1. Follow glographics on Instagram! She travels a lot and documents all her trips, so that in itself is awesome, but she also makes super educational posts/graphics about practicing anti-racism, microaggressions against BIPOC, and other aspects of BLM, too! She has a 30-day guide about being a better ally, so if you're financially able, I 100% recommend purchasing it. That said, remember her account is also a personal account, not one solely dedicated to education! So don't go clog up her DMs and expect her to teach you; use the resources she provides and go from there!

Big news, y'all - I finished writing this fic (by hand haha). That means it's now only a matter of typing and posting chapters (I've typed well over half the story by now I think?), so I have a question: would you guys like me to update weekly instead of every other week? I still have about a month until school (possibly) starts, so I think I'd be able to abide by that schedule at least for a while! Is that something you'd all be interested in?

Also, I finally watched A:TLA and wow it's such a good show. Every time Sokka spoke I was like "Callum?" lmao. Aang is my favorite character (I've never seen another protagonist like him! He's so amazing!) and I definitely want to write a fic about him and the Air Nomad genocide bc he never truly had time to grieve yk? Anyways - this a/n is getting too long. Love y'all, thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

xXxXxXx

"Yes! Touchdown!"

Callum glanced up at the TV upon hearing Claudia's excited and familiar shout. The football game was away this week, meaning Soren and Rayla were obviously not in town, and also that Claudia had dragged him to her dorm so she didn't have to watch the game by herself. She had pointedly ignored his comment at the time that the truth, the real reason she demanded his presence, was that she felt weird screaming at the TV with no one else in the room. Her dismissal of his claim had only further cemented in Callum's mind that he'd hit the nail on the head.

Upon seeing it wasn't Rayla who'd scored for KSU, he redirected his attention towards the physics notes he was trying to study. He had a test on electromagnetism coming up, as much as he wished otherwise.

"Callum, are you even watching the game?" Claudia asked, amused, as she adjusted the lamp to her left to better examine her nails. She was currently painting them, alternating between black and... holo, or whatever that shiny, opalescent color was called. "I mean, I totally understand multitasking because there's a commercial break every time you blink, but I've only seen you look at the TV, like, twice this entire time."

"Three times, actually," Callum corrected as he turned the page in his notebook. Ugh. He loved physics, but sometimes he was really tempted to switch his major because of how rushed it felt the courses were. To digress - the only reason he knew exactly how many times he'd looked up at the TV was because Claudia had only shouted 'touchdown' three times, which meant he'd only checked in during those specific moments to see if Rayla had been the one to score.

"Okay, fine. Three times." Claudia lightly blew on her fingernails before turning to look at Callum, muting the TV with her free hand as a car commercial started playing. "Look, I know I kind of forcibly brought you here because I didn't want to be alone, but if you have stuff you need to do, don't feel like you need to stay. You are welcome to go back to your dorm. Don't hang around on my account. It won't hurt my feelings, I promise. I don't mind being the weirdo who shouts at the screen. You know. As if the players can somehow hear me."

"It's not that," Callum muttered, scribbling a formula in the top right corner of the page he was currently on. "I mean, that's not all of it." Yeah, he needed to study, but he also didn't like looking up at the TV and seeing Rayla's '16' jersey standing next to Felix's '87' on the sidelines. So he just kept his eyes on his paper, instead. It was stupid, he knew it was stupid, but he couldn't help it.

He really needed to talk to someone. A therapist would probably be best.

"Oh, I recognize that face," Claudia said with a snicker. "That's the 'I'm dealing with so many pent-up feelings right now I might explode' face." She added a second layer of black polish to the nails on her left hand. "Soren wears that face a lot. So come on - 'fess up. Claudia is here to listen and then impart her wisdom."

Well, at least Claudia was more affordable than a therapist.

Callum bit his bottom lip, slowly closing his physics notebook. He let out a long sigh, then blurted without taking a breath, "I'm really jealous of Felix and Rayla and - and I know it's dumb and unfair because I know, I really do know that there's nothing going on between them but I - I don't have any clue what to do about it!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I know I have no reason to be jealous, I honestly do, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "I still am. And trust me, I hate it."

"Mm," Claudia said as she switched to painting the nails on her right hand with the grace of someone who was not at all ambidextrous. "I see, I see." She cursed as she got polish on her thumb. "I think it's important to note a couple of things here. For one, jealousy is natural! People have always been and will always be insecure. It's the defining trait of our species, and there is no shame in it."

Callum would have argued greed was a more major contender for humanity's defining trait, but he figured now was not the time.

"Two, I think it's great that you're acknowledging your jealousy for what it is. Since you are aware you have no reason to be jealous, it means you are not going to let that jealousy consume you and ruin your relationship as a result. So kudos to you for, you know, having basic decency."

