Modern fic based in the Avatar world without bending. The story takes place in the Earth Kingdom.
* when the story changes to 1st person, that means it's a flashback.*
Forever
Chapter one
The last summer before the class of 1988 would enter college was creeping quickly as finals ended and senior activities awaited them. The last Friday bell rang for it's final time for it's seniors, which had always been their savior in the past four years.
In the air filled with excitement, students gathered around lockers and in groups gossiping and bragging about summer plans with friends and family, and short vacations their families wouldn't know about.
Among these kids was a tall, pale senior with short black hair named Zuko. Being the silent one in his group of friends didn't affect his popularity unlike what his friend Jet would suggest. Zuko was intelligent and one of the schools athletic stars in Track & Field and Cross Country and a member in the student council for all four years. Despite whether he wanted it or not, he was greatly noticed and admired by teachers and underclassmen. He was respected by his classmates and had fewer enemies than Jet, who was a lot more social and flirtatious especially with girlfriends of his peers.
"There you are, Zuko," Jet casually leaned on the locker next to Zuko's. "Where did you go? You didn't come to class. If you were gonna ditch, you should have told me."
"I didn't ditch. I had an emergency meeting with the treasurer about yearbooks." Zuko said while tossing trash out from the locker into the trash bin. "I swear they can't do anything since the teacher advisor has been out. I had to fix up their mess everyday of this week. I'm barely emptying my locker." Zuko complained, ignoring his throbbing headache.
Jet studied his face. "Hmm. That's the responsibility that comes with being a president, huh? Thank God I didn't run this year." He laughed. "I told you not to, remember? I told you it would be too much work on top of having a ton of crap to do as seniors." Jet winked at a couple of passing girls who giggled at the sight of the handsome men. "And that's not the kind of thing you should be on top of. Hello, ladies."
Zuko threw a crumpled and ripped paper at Jet's face. "Enough of that. I don't even want to know what you've been doing with freshmen girls. Why don't you hit on someone your own age?"
"Ha!" Jet laughed while unfolding the paper that had weird lines running across. "You're one to talk. You're the one dating a chick two years younger."
Zuko remained expressionless as he cleaned. "Don't call her a chick. You know she hates that and she said she'd stab you next time she heard it."
"Nah, I don't take anything seriously." Jet said fanning himself with the worn paper.
"And that's why you don't have a girlfriend or cant even keep one for more than seven minutes."
Jet wasn't amused, "Ha ha. Yeah. Right, so you on the other hand know how to treasure a girl."
"Well, more than you since I can get a girlfriend."
"Uh huh, right so I'm the hopeless loser, and you're the stud? Alright fine. But what will your chick say when she finds out you destroyed another one of her precious drawings, hm?" He flipped the torn paper that Zuko had eariler threw in his hands and showed an old sketch of something once beautiful and now worn and no longer distinguishable.
Jet laughed as Zuko's face dropped and turned red. "Give that back!" He snatched it away and tried to smooth out the wrinkles.
"I can't wait for her to come. I wonder what she'll say."
Unlike Zuko, Jet loved teasing girls because they proved to be so easily swayed by a few simple words of a meaningless love. He was twisted and enjoyed watching those same girls beg and cry for forgiveness from the boyfriend they had so easily forgotten.
"Don't say that! Help me!" Zuko panicked.
Jet looked over his friends shoulder. "Oh look. She's here."
However, there was one who learned how to keep herself falling prey to his tricks. A sophomore named Katara who fell for it once and since then was able to escape his snake-like charm.
"Hey guys." Her face was shiny and her hair was wet and straight unlike its usual wavy style. She wore purple shorts and a white tank top above her bathing suit.
"Shoot. I gotta hide this." Zuko stuffed the drawing into his locker and put himself in front of it.
Jet rolled his eyes at his friend, and then raised an eyebrow at Katara's appearance. "Hey baby, looking good." Jet flirted and watching water from her wet hair drip down her legs.
She smacked her shoulder. "Don't start with me." She smiled at her boyfriend who was awkwardly leaning with one elbow uncomfortably inside his locker. She wrapped her arms around his waist when it didn't seem he was going to move and tip toed her way to his lips for a quick kiss. "Hi. Barely cleaning out your locker?"
"Yeah. Did you just get back from practice? You're still wet."
She leaned her head in his chest. "Mmhm." She secretly took in sniff of his shirt that was drenched in his scent. "I wanted to get here as fast as I could before you left. I haven't seen you all week."
