The Right Choice
by M.C.
Mike has to make a choice - Crystal or his friends


Crystal Simpson smiled as she left the karate dojo. Although being the
youngest black belt in the dojo's history meant more responsibility for the 16
year old girl - like teaching the afternoon beginners class - she felt a great
deal of satisfaction  watching her young students progress and gain confidence
in their abilities. After all, that was how she first got started when only
six years old. As the attractive girl  walked through the parking lot towards
her car she saw a white sedan pull up and  three large boys got out. She
sighed as they began to approach her. "Won't they ever learn?" Crystal asked
herself.

"Hi Bill," she said to the largest of the three when they came within earshot,
"that's quite a shiner you've got on your right eye, big fella."

"Yes it is, isn't it," he answered angrily,"and I wonder how it got there?"

"Oh I think we both know how it got there," she giggled. "The question is,
would you like another one on your left eye also? I can arrange that too. Then
you'd have a matching pair, tee, hee, hee."

"Very funny miss karate expert. However I brought along a couple of my friends
in case you didn't notice."

The pretty blond glanced at the other two boys for a moment; one in
particular.  "Guys," she said in a serious tone," this is between Bill and me.
I wouldn't get involved if I were you; it's not your concern."

"You beat up and humiliated a friend of ours in front of the whole lunchroom
today," Mark blurted out,"that makes it our concern." The third boy remained
quiet.

"He was warned to stay away from my friend Sharon, and not only did he refuse,
he began to hassle her; all because she wouldn't go out with him. When will
you macho jocks understand that when a girl says "no", it means NO? If
Sharon didn't want to go out with him, why should she be subjected to Bill's
harassment? He should have simply accepted it and moved on. I'm sure there are
many other girls who would be flattered to go out with the school's star
football player; but not Sharon. Bill should have left her alone - but he
didn't, so he got what he deserved."

"So for that you beat him up in front of the entire school?" Mark responded.
Either he didn't hear what she said or what she said simply didn't matter to
him."You humiliated him in front of everybody...destroyed his reputation."

"And what about Sharon's reputation? How does calling her a 'slut' in front of
half the student body during lunch break help her reputation? She's my
best friend. If I didn't stick up for her, then what does that say about me? I
gave Bill a chance to apologize to her, he arrogantly refused. So I gave him
the ass kicking he had coming to him and he'll get another one right now if he
doesn't back off. Do you guys really want to join him?"

As the two large, powerfully built boys closed in on the five foot-five inch
girl she showed not a trace of fear. Instead, Crystal assumed a fighting
stance and prepared to confront them. Turning to the third boy who had
remained silent through all of this, she asked,"and what about you Mike, where
do you stand on this issue?"

Michael Roberts put his head down. "I - I don't know," he replied in a voice
barely audible to the others."I wasn't in the lunchroom this afternoon, I
didn't know how the fight got started."

"Well you do now Mike," Crystal said and asked again,"where do you stand?"

"I - I don't know."

"You don't know?" Bill screamed," you don't know? Miss Kung Fu here beats the
crap out of me in front of the whole school and you don't know? I know she
lives across the street from you and you have the hots for her but we're
football buddies man; we have to stick together. It's time to make a choice,
you're either with us or against us; there's no middle ground."

Crystal gazed at Mike, shocked at what she had just heard. Then, she softly
said, "yes Mike, I'm afraid it is time to make a choice...and please, make the
right one."

For a few moments time seemed to stand still as Crystal, Bill and Mark waited
for Mike's reply. Mike was caught between the proverbial 'rock and a hard
place'. He and Crystal had been neighbors ever since her family moved into the
home across the street five years earlier. Although he did find her to be very
attractive, they never really had much to do with each other. Mike spent all
of his time with his jock friends while Crystal dedicated herself to the
mastery of martial arts.Yet now events beyond his control were forcing the 17
year-old boy to make a choice - his football buddies (as well as his standing
within the circle of friends he hung out with) or this girl with whom he had
never, until now, paid any special attention to. It was the toughest decision
he ever made in his life. After what seemed like an eternity, Mike swallowed
hard and said,"guys, count me out."

"You fucking traitor !" Bill shouted."After Mark and I finish with her we're
coming after you, asshole!"

"That's right you fucking chicken shit!," Mark added," you'd better find
yourself a hole and crawl into it."

In contrast to his so-called friends, Crystal responded with a warm smile."
Thank you Mike, for choosing wisely. It's a decision you'll never regret
and that's a promise; and I always keep my promises. Now, please step aside
while your friends and I settle this little matter between us...once and for
all."

"Are you sure you can handle them?" he asked nervously," these guys are
tough."

To Mike's surprise Crystal began to laugh. "Why Mikey (nobody had called him
that since the 6th grade) what a sweet thing to say. Please don't worry about
me. I've been studying karate since I was six years old and hold a third
degree black belt. I think I'll be all right. Now, why don't you be a good boy
and just stand off to the side and watch." The pretty, 135 pound blond then
winked at him before turning around to face Bill and Mark - nearly 500 pounds
of angry muscle - who were now within striking distance.

Bill, being the closest, was the first to feel the 16 year-old girl's power. A
solid, lightning fast round house kick to the side of his face from a foot
that could turn a wooden board into kindling, sent the 245 pound lineman
reeling backward. Then, quickly turning towards Mark, she fired off several
surprisingly strong thrusts to his face and stomach with her equally lethal
fists. Despite his enormous size advantage, the strong, well conditioned
athlete proved no match for Crystal's fists - fists that could shatter bricks
as Bill had discovered in the lunchroom earlier that day. He too fell
back. Pausing briefly, Crystal flashed the surprised Mike a pretty smile
before turning her attention back to Bill.

