Knockout
Championship time rolled around the corner in no time flat. Thanks to Dad’s financial contribution, the level of intensity during practices increased due to both teams wanting to do their best. Both teams began to gain a larger respect for each other during the practices, and it was showing in their outside interactions as well. It was a nice change to see.
Since Korra’s breakup with Leu, she was smiling more. I still worry that the abusiveness has left some scars that she won’t show openly, but it’s nice to see her move around more like her old self. She smiled, even when gossip started to circulate around the school about her relationship with Leu; she laughed even when others began to take up an anti-bending stance as Amon’s “revolution” began to pick up more steam. She was Korra even when others wanted her to disappear. To see her fight through this gave me hope that maybe one day life would turn out ok.
I started to spend some more time with Mako, hoping that maybe we could fix whatever was going wrong with our relationship. We talked and agreed to give the relationship a real chance. Having the connection back with him felt great, but I still had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. I couldn’t shake it. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just being paranoid again. He hasn’t done anything to make me feel/think this way.
I was lost in my thoughts when Korra slid into the seat next to me and yelled, “ASAMI”
I smiled and rolled my eyes. Currently, I was looking over the schematics for the shield, trying to figure out how to deploy it from the mechanisms that would be held in the front of my car. “Afternoon, Korra.”
“Ready for tonight?” she asked, stretching back against the chair.
I smiled. “Course I am. Everyone ready to go?”
Korra smiled back. “Course we are. First match of the tournament, and we’re going to kick some ass!”
I laughed and set my pencil down. “Just don’t let your confidence get the best of you,” I said, standing up and putting the schematic back in its tube.
Korra shrugged, standing up. “That’s where my skills come in to save the day. So what are your plans for today?”
I grabbed my bag off the floor next to the desk and left the workshop with her. “Dinner with Mako, then Championship match with everyone. Dad was gracious enough to get Opal and I box seats for all the matches.”
“See! I’m not the only one who has confidence that we’ll make it to the Finals!” Korra said, a wide smile on her face.
I rolled my eyes and smiled back. We were on our way to the last practice before the matches tonight. All of the first seeds, which included the varsity team, were given first round byes, so only the junior varsity would be competing tonight. The junior varsity were given a sixth seed, which was good considering how many teams had entered into the Championship.
We walked into the arena and found everyone huddled around the center of it, Opal included. Everyone was laughing, but as to what I could only imagine. Korra and I both looked at each other before walking over to the group. Mako saw us first, a smile on ahis face as he opened his arms out to me. I smiled back, walking into the awaiting hug. He squeezed me close.
“Hey. How was your day?” he asked, leaning back slightly
I shrugged. “Same old, same old. Yours?”
His arms lowered so that they settled around my waist. “Boring really, but then again, I only had two things on my mind. You and that Championship belt we’re going to win.”
“Who says you guys are going to be the ones to win it?” Acari asked. She was the waterbender for Kuvira’s team.
“Hey, we’ve trained just as hard as you guys have!” Bolin said as he stood. Opal sighed as the brothers moved to stand beside each other defensively.
Kuvira jumped up from her seat on the floor. “Enough. We’ve all been training hard as hell for this tournament, and I’m not going to let any squabbles break our concentration. Now shut up, or everyone’s going to be doing laps in the pool.”
The arguing shut down after that. I smiled and rolled my eyes, placing a kiss on Mako’s cheek. As I rocked back onto my feet, I saw out of the corner of my eye Korra frown. I turned my head towards her to be met with a smile, one that I recognized easily was fake. A slight pang rocked into my body. Why is she giving me that smile? Did something happen just now that I missed? Why does it feel like…like I should be feeling guilty about something? Kuvira’s announcement about practice starting broke me from my thoughts before I could continue to ponder the meaning of the pang. Opal and I took our regular seats in the stands to watch the practice, but it still bothered me that I couldn’t place why I felt like I did when I saw that fake smile from Korra. Why was I feeling like this? Why was she making me feel like this?
The first match for the junior varsity, who decided to go by the Fire Ferrets while competing, went by without a hitch. Their compatibility was there, and you could see all of their hard work from practicing pay off as they easily knocked the other team out for the win. Opal and I were so giggly about the match that we ran down to their locker room.
“I think that was the fastest I’ve seen them win a match ever!” Opal shouted, almost jumping up and down as we made our way down the hall towards the locker room.
I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Who knows? Maybe you can take advantage of this excitement and finally ask that goofball out on a real date,” I said, laughing as she blushed.
“Shut up,” she replied, blush still there but a smile rising at the thought.
We entered the room and separated to our respective guys. Bolin lifted Opal up and spun her around several times, and Mako wrapped me in a tight hug, yet I could tell something was off in the room. I could feel the tenseness in Mako’s hug; when I looked over, I could see the pained look on Korra’s face that she so desperately was trying to hide from me. What the hell?
