Decisions Ch. 06

I went over the idea of the peace rally with Stasi once school ended. We were actually driving back to her house. She mulled it over as she turned onto her street before her face brightened up. "I think it's a good idea. Make love, not war."

"Yeah, same here. I think it'd do good to show us united against the DTOSA, you know? Peaceful protest and all that. Not like those idiots attacking each other over in the South."

"Speaking of attack," Stasi made a face, pulling onto her driveway. "Are you feeling alright, lyubov? Head ok?" I squeezed her hand. Boy, it was good that Stasi didn't drive stick shift.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine." I smiled softly at her, leaned in, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Thanks for asking, Stasi."

"No worries, zaichik." She parked the car and we both left, walking inside the garage. Kicking off our shoes, we walked into her darkened house. It was like I was greeting an old friend again. "Mama, Papa, I'm home!" Stasi called out. There was no reply and Stasi shrugged. "They're probably out." She said, to my confused face.

Viktor and Elena were out too. Elena was at soccer practice (I made a mental note to ask when her next game was so I could watch), and Viktor was with Abby, since hockey practice was cancelled until Wednesday. I really liked Abby. Even though it wasn't in season yet, I knew she was going to be a star on the swim team... but then again, she was a mermaid, so go figure, am I right?

"Chris, are you there?" Stasi asked. I was drawn out of my daydreaming.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked, are you hungry?" She giggled adorably.

"Hungry? No, not really. Are you?" I asked, somewhat awkwardly.

"No, I'm fine, lyubov. Thanks for asking. Let's just... uh... my room. Homework." She motioned upstairs.

We walked upstairs through the darkened house, making sure to flick on the lights as we continued on, past Elena's room, past Viktor's room, then finally, to Stasi's room. I dropped my backpack on the floor next to her bed, collapsing on top of it. That might be seen as rude to other people, but to my best friend, it was perfectly normal and even endearing.

"Move over." Stasi grunted, placing both hands on my side and making a half hearted attempt at pushing me to the side with brute force. Laughing, I rolled to my left, making some space for her. She didn't hop into bed immediately though. Instead, she went straight for the closet.

"What'd you make me move for if you're not going to get into bed?" I asked.

"I'm changing into something more comfortable, dummy." She giggled. "What? Do you think I like to wear a blouse and skirt to bed all the time?" She turned her back to me, unbuttoning her blouse slowly. I had no idea that she could make something as basic as taking her clothes off look so... sensual. Once she got all the buttons off, she took it off and hung it, revealing the creamy skin of her back, and making my pants grow awfully tight.

Stasi's hands traveled lower to remove her skirt before something in her snapped. My little vampire turned around, a hungry expression in her eyes. "I'm sorry, lyubov. I'm trying to wait for you to make the first move, but I can't. I've been trying to drop hints left and right, but you're such a dummy and we don't have an unlimited amount of time in the world. I haven't had you in days and I need you."

"Well why didn't you just say something?!" I exclaimed. "I hadn't had you in days either and you've had my hormones on overdrive ever since this morning!"

"You've had me on edge ever since this morning, dummy!"

So she had felt the same as I did! I sat up in bed, stripping off my jacket and shirt, tossing them both aside. Just as I began to fumble with my belt, Stasi chose that moment to pounce on me with a predatory look on her beautiful, sculpted face. She had no intention of waiting any minute longer than she had to, which I sympathized with.

She melted into me, colliding her delightfully cold naked body with mines, and I swung her around until she was beneath me. She had somehow managed to take off her skirt while I wasn't looking. Now on top of her, I unbuckled my belt, wrestling with my pants. "Hurry up." Stasi said, anxiously. Her crystal blue eyes were wide and expressive, conveying want, need, lust, desire, love, every term in the goddamn book. Her mouth was hanging open, exposing her two razor sharp fangs.

"Chris," She whispered. "I need you."

"Yes, yes. I know. I need you too, hold on a minute. It's my goddamn pants." I grunted. I was so eager for her that I had somehow forgot the process to unbutton my fucking pants. Stasi laughed, reaching down with her hands.

"Let me help you, lyubov." She murmured, using her long nimble fingers to unbutton my pants. Despite keeping her eyes on me and doing it completely blind, she somehow managed to get it on her first try, the loosening of the waistband signaling that her job was done. I eagerly kicked off my pants along with my boxers, my cock popping free of my underwear. Stasi squealed in happiness, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me onto her.

