Decisions Ch. 09

"Der'mo!" Stasi swore, bending down low to collect the larger shards. "I'm so sorry, Chris. I'm so clumsy."

"It's ok." I replied, coming over the side of the kitchen island to help, waving off Stasi's profuse apologies. "Here, I got it."

"No, no." Stasi replied, embarrassed. She tossed some of the shards into the garbage bin, the glass clinking against each other. "I made the mess, I clean it up."

"No, we made the mess, we clean it up." I reminded her, rummaging under the sink for the dust pan and handheld broom. I set it down on the floor, going on one knee to help her pick up some of the larger shards.

"Zaichik, ya mogu sdelat' eto." Stasi insisted, jabbering in emotionally charged Russian. She looked up at me, pleadingly. "Please."

"Come on, let me help."

"Chris, no, you don't understand. It's so close to feeding." Stasi said frantically, trying to push my hands away from the glass. "I don't want you to-..."

"Ouch!" I cried, dropping the piece of jagged glass that I had in my hand.

"Cut yourself." Stasi finished, dismayed.

I stared at the palm of my hand, a thin red line cut across the skin. It wasn't too deep, but it wasn't shallow either. Tiny droplets of blood were already forcing their way through the wound.

Blood.

My eyes widened and I looked at Stasi. She was staring at my wound open-mouthed, her razor sharp fangs elongated. Her crystal blue eyes were full of conflict and her lip was quivering. Her chest was rising and falling, long ragged breaths rattling through her lungs. She needed to feed but we procrastinated on it. Oh, how I regret that decision now...

But no matter.

"Here." I whispered softly, tentatively holding out my hand to my best friend.

"What?" Stasi asked, wide-eyed.

"Take it." I replied. "You need it."

Stasi blanched. I knew why. She didn't know whether or not my blood was going to make her lose control. She was fiercely protective of the people she loved. She always placed my safety and welfare above her own, just like how I placed hers over mine.

Her eyes flitted back and forth, from my eyes to my hand. The crystal blue was nearly gone, her pupils dilated. Finally, the conflict that had plagued her eyes was replaced by sheer resolve. Her hunger must've quashed any qualms she had. She grabbed ahold of my hand, quickly pressing it against her mouth.

I immediately knew that this was different than all the other times she fed. All the other times, her eyes were closed. This time, they were wide open. Her eyes were gazing into mine, her crystal blue irises locked onto my brown ones. Although she was holding onto my wrist with an iron grip, I knew she was in complete control. She loved me enough not to succumb to bloodlust when her mouth made contact with my wound.

It wasn't enough to totally sate her need to feed, but it'd last her for a few more days. At least, I thought it'd last her a few more days. It was hard to tell when Stasi drank my blood. When she had a complete feeding, one where she took as much as she wanted and needed, she could go for nearly a month and a half, give or take.

Finally, she tore her mouth away from my palm, moaning. She extended her dainty tongue, licking the wound from bottom to top and then let go of my wrist. I looked at my palm. There was no sign of a cut anywhere. Rather, all that remained was a thin red line. I looked up at Stasi. She was grinning widely, her eyes full of love.

"Taste good?"

"So good." She moaned, licking her fangs. "You won't even understand how good it tastes, especially knowing that it came from my best friend and boyfriend."

She already looked healthier, if that was even possible. A healthy, glowing complexion. Her pale and clammy face had some color to it. The dark bruises under her eyes were practically gone as well.

"Better?" I asked, picking up the handheld broom and dust pan to start cleaning up the rest of the broken glass.

"Better." She confirmed, giving me a fangy smile.

Chapter 3:

It was good spending the entire weekend with the love of my life again. We spent every minute with each other. We even managed to get in a feeding session Sunday afternoon. A real, full session. After that hiccup, it was almost as if we were two normal high school teenagers who simply wanted nothing more than to have fun, be in passionate love with each other, go to school, and enjoy senior year. Except, that wasn't to be. When school started again, we all knew it was going to be very different.

For one, there was a notable absence of students in my AP Stats class. Almost a quarter of the seats were empty when I walked in.

"Where is everybody?" I asked, looking around.

"Home." Juliet Reagan replied. She was a junior and a vulpine, a fox girl.

"Why? Don't they know they have school today?"

