Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything associated with it. This is for amusement purposes only—so I hope you're amused!
Chapter 12
Several phrases describing her classmate, along with more "colorful" commentary, came to Katara's mind as she stormed across campus: thoughtless jerk, complete asshole and unsympathetic idiot flashed through her brain, along with appropriate accompanying mental images. It was like a demented slideshow run amok.
Soon enough, Katara stomped into her dorm room, slamming the door behind her. She had a somewhat crazed look to her and Suki immediately took in her friend's tense posture with apprehension—and curiosity. Her usually well-coiffed (at least in public) wavy brown locks were unkempt and there was a hint of crow's feet at her temples and a vein throbbing dangerously on her forehead that made Katara look as if she'd aged five years within the span of hours. To put it mildly, she was not a pretty picture.
"Hey Katara, what's up?" the older girl asked cautiously as she pulled her headphones off. Brace yourself—Sokka mentioned she has a tendency to "lose it" when she gets upset.
"Well, besides meeting up with Jet and finding out that Zuko's a complete ass, nothing," the blue-eyed girl replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She kicked her shoes off angrily—and felt vindicated at the satisfying 'thwack' that resulted when they made contact with the opposite wall. Stupid Zuko—I should have kicked youHow dare you compare people from the Lower Tier to trash? I can't believe I didn't see it before…
Tossing her magazine onto her desk and rising from her spot on the bed, Suki threw a serious look at her roommate. "I thought you were ignoring Jet and planning on going out with Zuko tomorrow night…" At the mention of Jet's name, warning bells started ringing in Suki's head. "What happened in the two hours since I left for class, K?" she finished suspiciously, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed in front of her, hoping to convey that she was willing to listen to whatever was perturbing her roommate.
I can't believe I liked him so much and never even realized that he thought… Katara's anger ebbed slightly as she felt shame and humiliation surface momentarily, reminding her of her past year's efforts to forget about another betrayal. She quickly swallowed her chagrin and once again grabbed hold of her anger—at this point, it was the more stable of the two emotions. Her anger would keep her head on straight—it would keep her strong; it would get her back on track. It would… it would stop me from hurting so much, she prayed.
As she spoke, Katara looked down at her nervous fingers, tracing their movement with her eyes and avoiding her roommate's considerate stare. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself onto her bed and the tension she held gradually uncoiled in the quiet room. She sat there a moment as she collected her thoughts, eventually relaying the rest of the events from that afternoon to the other girl. As her words and anger ran out of steam, Katara found herself feeling pleasantly relieved and liberated in venting and sharing the story with Suki.
While listening to Katara's explanation of the afternoon's events, Suki's look had progressively darkened. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it—her roommate had not yet noticed her expression. Hoping to enlighten the girl, as opposed to making her even more emotional, she measured her words carefully before she next spoke.
"Wow, Katara, that's something... So, you told Jet you'd meet him for a quick conversation and, instead of talking to him, you overhear Zuko making some stupid remark and storm out of there breathing fire…" Suki paused a moment as she made the connections Katara had so obviously missed. She looked hopefully at the Water Tribe girl before continuing, remarking seriously, "Don't you think you overreacted a little?"
"Are you taking his side Suki?" Katara immediately asked in surprise. She's supposed to be my friend and agree with me that Zuko was being a jerk! However, Katara's near-dead voice of reason made a half-hearted effort to get her attention. Then again, she's your teammate and your roommate—maybe there's something more to what she has to say…she momentarily considered before Suki responded.
"Katara—listen to yourself!" Suki yelled back in frustration, punctuating her remark with a strong bang on the desk with the bottom of her clenched fist. Katara, too surprised at her friend's blunt reaction to answer, stared at her in wonder.
In a much more gentle voice, Suki took a deep breath and continued, "All I'm suggesting is that you look at this from both sides. You and Zuko have come so far—and you admitted yourself you like him, that you like him a lot! Doesn't he deserve a chance to explain himself? To apologize? And where the hell does Jet come into things again? We both know that jerk isn't the 'Mr. Nice Guy'-type," she replied, silently recalling the stories from Sokka, which she knew may or may not have been entirely true. Though, they'd been enough to instill a healthy level of 'awareness' in her towards the persistent lead vocalist. "Look, just… Don't let one comment, no matter how bad, ruin a good thing. I mean, if I snapped at every little stupid thing your brother said, well, let's just say I would've stopped seeing your brother a long time ago," she said with a considerate smile.
"Besides, you were happy—really happy—with Zuko. He made a mistake—but are you sure you don't want to give him a chance to explain?"
