To say that Catra was startled would be an understatement.
When Glimmer Brightmoon forcefully slammed her hands on the table of the cafeteria where Catra was minding her own business, she wasn’t startled, it scared the shit out of her.
“Jesus, Sparkles! Are you mad?” Catra brought the hand to her heart, it was beating so fast it was probably going to jump out of her chest, the other girl didn’t appear remotely bothered, she just narrowed her eyes at her “At you? Yes.”
She let herself drop dramatically on the seat in front of her and just glared, if looks could kill Catra would probably be dead three times by now.
“What do you want?”
“I am here to make you reason.”
“You what?”
“You” she pointed a finger at her “are an asshole. An A level asshole, the supreme asshole to rule all of assholes. And instead of talking to you I should kick you so hard that you would end up on the other side of the planet.”
Catra raised both her eyebrows almost impressed “Brightmoon, if you want to threaten me, at least tell me for what I am being threatened for, or actually don’t, I really don’t care” she made a move to stand up and leave, but before she could, the sparkly head cheerleader grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her back on her seat.
“You are not going anywhere until we sort this out.”
“You and I have nothing to talk about.”
“Yes, we do” her grip on Catra’s wrist felt tighter “if that something is Adora.”
It was like a punch in the gut. Of course it was Adora, everything in the end always brought Catra back to Adora.
“You have been avoiding her.”
Suddenly Glimmer’s hand on her felt like it was burning and Catra freed herself with a tug “I don’t know how that should be any of your business.”
“It is if my best friend is miserable. And I am pretty sure that you are the reason.”
Catra stiffened, she had her motives to avoid Adora in the last few weeks but hearing that she was sad didn’t bring her any kind of satisfaction. Maybe Catra from a few years ago would have gloated about this, in a spiteful mean way, but a lot of things had changed since then.
Weirdly there wasn’t much resentment in Glimmer’s eyes, actually she looked stricken, and that worried her even more “Adora and I are simply not speaking to each other.”
“I know this, and I am telling you, you are being stupid.”
“Why are you so upset about this?” it was starting to get on her nerves “You of all people should be glad, you have always hated my guts and wanted me out of the picture. Now that I am, you come here and scold me like I am a freaking child, what’s your deal, Sparkles? Just pick a side!”
Glimmer scoffed “I don’t hate you, sure you are frustrating and annoying and pretty mean… but I don’t think you are a bad person, even if you acted like one in the past. If I did, I wouldn’t be here. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Adora, and she cares about you, a lot. She misses you, and your behavior is hurting her” Glimmer reached for Catra’s hand again, but this time there wasn’t nothing rough about it, it was almost like a plea “and I can see is hurting you too.”
Of course it was hurting her too, how could it not? Catra and Adora had practically grew up together attached by the hip for years, they had been each other’s anchor since they were basically three. Catra doubted she would have survived foster care without Adora by her side.
Even after their fallout, before high school, it had been impossible for them to really let go, they loved each other, but they hurt each other, and it was all wrapped up and twisted and messy. Giving up on someone who was basically the other part of your soul was pretty damn hard, no one knew that more than Catra.
But now things were different. Because in the last year they had been reconnecting, they were slowly tiptoeing around each other, it was weird, it was nice. It wasn’t like before, but it was something.
And then reality had hit Catra like a brick wall right in the face, and she was scared again, because she knew what she was feeling, and she couldn’t trust herself enough to keep herself in check. Not this time around.
Despite the awkwardness of the situation Catra didn’t flinch from Glimmer’s touch, she took her time to reply and slowly took her hand out of her grasp “Adora is fine, she is just jittery because of the game, she always is before an important one.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
This was really becoming the weirdest day of Catra’s life, she was talking? To Glimmer? Groundbreaking.
“Listen, Sparkles” Catra crossed her arms “I don’t know what your goal is, so if you would just spill it out and stop dragging this more than necessary, I would be really grateful, I have more important things to do.”
Glimmer grumbled “You are so difficult. And ridiculous. We both know why I came here.”
“I really don’t.”
“Then let me be perfectly clear. I know why you are avoiding Adora, I know because I have eyes and ears that work, and I am not oblivious like her” she stopped, her eyes softening “you are in love with her, you have probably been for a long time, but you have a very shitty way of dealing with it. So, I am telling you, get your head off your ass and do something about it, instead of being a jerk.”
And just like that Catra stood up and hissed “You don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You are not fooling anyone, sit down.” she waved her over but Catra had no intention to do so.
“Seriously Brightmoon, shut your mouth, you are clearly delusional.”
“You think I am wrong? You have picked a fight with her for the last four years every chance you got just to be noticed by her, to be near her, and then when you finally, finally try and almost succeed to mend your relationship with her and she gets closer to you, you bolt like a scared cat. So, tell me, who really has to pick a side between us?”
Catra hated Glimmer, hated her because she was the principal’s daughter and the beloved head cheerleader of the school, she hated her because she had a family that loved her, who gave a damn about her, because she didn’t have a shitty past that had fucked her up, because she was surrounded by friends, because she had been there for Adora when she hadn’t, because she was Adora’s best friend and replaced Catra in every way beside her former friend. Probably in a better way too.