"But how do I get rid of it?" Callum asked, fingering the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm tired of feeling jealous. It's honestly… really draining." And distracting.

"There is but one solution, my friend. And you might not like it."

Callum winced. "Uh oh."

Claudia nodded. "'Uh oh' is right."

"Please don't tell me -"

"You need to talk to her."

"You mean I can't just internalize it and forget I ever felt that way?"

"Nope. Communication is of the utmost importance when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship."

"Ugh," Callum groaned, collapsing onto the back of her couch. "I hate it when you make a reasonable point. Even if it only happens once in a blue moon."

"Okay, rude. I am always making reasonable points." Then she laughed. "Trust me, Callum. It's all going to work out. You know Rayla's not going to break things off with you because of a little issue like this, especially because you'll actually take that first step to try and talk to her about it. Work things through with her, slowly if you need to, and I know you'll come up with a solution to deal with your jealousy together."

"I guess I'm just… afraid," Callum admitted after a pause. "I don't want her to get angry or - or think less of me. If that makes sense."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "If anything, she's going to be more angry at you for bottling up your feelings for so long, not for simply having them." She blew on her nails. "If you want things to work with Rayla, then you've got to talk to her. It's unavoidable."

Callum sighed. "Yeah, I know." He'd have to talk to her whenever she got back from the game. Maybe at their weekly homework session, so it'd be just the two of them. In private. "But that doesn't make it any less terrifying."

Claudia shrugged. "Well, no one said relationships were easy." She smiled at him. "But I know you. I know Rayla, too, although not quite as well. You'll make it work."

Callum chuckled. "Well, I appreciate your vote of confidence."

Claudia glanced at the TV, unmuting it as she realized the football game had long since come back on. "Ooh, we're at their 20-yard line!" she said excitedly, sitting up straighter. "Ten bucks says Soren throws it to Rayla and she takes it in for the score."

Callum didn't comment, as he definitely did not have ten dollars available to bet, instead shaking his head and smiling. That said, he proceeded to throw a pillow at her mere seconds later when her prediction proved to be true. Her laughter was contagious and caused him to soon join in. Sometimes he swore Claudia had some kind of foresight.

But the moment his eyes fell on the TV screen, he couldn't pull his gaze away. Rayla's athleticism would never cease to amaze him - she was the epitome of beauty and power, and it was a great added bonus that she often got flustered when he said so to her.

Talking to her was going to be terrifying, yes. But it was Rayla. And she was everything to him.

He knew it would be worth it in the end.

xXxXxXx

"This is a much stronger outline than last week, Callum. I'm proud of you!"

Callum had recently enlisted Rayla's help in drafting his essay for his poetry class. Had he started way earlier than necessary? Of course. But was he terrible at writing papers? Also yes. So the two kind of cancelled each other out, which meant he'd really started working on his paper exactly on time and, if Rayla's confidence was anything to go on, he'd hopefully have a half-decent essay.

"The only main issue jumping out at me at the moment is your second claim," Rayla continued. "I think the connection to your thesis isn't as strong. You nail the concrete aspect on the head when you talk about the use of satiric language, but the abstract element is a little vague. Does that make sense?"

"Er... I think so?" Callum reread his second claim and sure enough, the end of it did sort of pitter patter into the void. "What if I reworded it to be more about how the satire was directed towards the elite of the era?"

Rayla nodded, satisfaction glimmering in her violet eyes. "Sound great." She laughed. "I mean, maybe it's just me, but I love writing about anti-rich people sentiment."

Callum grinned in response. "No, it's definitely not just you." He quickly jotted her suggestions down on the side of his paper. "I don't like writing, but I do love taking shots at rich people." To be fair - who didn't?

"Great minds truly think alike, then." Rayla pulled a green binder out of her booksack that was labelled 'MATH' in large printed letters. "Also, I took your advice and finally got around to ordering my notes by unit. It has made my last few assignments so much easier."

"See? I told you that you're not bad at math. You just needed a little guidance to help you maximize your abilities."

Rayla snorted. "Well, my disorganization may have been a part of my issues. But I'm pretty sure I am genuinely bad at math."

Callum rolled his eyes. They'd had this conversation several times before, with him insisting that just because she wasn't a prodigy at math didn't mean she was bad at it while she argued that no, she definitely was. It was… Ugh. Very circular.

"But," Rayla continued, a smirk forming on her lips, "it doesn't matter if I'm good, bad, or mediocre at math, because my boyfriend is amazing in STEM subjects and can help me through it regardless." On 'boyfriend', she'd lightly tapped his nose, earning a laugh from him. "Although he is also a brilliant artist, of course. I don't want to imply his talents are relegated to merely one field of study."

