Just realized I fucked up and put the beginning to Salem's POV at the end because I'm a dunce... Just, whatever.
I own nothing.
Korra's POV:
How come this had to happen to me? Why is love so hard to deal with? Within the first fucking two months of school I have two guys cheat on me, both in the worst damn way imaginable. The first boy I went out with since the 6th grade. His name was Marshall, but everyone called him 'Salem' because he was really interested in the topic of witch-craft and witch trials. That and he was the only kid in school who moved to the area from Salem, Massachusetts.
The other was a boy named Mako. I thought he'd be there for me when I fell; the one who would be there to catch the call. I thought he was the one who would be there amongst the lies, and when there was the truth. But all he ended up doing was judging me, hurting me in the process.
I thought these two guys would be there for me; to love me. Heh… I thought wrong. Love? What is love (baby, don't hurt me)? I'll tell you what love is. Love is a false sense of hope and security placed on this god-forsaken-earth by the biggest asshole known to humankind.
I'm sorry; I seem to have gotten way ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A little over two months prior~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi! My name's Korra Vitali. I'm 17 years old, and I go to Sage High School in Boston, Massachusetts.
I was on my way to school, cruising casually on my blue Harley Sportster (link in my profile). Once I arrived, I parked my Motorcycle next to a car I've never seen before. It was a black Ford Mustang (link in profile) with white racing stripes. It must be a new kid. It was only a week into the school year.
Speaking of the new school year, I had to look good even though I wasn't interested in fashion all that much. I even refuse to wear skirts or dresses. But I kept my wardrobe in my style. I was wearing a pair of stonewashed, ripped blue-jeans, a Nirvana tank-top under a blue and white baseball jacket I picked up on sale at Target, a pair of blue Adidas basketball sneakers, and a Boston Celtics snapback with my top wolf-tail ('wolf-tails' is a hair style I invented) pulled through the opening in the back. (Link in my profile).
"Hey, Korra!" A familiar voice greeted as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
"Hey, Salem." I greeted in return as I shifted all the way around in his grip and faced him, gently grabbing his jaw before pulling his face down to my lips.
"You're here early. Half the teachers aren't even here yet." He pointed out as we both walked to our lockers, which were adjacent to one another in the west wing of the school.
"Yeah, well I already got detention once and it's only the first week of junior year." I began, clarifying my unusual promptness. "I don't need to spend another day in room 35." I said with a small chuckle as I opened my locker, grabbing my History and English textbooks for the first two periods.
Salem opened his locker, flipping back his light black hair before grabbing his History and English books. "Hey, Korr…" Salem began, staring at something behind me. "Who are they?"
I look behind me to see what he's looking at, or rather who he's looking at. I see two boys with jet-black hair walking toward us.
The short one had lively, bright, green eyes that made me hold back a smile that almost made its way to my lips. His hair was a bit more formal than the taller boy's, but still categorized as casual as it was slicked back with a cowlick hanging down in the front of his forehead (just like his cut in the show, k?). He wore an Irish-green t-shirt with the insignia of earth-benders on it from one of my favorite shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender, under a black hooded jacket with long button clasps. His jeans were a worn out black color with ripping seams in some places, but somehow matched his green Converses because his shirt was the same color. In his hands was a black DC hat that has seen better days. His bag was yellow and had 'Zombie Apocalypse Rescue Team' written on it, or something along the lines of that. (Link in my profile).
The other boy was taller and had brooding amber eyes like my brother, Wan. Except Wan's were more exuberant than this boy's. His hair was spiked up in the front, making him look kind of emo. His eyebrows looked like freaking sharks, which I thought was pretty badass, with a grey bandana Tu-Pac style covering his forehead. He wore a pair of black pants with small rips in the knees that the heels of them hit the floor while covering the heels of his black slip-on sneakers. A grey t-shirt with a half-sun-half-moon on it was under a red hoodie sweatshirt. His bag was black and had 'FOX' written on it. (Link in my profile).
He's kind of hot. I thought to myself then realized what just happened as a discreet blush rose to my cheeks. What the hell, Korra!? I scold myself internally. You have a boyfriend! A loyal boyfriend who you are also loyal to! A boyfriend you love dearly, and who loves you dearly back! AUGH! Get your head out of the gutter, Vitali! I think, absentmindedly pulling on my two front wolf-tails.
"Hey…" The amber-eyed boy began in a low voice, tugging at his bandana as he tries to find the right words. "Do either of you know where room 31 is?" He asks, shifting his stance as he realized he was slouching a bit.
Salem was the first to speak, being the kind individual he is as usual. "You guys must be new here." He stated as he stuck his hand out, shaking each of their hands.
"New to Boston, actually." The green-eyed boy specified. "My brother and I just moved here with our mom from Washington State." He said, gesturing to the amber-eyed boy and his-self.
