laughed and shoved him, muttering something under his breath. Andrew opened the gift, letting out a gasp before turning to face Dimitri. Rose stared at her brother and his best friend in disdain.
“God, you two are so weird,” she said, plucking the game from her brother’s hands and staring at the cover.
“It’s supposed to be the best game this console has ever seen. Thank you so much, Dimitri. I love it,” he said, smirking at his best friend. Dimitri smiled wide.
“I may have an ulterior motive of wanting to play it myself,” he admitted. Rose rolled her eyes and turned to stare at him.
“Let me guess, a game where you get to be a cowboy?” she mocked. Andrew sniggered and glanced at his sister in amusement.
“Not quite, the main character is from Texas though,” he pointed out. Rose pursed her lips and shook her head.
“You two are so weird,” she repeated. She nudged her brother and let out a heavy sigh.
“I am hungry,” she said pointedly. Dimitri scoffed and ruffled her hair.
“When are you not?” he asked. Rose let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.
x-x-x
Rose leaned over Dimitri, swiping the remote from his right hand before leaning back in her chair. Dimitri sighed, glancing at Andrew.
“Can you control her?” he asked. Andrew snorted and shook his head.
“Not even my mum can control that little shit,” he said, giving his sister a pointed look. Rose smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“My favourite show is on,” she said smugly. Dimitri groaned, staring at the TV.
“You watch this shit?” he asked. Rose pursed her lips and gestured at Chad Michael Murray.
“He’s beautiful,” she said pointedly. Dimitri snorted and pulled a novel out of his back pocket. Rose smirked triumphantly when she realised he wasn’t going to argue with her.
“So, when are you two going to celebrate?” she asked. Dimitri and Andrew scoffed and glanced at her.
“As soon as you get your ass off of the couch and let us on the PlayStation,” Andrew muttered, kicking at her. Rose rolled her eyes.
“God, you two are pathetic. I’m going to phone Lissa. Enjoy your party,” she said, ruffling their hair as she walked past. Andrew smirked, watching as his sister left the room.
“Finally,” Andrew muttered. He grabbed his controllers and pursed his lips.
“So, what to play, what to play,” he muttered, scanning his shelves before holding up one of the few coop games.
“Will this do?” he asked, putting it in the console. Dimitri nodded and cleared his throat.
“I can’t believe we are going to be at uni together,” he said, grinning at his best friend. Andrew laughed and nodded.
“God, I know. It’s going to be amazing,” he said leaning back against the couch with his hands behind his head. Dimitri smiled and nodded.
“It should be. I’ve started looking for jobs,” Dimitri said, picking at the thread of his jeans. Andrew pursed his lips and cleared his throat.
“Any luck?” he asked, scanning his best friends face. Dimitri shook his head and shrugged.
“We’ve got a few months before we start. I’ll figure something out,” he said, staring ahead and gesturing at the game. Andrew frowned, watching him out of the corner of his eyes. He knew how desperately Dimitri wanted to move out of his father’s place. Dimitri’s parents had a horrendous divorce when they were in the third grade. They never really discussed what happened. All Andrew knew was that Dimitri’s dad had won the custody battle. Perks of working in the law enforcement.
“I could ask my dad about jobs,” Andrew said, gnawing on his lip. Dimitri shook his head and forced a smile.
“You know my dad won’t let me get a job until school is finished,” he said, glancing at his feet. He shook his head and gestured at the screen.
“Are we going to play or not?” he asked, grinning when Andrew shoved him.
“You’re going down, Belikov,” he said, shaking his head.
x-x-x
Rose sighed, resting her head on Lissa’s stomach.
“Do you think Andrew will move out? To the dorms I mean,” she asked, glancing up at her best friend. Lissa absentmindedly played with a strand of Rose’s hair and shrugged.
“You never know. I know I’d love to do it. My uncle Viktor is great but…” she trailed off and Rose let out a laugh.
“But sharing a room with Natalie drives you insane?” she guessed. Lissa groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“I’m a horrible person, I know,” she moaned. Rose snorted and sat up.
“Please,” she muttered, sitting up. Lissa smiled and picked at a thread on the duvet cover.
“Did you see the new guy today?” she asked. Rose groaned and shook her head.
“Don’t even go there! Liss, I heard that his parents are total junkies,” Rose said, pulling a face. Lissa ran her tongue over her lower lip and gave Rose a disapproving glance.
“That is not his fault,” she said. Rose sighed.
