A/N:

Sorry for the delay, guys. I got thoroughly distracted by Zutara Week and the Olympics.

A love interest got eliminated in this chapter. Read on to find out who!

Korra hated swallowing her pride. But, unfortunately, that was just something that she was going to have to do this morning.

She held the cupcakes close to her chest as she walked down the school hallway, snatching them away from anyone who had the nerve to ask for one.

She nearly groaned when she spotted him. He was standing next to his brother, Bolin, and was chatting up some stupid looking redheaded girl. Sighing, Korra marched right up to him and cleared her throat.

Mako's whole demeanor changed as soon as he saw her. His cheeks turned bright red, he shifted his weight between his two feet, and he refused to look her in the eye. "What do you want?" he muttered, turning his body a little bit so that he was halfway facing Korra. Bolin was rolling his eyes from where he was standing by Mako's shoulder.

Korra shoved the plate of cupcakes into his chest. "I made these to say thanks for the other day, and to say that I'm sorry that I accused you of stealing my clothes."

At Mako's thoroughly confused look, Korra clarified. "The locker room incident?"

"Oh. Right."

Korra nodded, waved to Bolin and was about to walk away, when Mako reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Then, to Korra's complete fury, he attempted to hand her back the cupcakes, the cupcakes that she'd spent hours on the night before.

"That's okay," the quarterback was saying. "It was no big deal. You really don't have to—"

Korra pushed the cupcakes back in Mako's direction. "No, really, I made them for you. Keep them."

Mako's mouth was starting to dip into a scowl. "I said that it was no big deal, so you can give these to someone else."

"But I didn't make them for someone else. I made them for you."

"But I don't want them."

"That's too bad!"

Mako shoved the cupcakes at her so hard that Korra nearly dropped them. "Why are you being so difficult? I don't need cupcakes from you."

"Take them!"

"No!"

"Take the fucking cupcakes!"

"Okaaaaaaay." Bolin reached between the two of them and quickly snatched the plate out of Korra's insistent hands. "Korra, these cupcakes look delicious. I'm sure my polite, thankful, big brother can't wait to eat them."

Mako whipped his head around to glare down at his brother. "Bolin, stay out—"

The warning bell rang, signaling that class was going to be starting soon. Grumbling, Mako turned and walked away, his backpack slung over one shoulder.

Bolin gave Korra s embarrassed smile. "I'll see you Saturday, for practice?"

Korra nodded, her fists still shaking with anger. "Okay. See you."

"He's acting so weird. First, he treated me like crap just because I had the nerve to go out for the boy's team. And now he'll barely look at me without blushing, and then he'll get mad for no reason. He doesn't make any sense."

Korra and Asami were sitting in their chemistry class. They were technically supposed to be working together on a worksheet about their lab equipment, but the worksheet sat on Korra's desk, forgotten.

Asami looked amused. "Well, he did see you naked."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't naked. I was wrapped up in a shower curtain."

"A white, see-through shower curtain." Asami smirked.

Korra felt her cheeks flush. She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns at the floor. "He still doesn't make any sense."

Asami propped her elbow up on her desk. "Well, before he saw you as a nuisance, but after the locker room incident you've become the star of his masturbatory fantasies."

Korra gulped and sank a little lower in her chair. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Asami giggled. "Well, you can't really blame the guy. You're hot!"

A couple of their classmates swiveled around in their chairs to stare at the duo. They quickly turned back around at Korra's heated glare.

Asami gently nudged Korra in the shoulder. "What are you doing after school today?"

Korra shrugged. "I don't have practice until Saturday and I don't work tonight, so, nothing I guess."

The other girl beamed. "You should come to the track with me!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"You won't accidentally kill me, will you?"

Asami furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm a great driver!"

Korra snorted, shaking her head. "Sure, sure." She turned her attention onto the worksheet. "Okay, what exactly is a beaker, again?"

"I'm going to die. I'm dying, I'm dying!"

Korra was literally clinging onto the edges of her seat. She was in a racecar with Asami in the driver's seat, and the other girl was zooming them around the racetrack at speeds that were absolutely terrifying.

A helmet-clad Asami was laughing with excitement as they whipped around a turn, and Korra quickly moved up her hands and covered her eyes.