"That's all the way across the country." I said, stating the obvious. "What's out here in Boston that's not in Washington?" I asked politely.
"Our mom is a college professor, a doctor actually, and she just got a job offer with a better pay at Boston University." The taller one explained, using his hands while speaking.
"So here we are…" The shorter one said, before his eyes went wide for one, terse second. "Oh, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed with a rather ashamed expression. "My name's Bolin Armstrong, and this is my older brother, Mako Armstrong the second." He clarified, introducing himself and his brother, making Mako huff in slight annoyance.
"You don't have to refer to me as 'the second'. Just call me Mako." He said, giving his brother a brief death glare.
"Well, my name's Marshall Asher. But everyone calls me Salem." Salem explained with a stupid grin on his face that I found very cute.
Bolin made a confused face. "Why do they call you that?" He asked, seeming rather curious of the origin of his nickname.
"I'm interested in the subject of witches and witch trials and shit." He confessed, receiving bewildered stares from the brothers which made Salem and I chuckle. "Also, I'm the only kid in this school who moved here from Salem, Mass." He added, causing them to smile a bit in return.
I introduced myself next. "I'm Korra Vitali." I said, shaking each of their hands. However, as soon as I made contact with Mako's hand, what seemed like a shock of electricity coursed through my arm and tingled down my spine. I can tell it happened to him as well because he quickly pulled away, a pinkish blush on his cheeks. Salem and Bolin didn't seem to notice, though.
"So, uh… You guys were looking for room 31?" I asked, able to compose myself from the handshake.
"Yeah!" Bolin answered as he looked around. It seemed everyone was starting to arrive.
"I assume that's your homeroom, right?" Salem predicted, getting nods from the brothers. "Well, that's our homeroom, too." He said as he draped his arm over my shoulders, before turning around and gesturing the two boys to follow. "Follow us, we'll take you there.
~~~~~~~~~~Still Korra's POV~~~~~~~~~~
It was 7:30, and Salem and I were working on a History assignment we forgot to do because we were dicking around at the park yesterday, playing on the swings and going down the slides rather than doing our homework.
"… Who's the 12th President of the United States…?" Salem asked, chewing on the clicky-thing at the end of his pen.
"Zachary Taylor." I answered instantly.
"8th?" He continued.
"Martin Van Buren."
"14th?"
"Franklin Pierce."
"31st?"
"Herbert Hoover."
"17th?"
"Andrew Johnson… Wait, these aren't even questions!" I realized with a wide grin on my face.
Salem laughed. "I know!" He admitted. "I just wanted to see how smart you are."
"Come on, Salem." I said with a giggle. "We only have two short questions left. The answer to number 9 being James Madison: Took office on March 4th, 1809 and left office on March 4th, 1817; Democratic-Republican."
Salem hummed as he wrote down the answer then tried to answer the last question. "Theodore Roosevelt took office on August 2nd, 1901 and left office on March 4th, 1909; Democratic-Republican?" He asked, as if for permission, before writing down his answer.
"Close, but no cigar." I began. "Calvin Coolidge took office on August 2nd, 1923, as did Gerald Ford on August 9th, 1974." I explained, receiving nods from him as I continued. "You were right about Roosevelt leaving office on March 4th, 1909, and right about the year in which he took office, but it wasn't August 2nd. It was September 14th, 1901. Also," I continued, "Roosevelt was not a Democratic-Republican; just a Republican." I explained, getting a slow blink from him that made me laugh a bit.
"Can you repeat the part about when Roosevelt took office?" He asked, getting his pen ready as I repeated the answer to him before we closed our books, finally done with the assignment.
"Hey, Korra!" My brother, Wan, greeted loudly as he entered the room wearing baggy gray sweats with an intricate design on them, a light blue Spider-Man t-shirt, and pair of stonewashed, high-top denim sneakers. He dresses like a fashionable homeless person, especially with his long hair and chin goatee.
He's actually my half-brother from our mom's side. He inherited his pale skin, nose, and bone structure from his father who died a little under a year after he was born. Then almost immediately, our mom, whose name is Senna, got with my father, Tonraq. She ended up getting pregnant and having me.
"Hey, Wan!" I greet back, getting up to hug him. "I didn't see you this morning when I woke up. Where were you?" I asked as we both pulled away from the hug simultaneously, walking back to my seat. He sat down at the desk in front of me with Salem to our left.
"How's it hangin', Wan?" Salem welcomed, giving him a fist-pound.
"Good, Salem." He replied with a wide smile before turning back to me. "To answer your question, sis, I was at Tony's Market picking up coffee, but I got distracted. I had like a 30 minute long conversation with Tony after he rung up my purchase."
