'Pairs' [korrasami]

14

Asami

Though the classroom walls are bare the windows are large. Everyone wants a window seat, to sit in the unsubdued light of the morning. Outside the sky is blue except for a few strands of stratus that trail like aeroplane trails. Whoever painted the walls in here must have had an imagination bypass, but then isn't that the education system all over?

To fill our minds with facts we can google instead of teaching us how to think, question facts, experiment and explore. It isn't the 1900s anymore, they aren't preparing us to clock in and out at factories. Miss Beifong soon walks in looking as inspired as a used tea bag and already I feel a daydream starting, a really good one too, about Downtown beach. I wonder what the second place might be like. Miss Beifong has got to have something really interesting to teach if she wants to compete.

The bell rings and I sit up straight, occasionally glancing over to the entrance of the classroom.
"You look happier than usual." Wu mutters next to me.
"Are you looking for someone?"

I turn to him.
"No." I answer quickly. Such a lie. It's an obvious lie. For some reason I'm waiting for a certain someone to walk in. Someone with that stupid cocky smile. My hope soon dissipates once the bell rings for the second time, signalling that the lesson has started. Korra wasn't here, she was late again.

I slump back in my chair, sighing in the process. Why is she never on time? There must be something she's doing that makes her late all the time. It couldn't possibly be because a bus was late or something, Jinora told me once that Korra didn't live that far away from school. It couldn't be football either, it's not on in a morning, especially on a Monday. It's either she skips or just sleeps in late.

I glance up to Miss Beifong and see that she's busy writing something on the board. I quickly pull out my phone and rest it under the desk, tapping in my passcode so I could swipe onto Korra's contact. I sigh, she didn't reply to my messages from earlier either.
Me: Where are you?

I keep it in my lap for a few minutes, waiting for it to buzz and tell me that Korra has replied. I wait and wait but there's still no answer, normally Korra would respond in a matter of seconds. She must be really busy, or asleep. Wu nudges me and I look at him, a smirk was plastered on his face as he adverts his gaze between me and my phone. I huff and turn my phone off, he could probably see that I was texting Korra and he's imagining things. I just want to talk to her about the project... in person since she wasn't replying to my texts.

Miss Beifong suddenly stops speaking as the classroom door slowly squeaks open. My heart begins to ache slightly as Korra steps through. She looks more exhausted then I've ever seen her before. Did she even sleep at all? Her posture was slunched over like she was struggling to even hold herself up whilst she walked, her eyes were barely open and kept closing gradually every second. Korra stood at the door, bag in hand, and it looked like she could probably sleep like that too. Miss Beifong sighs and points outside the classroom, making Korra nod slowly and turn around; closing the door behind her in the process.

Miss Beifong exits the classroom after giving us instructions on what to do. I wasn't listening though, my eyes are trained on the glass of the classroom door, hoping that I would catch a glimpse of Korra. 'Unwell' wasn't even the right word to describe that girl's appearance right now, it was something worse than that. Korra and the teacher soon enter the classroom again, the chatter dies for a moment until Korra practically collapses at her desk. She weakly opens her bag and shifts her books onto the table. Wu nudges me again but i don't turn away. I watch Korra as she starts to scribble something into her note book.

Her desk was a few rows away from mine, slap bang in the middle of the class. Everyone seems to not care about this girl, they're all chattering away and laughing like Korra looking like this was normal. Something was going on with this girl and I'm going to find out exactly what.
"You know if you stare any longer she might think you're a freak."