~K-Glacier~
I look into her eyes, matching the same determination of its holder.
"You got this! This sport was made for you! You put the shot in shot put, the put in shot. You're in your element, this is your house!"
As I get pumped, I can't help but notice something different about Asami..
"Is that new eye shadow?" I ask, breaking out of my prep talk to admire this new feature of hers.
"Yes! Thanks for noticing. Do you like it?"
"Absolutely!"
"Really? We can go makeup shopping after this. You know what? You have wonderful eyelashes. There are so many looks I want to try on you. What do you say?"
I say no! Who knew a compliment could turn into a makeover?
"Lets see how this meet goes, and maybe we can go after." I reply, not wanting to say no immediately.
People hardly ever come to support the field portion of track. There are so many other tournaments going on, we're the least of their worries. However, my girlfriend's presence means a lot. And I'm not just referring to the meet itself.
Asami has been by my side this whole journey, and the fact we lasted long enough to become public,speaks volume. Regardless of the outcome of today's game, I know I'm already winning with her.
"Alright, Champ! Your time of playing house is up, let's get on the field."
I know coach is putting on a brave face, but she's nervous.
The Wombats are a very talented team. And the fact they have a head and a vice coach, only heats her up more.
Without Lo and Li, there wouldn't be an investigation on the whole steroid scandal in the first place. The rival coaches' accusations ruined Lin's confidence as well.
So to cut the long story short, my win isn't just important for the school, but for my coach's pride. It's a lot of pressure, but I'm at a level head to succeed.
I give Asami a quick kiss then hop over the fence out of the bleachers, an action that almost gives coach a heart attack.
"Relax. Your star player won't get injured. You should see me jumping to conclusions." I tease.
I hear a loud boo coming from the bleachers, and I flick my unappreciative girlfriend off.
"What time?" She replies back.
"Anytime." I answer with a wink.
~A-Sato~
This is the first meet I attended that didn't have anything to do with track. Despite my guilt for not showing more school pride for this particular sport, I'm glad I'm here to support Korra.
A state championship would look wonderful on her resume. Also, she's been working her butt off these past few months. Even when we weren't together, I witnessed her constant drive at the gym. That alone, is an accomplishment of itself. Regardless of the outcome of today's game, she's already a winner in my eyes.
As I wave at my girlfriend, the sound of Wing's voice startles me.
"Sup, Sistaaa."
I turn around not to just see the twins, but the whole Beifong siblings.
"Eww. You're a trophy wife now." Kuvira says, sitting beside me.
"First off, who am I showing off to? You all practically took over the whole bleachers!"
"Woahh. Are you jealous that you aren't going to get brownie points for being the only one to support K Dawg? I'm sure she'll still eat you out fine."
He did not! He did not just say that.
"Wei! You can't say that!" Opal protests.
"What did I say? Asami's not offended. Are you?" He asks, shaking my shoulder.
"I think we all should just let it go, and keep our mind on the task at hand." I reply.
"You mean the task tonight if your girl wins today." Kuvira adds, getting a high five from Wei.
"Baatar! Get your brothers and girlfriend!" I plead.
The older brother quickly gets into leader mode.
"Everyone please leave Asami alone, she's certainly not going have alone time later on.."
Everyone laughs, making me get up, only to be pulled back down by Vira.
"Stop being so sour. Since you're apart of this family now, you're game for jokes. I had to deal with it, now it's your turn."
Lin makes her way back over to the bleachers frantically .
" THIS IS NOT A CIRCUS! My champ needs nothing but silence to concentrate. Of course you wouldn't know about hard work, you were raised by my sister." Lin states.
"Damn, Aunt Lin. Why don't you tell us how you really feel?" Wing replies, fake hurt.
"Be like Huan and draw!" She yells, before walking off.
"What's her problem?" Bolin asks.
"Nothing. Lin gets this way before every competition. It's the same thing with Mom. She has been acting crazy this whole week." Opal answers.
"You see it too? Last Friday, Mom asked how my comic book was going. I don't even draw comics, I stick with abstract work!" Huan replies, still invested in his sketchbook.