She hated her because she was actually cool and tough, but God forbid she would admit that to her face. Most of all she hated her because she was right, painfully and stupidly right.
And on top of that she could also read everything that was running through her mind in that moment, just by looking at her face. But Catra saw no pity in her.
“Stop looking at me like that” she snapped.
“Catra, I’m just trying to help, I know Adora…”
“Oh, you know Adora? Really? You wanna go there? Fine, Sparkles, be my guest.” she leaned over the table “Let me tell you something, princess, you may have known Adora for three, four years, whatever. But I have known her my entire life, I was there when she broke her arm for the first time, trying to save a cat from a tree of course, that selfless dumbass, I was there when she discovered she was allergic to strawberries, her face got so puffy it was practically a balloon, I was there when she saw snow for the first time, wide eyes, like it was the greatest thing in the world. And I was there when that bitch of our caretaker abused us every fucking day making her believe she had to be the epitome of perfection or no one would need her and making me believe that I was nothing more than an annoyance and a waste of space.”
Catra knew she was being ruthless, but at that point she just didn’t care, she was just tired “I was there for her and she was there for me, in a way that no one could ever understand, I have seen the best and worst of her. And then she left me, so you don’t get to tell me how I am supposed to feel, or act, and you especially don’t get to tell me that I am wrong to avoid her because I am making her miserable because you know her. Guess what, Sparkles, I know her too, actually knowing her doesn’t even cover it. And I am well aware that what I am doing is bad, but she will get over it, because it’s better this way, this is not something I am going to put on her. I have done enough.”
She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt something slide on her cheek, shame washed over her, and this time when she left, no one stopped her. The last thing she saw before running away was the way Glimmer’s eyes had fallen, this time pity was there.
Catra just needed to be alone with her thoughts. So, she went to the only place that would give her some comfort. The rooftop.
She always did something similar when she was upset as a kid, obviously every time Adora would find her, climbing clumsily to reach her, but coming nonetheless, and they would stay there together, clinging to each other, until Catra’s tremors would pass or it got too cold outside.
“You look out for me and I look out for you”
Catra rested her head on her knees.
“Nothing bad can happen as long as we have each other”
She clenched her fists and hoped her pain would go away.
“You promise?” “You promise?”
“I promise.”
It never did.
*******************************************
Bow was rehearsing the new choreography with the cheer team when he saw Glimmer coming back from her “secret mission”, as she had called her, he couldn’t help but notice that she seemed sadder than when she had left, gone was the determination he had seen before. He shot a look to the field where the soccer team was practicing, to check on Adora too. So now both his two best friends were unhappy. Great.
“Hey” he greeted her and put a hand on her shoulder “what happened, are you okay?”
She shook her head “It couldn’t have gone worse.”
“That bad uh. What did she do? Did she yell? Did she hurt you?
“Worse” she stopped “I made her cry.”
“YOU WHAT?” it came out louder than intended, every one of their friends turned to look at him, and even a few of the soccer players, not Adora though, she was still lost in her own head kicking the ball like it had done something bad to her.
“Bow, be quiet!” she tried to shush him “EVERYTHING IS FINE, GUYS, GO BACK TO THOSE FLIPS!”
“Glimmer, what did you do.” he repeated with a nervous smile trying not to show that something was, in fact, not fine at all.
“We were talking, it wasn’t going so bad! And then I think I said something wrong and she just… snapped. Bow, she’s more hurt than she lets on, oh my god it was so terrible… and she started crying and just ran away like that and I didn’t stop her. Should I tell Adora? Maybe she would know what to do.”
“Tell Adora what?” a voice asked from behind, making them both jump like they had been caught doing something illegal, and unluckily for them it was Adora’s.
“Nothing, nothing!” Bow started rambling “We were just talking about…”
“The new cheer!” quickly filled Glimmer.
“Yes! The new cheer!” he laughed nervously “You know, a new cheer just for you, when you are gonna score the winning goal tomorrow! You are gonna love it.”
Adora tilted her head with a perplexed look “Oh. That’s nice, guys, but you don’t have to.”
“Nonsense!” Glimmer dismissed her with a wave of her hand “Nothing is too much for our best friend who is the best player ever!”, Bow nodded trying to play dumb.
Adora smiled a little, but her smile didn’t really reach her eyes “Listen guys… have you seen Catra today?”
Glimmer gulped “No why?”
“Nothing… is just… I didn’t see her at chemistry after lunch, but I saw her this morning… so… I was wondering where she went.”
She was almost about to tell her, but she saw Bow shaking his head, so she kept her mouth shut.
“She must have ditched, yeah that must be it…”
“Adora! Get your ass back here! Stop wasting time!” Netossa called for her, she reluctantly said goodbye to her friends with a little shrug and went back to play, but she moved slower, like her head wasn’t really into it.
“Did she admit it yet?” asked Glimmer following the blonde with her eyes
“What?”
“That she misses her, and you know, love her.”
“She hasn’t realized it yet or she just didn’t tell us” Bow crossed his arms “What about Catra?”
“Oh no, she realized it very well. She said it to my face.”
