Chapter 34: He Knows

The game carried on without Jet being an active participant. Until they were down to the top 10, there was no way he'd make a move. He'd like to think he'd have stuck to the alliance regardless of his next target, but part of him told him he'd have already struck if he had been assigned one of his housemates. Crossing Azula was a huge no-no, and he didn't even want to imagine the wrath of his friends if he took out Katara considering how much he'd already hurt her. For now, he'd have to sit back and watch the game play out, all while living vicariously through his friends.

Making it to the top 50, Zuko was the next one to be eliminated with only one kill under his belt. A fellow junior, Kori, took him out while he was between classes.

Sokka was killed shortly after the top 20 was announced by a senior named Biyu. He had gone a bit overboard with his killing spree, having taken out five students in total: Mai, Jiang, Ming-Ming, Sangok, and Jie. However, while he probably had the highest kill count of any other participant, he hadn't been paying much attention to who was out to get him. Jet was surprised he had even made it to the top 20 given his completely offensive strategy.

And then there were three, Azula, Katara, and himself, all still in the running and competing amongst the remaining students. Katara had taken the opposite approach to her brother, playing entirely on the defensive. She only had one kill, but the girl was vigil as anything. Azula, who had been competing with Sokka for total number of kills, had racked a body count of four so far: Jin, Xing Ying, Niyok, and Ru. One more and she'd tie with Sokka. Jet hoped she'd get that kill before he took her out.

It had been a slow and painful process, all the waiting around. The game had provided an outlet for his pent-up angst about the future. Without it, he had fallen somewhat into a depression. He still had no clue what he wanted to do or who he wanted to be. Finals were fast approaching, and he needed to get his shit together. His declared major of economics had seemed practical at the time, but now he had no idea what he would even do with this degree. And he still had to worry about the prospect of grad school…

A vibration from his phone distracted him from his thoughts. His eyes widened as he read the new notification. It had finally happened. 90 students had been eliminated. He had made the top 10! His instinctive smile faded as he realized what he had to do…

Azula was just getting out of her final class of the day, ready to start her weekend, when suddenly someone grabbed her hand and urgently started pulling her the opposite direction.

"Jet?!"

He continued to pull her, furtively glancing over his shoulder every now and then.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"No time to explain!" he hissed.

"But – "

"Shhh." He quickly escorted her into an empty classroom and then farther into the coat closet.

The light around them dimmed as he closed the door with them inside, her heart beating rapidly as she realized how close they were standing, nearly chest to chest.

"Care to explain what we're doing in this closet, weirdo?" she demanded, keeping a cool demeanor.

"Keep your voice down," he whisper-shouted.

"Jet, this is – "

"I'm saving your life, okay?"

"Okay… how exactly?"

"I know who your assassin is."

The words made her skin erupt in goosebumps.

"I saw your face on his phone. He knows your schedule." He lowered his voice even more. "He's coming for you."

Azula looked at him scrutinizingly, unsure whether to believe him or not. "Well if that's true, then I'd much rather be out there running away from him than trapped here where there's no escape!"

"I get that, but your leg – "

"Has gotten a lot better," she finished for him. "Yeah, maybe I'm not ready to run a marathon or even a 5K, but I bet I could outrun your average BSSU student without a problem."

"You're probably right," he chuckled.

"So then… what are we doing in here?" she demanded again, her voice low.

"What, you think I had other intentions?" he asked, amused. "What else could I possibly want with you, entrapped in this dark, cramped space, hm?"

"You tell me."

"You know…" He raked his fingers back through his hair. "…this isn't the first time we've been trapped in a closet together…"

She laughed. "If I recall, the last time we were in this position, we had the privilege of eavesdropping on all our friends talking about us behind our backs."

"Yeah, and how everyone seemed to be in agreement about you having a giant crush on me," he teased, smirking.

"N-Not everyone! And besides, Katara seemed pretty confident that you were the one who had a giant crush on me. And you did just pull me into this closet with you so…"

"Well, actually… there is something I wanted to tell you." He looked away for a second and then met her eyes in the dark.