Realizing there was at least a grain of truth to Suki's words, Katara relinquished some of her anger. The pain she'd been ignoring floated up to match it, but she pushed it down again as she reconsidered her friend's calm, clear-headed voice. Trying to imagine the reasoning behind his comment, she silently questioned his motives. Zuko, why did you say that? Why did you have to say that? Do you know how much I was looking forward to tomorrow night?
Katara's hands clutched the soft comforter underneath her as her anger fluctuated between her warring thoughts. "Let's just say that hypothetically you have a point. So, why would Jet get him to say something like that?" the tanned girl queried, a bad feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach.
"Seriously, Katara? You don't know why Jet would be acting that way?" Noticing the blank stare that engulfed her teammate's face, Suki fought the nearly overwhelming urge to smack herself on the forehead. You're normally such a smart girl, Katara—why did you choose today to go dense? You're gonna owe me for the headache you're giving me right now—this just better be worth it!
Suki continued patiently, careful to hide the frustration in her voice, "Well, let's start with the fact that you're his ex-girlfriend and you've finally moved on—to someone far better, who isn't him. Not to mention, you've been incredibly happy—to the point where you don't even think about your dumbass prick of an ex anymore." Counting on her fingers, she continued, "And, when someone's happy, well, let's see here—they're confident, they're successful, they're sexy…Gee, I wonder what ever could Jet have been thinking? …Oh, and he's probably realized the big mistake he made—how's that for starters?" she finished, throwing her hands in the air as she flopped onto her bed.
While Katara should've already known everything that Suki had just listed, she was still surprised. Jet's trying to win me back? No way—nothing he could say or do would make me take him back. However, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered shyly, but what if he has changed…What if it could work?
Thankfully, the momentary thought lapsed and raced from her mind like a spooked rabbaroo with a predator on its tail—a predator with a mysterious scar and hungry gold eyes.
Shaking her head at the odd mental image, she flashed a look at her roommate that signaled the conversation was over. Grabbing her gym bag, she said, "I need to clear my head. I'm heading to the pool."
However, before she exited their room, she paused and smiled at her friend in gratitude for the reality check and patient ear. "Wanna join me?"
Thank you, Suki.
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By the time Zuko got home, he had had some time to think about his predicament—and he wanted to tear his hair out in frustration at the stupid mistake he'd made earlier that day. It was almost like he was destined to make similar blunders all his life and that, no matter how hard he tried, he would only continue to screw up the relationships between himself and others. It was beginning to feel like Agni himself had fated him to be surrounded by only his uncle all his life. He dejectedly groaned at the thought. Even with all the time he spent mulling over his situation, he still had a major problem—he couldn't think of any way to make things right between himself and his girlfriend.
Classmate, he corrected himself bitterly, his jaw clenching. Can't forget that there's no "real" relationship between you two now—Jet made sure of that in spectacularly humiliating fashion.
Walking inside, he stopped himself short of slamming the front door in frustration. Iroh would know something was wrong and then proceed to ask him question after question about it—and he was not in the mood for questions, pai sho, or, heaven forbid, any damned 'calming' tea.
He tried to quietly make it to his room, only to be caught in the act by Iroh as he sat in the front room watching the news.
"Ah, Zuko, how were things today? Not too busy, I hope," the old man said cordially, but nonetheless catching the tell-tale signs of an angry Zuko. Iroh had seen enough of those types of signals during his nephew's tumultuous teenage years; there was no way he could miss any of the obvious and glaring reminders his nephew was currently displaying.
"Things were fine, Uncle," the young man replied quickly. As Zuko was about to turn towards the hall, he realized that he should make mention of his now-changed weekend plans. "Oh, and, by the way, I won't need the car tomorrow night."
"I thought you had a date with Katara. Is she feeling ill?" the grey-bearded man queried with concern, honestly worried about the girl's health, but also wondering if the change in plans had instigated the grim look on his nephew's face.
"She cancelled. Something else came up," Zuko awkwardly lied, hoping that his uncle would drop it. He was in absolutely no mood to talk about what had really happened between him and his partner.
I swear, Jet, if I ever get the chance in the future, I'll…His hand gripped the straps of his backpack with a white-knuckled ferocity, and he stilled, trying to calm himself. I either need to spar or meditate. And, since Uncle is not what I would call a "suitable" sparring partner—considering all I want to do is take out my frustrations on someone else; I should go meditate—this much anger can't be healthy. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he realized that that was exactly something Iroh would say. Now I'm turning into my 60-year-old tea-drinking uncle—and I thought the day couldn't get any worse.
As he released a small sigh, he couldn't help but envision Katara's smile and shining eyes. As the pleasant image popped into his mind, he felt his chest tighten before the picture faded away to gray. He was left staring at the wall in front of him. He blinked before rubbing his face, his shoulders still stiff from his self-loathing and frustration.