Juliet shrugged. "Their parents probably didn't want them to come. Everyone across the country is scared. I don't think anyone's walking to school, either. I heard Mark got spit on."

"Well, to whoever's here, you are all warriors." Mr. Coppergut piped up at his podium. "It's good to see you, Chris."

"You too, Mr. C," I replied, taking my seat next to Stasi and nudging her with my shoulder. "Hey, you." We were the only two sitting next to each other. With all the absences, everyone was spaced away from each other.

"Hey, zaichik." Stasi replied, doodling circles on her notebook with her pen. She propped her chin up on her hand, looking at me. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I replied, handing her the Starbucks cup full of hot chocolate. Stasi made a noise of delight, plucking it from my fingers and taking a small sip. I shrugged off my backpack and tucked it under my seat. Unzipping it, I withdrew my red notebook, setting it down on the table. I looked up to see Mr. Coppergut wistfully staring at the door, almost as if he was hoping to see if the rest of his class would turn up. When the bell finally chimed, signalling the commencement of the period, he sighed.

"Looks like this is the entire class today. I hope you've all had a good impromptu break. I also hope that you've all studied over your impromptu break. To those who didn't... yes, I'm talking to you, Alex... we'll have a bit of a review today before a quiz tomorrow." He pulled up his PowerPoint presentation and began to lecture us on true means, proportions, and what have you. I was able to follow on for the most part but Stasi looked lost all throughout the lecture and when Mr. Coppergut passed out worksheets, Stasi was staring at the first problem in trepidation.

"Need help?" I asked.

Stasi nodded mutely, her crystal blue eyes scanning the worksheet.

"Ok, well, I think you should start by writing your name at the top of the worksheet." I remarked.

"Not helping." Stasi snapped.

I winced. She really was bent out of shape.

"Sorry." I apologized.

Stasi glanced at me, softening. "Sorry I snapped at you. I'm just... I'm really..." She sighed, hitting her head on the table.

I knew why she was all worked up. If there was one thing that Stasi hated more than sunlight, it was not knowing things. Whatever she didn't know, she'd research the hell out of. She always had to know every significant thing.

"No worries, I understand." I said. "You're just thinking too much... as always. Stop with that paralysis by analysis. Here, let's start with the point estimator. Do you know what that is?"

"No." Stasi admitted. "I only glanced at the lessons that Mr. Coppergut sent over the week. I know absolutely nothing."

"Well you're about to know what the point estimator is. The point estimator is the mean between the two numbers that are in the confidence interval. You know what the confidence interval is, right?"

"The two numbers in the brackets?" Stasi suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Good job." I praised.

Soon enough, Stasi was able to work on problems on her own, albeit a bit shakily. She still needed plenty of practice but I no longer had to hover over her and watch her work with a critical eye.

"Lyubov?" Stasi prodded after a while.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up

"Will you go to Mr. Coppergut's office hours with me after school?"

"Sure. Need some more help?" I looked over at her paper.

"Yes. I feel so dumb." Stasi moaned, placing her face in her hands.

"Well, you're not dumb." I replied. "You're the smartest girl in our class. Here, let me show you what you did wrong." I took the paper from her, scanning her work. She had actually done alright up until the main calculations. Her only error was that she simply thought too much. Again. "Ok, here's where you.."

"A teacher now, are you, Mr. Williams?" Mr. Coppergut asked, hopping up onto the empty seat next to us. He looked like a young boy sitting in such a large chair. He was a dwarf after all.

"No, Stasi just needed some help." I said.

"Ah yes. How are you, Ms. Sokolov?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Mr. Coppergut." Stasi said, awkwardly.

"Good break?"

"Yes, Mr. Coppergut." She said.

See, this is what I liked about Mr. Coppergut. Not only was he an excellent teacher, but he was interested in us as people, not just as students. He genuinely wanted to know each and every one of his students. Even if his students didn't like talking in public a lot.

"Good to hear. Is hockey season back on track, Chris?"

"No." I said, sighing. "The entire season was delayed after the riot. Everything starts back up next week in February, but we're going to start practice back up today. A police officer is going to be there to monitor us, though."

"Glad to hear!" Mr. Coppergut said, excitedly. "Well, not the police officer part. That part isn't optimal. The hockey part is good! Can't wait to watch you play again, Chris. Such excitement, such intensity, such passion for the game! By the way, have you met my wife ye-.."