Her heart leapt into her throat. "There is?" she managed, her voice squeaking a little.

"Close your eyes."

She wanted to ask why but decided to keep silent. If this was really happening, there was no way she'd let herself ruin it by asking stupid questions. Was this really happening?! Was Jet about to confess his feelings for her?! She closed her eyes, her breathing deep and slow.

"Good."

She felt him place his hands on her shoulders and slowly turn her around. "Jet, what are you – "

"Just relax," he assured, a playfulness in his voice.

Then she felt him brush her hair back behind her ear, making her shiver involuntarily. She could feel him leaning closer to her, the heat of his body… she felt as if she could spontaneously combust.

"Azula," he whispered into her ear, his breath pleasantly tickling her.

"Y-Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Sorry? She instantly snapped out of her trance. "Why, what did you – "

Gently, he slid two fingers across her throat. "You're dead."

Her mouth fell open. She abruptly spun around. "No way! You didn't just – " She began lightly pummeling his chest, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrists, laughing.

"I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, you're gonna be sorry!" she threatened. "I'll make sure of that."

"How're you gonna do that when you're dead?" he teased back.

"Ugh." She glared at him. "I can't believe you did that to me."

"Hey, I did uphold our alliance – I waited until we were in the top 10 – "

"I know, I know." She sighed. "I suppose it's fair. Although, you didn't exactly kill me the way the rules outline. But given that you've had ample opportunities to end me before, I'll accept my defeat."

He flashed her a cheeky smile.

She started to snicker softly. "You'll never guess who my target was."

"Who? Wait… was it Katara?!"

"Yep," she nodded. "Well that should be a piece of cake for you."

"Oh yeah. Almost too easy. I'm gonna win this game for sure."

"I hope you do. Then you can be sure to treat me to dinner and use some of that gift card on me." She grinned coyly.

"Is that what you want?" he asked, a small smirk playing on his lips. "For me to take you out to dinner?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Azula." He gave her a knowing look. "Come on."

Her body tensed. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She searched his features, but he gave nothing away. Did someone… tell him? She had confessed her feelings for Jet to all her friends – was it possible one of them had betrayed her?

"What makes you think I'd want you to take me out?" she tried to laugh off.

"Because I – " He stopped himself, his eyes suddenly growing stormy. "Because I…" He looked away. "…saw your note…"

Note? What note? Oh… oh! That note. She suddenly felt lightheaded. No, no, no, no, no. Shit! This was a nightmare, this was a fucking nightmare.

"Say something, won't you?" he whispered.

"Y-You knew?!" she snapped, her voice shaky. "You knew this whole time?!" Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"It fell out of your sweatshirt, I-I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know – "

"If you knew this whole time, then that means… that means you don't…" She covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head.

"I never said I didn't!"

But he never said he did either. He probably just wanted to spare her feelings. Because they're friends. And that's all they'd ever be. "Spirits, I'm such a fucking idiot."

"No, don't say that, you're not – "

"You know what?" she cut him off, all the anger and hurt boiling over inside of her, "It doesn't matter. I-I was delirious when I wrote that note – I thought I was going to die, okay? The adrenaline must have been playing tricks on my brain. I-I didn't mean it." She shoved past him, opening the closet door.

"Wait. C-Can't we talk about – "

"I need some space."

"Azula, please – "

"I said I need some space!"

She left him alone in the classroom, charging on ahead with hot tears rolling down her cheeks. This was beyond humiliating. All her hopes, everything that was in her heart, shattered in an instant. He knew. He knew this whole fucking time! And he did nothing about it. Of course he didn't feel the same way. She was stupid for even thinking it was possible. No one could ever love her. No one ever had – why would that change now?

She had to get out of there. She had to get away, away from Jet, away from her friends, away from Ba Sing Se altogether. But where?

What had he done? Spirits, he royally fucked up. He never meant to tell her he saw her note. Sure, he had wanted to – he didn't want there to be any secrets between them, and this one had been weighing on him heavily – but he had gone about it all wrong. And now, maybe she wouldn't even want to be friends anymore.