"Ha! You think that's bad? Mom literally told me to take a shower. Like? I don't need a shower when I come right from wrestling." Wing adds, thinking everyone would relate with him, but we don't.
"Nah, Bro. You're just disgusting." Baatar teases, putting his brother into a headlock.
Please let me survive this game.
Please let me survive the boredom of this game.
I have so much respect to whomever does this on a regular basis.
No one is allowed to talk when someone throws, which allows grunts to be the only sounds heard.
"Why your girl sound like that every time she throws?" Vira asks, adding to one of many commentary of bullying I receive.
Having enough, I look over at Opal, hopeful she will be the mediator in all of this.
"How about we not focus on the sounds, and focus more on the sport itself? Maybe it helps with her throw ?" She defends.
"I bet." Bolin adds.
The group begins to giggle again, making me sit one row down.
I have had enough! I don't know how Korra's able to deal with all of this. If this is what she's used to, I wouldn't be spending time with them either!
"There is one more throw left until we find out who wins." Baatar says.
The sound of an ending, causes me to quickly return to the death row. The end of the meet also means a trip to Sephora. I'm so excited! Korra never goes inside with me , and when she does, I can tell see's annoyed.
"Hey!"
The sound of Huan's excitement causes us all to turn around, where we see Kya and Suyin approaching the bleachers.
"What are you doing here, I thought you had to work?" Opal asks, getting up to pull her mother into a hug.
"I finished early. Tonraq wanted to make it, but he had meetings to attend. " She replies.
I'm not just happy she's here to stop her children from attacking me, but that she's here to support Korra too. I remember when she was hesitant of attending,it's nice to see her change of heart.
"How's my wife doing?" Kya asks, cupping her hands so she can see out into the field.
"Crazy! Korra and that girl Roxy are neck and neck. So Aunt Lin, has been grilling the ref when it comes to measuring." Baatar explains.
"Oh dear. I knew I should have came earlier." Kya whines.
"It's the last throw, I think she'll be fine. As stubborn as my sister is, I know she'll keep it together."
How did she know it was the last throw? Why haven't I been told of the point system?
Wombat's Roxy is a well-rounded thrower. Like I stated earlier I don't know much about this sport. But she has the strength and distance to throw the ball quite far.
Both girls seem to have equal technique, which explains why they're so close.
It's anyone's game. One mistake and it's over.
Roxy lifts the ball up to her ear, spins around, and releases the ball into the air.
If you thought the Beifong family couldn't be quiet, you were wrong. Just watching the ball travel, makes everyone speechless.
Once again, I'm not an expert on this sport. But the weight of the ball, and the distance it was thrown doesn't add up.
Well, it does.
What I mean is.. it took a whole lot of strength and dare I say it, talent to throw that far.
Is Roxy even human?
From the look on Lin's face, she's horrified. So horrified, she marches straight to the ref, and chews him out as he measures.
"Uh Oh. I guess it's wife duty." Kya says getting up and making her way onto the field.
~K-Glacier~
I prefer not to watch the other girls throw.
So after I finish, I look away and listen to my music. Coach usually tells me what I need to do, and I do it. Sometimes she tells me who's in the lead too, but she hasn't this time. Probably doesn't want me to be too cocky with my skill and throw the game.
The sound of bickering causes me to take out my headphones.
"Her feet was too far apart!" Lin yells at the ref.
"No they weren't! Do you need glasses?" One of the head coaches replies, only making coach grow angrier.
"No one asked for your input, Lo."
"You're talking about my athlete, of course it's my business."
The other sister joins the discussion, and I know it's going to get bad if I don't step in. But the thing is….I don't have to, because Kya rushes to the scene.
"Sorry about her, Ref. Could you give us a minute?" Kya asks.
The married couple make their way over to the bench I'm sitting at, and I want to know what the big fuss is about.
"Hey, Korra." Kya greets.
"Hi. What's going on? Aren't I next?" I ask, rolling my headphones up.
"Yes. But the other team is teaching CHEATERS'!" Coach stresses, getting Li and Lo to stick their tongue out at her.
"Honey, there is no proof of that. Her throw was unbelievable, but I believe it was honest. Now. Let's focus on some breathing exercises."
