Ride or Die
Chapter 1: Habits
Most would say returning to their childhood home would make them feel nostalgic, wistful even. For Katara, the thought of returning to Harbor City made her stomach roll, and her mind diving into a freefall. After a semester spent away from the city, the thought of returning to her hometown was like being sent into purgatory.
"Katara, you alright?"
Hand perched on the car door handle, she paused for a moment, taking the AirPods out of her ears. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you're OK?" Sokka questioned, brows drawing together in annoyance.
Trapped within her existential dread, Katara hadn't noticed that her brother had exited the car. Leaning into the driver seat, he offered her a look of concern.
"You've been staring at the house for a good minute. Your door locked or something?" He asked, beeping the keyed remote in his hands. A loud horn sounded from the car as he unlocked the doors again.
Shaking her head, Katara pulled the handle and pushed the door open. Stepping out of the car, Katara slung her bag over her shoulder and turned towards the house. It looked like it had for her entire life - thick white wooden posts jutting from the large porch, faded blue paint covering the dated wooden siding. She noticed her father had recently painted the front door an obnoxious shade of sage. The modest craftsman-style home was the same as she remembered it.
"I'm fine. All good." She answered, speaking mostly to herself as she headed up the cement path.
Depressing a few of the buttons on the electronic lock, the buttons flashed red several times, protesting the combination she'd entered. For a second time, she entered the lock code from memory - 1228. Again, the lock chirped in protest.
"Did Dad change the code?"
"Yeah, try 0338."
Pushing the buttons in sequence, the lock flashed green, groaning slightly as the mechanism pulled back the deadbolt. Pushing the front door open, she entered the house. Silence. The house was deserted. It seemed that even with all the changes, her father's absence hadn't changed at all.
"Where's dad? Still at the office?" She asked, dropping her purse onto the entryway console table.
"He's traveling on business this week. Should be back by Friday. I think." Sokka sounded slightly unsure as he headed through the house, flicking on light switches as he went.
In the bright illumination of the recessed lighting, the house seemed both familiar and strange to her at the same time. On the table, a faint buzzing sounded deep within her bag. Pulling the phone out, Katara swiped on the screen, a large number of notifications climbing up the screen. Three unread snaps. Four text messages. Twelve missed calls.
She'd unblocked the numbers the moment her plane had landed. Regret suddenly bloomed in her chest as she opened the snaps.
thereallone Look who's back? How was the tundra, hoe?
QueeeenS Get on FaceTime! We need to talk. NOW!
The last snap, a series of emojis on a black screen. Disgust filled her mind as she closed the app. Katara instantly regretted installing the app again and unblocking the numbers. She'd left for a reason, and unblocking her former social circle only further reinforced her current emotional state.
Watching her toss the phone back into her bag, Sokka sunk into the overstuffed leather sofa. Pulling on of the cream-colored throw pillows behind his head, his face darkened as he watched his sister's reaction.
"Are they bothering you again? Do I need to tell them to back off?"
Shaking her head, Katara shrugged. "I'll have to face them all eventually. Harbor City isn't exactly a large town."
"Yeah, but they're being nasty. I told them to lay off before I picked you up. Guess they didn't listen."
Before she could respond, a knock sounded at the front door. "Hold that thought."
Pausing for a moment, Katara felt the lock in her hands, steeling herself for whoever might be on the other side. It was now or never, she thought. Twisting the knob, the door creaked slightly as she pulled it open.
A pair of arms wound around her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're back!"
Letting out a small laugh, Katara returned the young woman's embrace. "Yeah, I am."
Pulling out of the embrace, the girl stepped back and pushed a few short strands of hair behind her ear. "We have a lot to catch up on."
"Hey, Suki. I'm here too. Nice to see you." Sokka waved from the sofa, only his hand showing above the plush cushions.
"Hey, babe. I'll be back in a minute. Me and Katara have to talk."