“I know, I know. But he is supposed to be bad news. I mean he showed up to school on a motorbike. He smokes. You can’t honestly tell me that that is attractive to you,” she muttered. Lissa laughed and swatted Rose with a pillow.
“Please. At least he is actually our age!” she said pointedly, glancing at Rose’s phone. Rose looked down, spotting a text from Jesse. She smirked and glanced at Lissa.
“There’s a party tomorrow night that he wants me to come to,” Rose said, smirking at her best friend. Lissa shook her head.
“I can’t! You know I can’t. Plus, aren’t you grounded?” she asked. Rose shook her head.
“That was a complete misunderstanding besides my parents aren’t home this weekend, and Andrew is working…are you sure you can’t come?” Rose asked. Lissa sighed and gave Rose a look. Rose held up her hands in defeat.
“Fine, fine. Come on, let’s put on a horror. What do you think? Vampire or Zombie?” Rose asked. Lissa pulled a face and stared at her best friend.
“You know how I feel about the V word,” she said, shaking her head. Rose smirked and shook her head.
“I honestly don’t know how Blade scarred you so much,” she muttered. Lissa pursed her lips and glowered at her best friend.
“Coming from the girl that still won’t watch Coraline,” she retorted. “Just put on a film.” Rose smirked, flicking through her DVD collection before holding up one. Lissa groaned, covering her face with her hands.
“Rose!” she moaned. Rose ignored her, throwing the DVD into the player and turning to smirk at her best friend before flopping down on the bed beside her.
x-x-x
Rose lounged against the pillar at the front of the house. She pursed her lips, waiting for someone to open the door. She smirked when the door opened and glanced at Paul expectantly. Paul shook his head and gestured for her to head back home.
“Not a chance, Hathaway. Your brother will murder me,” he said, putting his hand over the doorway to block her entrance. Rose scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“That just begs the question; which of us are you more afraid of?” she challenged, narrowing her eyes at him. Paul opened his mouth to protest when someone appeared at his side.
“Come on, Paul. Let the lady in. She’s my guest,” Jesse said, giving her the once over. Paul held up his hands in defeat and walked away.
“Your funeral,” he muttered, holding up his hands in defeat. Jesse scoffed and gestured for Rose to enter the room.
“Want a drink?” he asked, gesturing into the kitchen. Rose nodded, following him and saying hi to the people she knew. She noticed a few stares from some of Andrew’s friends and she even heard a few Isn’t she like sixteen? and What is Jesse thinking? She pursed her lips and squared her shoulders, focusing on Jesse.
“Make it a double?” she asked. He laughed and gestured to the cupboard in the corner.
“Help yourself,” he said, leaning back against the breakfast bar behind him. “I’m surprised you came, you know. Thought you’d be too scared to face your brother,” he commented, swishing his beer around in his cup before glancing at Rose. She scoffed, turning to face him, taking a large sip of her drink.
“Andrew is working tonight, so we have nothing to worry about,” she said, resting her hand on his chest. Jesse smirked, glancing down at her.
“Hmm, I wonder what we could get up to in that time,” he whispered. Rose shuddered slightly, her skin beginning to goosebump. She ran her tongue over her lower lip, smirking when Jesse followed the movement. She felt him take a step forward and she exhaled, her heart racing. He was going to kiss her. She could feel it. His eyes kept falling to her lips.
“Jesse, come on man. Stop flirting. We need you to set up the music in the pool house,” Ralph moaned, appearing at the door. Rose sighed, glancing at Ralph in distain. He was Jesse’s best friend…and happened to be a complete and utter asshole. Jesse gave Rose an apologetic smile and gestured after Ralph and saying he would be back in a few minutes. Rose nodded, making her way into the main hall. She spotted a few of the girls from the year above and made her way over to them. Small talk. She would have to make small talk. This was why she wanted Lissa to come with her.
“Hey guys, how are you both?” she asked, smiling at Jade and Amber.
“Hey Rose, was that Jesse we saw you talking with?” Amber asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Rose. Jade sighed and shook her head.
“That boy is so nice to look at,” She commented, tilting her head to the side and staring out the window to the pool house where Jesse was talking animatedly to his friends. Rose laughed and shrugged.
“Yeah. He invited me,” she said nonchalantly. Jade sighed and glanced at Rose.
“You are so lucky,” she muttered. Rose laughed and shook her head.
“Yeah…as you can see he has left me to my own devices,” she muttered. Amber laughed and shook her head.