"I don't want to breathe! I want my champ to have a fair chance!" She defends.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on? How far do I have to throw?" I ask, growing impatient.
"You have to throw 16.63 m, and preferably more on the left side to be safe."
I never threw that far before! I don't think I ever met anyone that could in the college games. That's some serious Olympics shit!
The more I think about my task, the easier I can picture myself not doing it.
Second place is great! Who wants to be number 1 anyway? I'll still get a trophy. Getting this far is an accomplishment enough. Maybe if I lose, Asami will feel bad and not take me makeup shopping. You know what? This is a prize in disguise. Fuck being #1.
I get up with a smile on my face.
"I guess it's my turn." I state proudly.
I happily make my way back over to the field and stretch my arms out, as if I'm going to throw my life away.(Which I am.) I wave at Roxy who just gives me a snotty head nod in return.
Before every throw, I wink at Asami for good luck. Even though I'm taking this L, I have to look believable. Before I do my wink, I need to prepare for the throw. I lift the object onto my shoulder and as I prepare for my wink, I see her.
Sitting right there beside my good luck charm, is Suyin Beifong.
She's supposed to be with my father. She shouldn't be here. Why is she here? What happened to the distance we agreed on? I know I needed to talk with her, but I wasn't expecting today. How can she show up unannounced like this? Who told her this was okay? What gives her the right?
I didn't need the ref to give me a go ahead, because I already released the object. Instead of giving a wink at Asami, I stare at the woman who had no right in being here.
Not watching the ball travel, I continue starring out into the weight is lifted off my shoulders, but I'm reminded of it, the moment I hear the thud of the ball hit the surface. The moment everything hits me.
Which made the most damage, the distance or or the strength?
I finally tear my eyes away, and look at the ball's location, and I'm suddenly lifted off the ground.
"You did it, Champ! You're the new state champion!" Coach yells, which causes the other cheers to be heard too.
How am I the winner?
~A-Sato~
I don't know how, But she did it! She won for not just herself, but for the whole school. Korra threw so effortlessly, she didn't even do her grunt. She did amazing!
I wasn't the only one who watched her performance in disbelief. Everyone felt that throw. Everyone felt the energy she put into it. It was as if.. she put her heart and soul into such a throw.
She deserved this win, she deserved all of this. I never been so proud in my life.
Once she's done with all her pictures, I race over to the champion.
"Congratulations! You won." I reply, as she holds me.
"Did I put the shot in shot put?" She teases.
"You most certainly did! I don't know how I should feel since I'm dating a champion."
"Now you know how I feel with you." She replies, pulling me into a kiss.
"Uh Oh. You know what time it is." Wei says, making me tattle tale.
"Korra, get them! They harassed me this whole time." I reply, hiding behind her, away from such monsters.
"Hey! We did not! We were just having fun with our new sister." Wing defends, trying to be innocent.
Mhhmm.
"Congrats, Korra. I knew all your pent up anger would come out like a Super Saiyan." Kuvira says, getting a light shove from Opal.
"Don't mind her. Great job, Korra. You did wonderful." Jr. says, giving her a hug.
"Wonderful? She thew further than Republic City. You are no human, Girl. I'm proud of you." Opal adds, getting Korra to smile.
"Thanks, Opal. Thanks everyone for coming. Now if you don't mind, I would like to eat. I'm starved." Korra states.
"We should celebrate together. " Huan suggests, causing everyone but Korra and I to agree.
"A celebration is definitely a must, it's my treat." Coach Lin adds, joining into the conversation.
What about Sephora?
"Where are you going Mom?" Opal asks.
We all turn around to find Suyin making her way towards the parking lot.
"I should be getting back to the office." She replies.
"But you just said you finished early." Wei defends making his mother look uneasy.
"Well. Yes. But I feel bad that Tonraq still has to work. My presence will help speed the process a bit."
"Tonraq will be fine. Now, stop ruining this great moment and come along." Her sister orders.
I turn to my girlfriend and frown.
"Sorry. No makeup today." I tell her.
I can tell from the look on my girlfriend's face she's disappointed.
Same.
