Decisions Ch. 11

"Great," Stasi chirped.

"Hold on a sec, are you actually worried about me?" I asked cheekily.

"No-... oh, hang on a second," Ms. Casarano said irritated. She stood up, gesturing to the double glass doors to the quad and shouting to all the students milling about in the lobby. "If you're not here for business or to buy prom tickets, I need everyone to leave and stop crowding the place. Thank you!"

Grumbling, all of the students filed out, giving Stasi and I strange looks on their way to the double doors. They weren't even being subtle about it. They were actively gawking, pointing, and whispering. When they were all finally out and headed to class, Stasi and I sighed in relief.

The lobby suddenly felt much more easier to breath in.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Ms. Casarano began, sitting down and looking up at us. "No, as a matter of fact, I wasn't actually worried about you. I was worried about how much work I'd have to be doing if you didn't come to school because you were resting. We're partners up here in the front desk, remember? You have to put in your half of the work."

I grinned when I heard Stasi snort next to me.

"That's more like it," I said.

If Ms. Casarano didn't have any snippy remarks for me, it just wouldn't feel right at all. I was used to her witty sarcasm and sharp tongue. Ms. Casarano smiled softly at us, before resting her chin on her hand.

"How are you two actually feeling?" She asked concerned.

"Sore," I replied.

"That's a given." Ms. Casarano noted.

"And a bit nervous about college." Stasi added. "Decisions come out later this month."

"That's another given. Hey, I'm sure you'll be fine," Ms. Casarano said warmly. She turned her eyes on me, her cat ears flopping. "You'll both be. I know it. My aunt was a fortune teller. She gave me the sixth sense. What college was it? UC Irvine?"

"LA," Stasi said.

The corners of her lips turned up in a knowing feline smile. "You're both in for a big surprise then," She said, before directing her attention to me. "Now, there actually was something that I did want to bring up with you. I cc'd an e-mail to you about that meeting in front of the school board. Principal Finch wants to meet with you about it."

"Sure," I said. "What's the meeting about?"

Her smile faded. "Principal Finch got word that a school board member brought up something at the most recent board meeting. He wants to limit Belcourt High School werewolves transforming because of public safety," She said. "You might have to talk at the monthly Superintendent board meeting on behalf of the school."

The corners of my lips tightened. Another stupid rule implemented by the DTOSA. Whoever wanted this to happen was a complete idiot. Werewolves needed to transform. They needed to let their inner animal out and roam free every now and then. It was as necessary as Stasi's feeding. To not let them be themselves would have catastrophic effects.

Well, one catastrophic effect. 'UTs', unauthorized transformations. Unauthorized transformations were spontaneous transformations into animal form. They were dangerous because in an unauthorized transformation state, they wouldn't be able to control themselves. They would become completely feral.

I'm pretty sure that's how the DTOSA came about, really.

A few mistakes from a few individuals screwed it up for the vast majority.

"I got it," I replied. "I'll make sure to work on it as soon as I can. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, a few clubs want to meet with you regarding ASB Funding."

"I can handle that," Stasi said quickly.

"No, we can handle it." I corrected.

"No, I can," Stasi insisted. She locked her icy blue eyes on me in a glare. I knew what they meant. They told me to take it easy... or else.

"One of you just handle it. The dryads at the Environmental Club are getting antsy over their tree thing for the fourth quarter. But, in regards to Principal Finch's email... do not tell anybody about this," Ms. Casarano warned. "You two and only some of the administration are the only ones who know about this. Do not let anyone else know or else we'll have a huge problem on our hands."

"We won't." I promised. "Anything else you need, Ms. Casarano?"

"No, that's about it. Don't tell anybody."

"Right, let's go, Stasi."

"Coming. Bye, Ms. Casarano!" Stasi waved. We both walked out towards the quad. We were already out and the door had nearly closed when I heard Ms. Casarano reply, her voice vibrating through the empty lobby.

"Goodbye, you two."

We walked out hand-in-hand through the empty quad. Many of the students had already begun walking to class, intent on beating the bell. Stasi and I were among them, walking at a fast pace.

We didn't really have to. We were on such good terms with Mr. Coppergut, that even if we slid into his class halfway through one of his energetic lectures, he wouldn't mark us tardy. It was one of the benefits of being the coveted "printing-pass holder".

"You're going to be there, right?" I asked out of the blue.

"Be where?"

"At the Board Meeting. As the Vice President."