I really did it this time, he realized, his mouth dry as a throbbing pain invaded his temples. I screwed up. I really screwed up. Again. "Do you need me for anything, Uncle?" he asked politely, his voice tired and raw.
Furrowing his brow, Iroh knew that his nephew wasn't being entirely truthful about his date, but he decided to not push the issue with him. He instead hoped that Zuko would divulge the information when he was ready. "Not right now, Nephew. Just let me know if anything changes," he said quietly, his voice tinged with concern.
"Okay. Good night," the young man replied somewhat despondently as he headed towards his room.
"Good night, Zuko," Iroh replied, his attention returning to the television as he thoughtfully stroked his beard.
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The pool had soothed Katara's nerves considerably on Friday, providing her the much-needed time to consider the situation and review her conversation with Suki. But, she was still unsure of what her next move should be, if anything, with either Jet or Zuko.
When she woke up on Saturday morning, she found herself slightly agitated as she had dreamed about Zuko. There wasn't anything remotely sexual about the dream—in fact, it would've been easier for her to deal with it if it was. She could just write it off as hormones or simple sexual frustration. But, no, that's not what this dream was about.
Interestingly enough, the dream itself was simply mundane. In it, they were playing pai sho against each other, with different people interrupting them throughout the game. First, it was just her friends, Aang and Toph, then her brother and Suki. At one point, Professor Wu and Iroh broke in, but they quickly left.
The last visitor, and the most peculiar one, was the Blue Spirit. There was nothing that really identified him as such, but intrinsically, Katara knew it was him. Without saying a word, he took the game board and tipped it over violently, sending small tiles flying about the non-descript room. As Katara was about to shout at him for disrupting her match, she realized Zuko had disappeared. As she frantically scanned the room for his presence, her eyes fluttered open, blinking as they adjusted to the sudden burst of light. Her alarm went off a moment later, reinforcing that it was time to wake up.
As her mind brought itself to consciousness, she threw herself back on the bed and pondered the odd dream she'd just had. Believing it to be nothing but nonsense, she shrugged her shoulders and got out of bed, ready to start her day.
Smiling at the interruption of the masked figure in her dream, she realized she hadn't messaged bluspirit in some time and should check in with him. Maybe I'll talk to him tonight. It'll be fun. I like chatting with him. At least he's not a jerk who makes insensitive and disparaging remarks about the Lower Tier.
She sighed a bit in frustration, recognizing how much she'd been looking forward to her night with Zuko, that is, until yesterday's "situation." Seeing as how my schedule is free and all now, she thought sarcastically, I guess I really am able to talk to whatever guy I want. Shit, I could talk to a freaking jar of pickled sea prunes if it struck my fancy.
Katara marched resolutely towards the bathroom for her morning shower, determined to have a good day or die trying. Hell, at this point, it was all she had to look forward to.
-----------------------------------------Katara stared at the DVDs in the bookcase, trying to pick something that would take her mind off of what she could have been doing with her Saturday night. As she stood there, a random image of a barely dressed Zuko passed through her mind…for what must have been the tenth time that evening. Shaking it off in frustration, she randomly picked a movie and placed it in the DVD player.
Stop thinking about him, he's just a thoughtless jerk…Of course, another smaller voice popped in hopefully, but you could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time you were wrong about a guy, you know…
Flopping onto her bed, she tried her best to stay focused on the film, "The Cave of Two Lovers," that told the story of forbidden love between Oma and Shu. Unfortunately, the movie only reminded her of her situation and Suki's words in defense of Zuko. What if she's right? What if Jet was just trying to trick Zuko into saying something stupid? Maybe I should hear him out, at least hear his side of the story…
Realizing that she was getting nowhere fast in trying to resolve the issue, she considered the option of possibly talking to someone else about it.
But who?
She certainly couldn't talk to Sokka about it—he would just start flipping out about how all men were going to break her heart; nor could she talk to Toph or Aang about it—they were simply too young, she thought, her mind recalling their creative sand sculptures several weeks prior. Then she remembered her dream from that morning and knew exactly who to talk to—he would be able to give her some friendly advice from a male perspective.
Picking up her laptop and quickly signing on, she mentally crossed her fingers that bluspirit was online. Lucky for her, he was.
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He'd sat there all night waiting for the familiar "ding." He just really hoped that she was lonely and bored enough to message his alter ego.