“That’s great, then. If they love each other, they just have to confess.”
Glimmer shifted to look at him, her brow furrowed “It’s not that easy, Catra believes that Adora doesn’t like her and she doesn’t want to hurt Adora more by revealing her feelings.”
“So, she is just gonna avoid her forever? That’s dumb.”
“I know! It’s so stupid, they are always so oblivious when it comes to each other.”
“Can you imagine loving someone so much but being scared to tell them because you fear you’ll lose them if you actually do?” it was just a simple question, but Glimmer felt struck by a lightning.
If only he knew.
“Yeah… it must be the worst” she agreed, but she was so distracted on her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Bow glancing at her, he even made a move to touch her hand, but in the end decided against it.
They both returned to look at the soccer practice, it was nothing unusual, the same old exercises and moves, then Adora missed a kick, the ball was thrown far away than where she was supposed to be to catch it and she run to retrieve it. It was clear to everyone she was uninterested.
“Nope, that’s it, I am going back. I can’t see her like that.”
Glimmer started walking and Bow tried to keep up “Where do you think you are going, you don’t even know where she is.”
“I don’t care, this nonsense has been going on for years, but I am done with this pity party. From both of them. I am gonna go search for Catra and I am gonna make her listen, whatever she likes it or not” she stomped her foot and started marching with more purpose.
“But what about the team? I didn’t even teach you the new choreography for tomorrow’s game! Glimmer!”
“You are the choreographer, you can lead the team while I am gone, fill me up later. Now I am gonna go find Catra, even if I have to take down the school brick by brick.”
*******************************************
It actually wasn’t that hard to find her, once she lifted her head, Glimmer noticed the unmistakable read headband Catra wore everyday glinting under the sunlight.
It came from the rooftop.
Because of course she was on the rooftop that drama queen.
It took a while for her to find the right stairs that led her there, she had never ventured in that part of the school, as she climbed, she almost regretted never doing it sooner, it was like a totally new place to explore.
Once she opened the panic door of the terrace, it was easy to spot her, she wasn’t really hiding.
She was sitting on the cornice, just gazing at the sunset.
“You know what, Sparkles? I am starting to think you are stalking me.” surprisingly, the tone wasn’t mean, it sounded tired.
“You know what?” she quickly caught up with her and sat right next to her “You may actually be right.”
“I knew that deep down you had a crush on me.” being teased by Catra, that was totally new, but that day had been the weirdest, so why not.
“Honestly who doesn’t in this school” she joked back “You with your bad girl attitude and your leather jacket have a reputation of breaking a lot of girls’ hearts, even the straight ones.”
Catra snorted “No one is ever really straight.”
That broke the ice, they started quietly laughing, they almost seemed two friends, not two people who had despised each other since the day they had met and who swore they had nothing in common.
Glimmer started to think that maybe that wasn’t entirely true.
Then she remembered why she had climbed up there in the first place “I’m sorry.”
Catra didn’t even look at her “That would be a first. For what?”
“For upsetting you, and sticking my nose where I shouldn’t have, you were right, I shouldn’t have come to tell you how you feel or what to do. I thought about Adora’s feelings, but I didn’t bother to think about yours too.”
“I snapped at you, almost hit you, cried in your face, and you are the one apologizing? Seriously Sparkles, what the hell is wrong with you.” she slapped her arm, Glimmer let out a surprised gasp.
“Ow! What the hell, Catra?”
“You deserved it, we both know I was the bitch, you just wanted to protect Adora. I would have done the same, you did nothing wrong” she paused “You might be pain in the ass, but I’m the one who should apologize.”
Glimmer stilled, that was unexpected.
“Don’t look at me like that, I am not so socially inadequate as you like to think, despite what they tell about me, I actually have a heart.” and to prove her point she moved her hand to her chest dramatically.
“So?”
“So what?”
“Where is my apology?” she lifted her eyebrows expectantly, but Catra just smirked.
“I said that I should not that I would.”
“Unbelievable… well I should apologize anyway, I still made you cry.”
“You did not make me cry” she hissed “I was just… exasperated.”
They fell silent for a few moments, Glimmer decided to push her luck, they had actually made a lot more progress in just a few minutes then they had in four years.
She didn’t know what came over her, but she figured that if she wanted Catra to trust her, she would have to give her a reason to “I’m in love with Bow” she felt her stiffen at that confession “it took me awhile to realize it. I never thought about that, not really, we have always been together, we have known each other since we were kids, but I didn’t realize it until three years ago.” she looked at Catra to make sure she was listening, she hadn’t interrupted yet, she took it as a good sign “It was at prom, we had always gone together to that kind of things, I had already everything planned, with Adora too, when he told me he was going with Perfuma. I didn’t take it well.”
Catra remembered that prom, she had been there too, even if she wasn’t attending Bright Moon High, at the time she was still a student at Horde Prep, she had decided to sneak in for the sole purpose of messing with Adora. It was a time when her resentment had taken over everything else.
The blonde had been wearing a red dress that night, breathtaking as always, and Catra was wearing a suit, she had even asked her to dance, just to taunt her, to tease her, but the truth was she was just looking for an excuse to hold Adora in her arms.
