Chapter 3: Jenamite Night
Katara searched her closet desperately for something that would be fit for the club. Ty Lee's words echoed through her brain.
Dress to impress! Dress to impress!
Momentarily, she turned away from her closet and searched the clothes she had thrown on her bed and on the floor.
What the hell am I supposed to wear? I'm dressed for work, not a club!
She thought for a while about what she had packed before leaving her home in the Southern Water Tribe. A light bulb in her head lit up as she remembered a gift she had received before from her friends back home.
She ransacked her closet once again and found it. She smiled and chuckled as she remembered the moment when she received the dress from them. It had been a joke, they said, because they knew that Katara was one of the last people they would ever see in a club. It had been a good thing that she never wore it back home though. If her father had seen her out in that dress, he would have grounded her until she turned fifty.
I guess this would do… Katara thought as she changed.
The super tight dress was royal blue with a scoop neckline that was low enough to show just a little bit of her cleavage. It showed off all her curves and ended at mid-thigh, therefore emphasizing her long legs as well.
Katara put her hair up in a messy ponytail, leaving some of her curls to frame her face. She wore matching blue four-inch stilettos and a diamond-encrusted choker (fake, of course, as she didn't want to risk getting mugged on her first week in the Fire Nation). Checking her outfit in the mirror, Katara was surprised that she actually looked good. She had thought that she would end up looking like a prostitute but on her, the dress didn't look too racy.
Suddenly, her phone beeped, signaling a text message. It was from Toph.
Hope you're ready. Ty Lee and I are already on our way.
Grabbing her blue clutch bag and locking the door, Katara rushed from her condo to her car and headed to the club.
About twenty minutes later, Katara arrived in front of the club, Jenamite. It was hard to miss as it had a huge neon sign that could be seen from blocks way. Plus, rave music was echoing from inside. Parking her car a few meters away, she stepped out and headed to her friends who were waiting by the entrance.
Toph was wearing tight black leather leggings and heels with a loose, rugged, light green, one-shoulder top that almost showed her belly. Her hair was purposely made messy and she wore a green headband, green hoop earrings and plastic green bangles to top it all off.
Ty Lee was wearing a pink halter top that was almost backless, except for three thin straps that ran across her back, and a pink miniskirt that showed off her legs. White lace-up gladiator sandals and pink drop earrings completed her look.
"Hey guys!" I said, relieved that I wasn't over or underdressed. "You look awesome!"
"Thanks. You look great too." said Toph. "I'm impressed. Really not bad for a newbie."
"Yeah, well, I had this dress for years and I never had any use for it until now."
"You should wear dresses like that more often, Katara." Ty Lee said. "You have the body for it anyway."
"Thank you and hey, we'll see. Come on. Let's go in before the line starts getting longer."
Inside the club, a man of about twenty-three was already sitting on a barstool, waiting for his friend. He had brown shaggy hair and slightly-tanned skin. His eyebrows were permanently crooked in a mischievous way and he wore an arrogant smirk on his face as he eyed the girls on the dance floor. He was wearing a blue and burnt orange patterned shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, slacks, dress shoes and a fedora.
"Hey, bartender." he called. "Another gin and tonic for me. Put it on my tab."
"Take it easy, bro." his friend called. "It's still early. I don't want to have to drop you off at home before the night actually starts."
The man in the fedora faced his friend and gave him a fist bump.
"Hey, Zuko!" said the man in the fedora. "Took you long enough. For a minute there, I actually thought you'd let a Friday night pass by without you going to a club or drinking or whatever."
"As if…" Zuko scoffed. Actually, he was pretty tired. He just couldn't afford to let this pass. Hanging out at the hottest club in the Fire Nation was good for his rep, after all.
"I see you're a little bit dressed down…" said his friend, sipping his new glass of gin and tonic.
Zuko looked at his outfit. He was wearing a black blazer with a red t-shirt underneath that had black calligraphy on it, black dress pants and sneakers.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow at his friend.
"Nothing… It's just out of the ordinary. After all, all I see you wear nowadays are tuxedos and dress shirts…"
"You mean those red carpet photos in the magazines? Come on, Jet. You know be better than that. My manager says it's just good to get some publicity. Plus Mai's the one always wanting to attend those parties. By the way, at least I'm not dressed in that weird orange and blue psychedelic-patterned shirt. People will get dizzy just staring at it."
"Okay, first of all…" Jet started. "I know this shirt sucks. I don't know why the hell I bought it and I don't know why the hell my stylist let me wear it. I'm getting a new one tomorrow."
"A new shirt?"
"Nope. A new stylist. Second, you're dating Mai again? Seriously?"
"Yeah… I mean, when you think about it, she's pretty… sophisticated… sweet…"
"Sweet?"
"Yeah, she is…"
"Okay, fine. I believe you, Zuko. Just like I believe that my shirt is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"Look, can you not give me a hard time about her? I know it sucks. If it were up to me, I'd be free of commitment. Just free to be with all the girls I want, anytime, anywhere."
"Don't be such a downer. We're here to have fun! I mean, come on… Look at all those chicks…"
Zuko followed Jet's gaze on the dance floor. Indeed, there were hot girls everywhere.
"Speaking of girls, any new meat at the office?" Jet asked.
"You would know if you actually went to work." Zuko retorted, smirking at his friend.
"Just answer the question."
"Actually, yeah. There's this new girl from the writer's department. She's pretty hot."
"Thinking of tapping that?"
"Yeah, why not? Besides… girls are all the same. All they want from you is your money, your fame, your credit card… So hell, might as well gain a one-night stand out of it."
"There's the Zuko I know… Anyway, let's go-Whoa…"
Staring at the group of girls entering the club, Jet kept his eyes on the fair-skinned girl wearing a very revealing pink outfit.
