Friday:
Two pairs of feet dangled off the edge of the high school roof— though at this hour there was not a soul on campus to reprimand their owners. White sneakers with untied laces threatened to plummet into the concrete below; whereas the sandals to their right remained neat and secured to their owner’s feet. Small puffs of cigarette smoke occasionally drifted into the air— though the foul smell lingered behind.
“Do you even get a kick out of doing that?” Jinora asked with a frown, coughing and waving some of the smoke out of her face.
Opal sighed and flicked some of the ashes off the end of her fag, watching as they fell down onto the ground two stories below. She leaned back and looked at the purpling sky— already a cold drift settled around them.
“Not really,” the older girl frowned. “But I like having my mouth occupied, and it’s easier to nick these from Huan’s room than go to the store and buy gum.”
Jinora didn’t say anything, merely letting a silence fall between the two girls as smoke rose into the sky. The likely outcome of this night would be that the janitor might spot them and turn them into the cops— but they’d known Gommu for years and years; so long as you don’t mess up the flowerbeds or litter the hallways he was the friendliest man in town.
The older girl took a drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out of her nose, her head tilted up so that less of the smell would imbue itself in her jacket.
“If it makes you uncomfortable…” Opal trailed off.
“A little.”
The Beifong turned and rubbed the half-smoked cigarette against the concrete roof of the school gym; where they were hanging out. Jinora offered her a small smile of gratitude and kicked her sandals off so that her bare feet hung over the edge.
“I was thinking…”
“Yes?” Opal asked.
“Would you like to come to the beach with Kai and me tomorrow? I understand if you have other plans…”
Usually, Opal didn’t enjoy being a third-wheel— especially not with the girl she’d been crushing on for years. But her willpower crumbled and she offered the younger lass a mischievous grin, leaning back and glancing up at the darkening sky. Jinora leaned back alongside her and for a moment all was at peace. Opal’s fingers wandered until they’d intertwined with the other girl’s— an act that she could pass off as mere friendship.
“Which is your favorite constellation?” Jinora sighed with a smile.
“Hmm… Kuruk.”
“The Water Tribe legend? I didn’t peg you for surfers!” the younger girl chuckled.
Actually, it’s because he’s a lot like me, he just never seemed to get the girl— no matter how hard we try, Opal thought to herself with a frown.
“What about you?” the Beifong asked, shaking the negativity from her head.
“Mmm… Yangchen.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she was really about protecting spiritual environments in the wild; I kinda wanna do that when I’m older,” Jinora smiled, her head turning so that she was looking at Opal.
The Beifong’s patience broke, her face rotated and she pressed her lips against Jinora’s— closing her eyes and not letting the atomic bomb going off in her heart deter her. For a few moments, the younger girl’s lips were still, merely letting Opal’s mouth move against them like subtle waves crashing against a pier. Opal’s fingers clutched at fabric, trying to convince Jinora to remain… but the brunette slowly moved away.
“I-I’m sorry, Opal… but I’m not… you know… I don’t swing that way…”
“Right,” the older girl frowned, turning away and picking up her cigarette and re-lighting it. “Forget about it.”
Jinora opened her mouth to say something, but instead stood and walked back to the fire escape ladder that led down the back side of the gym. Opal watched her climb down and smiled faintly, but as soon as the younger girl had disappeared… tears slipped down her face and blotched themselves in her jacket. Her fingers trembled as she tried to smoke what was left of the fag— but the damn thing fell to the ground two stories below and quickly died out. Opal’s legs curled up; loose shoelaces tangling up with one another as she buried her face in her thighs, her hands wrapping around her shins. She cried and cried and cried, letting all of her anger out in muffled sobs.
_____________________________________________________
Saturday:
“You were out late last night,” her father casually commented.
Not that it mattered— her parents had long accepted that Opal was going through her rebellious stage and needed the space. She was grateful, and yet frustrated that they didn’t know what was wrong. That nobody could do a thing.
Frustrated that Kai was better than her solely because of his existence as a male.
“Juice?” Kuvira asked, passing a pitcher over to her with a knowing look.
“Thanks,” Opal quietly nodded.
The adopted daughter of the Beifong family merely stared at the bags under Opal’s eyes for a few moments before standing and fetching some more paratha from the plate at the counter, having cooked it for the rest of the family as a special treat. Kuvira was a perceptive one, always understanding what a person was thinking before they even thought of it themselves. Baatar Jr. adjusted his glasses, continuing to read the newspaper, and reading out local news that he considered “interesting”. Huan scrolled down his phone. The twins played video games in the living room— occasionally munching on paratha in between rounds of capture the flag. Mom managed business from the computer in the kitchen, and Dad continued glancing at his issue of Architect Monthly.