Glimmer kept talking “We fought that night, luckily for me, Bow didn’t understand the reason why I acted so weird, he just thought I was upset because he had made plans with another friend and I had felt left behind. When the truth was that I was jealous. I never corrected him.”
“This is the kind of moment where I wish I had my flask” Catra finally spoke.
“Why am I not surprised that you have a flask?”
“Sheesh mom, chill. I don’t actually have it on me right now” she stuck her tongue at her, and Glimmer chuckled “Oh my god I really did sound like my mother.”
“Don’t worry, Sparkles, you’ll get there. But you are still gonna be your pretty wild self.”
“You think I am wild?”
“Aren’t you the mad girl who picked a fight with that senior, you know the one who won the martial art championship? What was her name? Huntara? I remember you yelling at her in the corridor, I think Arrow Boy held you down because he was afraid you would get punched.”
“Oh yeah Huntara, we are cool now. True though, I almost hit her.”
“She was thrice your height!”
“Whatever. You are so much worse, you really punched Tung Lashor two years ago, everyone was talking about it that week.”
“He deserved it, he was a douche. I think I stole his jacket, I must still have it somewhere” she rested her chin on her hand, then shot a glance to the girl next to her.
“You know… I think Arrow Boy would be really dumb if he rejected you…” she almost sounded embarrassed for saying something nice “Not that he would, that idiot is unbearably smitten with you.”
Glimmer gasped, outraged “No he is not! We are just friends, he doesn’t see me like that.”
“Bullshit, you are practically glued to each other, you finish each other’s sentences for Christ’s sake, when I first arrived here, I thought you were already together. It was Entrapta who told me you weren’t, I laughed at her face and said Do they know that?”
Glimmer pouted “It’s not that simple, you more than all people should know it.”
There she was, Glimmer had brought out the big guns.
“It’s different for me.” she finally replied flickering her mismatched eyes.
“Why is it different for you?”
“Just to begin with, Adora and I are just friends, and not even some good ones, pretty messy ones.”
“True, but still friends though. Like Bow and me.”
“You two idiots are in love with each other, but too dumb to do something about it!”
Glimmer bit her tongue from yelling So are you and Adora. But it wasn’t her place to tell.
“He sees me like a sister.”
If Catra had been drinking something, she would have choked right there “No one looks at their sister like that. Seriously, Sparkles, get a pair of glasses, you totally need it.”
“You mean how you look at Adora when you think no one notices?” Glimmer shot back, she knew she was pushing, but she had to, she just had to “you are not that subtle as you think you are.”
“It doesn’t matter” it was so fast, her eyes had blinked and now they were sad “Adora doesn’t want me, not like I want her.”
If someone had told Glimmer she would have been, on the school rooftop, with Bright Moon High’s official bad girl, sharing sad stories of unrequited loves and stupid jokes, she would have laughed in their faces. But here she was. And she didn’t mind it, maybe Adora had been right all along, maybe Catra was not so bad as she wanted to let on.
“Tell you what” Glimmer stood up abruptly, hands on her hips, and looked straight at Catra “If you tell Adora how you feel, I will tell Bow too.”
She couldn’t believe she actually said that, but the game was on, and perhaps, she needed a little push too.
“Have you hit your head or what.”
“Come on, Catra. I never took you for a coward, are you actually going to start now?”
That stung Catra more than it should have, but she still had no intention to give in “I am not gonna tell her, Sparkles. Even if it will cost me the show of Arrow Boy bawling his eyes out at your love confession.”
“He wouldn’t say yes, and he especially wouldn’t cry.”
“Both of these things are wrong. I know it, you know it, all school knows it. Your mother probably knows it too.”
Glimmer snorted, they were not going anywhere and she didn’t know what else she could do, she couldn’t force her, it wasn’t her place, but seeing her suffering, and most of all seeing Adora suffering was unbearable “You are not just hurting her, you are hurting yourself too.”
Catra shrugged.
“Don’t do that, you know I am right. You don’t wanna tell her? That’s fine, more than fine, no one understands that better than me. But avoiding her completely won’t give you peace, it will only make things worse. Whatever you like it or not, you like hanging out with Adora, talking to her, being near her, or you wouldn’t have tried to reconnect in the first place. And not just because you love her, above everything else she is your friend and I don’t think you would be able to give up that so easily, even at your worst you never have. I know I wouldn’t with Bow.”
Glimmer was about to give up, she had done everything in her power to fix it, and in return she had even thought about her own situation with Bow, maybe she should take a page of her own book.
She had also found a sort of common ground with Catra, it was weird to realize they were more alike than they thought, Glimmer felt some sort of a kinship with her. What a strange day indeed.
“She misses me?” it was a question so quiet, it could have been easily lost, but no one was there except Glimmer and she heard pretty well.
“Terribly. It’s sad, she looks like a sad kicked golden retriever.”
“God no, not the puppy eyes.”
“Oh yes, the puppy eyes yes. Big and blue and sad” she carefully pointed out the last word, then Catra turned her gaze to something else, it took a few seconds to Glimmer to see it that she was watching the soccer field.
And in that moment Glimmer was sure she had won.
