Tfw the review responses are almost as long as the chapter itself!
Lara: That's alright, I'm usually all over the place as well.
1. I can't address just yet lol, I'll let this chapter speak for itself.
2. Indeed, high school is full of miscommunications and those usually don't end well. Poor communication with parents is also pretty common As for the math thing I will be up front and say that I hate math and so like all of the characters in this story (okay most of them there are a few people like Haru who like it) hate math. I like to think that Azula hates math too lmao. I also do have a plan as to who Teo will be sitting with, so that's also going to be answered in due time. But yeah I'll leave it to the story to address your hypothesis.
Long Feng, I do know his teaching role but I haven't figured out where/if I'm going to work him in yet. The loser brigade, I love it lol. That's another thing that's gonna be reveled because I do have a plan as far as who will be partnering with who and weather or not the popular crew will be taken down.
3. I've actually been under the same impression, though I think that they are both awful. A long while ago; maybe about 10 years ago (holy cow lmao) I read a book about bulimia. It was called Emily's Secret. I just recently brought it again, in hopes that it can help me write this fic. Pretty sure that there was mention in the book that bulmia can cause heart problems too if it gets really bad. And I think that I read something about the esophagus getting burns. Didn't know about the teeth thing though. "In Azula's case, her body hasn't acclimated yet to the dramatic drop of physical activity, so it craves food aplenty because she was an atlete." This was actually part of what I had in mind for her, so it's good to know that I know a decent amount about what I'm talking about lol. "Thus, she's going to be dealing with the physical manifestations of hunger for a while and she is going to be thinking about food, a great deal: does this item contain fewer calories than this other item?" This as well. And I definitely plan on taking it slow with her. I can't see her purging every meal right from the get go. "It's not unrealistic to have a person dealing with ED and Depression/Anxiety, which seems to be her case. So, so far, so good." Exactly, with Azula I was trying to hint at a bit of depression prior to the disorder—idk if it was apparent enough though. It will be in time. You're welcome, nobody deserves to feel that bad ever. It's a dangerous cycle to say the least. "Azula is in for a ride to hell, - Zuko, too." She usually is in my fics lol. She was an addict a few fics back. Zuko is pretty fun to mess with too lol.
4. This I also won't spoil. xP
5. The empty seat was Azula's. The first was Katara's before she filled it. I hope I didn't mistype that lmao.
6. Tbh I feel like I'm a very late bloomer. In high school I took a lot of shit because I was still playing with kids toys and wearing more kiddish clothing among other things. In college I finally started developing a sense of fashion (I drifted into goth) and what have you. Basically I feel like I'm behind in a sense. But like, I try to be mature as I can be, but I think I'll always be a kid at heart. I've changed in some ways (like I don't fight everyone who disagrees with me anymore; learned to pick battles) but in some ways I haven't changed at all, haven't grown out of certain things and habits that aren't exactly adult/teen grade.
Hopefully your finals went well!
Gemsofformenos:
"cause anorexia seems to be more often linked with high focused sportsmen and -women" I personally always associated anorexia with models, actresses, and singers more than athletes. But then again, I would imagine that eating disorders don't exactly have any qualms about who they impact.
"The problem is, that Teo didn't seemed to talk about this feelings with his father, cause he doesn't want to hurt him with this fact." Indeed, Teo wants to bottle things up so that he isn't seen as weak in anyone elses' eyes even if it is his father who wouldn't do anything to make him feel awful. As you said, talking is the way to go. "I'm curious about the possible interactions all these problems of the characters will hold up to. For good or worse." Thank you, I plan on giving characters some interactions that they—in other stories—may not get to have.
crapshak50: This is her chapter, hopefully it isn't a let down!
Yeah chapter five and this one are going to be less heavy than the other few. Thank you though, I was hoping to give Teo his moment to shine. I feel like it's very important to balance the subtle with the profound and the harder topics with the lesser so. Like you said, a lot of people seem to just have heavy chapter after heavy chapter, purely for the sake of instilling shock alone. And I don't want that to be how this fic is.