"Of course, dummy!" She said, squeezing my hand. "I have your back, no matter what. We can go over the contentions you want to bring up and write the first drafts. My v etom vmeste."

"Oh, kak ya lyublyu tebya.."

"I love you too, Chris." Stasi replied, a pink hue rising on her pale cheeks. She leaned in and pecked me on the lips. "Now come on. We'll be late for class."

We both hurried through the quad towards Mr. Coppergut's AP Statistics class. Even though we were technically his 'favorites', we didn't want to be late. Thankfully, we managed to slip in just as the bell rang, making our way to our seats with our heads lowered.

"Christopher, Anastasia!" Mr. Coppergut called from his desk. He looked like a small child in such a big and plush chair. I was actually kind of jealous at the way he was swinging his legs like a care-free toddler. "It's good to see you two."

"Thank you, Mr. Coppergut," Stasi said in her smooth accent. "It's good to see you too."

"You both had an exciting weekend. Christopher, still kicking, I see?"

"Yes, sir." I replied amidst the chuckling.

"Excellent." Mr. Coppergut looked at me proudly, before hopping off the chair to walk to his podium. His beard was getting a bit long, just long enough to stroke it. "Now, class, as you know, the year is winding down. There is very little for me to teach. From this point on, we'll begin our studying for the AP-.."

The entire class groaned.

"-Test. Yes, the AP Test. Don't let prom distract you from the fact that we have an AP Test!"

While Mr. Coppergut began his lecture, I felt a cold hand slip into mind, squeezing my fingers. I turned to look at Stasi, her crystal blue eyes enraptured with Mr. Coppergut. She wasn't even paying any attention to me, although her lips were turned up in a soft smile.

It was almost as if everything was the same.

Everything was still the same.

Well, after AP Statistics ended and our day continued, I realized that nothing was at all the same.

******

The bell rang, announcing that lunch had commenced. I finished up the last few remarks on my essay before I stowed it away, beginning to pack up. I had already decided that I wasn't completely mentally here and was going to finish it at home or at lunch. I was already anticipating seeing Stasi and wondering what we were going to do for lunch until Mr. Zasor said something that made my heart leap into my throat.

"Alright everybody, please place your case briefings on my desk on the way out," He said, drumming his pawed fingers on his desk.

I swore silently, causing Lucy to look at me in confusion. Slowly, recognition dawned on all eight on her eyes and she looked at me sympathetically. I had started the case briefing with plans to do it on the weekend, but I hadn't touched any of my homework because I was recuperating.

That and Stasi wouldn't let me get out of bed.

"What do I do?" I mouthed at her.

Lucy shrugged, taking the pristine case folder out of her backpack. Envy bubbled in my stomach as I watched her skitter up to Mr. Zasor's desk and place it on the growing pile, all the while having Mr. Zasor looking at her with something that was akin to pride. Lucy looked back at me apologetically, gesturing that she'd wait outside before walking out with the rest of the class.

And leaving me trapped in Law and Society with the Monster.

"Christopher," Mr. Zasor asked, peering at me from the brim of his glasses. "What are you doing still in my classroom?"

"I... I... I uh..." I stuttered. I had never missed an assignment in a long time. I went through hell and high water to make sure my grades were great or at least better than Stasi's so I could get bragging rights. But, since Stasi always managed to get the better of me, I just settled for being great.

"I don't have it, sir." I muttered, defeated.

"Pardon?" Mr. Zasor asked smugly. "I don't think I heard you."

"I don't have it, sir." I said louder, knowing damn well that he heard me the first time. Irritation was building up inside me, assisted by anger at my own stupidity for doing nothing all weekend.

"Have what, Christopher?"

"My case briefing," I mumbled, looking at the floor in defeat.

"Your case briefing," Mr. Zasor said. "You do know that projects are worth sixty percent of your grade, don't you?"

"Yes, sir." I said.

"Were you... perhaps... sick, this weekend?" Mr. Zasor asked.

"No, sir." I said.

"Did you have a family emergency?"

"No, sir."

"Do you have an excuse at all?"

"No, sir."

Mr. Zasor stared at me, his eyes boring into the depths of my soul. His clawed paw continued to drum at his desk, the sound of his nails tapping the wood sounding like a herd of thundering horses. In seconds though, his steely gaze softened.

"You have one more day," He told me.

"I'm-... I'm sorry?"

"You have one more day," He repeated.