*******************************************
“You know, when you told me you had an idea to help me with the Adora thing, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Catra was starting to question all her life choices. First of all, how she had ended up at a soccer game, of all places, considering that it was literally the last place she would have ever been caught dead.
And it wasn’t a simple game, it was like the final of the season, or something like that, Catra had never been remotely interested to check. She knew the basics just because Adora loved to play, and occasionally would beg her to come and see her in action. She always said no.
But she didn’t this time, because she wanted to make up with her.
And because, apparently, saying no to Glimmer Brightmoon wasn’t an option if you wanted to continue to live your life in peace.
“This is the best chance you have to show her that you care, now stop complaining and get in the car!”
She had made a really good point, and almost dragged her by force in the process.
And now Catra was surrounded by people, worst of all, incredibly loud people.
“You’ll thank me later.” muttered Glimmer nudging her with her elbow.
Catra was silently grateful she had let her come with her in the space reserved for the cheer team, she really couldn’t have put up with being seated in the tribunes.
People weren’t her thing, sweaty people? Even worse.
“I don’t even know what you are trying to accomplish, it’s not like Adora has time to chat, she has… you know, to kick the ball or whatever.”
Glimmer quirked an eyebrow I can’t believe I have to do this all by myself.
“It’s about showing up, you know, making an effort. She will appreciate it.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so, trust me.”
Glimmer noticed her fidgeting, how she tapped furiously her foot, and smiled at the sight.
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“ ’Am not”
“Whatever you say.”
“Shut up, Sparkles.”
Catra began walking back and forth, eyeing without really paying attention to the cheer team rehearsing the choreography for the eleventh time.
It was almost time, the game would begin in minutes, still there wasn’t any sign of Adora.
She sat on the bench, where the team had hurriedly left their bags and the tools for the show, her leg was bouncing. So much for not being nervous.
It’s okay, it’s fine, just tell her you miss her, and apologize for being a dick. She will understand.
But what if this time she didn’t? What if Catra had finally crossed the line and Adora was tired of trying to reach out? Catra couldn’t blame her if she was.
Then she finally saw her, the signature blonde ponytail, the ridiculous puff on her head, she was getting out on the field, surrounded by her teammates.
Catra jolted up like the bench was on fire.
Adora didn’t notice her at first, but when she started scanning the field to spot Bow and Glimmer like she usually did before every game, her eyes found someone else. Someone she wasn’t expecting to see.
Her breath itched.
Her legs couldn’t resist the pull to the other girl, she knew the moment she had laid her eyes on her.
She had never been able to.
So Adora found herself crossing the field, to reach Catra, but not without scolding herself not to let her hopes up.
“Catra.”
“Hey Adora.”
“Why are you here?”
Catra snorted and averted her gaze “Don’t sound so happy to see me.”
“I didn’t mean… I wasn’t…”
“Chill, Adora, it’s okay.”
Catra absentmindedly grabbed Adora’s wrist and gently brushed it, like she used to do to calm her down, but she stopped herself in the middle of the act, like she had been caught doing something that she shouldn’t have.
She pulled away so quickly, but Adora felt the absence all the same.
She started caressing her wrist with her own hand, to make the feeling go away, failing miserably.
Catra’s hand twitched.
Adora was staring at her so deeply Catra feared she could suddenly read her mind, she blinked, and her eyes returned to normal “You didn’t answer my question, why are you really here?”
Catra finally looked at her “I… had a good reason to come.”
Adora frowned.
That was the moment she had been waiting for, Catra was ready to apologize, properly this time “I…actually came to tell you something… I-”
Someone decided that that was the right time to interrupt “Adoooraaaaaaa” Sea Hawk was practically singing her name “Hello, my friend, what are you doing here? Looking for Bow and Glimmer?”
In Catra’s mind Sea Hawk was already dead, she imagined killing him in at least sixteen different ways, but she tried to keep her cool and not get mad in front of Adora. She really didn’t need that right now.
Apparently, she didn’t have to, Glimmer had it covered “WHAT THE FUCK, SEA HAWK!” she appeared out of nowhere beside the trio and forcefully grabbed the guy, dragging him away with so much force it was scary “You shouldn’t be here! You should be practicing the choreography! Sorry guys…” she made an apologetic smile, but her brow was furred, Adora knew very well that was one of the many signs of a soon-to-be-full-Glimmer-breakdown.
“Ehm Glimmer, are you alright?”
“Splendid. Sorry for the interruption, please go on.”
And with a strong pull to the poor guy, she left, almost throwing him away like he was a puppet, she kept nudging him and muttering curses as she was walking away.
Catra made a mental note to buy her a huge coffee in the future to really thank her.
Adora was looking at scene still perplexed, but Catra cleared her throat to make her pay attention to her “So, Adora, what I have been trying to say is-”
“I’m sorry, I have to go.”
Catra’s heart sank.
Adora looked nervous, almost uncomfortable, it was clear she was trying to run away from the situation. Or more appropriately, from Catra.
She was already starting to pull away, in her head Catra was screaming at her to stay, to wait a bit longer, but no sound came out of her mouth.
Adora was already a few feet away when Catra finally found the courage to say something “Can we talk after the game?” she paused “Please?”