Korra couldn't decide where to eat, so Kya picked PF Chang's, a decision that no one protested.
Korra went to the bathroom and she has been gone for quite a long time. The champion was even absent when we ordered. Luckily, I knew what she wanted.
Just when I'm about to get up to find the lost girl, she returns.
"What did you do, fall inside the toilet?" Wing teases.
"I wouldn't know, it's not like you ever had a reason to leave the seat up back home."
Korra's comeback makes everyone joke the twin.
That's how you survive? You joke back!
With her presence back, I decide to strike up a conversation.
Why is everyone always on their phone? We're at dinner!
"Are you excited about the big day tomorrow?" I ask, Suyin.
She smiles.
"I'm excited for it to be over! I think campaigning is more stressful, than the actually job itself. What about you? Does your father have similar emotions?"
"You know him. He doesn't typically show emotions. I will however say, the closeness of the polls make him very anxious."
"Do you two have a bet or something on who wins?" Huan asks.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You and Korra? Do you two have a bet for the presidency ?"
I look over at my girlfriend and she looks back at me confused.
"Umm. Not really. We're going to wake up early to vote together, if that counts." I reply, proudly.
"Aww goals." Opal teases.
"You two just make a lovely couple, you balance each other out. Almost like my Honey Bear over here" Kya says, kissing her wife's cheek, who wipes it away disgusted.
As Baatar starts telling stories to kill the time, I notice that Korra's being quieter than usual. It's not as bad as her past hiatus, but it's still noticeable.
I wasn't able to sit next to her, because Bolin and Opal took the positions. Instead of causing a fuss, I sat next to Kuvira and Baatar.
Now seeing her behavior, I wish I did.
"Korra you should be smiling, you won!" Bolin cheers.
"How can I smile when I'm hungry!" My girlfriend defends.
"I have some trail mix, if you want them." Suyin states, digging into her purse.
Korra eyes the small package suspiciously then takes it.
I don't know if I'm the only one that caught this strange interaction, but everyone continues to be invested into their own task.
The waiter comes back with our drinks, and I notice one of them brings out a rather large bottle of champagne.
"Who's that for?" Opal asks.
"It's for the toast." Lin explains.
"Sweet! Aunt Lin you're the best, can I drink first?" Wei asks, holding up his glass.
"You most certainly can not! This is for the legal people. The toast will have the same effect with Sprite." Their aunt replies.
"Woah. I haven't had this before." Baatar states, smelling the drink.
"Oh please. Don't act like you haven't snuck Bollinger from the bar when you were a teen. Actually. I think everyone at this table, with the exception of Asami, has tampered with the bar." Suyin says playfully.
All of the Beifong children start protesting, but fail miserably.
"Of course you would know." Korra says, under her breath.
Okay…it's certainly not the hunger talking. Something's up.
"Hey! Bolin can we switch seats."
My words came across as a question, but I'm already up, so I know it's not up for a discussion.
"Um sure. Be next to your little love bug." He replies.
It's not like her comment was a problem, it actually went over the others' heads. But I could hint a little shade in her statement. And based on her prior behavior, I know something's wrong.
After thanking him for the new location, I sit next to my supposed love bug, and hopefully that fixes things.
With the glasses poured, Lin holds her' .
"A toast for Korra's successful track season and a wonderful throw. You make me one proud coach, Champ."
My girlfriend smiles and nods.
After the toast is done, the legal people take a sip.
"Why don't you drink, Mrs. Beifong?"
Korra's question almost makes me choke on my own drink.
Suyin brings her water glass from her lips, and sets it down.
"I didn't know I had to explain a personal choice?" She answers.
"I'm just curious, thats all. You have a giant collection of alcohol, and you never touched it?" She replies, as if they're the only people at the table.
"I never once said I never used it. I just choose to no longer do so. That's like me saying 'You no longer like photography, when all you do is record videos. "
Her response makes my girlfriend smile, which makes everyone else smile too, since we can all see it's just another friendly debate.
"True. But I keep my old cameras as a reminder of my past love. If what you're comparing is true, you must have a similar feeling with your collection of liquor."