"To turn it in?" I asked dumbly.

"To turn it in," He confirmed.

"But... but..."

"Don't ask why, Christopher. Just know that you of all people deserve a break," He said. "You're an excellent student with a great work ethic. I know in any other situation that case briefing would be on my desk. After this tumultuous weekend, you deserve to have some good stuff happen to you. But, if it's anything short of A-material, I'm going to give it a zero."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir!"

"Don't thank me," Mr. Zasor held up his paw. "Go to lunch before I change my mind."

"Yes, sir." I said, picking up my backpack and doing my best not to dance my way out of his class.

"Feel better, Chris," Mr. Zasor said softly as I left the classroom, closing the door behind me and exiting out into the hallway. It was empty, save for Lucy. She was tapping her feet nervously, waiting for me. Everyone must've gone to the quad to bask in the March weather.

"How'd it go?" She asked. "Did he rip you a new one?"

"Surprisingly," I grinned triumphantly. "No, he didn't."

"He didn't?!" Lucy gasped. "What?"

"Yeah, he let me have an extension. Well, he let me stew in my own self-pity and despair for about a minute before he really let me go."

"Oh my god," Lucy said, holding her binder to her chest. "You are so lucky."

"It balances out," I muttered. "Come on, let's head to the quad. Stasi's waiting."

We both began to walk towards the exit, intent on squeezing as much free time out of lunch as we could. I was in a hurry. My heart was literally longing to see Stasi.

"You know," Lucy piped up. "I'm not surprised that he gave you an extension."

"You aren't?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. "It's Mr. Zasor."

"Yeah, I know it's Mr. Zasor. I'm just not surprised that you're getting an extension."

"Why? We all know he's the hardest teacher at Belcourt." I held open the door for Lucy.

"Thanks," She skittered out into the quad. "Right, as I was saying. I'm not surprised he gave you an extension. He was probably happy to see yo-.. Quiet. Don't say anything!" She warned, holding up a finger. "Everyone here is happy to see you today. It's a morale booster."

"It's not a morale booster," I retorted. "I'm just going to school."

"Well, maybe not a real morale booster, but everyone's glad to see you at school. You're the face of Belcourt and everyone here loves you."

"No, they do-.."

"Hey, Chris!" A sophomore greeted, waving madly.

"Yo, Ian!" I called back.

Ian the sophomore practically swelled up in excitement when I called him by his name in front of his friends. Truth be told, I was terrible at remembering names. Even though I made the effort to really know people's names, I sucked at it without Stasi. She had an extremely good memory.

"See?" Lucy asked triumphantly.

"What?" I argued, absolutely baffled. "I'm just saying hi."

She rolled her eyes, all eight of them. "Whatever," She said, throwing up her arms in frustration. We both walked over to our table out in the quad. The weather was nice. There was a fair amount of overcast, but I had decided long ago that I loved it that way. When I finally caught sight of raven hair pulled back in an austere ponytail, I felt my heart do a flip in joy.

"Hey, Stasi." I greeted.

She turned to me, her face brightening like the sun and taking my breath away. "Hi, zaichik." She replied, her beautiful, melodious, accented voice being music to my ears.

Everybody at the table cheered.

"About time you showed up," Jazz snorted. "She was completely out of it ever since lunch started. Every time I tried to talk to her, she'd just nod her head absent-mindedly and look around for you."

"Sorry," I apologized, not sure to whom. I swooped down low and gave Stasi a peck on the lips, absolving myself of whatever sins I had accumulated. "Mr. Zasor was holding me up."

"Ne bespokoysya." Stasi said, waving off my apology and patting my cheek affectionately. "I just missed you, is all."

"I missed you, too. I love you."

"I love yo-.." Stasi began happily.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Lucy interjected. "Annie, I have something to ask you."

"-too." Stasi finished. She turned to Lucy, slightly irked. "Yes, Lucy?"

"Do you think that everyone at school loves Chris?"

"Of course," Stasi replied instantly. "Maybe not as much as I love him but the whole school loves him, for sure."

"Oh come on," I complained. "Are you really going to keep on asking this?"

"Yes," Lucy laughed. "Until you get it."

"Why? What happened?" Stasi asked, curling her fingers around my hand and squeezing.

"Well, Mr. Zasor here, gave Chris an extension for his Case Briefing, even though I busted my web working on it this weekend."

Stasi gasped dramatically. "He didn't."