Eventually, when they finally pulled off the track, Korra was feeling lightheaded.

"You all right?" Asami asked in concern, briefly taking her eyes off the course.

Korra nodded slowly, suddenly feeling nauseous. "Fine. I'm fine."

When they pulled to a stop Korra opened her door and nearly fell out of the car. As she slowly straightened out her body and stretched her arms over her head, she sent Asami a glare over the top of the racecar. "Next time, how 'bout we just go to the movies or something?"

Asami rolled her eyes. "You're no fun."

And then she tossed a pair of lacy, red panties at Korra.

Korra held them up for inspection. They were brand new; the tag was still on them. "Um, thanks?"

Asami was laughing outright. "I told you that I'd bring you a change of underwear. You know, just in case you peed yourself."

At that, Korra couldn't help but smile. "How thoughtful."

Asami walked around to stand next to her before taking off her helmet and shaking out her long, dark hair. "So, do you want to go and grab some coffee? It's still kind of early."

In truth, Korra hated coffee, but she really was enjoying spending time with Asami. "Yeah, okay. That sounds cool."

Half an hour later they pulled up to a local coffee shop that Asami claimed was the best in the city. She kept going on about lattes, and frappes and other drinks that Korra weren't sure about. But as they walked inside, the person behind the register made Korra want to turn around and leave.

She groaned out loud.

"What's wrong?" Asami questioned with concern.

Before Korra could open her mouth, the guy behind the counter waved. "What's up, sweetheart?" he called across the shop.

"God help me," Korra mumbled. She then proceeded to walk up the front counter. She'd look like a complete idiot if she just turned around and left. She supposed that, since she'd poured tea on him the last time she encountered him, that she owed him one. Sort of.

"Do you know him?" Asami whispered to her.

Korra nodded. "He's a jerk. He plays for the school across town."

Asami's green eyes flicked over Tahno, inspecting him. "Doesn't seem like all that much to me."

When they reached the front register, Tahno leaned against the counter and flipped his hair out of his light eyes. "Ladies, what can I get for you?"

"What are you doing here?" Korra spat out.

Tahno shrugged one shoulder. "Even star quarterbacks have to pay the bills." He smirked at her. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I won't pour scolding hot liquid on your lap."

"Good to know," Korra grumbled. She took a step back and pretended to survey the menu, but in reality she was watching Tahno out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing an apron and a hat, and looked a lot more down-to-earth then the last time she'd seen him. He almost looked approachable.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Tahno quipped, and Korra stiffened in embarrassment, knowing he'd caught her watching. Fuming, she started looking through her purse, intent on finding her wallet, paying for her drink, and getting the hell out of there.

Asami ordered some sort of espresso thing and as she handed Tahno her card, she said, "Don't call Korra 'sweetheart'."

Tahno swiped her card through the register. "Why? Is she your sweetheart?"

Asami turned beet red and narrowed her green eyes. "Now I get why she doesn't like you."

Tahno turned his gaze onto Korra and clutched his chest with mock distress. "Our lovely Korra here doesn't like me? How ever will I get on with my day?"

"Fuck off," Korra growled.

Tahno laughed as he handed Asami back her card. His eyes were bright as he turned them onto Korra. "What'll you have, sweetheart?"

Korra felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. "Um… How about… An iced…mocha thing."

Tahno nodded slowly. "An iced, mocha thing coming right up." He started to make both Asami and Korra's drinks, and as his back was turned, Asami leaned over and said, "He's an asshole."

Korra nodded in agreement. Her whole mood had turned sour.

Tahno was smiling when he turned around with their drinks. He handed it to them with a flourish. "Ladies, both of you have a nice evening. Especially you, sweetheart." He winked at Korra.

Korra quickly took her drink from him and her eyes widened when she saw what he'd drawn on the side of her cup. She nearly threw it back in his face.

"What'd he do?" Asami stepped right up to Korra and tried to pry the drink from her fingers.

"He…he drew a dick on my cup!"

Laughing, and with a totally unapologetic expression on his face, Tahno quickly ducked behind the register.

"Let's just go." Asami grabbed Korra's elbow and steered her out of the shop.

