Rose We wasted no time in entering the classroom, where Liam was sitting quietly on a high stool." Didn't your parents teach you that it's ugly to listen behind the door, my little incarnation of Monet,” he glared at me." No, they did a terrible job of raising me,” I said back, unflustered.Sky approached her boyfriend, and without any warning he pulled her in, laying her in his arms before giving her a movie kiss, making us laugh at the girl's surprised expression." Liam!”" I've always wanted to do that " he winked at her as he helped her straighten up." You fool," she hid a small smile. I exchanged a look of complicity with Cam before grabbing the bags and taking them to the counter at the back of the room. I began to take all the things out of the bags, lining everything up on the counter." I've already sorted out the MDF board for you to use " Liam pointed to the piece of plywood on an easel " Do you know what you're going to paint yet?” " I need to do a self-portrait of
CHRISTIAN It took Rose a while to prepare all the paints she would need for her painting, especially without the help of Liam who was lost in his own private world preparing his own paints to finish the drawing he made earlier. But a few minutes later, she took her place on the stool in front of the painting easel, experimenting to start with soft, slightly hesitant brush strokes.It was clear that our help as a group was over, now the work would be all hers. Rose was gaining confidence by the second, putting more strength into each stroke. That was the first time I saw her painting, and I must admit it was a beautiful sight. I moved in search of a better position to watch her, all her concentration displayed on her face as she worked on the silhouette stamped on the MDF made me admire her more and more, it wasn't the first time I saw her in action, I had seen that passion while she was drawing but it was the first time I saw her with a brush in her hand working with paint like a gr
CHRISTIANI woke up the next day watching her peaceful face, we had both put the two beds together to be more comfortable. Rose was sleeping on her stomach wearing only the t"shirt I was wearing the night before, making me smile. That was the image I always wanted to have when I woke up!But all the tranquility disappeared as soon as I picked up my cell phone, my eyes widening when I saw the time.Damn, we overslept!I stood up in a jump, knowing I couldn't be late for Miss Hanh's class, pulling Rose's foot as I picked up my pants thrown on the bedroom floor, putting them on in a hurry." Rose, wake up, we missed the time!”She turned over in bed, looking confused as she opened her eyes." What?” " It's fifteen minutes before the class starts, I have an exam today, come on!' " I rushed her.The girl stood up in a jump, grabbing her panties that I threw to her afterwards. " Damn, how did we sleep so much? " she complained while getting dressed."I don't know, but I need my shirt," I
Christian Cam and I watched the boy walk away in silence. My friend's situation really wasn't easy. But I hope he can work things out without having to drop out.We entered the cafeteria, finding the girls and Theo already settled at their usual table. Rose smiled as soon as her gaze met mine, making my heart race.Camille and I got our lunch, settling into the vacant seats at the table, greeting our friends. " How was the exam? " Rose asked as soon as we sat down." Christian almost missed the time," Camille teased." But I was on time. And you, did you manage to hand in your self-portrait? " I stared at Rose." She invaded our project illustration class, but she managed to hand it in” Sky teased her friend." What matters is that I did it,” Rose hummed.I watched the girl, feeling proud of her recovery. She had been able to put everything that had happened behind her, and although she still attracted attention, especially from the girls who occupied the sorority table, Rose ignore
Rose I watched in silence as Christian walked away, half of me wanting to follow him immediately, conflicting with the other half that didn't want to appear clingy and needy. " She doesn't even disguise it anymore " Sky's voice snapped me out of my moment of contemplation. " What? Who doesn't disguise? " I frowned. " You can't hide the fact that you've been dying to jump on Davis' neck since he sat down at this table," Theo teased me, drawing laughter from all of our friends. I took a deep breath and turned my attention back to my food, that was typical of all of them, they always had to make absurd assumptions about everything. Okay, I admit I wanted to kiss him as soon as he sat down at our table, but that was just a still frazzled part of my mind that found comfort in his arms speaking louder. Or at least I hoped it was. "Why is she going to hide? After parading around campus with his name on her chest, I guess there's nothing left to deny," Sky whispered to the boy. " Oh my
Rose Campbell"Alright, I admit that Peterson's method is pretty effective," Liam commented as we walked out of the cafeteria together.He was carrying the painting he had done of me with pride while Theodore had stood next to Camille, putting his arm around her shoulder, making me smile. The girl looked like she was about to burst with happiness at everything that had happened, and our group was finally attracting attention for something good. " I would agree with you if I wanted a relationship, but that's not the case. I don't want to give off this image of being stuck with Christian, as much as I like him " I decided to be honest with the boys, since we had a policy of never lying to each other, as much as the truth could hurt sometimes." Rose, you're going to regret that thought. Come on, just because you get into a relationship with someone in college, doesn't mean you have to marry them. Or do you think I'm thinking of marrying Liam? " Skyller retorted, receiving a cross look