Tony was a family friend of our… Father who's always drunk. Ever since our mom died when I was 7 years old from a brutal car crash caused by an asshole drunk driver on the wrong side of the highway, my dad started drinking himself. He became very abusive to the both of us whenever he was not on a business trip. But he's rarely ever home. Anyhow…
Tony was a good guy. He gave Wan a job when he was 16 at the Market, even though we don't need money. Wan just needed something to do. We're practically rich because our dad sends us money. He's like an international councilman or something like that. Whatever. He owes us for being the kind of person he is, anyway. But let's get back to the subject at hand.
"Oh! How is Tony?" I asked, wanting to hear from our family friend.
"He's good." Wan began. "His son? Giuseppe? Yeah! He just got accepted into Dartmouth: School of Law!" He said with excitement.
"Really!?" I questioned rhetorically. "That's great!" I exclaimed in a congratulatory manner. "Wait! Salem, isn't your neighbor a professor for criminal law there!?" I questioned, eagerly awaiting an answer from my boyfriend.
"Yeah! Mr., or uh- Professor Rocco!" He answered quickly. (Rocco is not a real professor, nor a real person).
"What subject-thing is Giuseppe in!?" I ask, directing the question toward Wan.
"Criminal Law!" He states.
"That's amazing! I gotta remember to congratulate him later." I said, making a mental note.
The bell rang, indicating homeroom was over and the 4 minutes we have to haul ass to A period has begun.
I sit in the front of the room in history class next to Salem. We weren't a fan of PDA (Public Display of Affection) when we started dating, but now we got used to it.
My hands sat upon Salem's broad shoulders as his hands rested on my biceps. We weren't French kissing or anything too crazy to do in public. We were just softly kissing one another's lips.
Right before the bell rang, the two brothers we met, Mako and Bolin, sat in the two seats behind us. I opened my eyes for a brief moment to see them scanning the room, probably looking for other seats to take. Unfortunate for them, there weren't any. They had no other choice, but to avoid contact with the kissing couple.
"Sorry I'm late, class!" The teacher apologized as he stood in front of the classroom.
He's another family friend of our mom's. Outside of school wan and I call him Tenzin. But in school, we gotta keep it formal.
"My name is Mr. Gyatso, and welcome to ACP History." He announced.
Probably wondering why I'm in ACP History, right? Well, I chose to stay in ACP. That's it. So let's get on with the story.
"The reason I'm presenting my name is because I have received word that I have two, new students who have recently moved to- Marshall, Korra! Please, no public display of affection during class." He reprimanded as Salem and I pulled away from each other, getting a few giggles from us and some other kids. Tenzin let out an annoyed sigh. "As I was saying… Two, new students have just moved to the Boston area." He looked to the two sitting behind me. "Would you be so kind as to introduce yourselves?" He asked, though it wasn't a question, but more of a command.
Bolin stood up first. "My name's Bolin Armstrong and my brother and I moved here from Washington State." He began, pausing for a short moment thinking of what to say next. "An interesting fact about myself is that I can speak Italian perfectly." He said with a comical grin.
"Care for a demonstration?" Tenzin suggested, Bolin gladly accepting the offer.
"Ciao. Il mio nome è Bolin Armstrong. Ti ho detto che sono fluente in Italiano." He said with a smirk.
I take Italian, too. I'm bad at it and I'm barely passing. He said something along the lines of stating his name. Then said something about cooking an Italian meal…? Or something. I don't know! I suck at Italian!
"That means 'Hello. My name is Bolin Armstrong. I told you I am fluent in Italian'." Bolin clarified. Did I mention I suck at Italian?
Mako stood up as Bolin sat down. "Uh… My name's Mako Armstrong and uh… Yeah, I moved here to Massachusetts with Bolin from Bellingham in Washington State…" He paused, shifting nervously as he contemplated what to say. "Um… One fact about me is that I was named after my father…" He forced out before he sat down. I can tell he's a bit socially awkward. At least around new people he is.
"Thank you." Tenzin acknowledged before turning to the whiteboard, a green marker in hand. He wrote Team I and Team II then divided the words into a chart. We were gonna play a game I loved.
"We are going to play a trivia game relevant to the subject we are currently learning, which is Presidents of the United States. The team who wins will get 5 bonus points on their tests." He declared then began to pick the groups for the two teams.
After we all moved the desks into a certain order, I quickly scanned over the members of my team. Danny, Nate, Jenna, Tara, Howl, Carol, Jeff, some dude we call Rabbit not because he looks like a rabbit, but because he looks like Eminem. Rob, Kara, Leann, Shawn, and Mako who was sitting next to me with a nervous expression on his face. Salem and Bolin were on the other team.
"Alright…" Tenzin said as he held notecards in his hands, clearing his throat before beginning.