My eyes locked onto her, I used my hand to blindly guide my cock into her pussy and slowly drove myself up to the hilt, letting out a deep moan of delight. "Oh, Chris." She sighed, her fangs becoming more pronounced. "I needed this."

"I needed this too." I kissed her lightly on the lips. I trembled as I laid on top of her, completely inside of her, loving absolutely every minute of this. Stasi wrapped her legs around me, bringing her mouth close to my ear, her hot breath tickling my skin.

"Now," She whispered. "I need to you fuck me even more."

Whatever I was running on before, whether it was sheer instinct, it was completely gone now. Now, I was running on love and desire. Using my arms to brace myself, I began to rock my hips, thrusting into her. It was a frantic pace of want and need, the sounds of fleshy slapping noises, soft sighs, whispers, and moans filling up the room. I wasn't going to last long and we both knew it.

"To... oh... to think that we could've started doing this years ago makes me want to punch my younger self in the stomach." She panted.

"How do you think I feel?" I gasped.

Somehow, by some stroke of luck, I was able to hold off the inevitable orgasm. I didn't know how or why. Everything just felt so good it should've been a crime. Stasi must've thought that way too, because she was gripping me tightly with her arms and legs, kissing me with wild abandon. She grunted against my mouth, moving her hips back and forth to meet mines. "Chris, I'm close. I'm so close." She moaned, pulling away from me, her face flushed and slight drool escaping out of the corners of my mouth. "Please, please don't stop."

I managed to get two more thrusts in before Stasi screwed her eyes shut tight. "Chris!" She shrieked, quite lewdly. Her body went as taut as a spring as she arched her back, an expression of ecstasy on her face. It was something to behold. Her reddened cheeks, her sweaty face, her pronounced fangs. Everything.

"Fuck.." I muttered. "Oh... oh, Stasi. Stasi!" I cried out, reaching the height of an orgasm so heavy, it turned my brain to absolute mush. My hips were on auto pilot, thrusting into her as I erupted inside of her, spurting what felt like a gallon of cum. Groaning, I stayed there, bending down every so often to give her a kiss.

Finally, after what felt like absolute years, maybe even centuries of bliss, but what was in all actuality, only about 10 seconds, I pulled out of her and Stasi gave a little gasp. I rolled off and collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my chest rising and falling in deep heaves.

I turned my head to look at Stasi doing the same thing, simply recovering from her mind shattering orgasm. Her skin was flushed and she was glowing. Not a post-feeding glow, but rather, an I-Just-Had-Sex glow. "Whew... shit." She breathed. "Who knew sex could be such fun?"

"Nice observation, Captain Obvious." I chuckled.

"Not a problem, Sergeant Sarcasm." She rolled into my arms, snuggling into me. Even though she was right next to me, I felt like she was still too far away. I gazed at her face. Beads of sweat dotted it and small strands of hair were plastered to her forehead. Absolutely beautiful. She grinned at me before kissing me on the lips. I wrapped my arms around her cold and slippery body, pulling her into me. "This is definitely what the doctor ordered. We both needed that." She sighed. "Me more than you."

"I think you have that part in reverse." I replied. "I needed you way more than you needed me."

"I guess we both needed each other." She murmured, before looking at me with a vulnerable look on her face. "I love you, Chris. I love you more than anything in the world. You're my best friend and the one who knows me the most. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life. You are never allowed to get hospitalized or make me worry that much ever again."

"Ditto. You're the most important person in my heart and I know that it'll stay that way forever, despite what you are." I kissed her on the forehead, before leaning my head back and closing my eyes. "I'll make sure to never ever make you worry about me, no matter what."

It was a while before she said anything, but when she did say something, I swear, it was the most magical thing I ever heard come out of her mouth... and no, it wasn't the words 'I love you'.

Rather, it was: "So... homework?" The both of us burst into laughter. Nothing had ever changed between the few of us. Sure, our relationship evolved into something amazing and beautiful, but the basis was still there. We were still best friends and that's what I cherished the most.