Reading through another old issue of the Blue Spirit comic book, Zuko grew impatient and his mind began to wander. What if she found something else to do tonight? What if she ended up going out with Jet? Mentally grimacing at the thought, he quickly decided to dismiss it, realizing that there was no point in worrying himself about whatever she might be doing that evening…even if it might be with her ex. Besides, there was nothing between him and his classmate from the South Pole—they weren't officially dating or seeing each other—except for a burgeoning attraction. Not to mention the daydreams of her in that bikini, impromptu kissing and the accidental sleepover…Nope, absolutely nothing 'official' about that, he reminded himself in sarcasm.
Soon enough, he was honored with the sound he was waiting for. Practically throwing the forgotten comic book down, he gingerly lifted the computer to his lap and eagerly read the note.
h2opologurl: hows it goin?
Knowing this was probably the best opportunity he'd have to covertly defend himself and his actions, he feigned having a lack of problems. In a sudden feeling of triumph, he felt like he had won some kind of an award—talking to Katara again certainly felt like one—because his plan was genius, pure and simple genius. Grinning in self-satisfaction, he responded:
bluspirit: things are good. how are you?
h2opologurl: ok, had a tough week
When she mentioned her tough week, Zuko thought he knew exactly what she meant. But, of course, bluspirit couldn't know, so he thoughtfully asked her to tell him about it.
As she typed out her response, he could practically hear her sighing in the background as she relayed to him the story regarding the guy she "really liked." But as he read her messages popping onto the screen, Zuko couldn't help but be distracted by her descriptions of him.
Why does she make it sound like there's something innately wrong with me? Maybe Jet was right about the whole "fixer-upper" thing?
As he continued reading her commentary, he felt himself grow more and more agitated with her descriptions of him. She said he was "moody and angsty," and another time she described him as "thoughtless" and "inconsiderate." By the time she finished, Zuko was glad he wouldn't have to read another word about what she really thought of him. Asking him for some advice, Zuko couldn't keep his opinion to himself any longer.
Without a moment's reflection, he quickly typed back:
bluspirit: really sounds like you're trying to fix him—if he's so warped, is it worth your time? you should stop being a mother arctic hen. not everyone needs or wants that kind of help.
The minute Zuko hit 'send,' he realized he had revealed too much and quickly threw the palm of his hand to his forehead with a loud "smack." Why did I have to mention the 'mother arctic hen' thing? he mentally berated himself and hoped that she wouldn't notice his slip.
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Katara had spent the past few minutes relaying as many details to bluspirit as she could, hoping that he would provide her with the advice she so desperately sought. She tried to be as descriptive as possible, hoping that it would provide her electronic pen pal with additional insight. When he eventually replied, however, she was surprised at his negative tone. Not to mention, he also called her a "mother arctic hen."
Her first reaction was anger—I am not a mother arctic hen. Reconsidering the thought, she admitted to herself that it was somewhat true. Alright, maybe I am a mother arctic hen…I mean it isn't the first time I've been called that. But why does he make it sound so…horrible? But then she realized something—she barely knew anyone that used that term, especially in Ba Sing Se. Only Water Tribe people say that. How would bluspirit know it? He's not Water Tribe…at least, he's never mentioned it…
Thinking to herself, she realized that the last time she heard the term was when she was talking to Zuko in the library, weeks ago. Shaking the pleasant memory of her studying time with him from her mind, she returned her attention to the glowing computer screen before her. She re-read his response and felt herself grow increasingly bothered by what he had said. She decided to avoid any more unwanted advice until she figured a few things out.
h2opologurl: im not trying 2 fix any1—ppl r fine the way they r. specially the guy i thought i liked. thanx 4 the advice neway. nite.
She signed off, shutting her laptop. She realized she was no closer to dealing with the men in her life than she was an hour ago. Instead of thinking on it further for the evening, she restarted "The Cave of Two Lovers."
She fell asleep towards the end, hearing the words "trust in love" before she dozed off.
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The sun shone brightly through the window's blinds the next morning as Katara finally rose from bed. She stretched her arms and extended her legs, wiggling her digits as she yawned herself awake. She looked over to her roommate's side of the room and found Suki's bed slept in, but empty. Swear to Gods, that girl runs on sunlight, she sleepily thought to herself. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to go through her tai chi forms in hopes of focusing her mind on the day's tasks.
As she cycled through another motion, a familiar figure strode through the door, clutching a full laundry basket to her hip. Smiling at her, Katara finished one last form before abandoning her practice.
"Good morning, Katara," Suki said with a grin as she dumped the laundry onto her bed. Sorting through the articles, she continued the conversation, "I hope you don't mind, but I washed some of the towels in your laundry basket since I had some spare room in my last load—I'll leave them on your bed." After yesterday's interaction, Suki simply hoped that her roommate would recognize that all she was trying to do was help. Despite being at BSSU for some time, Suki still felt the social stigma of being the "new girl" and she wanted to make sure she hadn't fractured her friendship with her teammate.
