Chapter Text
God, Akarsha hated Spanish class.
She hated having to put her hand up and announce that she needed to go piss in Spanish every time she needed a bathroom pass. She ends up sounding like Dora the Explorer, over-pronouncing every syllable in a weird Spanish-American accent. Language classes were basically a free pass anyway. The way she saw it, every lesson is just an excuse to lay her head on her desk and rest.
Or it would be, if Noelle wasn’t in her class.
“Akarsha! Get your head off the desk, you’re going to get me in trouble.” A hand reaches out and tugs at the back of her windbreaker. Akarsha turns her head on her side, opening one eye to stare up at the angry girl leering over her.
“Why do you care? I’m the one who’s sleeping here…”
“Because I’m associated with you, you idiot!” She yells, still tugging on the back of Akarsha’s jacket. “Sit! Up! Straight!”
Akarsha sighs as she lets herself be pulled up by the scrawny girl. She looks over at Diya and Min. Min was staring at her with a shit eating grin, like she knew something she didn’t. Which was weird, because the only thing that Min knew that Akarsha didn’t is what smoking is like. Noelle slapped it out of her hand when she went to try it, after all. She never tried again after that, ‘cause it made Noelle upset.
Diya looks slightly less uncomfortable than she usually does.
Noelle is still going on about something… Akarsha stoped paying attention about halfway through. ‘ That’s enough.’ She thinks to herself. ‘ It’s last period, let’s have a bit of fun. ’
Akarsha lets out a loud groan in the middle of Noelle’s sentence, cutting her off. “Come on, are you serious? Elective classes are a freebie.” Akarsha smirks at her. “Besides, you shouldn’t even be in this class.”
Noelle always pulls the same face when she’s confused. She squints her eyes so it looks like she can barely see, and her lips are always slightly parted. And her brow is furrowed, because all of Noelle’s emotions are mixed with a little bit of anger. Akarsha always takes note of that.
Her smile grows a little. “Because, you’re French, Frenchman. You should be in French class.”
This time, it’s Noelle who lets out a loud groan. Akarsha can see the teacher eyeing them out of the corner of her eye. “God damn it Akarsha, I thought you were done with that stupid nickname.”
“Oh, I know you did, Frenchie, but I never forget.” She can hear Min and Diya snickering behind their hands as Noelle rolls her eyes. “What’s the matter, Frenchman? Missing your homeland? Missing your mother tongue?”
“Im not French! I’ve been telling you this for years now, Akarsha…” Akarsha pretends to look shocked, pressing her hands to the sides of her face and looking around the room.
“Oh no! It appears I’ve had a sudden case of amnesia!” She wails, pressing her hand against Noelle’s face and sliding it down her cheek. “Who is this?!? Hello? Hewwo??!”
Noelle snarls, grabbing her wrist and pulling it off her face.
“Diya? Diya, who is this person, I can’t understand what they’re saying!” Akarsha looks over at Diya, who has her face buried in Min’s shoulder, trying not to laugh. Diya has to lean down a fair way in order to achieve this, but it doesn’t stop min from throwing her arm around her shaking shoulders. Akarsha tries not to barf at the egregious display of affection.
She’s pulled from her thoughts by Noelle’s hand tightening around her wrist. “If you have amnesia, how can you remember Diya and not me?!” She seethes.
“Sorry, I don’t speak French!” Akarsha yells back. Noelle is giving her a withering stare. The teacher is as well, know that she mentions it…
“I don’t either! I don’t speak French, you don’t speak French, no one here speaks French!” She throws her hands up. “We’re in a Spanish class! And I thought you retired that nickname back in freshman year!” Noelle is starting to raise her voice. “We’re juniors now, Akarsha. It’s time to grow up!” … there’s no way Akarsha is about to be outdone.
She throws her hands up as well. “IM SORRY, MONSIEUR I DON’T UNDERSTAND!” She yells back. “HON HON CROISSANT.”
“Akarsha!” A voice booms from across the room, full of anger. At first, she thought she had pushed Noelle a little too far, and was about to start apologising… before realising it was the teacher. ‘Oh shit.’ She thinks to herself. ‘I forgot I was in class!’
“Out of the classroom!” The teacher points at the door. “Now!”
Akarsha shrugs. This seems to be happening more and more often as of late. “Whatever you say, miss.” Before leaving, she turns around and sticks her tongue out at Noelle again, this time shooting her a wink along with it. Her face explodes into a bright crimson.
“Au revoir, Frenchman!” She can still hear Min and Diya laughing behind their hands.
If Akarsha feels guilty about interrupting the class, which she doesn’t think she is, she doesn’t want to show it. She doesn’t think she could anyway, she’s too focused on trying to calm that weird humming in her chest as she walks away from the classroom.
‘ Her face was so red, do you think she was blushing? ’ She asks herself. ‘… Actually, that was probably just rage. Either way, it’s a win!’
She smiles softly to herself, just small enough so that anyone looking outside their classrooms couldn’t see her grinning like a fool.
‘… learning French, huh… that might not be such a bad idea.’