DECISIONS       by Sahar Sabati


    Veronica slid in her seat, heart pounding. Ronnie was sitting right
behind her! Had he done it on purpose? Of course not! He wouldn't
want to be seen with someone like her! Veronica's friend, Jessica, winked
at her as their eyes met. Veronica knew Jess was an incurable romantic.
She was probably imagining Ronnie would get up and declare his undying
love for her, the simple not so pretty Veronica. Jess was probably planning
her wedding at the very moment! At the thought, Veronica's stomach tied
up in a knot and she swallowed heavily. She clumsily opened her book and
fumbled around for her pen.
    As he watched her nervously turn the pages of her textbook, Ronnie smiled
to himself. He had accepted the bet because it would be easy to get to Veronica.
She had had a crush on him ever since they were kids. Ronnie knew he was good
looking. He also knew that every girl in school would love to go on a date with him.
Well, maybe not every girl. Certainly not those with steady boyfriends. Ronnie
winced at the thought. Going steady. How boring. But there were plenty of pretty
single girls around, so Ronnie wasn't worried. At that moment, he was even pleased;
the 50 dollars he had bet would be an easy win.
    Keith silently fumed in his corner as he watched Ronnie and Veronica. Veronica
and him were very close friends; Keith would do anything to shield Veronica from harm,
and she would do the same for him. And he knew he had to do something. He guessed
Ronnie was bored and needed a challenge, so he had decided to win Veronica over.
Keith knew Veronica thought Ronnie was cute, and guessed Ronnie knew that too. I
wish I could beat him up, Keith thought angrily.
    Veronica scribbled down the answers to the questions the teacher had asked them.
Even though she was finished, she kept her head bent over her paper and the pen in her
hand. She was thinking of Ronnie sitting behind her when suddenly, unexplicably, she
thought of Keith. Ah, Keith. Loyal, friendly, honest Keith. She loved Keith very much.
It was a shame he didn’t want a girlfriend. Veronica froze at that thought. She had
decided long ago that falling in love with Keith would be a mistake… But the lingering
idea of dating him haunted her. She turned around and smiled at Keith who was, as usual,
seated diagonally behind her.
    Jess knew that as Veronica’s best friend, she had to play an important
role in the drama unfolding in front of her. She monitored Keith, Veronica
and Ronnie’s faces closely. She grinned to herself when she saw Keith’s face.
Well, well, she thought, Keith didn’t seem too happy with Ronnie’s attempt to
get close to Veronica. Jess smiled down at her paper; she missed the smile
Veronica gave Keith.
    Ronnie frowned at Veronica’s back. He hadn’t missed the smile. Was there
something between her and Keith? He hoped not. He wanted to win his bet,
but he didn’t want to make a couple break up. Even he had a code he followed.
Breaking up a couple was definitely a big no no. But knowing Keith, Ronnie knew
he wouldn’t have the guts to ask a girl out. At least not before totally humiliating
himself. And there was 50 dollars on the line here. This was a bet he had to win.
But what if there was something between the two? Suddenly uncomfortable, Ronni
scratched his chin thoughtfully.
    Keith’s heart warmed when Veronica turned to smile at him. She always
complained that she wasn’t beautiful, but Keith couldn’t figure out why. To him, she
was beautiful, inside and out. It wasn’t for nothing he had been in love with her since
fifth grade.
    I have known him since second grade, Veronica thought. He and I are
good friends. Very good friends. It has always been that way, it will always
be that way. Veronica suppressed the twinge of disapointement and tried to
concentrate on what the teacher was saying.
    Ronnie shifted in his chair. He wouldn’t know what was going on until he
asked Veronica herself. He carefully tore a piece of paper out. He munched
on his pen as he thought of the perfect note to send to Veronica.
    Keith frowned as he watched Ronnie tear off a piece of paper. He kept an
eye on it, and wasn’t too surprised when Ronnie wrote Veronica’s name. He’s
asking her out on a date! Keith fumed. And Veronica is probably going to accept!
I can’t just sit here and let that happen! Keith couldn’t sit idle while this was
happening right in front of him. He knew he didn’t stand a chance beside a guy l
ike Ronnie, but… He tore off a piece of paper and started writing.
    Veronica quickly snatched the paper that had landed on her desk before the
teacher could see it. Who was that from? Not Jess. She always sent her notes
via her pen. Keith? Not likely. Keith had stopped passing notes years ago.
Veronica carefully opened the paper and smoothed it. It was from Ronnie!