The unfunny tone in her voice, causes me to put my hand on her knee to get her to chill out.
"OK! Let's change the conversation. Kuvira and Asami? Are you two excited about graduation?" Kya asks happily.
Before I could gladly provide an answer, Suyin picks up her son's glass, takes a sip of the gold liquid, then sets it back down.
"Way to go, Mom!" Wing cheers offering his hand up for a high five, but she ignores it and stares at Korra with intensity I can't describe .
~K-Glacier~
Wow! She's such a badass. She took one tiny sip, that she could barely even swallow, to prove a point. A point, I wasn't trying to make.
My last statement wasn't a challenge, it was a question.
I wanted her to realize she didn't need to punish herself by banning the one thing that made her who she is.
That she didn't need a giant bar in her home as a reminder.
Her recent action goes to show, she's still held captive of the bottle.
Her throwing away her sobriety means nothing to me, it's her trying to prove a point that does. You can't talk to someone like that. Especially when they don't listen carefully.
"Are you happy now? Is everything okay in your 'No One Understands Me' world ?" She asks me, with an unjustified tone in my opinion .
Now all of a sudden she has the permission to oppose me? I'm not the one who's losing their did I throw away? What did I lose? That period of loss has passed.I'm chill. I'm fine.
" Why don't you ask your other children if they're okay?" I reply calmly.
"They're fine, Korra. You're the one that's not!" She yells back.
"Let's calm down, Suyin." Kya says.
"Are they really alright, though...? Because your daughter over here, thinks you hate her!" I state.
"I didn't say that!" Opal tries to defend.
"Wing and Wei are skipping school."
"What? That was one time!" The twins protest.
"Huan hardly ever talk!"
"My art speaks for itself." He corrects.
"And let's not forget how, Jr. left the city for almost a year to do humanitarian work. Which you justified as an escape from his crazy girlfriend."
"True." Kuvira, says taking a sip of her drink.
"Now my last question is.. How can you be alright, not seeing all of this?"
Asami no longer has to get me to stop, because I'm done.
I didn't want to ruin my victory dinner I never wanted, but I had no choice. I couldn't just sit here and pretend everything was alright. I did that before, and that just made everything worse. I don't feel guilty for what I said, because everything was the truth.
" I'm just a fucked up mother, aren't I? Thanks Korra. For finally saying how you really feel."
How I really feel? Did she just say that? My examples were real, not emotionally based. She's just full of surprises today.
"Oh. You don't want to hear how I really feel."
"And we aren't going to! Korra, please come with me to the bathroom." Asami stresses.
Once we enter the room she locks the door.
"What the hell was that ?"
I shrug.
"It was just a friendly conversation."
Her mouth drops.
"A friendly conversation? You teared into almost everyone at the table. And I wish I could say it was justified, but you started the conversation off by asking about her drinking."
Okay?
"What caused this shift of emotion of yours? And I don't want any of your redirections."
I point towards the door.
" That woman at the head of the table, is the reason I been out of control!"
"We aren't a perfect family. I'm done pretending! When is she going to stop? I'm not going back out there, because if I do, people are going to get hurt."
And for the first time, out of all my confessions, she looks at me in agreement. There is no pity or anger, it's a true confirmation. She can accept this explanation, because it's the truth.
"Okay. I guess that does clear up a few things . I can understand where you're coming from, but..she's is a recovering alcoholic and you challenged her sobriety . I know this has nothing to do with what you told me, but I think that may had caused her frustrations towards you."
She says the last part lowly, as if I would be shocked to hear such a confession. I knew that beforehand,that's why I asked my questions. Well.. I wasn't sure completely, but I had evidence to validate my reasoning. It's nice to know I was right, though.
Another thing that comes to mind, is how does she know this?
"Do you talk to her when I'm not around?" I ask.
I watch as she debates saying yes.
"Are you serious?"
"What? You can talk to my father, but I can't do the same with her?"
"She doesn't know me, Asami!"
"And my father does?" She defends.
Not having a counter, I get back on task.
"What made her start drinking in the first place, since you know her so well." I ask.
"She was dealing with the stress of her life. She had to deal with her career, raise her kids, be a wife, and make sure you were loved. That's a lot on a person."