"That's nice of you, Suki. Thanks. I'm going to head out to grab some food. Wanna join me?"
"No, I'm good. Are you heading out to the pool later?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you then," Katara replied as she headed downstairs. As she walked through the stairwell, she belatedly remembered that she was yet to finish her conversation with Jet. Inwardly groaning, she vowed to call him after her breakfast. She knew she'd need her strength to deal with whatever it was Jet was trying to pull…
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Katara certainly wasn't returning to the tea shop to meet with Jet, she knew that much. She wanted to meet somewhere public, somewhere on or near campus.
So how did she end up outside the library? She looked up at the building with some trepidation, realizing that it was a very bad idea to be at the library alone with Jet, and she prayed she wouldn't earn a matching reputation as some kind of a "book whore." She blushed as she remembered that night, practically a year ago:
It was finals week during the fall semester. They were studying at the library—or at least, that's what their original intention was—late on a Tuesday night. One minute they were reading through their textbooks and the next, they were greedily exploring each other, tongues tangled and mouths gasping for air. She'd ended up straddling his lap, his hand slowly trailing up her shirt when Mr. Zei walked in on them. She had been so surprised that she fell off Jet, only to compound her embarrassment when she bumped her head on the table when she tried to get up. She briefly muttered something about needing to get home before grabbing her things and running out of the library before Jet could even explain what was happening.
From that moment on, of course, she had had to deal with Mr. Zei's knowing looks every time she went to the library. Reliving that moment, in and of itself, wasn't necessarily bad—it was just the humiliation that got to her.
Of course, her mind soon raced to her most recent interactions with Jet—seeing him at the beach and his scary behavior and meeting up with him at DragonsTea where Zuko showed his true colors. She didn't know what to think of her ex now. Has he changed, or is Suki right?
Within a couple of minutes, she heard the familiar sound of two-inch wheels rolling across concrete. Taking a deep breath, she quietly hoped for the best, but expected the worst.
"Hey Katara," Jet drawled as he kicked up his board. He moved to give her a hug, but stopped himself short when he noticed her back away from him. Looks like she still doesn't trust me—I'll have to fix that… Looking at the building, he grinned as he spoke, "Remember the last time we were here together?"
Slightly embarrassed, but determined to keep the situation from devolving into anything resembling their prior amorous interactions, Katara's voice was steel and razor sharp, "Don't get any ideas, Jet. I'm just here to talk to you, to hear you out. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Whoa, Katara. I didn't mean anything by it. Just reliving old memories, you know?" he said smoothly as he flashed his trademark smile. "I'd rather have this talk in a more private place, though," he remarked, looking around at the other students milling about nearby.
"Fine, let's head inside," the blue-eyed girl replied, trying her best to not roll her eyes in frustration.
As Jet held the door open for her, she led the way towards the reserve desk, already dreading the thought of seeing Mr. Zei. She silently hoped that he had gotten pentapox or was attending some kind of secret, emergency meeting on the upkeep of libraries and books. With hopeful optimism, Katara displayed a small grin. Of course, it quickly disappeared as the librarian's face appeared from around the corner of the large bookcase behind the counter.
While she arranged for a room for them, she couldn't help but notice Mr. Zei's glances towards Jet. She hoped that he would refrain from mentioning anything, at least until Jet was out of earshot. Soon enough, the room was reserved. While Mr. Zei was no idiot—there were always students doing more than just "reading" in the library, especially late at night—he really did hope that he wouldn't have to walk in on those two again. As Katara turned to leave, Mr. Zei whispered to her, "Enjoy your study session."
Stopping herself from spouting off some smart remark, she simply smiled and turned to lead Jet to their room. At least he didn't mention me being here with Zuko last time…
As they entered the small space, Katara flicked on the lights and pulled out a chair for herself. Mirroring her motions, Jet soon pulled out the other chair, positioning it inches away from hers.
"So, how are things, Katara?" he coolly queried, leaning forward in his chair.
"Things are fine, Jet. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she said, directly looking into his eyes, arms crossed as she sat back in her seat.
"Cut to the chase, why don't ya? And here I thought we could study like we used to…" he leaned further forward, sliding a foot between hers on the floor and tentatively reaching to touch her hair.
Swatting his hand from her, she calmly retorted, "I didn't come here to study, Jet. I came here to talk to you, so spill it or I'm out of here." She said it forcefully, hoping to come off as strong and sure of herself, as opposed to the waffling piece of jelly she felt in the pit of her stomach when it came to dealing with her ex. However, she mentally repeated what Suki had coached her with before she left their room—Jet could be lying through his teeth at any moment.