"You flatter me, truly. But did you have any questions about your math homework?" Callum then asked. "Your derivative assignment is due... this evening, right?"

"I actually figured out like 80% of it on my own," Rayla said proudly. "And Claudia helped me through the rest yesterday, so we turned it in together. I feel pretty prepared for my quiz tomorrow! What about you? Any homework to finish besides that outline?"

Callum grinned. "You mean my outline that's not due until next Monday? I think the few changes that I need to make can be put off until this weekend, if I'm honest."

Rayla gasped in faux shock. "Callum? Procrastinating?" She shook her head, unable to keep an amused smile off her face. "Never thought I'd see the day."

Callum rolled his eyes. "It's not procrastinating if I'm planning on completing the task at a precisely scheduled time on Saturday."

Rayla scrunched up her nose at his comment. "You never let me have any fun."

"No, I just refuse to let you drag my name through the mud," he teased. "There's a difference."

Rayla stuck her tongue out at him - a relatively rare act of immaturity from his typically practical girlfriend. Claudia must have been rubbing off on her. It was a cute expression, a fact she would almost undoubtedly prefer he keep to himself.

"So," she continued, "if neither of us have any homework that requires imminent completion... what do you want to do instead?"

Callum recalled his conversation with Claudia from a few days earlier - how he needed to talk to Rayla about his… jealousy. But it felt incredibly embarrassing, and sure, now was probably a great time because it was just the two of them alone and nothing could interrupt or disturb them… but God was it embarrassing! Jealousy was such an ugly, petty emotion. Couldn't he just rationalize away his minor issue on his own? Surely so. It wasn't like -

"Hello? Earth to Callum?" Rayla waved her hand in front of his face, causing him to blink as his attention returned to reality. "You still there?"

"Right! Sorry," he stammered. "I was… trying to think of a movie for us to watch…?" It was a pathetic answer that sounded suspiciously like a question, but Rayla didn't seem to notice. Either that, or she didn't care.

"Ooh, movie date!" she said excitedly. "Great idea. What did you come up with?"

Ugh, why had he chosen a lie that demanded expansion? "Er... Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"

Rayla laughed. "Oh, I love that movie. It's hilarious." She moved to pull her computer closer to them, grabbing her headphones off the dresser.

"Why don't we watch it on Claudia's TV?" Callum asked, gesturing to the door leading out of her bedroom. "Bigger screen, right?"

"I, ah… Because there's something more intimate about sharing headphones and watching a movie on a smaller screen together." Rayla then paused, her face dusting over with a delicate pink blush. She hastily added, "But if you'd rather watch it on the TV that is also totally fine and you can forget I ever suggested anything otherwise."

Callum couldn't stop a soft smile from forming on his lips. "Laptop sounds perfect to me."

Rayla beamed at him before turning her attention to booting up her computer and pulling up the movie, using what Callum recognized as the communal Netflix account of himself, Claudia, and Soren, proof that she was now truly immersed into their friend group.

The movie began to play, and Rayla gave him the right earbud, keeping the left one for herself. She slipped her hand into his and if the contentment in her eyes was any indicator of her mood, it was clear that she soon became absorbed into the film.

Callum, of course, could not focus. It felt… wrong to sit there peacefully with his girlfriend while knowing he was keeping something from her. Worse, he was almost certain that Rayla would be understanding about the entire issue, which only increased his guilt by a hundredfold. She wasn't a petty person - well, at least not over something like this. But that knowledge didn't make it any easier to admit his feelings of jealousy to her. He'd been forced to watch a TedTalk on vulnerability in his junior year of high school, and he may have rolled his eyes at it then, but now it sure seemed like that lady had been right - vulnerability was hard. And super terrifying.

Maybe talking with Rayla was a bad idea after all. No problems had arisen from his jealousy so far.

Okay, he'd kind of, sort of, totally abandoned her during their last date-turned-group outing under the guise of being sick, but that didn't count. Much.

"I know that face."

Callum's attention was drawn to his girlfriend as she paused the movie, took the headphones out of their ears, and shifted on the bed in order to face him directly. "I - what?"

"I said I know that face." She smirked at him as she lightly flicked his nose. "That's the 'I'm stressing over something unnecessary' face. Most commonly seen right before you have a physics test."

"That's not true," he started to protest, but his efforts sounded pathetic even to him.

"You can tell me anything, Callum. Come on. What's on your mind?"