A plea was not something that Catra usually made, and that stunned Adora, even if just for a few seconds.
“I don’t know.”
As she left, Catra felt as she was being abandoned all over again. She hated it.
*********************************************
As the game progressed, Catra was getting more and more frustrated, she didn’t know why she had stayed, Adora wanted nothing to do with her, she had made it pretty clear, but Catra didn’t find in her gut the will to leave.
She couldn’t just leave, not without telling something to Adora, anything at this point.
So, she had stayed and kept glaring at everything that moved, trying to wrap her mind around what to do, that could help her win back Adora’s trust.
After how much the blonde had fought for her, she deserved the same from Catra. If not more.
As soon as the break was announced, an idea had taken shape into Catra’s brain, a crazy stupid idea, but she was really running out of options.
She quickly scanned the bench, looking for the thing she needed to use to fulfill her plan.
It’s stupid, it’s dumb, not to mention, embarrassing.
She narrowed her eyes at it.
Fuck this, I am doing it.
Glimmer didn’t know what to expect, she had always known how unpredictable Catra was, but this was a whole new level. When she finally understood what was happening, the brunette had already grabbed the megaphone, the one that Bow usually used for the final cheers, and climbed on the bench with a new sense of purpose.
“Does this thing work?” Catra tapped on it, making sure it was actually amplifying the noise “Yeah I think it does.”
“Catra” Glimmer looked at her panicking “What are you doing.”
People were starting to notice something was going on, but Catra just waved her hand dismissively at the head-cheerleader.
She cleared her throat “Adora Grayskull! You are gonna listen to me right now!” her voice echoed through the field, Adora stopped on her tracks, “I know what you are thinking. What the hell is she doing. Well, I have been avoiding you for the last few weeks like a douchebag, and you probably don’t want anything to do with me, but I have something to tell you, and if this is the only way I have to talk to you, then so be it.”
Catra heard a few coughs, perhaps a couple of whistles, but aside from that, everyone kept quiet.
There were a lot of things she had to say, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself as best as she could before continuing “I know that I hurt you, because I am a really terrible person. I am annoying, and mean, and probably the most destructive human being on the planet, and I have never done anything remotely good” she paused “except letting you in my life.”
The moment her words echoed into the field, Catra could have sworn the entire stadium was awwwing, but she didn’t have time to be embarrassed, she just wanted Adora to listen to her.
“The thing is, I don’t even know why you wanted to be my friend in the first place, I have been a menace to everyone since the day I started talking, but apparently you still saw something in me, and being the most stubborn idiot I have ever met, you decided to stick with me.”
At Bright Moon High a game had never been quieter, it was like everyone was entranced by Catra, who was literally pouring her heart out, at a freaking soccer game of all places, the façade she had put on for the last few years thrown away in the most dramatic way possible.
Adora was fully turned now and she was looking at her, disbelief in her eyes, but Catra wasn’t done, at all “You have always seen the best in me that even I didn’t know I had. No matter how much I lashed out or got angry, you always came back. And god knows I didn’t always deserve it. Hell, Adora, you took me back even after the last four years, and not even a saint would have done it.”
A few laughs erupted from the seats behind her, Catra hoped that Adora would have a similar reaction, or at least warmed enough to forgive her, she really was desperate “So maybe, just maybe, if you saw something in me, I might not be the biggest fuck up I thought I was. Or at least I can try not to be now. I am sorry, Adora. I am sorry I pushed you away, I yelled at you to leave me alone when I actually wanted you to stay with me. I’m sorry I took out my pain on you, I was hurt and scared, but that’s no excuse for how I treated you, you deserve so much better and you should probably tell me to go to hell instead of forgiving me. But I am a selfish jerk, so I still hope you will.”
Tell her. Tell her what this is really about.
Catra clenched on the megaphone, she didn’t know what possessed her at that moment, but she couldn’t stop herself “What I have been trying to say for the past ten minutes is that I love you, you idiot!”
The crowd gasped. Adora stopped breathing altogether.
There it was, not going back now.
“I have shown it in the worst possible ways, but I do, I always have. God, I have probably been in love with you since we were kids”, she almost sounded sad now, but she had never felt lighter “I really hope you believe me when I say that I’m sorry. For everything.”
And just like that she dropped the megaphone, that landed with a thud on the grass below the bench.
Catra was breathless and exhausted, her ears were ringing. She couldn’t believe she had just done that.
It was like time itself had stopped, until she heard the cheers all around her, stronger than anything she had ever heard, the stadium went crazy.
She just stood there, on the bench, looking around her, like she was seeing the place for the first time, apparently that stupid high school was full of mad people like her. And they probably had a soft spot for impossible love stories and gay disasters.
She didn’t have time to unpack all of that, she would be embarrassed tomorrow.
Catra was feeling the adrenaline slowly leaving her body and her sight was getting clearer by second, then Glimmer’s voice caught her attention from below “That was pretty epic” a smirk was on her face, the cheer team beside her was murmuring in awe and nodding along.
“I KNEW IT!” shouted Perfuma jumping giddily.
“I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, WILDCAT!” Scorpia had teary eyes.