Chewing thoughtfully on his toothpick, the rebel leader reassessed the young woman before him. Relenting his forward assault, he began, "Fine—well, this summer, I had some time to think about things. To think about us…and, well, I'm sorry that things ended the way they did. It was a total asshole thing to do, looking back on it now," he admitted, eyes downcast as he momentarily ran his hand through his disheveled, bushy mane. Looking back at her, he continued, "But I want you back, Katara, and I'll do anything to get you to forgive me, to get you back. Just tell me," he ended, staring earnestly into her crystal-clear sapphire eyes.
"You'll do anything, Jet?" she asked with particular—to Jet, it was almost a peculiar—emphasis on the "anything."
"Yeah, why? Just tell me and I'll do it," he responded, expecting that she would simply name some inane task for him to complete so he could be near her again, so that she would forgive him.
"Would you lie for me, Jet?" she deadpanned.
"Sure, I guess," he responded offhand, a small sense of trepidation and confusion curling around his insides.
"Or… how about you trick someone into bad-mouthing someone else for me?" she said in the same dangerously serious voice.
Furrowing his brows, and not understanding where the conversation was headed, he simply replied, "Yeah, sure. Just name what you want me to do, Katara—I just want you to trust me again."
When the word "trust" spewed forth from Jet, Katara realized he was full of shit—and she had made a terrible mistake on Friday with Zuko.
Something snapped inside her mind, like a bamboo cane when too much pressure is applied. Jet doesn't deserve to be trusted, remember? All those times you trusted him to be in band practice, at work or in class—he was lying the whole time. And he got your roommate to lie for him—until Smellerbee told you the truth that day you came crying back to your room. She told you everything…and the look from Longshot only cemented that it was true! So don't you dare trust him now—he doesn't deserve it.
Pushing her chair loudly away from the table, Katara's voice tightened in anger as her eyes thinned to slits, "You don't know the first thing about trust, Jet—it can't be bought and sold. And you won't gain mine by doing what I tell you to do."
His smooth grin faltered, revealing his surprise at her response, "Katara, look, I just want things to be right between us. If nothing else, I want to be your friend again…"
With a feeling that could only be described as unrestrained fury, Katara slammed her hands on the table and shouted back, "Jet, you destroyed any possibility of us being friends the minute you decided that cheating on me was okay! And I can't believe I fell for your little act with Zuko. Suki was right—you were just messing with him!"
Standing up quickly, she finished, "This is over."
As she made that first step to exit, however, Jet jumped up and grabbed her wrist, much the same as he had that day at the beach. Only this time, Katara didn't have Zuko to help her. So, she took matters into her own hands.
"Jet if you don't let go, you're gonna be sorry!" she threatened, eyes level.
"I just want to talk to you so you'll understand," the lanky boy replied intensely, his hold tightening along her wrist, cutting off the circulation.
"I'm done trying to understand you, or our relationship, Jet. So LET. GO. NOW," she hissed through clenched teeth, desperately hoping he'd get the point.
When Jet made no move to release her, Katara decided it was time to let him know that she was in no mood to be pushed around—not by him, or by anyone else.
So, she took him out.
She threw her knee into his groin with as much force as she could muster without seriously damaging his future fertility. Her movement was so swiftly executed that Jet couldn't make a move to block it—not to mention he was still desperately holding onto her arm. When her knee made contact, he spit out the toothpick in his mouth as he let out a huge "whoosh" of air and dropped to his knees. To her relief, he finally let go of her wrist and carefully clutched himself as he rolled to the ground.
As she exited the small room, subconsciously rubbing her red wrist, she casually stated, "I told you you'd be sorry." Jerk.
She exited the library in a hurry and practically ran to her dorm. While she worried that he might be hurt, she rationalized that this time—and not to mention last year—he'd deserved it. He was threatening her and she was sick of it. Maybe if he figured out that she could defend herself now, and that she would stand up for herself, he'd leave her alone; he'd recognize that harassing her was more trouble than it was worth.
By the time she got to her dorm, she did feel a little guilty, but it was overwhelmed by her sense of triumph over her ex. Finally, she felt like she was over him—she was done with whatever had happened between them all those months ago. And, at last, it provided her with a small measure of closure.
Thankfully, Suki wasn't present to ask her why she was beaming such a wide smile.