    Jess’s eyes widened when she saw Ronnie toss the piece of paper on
Veronica’s desk. She was so lucky! Jess would give a lot to be in Veronica’s
shoes at that moment. She discreetly looked at Keith, and was pleasantly
surprised when she spied him writing on a piece of paper. This was going to
be interesting.
    Keith paled when he realized Ronnie had sent his note. He passed his to
Susan, who was seated in front of him. Susan nodded and passed the note to
Veronica when the teacher had his back turned.
    By the time Susan got the chance to pass the note to Veronica, the whole
class was whispering about both notes. Jess received a few, begging her for
details. She also sent a few, investigating why Ronnie was suddenly so interested
in her best friend. But the funny thing Jess noticed was that the students were
more interested in Keith sending a note to Veronica than Ronnie sending one.
    Veronica frowned at the folded paper Susan had handed to her. Who this
time? She unfolded the paper and raised her eyebrows. Keith had broken his
own rules to send her a note.
    Jess, like everyone else, was ready to pounce on Veronica. She kept on
receiving notes begging her to tell what she knew. Wish I knew what was going
on, Jess sighed, eyeing the note Veronica was reading.
    Ronnie crumpled the notes he had gotten. What was Keith playing at?
Why did he have to make his move now of all time? He leaned back in his
chair and thoughtfully stared at the back of Veronica’s head. It was up to her now.
    Keith doodled as he watched Veronica read his note. She gently folded it back
and slid it in her pencil case. Was that a good thing? Keith wondered. He knew he
wasn’t the kind of guy girls flipped over, but he wasn’t ugly either. And he had brains.
And a great sense of humour. And…. Keith mentally shook himslelf and drummed
his fingers on the table. What if she said no? Maybe he shouldn’t have sent that note.
    Veronica smiled as she toyed with her pen. This was better than she had ever
thought it would be. She knew what she was going to do. But since she was never
in the spotlight, she wanted to do it with style. She tuned out her teacher as she
daydreamed, a small, silly smile on her face.
    Jess was dying of curiosity. What was going on? Why didn’t Veronica turn her
head and at least let her know who she was going to choose? What was she waiting
for to answer the notes? Veronica seemed totally unconcerned, smiling at the teacher.
She was going to go crazy waiting for the end of the class.
    Ronnie toyed with his pen. The waiting game Veronica was playing with him – no,
with the entire class – was driving them all nuts. Who was she going to choose? All
Ronnie could think was that she hadn’t answered Keith and hadn’t refused him... yet.
    The minutes ticked by. The class was lasting an eternity. The teacher was surprised
when, asking him a question, his prized pupil wasn’t paying attention. Even he was
wondering what was in those notes and to whom Veronica was going to say yes.
    Jess swiped the note under her table quickly before the teacher could spot it. She
opened it and slipped in inside her book. She scanned it, her breath catching in her
throat. Her eyes popped out. So, it was only a bet? Ronnie dared get close to Veronica
and use her for a stupid bet? Jess caught Ronnie’s gaze and sent him such a dark look.
    Ronnie squirmed in his seat. She knows, he thought darkly. If I catch who spilled the
beans... He sighed. If she tells Veronica, he would lose the bet. Ronnie thought for a
few moments. He had just a few minutes before the bell rang. What should he do?
    Keith was so nervous he didn’t bother listening to the teacher. He should’ve asked
her a long time ago, then he wouldn’t have had to go through this agony. What if
Veronica was going to turn him down? What if she turns them both down?
    Veronica smiled to herself. She had found the perfect thing to do, and was
looking forward to her classmates’ faces.
    Ronnie couldn’t do it. It was too risky. Jess was his friend. She would never
forgive him. After thinking it over carefully, he decided to do something he had
never done before. He called off the bet.
    The bell finally rang. The teacher was surprised when the usual rush for the
door didn’t happen. The class’s eyes were glued on Veronica as she calmly
gathered her books and stood up. Unconcerned with the scrutiny, Veronica
kept her cool and took a step towards Keith’s desk. She smiled at him.
"Same here," she told him.
    Keith smiled back as he gathered his books.
    Jess’s grin widened as she watched Veronica slip her hand into Keith’s as
they left the room. She also heard her friend whisper to Keith "It’s about time."
    Ronnie was also grinning. He had lost a bet, but it was worth it. Hey, maybe
he could even convince Keith he had done it on purpose to make him act, so
Keith would become his friend and help him with his math.
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