Chapter 5:

I sat on the chair next to Ms. Euthixie, my hands shoved in my hoodie pocket to ward off numb fingers. We were watching Principal Finch talk into the microphone. It was truly a feat of engineering, the stage we were sitting on, overlooking the entire quad of Belcourt High School. It was made of wood, concrete, duct tape, nails, and prayers. Most of the students at lunch had assembled in front of it to listen to Principal Finch.

Speaking of Principal Finch...

"Public speaking isn't really her thing, is it?" I observed.

"It's the effort that counts, eh?" Ms. Euthixie replied, cringing slightly. Although Principal Finch made excellent points, her speech had gone on for far too long. It was like a friend hanging over at your house. At first, you welcomed their presence, but slowly, you began to grow weary of it. Of course, that never really happened with Stasi, but the theory still applies here.

"Good effort on her part. That's commendable. We have a pretty big turn out."

"Yes, this has to be the entire student body. I told you this was a good idea."

"I never said it was a bad one."

"Thanks for coming in early to school to help out, though, Chris." She smiled gratefully at me. "It means alot to the school."

"No worries. I could do with a little more sleep, though." I stifled a yawn. The peace rally, originally scheduled for the Friday of December 9th, had been delayed until the Monday of December 12th for planning reasons. I had to wake up at five in the morning (while going to sleep at one in the morning because I was busy studying for an AP Gov exam that I better have damn well have passed), which torpedoed my plan of picking Stasi up for school.

"Everyone could do with a little more sleep." Ms. Euthixie snorted. I nodded my head in agreement, my eyes trailing to the crowds of students mixed in with teachers out in the quad. Belcourt High School really had a lot of students and it was a sea of diversity. I had never quite seen so many different species all in the same area, and it was quite a beautiful sight to behold. My eyes roved all across the many different recognizable faces, trying to find the one recognizable pale face, with raven hair and crystal blue eyes.

"Now, a few words from our school president, Chris Williams." Principal Finch announced, shocking me right back to the present.

"Wait, what?" I sputtered.

Ms. Euthixie looked at Principal Finch in alarm. "Oh... shit." She swore.

"Well, Mr. Williams, are you ready?" Principal Finch asked into the microphone, making a few pockets of the students laugh.

"Come on, Chris! Spout some wisdom!" Someone shouted deep in the throes of the students, causing a ripple of laughter. Judging from the feminine voice, I had a feeling I knew who it was. I regretting having Ricky teach Viktor and Elena how to heckle. I always had a feeling it'd bite me on the ass someday and right now, it just took a fairly large chomp out of my rear end.

Against my better judgement, I stood up from my chair, walking towards the outstretched microphone, my feet as heavy as lead. I knew that if I declined to speak, I'd never live it down. More specifically, Jazz and Ricky would never let me live it down. I was supposed to be a leader, right? What kind of leader refuses to speak? I swallowed nervously, Principal Finch's encouraging smile doing nothing to calm the jitters of speaking. I took hold of the outstretched microphones, taking a deep breath.

"Uh... hey." I began, cringing at what I just said. My voice rang out all across the quad, assisted by the two very large speakers on both sides of the stage. Sometimes, I hated hearing my own voice. I took another deep breath, praying for the words of a well written speech to materialize right in my sleep deprived brain. Just then, my eyes decided to rove the crowds of people, and right there in the front row, I saw her. Sure, she was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to ward off the Sun, but it was definitely her.

I hadn't seen her since yesterday and she was like an angel showing up when I needed her support the most. She gave a thumbs up, a wide toothy grin with her fangs exposed, and mouthed the words: "I love you."

That was all I needed.

I cleared my throat, beginning to speak. "When the Definition of the Treatment of Other Species Act was first enacted, people all across the country said it was... a miracle. The greatest thing since the New Deal. I said it was... a nightmare." I gestured Principal Finch. "Japanese internment, Civil Rights of the 1960s. It's hard. It's absolutely hard to be a parent in those ages and in this age, you know? I grew up with my parents instilling me a set of values. Don't be a bully. Don't be a bigot. Love one another, don't start a fight, treat everyone how you want to be treated."

Someone snapped my photo. I blinked the stars out of my eyes. "Then, you have this outcome. You have the DTOSA. On the day it was enacted, you have other species' parents putting their kids to sleep wondering how they're going to explain this to their kids. Because those kids, they're going to be afraid of waking up. They're going to be afraid of breakfast. They're going to be afraid of going to school. They're going to be afraid of being hurt, of being attacked, of being killed. On the night the DTOSA was enacted, I had monster friends texting me, asking if they should leave the country."

