Short Story: The Deal

“Your offer?”  Lisa leaned back, propping her feet on her desk. “My services don’t come cheap.”

Arielle confidently set a small organza pouch of gold coins onto the table.

“Sorry, Ari. Anything else?”

Her fingers hovered over her wallet hesitantly, before pulling out a mermaid sticker from ‘The Little Mermaid’, and a ‘KitKat’ bar.

“That’s all I can offer. Please, it’ll be my birthday, it’s really important.”

“Thank you, Ari,” Lisa smiled, sweeping the payment off the table into her bag. “You won’t be disappointed. It’ll be taken care of before then. ”

Just as the recess bell rang, Ms Koh walked back in and berated, “Lisa, please take your feet off the table. It’s unsightly. ”

She muttered a half-hearted apology, and set to work with her dictionary, smirking with glee as she found what she needed.

Coarse slang. Do not use this word.

Children poured in through the door, filling the room.  As soon as she set her sights on Rina, she went in for the kill, pulling her aside.

“Hey, Rina? Wanna sit with us tomorrow? ”

She was visually taken aback, Lisa could see. As what almost everyone dubbed her, a ‘dweeb’, she was always alone. And suddenly, one of the coolest and smartest people in the class was asking her to sit with her group?

Not an offer someone like her could resist.

Oh, if only she knew.

The next day, Rina was warmly welcomed by Lisa to her table. “Hey,” she greeted. “Get your lunchbox and join us. ”

As the group conversed over their food, Lisa noted that Rina was quiet, and decided to take the opportunity to bring her plan a step further.

“Sod? Like soda?”

“No. Just sod. ”

“What does that mean, Lisa?”

“Well, it means cool. “

At Rina’s incredulous expression, Lisa elaborated.

“Yeah, all the grown up kids at my brother’s school use it. Like, Rina, you’re a real sod. Get it? It’s like a word for cool. ”

Just before the end of recess, Lisa skittered off quickly, saying that she had to take care of something, leaving Rina alone with her thoughts.

‘I’m a sod? ’

Later, just as recess ended and Ms Koh walked in, Lisa was stopped by Rina.

“Thanks, Lisa. You’re a real sod, you know? ”

There it was.

Lisa edged towards Ms Koh. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that last part, what were you saying? ”

“I said, you’re a real sod!”

Lisa made a show of acting confused as Ms Koh closed in on them.

Arms akimbo, Ms Koh asked, “Rina, what did you just say to Lisa?”

Heidi felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. “I was just… I was only… ”

“Heidi. I think…”

Ms Koh paused with a sigh.

“You need to come with me for a while.”

From her seat, Lisa almost smiled with satisfaction. Another job well done by a professional with standards.

Something flew over her shoulder and landed in front of her.

A crushed ball of paper. She smoothed it out.

To: Lisa

Thanks. I really didn’t want her at my birthday party.

– Arielle

April Ang (3J)