I can't help but smile.
"So she told you I caused her to drink? "
"Apart of it."
Yep. Just leave out the accident. Like it wasn't a big deal or anything.
Asami knows how messed up my life is, especially since they speak about me all the time. I don't blame my girlfriend, though. Of course she would view Mrs. Beifong as the victim, the woman does a great job leaving out the bad stuff. That's why she never knows when things take a turn for the worse. But I think she's starting to gets the hint of things.
~A-Sato~
I wish I could compare Korra's past performances with this one, but they aren't the same. Because my girlfriend had control over her words and they were truly genuine.
Of course I'm curious to hear exactly what happened between the two, but this is neither the place nor time to talk about it. I'm just glad she's finally being honest.
"Okay. Let me go get my purse. Here is the keys, be at the car in a sec."
Once I return to the table, Wing and Wei stand up.
"Tell your girlfriend we expect an apology when she gets back." I push the twins aside.
"It's not my fault you skipped school." I reply.
"No! We're talking about an apology for our mom. This isnt the first time she has done this. Mom has done a lot for her, she's ungrateful!"
I ignore them and grab my purse.
"Where are you going?" Kuvira asks, stuffing a broccoli into her mouth, as if a heated discussion didn't just take place.
"We're heading out, thank you Lin for inviting us."
Coach blinks confused.
"I don't know what happened, but you're welcome. Tell the Champ I said congrats again."
I nod.
I take a look at Suyin, but she doesn't even look up at me.
I wish I could give her the benefit of the doubt, but I can't. Who am I to judge her on her actions? But I know she's stronger than this. I knew she was stronger than the temptation. Once again, I see her no differently than before. We all make mistakes, but I hope she learns from it.
Wei's comment doesn't sit well with me. So before I go, I clear up some things.
" I would like to remind you all that we shouldn't judge anything before we hear the full story. Instead of asking for an apology, maybe you should ask her an explanation. Have a good evening, see you all tomorrow." I reply, before walking off.
Once I enter the car, Korra stops changing the radio station.
"I think we pass a McDonald, do you want that?" I ask getting into the driver seat.
"It doesn't really matter, I lost my appetite. Can we just go home?" She asks.
"We can go home after we get something to eat. I know you're upset, but what good is starving yourself?"
"The trail mix sort of took care of it."
"Do you want to go to Sephora since you're not hungry?"
My question instantly causes her to get out of her damper.
"You know what? I'm craving some fries right now." She replies, making us both laugh.
We can have our own celebration.
After a quick shower, I climb into bed joining my winner.
"Do you want to know my worst quality?" She asks, as I cuddle beside her.
"Your charm, because I always seem to get in trouble because of it." I tease.
"Ha! Seems to be more of a disadvantage towards you. But seriously, it's my patience. Either I wait so long I lose myself, or barely wait, and do the same."
"We all have our flaws. Don't let today ruin your overall accomplishments."
"I know. I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to leave at dinner."
I kiss her shoulder.
I'm always on your side. If you're uncomfortable and I can do something about it, I'm going to. "
"You sticking with me during this crazy emotional roller coaster of mine, means everything and I can't thank you enough." She replies, turning around to face me.
"No, Korra. I can't thank you enough! Without you, I don't think I would have grown so much. You didn't just help me personally, but you strengthen my father and I's bond. What we're doing isn't appreciation, it's love. That's my disadvantage. I love you too much, which causes me to worry about you constantly. "
"Then don't do it." She replies.
"Thanks, Korra! I think you just cured my problem by saying those four words." I tease.
"So you agree that words don't always fix problems?" She replies, with a smile.
"I never said that. Even if I did, it all depends on the situation."
"Let me give you an example then. If I were to tell you how good you look, instead of just making out with you right now. Would that be fair?" She replies, nibbling on my ear.
"Careful. That ear heard a lot of sounds coming from you during the meet."
" Really? What kind?"
"Familiar ones that brings me back to moments like these."
"Did those sounds turn you on?" She asks, making her way down towards my neck.
"I don't know how to answer that..."
"Then don't. Show me."