He pulled out his elbow along with the distorted art by Katara, which he didn't notice fell on the ground, and wrapped his arms over hers. "Sorry, I've been busy lately."
She looked up at his face, tilting her head. "But you're graduating soon. I won't be able to see you that much anymore before you go to college."
Jet smirked. "Aw isn't that cute Zuzu?" He asked loudly so that he wouldn't be forgotten.
Zuko and Katara broke away. "We'll be together in the summer." He suggested.
"You know that I'm working at Aang's resturant though, right? I'll be busy too and I-" She stopped as soon as she heard her phone ring. "Hello? No I'm at the school. Where are you? Oh, you are? Sorry, I'll be right there." She hung up. "Sokka's waiting for me by the pool. Call me tonight." She kissed Zuko again.
"What about me?" Jet asked sticking his cheek out for a peck.
She smacked him lightly. "Bye guys."
"Well, that went well. She didn't notice her drawing lying there by your shoe."
"Huh?" Zuko looked down and snatched it. He studied the paper in his hands with narrow eyes, as though in deep thought. "She was nicer today, wasn't she?"
"What do you mean?"
Zuko dumped everything else in the trash and the two walked away from the lockers one last time and to the parking lot. "Last week she threw a fit remember? She didn't like that I haven't been able to drive her home anymore or walk around campus like we used to."
"Oh yeah." He laughed. "That was funny. You had no idea what to say."
"This is only our second year dating. She's pretty attached to the way things are."
By now they reached their cars and the boys sat on the hood of Zuko's car.
"She's not too clingy. Why are you complaining anyways? She's hot and all over you."
"Today was different. I don't want her worrying over me while I'm away. I haven't told her yet that I was accepted to study business in the Fire Nation."
Jet was quiet for a moment. "You know she's going to kill you, right? She still thinks your going to the local college? So basically she's trying to be mentally ready to be two hours apart from you. Now your making this an eight hour flight!"
"I know!" Zuko put his head down and looked at Jet from the side and sighed. "I think I'm going to break up with her."
Jet widened his eyes. "What? Zuko what are you talking about? Where did this come from?"
"Its nothing sudden. I've been thinking about it for a while now. I'm going to be far away and I want her to be with someone else. Someone closer to her. Who knows when I'll be back? It's not fair to her."
"Welcome to Cross Country. I'm passing out papers that has our schedules for meets and other forms for you and your parents to fill and turn in tomorrow." Coach Soasin told our team. "Put these away for now and I want everyone doing a two lap warm up on the track. Meet at the field when your done."
We all got up and started heading out the door when coach stopped me. "Zuko! Good to see you! How was your summer? Did you keep up your running?"
"Yeah, I did. I was helping Jet stay in shape for the season." I told him pointing over to Jet who was talking with our friend Sokka and his freshmen sister.
Coach laughed heartily. "Good, good. I missed the old team. Its great to see the three of you back together. I'm looking forward to a great season." He let me go catch up with Sokka and Jet and the three of us jogged a bit faster than the rest to talk without having other conversations flying around us.
"Are you pitching again in spring?" Jet asked Sokka. The three of us stayed in sports year round but in the spring when we didn't have cross country, Sokka played baseball and Jet took a weight lifting course while outside of school he took up martial arts meanwhile I ran track.
"Got that right." He said. "I'm taking the team to the championships!"
"Is Katara competing?" Jet asked while looking back at her. She wasn't talking to anyone and kept a decent pace with the more experienced runners.
"She looks good. Great form too. Secretly practicing?" I asked.
"Every morning since her season ended. You know how I told you guys that she was competing with a team outside of school since they middle school didn't have a team? She was fifth fastest girl out of seven. She kept bugging me to help her train for this season and be the fastest one out there." Sokka said with hint of annoyance in his tone. "She'd better be good. I almost injured myself."
"Ouch. How?" Jet asked as we finished our first lap.
"We went on a hike and I slipped when we were jogging down hill." Sokka explained with hand gestures.
I shook my head. "Coach would have exploded if you did injure yourself. Especially if it meant you were out this season."
Sokka laughed nervously. "I know! And while I was falling, that's all I thought about. Nothing about dying or living the rest of my life in a wheelchair. All I could see was the coach beating me to death if I wasn't dead already."
Jet laughed and patted his back. "Come on already let's finish this."
We picked up the pace a bit and went inside the weight room where the coach waited for us.