It wasn't until Korra was back in the car that she realized that Tahno hadn't charged her for her drink.

Korra was curled up on her couch, texting Howl with Naga at her feet, when the doorbell rang.

She wasn't really sure who it could be, since her parents had declared that it was a date night and that they wouldn't be back until late that evening. She got up and peeked out the window. Upon spotting who it was, a smile spread across her face.

She opened the door and propped a hand onto her hip. "What are you doing here?"

Bolin gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged one shoulder before holding up an empty plate. "Just returning this."

Korra took the plate and tucked it under her arm. "You could've just given it to me tomorrow at practice."

Bolin shrugged again. "Yeah, I know." Then he stared at her expectantly.

Korra stepped aside, presenting him with an open doorway. "You wanna come in for a little bit?"

Bolin's whole face lit up and he immediately walked inside, looking particularly cheerful. "Thanks!" He took his time glancing around the living room. "You have a nice place."

"Thanks." Korra walked into the kitchen and placed the plate into the sink, Bolin at her heels. "So, did Mako enjoy his cupcakes?" She peeks at Bolin out of the corner of her eye.

He nods quickly—too quickly. "Oh, yeah, totally! He ate every bite."

"Stuff it, Bolin. Mako didn't eat any of them, didn't he?"

His expression falls a little bit. "No. My brother sometimes…can be difficult."

Korra snorted. "You think?"

Bolin leaned against the refrigerator. "He's a great guy, really. He can just be hard to get to know when you first meet him."

Frowning, Korra crossed her arms under her breasts and glared down at the floor. "Yeah, well, I don't have the patience to get to know a guy whose hell bent on being a dick to me."

Bolin cleared his throat, causing Korra to look up. His green eyes were warm and friendly, like they always were. It was a feature of his that Korra really adored. "He'll come around. Eventually."

"Eventually being the key word," Korra pointed out with a laugh. She waved her hand toward the living room, and subsequently the couch. "Come on. You watch TV, right?"

"Duh. How can you even ask me that?"

Moments later they were sitting next to each other on the couch, sifting through the channels. Occasionally Korra would land on a station that was playing a show that Bolin liked, and she watched with amusement as her friend geeked out. He'd grab her arm and gently squeeze it in excitement. "Ahh, Korra! You've seen that right? It's totally underrated. It deserved an Emmy, I'm telling you."

This happened multiple times until Korra finally landing on some cooking competition show.

"Stop!" Bolin shouted, startling Naga.

And that was how Korra found herself watching Master Chef. It was, to her surprise, extremely addicting. She was sucked in within seconds.

It was toward the end of the episode, when one of the amateur chefs were about to be eliminated, that her phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the message that Howl had just sent her. It was a picture of a funny billboard that he'd seen earlier that day.

Korra found herself laughing and then, suddenly, quite homesick. She missed her old town and the kids that she'd used to hang out with. A lot.

Bolin, noticing the sudden forlorn expression on her face, picked up the remote and paused the TV. "Hey, what's wrong? Did you get some bad news?"

Korra shook her head. "No, my friend Howl just texted me—he's a friend from my old town—and it just made me miss some stuff, that's all." She glanced up into his eyes and she could feel his understanding.

He nodded. "Moving sucks. But, hey!" He pushed playfully against her shoulder. "If you hadn't of moved here, then you wouldn't have gone out for the football team, and then we wouldn't have met, and then we wouldn't be friends, and I wouldn't be here right now watching Master Chef with you."

"And you also wouldn't have eaten a plate of my cupcakes just to make me feel better."

He grinned. "Yep."

Korra playfully pushed back against his shoulder, and Bolin's smile intensified. Soon they were pushing each other and giggling and suddenly he was tickling her sides and she screeching and swatting at his hands.

That's when she realized how close he was. He was right above her, and Korra was able to see in detail how green his eyes really were, and the way that his nose tipped out cutely at the end. Her breathing slowed, but her heart sped up.

And then he kissed her.

Korra felt her entire body freeze in disbelief. But before she could well and truly react, Bolin had wrenched himself away and was pushing a hand through his hair in anxiety.

"Crap I'm— Korra, I'm so sorry."

