Chapter 26: Going South (Part 2)
As soon as the breakfast bar was open, the friends rushed to the buffet line and started filling their plates. They were going to need their fuel for another long day on the slopes. Jet was not surprised to see that Sokka's plate only consisted of the various types of breakfast meats, including a hearty steak. Sometimes he wondered how Sokka was able to eat all that and still stay so fit.
After making their way through the line, they gathered at one of the round tables. Noticeably absent from the table, however, was Katara. Jet gave Haru a puzzled look to see if he knew anything, but Haru just shrugged. None of the girls seemed distraught or bothered by anything, so he assumed she must be in the bathroom or running behind or something.
The mystery, however, was solved pretty quickly. Katara joined them at the table moments later. But when she sat down, she had a look on her face like she was about to deliver some bad news.
"Bad news, guys. Have any of you been following the weather reports?"
Everyone looked around at each other and then back at Katara, shaking their heads.
"Apparently we're in for a huge snowstorm later this afternoon. I was just at the front desk – they said it's possible the slopes will close today if the conditions get too dangerous."
"Aw man," Sokka whined. "I wanted to try some black diamonds today."
"Well you still can if you go quickly. In fact, we should all eat quickly and get out of here as soon as possible so we can maximize our ski time."
All of a sudden, everyone started digging into their plates, shoveling as much food into their mouths as possible. Despite the risk of stomach cramps, they were all eager to hit the snow and make the most out of their short time in the Southern Water Tribe. Katara and Haru were the first to leave, with Zuko and Mai following shortly after.
"Hey!" Sokka shouted, waving the "couple" down as he finished scarfing down his breakfast. "Mind if I tag along?"
"Oh yeah sure!" Zuko said. "But I don't think we're quite ready for black diamonds just yet."
"That's for sure," Mai agreed.
"That's okay." Sokka got up to clear his plate. "I'd rather hang out with you guys than ski alone."
"And then there were three," Ty Lee sighed as she watched Sokka, Zuko, and Mai leave the dining area.
"You two go on ahead," Azula insisted. "I'm way behind you guys and I'd rather practice on my own."
"Are you sure – " Jet started, but Azula cut him off with a look. That's right – he needed to stick to their agreement and give her some space. Maybe if Sokka saw Jet with Ty Lee on the slopes and not Azula, then he wouldn't end up having the wrong idea about them like Mai did. "Okay, be safe out there." He turned to Ty Lee who was giving him a confused look, probably because he had "abandoned" Azula so easily. "Let's roll."
"More like, 'let's jet'," Ty Lee grinned, on the verge of laughter. "Get it?!"
Azula rolled her eyes and left the table.
"Because of your name!" she explained.
"Yeah, I get it."
"Come on, that was funny! Ugh, you have no sense of humor."
Azula picked up right where she left off… on the bunny slopes. As frustrating as it was, she was slowly but surely making progress. At the very least, she learned how to slow down to a stop without falling down. The next test of her progress would be a green circle. It had already started snowing, but it was light enough that she felt up for the challenge.
And a challenge it was. Steeper and slicker than the bunny slopes, and with the addition of some twists and turns, Azula continued to struggle. But nevertheless, she eventually made her way down the hill, grace be damned. At least she stuck the landing… on her butt.
"Spirits damn it," she cursed under her breath, dropping her head into her hands.
"Need a hand?" a familiar voice asked.
"Mai?" she said, looking up. "What are you doing over here? Where are Zuko and Sokka?"
Mai offered Azula her hand and helped her up. "I got bored of skiing. It's freezing out here and the snow is just so awful."
"Tell me about it," Azula muttered.
"Also Zuko and Sokka kept daring each other to try stupid and reckless things, and I was tired of feeling like a third wheel so I – "
"Wait, really?"
"No, it was just a joke…" Mai gave Azula a perplexed look. "You know how those two are."
"Yeah..." she laughed softly. "It's hard to tell when you're joking."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." She smiled. "Hey… before I head in, do you want to try snow tubing instead? Could be fun."