His heart sank further when Mai shot out a group text letting everyone know Azula had packed a bag and apparently fled. At least Azula had had the courtesy to text Zuko to let him know she was safe and not to worry about her, which he promptly conveyed to the rest of the group. Of course, Azula had conveniently left out the reason why she left in such a hurry, leaving everyone else to speculate.

"But where could she have gone?" Ty Lee asked quizzically.

Jet sighed. "That's what we're all trying to figure out." His tone came out more biting than intended.

"No, I mean… where could she have gone without any money?"

All eyes turned to her, intrigued.

"She's been pretty broke since she flew to the Southern Water Tribe for winter break, not to mention all her recent medical bills…"

"That's a really good point," Sokka nodded, scratching his chin as he thought it over. He suddenly perked up. "She must have borrowed money from Iroh!"

Zuko checked the time on his phone. "Uncle should still be at the teashop. If we leave now, we can make it there before he closes for the day."

"To the teashop then?" Katara asked.

"To the teashop!" Sokka declared, standing up and pointing dramatically ahead of him.

"Ooh yay!" Ty Lee cheered. "I'm getting bubble tea!"

Following a short train ride to the Upper Ring, the conversation continued in the Jasmine Dragon.

"I had a feeling you'd be making an appearance in my humble teashop today," Iroh greeted, clearly not surprised to see them there.

"Does that mean you know where Azula went?" Zuko asked, cutting straight to the point.

"I do, but… you won't believe me when I tell you."

The friends waited for him to elaborate.

"The Fire Nation. To see your mother."

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted simultaneously, exchanging shocked glances.

"See, I told you you wouldn't believe me," Iroh chuckled.

"Did she say why?" Mai asked.

He shook his head. "Azula… she seemed distraught about something. Whatever it was, she didn't seem to want to share it, and, oh, I don't know… she had this look in her eyes, something that told me she needed her mother. I thought it would be a good idea for her to clear the air with Ursa, so I gave her money for a plane ticket."

"But final exams are next week!" Katara shouted, concerned. "She's not going to be prepared…"

"She will do just fine," Iroh said with full confidence. "If I know Azula, additional study time is not what she needs. It's important for her to have a clear head before exams. Confronting her personal demons may just be the key to her success."

"I'm going after her," Zuko declared. "She should have someone there to support her."

"No," Jet interjected. "I should be the one to go."

"I'm her brother, if anyone's going it's – "

"I'm the reason why she left," he blurted.

An uncomfortable silence fell.

"This… this was all my fault." He sucked in a deep breath, steadying himself. "I-I tricked her. She was my assassin target, and I lured her into a coat closet and killed her."

"But Jet…" Mai gave him a perplexed look. "…it was just a game. I know she likes to win, but – "

"I think Azula thought I was going to confess something to her when we were in the closet. I didn't mean to…" His face flooded with shame. "It was thoughtless. She probably thinks I purposely played with her feelings."

Ty Lee gasped. "You knew?!"

"Ty Lee!" Katara admonished, grimacing.

"Yeah. I knew. And now she knows that I knew. Ugh!" He threw his head back. "I'm such an idiot."

"What were you thinking?!" Sokka blared.

"I wasn't, I'm sorry, I – "

"Stop," Zuko interrupted, his eyes dark. "Just stop."

"Huh?"

"Stop with all the excuses. Stop with all the games. Stop with all the secrets. Just tell us the truth!" He eyed Jet menacingly. "Do you have feelings for Azula or not?"

"I…" He froze, staring wide-eyed in panic. "I…"

The tension in the room was palpable.

"I…" The pressure was all on him. "I'M IN LOVE WITH HER, OKAY?!"

"Awww!" Katara, Ty Lee, Sokka, and Iroh cooed at the same time.

Mai smiled, nodding at him in approval.

"Then you should go after her," Zuko said, his voice softening. "And tell her the truth."

Jet met his friends' eyes with a determined gaze. "I will."