I leaned back and looked at Mako. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Korra answered before storming out of the room.
Mako sighed and rubbed his face. I looked at him concerned. “I’ll go talk to her,” he said, kissing my cheek and releasing me from the hug before leaving the room.
I watched him leave before turning my attention to Bolin. “What’s going on?” I asked, only to be met with a shrug.
“You got me. Things were going great until they started talking about hanging out more,” he replied, arms still wrapped around Opal.
Something’s not right. “I’ll be back,” I said as I left the room and walked down the hall.
Korra’s acting weird. Mako’s acting weird. What the hell happened in the five minute walk to the locker room? I was so lost in my thoughts that I failed to realize Kuvira’s group until I bumped into them. I looked up at them, about to apologize, when Kuvira raised her hand.
“They went outside towards the water,” she said as if reading my mind.
I smiled a little. “Thanks Kuv.”
She smiled back before taking a step to the side for me. I picked up my pace, almost starting to run, as I headed outside. Night had engulfed the sky, and the stars were out to greet anyone who looked up. I smiled at the beauty of the sky as I started my search for Korra and Mako. The walk home will be so romantic with this sky.
It only took me a few minutes of searching before I started to hear a shouting match between Korra and Mako. Of course they would be arguing again. I increased my pace until I finally got them in sight. They were standing on one of the docks, an overhang they were standing under providing the only light for me to see them. When I reached the end of the dock, I saw Korra lean in towards Mako. I stopped in my place when I saw Mako return the kiss. He…but I... I clenched my fist above my chest.
I must’ve made a noise because both of them stopped the kiss and looked at my direction. I saw the disbelief on Mako’s face; I saw the hurt on Korra’s. I didn’t know which one I should be hurt by more. I shook my head and started to sprint back towards the arena. Dad hasn’t left yet. Tears ran down my cheeks as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Me: Where are you parked?
I ran back inside the arena and found Opal, Bolin, and Kuvira waiting by a nearby pillar. Opal saw my tears and tore herself away from Bolin to meet me halfway. She hugged me close when I got a reply from Dad.
Dad: I had the driver pull up front. Whenever you’re ready.
“What’s going on, Asami?” Opal asked, wiping the tears off my cheeks.
I shook my head and hugged her once more. “I’ll text you tonight. I have to go now,” I choked out softly before running out to my Dad’s limo.
I had just reached the limo when I heard Mako shout my name. I turned slowly to look at him. He was standing next to the steps, an apologetic face on display, but I shook my head. How was I supposed to forgive him for showing me that he had feelings for my best friend? I climbed into the limo and slammed the door shut.
”Go,” I heard Dad tell the driver as he pulled me into a tight hug. Tonight was going to be a long night.
I laid on my bed, my tears finally having dried, and continued to stare out my window at the skyline that was Republic City. It was late at night, and I was the only one left awake in the house. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to be here at the moment, but here I was. Where did I go wrong? Why didn’t I see it sooner? Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner? Why did it have to happen now? All the whys, yet there was no answer to them.
A text interrupted my thoughts. I wiped the non-existent tears away from my eyes and slowly picked my phone up. The text was from Korra. Instead of hurt or anger, my chest filled with…happiness. Shouldn’t I be mad at her? Shouldn’t I hate her? Then why…why do I feel just a bit better knowing the text is from her?
Korra: Hey. So I don’t really know what to say outside of I’m sorry. I just…I don’t even know if explaining how I feel will help fix the situation I’ve managed to help put myself in. I’ll try to explain the best I can. I’ve liked Mako since I met him. Then you two started to date. Then I started to date Leu, and all that shit came around. Spirits, I feel like an ass and an idiot for kissing Mako tonight. As soon as I saw you, I felt like the worst person on this entire planet. I’m sorry if it’s going to be awkward for however long between us, but I just wanted to say I’m sorry and I hope we can still be friends.
I read the text over and over again. I could only imagine Korra just sitting on her bed typing and retyping the text. My heart fluttered at the thought of how much time it took Korra to write out the apology, no matter how everywhere it was when it was finally sent. Why does she do this to me? I shook my head at the thought. I slowly sat up as I read the text for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Me: There’s no Asami without Korra. You know that. Yeah, it’s going to be awkward for a while, but we’ll get through it.
I smiled as the text sent. Since I met her, there really hasn’t been an Asami without Korra. I leaned back against my pillows and looked back out towards the skyline. It had only been a few minutes, but it felt as if a change had come across the skyline. I couldn’t place what it was, but somehow I felt as if it was trying to tell me that everything was going to get better. Maybe everything will be better. I smiled to myself as Korra’s text came in.
Korra: I’ll have your back, Asami. Through thick and thin.
I smiled and set my phone back down. I laid back on my bed and continued to stare out at the skyline until sleep finally overtook me. The last thought that ran through my head was how lucky I was to have met Korra.