Suki looked herself over, once and then twice until her image seemed satisfactory. She let out a long breath, another long day was in store for her. Things were rough these days. School was never an easy feat between the workload and the bullies. But these days it was a difficulty twice over.
Not for the first time in the past three months, she cursed Sokka. She cursed him for putting her in her current position and then taking off to college without a regard for her.
He was on his way to success, wholly unburdened and she was hindered to the fullest and hadn't an inkling as to how to approach the situation.
Doctor visit after doctor visit couldn't tell her the direction to take once the baby was squirming in her arms.
Again, she considered terminating the pregnancy.
Abortion, but that was such an ugly word, she didn't like to say it… even if it was a plan she was seriously contemplating.
She groans to herself, rubbing her hands over her face. She would ask how this had possibly happened but she knew. She knew exactly what happened. It was steamy and sexy and a wildly good time. One of the best nights she had, had. But God, did that blissful might have a price. And that price was kicking and wiggling and generally making her feel nauseous.
She ran her hand up and down her belly, trying to soothe the babe before it could turn her stomach completely upside down.
She didn't have time for this; school started in a half an hour and she had a twenty-minute drive to get there on a good day and she need a solid ten minutes to dress and have breakfast.
She groaned again, to herself. This baby would be the death of her. She had push through though. Before that summer she had been at the top of her class, on par with Azula and Katara. She wasn't going to let her 'happy' little accident reap that from her.
Suki stood and stretched, deciding that she better get to it with her morning routine. She winced as she worked out a knot in her back; she was only four months in and it was already killing her. She had a quick breakfast and gathered her school supplies. She didn't bother shouting a goodbye to her parents, they had long since stopped exchanging pleasantries like that.
All in all, she felt like an outcast in her own home.
She missed the days when her parents would praise her for her stellar grades and fiery drive. Missed the days when they would make small talk over dinner. Missed the days when they saw her as responsible and worth paying attention to.
It brought tears to her eyes to think that they would so quickly write her off for one simple mistake. For doing something that was so natural. Most everyone has sex. She didn't think that it made her any less mature and intelligent for having it too. They probably had it in their teenage years. And yet they condemned her for it.
She dabbed the tears away.
She thought of calling out an, 'I'll see you guys after school.' But she can't get the words past the lump in her throat. So she hastily scrambled out the door and to her car. By the time she buckled herself in, she was reduced to an all out bawl, cursing her hormones for being all out of whack.
.oOo.
It really did speak volumes that her peers treated her with more tact than her own parents, especially given that Wan High had a reputation for drama and unkind words. It was strange how supportive most of her classmates were.
Her softball teammates, in particular, were taking it well. They offered her gifts that ranged from jokes—a shirt that read 'beware, kicking baby' and an application to the TV show, 'Diapers or Diplomas'—to more serious ones—baby booties and pajamas.
She enjoyed them all really. Even coach Kyoshi was taking it well. Even though Suki could no longer part-take, coach invited her to watch the game and cheer her teammates on. And then she would be invited to the after-game celebrations as though she'd been in the game still. For the second time, her eyes welled with tears, these ones of the happier, gracious variety.
She took a seat and waited for Mr. Patik to enter and start prattling on about the importance of beind bilingual—granted she agreed with him, she just wished he would stop talking about it and start teaching them a second language.
Hellbent on proving that she was still at the top of her classes, Suki whipped out her pencil and began taking notes, even on those tangents that Patik was prone to going on.
The call proceeded with no hiccups. The first wave of in-school dizziness didn't hit until she was on her way to lunch. She broke away from the crowd and hunched over in the first unoccupied corner she could find. She waited for the spell to pass with a throbbing head an aching back. She eyed her load of textbooks with a large degree of venom. She wanted to think that she could carry on like normal, but maybe she was overdoing it in carrying all of those books around.