"Team I." Tenzin began, turning to face my team as I was the first one to stand up. "What year was William McKinley elected into office?"
"March 4th, 1897." I stated.
"Correct." Tenzin said before marking one tally on the whiteboard. "Team II…" He said, Bolin standing up to take the question as he was the one sitting in the first seat. "Who was Rutherford B. Hayes' Vice President?"
"Ummmm… Wwwww…. William A. Wheeler…?" He said with uncertainty.
"Correct." Tenzin turned around to give Team II a point before facing my team again. Mako anxiously stood to take the question. "What political party was John Adams a part of?"
Mako shifted timidly in his spot as he fumbled with his words. "Uhhhh…" He paused for a long moment, playing with the string on his hoodie. "It's- he's- is, um- uh… Could, uh- could you repeat the question…?" He stammered.
"What political party was John Adams a part of?" Tenzin reiterated, awaiting an answer from the nervous boy.
"Uuhhhh… wht pltcl prt wu jhn adms prt of…" He mumbled incoherently to himself. "Um… John Adams us a uh… He was a… An independent…?" He answered, sounding like he had questioned himself.
"Incorrect." Tenzin stated as Mako sat down with a slight huff of irritation. "John Adams was a federalist." He said then turned to Team II.
'This is gonna be a long hour…' I thought to myself as we continued the game.
Team I won the game by one point and earned the plus five bonus on the test. But I could tell Mako was pretty bummed out. He only answered two questions correctly, and the answered he gave were guesses. History, or at least the subtopic in the subject, is not his strong point.
Salem and I were on our way to ACP English along with Mako and Bolin. Mako was sort of silent, but his brother was very social. He even stopped us outside the door to the English room to flirt with a girl. He got her number without even trying too hard. However, it looks like he's had some practice with flirting.
Mako, on the other hand, doesn't even try at all. Girls just flock to him like moths to light. It was kind of funny, actually. Whenever a girl came up to him and tried to flirt, he would turn them down in the most respectful and polite way possible while still managing to do it with a brooding attitude. This happened several times on our way to English.
Once in the classroom, I saw my best friend in the entire universe sitting in the back row. "ASAMI!" I yelled, causing her to look up from her textbook and smile widely at me.
"KORRA!" She yelled back, jumping out of her seat and running over to attack me in a hug.
(Her outfit is in the link on my profile).
"Asami, I thought you weren't coming back from New York until next week!" I pointed out, though not really caring about that, but caring that she's just here.
"My father ended up merging with Amon & Tarrlok Industries a few days in advance!" She clarified.
"That's great, Asami!" I congratulated, grabbing her hands tightly to show my happiness for Future Industries, the company her father owns.
She looked behind me. "Salem!" She greeted. "It's good to see you." She said as she gave him a friendly hug, Salem returning the gesture.
"You, too 'Sami." He greeted back.
"Oh! New students?" She questioned, referring to Mako and Bolin as she pulled away from her hug with Salem.
"I'm Bolin." He greeted with a hand, flashing her a bright, toothy grin that made her giggle.
"… I'm Mako, Bolin's brother…" He shook her hand nervously. Jeez! He's really not good with new people, is he?
"Juniors I assume?" She asked, getting nods from both of them. "Did you guys already live in the area or…?" She began, her words trailing off as she expected an answer.
"We moved here from Washington State." Bolin replied. "So neither of us are really familiar with the area."
"We can all go out somewhere after school then." Asami suggested. "The five of us can go to the mall." She said as she caught me glaring at her, indicating she was missing something. "Yeah, yeah, Korra!" She said in a playful tone. "Wan can come, too. I know you two are best pals."
I giggled at her statement. "That and he's the only one out of all of us who has a big enough car to fit all of us. Plus, you lost your license for drag racing at that warehouse then had to wait three hours at the DMV to get it back." I said, reminding her of our time in that abandoned warehouse at the Rhode Island/Massachusetts border.
"Hey!" She retorted with a laugh. "I couldn't have hurt anyone." She said defensively. "It was abandoned. And you had fun. I know you did." She finished with her arms crossed, a sly smirk on her face that made me smile.
"Yeah, you're right." I admitted. "I had a shit-load of fun."
"Watch your mouth Miss Vitali." The English teacher, Mrs. Parker, warned in a half serious, half joking tone.
I snickered playfully at her good-natured attitude. "Sorry, Mrs. Parker." I apologized as Asami and I sat next to each other, Salem in front of me, and Mako and Bolin sitting behind me.
"Okay, class!" Mrs. Parker began, clapping her hands together. "Take out your summer reading book, The Red Badge of Courage, then find a partner and talk with them about the book, as well as answer the questions I'm handing out now." She instructed as she divided the papers and passed them out.
I was about to sit down next to Salem when Mrs. Parker acknowledged us. "Korra and Marshall, work with other people."