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Eventually, Katara met up with Suki at the pool, spending her afternoon in its tranquil waters. Upon returning to their shared room, she glanced at the small pile of towels on her bed and noticed that one of them obviously did not belong. Picking it up, she glanced at the design off-hand, and remembered her last day at the beach, weeks ago. Her mind quickly harkened back to that day's events; not to mention Zuko in his swim trunks when she borrowed that towel from Iroh, Zuko in his swim trunks as she rubbed some sunblock on him, and Zuko in his swim trunks as he rescued her from Jet…I guess I really liked the sight of him in his swim trunks, she smirked to herself.
She knew that she should return Iroh's towel and that there was a high probability of her running into Zuko when she did so—though, unfortunately, probably not in his swim trunks. However, her confidence in dealing with men at the moment was still somewhat buoyed by her response to Jet, and she decided that it was worth the risk. Besides, I should talk to him and put the entire messy situation from last week behind us. I think I may owe Zuko an apology… He deserves an explanation, at the very least. Besides, talking to him will be nothing compared to what went down with Jet. Recalling that she had kneed her ex in the crotch, she grimaced slightly and silently hoped that he was okay.
However, the red swim trunks and their owner's well-defined abs quickly sprang to mind again, and she began to feel happiness flood her at the prospect of reconciliation—because reconciliation meant making up…and "making up" could just as easily be "making out," she thought mischievously. After all the difficulties I've experienced over the past year, I deserve to be happy, don't I? Maybe Suki is right…
Her imagination helpfully provided another visual aid to jumpstart her decision-making process—Zuko kissing her as he bid her farewell following the fire drill. Though now, she imagined he was kissing her while wearing his red swim trunks. She silently realized her swim trunk fetish was beginning to rival her library fetish.
Yeah, we really need to make up. Right now—in swim trunks at the library, she thought lasciviously, and nearly laughed out loud. Yeah, things just might work out…
Excited at the opportunity to finally make peace with Zuko now that she'd officially reached 'closure'—and borderline assault—with Jet, not to mention possibly rescheduling their cancelled date, Katara changed her clothes in record time and made her way to DragonsTea, Iroh's towel in hand.
As she strolled across campus, she thought about what she would actually say to Zuko, if he happened to be working that afternoon. She had no idea, she realized, and nearly stopped in the middle of her stride, causing the poor soul walking behind her to almost bump into her. Mired in her thoughts, she barely registered the "watch out" that the big-haired young girl behind her had grumbled.
She knew she should apologize for believing Jet instead of him, but she didn't like the idea of admitting this so publicly, especially since it would obviously mean that she had overreacted in the first case. As she neared the tea shop, she silently hoped that only Iroh would be working and that she could deal with Zuko sometime later in the week…when she was less hyped on adrenaline and less enamored with visions of Zuko in his beach-going attire.
Walking into the small shop, she locked eyes with the cheery old man at the counter and silently celebrated his presence.
"Ah, Katara, how are you? I haven't seen you in so long. I hope your classes are going well," Iroh greeted her with a content grin. He still didn't know too much about what had transpired between the young lady and his nephew, only that their date on Saturday had been cancelled.
"Hi Iroh. I'm well—thanks for asking," the Water Tribe girl replied honestly. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing as well as can be expected for a man my age!" he responded with a slight chuckle. "Are you here to see Zuko?"
"No, not exactly. I did some laundry and realized that I still had the towel you let me borrow at the beach all those weeks ago," she said, offering the towel to the older gentleman across the counter.
Smiling widely as he accepted it, Iroh casually mentioned, "Zuko will be glad to have his favorite Blue Spirit towel back. Thank you."
Confused and her forehead crinkling at the thought, Katara heedlessly asked, "Zuko likes the Blue Spirit?" She looked at the towel, finally recognizing its design. So that's who that is…
"Likes him, the boy was practically obsessed with the Blue Spirit as a teenager! In fact, for his birthday earlier this year, I bought him a set of Blue Spirit pajamas—you should've seen the look on his face," the old man finished, chortling at the memory.
As Iroh spoke, the gears in Katara's mind turned—rapidly. Several conversations flashed through her mind: her first online conversation with bluspirit; talking to Zuko about her "mother arctic hen" tendencies; and her most recent interaction with her online friend, along with the many other coincidences between the two.
Of course, as her brain connected the dots, Zuko walked out from the back of the store, surprised to see her standing at the counter.
"Katara, what are you doing here?" the young man asked, unsure of the look on her face.
Unfurling the towel and completely unaware of what was going through the mind of the young woman across from him, Iroh excitedly responded for her, "She came to return your towel, Nephew. You know, the one with Blue Spirit on it!"
As Zuko's eyes glanced from the towel to Katara, he finally recognized the look on her face—and it assured him that she had figured it all out.