RoseI closed my eyes, feeling the world spin and my head throb as I rode beside my mother in the car. We were going to spend Christmas on a farm in rural Delaware with Alex's family, and we left Rochester on Wednesday morning, after having gone home last Friday night. " Are you okay?You've gone pale," my mom asked." I was reading some messages and I got a headache," I explained with my eyes still closed, "Don't worry.”" Do you want me to stop somewhere? " She suggested."No need, I'll just keep my eyes closed" I denied.We were silent again for a few minutes until I decided to talk to my mom, feeling the uneasiness start to leave me." Were we both really included in the invitation? I know we're getting on well with Alex, but it's her family's house and it's they first Christmas together.”" Your father really wants us to be there, plus Alex has assured me that she has a cousin who is very eager to meet me." A small smile appeared on my mother's lips." Wow, am I going to get two
Christian" I'm sorry, I really thought you'd stick to your plan to break up with Rose, when your mom started asking me about you guys and wondering if I could convince you to bring her over one more time, I decided to warn her," my sister explained, taking advantage of the fact that we finally got some time alone.We were preparing lunch together in my mother's kitchen a few days after Christmas. After all the repercussions of my breakup with Rose, I decided to talk to my sister, venting once again about the complicated situation I was in. " In theory I followed the plan, but the longest I could stay away from her was two weeks. I didn't expect it, and now not only did I not break up with her, but her parents and our friends found out about us, and things are getting a bit out of hand " I admitted begrudgingly." Only two weeks? I want to know all the details of this story," she encouraged me as I sautéed some meat and vegetables.I put some beef stock on to cook, covering the pot b
Christian"Did you hear Liam's speech? "Rose asked.I turned my head to the side to watch her, she was sitting on the floor next to the bed, wearing only my boxer shorts while drawing on a pad. No one had come home yet and we were enjoying the silence.I felt exhausted after everything that had happened over the last few days, I couldn't believe that this nightmare had finally come to an end. After getting home and taking a long shower with Rose, the only thing I could do was lie down and stare at the ceiling in my room, imagining how everything would happen from then on."Could you not hear? "I sneered."Do you think he was serious about his vision of the future? "she turned her face to look at me."I don't know, maybe. But...I kept quiet, wondering what exactly I was going to say. Because more and more the whole scenario he described came to life in my mind, and every second I found it more enjoyable."But? "New Orleans is a nice city. We could live near each other and... I can se
ChristianI sat down, taking the bottle of beer from my sister, taking a sip before she grabbed the bottle from my hand and slapped me upside the head."Your father-in-law has guaranteed that you'll beat Bobby and Otto at pool, they've never lost at the bar "My father pointed to the table where Rose and Jack were getting ready to start the game."My father-in-law is... a bit competitive. Rose got that from him," I commented."A bit? That's a joke, right? Last time the two of them ended up in a snow race just to break a tie in a series of board games "Cam rolled his eyes."Snow race? "My mother raised both eyebrows."While they were taking off their clothes," Theo added."Taking their clothes off? "Amber choked next to me."They had a series of target games in the middle of the course, and every time they missed they had to take off a piece. At the end of the race, he was only wearing shorts and boots and she was wearing a gym top, shorts and boots "I explained, taking the bottle of be
ChristianI stopped the bike in a parking space in front of the bar where Rose met Josh at the beginning of the year. I frowned as everyone got off their bikes there. That place wasn't one of my favorites and Rose must have known that, since we hadn't been back there since everything happened.She got off before me, taking off her helmet, running her fingers through her hair to adjust it and standing next to me when she noticed my hesitation in getting off the bike."Come on, it's about time we gave this place a second chance "she winked at me "let's enjoy it like we should have done that day. That was enough to convince me, so I took off my helmet and got off the bike. From there we could hear a band playing a cover of Aerosmith. Everyone started to enter the venue, not bothering to wait for me. I took a deep breath, slung my arm around Rose's shoulder and started heading towards the entrance. Both Rose and I ended up with the backs of our hands stamped indicating that we were unde