Salem and I were fine with that, because we end up kissing instead of doing work. So Salem went to work with this dude named Jason. I turned around to see if Asami was free, but she was working with Bolin, which made me smirk. Then I caught movement behind the pair and saw Mako sitting alone, his eyes skimming quickly through the pages of the book.
Since everyone else was taken, I had no other choice but to work with the brooding teenager. I didn't mind, though. He looked like he needed a friend, and I was glad to make him feel at home in a place so foreign to him.
I plopped down next to him, making him slightly jump in surprise at the action. "Hey, Mako. Mind if I work with you?" I asked as I clicked my pen then wrote my name in sloppy print at the top of the sheet of paper.
"Um… Uh- Yeah… Sure, I'm- I don't mind…" He stuttered, making me giggle at his bashfulness.
"It's okay." I reassured. "I don't bite." I said with a smile before writing his name next to mine on the paper in the same sloppy print. "Alright… You read the book over the summer, right?" I asked, getting a slight nod in response. "First question is What rumor passing through the regiment begins the novel?" I ask, reading from the worksheet before looking over to him.
He opens his book and scans the page. "Uh… That they'll fight the next day." He answers, looking to me as I write it down on the page in my shitty handwriting.
"K… As a boy, how had Henry imagined himself?" I read, biting the end of my pen.
"He imagined himself as a hero in wars." He answered right away.
"What is distant and surreal in Henry's mind?"
"That the war happens in his own country." He answered instantly again.
"Why has Henry delayed so many times from enlisting in the army?"
"Because of his mother."
"Where does Henry's mother think he could be put to better use than in the army?"
"On the farm."
"… That's it!" I exclaimed, turning the page over to make sure there was nothing on the back. "Great work, Mako. You're smart." I complimented then blushed when I heard him chuckle. His laugh was… Adorable. Then I blushed even more when he complimented me back.
"Thanks… You're pretty studious yourself…" He said, bowing his head to hide the smile and slight blush I already caught brief sight of.
"Thanks…" I responded kindly, a smile of my own threatening to reveal itself on my lips.
"Alright, class! Let's go over the answers!" Mrs. Parker stated.
Next period was Italian. Woo-Hoo! That was sarcastic, I hate Italian. Not only because I sucked at it, but also because Salem and Asami took Spanish instead.
I walked into the classroom to see Bolin sitting at a desk in the middle row. "Hey, Bolin." I greeted skeptically as I sat down next to him, placing my backpack on my desk. "You know Italian honors is across the hall." I said, pointing in the direction of the room.
He smiled at me, making me smile a bit myself. I couldn't force the smile back down, his was really contagious. "Nah! I chose to take ACP. I don't like to be an over achiever." He explained.
"But you are an over achiever." I retorted with a slight laugh.
He gave me a friendly laugh in return. "Touché."
"Touché?" I questioned. "Is that Italian for something?" I asked jokingly.
"Heh. No. I think it's French." Bolin replied, shifting in his seat to face me. "You know? Baguette, croissant! What is deodorant!?" He imitated in a bad French accent, pretending to twirl a fake mustache between his thumb and forefinger making me laugh until my stomach hurt.
"Hahahahahahaha!" Seriously, I thought I was gonna piss myself. I could get used to being friends with this guy.
After Italian, it was first lunch. Bolin and I stopped by our lockers to exchange books before we headed to the cafeteria.
"I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Bolin said as he walked away.
I was trying to look for Salem and/or Asami when I saw Mako sitting alone with a brown paper bag that probably contained his lunch sitting in front of him, untouched.
I walked over and sat down next to him, once again slightly startling him. "Hey, Mako." I greeted. "What class did you just have?" I asked as I took off my backpack and dropped it down beside me on the floor after fishing through it for my lunch.
"Hey, Korra… Uh, I had Spanish." He replied, reaching for his paper bag and pulling out a sandwich and a water bottle.
"CP, ACP, or honors?" I asked, cracking open a can of iced tea.
"ACP…" He said nervously, taking a sip of his water.
"Guessing you saw Salem and Asami?" I inquired before taking a bite of my peanut butter sandwich; just peanut butter because I hate jelly. "Shit, you're not allergic to peanut butter are you?" I quickly asked, mentally reprimanding myself for not asking beforehand.
"No, I'm not allergic." He clarified as he pulled his sandwich out of its plastic bag. "I have a peanut butter sandwich. I hate jelly, though." He added. It's like this dude is reading my fucking mind.
"I hate jelly, too." I confessed before getting back to the original subject. "So…" I began, swallowing my first bite. "You saw Asami and Salem?"
"Yeah, they stopped by their lockers. They'll probably be here in a couple minutes." He answered with a bit of an apprehensive tone of voice.