“Well, at least you have us. Fancy a little game?” she asked, gesturing at the beer pong table. She smirked at Rose. Rose gnawed on her lower lip before staring at the girls.
“A quick game,” she said, holding up her finger threateningly.
Of course. Their quick game had ended far later than Rose had planned and somehow the second round had involved glasses filled with vodka and coke rather than beer. Thankfully, Rose had been a better shot than the girls, so she hadn’t consumed nearly as much alcohol. She let out a gasp when an arm wrapped around her waist.
“Having fun without me?” Jesse drawled, his voice causing a tremor to run down her back. She bit her lower lip, glancing at him.
“I had to find some way to occupy myself,” she purred, resting her hand on his chest. Jesse raised an eyebrow and tugged her towards him.
“Is that so?” he asked, his eyes falling to her lips. Rose ran her tongue over her lower lip, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes. Jesse tugged her hands, pulling her towards him.
“You’ll be the death of me, Hathaway,” he said, giving her an appreciative once over. Rose smirked, gesturing towards the stairs.
“Let’s get out of here,” she murmured. Jesse glanced down at her, turning to glance around the room before following her into Paul’s father’s study. Jesse sat down on the couch, waiting for Rose to take a place. She flopped down next to him and nudged him with her elbow.
“I notice that I am the only person here from my age group. What’s that about?” she teased. Jesse shrugged.
“People your age tend to be annoying,” he said pointedly. Rose gave him a disapproving look and he held up his hand in mock surrender. He smiled, flashing his teeth at her. “I said tend to be. Plus, you are a lot hotter than the other girls your age…or any age.”
“Glad I make the cut,” Rose said softly, her hand resting on his chest. Jesse turned slightly, his hand sliding up her legs, a heat filling his eyes. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and his testosterone seemed to kick in, her was kissing her eagerly, pushing her back against the couch. Rose let out a small moan, arching her back as he dug his teeth into a soft spot on her neck. She didn’t protest when Jesse tugged off her shirt, leaving her in a lacy black bra. Jesse tugged her legs slightly, pulling her down the couch towards him. His lips traveled down to the same spot on her neck again and Rose arched up against him, letting out a moan with the jolt of friction between them. Jesse paused, scanning her face. Rose shook her head and met his eyes.
“No,” she warned. Jesse’s mouth returned to the spot on her neck and he ground his hips against her, smirking against her skin when she let out a shaky breath.
“You want to, I can tell,” he whispered. Rose sat up on her elbows and stared at him.
“I’m not having sex,” she said pointedly. Jesse paused, thinking about it before deciding not to push it.
“Okay,” he agreed before returning to kissing her. The kisses were heavy, and Rose had to admit that it felt amazing. She moved up her hands to tangle in his hair. They sprang apart when the door opened, and Rose sighed heavily.
“Can’t you see the room is occupied?” she snapped, glancing up. Only, she wished she hadn’t…and she had the feeling that Jesse was wishing the same thing. In the blink of an eye, Dimitri had crossed the room, lifting Jesse up by his t-shirt, almost holding him off the ground.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he snarled. Jesse grit his teeth, grabbing Dimitri’s hand in attempt to loosen his grip, it only seemed to make him grip harder.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Jesse retorted. Wrong response. Entirely wrong response. Dimitri ran his tongue over his front teeth, glancing behind Jesse to where Rose was sitting on the couch.
“It looks to me like you are inviting underage girls to your parties so that you can get them drunk and then try to sleep with them,” Dimitri said, his face filled with disgust. Jesse scoffed, and Dimitri’s grip tightened on his shirt, lifting him almost completely off the ground.
“If I even so much as see you looking at her again I will make sure her brother finds out about this. We will come after you, and it will hurt. A lot,” he snapped, thumping Jesse against the wall behind him and putting pressure on his throat, as if to make a point. He dropped Jesse and the other boy scrambled away, muttering that Dimitri was a psycho. Then Dimitri’s gaze turned on Rose and she shrunk back slightly under his angry, disapproving gaze. Then it changed, the look he was giving her. If Rose hadn’t known better, she would have assumed that he was checking her out. His eyes seemed to be giving her the once over, studying her. It took Rose a few seconds under his gaze to realize that she was in nothing but a bra and jeans. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that she looked damn good in the bra she was wearing…and part of her wondered if he knew it too.
“See something you like?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Dimitri’s jaw clenched, and he threw his jacket at her.