"Shut your mouth, Jet." Zuko said, following his stare and recognizing the girl in blue. "Don't show them you're into them. Make them want you…"
The two got off their seats and headed towards the three girls.
"Dibs on the girl in pink, bro…" murmured Jet.
"Don't worry… I got my eye on someone else…" Zuko whispered back, straightening his blazer.
The three girls were unaware of their presence until one of them cleared his throat. He leaned against a wall nearest Ty Lee.
"So… which one of you girls am I taking home tonight?" said the one in the fedora.
The girl in green rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Not me." she said, walking away. "Katara, Ty Lee, I'll be at the bar if you need me."
Shrugging, Jet focused his attention back to Ty Lee.
"And then there were two…" he said. "Hey, I'm Jet. I'm assuming you're Ty Lee..."
Ty Lee giggled and blushed like a little school girl. There was no denying that this guy had charm and looks.
"Uh-huh… Pleased to meet you."
"Come on…" Jet said, offering his arm to her, which Ty Lee gladly took. "I'll buy you a drink."
Zuko and Katara were left, staring at the two who just walked away. A few moments passed by before they started talking.
"So… we meet again…" Katara said, trying not to blush. My god, why did he have to look so good all the frickin time?
"So you do remember me… See, I knew I made an impact on you." Zuko replied overconfidently.
"Hello, you're like in every magazine there is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll join my friend at the bar…"
Katara was about to walk away when Zuko blocked her way.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Because I'm not really interested in walking sacks of testosterone like you right now."
Ooohhh… feisty… Zuko thought. Me likey…
"Come on, is that any way to treat your knight in shining armor?"
"You walked with me through an office, not saved me from a burning building or something."
"I bet it still counts for something."
"Well, guess what? You just lost all your money."
Well, well, well… A challenge… Zuko thought. Interesting. This is going to be harder than I thought it would be…
Why is he hitting on me? Doesn't he have a girlfriend already? Katara wondered. Or is he just that much of a player?
"Come on… One drink, that's all I ask of you." Zuko asked, flashing his winning smile. It took all of Katara's strength to resist.
"If there's anyone here for whom you should be buying a drink, shouldn't it be your girlfriend?" Katara said.
"Enlighten me."
"You and Mai Lockhart. Page twelve. Benders magazine. Funny, I thought celebrities would do a better job of keeping track of their photos."
"Oh, her?" Zuko said. Crap… I swear this whole Mai thing is really throwing me off my game…
"Yes, her…" Katara replied smugly. I got him now… He's totally speechless…
Suddenly, as Ty Lee said, all the lights went off and the greenish glow of the Jenamite crystals illuminated the club. Recovering from the slight shock, Katara focused her attention back to Zuko. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to meet Zuko's piercing gold eyes.
Zuko stepped closer and gazed right into Katara's hypnotic ocean blue eyes. The Jenamite glow made her look even more beautiful than she already was. He noticed her tension and smirked.
Yep, that's right… He thought. Soon, you'll be all over me…
"Well, she's not here right now…" Zuko said, keeping his face a few inches away from hers and slowly easing his hand onto her waist. His voice was now lowering to a whisper and his breath on Katara's ear made her shiver. "She doesn't have to know about us…"
"I-uh…" Katara stuttered. She was frozen while Zuko started placing soft kisses on her neck and nibbling her ear. How could this man have so much charm and so much effect on me?
Trying to pull her attention away from Zuko, she saw Ty Lee and Jet in a heated make-out session in one of the booths while Toph shook her head at them in disdain. Catching Toph's eye, she sent a look of worry her way. Toph responded with a stand-up-for-yourself look and nodded.
Suddenly, getting the strength to control herself, Katara gently pushed Zuko away, leaving him confused and frustrated.
"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to make her fall under his charm again.
"Look, this isn't a good idea." Katara said, meeting his stare head-on. "I know men like you and I will not be just one of your one-night stand girls. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the bar to enjoy my night with my friend."
Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes as she walked away. So that's what she is… One of those feminist-type girls…
"You know a million girls would die just to have me with them…" he called after her, hiding his frustration from the rejection.
"Good. Then go get one of them instead. Goodbye, Zuko."
With that, Katara left Zuko in awe. No one had ever talked to him that way, let alone rejected him. Smirking and chucking to himself, he headed over to Jet who was suddenly alone.
"Hey, bro." Zuko said. "Where's Ty Lee?"
"She went to freshen up in the bathroom. We'll be heading out in a while, if you know what I mean." Jet winked.
"Jet, I always know what you mean."
"How about you? What happened to that Katara girl? Struck out? Losing your game?"
Zuko stared at Katara from the booth. She was laughing and drinking with her friend, the girl in green. He started to conjure up a way to get her.
"Nope… Just lost round one…" Zuko replied, sipping his drink
"That sucks, bro. Too bad she's not easy like my date…"
"Nah, I like this one… She's… a challenge…"
"Oh really? Is this one actually worth pursuing?"
"I think so… But hey, she's making a huge mistake if she thinks I'm already giving up on her…"
"Okay, then. Good luck with that bro." Jet said, snaking his arm around Ty Lee's waist. "We'll be off…"
Zuko nodded goodbye to them. He smirked and continued to observe Katara from afar.
Watch out, Katara… You're not getting away that easily…
Author's Note:
So yeah, I finished another chapter. Oooohhh things are getting interesting… and steamy ;)
Just so you know, Benders magazine is the equivalent of People magazine. :D I wanted to try out a JetxTy Lee shipping. Idk, I thought it would be interesting. So yeah, hope you like the Zutara steam ;)
I'll update soon. (That is, if school doesn't kill me)
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.
So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! :)