Azula looked over at the neighboring slope and saw a bunch of people riding down the hill in what looked like river tubes. While she wasn't quite ready to call it quits, especially since she hadn't reached her personal goal of trying a blue square, snow tubing looked easy and entertaining enough. Plus it had been a while since she and Mai had done something together, just the two of them.
"Well?"
"Yeah, let's try it!"
Mai was fairly quiet on the way over to pick up their tube, which wasn't unusual for her, but for once Azula wished Mai would talk about something, anything, because Azula was two seconds away from blurting out what happened yesterday in the closet. But no. She had to keep that to herself. If word got out that Azula and Jet had heard all their friends talking about them behind their backs, well, that was just drama Azula wanted to avoid altogether. At least she knew with full confidence that Mai was a good friend who chose to take the high ground and not participate in the gossip.
A man helped the girls into their tube and hooked them up to the pulley system, where they were tugged gently uphill.
"Hey. There's… something I wanted to talk to you about," Mai said anxiously.
"Sounds serious…" Azula suddenly felt nervous. Was she finally going to confide in her about her fake relationship with Zuko? That is, if Zuko didn't already tell Mai that he told her himself. Maybe Mai already knew that she knew. "What's going on?"
"Well, I… I, uhh… okay, this is gonna sound kinda crazy, but…"
Azula raised an eyebrow.
"It's really loud up here," Mai shouted.
It was true. Azula hadn't even realized how closely she was leaning in so she could hear Mai over the cranking gears of the pulley and the wind of the impending storm.
"Maybe we should talk when we get down," she continued to shout.
"Yeah," Azula acknowledged. "Good idea."
They made their way to the top of the hill in silence, but as soon as their tube tipped over the edge, they were both screaming their heads off in sheer exhilaration.
"So… what's it like sharing a bed with Haru?" Ty Lee asked through a devious smirk. "I bet he's a good cuddler."
"Huh, what?!" Her question had caught him off guard. With the snow falling steadily around them and the visibility starting to get bad, the only thing on Jet's mind was getting back to the resort in one piece. He would be surprised if the slopes stayed open for another fifteen minutes at this rate. "Wait… how did you know I was sharing with Haru?"
"Because obviously Sokka and Zuko were gonna share a bed," she laughed. "They've just been dying for an opportunity to jump into bed together."
"True bromance right there," Jet chuckled.
She brought a hand to her brow to shield her face from the snow. "You must be pretty bummed having Haru crash our ski trip…"
"No… why would I be? Haru's a great – "
"Because you let Katara get away. And now you're kicking yourself for it."
"Uhhh, don't you think you're jumping to conclusions there?"
She sighed with frustration. "Why do you have to be so stupid?"
"W-What?! How am I – "
"I'm stupid too," she said quietly. "And I hate myself for it. I'm not honest about my feelings either, so I keep screwing everything up."
"What are you talking about?"
"Last night… Mai and I kinda got into a fight."
"What does that have to do with – " He stopped in his tracks. Where was Ty Lee going with this? Did she… have feelings for Mai?! Or was she just upset because they had an argument?
"I mean it's like…" Ty Lee stopped walking and turned around. "…she refuses to be honest with me – I know there's something off about her relationship with Zuko. I kept pushing and pushing, but she's so stubborn and she doesn't want to tell me how she feels. It made me so mad, it…" She looked down. "It just seems like no one is being honest with each other. And sooner or later, our group is going to fall apart. I'm… not ready for that. College is flying by, and I already feel like I've wasted so much time!"
"Hey, come here," he said softly, giving her a gentle hug. He could tell she was on the verge of tears. "You're only a sophomore – you still have plenty of time. If you really feel that way, then don't hold back."
"You don't understand, I… I can't have it all. I can't have a normal college life and be an influencer. My fans… they've given me so much. But they have no idea who I really am. I guess… I'm feeling like my double life is finally catching up with me. And I don't know what to do. What would you do if you were in my shoes?"