"You're bluspirit aren't you, Zuko?" she queried soberly, a small lump rising in her throat as she realized that, again, she had horribly misjudged the opposite sex. Twice with Jet, twice with Zuko—you're four for four—making for an official streak, Katara, she thought to herself sarcastically and brokenheartedly. I could handle the apology to him, that was my mistake—but this? How could he?
Zuko knew that there would be no sense in sticking with the lie he had so long ago fashioned, nor any explanation that could excuse it, and replied curtly, "Yes, I am."
She clutched at the hem of her shirt, reaching for patience and strength in the midst of the crestfallen feeling currently engulfing her. "I can't believe I was ready to forgive you—here I was, going to lay it all on the line and apologize to you. But you're just another fucking liar!" she started out quietly, her eyes glazing with unshed tears as her voice steadily rose until she was yelling at the end.
He knew this situation was far worse than what had happened on Friday afternoon. A simple apology and explanation were all that had been needed to mend the fence then. This was, however, much more personal … This was deliberate deception…Quite simply, it was betrayal.
"I didn't mean for it to end up this way," Zuko responded as he walked around the counter, hoping to continue their conversation in a more private place. When Katara had begun to cuss, some of the tea shop's customers began to openly stare at the young couple. "I, I just wanted to get to know you better, and it was easier talking to you that way online. I meant to tell you, Katara, but something else always came up." He saw how badly he'd hurt her. Watching the emotions that flashed across her face, he realized that he just wanted to hold her and tell her how sorry he was.
As he came closer to her, she stepped instinctively backwards towards the door—too many worked-up jerks were grabbing her these days. It was like there was some kind of unknown gravitational pull between her body and that of any jerk that walked past. Grimly, she decided, it ends here. "'Something always came up'—that's the best you could do, Zuko?!?" She wanted to yell again, but her voice barely carried above a whisper. Oh Gods, it hurts…I was so happy, thinking we'd finally work things out and now this…
She carelessly rubbed some of the wetness from her face, almost laughing to herself as she felt the familiar sear of humiliation burn at her as it tore at her heart. "I thought you were better than that—I thought you were better than Jet, but you're not. You're just another honorless jerk!" At the last words, she did regain her voice and hurled as much venom at him as she could gather from within herself.
Zuko's eyes darkened in response to her comment. His mind vacillated between kicking her out of DragonsTea for talking to him that way, and engulfing her in his arms, pledging to never hurt her that way again.
Knowing that he had to intervene, Iroh walked in between the two. Glancing at his nephew's otherwise stoic face and Katara's tear-streaked one, he quietly asked them to calm down. Handing a napkin to the upset young woman, he continued, "Zuko, Katara, this is neither the time, nor the place to discuss this. Katara, dear, I'm sorry, but I think you should go."
"Fine, I don't have anything else to say anyway," she said quietly as she accepted the napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes. She hated crying in front of anyone, but she couldn't help it this time—she was hurt, angry and betrayed—not exactly a winning combination. So much for all that breakfast energy, she thought to herself dismally, as she fought the urge to laugh again. Great, now I'm becoming hysterical. Poor Suki's going to kill me for two days of this crap in a row, she thought cheerlessly.
As she walked out of the tea shop, Zuko tried to follow her, but Iroh's arm shot in front of him. "Zuko, you need to stay here. There's no point in talking to her while she's so upset."
Zuko watched her leave before turning to his uncle. Iroh's wizened, normally cheery face held an unmistakable look of disappointment—Zuko hadn't seen a look like that for some time, not since he was a teenager.
"Why would you lie to her, Zuko?" the gentleman asked softly, shaking his head as he walked back behind the counter. His uncle truly looked old in that moment, as if he carried an unseen burden on his shoulders.
Zuko's hand ran over his face as he mulled the thought. Of course, Zuko knew he was the burden. He honestly didn't have a good enough reason for his uncle's question and, instead, headed back towards the office in the rear of the tiny tea shop.
It was a monumental fuck-up—Zuko knew there would be no easy way to mend things between them, if there was even a way to mend it at all, that is. He sat at the large desk, his head resting on its cool surface, as he gathered his thoughts. Is there any way to forgive a liar, Katara?
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Author's Note: Thanks for sticking around long enough to read this latest update—I hope it was worth the wait! I would've gotten chapter 12 out sooner, but work was stressful (I worked overtime every day for a week straight) and it totally screwed with my writing schedule.
Anyway, there's only one more chapter for you, my faithful readers, and then an epilogue. Since work's been increasingly crazy these past few weeks, I'm trying to write out both the last chapter and epilogue at the same time, and post them by mid-May. And, as always, a huge "thank you" to Moor for serving as beta!