Callum hesitated, then before he could lose his nerve he forced himself to say, "I'm jealous of you and Felix!" Rayla appeared taken aback by his words, but said nothing, so he swallowed the lump in his throat and powered forward, his emotions tumbling out of him like a waterfall. "I know it's stupid and that my jealousy is completely unjustified. I know Felix is nothing more than a friend to you, and I know he's an important friend because he immediately gave you the respect you deserve for your - your sports' skills when you met him without any second-guessing, but I'm… I'm still jealous. You have way more in common with him than you do with me and I guess I'm just -" He took a shaky breath before continuing. "I'm afraid you'll realize he's a better match for you than me."

Rayla didn't answer immediately, and the anxiety in Callum's stomach was really starting to build up. She then moved her right hand to rest on top of his knee. Finally, she said, "For one, I appreciate your honesty." Her voice was unusually level. "Two…" She trailed off, and her calm facade broke, replaced by... frustration? Endearment? Some mixture of contradictory emotions that Callum couldn't quite put a finger on.

"Yeah, Felix and I have a lot in common," Rayla admitted. "But that's why I like being with you so much, Callum. I know that whatever we do together or any conversation we have will be interesting because - because we don't share every interest. You… spice up my life, for lack of a better analogy."

Callum chuckled at her choice of words, already more at ease. He could feel tension slowly dissipating out of his shoulders and upper back. He - and Claudia - had been right. Rayla was nothing but understanding. Which meant he'd stressed out for no reason. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do, dummy. I wouldn't have said it otherwise." She smiled at him. "Think of it this way. You are the perfect match for me not because we're the same puzzle piece, but because we're two connecting pieces from the same puzzle."

Callum rolled his eyes, unable to keep a cheesy grin off his face. "Wow. You're such an English major."

"We all have to be something." Rayla pushed her hair behind her ear. "If it makes you feel any better, I still find myself getting jealous of you and Claudia sometimes. Like you said, I know it's stupid, but…" She shrugged. "I'm only human. You've got years of friendship with her that we don't have yet, and that's okay."

Callum took both of her hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze. "We'll get there."

Rayla smiled at him. "Damn right we will."

An idea occurred. "To prove my loyalty to you," he said dramatically, biting back an amused snicker, "you shall be one of the first people I present my finished piece for the fall art showcase to. Scout's honor. My dad and Ez will probably be the very first, but rest assured you will not be far behind."

Rayla burst out laughing. "Well," she said, a teasing lilt to her voice, "I am flattered to hear that. Thank you, sad prince."

"Of course, my loyal knight." He hesitated, then quietly added, "But I do want to say that you have nothing to worry about with me and Claudia. I know that you know that, but I just - wanted to say it again. I guess."

Rayla chuckled. "Likewise, you have nothing to worry about with Felix, okay? I don't know if I'd say the stereotypical 'oh he's like a brother to me', but I promise he is nothing more than a friend. In fact, he wouldn't even be inter… He's just a really nice guy." She looked like she wanted to say something more on the matter, but whatever it was she seemed to choose to keep to herself.

Callum grinned, not particularly worried about the information she may or may not have been withholding from him. He trusted her. "Got it." He released one of her hands in order to pick up her headphones. "Shall we continue the movie?"

"Well… There's one thing I'd like to do first." Rayla pulled her other hand out of his, reaching up with both to cup his face before slowly leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Who was he to argue with his girlfriend's plans? He returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around her lower back to pull her closer and eliminate any and all space between them. She smelled like lavender, a fragrance she had informed him a few days ago was the scent of her semi-permanent hair dye.

It was so… Rayla, cliché as that was. And he absolutely loved it.

Rayla's hands moved from cupping his face to resting on the back of his neck. She leaned closer to him, deepening the kiss, their chests pressing together in a way that made Callum's face turn bright red because he'd never been so close to anyone before. At least, close to anyone in an intimate manner like this.

Her lips were gentle and warm against his, and it physically pained him when he had to break away for air.

"So..." he began, raising an eyebrow at her as he tried to act more suave than he felt, "what I'm hearing is that the movie can wait?"

Rayla rolled her eyes in amusement before leaning back in to press a slow kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Does that answer your question?" she murmured after pulling away.

The movie went unwatched for a while longer.

xXxXxXx

I forgot to mention that my doc for this fic broke 100k words yesterday so I hope you know you're in this for the long haul :P This chapter was fun to write! Got to have Claudia being Claudia and Callum practicing healthy communication with his girlfriend - we could all learn from them, tbh. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading!

[Quick sidenote: if you guys want to know what the different OCs look like for this story (I know visualization without super detailed descriptions can be hard for people; it definitely is for me!), you can DM me on tumblr thinkingisadangerouspastime and I can show you icons of them I made with a picrew. No pressure of course - just an option if any of y'all think that would be helpful. :)]