Brown Girl

I Can Talk.

She moved to the song with utter grace and perfection at eleven o'clock in the night. With a smile on her face, she let go and the steps came to her naturally. It was like she was in her own world. Where it was just her and the beat.

Her world suddenly came apart as her phone started ringing. Sighing, she lowered the volume and went to pick up her phone, smiling as she saw the caller ID.

"Maya!" Alisha squealed.

"Alisha...." Maya trailed off.

Uh-oh. She sounded sad and Maya never sounds sad. "What's wrong?"

"It's Karan...." She trailed off.

"What? What happened to Karan? Oh, s**t! Is he okay? Maya, speak, dammit!" Alisha rambled on, each muscle of her body tensing.

"He's been in an accident." Maya sighed. Alisha's world suddenly closed in on her. "He was riding his motorcycle-"

"Wait, Maya." Alisha cut in. "Karan does not own a motorcycle."

She heard some cursing on the other line.

"Maya, what really happened?" Alisha asked.

"Well, nothing happened! You ditched me and moved to U.S! That's what happened!" Maya screamed making Alisha smile sadly.

"Maya...." Alisha sighed. "It's hard for me too."

"I just thought if I told you Karan was fighting for his life you would come back, seeing how close you are to him." She huffed, confessing.

That was Maya. Always with the most idiotic but totally sweet plans. "Maya, if you told me any one of you guys has been in an accident, I would be on the next plane."

"Yeah, I know." Maya sighed. "I miss you, you know?"

"I miss you too, bey. Darr hain ki tu mere bina koi kaand kar dengi. (I'm scared without me you'll get into huge s**t)." Alisha said, using hindi slang.

They continued to talk for quite a while. Alisha told her everything about the town and her new friends while Maya told her what was happening back in India.

"Is Karan there?" Alisha asked. Usually, the whole gang hangs out at Maya's place after school.

"Yeah, just a minute." Maya said and she heard some shuffling after which Karan came on the line.

"Hey." She missed his voice. She was very close to Karan. It's because of him she's alive or else she would've given up on herself a long time back.

"Chakke, saale, ek phone bhi nahi karta? (bloody i***t, why didn't you call me even once?)" Alisha demanded.

"Socha tha ki karunga par phir kiya nahi...( I thought I would, but then I couldn't.)" He confessed. Karan was like that, always too scared to show his emotional side.

"Jaanti hoon. (I know)" Alisha chuckled.

"How's US?" He changed the topic.

"Better than I expected." She admitted. She turned her head towards the window to see Alex enter his room. He was in jeans and a black t-shirt. He tossed his keys on the bed and went inside the bathroom. "Much better."

"Uh-oh. You met someone, didn't you?" She could hear his smirk.

"What? No!" She denied. "I met a whole bunch of people."

"But in that bunch there is someone, isn't there?" He sounded so smug. Bastard.

"No, Karan. There is not." She chuckled.

"Stop lying. I know you too well, okay? Chal ab naam bol. (Tell me his name)."

"Koi nahi hain, baap. Dum mat kar. Jaa gaand mar apni. (There's no one, don't annoy me. Go f**k yourself)" She cursed making him laugh.

"I missed your potty mouth." He chuckled.

"I do not have s**t in my mouth. Tatti tere gaand mein sadri. (the s**t is dying inside your ass)." She rolled her eyes making him laugh out loud again.

~

She spoke to the rest of her gang too and finally after an hour, she hung up. Turning off the music and lights, she left the studio and went to her room.

Changing into her pyjamas, as she came out of the bathroom, she heard the familiar strumming of the guitar. Smiling, she hoisted her herself out of the window and onto the roof. She walked quietly and sat beside Alex, letting him finish his tune.

He smiled as he felt her sitting beside him, not breaking his tune. Finally, his tune came to an end.

"That was really, really good." She commented.

"Gracias." He said.

Why does his accent have to be so mother effing hot?, Alisha thought.

"Hey! See, we're making progress. You did not scream this time!" She exclaimed making him chuckle.

"That's because I was expecting you. Lured you up here with my guitar." He admitted.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's kind of stalkerish, you know?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "So, tell me something about yourself."

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean why? You're my neighbour, friend and I don't know much about you. I would like to know more. That's why." He gave her an obvious look.

"You think of me as your friend?" She asked, smiling.

"If you want to be more than that....I'm completely okay with it." He smirked flirtatiously.

She snorted despite the warmth spreading in her stomach. "You wish."

He smiled. "Now tell me about yourself."

"That didn't sound creepy at all, peeking Tom." She said sarcastically.

"Shut up." He chuckled.

"Well, what do you want to know?" She smiled.

"Anything."

"And here I thought you were going to be vague." She sighed.

He sighed. "Just speak up."

She chuckled. "Okay, okay, stalker. Um, let's see... My name is Alisha Roy, if you were wondering..." She smirked making him give her a glare.

"I shouldn't of even asked." He muttered.

Smirking, she continued. "Fine, I'll tell you. I'm Indian. I'm single. I like dancing. I can't cook even if my life depended on it. Movies are my life. Favourite TV show is F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Favourite colour is black."

His lips twitched upward. "I already know all that."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god, you really are a stalker!"

He laughed. "Nope! Just wanted to see your reaction."

"Jerk!" She smacked his arm. He liked it when she did that.

"What about music?" He inquired.

"Music is something my life depends on. Literally." She confessed.

"Spoken like a true Lisztomaniac."

"Thank you." She smiled. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"It's your turn to 'speak up'." She repeated his words.

"Fine!" He scoffed. "I'm Alejandro Valdez. Spanish. Single..."

"Wait, what?" She cut him off.

"I knew you would notice that." He groaned.

She turned completely towards him, each leg dangling on opposite sides of the ledge forcing Alex to take the same position.