Another powerful kick followed by several hard punches and she had the massive
boy backed up against the hood of her car. Had she have wanted to,
Crystal could have knocked him out then and there. But she eased up, smiled
and said,"rest up Billy while I check on your friend...he seems to need some
more *attention*." She then began to pound Mark again with her fists and feet.
It went on like this for the next ten minutes; first one and then the other.

Mike watched in amazement as the 135 pound Crystal took turns battering both
Bill and Mark around. He couldn't believe his eyes. These were the two
toughest boys in his school; and they were both being beaten up by a 16 year
old girl! After a few minutes Crystal looked over at him and winked again.
"You see what a wise decision you made," she said as she slammed her fist deep
into Mark's stomach. "This could have been you," a hard right uppercut to his
jaw then sent him down for the count."And what a shame that would have been,"
her foot slammed into Bill's jaw again for the fourth or fifth time - she had
lost count. "To mess up that handsome face of yours." WHAM!, another powerful
kick and Bill was on his back. By the looks of things, neither of them would
be getting up anytime soon. Crystal now straddled the badly beaten and
defenseless Bill and grabbed him firmly by his shirt collar as he lay next to
his unconscious friend."O.K. Billy Boy," she said as she cocked back her
fist,"just like I promised you, a matching pair of black eyes; and I always
keep my promises."

"No. Please don't," he cried,"I'll leave Sharon alone from now on. I promise."

"Of course you will you pathetic wimp. Because if you don't, I'll kick your
ass again and again; and I don't care how many of your other football buddies
I have to go through to get to you." Crystal nodded over at Mark lying
near-by."Now, before you join your friend in dreamland there's one more thing
I want to tell you. Mike here was smart enough to take a stand and not get
involved...and for that you and Mark threatened him. If I ever hear that he's
been bothered by you or any of your cronies, then what I did to you and Mark
now will seem like a game of patty cake compared to what I'll do to you then.
Do I make myself clear?"

Bill nodded.

"Very well then Billy, pleasant dreams." POW ! ... just like she
promised, Bill now had a matching pair of black eyes. Crystal sat on the
unconscious boy's chest for a few moments catching her breath. She then took
out her hairbrush and began to brush her long, beautiful blond hair. Looking
over at Mike again she giggled and said,"well neighbor, it looks like you're
going to need a ride home today; somehow I don't think Bill and Mark are up to
it. Can I offer you my services?"

Mike didn't answer; he was too stunned. The sight of the pretty little girl
who lived right across the street from him, calmly brushing her hair while
sitting on top of the toughest boy in school, next to the second toughest -
both of whom she had easily battered to pulp - left him speechless. Noticing
this Crystal laughed and said, "what's the matter Mikey, never seen a girl
brush her hair before?" She got up and walked over to him. Much to his
surprise, Crystal put her arms around his neck, lowered his head so that they
were at eye level and then kissed him on the cheek. "I want to thank you again
for having the courage to say 'no' to your friends Mike; I really would have
hated to beat you up too." She made a fist and playfully tapped his jaw. "And,
as I said before, it would have been a shame to punch out this handsome face
of yours."

The pretty 16 year old martial arts wiz then took him by the hand and led him
over to her car."Get in Mike," she said firmly as she opened the passenger
side of her car,"I'm taking you home."

After he got in, Crystal turned on the ignition and began to drive. "Do you
really think you could have taken on all three of us all at once?" Mike asked
her as they drove.

Again, she started laughing. "Do I *think* Mike? No, I don't think...I know.
Sorry if this sounds like bragging but, as you may have noticed, I'm pretty
good at karate; very good in fact. I've dedicated myself to almost nothing
else for the past ten years." Looking over at him Crystal continued,"if you
don't believe me then you can invite some more of your big, strong,
macho football friends to my dojo and we can test it out. I'm sure my students
would love to see me give them a practical demonstration of self-defense."

Mike, remembering the state she left Bill and Mark only a few minutes before,
simply said,"no thanks."

Crystal then reached over, grabbed his hand and gently squeezed."So what's
this Bill said about you having the hots for me?"

"Err...it's nothing Crystal; you know, just guy talk." An uncomfortable
silence then fell upon the two of them which lasted several minutes.

Crystal pulled into her driveway and turned off the ignition."Don't open the
door yet Mike, there's something I want to say to you." A lengthy pause
followed. "Look, I know you and I haven't exactly been close; we seem to march
to very different drummers. But the truth is...I've always been attracted to
you, ever since I moved in here five years ago - I simply didn't know how to
show it. I know this is probably going to sound really weird to you but it
would be much easier for me to take on the five toughest guys in our school in
a fight than to face you alone; I don't even understand it myself. All I know
is that for the past five years I've dreamt about you almost every night; and
yet I never had the courage to tell you. I can shatter bricks with my hands
and feet, beat up the two toughest guys in our school at the same time; but I
never had the guts to tell you this...Mike, I like you a lot; a whole
lot. Thanks for choosing me over your friends."

Another long pause followed before Mike mumbled, "Crystal, I really like you
too."

With tears in their eyes the handsome high school football player and the
beautiful martial arts expert looked at each other; Crystal spoke first...

"Mike, as fate would have it my parents are away on a business trip for a few
days; the house is ours if we want it."

"There's nothing I'd like more Crystal."

They got out of the car and embraced each other. Then, hand-in-hand, entered
her  home. As they made their way up to Crystal's bedroom she put her arms
around the boy she loved and kissed him again."Thank you again Mike," she said
as she led him into her bedroom," for making the right choice. I promise you
you won't ever regret it; and I always keep my promises."

And he never did.