"Mr. Coppergut," Stasi interrupted politely. "Will you be available after school for office hours?"

"I, well... yes, I will, Ms. Sokolov. Do you need help getting that rust off that accumulated over break?"

Embarrassed, Stasi was about to say something, but I beat her to the punch. "No, sir. I'm the one that needs help. It slipped my mind and Stasi just reminded me of it. Thanks, Stasi."

"N-..no problem, Chris." Stasi muttered. If there was one thing she hated more than not knowing something, it was admitting that she didn't know something. She hated asking for help, too.

"Well, sure!" Mr. Coppergut nodded vigorously, his beard bouncing up and down. "I'll be sure to put you on the sign up sheet." Another student in the class called his name for assistance and Mr. Coppergut acknowledged him. "Ah well, duty calls. I will see you two later." He said, hopping off the seat and taking his leave.

When he was out of earshot, Stasi looked at me, vulnerability etched in her crystal blue eyes. "You didn't have to do that for me, you know."

"I didn't. But I did. Got a problem?" I challenged playfully.

"Nyet. No problem at all." Stasi murmured, blushing and rolling her eyes. She looked around and made sure everyone was absorbed in their work before giving me a quick peck on the lips.

******

The empty seats wasn't limited to my AP Stats class. Rather, it affected the whole school. There were a lot of notable absences. The school wasn't deserted, but it wasn't bustling with monsters of every species, either. I was disappointed. They were obviously home because they feared going to school. They all felt fear. Whether it was fear for their well-being or safety.

There were two ways I looked at fear. Fear either meant Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise.

With Stasi by my side, I usually picked the latter.

Beside the point, school was a sacred place. It was a place of learning, a place to get an education. It was supposed to be safe. How could we expect these people to learn if they're constantly fearing for their lives?

Fuck you, DTOSA.

You did this. You were the one that got me hurt. You were the one that started all of this. You were the one that bred so much hate. You were the one that made racism and discrimination ok. What kind of world do we live in if we have to prepare people that are not born human to be ready to become second-class citizens?

"And so," Principal Finch said into the microphone. "It matters not what species someone is born as, what what they grow to be. While we may look very different from each other and speak in many different languages, our hearts beat as one. Thank you."

The gym clapped with little enthusiasm and once the applause ceased, everyone began standing up to head out to lunch. I scanned the bleachers, watching everyone leaving. There were an awful lot of solemn faces.

"Chris," Ms. Euthixie began. "You really stepped up this year, you know."

"Huh?" I asked, turning to her. We were sitting next to each other at the center of the gym behind the podium.

"You stepped up." She repeated. "You were given a position at a controversial school with a controversial law in place. You took that in stride. You didn't complain. You worked hard in your classes and academics. You stepped up. UCLA will be completely stupid not to take you into their school."

"Yeah, well.." I said, my voice trailing off. My eyes were locked onto Stasi. She was walking out with Lucy and Jazz. Lucy was skittering next to Jazz and embroiled in a conversation with the lamia, but Stasi was lagging behind, staring straight at me. I knew what that look on her face meant. We've known each other for so long that we developed this pseudo-telepathy thing with each other. We could communicate full sentences in facial expressions.

Stasi: Are you OK, lyubov?

Me: I'm fine.

Stasi: Do you want me to wait for you?

I shook my head and Stasi nodded, turning back to her rather one-sided conversation with the rather chatty harpy next to her and walking out. Even though she looked like she wanted to tear her own raven hair out, I knew she didn't. She was a listener, not a talker. Consequently, although she was popular at Belcourt, people tended to give her a wide berth. People that didn't know her thought she was cold, frigid, and mean, to put it simply, they thought she was a bitch. (Which, funnily enough, was never said around me. It was far from the truth anyways.)

Stasi just wasn't super outgoing. She was guarded and you just had to melt her 'ice queen' persona and get past her defenses.

"What are you looking at?" Ms. Euthixie asked, trying to trace my eyesight to the crowds of people leaving.

"Nothing." I replied, standing up and walking towards Principal Finch. "That was an excellent speech, Mrs. Finch."

"Thank you, Christopher." She droned. "Public speaking isn't my strong suit but I will take the compliment nonetheless. Are you going out to lunch?"