"Are you always this bashful?" I asked with a friendly smile to show that I wasn't trying to offend him.
"Only around pretty girls- I mean, uh, not like you! NO! I mean- I didn't mean that you're not pretty, I just-." He faltered and stumbled over his words, but I cut him off before he could die of embarrassment.
I giggle, which seems to make him smile and blush harder than he already was. "It's okay, Mako." I assure. "If it's any consolation I think you're handsome." I compliment before I can stop myself, thanking my dark complexion for hiding my blush.
He smiles at me, but it's replaced with a look of bemusement. "W- won't Salem be mad if he found out you said that…"
"He won't find out." I began. "Even if I told him I called you handsome and you called me pretty, I don't think he'd mind." I said with a shrug. "Plus, what's wrong with a little harmless appreciation for another person?" I added before biting into my sandwich.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said after chewing on his sandwich. "And I'm not usually this timid." He confessed. "It's just the new area and the new people… I guess I'm just socially anxious."
"You should join a club, or sign up for a sport, bro." Bolin suggested as he sat down across from us. "Sorry I took so long. There was a line because a couple of the urinals are broken." He specified as he took a brown paper bag out of his backpack and pulled out the same contents as his brother's.
"What kind of sports are we talking about?" Salem asked as he sat across from me, leaning over the table to give me a quick peck on the lips.
"You could join the debate team." Asami suggested, sitting next to Bolin. "I'm the captain of the school's team."
"Nah. I could never do anything involving public speaking. But thanks for the proposal, anyhow." Mako said, politely turning down Asami's offer.
"Do you play any sports? Like football or basketball?" Salem asked, trying to help out even though he probably doesn't even know where the subject originated from.
"I used to play on the basketball team as a block at my old school before moving." Mako stated, though more as a question.
"I'm on the girls' basketball team." I declared after a finished my lunch, the only item left being my iced tea. "I can totally get the boys' coach to let you try out for the team."
"Wow, thanks Korra." He said with a smile on his face that made me smile myself.
"What about me?" Bolin whined as he put down his food with a pout.
All of us laughed at his playful attitude. "You look more of a volleyball player, Bo." Asami pointed out.
"I love volleyball!" He exclaimed, his pout altering to a comical grin.
"You can come for try-outs next month." Salem said with a low chuckle. "I'm the captain of the boys' volleyball team." He added before he took a bite out of his PBJ sandwich, making me wince in disgust.
"Gross, babe." I said, making him laugh. "How can you eat that?"
"What? Jelly?" He laughed. "So I can torture you when I try to kiss you." He said jestingly as he leaned over the table and tried to kiss me. But I avoided it by hooking my feet on the metal bar under the table and leaning back more than humanly possible.
Once I leaned back up, I held my back in pain. "Ow! I think I threw out my back." I complained as the bell rang, indicating the end of first lunch and the start of 4th period which was art for me. My favorite subject that Salem and I took together.
"What class do you have next, Korra?" Mako asked, picking up his bag and tossing it over his shoulders.
"I have art; you?" I asked, grabbing my own bag and throwing away my trash.
"Me, too… Can you show me where the classroom is?" He asked, tugging at his bandana nervously.
"Yeah, of course. It's in the annex. Let me walk you."
Salem and I sat next to each other, Mako sitting across from me. The art teacher, Mrs. Lydia, told us to draw a portrait of a family member as best we could.
I couldn't draw realistically, but I was pretty decent at drawing cartoons. So I drew a picture of Wan, laughing to myself at the outcome. It was a front view. He had spherical eyes, a wide grin, his long hair covered his ears, and his goatee was crazy.
Salem wasn't all that great an artist. He attempted to draw a picture of his mother, who he had the best mother-and-son relationship I've ever seen. She was such a nice lady; so kind and peaceful, just like her son. Whenever she told him to do the dishes, he'd do them without question, complaint, or excuse. Whenever she told him to help her bring in and put away the groceries, he'd help her without question, complaint, or excuse.
The picture he drew of his mother wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I'd give it a five and a half out of ten. But it was endearing that she was the first person that came to his head without having to think when asked to draw a family member.
"Like mine, Salem?" I asked, playfully fishing for compliments.
"It's great, Korr. It's definitely better than mine." He said, showing me his portrait.
"It's not good, but it's the thought that counts." I said meaningfully.
"Aww, thanks Korr." He said before kissing me on the cheek.
"Hey, Mako! How's your- Holy shhhhh-." I began to say 'shit', but Mrs. Lydia glared at me. So I had to think quickly. "shhhhhhaa la la la la la la la! Brown-eyed girl!" I sang, causing everyone in the classroom to laugh.
"Nice save, Korra." Salem complimented sarcastically, receiving a punch to the shoulder from me.
