Author's Notes:

Only two sections to this chapter.

-=o0/&\0o=-

"So, this is really it?" asked Dimitri, as he finished signing the document, passing it to Rose for her to sign.

"It should be a start," said Ivan, "I've got a similar document to have Adrian sign back-dated, so we have an outside witness to the relationship. I'd do it myself, but as your lawyer, it's just best if I'm not also your witness - and if I don't perjure myself if this should ever go to court."

"What makes you so sure he'll sign it?" asked Dimitri. Rose was still flipping through the pages of the document, reading it through instead of immediately signing. Before Ivan could answer Dimitri's question, Dimitri asked, "And Rose, why aren't you signing it?"

"What?" Rose asked Dimitri as she shrugged and flipped another page, "I like to know what I'm signing before I put my signature on it. My father taught me to be cautious with what I put my name on."

Dimitri couldn't stifle a grin at Rose's shrewdness, despite the subject. My beautiful and feisty girlfriend always has a mind of her own, he thought to himself.

"Sydney," said Ivan, as if that one word spoke volumes.

Both Rose and Dimitri looked at him, confusion clear in their eyes. "Sydney?" asked Dimitri, puzzled, "You mean like the city?"

"Sydney Sage is why Adrian will sign it," Ivan said, "That girl who was Adrian's date at the gallery opening. If either of you would've paid attention, Sydney told Mia and I that he had been dating Sydney since the beginning of this semester at Carleton College - more than a week before he brought Rose to Randall's house for the reunion. If Adrian doesn't want Sydney to know that he was still seeing Rose, then he needs to have a good alibi for why Rose was there with him."

Rose went back to reading the document, still half-listening.

"Speaking of Mia at the gallery opening, she knows that Rose and I weren't seeing each other then," Dimitri said, suddenly widening his eyes as he added, "And so do all of the others at the reunion who saw Rose arrive and leave with Adrian!"

"And that's why Adrian makes the perfect cover," Ivan replied, "Between your job and Rose's parents, it makes perfect sense that you and Rose would try to keep it hush-hush and not be open about dating each other with everyone at the reunion. And Adrian makes the perfect connection for the two of you to have met before school started. Mia, however - did neither of you notice how completely trashed she was the night of the gallery opening? She was leaning on my arm all night and I had to literally carry her out! I don't think she remembers who Rose was there with - or if Rose was there at all."

Dimitri let his shoulders slouch as he felt the tension leaving him. Ivan really seemed to have had it all worked out.

"So I can't even tell Lissa until three months after we graduate?" Rose asked, as she pointed to a spot on the page as she looked at Ivan accusatorily, "She's my best friend! And my adopted sister!"

Ivan replied, "If it's really that important to you that you tell her, we can build in an exception clause in an addendum, but if you're going to tell her, I want her to sign something, too. We can't afford to have this get out. High school is like that game, Telephone, where one person tells a secret to another person, who tells another, who tells another. It's risky for anyone else to know. Especially if they don't have anything at stake in keeping it a secret."

Rose nodded and put her signature on the line. "Okay. For now, I don't tell Lissa until three months after graduation. But I won't be held responsible if she finds out on her own."

-=o0/&\0o=-

As Rose stepped into her first hour History class on Monday morning, Rose could hardly wait for detention. Since Lissa was giving a speech today to be elected for student council president, Rose had the opportunity to be uncharacteristically early to school. She took the opportunity willingly that morning, anxious to see Dimitri as soon as she could.

As she placed her bag down on the desk in Stan's class, her cell phone vibrated. She still had five minutes before class began. Pulling out her phone, she saw 'New text from Woodrow Call' on her screen. Rose smiled as she remembered that was the name Dimitri had used for himself on her phone. She opened the text message just as a second one came in.

There was a teachers' meeting before school this morning. There's going to be an assembly during sixth hour to announce the candidates for student council.

Alto asked Belikov to escort Rose Hathaway to watch the assembly from the balcony alone if she acts out in his class.

Rose grinned as a third message came in. Act out.

"Stan won't know what hit him," she murmured to herself, as she slid her phone back into her pocket and walked up to the front of the room. Stan still hadn't gotten to the classroom, so Rose knew she had to act quick enough that it could be plausible she wasn't trying to get caught, but slow enough that he saw her doing it.

Rose took Stan's chair and flipped it over. "There," she said, as she located the four screws holding the legs in place. Pulling a barrette from her hair, she used it to loosen each of the screws. She looked at the clock. One minute. Stan should already be walking in. Half of the class had seen her messing with his chair, though. Would any of them rat her out?

For once, Rose hoped so.

She glanced at the classroom door. Still no Stan. She took her seat.

The bell rang and Stan still hadn't appeared. A minute later, Stan Alto walked in the door looking more flustered than usual. Rose's phone vibrated against her hip from her pocket. She couldn't risk having the phone confiscated, but she desperately wanted to check it. She knew that the new notification had to be another text from Dimitri.

After Stan walked to the front of the class, he sat on the edge of the surface of his desk instead of the chair. Rose held her breath, waiting for him to sit and dislodge the flimsily-attached legs.

-=o0/&\0o=-

For the entire class, Stan didn't sit in his chair. Rose had never seen him avoid his chair for so long the whole time she'd been at St. Vladimir's. She didn't want to risk suspension or expulsion, so she knew that she didn't dare to do anything further to provoke his anger.

"Your homework for tonight," Stan said, "Is to read all of chapter four. There will be a quiz on chapter three tomorrow and then we will start on the new chapter right afterwards."

The bell rang and Rose moved to grab her cell phone just as Stan said, "Miss Hathaway, could you please come here?"

The text from Woodrow Call said, Alto was detained by Kirova. Might want to hold off for a few minutes.

"Thanks. Now you tell me," she mumbled to the phone.

"What was that, Miss Hathaway?" Stan asked.

"Sorry," she said, approaching his desk, "I wasn't talking to you."

Stan glowered at her. "Sit, please," he instructed, "In my chair."

Rose hesitantly positioned herself so that it looked like she was sitting, but didn't put any of her weight on the chair.

"You can't, Miss Hathaway - can you?" he asked.

Rose swallowed, not able to make eye contact with him. "No, sir."

"I know what you did to my chair, Miss Hathaway," he said, "You're dismissed. Go to your next class. But don't think this will go unpunished."

-=o0/&\0o=-

Author's Notes:

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