"Yeah, I think I will, if you don't need anything." I said.

"Just one moment, Chris." She said, stopping me in my tracks. "I have just one question for you before you depart. Does the name Greg Huynh ring a bell?"

My heart jumped into my throat and I froze. "No.." I lied.

"Interesting." Principal Finch said. "Greg Huynh is a senior at this school. Well, was. He and two of his friends were arrested for partaking in very illicit activities at the Pacific Mall on the first day of the San Francisco Riots. I'll have you know that when the news broke that such an event was taking place in the city, I sent out a mass e-mail to students and parents, notifying them that the school has a zero-policy regarding in stirring up racial sentiments. However, Mr. Huynh ended up partaking in such events and was caught. He said very interesting things at his expulsion hearing last Wednesday."

"What did he say?" I asked. I had a feeling that Principal Finch knew what we did and that she knew for a long time now. If she was going to nail me to the wall, she would've done it already.

"He said a preposterous tale about a school president and his girlfriend, along with a midget, that took part in the riot, battered him in the street, and left him to get picked up by the San Francisco Police Department. Of course, the San Francisco Police Department gave us a conflicting report about how the school president, girlfriend, and midget helped a police officer control an unauthorized werewolf transformation and help save a human family from grievous harm. They, of course, didn't know who the school president was. They said he was a tall, young man with brown hair. Know who that is?"

I ran a hand through my brown hair nervously. "Brown is a very common color, Mrs. Finch."

"Right it is, Christopher. Fortunately, the expulsion hearing was held only by me, Mr. Zasor, and Ms. Euthixie so the media who seems to love reporting on this school president so much didn't hear it, but it is still displeasing to hear that a bright young man, his girlfriend, and a midget from another school took part in a very precarious situation. Do you know anything about that?"

Wait... did Greg really call Viktor a midget? He's only 5'7'' for crying out loud. He's certainly not a goblin or a Mr. Coppergut!

"Well, I... I don't know any school presidents that snuck out during the San Francisco Riots." I said, smiling nervously.

"Mmm..." Principal Finch said. "I'd advise that if this school president wants to partake in a riot in the near future, he'd wear a mask next time so he can't be identified. It only takes one person who watches the local news to recognize such a recognizable individual. Although I do pray that he stays home and doesn't sneak out for whatever reason the next time this happens, God forbids it does."

"I'll... uh... i'll tell him." I said.

"You do that." Principal Finch advised.

I made to leave but something stopped me. I turned around, looking at Principal Finch. "Principal Finch? What happened to Greg Huynh?"

"He and his accomplices faced expulsion and they took a deal to transfer to an alternative school for the remainder of the school year in the face of saving them from getting their records tarnished. Does the Oakland Military Institute ring a bell?"

I nodded mutely. The Oakland Military Institute was an all boys military school situated in the nearby city of Oakland. I tried to feel bad for Greg and his cronies, but I couldn't. Not after what he did or tried to do. Maybe waking up at five in the morning to do jumping jacks in the Bay Area fog would do him some good.

"Good. Now off to lunch you go." Principal Finch said, brightly.

"Right, have a good lunch." I said, breathing a soft sigh of relief. "You too, Ms. Euthixie."

"Buh-bye, Chris." She said, waving.

I walked out of the empty gym, my shoes squeaking off the wooden floor of the basketball court. It was glossy and had the logo of our school, the Minotaur, painted right in the center. I imagined how much Ricky enjoyed playing in here. He probably enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed playing hockey in the Labyrinth. I pushed open the door, exiting into the hallway of the Athletic Complex and bumped right into my vampire girlfriend.

"Took you long enough." She said, standing up. She was sitting on the floor, listening to music on her phone. She pulled out her white earbuds, rolling them up and putting them in her hoodie pocket.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, dumbly.

"I waited for you." She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I..." I began, before faltering.

"Did you not want me to wait for you, lyubov?" Stasi asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"No. I wanted you to." I admitted, holding out my hand. "Thanks, Stasi. You're the best."

"Thanks, lyubov." Stasi grabbed ahold of my hand, intertwining her cold fingers with mine. When she got close to me, I planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Although we tried to keep our PDA (public display of affection) to a minimum when we were in 'public' (duh), sometimes, I just couldn't resist.