Her Desires --- Cat. V

TWO

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"Pretty Wings" by Maxwell

97... 98... 99... I mumbled, counting off the door numbers as I searched for my class. This school was weird, but not in a bad way. On the way here, I saw all kinds of random stuff: white and Asian kids breakdancing—surprisingly good, too—and Black kids dressed in preppy clothes like they just walked out of a J. Crew ad. Music filled the air; some kids played saxophones while others belted out songs like they were auditioning for a talent show.

And then, there was one nigga straight-up arguing with a... puppet?

I chuckled, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all as I finally spotted room 101. I pushed the door open and sighed with relief when I saw the room was empty. The bell hadn't rung yet. Perfect. I made my way to the back of the class and sat in the last row near the wall, turning my headphones up to full volume. The hum of music quickly lulled me into sleep as I rested my head back.

Being a light sleeper, though, it didn't take long for me to wake up when chairs started shuffling and people filed into the room. I cracked my eyes open slightly and saw some familiar faces—Cat, Andre and Tori.

I blinked away the sleep, quietly hoping I could stay unnoticed a little longer. But of course, that didn't last long.

"Yo! What's up, girl?" Andre's voice cut through the remnants of my sleep. I internally groaned but still reached out to dap him up as he sat next to me.

Tori and Cat followed, sliding into seats nearby.

"Hi, Y/N!" Cat chirped in her usual bubbly tone, her voice bright and cheery. I couldn't help but smile a little at her energy.

"What's up," I replied lowly.

"So, Y/N, what do you do?" Andre asked, making me look at him strangely. "Like, do you rap, sing, play an instrument?"

"A little of it all," I said. His eyes widened.

"Damn! Girl, I gotta hear some of that. We should definitely make a song one day." I nodded in agreement.

"How ironic, the mute sings," Jade cut in as she and Beck approached, along with the guy who was arguing with the puppet.

"Hey, Cat!" he said.

Cat smiled. "Robbie! Hi!" she exclaimed.

They talked back and forth, while the puppet—Robbie's puppet—was looking at me, sending shivers down my spine when it blinked.

"You're scary," the puppet said, and my eyes widened slightly.

"Rex, that's not nice," Robbie scolded.

"Man, look at Him. Mean-mugged up and tatted. It doesn't get any worse," Rex added, as my scowl deepened and Jade laughed.

"Y/N's not a boy; she's a girl," Cat said, giggling slightly as if it were obvious. Rex, the puppet, seemingly leaned in closer to me.

"How can you tell?"

I rolled my eyes, ready to rip the puppet in half.

"'Cause she told me, duh," Cat replied.

"Don't mind Rex, man. He's got a mind of his own," Andre said, patting my shoulder.

"Rex, apologize," Robbie said, scolding the puppet.

"Okay, look, he-she... man, I apologize," Rex said, clearly not meaning it.

Before I could respond, a man suddenly climbed in through the... window?

"Settle down, class," the man said, standing on the platform at the front of the room as he surveyed us. "Seems we have a new student today," he said, gesturing for me to come up.

I got up reluctantly.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I hesitated for a second, my eyes scanning the room as everyone looked at me. Cat beamed at me, clearly excited, while Jade looked half-bored, half-amused. Andre gave me an encouraging nod, and Tori shot me a reassuring smile.

"Y/N," I finally said, my voice steady but low.

"Y/N, huh? Alright, I'm Mr. Sikowitz. Welcome to my class. You'll fit right in," he said with a wild grin.

I gave a slight nod.

Sikowitz clapped his hands suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Alright, let's jump into some improv! Y/N, since you're new, why don't you join Jade, Beck, and Tori in a scene? Just follow along, and don't be afraid to get weird with it."

Jade smirked as she and the others approached the stage. "Don't worry, mute. We'll go easy on you... maybe."

Andre leaned back in his chair, laughing as the rest of the class watched eagerly. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself.

"Alright, let's set the scene. You four are... at a restaurant. But it's not just any restaurant. It's underwater! And include miming. Ready? Go!"

Tori gave me a quick smile before starting to mime swimming. I hesitated, watching them for a moment, unsure of how to jump in.

Jade mimed sitting down at an imaginary table, her movements sharp and exaggerated. "Waiter!" she called out in her typical deadpan tone. "I want a fish sandwich. And it better not be soggy."

Beck mimed swimming up next to her, flipping his hair back dramatically as if it were floating in water. "Babe, we're underwater. Everything's soggy."

Tori pretended to swim up behind them, playing the part of the server. "Can I interest you in some... kelp fries?"

I stood there, feeling awkward, but Andre gave me an encouraging nod from his seat. "Just jump in, girl! You got this!"

I took a deep breath and mimed swimming up to the "table," deciding to roll with the ridiculousness. "Y'all really complaining about some soggy food when we're literally drowning down here?" I said, crossing my arms as I leaned back, pretending to be annoyed.

Jade smirked, clearly amused by my addition. "Maybe I like drowning in style."

I raised an eyebrow, getting into the flow now. "In style? Man, we're at a fast-food joint 20,000 leagues under the sea. Ain't shit stylish 'bout that."

The class burst out laughing, and I caught Sikowitz giving me an approving nod. I was surprised at how natural it felt once I got into it.

Tori jumped back in, handing over "imaginary kelp fries" to Beck. "Would you like some extra saltwater with that?"

Beck took the fries and mimed sipping on them like they were a drink. "Ah, refreshing."

"Okay!" Sikowitz interrupted, stepping forward. "That's enough! Good work, everyone. Especially you, Y/N. For your first improv, you did great."

I nodded as I got off the platform. Cat approached me excitedly.

"You did so good, Y/N!" she said, giving me a high-five.

"Thanks," I replied with a small smile.

A/n- I don't want to make Y/n 100% mute so I'm bringing down to like 50% or sum.