She truly didn't want to pick them back up, but she had to. She gathered them up and got to her feet, doing her best to make her way to the cafeteria. It was a disorienting, borderline painful walk, a one minute long trip that seemed to take ten times that.
By the tie she seated herself at her lunch table, she was red-faced and out of breath. And lordy, was she hungry. The baby was attacking her on all fronts, that day. Apparently french fries was that day's craving, but she hadn't packed any and she hadn't brought any spare change to buy some.
"French fries?" Katara offered as she dropped into her seat.
"Oh, God Katara, you're a lifesaver." She grabbed a handful of fries and hesitated. "How many can I steal?"
Katara laughed. "All of them, the school's fries are gross and covered in grease."
"I think most french fries are." Suki noted. But right now that didn't really matter, she grabbed them up without remorse. "The baby says thank you." She laughed. It felt good to laugh and make light of a heavy situation.
"Does Suki also say thanks?" Katara laughed along.
Her face went jokingly sour, "not at all, Suki is to pregnant and grumpy for gratitude." She shoveled down a few more fries before asking, "is today going any better for you?"
Katara shook her head. "Not really. Well, since you've gotten back to school, it's been at least a little better."
Suki finished swallowing and smiled. "Just give me some names and I'll show them."
Katara eyed the baby bump. "I don't think so. Until that baby is born, you're going to have to resist hunting jocks."
Suki folded her arms over her chest. That was just one more reason to resent her predicament. She really, really wanted to knock some jocks on their asses. She knew at least two who could use a good pop.
Katara's face sobered, "promise me that you'll take it slow, I don't want the baby to get hurt."
Perhaps it was the hormones again, or maybe she really did have a solid reason to be upset, either which way her face went warm with anger. "What about Suki!?" She snapped. "Everyday, everyone always asks, 'what about the baby, what about the baby?' Doesn't anyone care of Suki gets hurt!?"
Katara flinched, causing Suki to wince too, immediately she regretted the outburst.
"Of course, I care if you get hurt. But I already know that you can handle yourself and power through things, I'm not so sure about the baby." Katara replied softly, reminding Suki that there was a whole lunchroom of people waiting for new material to discuss. Boy had she given it to them.
"Sorry, I don't know where that came from." She apologized.
"No sleep. Too much kicking. I understand." Katara smiled. "How about we talk about something else? The Directions just released some new music!"
Katara always did know the right things to say.
Maybe that kind of thing ran in the family.
.oOo.
Katara wasn't there though, when she sat alone in her room listening to her parents argue about who exactly rose their daughter wrong and who was to blame for her going out and getting herself pregnant. Surely it was her mother for not giving her the birds and bees talk. But, no, clearly it was her father's fault for not doing the whole, intimidating, 'dads against daughters dating' spiel with Sokka.
She tried to block it out with some translating. Foreign language was her favorite class thus far, she genuinely enjoyed it. Running over all of the words took at least some focus off of the shouting match down the hall. But there were only so many questions on one work sheet and she was running out of them.
So she sent Sokka another quick text, this one was about how school was going for her.
Decent.
It was going decent. Normally it would be going good or splendid, but this year it was only going decent. She told him about the new dress she found at a thrift store—it was rather cute as far as maternity dresses went.
She knew that he would reply to that one and he would keep replying unless she mentioned that it was a maternity dress and that her year was only going decent because she had a kicking baby to hinder her. He always seemed to go silent when she brought up their baby.
On one occasion she had asked what he wanted to name it. She had expected at least an, 'I don't know, I'm not good with naming, you pick it', or something of the sort. But he had ignored the text entirely. Over an hour later he texted her about his day at school.
Any time she brought the baby up, he would change the subject.
It must be nice to be able to skip off to a higher end university and pretend like nothing was amiss. She loved Sokka with all of her soul, but he was no dad. At this point it was all about finding the right words to break his heart with.