Noncompetitive

"She's sick."

As soon as the substitute teacher made this announcement, half the classroom tried to swap seats. A few didn't succeed, still ending up with sharing a long desk with someone they didn't particularly care for.

The substitute had found a chair, and seemed prepared to surf the internet for the day on his phone. Oh, he managed to take roll call after a few minutes, but seemed generally uninterested in doing anything else with the students.

A few gossiped. A few were hugging around a smuggled in cell phone, and seemed to be quietly gushing over a series of music videos. One boy seemed to be trying to locate the best place on the wall to write his name and not get caught. A few stuck to their textbooks, occasionally asking each other questions about what a certain bit was supposed to mean. The answers the came up were never quite teacher quality.

Usha tried to be responsible and study, imaging both of her parents adminishing her for wasting her education, but found herself trying not to fall asleep. Her aunt's couch wasn't her own bed.

She tried to wake up by standing at the window, hoping there would be a breeze, but as the temperature continued to climb... nothing. Tired of dodging eyes of passers-by, she ended up laying on the floor, the cool concrete being enough to keep her awake.

Until she was being kicked. Maybe not as awake as she had thought.

Kusum. Calling her a childhood friend would be ... dishonest. The two had managed to always be in the same class since first standard. "Oye. Usha. Abhay doesn't believe me how bendy you are."

Usha groaned at being woken up, rubbing at her eyes "Oh? Who cares."

"He thinks he's the best in the class."

Usha tilted her head back to look along the floor. Abhay was in the another corner of the room, his legs twisted in half lotus, angled up to wedge a knee in an armpit - being ignored except for the two boys "testing him" by trying to twist him further. His own gaze though was aimed the two girls.

"Purna matsyendrasana, do you know about it?" his voice was a little louder than it needed to be.

Usha stayed where she was, but crossed her legs, "I've seen better."

"Let's see yours then."

Without moving from where she lay she twisted sideways, bringing her chest around to the ground while her butt still rested on it. She nonchalantly propped up her chin in her hands, "I thought you'd be asking me to stretch. No thanks."

Abhay didn't exactly have a response. That pose, as far as he knew, didn't have a name. He waved off the two boys that were holding him in place - then they finally noticed Usha. They spent a moment whispering in a huddle.

"Hey, do a Chakrasana!" Kusum was a little loud, but the boys paused before coming to any sort of decision.

"If you insist~" The din of the room had quieted a little, eyes were looking to see what was going on. Usha raised herself on all fours for a moment, her midsection still neatly twisted - before her bottom half flipped around to something closer to normal orientation. She had to make this good. Her eyes shot over to the substitute teacher - he either hadn't noticed, or didn't care to acknowledge, a thing. She shoved aside some books on the desk nearest to her - into the student that was still trying to study - then climbed up on it. She easily bent backwards from standing, bringing her hands down to the desk, the arch of her back tightening to the point she could have rested rest her butt on her head.

"Bitch," the student tried to gather her work and move to another desk.

"Is this good enough?" she looked between Abhay and Kusum - either side of her legs- as she asked the question. 

"I don't know, are you holding out on me?" Kusum stroked her chin while gauging Abhay and his friend's stares.

"Of course I am, I'm in a dress."

~

As the students were released for the evening - most none the smarter for the day - Abhay quietly passed Usha a printed flier. "It's right by the second bus stop north of the lakes - you'll need to email them for a form. But you can just say your mom is your coach. You should try it. I wouldn't mind coming in second place." He winked.

"Yoga Competition" the flier read.

Well, maybe there was a better person than her Maa to be her coach.