Before Katara had time to respond, she found herself being dragged up the stairs and to her bedroom, pulled Suki as she went. Stumbling against the carpet runners, she protested. "Suki, slow down!"
"No time! Let's go!"
Once safely inside the privacy of her room, Katara knew exactly what Suki was about to launch into. During her semester away, Katara had secretly kept up on the tweets and insta posts. Even if she'd deleted all of her socials, she'd made a few secret accounts to creep on her circle of friends, and those who she couldn't stand. She'd known better than to stalk social media, but she hadn't been able to stop herself.
Over the past months, the tweets had tapered off and the insta posts had slowly moved away from vague mentions of her. Eventually, her friends returned to posting about their various day to day activities - boba tea at the Jasmine Dragon, long nights at the marina, the shit-talking between friends. She missed all of it,
Suki knew why Katara had left, and she didn't blame her. The fall out from the party and accusations made against her after the event would have caused anyone to run. But Suki knew better. Suki knew that the rumors weren't true, and had defended her against every single lie and falsehood spewed. The rumor mill was endless and seemed to run forever.
"You never returned my snap. I know you downloaded the app. Why did you ignore me?"
Katara registered the hurt in Suki's voice. Suki had been the only one left out of their circle to consistently reach out to her over the months she was away. Aang had sent several emails, all of which she'd left read and unanswered. Once she'd blocked his number, she figured he'd gotten the message.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't on purpose..." Dropping onto the mattress, Katara shoved her face into the fresh bedding. Inhaling deeply, the fresh scent of the laundry soap her Gran used overwhelmed her, sinking her further into her despair.
Leaning onto the bed, Suki rested against her arm as she looked at her friend. Pink lips turning down into a frown, the sting of rejection still felt real for her. Katara never ignored or left her messages left on read. It felt like a small betrayal.
"Is Toph still mad too?" Katara asked, voice muffled by her pillows.
"She was never mad. You know she doesn't like to get involved in other people's problems. She's waiting for you to come out of hiding. Like we all are."
Sitting up from the bed, Katara avoided Suki's gaze as she reached for the side table. Pulling one the drawers open, she rummaged for a second before pulling a small glass bottle out, amber liquid swirling at the bottom. Licking her lips, she pulled the stopper out and took a long swig.
"I thought you stopped drinking."
Swallowing, she offered Suki the cheap whiskey. "I did. Not a drop all semester. I figure getting slightly drunk might make it all easier to handle."
Letting out a snort, Suki took the bottle and took a swig. It burned as she swallowed, instant warmth settling into her stomach as she capped the empty bottle and tossed it to the carpet below.
"If we're going to get trashed, might as do it the right way. I guess..." Suki trailed as she stood from the bed, pulling Katara up with her as she moved.
The pair left the room together, laughing as they ran down the hallway. Instantly, any thoughts of Katara's rejection left her mind. Suki was happy to finally have her best friend back. As they stomped down the stairs together, Sokka looked up from his phone, offering the pair a smile.
"You two get it all figured out?"
"Not at all. Wanna join us?" Suki asked as she approached a cabinet nestled into the back wall of the living area. Pulling one of the doors open, she looked at the dozen bottles of alcohol before pulling one of them out.
"My dad's gonna be pissed if we finish that one. Try the Hellfire instead."
Exchanging one bottle for another, Suki placed the heavy bottle onto the cabinet top before pouring a few shots. Hanging the small amber-filled glasses to them, she raised her hand in a toast.
"Fuck the drama." She stated, her voice commanding.
Nodding his head, Sokka tipped the liquid into his mouth, coughing slightly as he pushed it down his throat. In one swift motion, Katara finished the shot without hesitation. Letting out a small laugh, Katara offered the pair a genuine smile as she moved to sit on the couch.
She finally felt ready for whatever Suki was going to tell her.
"So, who's saying what now?"