Catra was about to reply, but all her words died in her throat, her gaze was drawn like a magnet to the reason why she did all of that.
The entire stadium was probably waiting for Adora to respond in some way, herself included, but she was on the same spot she had been for all Catra’s speech, and just kept staring, and even if Catra was pretty far from her, she could tell that her eyes were wide and she wasn’t breathing properly.
She looked like she was about to puke.
The Bright Moon soccer team was shooting looks between their captain and the girl who until a few seconds ago had been screaming her feelings out, Adora herself seemed unsure on how to react, was she supposed to go back to the game? Just like that? Pretend like anything major hadn’t happened?
It also didn’t help that both her rival school and her own were basically gawking at her, like she was the protagonist of their latest romantic comedy, but her brain seemed to have stopped working and was struggling to resume functionality.
“COME ON, ADORA. DON’T LEAVE HER LIKE THAT!” someone screamed from the tribunes making her snap out of her thoughts and blush furiously.
Catra didn’t know if she should thank whoever it was or just yell at them to Shut the fuck up, we are having a moment here!
Her boldness had quickly been obliterated by the fear of what was going to happen next, the effect of the adrenaline almost entirely gone.
Then something finally shifted.
The people who were standing there on the verge of the field just parted, like Moses was passing through them, making space for something. Or more precisely someone, because the star player of Bright Moon High’s soccer team had finally moved and was making her way to her.
And with a gaze so intense it could have set something on fire.
“Oh god…” Catra quickly descended from the bench and started rambling: “Adora? Look, I’m sorry, I know that that was… well…that. Listen, I was just trying to-”
“Shut up.” Adora practically spat, as she was getting closer, Catra noticed how exasperated she looked, her eyes were frenetic, never focusing on the same place twice.
She was dripping sweat, her hair a mess, still Catra found her stunning.
Now is not the time to thirst.
Adora only stopped when she was almost a breath way, her blue eyes settling on something way lower than Catra’s.
“Just” she took a step “shut” another one “up” the last word was barely a whisper, because Adora’s hands were already on her face and she was pulling Catra towards her, making their lips collide without hesitation.
That was the moment Catra’s brain completely short-circuited. Because Adora was kissing her.
Adora is kissing me.
“HELL YES!” shouted Glimmer at the top of her lungs “ABOUT TIME!”
“YEAH, YOU GO ADORA!” Bow got so carried away that started howling, soon both the soccer team and the cheer team were screaming alongside them. And then the entire stadium was too.
It took Catra two seconds to go from complete shock to fully make-out-mode, because she couldn’t believe what was happening, her best friend since she was three was actually kissing her. Fiercely.
Maybe she was dreaming, but if she was, it was one hell of a dream.
She realized she was not, in fact, dreaming, when Adora just went for it and dipped Catra right there, deepening the kiss, not without a little squeal from the other’s part. Catra could feel Adora giggling.
It was pure chaos, someone could have thought that they had already won the game, when the truth was just that two useless lesbians, who had been pining for each other since forever, were fully making out in front of everyone.
They had to breath eventually, but even when they reluctantly pulled away, Adora had a smug smile on her face, Catra completely forgot they were in front of the entire school.
“My god, you guys are so dramatic.” groaned Mermista rolling her eyes.
“Mermista, I have been waiting for this like years. Let me enjoy it!” Adora couldn’t and wouldn’t stop grinning like an idiot.
“Wait” Catra looked puzzled “years?”
“Yeah” if there was a shade of blush darker than red, Adora was totally reaching it “I… oh my god I didn’t say it back! I was so caught up in the moment, I didn’t say it back!” she untangled herself from Catra’s embrace almost making her fall in the process.
“Adora, chill.”
As if telling Adora to relax would actually work, “I thought I said it! But I actually didn’t. I-” she was fully panicking now.
“Adora” Catra cupped her face once more forcing her to look straight into her eyes “we were making out until a few seconds ago, I think I know.”
“It’s not the same” Adora shook her head “Catra, I love you too. I think I always have, even when I didn’t know.” she was smiling again like a kid “There, now I said it.”
Catra exhaled deeply Oh my god I love this idiot.
“Did you really just dip me?”
Adora’s chuckle filled her ears “So what? I wanted to go for a sweep-off-your-feet-tactic.”
“It worked, drama queen.” said Glimmer with a snort, making them both turn their heads, “You know, Catra, Adora never really got over the time you dipped her at prom three years ago.”
“Glimmer!”
“Please, Adora. You wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.”
“It’s so beautiful…” Scorpia was fully crying at this point “They are so cute!”
“Straight out of a romance” squealed Perfuma clutching on her arm.
“There is literally nothing straight about this.” commented Lonnie dramatically waving at them, it came so out of nowhere and it was so accurate, that both teams couldn’t contain their laughter.
But the game didn’t wait for anyone, the siren of the beginning of the second half blasted from the speakers, breaking the spell the school had fallen under for the last fifteen minutes, and it was weirdly met by a collective groan and a few protests. Even from the tribunes.
“No…” Adora was whining? And she started clinging more on Catra, hiding her face in the crook of her neck, Catra thought it was the cutest thing “I don’t want to go” it came out muffled, but still pretty clear.
