Chapter Two
When Zuko arrived at his apartment he found Jet with a few other people in the living room, playing strip poker. He sighed, not in the mood for any party activities. Against his knowledge he had wished to find a calm and empty apartment after coming home. But Jet loved to have parties in their apartment, since it was rather large and nice. Certainly the furniture was more expensive than the one from any of his friends.
"Hey Zuko, wanna join?" Jet called, an arm around a girl who was only wearing a bra.
"Thanks, I'll pass," he said, rubbing his neck. "You guys have fun!"
Jet chuckled. "Oh, we will!" All the others burst out into laughter and Zuko made his way to his room.
He put his bag on his desk and slumped on his bed, groaning in an annoyed manner, before he pressed his palms onto his eyes.
He still couldn't really believe what his father wanted from him! He understood, but it just felt insane: looking for a girlfriend to boast his father's popularity in the campaign.
He didn't even want a girlfriend! Mai and he had just broken up seven months before and he still wasn't completely over her. He had tried to enjoy his single life in the last few months, due to Jet's "getting-over-a-girl"-process. But one night stands were nothing for him as he had discovered when he hadn't even become aroused as one girl had tried to turn him on. Probably he needed more emotional connection or he was just a pussy, as Jet would say.
But he still had no desire at all to find a new girlfriend. Would he just break up with her after the elections would be over? Did he have to play a role the whole time, making her believe he loved her? How would he even get a girl whose people had been deeply hurt by his ancestors to like or love him?
But maybe it wouldn't be too bad. He could actually find a nice girl, have some fun, maybe even fall in love. But how would he get her to support his father's campaign? Could he even lie to her about his feelings? He was a really bad liar, so maybe he should just tell her the truth. But why would she help him then?
oOo
"I'm so sorry, I totally forgot to call you," Sanyo said, smiling apologetically.
"Call me? Why?" Katara asked, wanting to go behind the counter, but Sanyo stood in her way. Katara frowned deeply. What was her problem? She needed to get ready for her shift!
Santo sighed. "See, the shop isn't doing well and since you were the last person starting to work here, I'm afraid I have to dismiss you."
Katara froze. What? How could she do that? No, no, no no, no! That could not happen! She needed this job! "But...but you can't do that! I need this job! And I'm a good waiter!" she argued, but kept her voice down. She couldn't afford to make a scene, there were customers around the room.
"I know, Katara, but I cannot afford to fire the more experienced waiters. And let's face it, you have almost no restraint. I've been nice to you, because I know you need the job and because I want to support students, but I'v warned you enough times now that you can't keep being sarcastic or sassy to the customers. And yelling is completely inappropriate!"
Katara's breath deepened and her nostrils flared as she clenched her fists. She had only defended herself against arrogant behaviour. "And I told you it was the customers who started it!"
Sanyo narrowed her eyes. "I'm really aware of that, Katara. But we've been over this enough times. No matter how they treat you it is your job to be nice to them."
Katara's jaw clenched as she felt herself tremble with anger. "Is it wrong of me to want to be treated with respect?!" she asked, her voice getting louder and angrier. Some customers were already looking in her direction. "Is it wrong to defend myself against arrogant and sexist people? Someone just had to show them some manners! If I wouldn't do it no one would!" she shouted, stomping with one foot.
"Enough!" Sanyo yelled, slamming her fist on the counter.
Katara jerked slightly.
"It is clearly you who lacks some manners!" Sanyo continued talking with a lower voice. "I know you're a good girl, but this is a restaurant, no court in which you can argue for justice! You're going to become a great lawyer if you'll learn how to restrain yourself! You have so much passion, use it for something useful. And don't insult people in your new job!" Sanyo wiggled her index finger in front of Katara's face, which normally made her angry, but she calmed herself and sighed.
"I know, I'm sorry and am working on it," she mumbled.
Sanyo smiled and patted the student's shoulder. "You see, I know that the Volcano Adventure Land is looking for help. You should also check the pools. If you're lucky you'll become a lifesaver and will be able to boss people around and yell at them."
Heat spread in Katara's cheeks, but she knew where Sanyo was coming from.
Katara was normally a really nice, caring and gentle person, but whenever she felt herself or other people being treated in an unfair way, she snapped. It was as if she became the Hulk sometimes. Because of that her brother had given her the nickname Kat-Hulk. It hadn't been as funny as he had thought.