"He did," Lucy cried.

Suddenly, not for the first time this year, I felt like the odd man out. Of course, I was with my best friends and the woman I loved, but I felt as if I was infringing on them. Jazz and Ricky were talking to each other, along with the subtle touching that lasted a fraction of a second too long and Lucy and Stasi chatter amongst each other.

On a whim, I let go of Stasi's hand, standing up. She broke off in mid conversation, looking at me strangely.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I need to take care of something," I explained. "I won't be long, I promise."

"Are you sure? I can come with you if you want,"

"No," I replied. "Enjoy your lunch. I'll be right back."

Conflict raged in her crystal blue eyes, which I quickly washed away with a quick kiss. The corner of her mouth turned up in a soft smile.

"Hurry back." She told me.

"I will," I replied, giving her a second kiss on the forehead. "Love you."

"Love you, too." She said, turning back to talk to Lucy.

I could tell she was distracted that I was leaving her and in truth, I was distracted too. I never ever wanted to be away from her ever. It was only when I was with her that I was truly happy. As I stood up and started walking back in the direction of the classrooms, it felt like someone was twisting a knife in my heart. I immediately wanted to turn around and sprint back into her embrace.

But I continued to walk.

Aimlessly, in fact.

I nodded at classmates, waved at teachers, smiled at people, but just kept walking, not stopping for conversations. It was as if the classrooms was a magnet and I was a piece of metal. I was just drawn to it.

I strolled into the classroom building, getting hit by a blast of recirculated and conditioned air; a heavy contrast to the sharp and crisp Bay Area atmosphere. I continued to walk to nowhere in particular, my footsteps sounding off the hard floor. My eyes darted from right to left, looking into the windows of the classrooms.

Most of them were emptied and dark, their teachers and occupants all heading out to lunch. I was just about to head back out to lunch myself, but one classroom caught my eye. It was the photography lab. Normally, it was blocked off from any light so it wouldn't damage the film, but the light was still on inside and there was a single student inside. She was perched at the front of the class on a stool, browsing her phone.

It was Elena.

I peered into the lab. It wasn't uncommon for a cool teacher to let their favorite students hang out in their classroom during lunch. Although it was frowned upon by administration, there was an unspoken agreement between the students and faculty. As long as the students did not deliberately mess anything up, they saw no reason to infringe on their rights.

It was still bizarre that Elena was the only one in the lab.

I tapped on the window rapidly. Elena looked up at me, her glum face brightening as soon as she laid her eyes on me. She pulled out her white earbuds and hopped off the stool, practically skipping to the door and pulling it open.

"Hey, Chris." She said breathlessly.

"Hey, Elena." I greeted. I peered over her. "What are you up to?"

"Studying," She replied, turning around and heading back to her seat. "Come on in."

"Thanks," I said, taking her invitation into the lab. "Nice place."

"Thanks," She said, plopping herself back down on her stool. "What are you doing in the classroom building?"

"Walking around," I answered.

"Oh, interesting." Elena said awkwardly. "Hey, have you gotten Annie's birthday present yet?"

"Of course," I said. "I had it ready since February. The guy that worked on it said it was so bad that he needed a crapton of time to work on it."

"I'm surprised she hasn't noticed it was missing from the basement yet," Elena giggled.

"Yeah," My voice trailed off as I looked around the lab. "Where is everybody?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean... are you in here alone?"

She nodded her head, her austere, blonde ponytail bobbing up and down behind her. "Yup," She said morosely.

My eyes widened in surprise and bewilderment. To my knowledge, Elena Sokolov was a social butterfly. She could make friends with anybody. In fact, she was the anomaly in her family. Whereas both Stasi and Viktor were more quiet, introverted, and level-headed, Elena was the most outgoing person I knew by a mile (and I was friends with Ricky!) Why she wasn't hosting a party in here was absolutely beyond me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Do you want the lie or the honest answer?" She mumbled sadly.

"Of course I want the honest answer." I retorted.

"I had nowhere to sit," She explained, her shoulders sagging.

"What?"

"I had nowhere to sit," She repeated. "Nobody likes me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my confusion being replaced with slight anger. "Everyone loves you."

She shook her head again sadly. "Not even close. Everyone thinks Ii'm annoying." She said, then quickly adding, "I overheard my friends talking about me behind my back a few weeks ago. I used to eat in the hallways during lunch but Dr. Akula let me use her lab."