ChristianI was lying in bed, watching the sunset light coming through the small window in the corridor facing the cell I occupied. My cell was the only one occupied in the police station, and that was no surprise. In a town as quiet as Grayfox Mills, it was difficult to see any movement at the police station during the week, when all the university students were busy with their classes.Everything I wanted. To get on with my classes without having to deal with some asshole who decided to play with my girl! But that asshole made it impossible.I'd been there for over twenty-four hours, and that had been enough time to calm my mind, at least as far as Jax was concerned. But even though I'd taken a few naps during the day, I couldn't stop imagining how Rose was doing, the look on her face as I was handcuffed never left my mind, and I just wanted the chance to talk to my girlfriend and make sure she was okay.My biggest concern with everything that had happened was just her. I didn't reg
RoseMy gaze wandered around that hellish scene without knowing what to do. Everything unfolded in slow motion in front of me. On one side, Jax was lying, moaning in pain in a pool of his own blood, being supported by a waiter. His friends were on the other side, keeping some distance with an expression that ranged from surprise to fear, keeping as much distance as possible from Christian, who was standing next to me with both hands raised in a sign of surrender after handing Theo the keys to the bike. The sidewalk outside was starting to fill up as well, several people crowded near the glass window watching what was happening, some taking pictures or filming with their cell phones as the police approached us." Dad, do something " I begged for a magic solution, one that would stop my boyfriend from being taken by those men. "Chris..." I tried to put one of his hands down to pull him to me, but he stood his ground, looking the other way while someone talked to one of the policemen,
Christian" Chris, you heard the dean, he'll probably be expelled... CHRIS! " Rose raised her voice as I stood up, heading for the exit." What's his problem?”" Damn it, Christian, get back here! " I heard Rose call before I got into the elevator that was standing on the floor, not waiting for her to arrive to press the button to close the doors.I checked the time on my watch, great, it's right on lunch break time, I'll find this bastard and finish him off wherever he is. Deciding not to waste any time, I got on the bike, driving inside the campus, heading towards the main cafeteria. I stopped the Harley anyway at the entrance to the cafeteria, ignoring the stares I was attracting, I opened the door without a care, looking around for my target. But to my dismay, the son of a bitch was nowhere to be found." Chris, what are you doing here? " I heard Sky's voice approaching.I turned towards her voice, finding her standing next to Theo with a frown as she watched me." 'O'Donnel, hav
ChristianSavannah and her friends stood up, looking satisfied with the outcome of that little meeting. All they wanted was to make sure that they would not be involved in that situation and they succeeded. " So? You can start " Rose took a deep breath with her arms crossed. " 'We're going to talk in a meeting with the dean,” Savannah said." 'That wasn't agreed,” Addison pointed out." We haven't agreed on anything yet, Mrs. Miller, and we're just making sure we don't get involved in any of this,” she returned.It was at that moment that Jack decided to get involved, seeming not to agree with the proposal." 'We're not going to guarantee any of this without knowing what you have to say.”" We can guarantee that Alicia and Audrey are responsible for everything, we will give the names of all those involved and we will tell you in detail everything we have discovered. " Savannah said " we even have message exchanges to prove it.”Everyone considered that information for a second befor
ChristianI hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, finding Jack and Addison in an uncomfortable silence. Their gazes fell on me as soon as I walked through the door, causing me to stall in my seat." What?”" Were you arguing? " Addison asked." Ohhh no... Rose is just frustrated with the situation, I suggested she paint a little to distract herself " I explained " I was supposed to bring her breakfast at the studio.”" I'll do it," Addison volunteered, getting up.I didn't argue with the woman, sitting down in the same place as before, accepting the muffin Jack handed me. We sat there, eating in silence for a few minutes, until the sound of the doorbell interrupted us. Jack signaled for me to remain in my seat, getting up to go answer the door.Frowning, I remained silent, trying to hear something to find out who was at the door, but they were either talking very quietly, or not at all. I stood up, deciding to satisfy my curiosity at once, that's when Addison's voice reached m
ChristianI turned over in my bed, watching the face of Rose, who slept next to me curled up in a fetal position. My room was small and we didn't usually sleep there, but Rose couldn't bear the thought of sleeping in her room that night and I couldn't blame her. My girlfriend that day did not show all the usual tranquility when sleeping, which sometimes left me in doubt whether or not she had suddenly died in her sleep. On the contrary, she spent the whole night restless, and was not even sleeping on her stomach as usual.The silence outside the room showed that our classmates had probably already gone to class, only the two of us were left behind, trapped in our private hell. Deciding to let her rest a little longer, I got up, going to get dressed and brush my teeth before heading downstairs.The house itself seemed deserted, silence dominated the upper floor. I looked at the open door of Theo's room, where Jack ended up sharing the bed with Addison that night, finding the place empt