"Shut up." I said with a laugh. "Any-who… Mako, that is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
"Well… Uh, thanks…" He said with a blush as he scratched the back of his neck.
"May I ask who it is?" Salem inquired politely.
"Oh, uh…" Mako looked down briefly before continuing. "It's my father…" (Link for the picture in my profile. I will give credit to the Artist).
I could tell he didn't wanna talk about it, so I quickly changed the subject. "So… How 'bout them Celtics? They're doing… Terrible… Rondo hasn't exactly made the comeback he was expected to." I said, getting a little bit serious about the Rondo thing. "Without the big three, especially Garnet, the Celtics don't have a chance this season!" I exclaimed then realized Mako might not be a Boston fan like I am. "Oh, I'm sorry." I apologize swiftly. "You're probably a Wizard's fan, right?"
"No… I'm actually a Celtics fan." He began, lighting up at the subject. "My grandparents on my mom's side moved from Connecticut to Washington. They were big Celtics fans, and so was everyone on my dad's side. So Bo and I basically ended up being huge Boston fans." He explained, touching up his portrait a little. "But we both hate hockey." He added.
This kid is amazing. I thought to myself with a smile. "I hate hockey, too!" I said, making Mako smile at me with his amber eyes shining brighter than the sun, and just as animated as Wan's.
After art Salem, Mako and I walked to our 5th period class: Chemistry ACP. I loved when we got to dick around with chemicals and shit. I got to freeze things. It was fucking awesome.
Salem and I were lab partners. It's not that I felt bad for Mako- well, I sort of did- but I've seen enough of his actions around people to know that he'd be uncomfortable around others that aren't already the people he's met. So Asami agreed to be his lab partner since Bolin was moved up to Forensics because he's smarter than he lets on.
"Gooooood morning, class!" The teacher, Mr. Varrick, exclaimed. He was a bit… Eccentric, but he sure knew how to hype the class. "I see you have all picked lab partners, so let me give you your assignment!" He declared loudly before turning to the whiteboard, a blue marker in hand. He wrote 'Read through directions of experiment – Make sure your eyes and hands are covered before beginning – Record data on the worksheet handed out – When finished, hand-in worksheet then sit down and read the next chapter – Answer questions at the end of the section – NO HOMEWORK if questions from said section are handed in today at the end of class - - - You have ONE HOUR!'
This experiment was cool. We got to look at shit through a microscope. No, not objects, literal shit! It was, like, hardened cow excretion between two pieces of glass. We had to burn the shit, freeze the shit, then look at in in the microscope. To me it was the best day of my life, but to everyone else it was the nastiest thing they've ever done. Psh! Drama Queens. I've shoveled cow shit before. I've shoveled horse shit before. Hell, I even shoveled human shit before! Don't ask me why, because the situation is still kind of vague to me… MOVING ON!
Salem and I finished early and handed in the questions to the section. Since we had nothing better to do, we started to kiss. We got away with it for about 5 and a half minutes until Mr. Varrick caught us.
"Salem, Korra? No swapping spit during class." Varrick said with a sly grin that made us both laugh.
I liked Varrick. He was cool. He was also the only faculty member who referred to Marshall as 'Salem.' He never got mad at us when we got too loud or did what we weren't supposed to do. He's figured out that, with a group of antsy, hormonal teenagers; one must be calm and relate to them to earn their respect to get some back.
Mako and Asami just finished their questions before the bell rang, and handed them in to Varrick before the four of us went across the hall to fetch Bolin before walking to our 6th, and last, period class: Math. Hooray. I'm being sarcastic of course. I fucking hate math with a burning, fiery passion.
Salem sits behind me in the back row so Asami and I can sit next to each other. Mako sat next to Salem, while Bolin sat in front of Asami. At least we can pass notes to each other until class ends. And that's exactly what we did while Mr. Wells was asleep at his desk.
This is how it played out:
Key: Normal Font=Bolin, Underline=Salem, Italics =Asami, Bold=Mako, All Three=Me
*Hey, girl :) What time should we go to the mall; pick everyone up and shit?
*We get out at 2:15, so maybe we should go straight there in Wan's Subaru.
*Don't we have to drop off all of our cars though, Korr?
*Shit! I forgot. Ummm… I'm not good at thinking, what do we do?
*We all drop off our vehicles then your brother can pick us up at our houses.
*Or we could drive our vehicles to the mall?
*I like Mako's suggestion. It seems like the easiest bet right now.
*Yeah, I second that motion.
*I third that motion… Or something like that x)
*Alright. So right after school we follow each other to the mall. Did everyone bring cash?
*Of course I did. I have about $300 in cash.
*I brought only 50 bucks, but I'm sure I can do something with that.
*I brought $50, too.
*I brought around 50 dollars as well, I think.