"I know families, monster families, that live in fear for their daily lives. Wondering when they will be attacked, when they will be persecuted because of what they look like, for what they are. Many of you are angry but the way to solve this isn't by fighting or by hurting one another. It's by peace. Whether you guys like it or not, I'm going to talk peace." Another ripple of laughter echoed throughout the solemn crowd. They had no idea what was coming. I was about to go full-on hippie.

"If you looked up peace in the English dictionary, chances are, something would come out that says peace means 'no fighting' or 'tranquility'. I have my own definition for peace, and the answer is love. When you're at peace, everything is alright in the world. So, the next time someone tries to talk you down because of what you are, just spread the love. Give them a smile, let your heart talk instead of fists. Peace starts with you and ends with the person next to you. Things will change someday, but until that day comes, spread the peace. Thank you."

I stepped back from the microphone, bowing my head slightly. The silence was deafening as the crowd mulled over my words, then suddenly, an uproar of applause. I waved to the student body, before turning to Principal Finch and giving her a hug, going back to my seat. Ms. Euthixie smiled at me, nodding her head.

"Someone has a future in public speaking." She noted, as student volunteers began to set up the various activities around the quad. I wished I had paid more attention when Ms. Euthixie went over the ideas with me. It all went over my head and I simply just nodded along. "Nice impromptu."

"Yeah.." I said, my mind away. They were focused on the crowd, rather, one person in the crowd. One person who stood out in sharp contrast to the rest of the people. Stasi was grinning back at me, ear to ear. "Can I go?" I suddenly asked.

"Hm? Oh... uh... sure." She nodded.

"Right, thanks, Ms. Euthixie." I hopped up out of my seat, making my way down the side of the stage as discretely as possible. Stasi, Elena, and Lucy met me at the bottom of the stairs, almost as if they read my mind that I was going to be there. Stasi hugged me tightly.

"That was an excellent speech, lyubov." She said. She broke the hug, grinning at me widely. "Here, I got you something." She handed me a gift, the entire thing wrapped in paper with hockey pucks emblazoned on it.

"What's this for?" I held it up, pleasantly surprised. I shook it softly.

"What do you mean what's it for?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why'd you get me a gift? Was it because of the speech?"

"Chris... it's December 12th." She replied, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. I blinked, clearing the fogginess in my brain. I should've gotten some more sleep. December 12th... December 12th... what was on December 12th... Christmas? No. Kwanzaa? No. "Chris," Stasi said, exasperated at my still confused face. "It's your birthday. Did you really forget your own birthday?"

My mouth dropped open. Oh shit. It was my birthday! "Oh... you're right." I said, the corners of my lips upturning in a smile. "Thanks, Stasi, you're the best." I wrapped my arms around her once more, crushing her in a hug. "I love you. Thanks."

"If there was one thing that Chris ever would've forgotten," Elena snickered. "It was going to be his birthday."

"Quiet, you." Stasi scowled. "But really, were you that busy today that you forgot it was your birthday?"

I rubbed my arm, sheepishly. "I guess so. I just woke up, went to school, and worked on this until now." My eyes widened in realization. "Is that why you were so upset when I called you at seven and told you that I had to go to school early? Did you want to surprise me?"

"Now he gets it." Lucy laughed. "We. The three of us... well, Viktor, Ricky, and Jazz, too. So, the six of us, we all wanted to surprise you. So, when we showed up at your house at six in the morning to wake you up, we were rightfully pissed off when we found out we woke up for no reason because you were gone."

"I'm sorry guys. I'll make it up to you." I replied, apologetically.

"Make it up?" Stasi asked, flabbergasted. "It's your birthday, you're not making anything up to anybody, zaichik." She reached for the package, plucking it out of my fingers. "By the way, since you made me wake up so early for no reason, you're not getting this gift until after school. This is supposed to be a sneak peek."

"Aw..." I pouted, which made her little sister snicker. I couldn't exactly do the adorable pout that Stasi could do but I tried my best. Unfortunately, she didn't waver. More mentally resilient, I suppose.

"Don't worry, Chris." Elena giggled. "You have two more gifts waiting for you. Well, supposedly waiting for you."