“Go off making some dude bro cry, I’ll be right here when you get back.”
“You know that’s not exactly the point of soccer, right?”
“Until you have fun, kick your ball and look hot doing it, I’m fine whatever it is.”
Adora flushed and bit her lips, she was about to reply when Mermista interrupted again “You two are so gross. We get it, you are all over each other! Can we go play and win now?” and took Adora by the arm, the rest of the team reluctantly trailing after them.
While she was being dragged away, the blonde cupped her hands around her mouth and started shouting: “Don’t you even think of running away from this before I finish the game, I will literally hunt you down and drag you back screaming! Have I made myself clear?”
For the sole purpose of being dramatic, because sure why not, that line was already crossed, Catra picked up the megaphone from the ground and turned it on “Not going anywhere. Go kick some butts!”
“Always!”
No one was really surprised when 47 minutes later Bright Moon had won the game, the very last goal of course scored by Adora herself, who during the second half had gone above and beyond, practically flying from one side of the field to the other: she looked different, she was faster, stronger, she even seemed taller and on top of everything, anyone could see she was having the time of her life, her eyes were glowing from pure glee.
Surprisingly no one was more invested than Catra I-don’t-care-about-stupid-soccer who had been standing on the infamous bench to cheer for her best-friend-turned-to-girlfriend-by-now, megaphone once again glued to her hand: “YES! GO SUCK IT, LOSERS! THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!”
Adora was beaming and turned to look at Glimmer with pure disbelief “She is talking about me.”
Glimmer was already so done “I can’t believe I am going to put up with this regularly.” she raised her hands in defeat “I deserve it, I brought this to myself.”
Adora punched her lightly on the shoulder “Shut up!”
“Go, you dork, take that thing away from her before she drives us all crazy.”
“Oh god, you are right.” she started running towards the other girl “Catra get off! Put that thing down!”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Adora!” her voice amplified by the megaphone “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I am going to listen to you.”
“Catra!”
Glimmer laughed at that, apparently things weren’t really going to change.
“Hey” Bow approached her, a wide smile on her face “Are you okay?”
She instantly relaxed “Oh yeah.” she put a hand on his arm “I am more than okay, I am glad they finally sorted this out.”
“Me too.”
He didn’t give her the time to pull back, he rested his own hand on hers, faintly stroking it with his thumb. A thought flickered in her mind. Then she frowned.
You know what? Fuck this.
“Bow, I have to tell you something.”
He looked worried all of a sudden “What is it? You can tell me everything, you know” and took her hands in his, he was trying to comfort her, but that just made Glimmer’s heart beat faster. She didn’t know how to begin to explain, so she just let go of him and went for a hug, hiding her face in his crop top.
Bow gasped “Glimmer-”
“Bow, I love you” he went still “I love you. I am sorry I never told you, I didn’t know how. But it’s true, I do. Please don’t be mad.”
Was he breathing? She didn’t dare to look at him, then she felt herself being grabbed by the shoulders.
“Glimmer, look at me” Bow sounded so sure and calm “Glimmer.”
Glimmer took a breath and slowly opened her eyes, he was looking at her with so much softness she was probably going to melt. Bow kissed her forehead, his lips lingering there as he said: “I love you too.”
Her eyes widened “You do?” she grabbed his hands in panic “Wait, you do? Why didn’t you tell me!”
And he started panicking too “I’m sorry! I thought you didn’t feel the same way!”
Glimmer now was shouting “How can you say that? Of course I felt the same way! I have loved you for years! That’s why I almost beat up Perfuma at prom three years ago!”
“That’s why you were so upset? Why didn’t you say anything? I went with her because I didn’t want to you to realize that I had feelings for you!”
“You did what? Oh my god, Bow!” she hid her face behind her hands, trying to breathe slowly and started giggling “We are so stupid…”
Bow grabbed her hands one more time and wrinkled his nose “Yeah, we probably are…”
This time Glimmer didn’t want to let go, so she didn’t, she just stood there, gazing at him.
He loves me. He really loves me.
Bow tilted his head, starting to lean towards her. Glimmer stopped breathing expectantly.
But their moment was ruined, because Catra still had that freaking megaphone: “YES, SPARKLES! GO GET SOME!” they both froze.
Glimmer was pretty sure she was going to wreck that thing on her head.
“FOR FUCK’S SAKE CATRA! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!” even if she was far, her fury would have reached her “AND BY THE WAY HE DIDN’T CRY!”
“GOOD FOR YOU!”
Glimmer snorted, she saw a commotion, Adora had decided to intervene by jumping on her girlfriend to take the megaphone away from her by force “That’s it, you are losing your megaphone privileges. Just…give me that… stop fighting! Did you just scratch me?” the funny thing was that it was still on, so everyone could hear them.
Then after winning their little wrestle, Adora’s voice popped out loud and clear “Sorry guys! Please keep going, I got this!”
“Adora, get off me right now!”
Glimmer sighed, Bow looked confused “Should we… I don’t know, do something?”
“Ignore them, they are fine.”
Then without waiting any longer she just grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him towards her to kiss.