*I brought $150 with me for some reason. And I'm sure Wan has around the same amount.
*We leave at 15 passed 2… We must be stealthy if we want to make it passed the crowd and into the parking lot…
*I love When Ninjas Attack! :D
*It's like my favorite movie! xD
*Meh. I like The Shining Better.
*The Shining is one of my all-time favorite horror movies of all time! :D :D
*Anyone for The Human Centipede!?
*I'm with you there. One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen.
*I've never seen The Human Centipede…
*… Well, we'll have to fix that! Won't we…?
The bell rang, and the five of us raced out the door like we were The fucking Flash. We stopped by our lockers and exchanged our books. We decided to ditch homework and do it during study first period tomorrow.
We found Wan at his locker. He smiled at us. "I got your text, sis." He said. "We can go to the mall. Definitely!" He declared, flashing a bright, white smile. "Just no getting in trouble like the last time. You already got banned from the sunglasses hut for trying to bargain 20 dollars for a pair of 200 dollar sunglasses." He warned, causing me to pout and cross my arms.
"They had a crack in the lens. They were at least worth 20 dollars!" I retorted. "Plus, he pushed me first. It only made sense that I would punch that douche when he he took a shot at me after I pushed him back."
"Korra…" Wan began. "That makes no sense at all." He tried to joke, but I glared at him and he got the message that I was starting to get angry. And no one wants to see me when I'm angry. Because when I'm angry, the room will look like a hurricane just hit in 10 seconds flat. "Look, Korra… I'm your older brother, and even though I know all too well that you can take care of yourself… I just don't want to see you get so angry and hurt yourself and/or others in the process of your rage." Then he pulled me into a hug which I returned gladly. Then he whispered in my ear something I would never forget from that day on. "I don't want to see you end up like dad…"
After the heartwarming brother-sister moment, I hopped on my Harley, Asami hopped in her red Acura, Wan got in his Subaru Forester, Salem got in his El Camino, and Mako and Bolin got into that black Mustang I parked next to. Oh! It's HIS car! I thought to myself as I shoved my blue helmet over my hat then followed Asami to the mall.
At the mall, we split up. Wan apparently had to go to the Cox Cable store to drop off an old cable box, because we just recently switched to FIOS, which explains why that thing has been in his car all week.
Asami wanted to stop my H&M to check out their new products. She also said she wants to see if there are any cute employees to flirt with to get discounts. She may be rich, but she's cheap too. Ironic, right?
Bolin dragged Mako into the Sports Authority, promising him they could go wherever he wants after, which is the Foot Locker where he wants to pre-order a pair of basketball sneakers.
Salem and I decided to sit on a bench outside the Pink Berry to make-out and see how long it takes for a security guard to round up the courage to tell us to 'take it outside', which has happened before.
I think a security guard was about to come up to us until Salem pulled away because his phone started buzzing. I glanced at the security guard to see him walking away.
"Hello?" He answered.
Ten seconds passed and his face began to get more despondent with each second. Something had to be terribly wrong to wipe the ever-present smile off of Salem's face.
"Salem…?" I asked, his sadness getting to me. "Salem, what is it?" I softly demanded, tugging gently on the sleeve of his shirt.
"I-… I'll be right there…" He said slowly, his voice cracking. He then looked to me with the most terrified expression being held back in his eyes. "Korra… I have to go now, but… I'll see you at school tomorrow… Alright…?" He assured as I just nodded, confused as to why he's not telling me what the fuck is going on. He kissed me on the lips before he abruptly stood up and sped-walked out of the mall.
I saw Wan turn the corner and sit down next to me. "Hey, Korr!" He greeted in his usual happy tone. That is until he saw the confusion and worry in my expression. "Hey, Korr…" He reiterated, but in a softer voice this time. "What's going on…?" He asked, turning to me now worried himself. "Where- where'd Salem go?"
I forced back a crackly tone before I spoke. "He got a call from someone then all of a sudden his entire demeanor changed in, like, 10 seconds…" I explained, forcing back tears of concern. "He wouldn't tell me what was going on… I thought we told each other everything…" I said, more to myself than to Wan.
He placed a warm, loving hand on my shoulder. "Not everyone is confident enough to tell their friends or significant other something that might be personal, or an extremely touchy subject…" He said, pausing to think of what to say next since I didn't respond. "We didn't tell anyone about our father's… Actions… When mom passed?" He stated it as a question, though it sounded like more of a reminder.
I smiled at him. "Remember when I used to call him my 'sperm donor'?" I recollected with a giggle.
He returned the laugh then pulled me into a tight hug that made me feel safe and sound. "Don't worry, Korra… I'm sure whatever Salem's going through is going to be just fine…" He reassured.
But I had a feeling they wouldn't be fine. Maybe they will, but things are going to get worse before they get better.