Dropping onto the sofa next to her, Suki took in a deep breath before speaking. She wasn't sure where to start.
"Let's see..." She trailed, searching her mind, pausing for effect. "Toph isn't mad. She'll come over tomorrow. You know how she is. Haru just wants to catch up with you. Zuko is a little peeved, to be expected. Don't get me started on his sister. Or her friends. I think that's about it..."
Listening to her friend rattle of the list of names left Katara feeling guilty. She knew that her time away would lead to more questions that she was willing to answer. A small part of her felt relieved to know she wasn't completely hated. Suki had left off one name. The name she so wished to hear. Licking her lips, Katara was silent for a moment.
"What about Aang?"
A strange silence fell over the room at her question. Looking over at Sokka, Suki cocked her head to the side, eyes drifting to the floor. At not getting a response, Katara knew what their answer was.
"Uh... he's doing good. He finished with great marks. Still comes around sometimes. You know, all the usual stuff." Suki offered, waving her hand dismissively at Katara's question.
Drawing her eyes to meet Sokka's, Suki looked at him, mentally willing him to fill in the missing gaps of information. She couldn't bring herself to tell the waterbender what she knew.
Letting out a sigh, Sokka leaned into the liquor cabinet and crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess if you're not going to tell her, I have to."
"Tell me what?" Katara asked, a slight panic in her voice as she sat up.
Gaze cast at the floor, Sokka couldn't bring himself to look at his sister. "Aang moved on."
Sokka's words punched a hole through her chest. The creeping despair she'd kept pushed down for so long took her full force as she took in his words. Falling back into the overstuffed cushions, she felt like she should cry, but the tears never came. Shaking her head, she wasn't surprised. Katara had a feeling that Aang would still be upset with her. The urge to pull out her phone and call him loomed at the back of her mind, but she stopped herself. If he was happy, she wasn't going to bother him.
"He moved on with who?"
Taking Katara's hand in her own, Suki laced their fingers together as if to offer some sort of comfort. She knew her answer would gut her friend.
"Her name's Rika. She's moved here just after you left."
For what seemed like the hundredth time that evening, Katara felt the urge to cry, but no tears came. It was like she was hollow, nothing left inside of her. She'd spent most of her time away mourning the relationships she had left to die. The worst pain was what she felt over Aang.
Flashes of the party so many months ago filled her mind. The images were hazy, blurred moments in time. Even with all the times she'd replayed the night in her mind, the night never seemed to make sense to her. The information she'd been given and her memories of the night didn't align.
"Rika. That's a pretty name."
Rika was indeed a pretty girl, Suki would admit. Wanting to avoid causing further pain for Katara, Suki ignored the comment.
"I don't think they're serious. Just call him. You guys might be able to figure things out."
At Suki's words, Sokka's head shot up. "Suki, what?"
"It was just an idea."
"A bad one," Sokka added before standing, pulling the phone out of his pocket. Tapping the screen, he read over the notifications before looking back towards the girls.
"Katara, you just got back. Don't focus on other people right now. You have the entire summer before university starts back up. Focus on yourself for the moment." His words bore into her as she listened.
Sokka was right. She'd come back to Harbor City to give herself a fresh start. After spending an entire semester away, Katara felt like she was missing a huge chunk of her life. The months spent with her cousins at Roundtree Gap seemed like a period she couldn't recall. Katara had decided to come home, no one had pushed her into it. She wasn't going to sink back into old habits, or old loves.
Letting out a sigh, she answered. "You're right. I didn't come back to cause problems."
Wanting to distract from the current situation, Suki moved from the sofa and grabbed her bag. She knew just what the moment called for. With a large grin on her face, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Phone pressed into her ear, she stood from the sofa and walked to another room.
"Where is she going?" Katara questioned, confusion coloring her face.
Shrugging, Sokka answered, still focused on his phone. "Probably calling her plug. She wanted to be prepared in case you came home and crumbled from the news."