"Alright," Katara murmured, looking on the ground.
Sanyo lifted her chin to make her look at her. "You are a good girl. You'll find another job."
Katara nodded and tried to smile. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."
Sanyo chuckled a bit. "It's okay."
Katara pretended that it would be okay and that she would find another job. But actually she was afraid. She needed a job, she couldn't depend on her family any longer. Her grandmother had become sick and her mother stayed home to care for her. Kya could lose her job and her dad's salary wasn't the highest either.
Katara told herself to calm down. She would just ask any of her friends if they knew anything and walk through town, looking for "Help wanted" signs. She wouldn't even care a lot about the new job. She just knew that she had to gain money somehow.
oOo
The next day Zuko and Jet met for lunch in a little pub. It was their favourite eating and drinking spot and while Zuko almost every time stuck to the same things, Jet always ordered something different, wanting to try everything.
After they had given their orders Zuko tried to gather his thoughts, thinking about how to tell Jet about the newest insane thing his father wanted him to do.
"So how did it go last night?" Jet asked, eyebrows raised.
"You didn't watch it?" Zuko asked back.
Jet shook his head. "Nah. No offense, but it's not really entertaining guests for a party to watch something about politics."
Zuko grimaced. "Yeah, probably not." He took a deep breath. "Jet, I need your help. I have to do something incredibly stupid, insane and annoying."
Jet rose his eyebrows. "Am I going into prison for that?"
"What? No!"
"Then I'm in. What is it?" he asked eagerly, leaning forward. Finally something interesting.
Zuko furrowed his brow. "Well, I need a girlfriend..."
Before he could say more, Jet threw his head back and burst out into loud laughter, attracting the looks of other customers, waiters and the barkeeper.
Zuko hated it when people were looking in his direction. "Will you shut up?" he hissed.
Jet simply grinned and wiped imagined tears under his eyes. "Oh man! It was about time you came to me with this!"
Zuko gave him a deadpanned look. "It's not like I want a girlfriend. But unfortunately I need one. My father wants me to get a girlfriend who would boost his popularity for the elections," he explained, talking quietly.
"You're right. That is insane. What should she be like?"
Zuko gave him the list. "Plus, she needs to come from the southern province or the mountains."
Jet nodded. "I see", he murmured after having read the list. "Wow, that's pretty smart, though."
Zuko narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "It's embarrassing."
"For you! For me it's going to be the most interesting thing that will probably ever happen this year. And the year has only just started," he pointed out, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Will you help me or not?" Zuko asked, looking annoyed. And feeling annoyed, too.
"Of course," Jet said generously, relaxing slightly in his chair.
"Okay, how do we start? How do I find out where a girl comes from?" Zuko asked, leaning forward.
Jet twisted his mouth. "I'd say start with the obvious southerners. Mocha skin, blue eyes." His own eyes became shadowed and he looked down.
Zuko knew Jet was thinking about Katara, his ex-girlfriend from high school, who he hadn't fought for enough. In Zuko's opinion. Jet always said that he didn't care about her breaking up with him, but he was still sad about it five years later. If he had loved her so much, then why hadn't he fought?
"Uhuh," Zuko said, trying to distract Jet. "That is a good idea! Starting with the obvious south looking girls," he murmured, typing it into his phone. He normally didn't plan anything and reacted always spontaneously, but he still felt very uncomfortable and insecure with girls and flirting, so maybe a plan wasn't the worst idea.
"What about Katara?" Jet asked, sounding nonchalantly.
Zuko shrugged. "Don't know, haven't heard anything about her and I don't know people who are still in contact with her."
Jet frowned, shaking his head. "No, I mean, Katara as your girlfriend. She's perfect and fits everything on your list!"
Zuko stared at his best friend in shock. "What? Are you crazy? She's your ex!"
Jet shrugged, taking a sip from his coke. "So?"
"So? So she's taboo!"
"Why? It wouldn't bother me," he said, putting a toothpick between his teeth.
Zuko narrowed his eyes, trying to find a hint of lying in Jet's face, but Jet was a damn good liar. "I don't believe you. You regret that you let her end things then and you still think about her!"