"Your name is Alejandro?" She asked with glee as her eyes widened.

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Alex." He confessed.

"Why?" Alejandro was such a nice name, she thought.

"I don't like Alejandro." He grimaced.

"Well, you know what I think?" She whispered, leaning in a bit as her finger trailed down his chest, making his breathing shallow.

"W-what?" He murmured, distracted.

"I think..." She murmured, leaning closer. "that it's kind of..."

"Kind of?" He whispered looking into her eyes. Her heart was beating as fast as his.

"Kind of...." They were an inch apart, noses almost touching.

"Kind of?"

"Idiotic." She smirked and leaned away making him scowl.

"You can't do that!" He exclaimed.

"What? Insult your name?" She asked innocently.

"Aw, shut up!" He pouted making her laugh.

"Well, I got to go but you have to tell me everything about yourself tomorrow." She mock glared.

"Someone's creepy." He teased.

"Shut up." She shook her head, smiling as she got up.

"Bye." She smiled and turned to walk.

"Loving the duck pyjamas, by the way!" He called out making her roll her eyes.

"I know you're rolling your eyes." He called out again making her laugh and flip him off behind her head.

He looked at her for a moment before turning to look at the view.

"Hey, Alex!" He heard her call. He turned to see her about to get off her roof.

"Yeah?"

"Alejandro?"

"Yeah?"

"It's kind of sexy." She winked and swooped down to her window leaving him grinning like an i***t.

~

It had been a month since Alisha moved to Ortown. Even though it pained her to admit it, she was wrong. Ortown was nothing like she expected. It was better, way better.

Currently, she was sitting with Joey, Colt, Mira and Christina at the lunch table. Alex had been called by the principal in reference to some seriously offensive graffiti sprayed across the architecture teacher, Mr.Griffin's classroom.

"Say chuuuu."

"Chuuuu?"

"Tiiiiii"

"Tiiii?"

"Ya."

"Ya?"

"Chutiya."

"Chutiya."

"There you go!" Alisha patted Joey's back.

"What does it mean, anyway?" He inquired.

"I told you. It means a little boy." She smirked.

"C'mon, we know that's complete bull. You just made that up. What's the true meaning?" Colt prodded.

"How do you know that's not the true meaning?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Are you serious? The word itself sounds...dirty." Christina answered for Colt.

She sighed. "Yeah, it doesn't mean a little boy. It means fucker."

"Fucker? Nice!" Joey exclaimed.

"Tell us some more." Colt urged.

"More what?" Alisha asked, sipping on her water.

"Nursery rhymes." Colt gave a flare stare. "Slangs, of course!"

"Oh, okay. But not a word to Alex about this, okay?" She warned. She liked to keep him guessing the meanings as he did when she couldn't figure out the meaning of a Spanish slang.

"Cross our hearts and hope to die." Christina said mockingly.

"Well, there's bhenchod, that means sister fucker-"

"Oooh! Dirty!" Joey rubbed his hands like a kid making Alisha give him a flat stare which shut him up.

"Then there's madarchod which is your normal mother fucker. There's gaandu that means asshole. There's maa ke lode that means your mom's pubic hair-"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there! Too much cussing for me." Mira held up both her hands making Alisha smirk. She was surprised Mira took it for so long. She hates cussing.

"Aw, c'mon! She just got to the pubic hair!" Joey groaned making everyone burst out in laughter. Just then, Alex enters, joining them at the table.

"Brown girl." He acknowledges her.

"Chuitye." She acknowledges right back making everyone smirk at the table. 

"Hey, bhenchod." Joey smirked.

"What?" Alex asked, completely clueless.

"It means like a great buddy or a great pal! Hey, buddy! Hey, bhenchod!" Joey exclaimed.

"It's Hindi." Colt cleared the air.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Okay...."

"Bhenchod!" Joey exclaimed.

"Okay! It means pal, I got it." Alex nodded.

The others exchanged looks at this and burst out in laughter making Alex very suspicious.

Geez, today it's worse than usual, he thought.

~

"You're giving them Hindi slang lessons?" Alex asked Alisha as they walked to Maths together after lunch.

"Yeah, so?" She replied dryly.

"So.....nothing." He trailed off with no answer making her smile.

"Anyway, how was it with Rimkus?" Alisha inquired.

"No evidence! Ha!" He high-fived himself earning a 'are you crazy' look from Alisha.

"You're a weird dude." She commented.

"You're a brown girl." He retorted, lack of a better response.

"You're a racist." She shrugged.

"Only for you. Feel privileged." He smirked making her snort.

"Sureee." She dragged.

"So, have you got a chance to explore our wonderful town yet?" He asked.

"No." She replied.

"W-what?" He came to a halt as she continued walking.

"What?" She asked turning to see why he wasn't catching up.

"Why haven't you? It's been a month!"

"Didn't get a chance." She shrugged.

"That's it!" He suddenly clapped his hands. "I'm taking you now."

"Now?" She echoed. "Like now?"

"Unless you're deaf, yeah. Now." He nodded.

"As in bunk the rest of the day?" She voiced her thoughts.

"For an asian, you're slow." He commented.

"Shut up!" She retorted. Debating over it for not even half a moment, she grinned. "Let's do it."

"Yes!" He fist pumped the air. He grabbed her hand and they both rushed off to the opposite direction of the Maths class, towards the back of the school. Alex was an expert at ditching school. Always has been.

She was so thrilled at the idea of something so spontaneous after so long that she didn't even notice Colin walking towards her to talk to her but then abruptly stopping, watching as she ran off with that Alex. They had become pretty good friends over the month. She was his only friend. And now that Alex was coming in the way, he thought, as he just stared at them run away. Anger and jealousy bubbling inside of him.

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