Blinking in confusion, Korra sat up straight, leaned against the back of the couch and crossing her ankles. Her cheeks were burning. "Um, it's fine, Bo."

"No, it's not cool. You invited me in and we were just going to chill for a little while and then, and then I…" Bolin groaned and rubbed his temples. "This is not how that was supposed to happen."

Korra couldn't help but find his reaction kind of endearing. She grasped his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "And how was it supposed to happen?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Not like this."

Korra frowned at the boy sitting next to her in worry. "Bo—"

He sighed in dejection. "I think it might be best if I went home now."

Her worry started to turn into irritation. "Bolin, it's okay, you don't have to—Bolin!"

He was already halfway out of her door. "Sorry, Korra."

Her hands formed fists at her sides. "You have nothing to be sorry for, you're overreacting! Bo—"

But he was already gone.

Bolin wasn't at practice the next day.

Iroh was in a panic. Korra had never seen him this stressed out before.

She shoved her bag and sweatshirt into a locker, slowly peering around the locker door in order to watch Iroh text wildly on his phone.

"Something up?" she asked innocently, not wanting to bring unnecessary negative attention onto herself. "You seem…upset."

Iroh viciously stuffed his phone into the pocket of his jeans, tight jeans. Korra had to gulp when she first saw him in them.

"Fucking Amon just quit today, out of nowhere!"

Korra felt her jaw drop to the floor. "He what?"

Iroh turned his golden eyes onto her, and Korra found that under his gaze she was glued to wherever she was. They made her unmovable. "He just turned in his apron this afternoon and walked out." Grumbling, Iroh started to shift through some paperwork sitting atop his desk. "I knew the guy was sketchy when I hired him, but this is ridiculous. Who does that? I mean, who does that?"

Korra slammed her locker shut and stepped up to Iroh's desk. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to him, but she found herself resisting the urge to reach out and touch his shoulder in order to encourage him. She pushed her hands into her pockets.

"Did you find a replacement?" she asked.

Iroh nodded, briefly glancing at the office door. "Yeah, I found a temp at the last minute. They should be here in—"

The door banged open and in strolled a tall, lithe young women with a long, brown braid, gray eyes, and an expression that was way too cheerful.

"Hi!" She waved enthusiastically. Her eyes flicked from Korra to Iroh.

"Hey." Iroh's voice sounded strained. "Korra, this is Tu Lee. She's an, uh, old friend."

From the way that Iroh said her name, to the way that Tu Lee's gaze settled on Iroh appreciatively, Korra had a feeling that this new arrangement wasn't going to tilt in her favor.

But, despite the boiling feeling in her chest, Korra still stuck her hand out and said, "Hello."

A/N:

The character eliminated in this chapter was Amon. He didn't receive any votes, so off with his head!

I tried to give the underdog characters some big scenes this time around. So, yay!

The playing field evened out pretty nicely last chapter. I'd say that there are three strong contenders in neck and neck for the top spot, while two other characters are flying below the radar. But, you know what they say about dark horses…

A Few Simple Voting Rules

Anonymous

Votes

Will

Not

Be

Accepted.

I cannot stress this enough! No anonymous votes! I still got a bunch of anonymous votes for the last chapter. Once again, if you vote anonymously then your vote will not be accepted! Guys, it literally takes seconds to log in, and only minutes to create an account! I don't want to see anyone's vote get overlooked because of this!

—You can only vote for one person. If you're indecisive like me, then I do apologize.

—If for whatever reason you would like to keep your vote private, you may message me your vote and I'll count it. Please only message me with your vote here on .

—To keep things organized for me, I'm putting in place a cutoff date for voting after each chapter. So, for this specific chapter you may vote up until August 8th. That way I have time to figure out how the next chapter is going to go without new people voting and constantly tilting the scales.

A reminder of Korra's love interests:

Asami

Mako

Bolin

Tahno

Howl

Iroh

A big THANK YOU to everyone who voted in the last chapter. In order to keep this story afloat and for every character to have a fighting chance, I encourage everyone to vote for their favorite love interest, or the love interest that you definitely want to see make it to the next round.

Love you guys, and make sure to vote! :D