Jet's face contorted in anger. "I'm not! I'm over her! Have been for the last five years!" His voice seemed pretty annoyed and not too angry or anything, so Zuko actually almost believed him.
But he still shook his head. "Even if you don't think about her anymore, she's still your ex. That would be weird."
Jet tensed. "What do you mean? Are you planning on kissing her?"
A frown appeared on Zuko's face. "Well, that's what couples do."
"But you wouldn't be a real couple," Jet objected.
"I know!" Zuko groaned, holding his head in his hands, his elbows on the tabke. "But this girl cannot know! It has to be real for her!"
Jet grimaced. "That sucks!"
"I hate this!"
"What if you engage an actress?" Jet mused, suddenly grinning widely. "Well, yeah, that's the perfect plan!"
Zuko rolled his eyes. "My dad doesn't want actresses and her backstory would be researched by every journalist and if there is anything with acting and no difficult job, I'll be doomed!"
"Doomed? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Jet asked sceptically.
"You know my father?"
"Well, yeah, but he always seemed nice."
Zuko let out a dry laughter. "Yeah, if he gets what he wants and if I do what he wants, then he's nice... ish."
"You could just pay the girl you need," Jet proposed, playing with his chopsticks. "That way she won't be a professional actress, but you won't have to deal with emotion stuff."
Zuko shook his head. "No! That's totally immoral, what's wrong with you?"
Jet raised an eyebrow. "Ah, and acting as if you were interested and in love is not immoral? Especially since she's probably going to go out of the relationship with a broken heart," he said whining and held a hand over his chest.
Zuko shot him a dry look. "Yeah." He sighed, tearing his hair. "I don't know. This is just so messed up!"
"You know Katara is not wealthy. She could probably use the money," Jet urged.
Zuko glared at him again. "Why do you want your ex to become my fake-girlfriend? Especially since everyone will think that it's real!"
Jet rolled his eyes, leaning forward. "I'm only trying to help you! If you don't want my help, then fine! But Katara is the only person I know who fits most of this description. Do you know anyone else?"
Zuko sighed, shaking his head. He didn't. "No, but I thought I could go into some coffee shops, looking around for darker skinned girls sitting alone or looking in libraries for one."
Jet chuckled amusedly. "Wow, the plan is not too bad. You'll definitely get some desperate, lonely girls that way, who will totally fall for you, but if you're unlucky, they'll become a leech. And if you break up, they'll become stalkers and will kidnap you and if you won't love them back they'll kill you. And I don't think you would find any southern girls alone in coffee shops or libraries. There aren't many of them living here. But there's Katara."
Zuko frowned. "How do you know that Katara lives here?"
"I've seen her," Jet said, shrugging. "I was waiting for you the other day when I saw her on the campus. She's studying law. We talked a bit and yeah... So, you see, I'm totally not interested in getting back together with her. I don't need that bossy behaviour again." He shuddered for emphasis, but Zuko still didn't buy it completely.
"Well, maybe I don't want her bossy presence either. It was bad enough while she wasn't even talking to me and I have no desire at all to know this in a relationship, fake as it would be. Besides, she can't stand me and I can't stand her," he stated, crossing his arms.
Jet frowned. "I thought you liked her. You always told me she was a great girlfriend for me."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Yes, she was, because she was the good and honest kind of girl, but she didn't even know me and broke up with you, because we were friends. That's just shitty."
Jet raised his eyebrows. "You weren't trying to make things better yourself, you know."
"That's not true," Zuko pouted, looking to the side. "I offered her friendship, I was the bigger person, and she walked away."
"You never told me this!"
"Oh, right...," Zuko said quietly, remembering why he had never told Jet about this. It happened after she had broken up with Jet, and he had tried to convince Katara to give him another chance. He hadn't want to hurt Jet more. "Why should I have? It didn't work!"
Jet touched his chin and twisted his mouth. It was his thinking face. Zuko leaned back on his chair and ran his hands through his hair. This was still a disaster, a total nightmare.
"I guess I'm just going to check my fellow students for Southerners or Mountainers before doing anything else."
Jet raised his eyebrows. "How are you going to do that? Break into someone's office and stealing all the student files?"
Zuko smirked slightly. "That's an idea."
Jet grinned at him and Zuko was crazily happy about being able to do something dangerous again. It reminded him of High School.
