The Language of Love

Chapter One

Leigh had a particularly rambunctious first-hour class. By the time eight-thirty hit, she was usually completely worn out. These kids were loud and, to be frank, quite rude. Leigh had a particular talent for keeping her patience, but it was wearing thin. One can only endure so much wasted time before they snap. Leigh was just taking a bit longer to than someone else would, perhaps. Today had been one of the worst days--the students had spent a full twenty minutes talking, nevermind that she had been right in the middle of a lesson. Of course, one student felt the need to make the lesson into a joke. Leigh chuckled in spite of herself, but she silently cursed the kid's name--whatever it was--once fifteen minutes had passed.

When the bell rang to signal the end of first hour, Leigh sat down in her chair with a huge sigh, taking advantage of the three precious minutes she had to relax before her next class showed up. She found herself jealous of Brigitte, who taught another class right around the corner. She got one of the quietest classes in school, and she probably never got interrupted. Then again, Brigitte did not have the same patience as Leigh did. A hunch told her that these kids learned quickly.

Leigh trudged through her next class, a bunch of kids who didn't care, it seemed. They just sat there, whispering to each other and twiddling their thumbs. Leigh had to fight a strong urge to just climb out the window and leave. There was only a week left of school, anyways. What reason had she to stay?

She was so frustrated that she didn't even hear the bell ring. She almost started crying with relief. She didn't have another class until after lunch.  Finally, some peace and quiet.  Once the bell that signaled the start of the hailed lunch time, Leigh grabbed her lunch from the mini fridge and started making her way down the hall. Halfway there, she bumped into none other than Brigitte herself. Leigh's face went bright red, but her embarrassment dissolved when she saw that Brigitte was laughing. It wasn't a malicious laugh, though she couldn't quite define what it was. Nevertheless, she laughed with her.

"Where you running off to?" Brigitte asked, humorously.

"I was going to your room for lunch." Leigh answered.

This drew another good-natured laugh from Brigitte.

"I was just going to have lunch with you."

There was a slight pause as both of them tried to fight off laughter, but this proved to be in vain when they both melted into heaps of giggling and the occasional snort (making a sort of hee hee HAW pattern) , which only provoked more laughter.

"Okay, let's go to your room" Brigitte said, collecting herself at last. 

Leigh nodded and they walked back to her classroom.  Brigitte popped open a thermos and Leigh unzipped her lunchbox and pulled out her sandwich. 

"What's that?" She asked, nodding towards the thermos.

"Leftover ramen" Brigitte responded.  "I forgot that two kids were out camping and made five packets.

Leigh snorted a little, and they finished eating quickly. 

"So, how was your morning?" Brigitte asked. 

Leigh groaned and put her head on the desk.  Brigitte smiled.

"Not so good, I take it."

Leigh shook her head.  "Some kid felt entitled to waste twenty minutes."

Brigitte cringed and supportively patter her shoulder.

"Yikes"

"Anyways, how was yours?"

"Pretty good, actually.  First hour is so quiet, it's bizarre."

"Lucky." Leigh accused.

Brigitte laughed, and Leigh with her.  Soon, the bell rang and they had to return to their classrooms for their next classes.  They high-fived and said their goodbyes before Brigitte left and Leigh prepared for the rest of the day.

The next few glasses were pretty calm. Leigh had an advanced class for seventh hour, and, of course, they got ridiculously off track, and ended up spending the whole class talking about presidential candidates.

Leigh returned home, and got ready for bed before curling up with her current favorite book and a bowl of ice cream: the only two things that could make her feel better after a day like this.