The Exchange

Chapter 6- Connard

Hi all,

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you're enjoying the story.

If you have any comments please let me know. I love reading what other people think or their views on characters etc. :)

Because this book is about a French exchange I will put some french dialogue throughout since Julien is meant to have a slight language barrier. However, I will also put the English translation next to the speech to make it easier for readers.

Example:
"il n'y avait pas d'oeufs" (There were no eggs)

Thanks & Enjoy x

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Sasha marched out of the house banging the garden gate as she went, furious with her mother for dubbing her 'babysitter of the exchange' even if it was only for one evening. Julien trailed silently after her but his presence spoke in volumes. 

She couldn't help but be overtly aware of his close proximity behind her which made everything she did feel stiff and wrong. Attempting to remove all her anxious thoughts she turned her focus on a loose piece of hair and began attempting to fix it back into her bun.

Feeling his stare scorching into her back she gulped and her skin errupted into goosebumps. Her tongue seemed stuck in her throat, and she couldn't think of how to start a conversation. Where was Annette when she was needed?

Nibbling her lower lip she wondered where she could take Julien. The city centre was about 20 minutes walk from their house, which meant another 20 minutes walk back as well. Could she bare the awkward tension for that long?

Plus Sasha hadn't been lying when she said the town was 'shitty'. Perhaps not the best descriptive word to use at the dinner table but it wasn't untrue. Or at least not for someone who had lived there all their life. 

There was the usual; cafes, restaurants, a cinema, parks, a couple of pubs, even a bright snazzy new casino that gave out free champagne if you became a member.

Sasha usually tried to avoid town as much as possible preferring the fields around her house or the hidden gems, like a wacky coffee shop called 'The Kooky Bean'. This is where she had spent most of her studying days, furiously paging through worn books and keeping her caffeine level at an all time high.

If she did go into town it would usually be to see her friends, go out for the night, or because her book selection needed revamping. Once she'd finished one novel, it was straight onto the next. She could devour most anything; the classics, poetry compilations, sci-fi, and if she was feeling adventurous then a non-fiction history book. 

Her obsession had begun when she was very young and it didn't help that her only real friend during secondary had been her English teacher.

Sasha carried books with her everywhere. They filled her room, being crammed along shelves or dotted about in piles. They were mostly second hand, with their covers scratched and random pages creased but Sasha didn't mind. She loved how this gave them character and often wondered who'd paged through them before her, who'd loved them, made notes in the margins, and carried them around.

It's incredible to think of the places most books have been, and the fantastical places they take you.

The sun had begun its slow descent in the sky signalling that it was early evening and the wind had picked up causing a plastic bag to blow across the road. Sasha was staring at it trying to form a plan when she felt a nudge on her back, making her stumble forward.

Spinning around she turned to glare at the culprit questioningly, her brow still furrowed from thought.