“Cover yourself up,” he hissed. Rose glanced around for her t-shirt before realizing that it was nowhere to be seen, and she was not rummaging around on the floor. That would only make things so much worse. She begrudgingly put on Dimitri’s jacket and crossed her arms over her chest.
“How did you even find me? Did Andrew have you following me?” she hissed. Dimitri rolled his eyes and glanced at her.
“Funnily enough Rose. Our lives do not revolve completely around you. I was here with a friend,” he said. It was around that moment that said friend appeared in the doorway and Rose caught sight of her. Rose clenched her jaw and nodded.
“Excellent. Well, thank you for ruining my night. I’ll keep the jacket,” she muttered, heading for the door. Dimitri grabbed her arm and looked down at her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked. Rose gestured with her hands and Dimitri shook his head.
“Not a chance. You’re supposed to be at home so that is where I am taking you,” he said, pulling her arm. Rose tugged her arm out of his grip and narrowed her eyes.
“Like hell you are. I am not leaving here with you,” she snapped. Dimitri gave her a dark look and shrugged.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he commented. Rose scoffed, turning to walk away from him. Dimitri grabbed the sleeves of his jacket before picking Rose up and throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. He glanced at the girl in the doorway and sighed.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got to get her home,” he said apologetically. The girl smiled and shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, smiling at him. Rose let out a shriek.
“Put me down!” she demanded. Dimitri ignored her, heading out the doorway to his pick up truck. He opened the door, shoving Rose inside before climbing in and starting the engine. Rose pulled at the door handle and realized very quickly what he had done.
“Child locks, Dimitri. Really?” she snapped. Dimitri shrugged and stared at the road in front of them.
“If you are going to behave like a child, I am going to treat you like one,” he muttered. Rose shook her head and slumped back in the seat. “I can’t believe you let yourself get into a situation like that with Jesse of all people,” Dimitri muttered, disgust lacing his words.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she muttered. Dimitri shook his head and glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.
“It is. Guys like Jesse love to brag about conquests like you.” He said pointedly.
Rose pursed her lips. “So?”
“So?” He looked disgusted and Rose had to admit the look he was giving her made her want to shrink away. “Don’t you have any self-respect? You made yourself look cheap.”
Rose scoffed and shook her head. “Oh, spare me the lecture. So, it’s perfectly fine for you and Andrew to sleep around but when I do it I’m a slut?” she snapped. Dimitri shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he pulled into her driveway.
“That is not what I’m saying, and you know it! You’re sixteen. He’s eighteen!” he snapped, slamming his hand down on the steering wheel. Rose flinched, and Dimitri froze, catching her movement in the corner of his eyes.
“Look, I’m sorry, Rose. I know that you think that your brother and I are assholes, but we’re just trying to look out for you. Guys like Jesse, they are only after one thing and they aren’t going to stick around once they get it. You should wait…find someone you care about…more importantly someone who cares about you,” Dimitri said softly. Rose shook her head and gestured for him to open the car door. He obliged, opening it.
As Rose stepped out, she found her legs couldn’t hold her. Dimitri scooped her up. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he hissed smelling the vodka. “How much did you drink?”
“I really don’t think that’s any of your business,” she said pointedly, avoiding eye contact.
He rolled his eyes and picked her up gently, carrying her into the house. By the time he made it to her room, she’d passed out. Sighing heavily, he tucked her into bed. He couldn’t leave now. What if she got sick? Or…god forbid…had alcohol poisoning?
He wandered into his best friend’s room, letting out a groan…now was the hard part: tell Andrew or not? With all the commotion Rose made leaving it would be hard not to. But would would he say? I didn’t know how to react to seeing your sister in her bra, so I heavily implied she was a slut? He groaned, hitting his head off the door frame a few times. Why couldn’t she have just stayed home?
Shaking off the weight of that decision for now, he glanced up at the shelf of games and picked an old favorite, one he and Andrew hadn’t played in years. Popping it into the console, he allowed himself to get lost in the game, far away from Rose’s poor decisions and his own inapt reactions to them.
Jenna: Hey. I’m going to explore Storybrook but I’m forced to bring you along, so get up.
Andrew: Man, do you have to do stuff now? Can’t you be lazy today?
Jenna: There’s nothing to do. Besides, we moved in 4 days ago. I’m tired of doing nothing. If I stay in this house any longer I’m going to scream. We won’t be long, I promise.
Andrew: Alright, fine. Besides, mom keeps bugging me about being in the house all summer and I need her to leave me alone.