"I would spend my time with my real friends. People who know the real me. Just think about what you could have if you gave up your social media presence. No more pressure to act or look a certain way. You could go on dates with cute girls! Who knows, maybe you could even find love…"
"Omashu Day is coming up soon…"
"I don't want you to leave with regrets."
She nodded slowly. "Well I don't want you to leave with regrets either."
"What do you mean? Is this about Katara again, because I – "
"She still likes you, you know."
"She does?" he asked incredulously. "I don't know, she seems pretty happy with Haru…"
"Trust me, I'm her roommate, I can tell. And her relationship with Haru is not going to last."
"Well even if that's true, that doesn't mean that I – "
"I think you're afraid of being with someone who might be a positive influence on you," she interrupted again. "You just won't admit how you really feel."
"Why do you think I have feelings for Katara?"
"Because you asked her to the dance! Because you made her a bouquet of paper roses!"
"Okay, you want to know how I really feel?" he questioned, the aggravated tone of his voice even surprising himself. "The truth is… I don't know how I feel! I've been trying to make sense of it all, and I just can't. I've never felt so confused, so frustrated, so strongly and so numb all at the same time, I…" He took a deep breath. "But one thing I'm certain about is this."
Ty Lee stared at him intently, her brown-gray eyes burning into him.
"I don't have those kinds of feelings for Katara, I promise you."
"But… why not?"
"I don't know. Katara's great, she's one of the best people I know, but she's… she's not… she's just not – "
"OUT OF THE WAY!" a familiar voice shrieked from the near distance. "WATCH OUT!"
" – Azula?!"
Azula and Mai were plummeting down the hill in a snow tube. Jet and Ty Lee had been stupid enough to have their little heart-to-heart right there on the base of the slope.
Jet immediately hopped out of the way, but Ty Lee froze in place, staring wide-eyed at the speeding tube. The girls plowed right into her, sending her flying into a snowbank.
"Spirits, Ty Lee, are you okay?!" Jet shouted, helping her up.
"Why didn't you move?!" Azula demanded.
"UGH!" Ty Lee shrieked, exasperatedly throwing her arms in the air. "Are you crazy?!"
"Take it easy, can't you see I'm trying to apologize here?!"
"Sorry, Ty, it was an accident," Mai stepped in. "We couldn't stop in time."
"Sorry, my ass!"
Azula and Mai exchanged perplexed looks.
"Yeah right. You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"No, of course not!" Mai looked stunned. "We couldn't stop the – "
"Oh, please. You were targeting me!" She turned directly to Azula. "You crashed into me on purpose because you're jealous of me! You've been jealous of me since the day we met!"
"Who's the crazy one now?! You know what, I don't need this."
"And you," Ty Lee growled, turning to Mai, "you're still mad about what happened last night!"
"What?!" Mai's stunned expression turned quickly to anger. "That's what this is about?! You mean last night when you tried to pick a fight with me and Zuko? I let it go, but no, you wanna rehash it now?!"
"Come on guys, cool it," Jet said.
"Oh, you let it go, huh? How? By avoiding me all morning?!"
"Avoiding you?! I haven't been avoiding you!"
"You've barely talked to me at all since last night! I said I was sorry!"
"And I said I dropped it and I did, so – "
"Wait, guys," Jet cut in, looking around desperately through the pounding snow. "Do either of you see Azula anywhere?"
Azula didn't have time for an insipid argument. She didn't know what in the world Ty Lee and Jet had been talking about, but whatever it was, it didn't need to be discussed right at the bottom of the snow tube hill. It was Ty Lee's own damn fault for getting hit. She didn't need to go off like that. And calling Azula jealous?! The audacity. What would Azula have to be jealous of anyway? All her adoring fans? All the gifts, love letters, and attention she got? Ugh, it was infuriating! Why did everyone love Ty Lee? Why did everyone love Ty Lee and not…
It was futile getting upset. Azula could hear the employees getting ready to close down the slopes for the day. Tomorrow she'd be flying back to Ba Sing Se. It was now or never. She was going to ski down a blue square, her only marker of not being a complete failure this trip, one way or another.