Opal excused herself, wandering up to her room and deciding that she might stare at the ceiling for the rest of the day.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come on in,” she sighed, continuing to observes the tiniest bumps in the pale blue paint.
Kuvira lightly moved across the room like a ghost, sitting down on the bed with her hands fidgeting in her lap. She waited for Opal to speak, but when the younger girl said nothing— Kuvira merely began braiding her hair up, glancing in the mirror to check that it was alright.
“So what’s treating you like shit?” the older girl whispered casually.
“Being gay.”
“Oh yep, I get you. Let me guess,” Kuvira smiled, “straight girl?”
Opal merely nodded, continuing to stare at the ceiling.
“I’m going to go dancing with Korra later today… would you like to come along? I can get you past the I.D. checker— I know the owner of the place,” the adopted girl offered.
Opal met her emerald eyes with her olive ones and let out a small sigh through her nose. Perhaps getting out and dancing with a few lesbian strangers would do her some good. She sat up and nodded, still feeling as though she’d have to move an anvil off her chest to speak at all. For a few moments, both girls were still as statues, and then Kuvira silently pulled Opal in for a hug, rubbing a warm hand up and down the younger Beifong’s back.
“I’m sorry, pal,” Kuvira whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to Opal’s black hair. “Let’s get you dressed up— a few drinks and we’ll have you forgetting about her.”
Afternoon came and passed. Opal dressed up with a nice, low neckline dress and a pair of jade earrings— tucking a part of her bob behind her ear and throwing a tangzhuang jacket over her shoulders so her parents wouldn’t see what she was wearing underneath (and so that she might reduce the amount of catcalling she’d receive on the streets). Opal followed a smirking, mischievous Kuvira out of the house, occasionally bumping shoulders with her older sister as they walked down the streets— though the Beifongs were rich enough for cars the city traffic was usually too blocked up to even consider driving around. Korra’s house wasn’t too far away, at any rate.
“Hey there,” the Water Tribe girl smiled, opening the door a little wider and giving Kuvira a quick kiss, “Are you ready to go?”
“Mmm… yep.”
Opal rolled her eyes, walking a few paces in front of the two women so as not to force herself to observe the PDA that they were rather fond of— although it did little good; the giggling and the occasional kisses could be heard twenty feet in any direction. Opal stuck her hands in her pockets and stomped along the sidewalk.
“What’s her problem?” Korra asked in a whisper.
“Straight girl.”
She didn’t let it get to her— although Kuvira was a great sister at times she followed in the twin’s footsteps and could be a little insensitive. Subtle waves crashed around in her heart as she ignored the remarks and kept her head up; merely smiling at the couple as she followed them down a few busy streets and turning into a club— Varrick Global.
“This place looks like a dive.”
“Naw, Varrick owns it on paper but he lets a lesbian manage it… so eventually it became a gay bar. And it’s Dyke Night!” Korra grinned.
Opal scoffed, “Oh great.”
Flashing lights and really shitty dubstep squelched her senses, and Opal instantly knew that she’d want to have a few drinks before dancing anywhere with anyone. A few cute girls gave her smirks, but she ignored the flirting to follow Kuvira and Korra towards the bar.
“Hey Kya, how’s it going?!”
A gray haired Water Tribe woman turned to face them and flashed a wrinkled smile— Opal vaguely recognized her, but it wasn’t until bitter smelling alcohol was pushed into her hand that she recognized the bartender as her Aunt Lin’s off-again-on-again partner. Though Opal initially felt insecure about offering a drink from someone who occasionally dated a cop, Kuvira laughed and pushed the glass further into the younger girl’s fingers.
“Relax— if anyone does illegal substances around here, it’s this one!”
Kya rolled her eyes and sauntered away to serve more costumers.
“Cheers!” Korra laughed.
Opal clinked her glass against her sister’s— forcing the horrid stuff down her throat and making a face. Though a part of her winced at the sensation, another feeling of a fire flickering in her stomach convinced her to take another sip.
“Slow down there, cowboy,” Kuvira smiled, “You don’t want to get too drunk too quickly— it takes all the fun out of being buzzed.”
Opal rolled her eyes and let the glass push away from her fingers. She watched as Korra pulled Kuvira onto the dance floor and twirled her around— hands on each other’s hips and their eyes beaming with a mixture of love and pride. It made Opal a little sick; mostly out of jealousy that the couple had found each other but partially because she had indeed sipped a little too much alcohol a little too quickly. Instead, she turned and stared at the other women sitting around the club— most of them in pairs but some stragglers here and there and many groups of girls just chatting amongst themselves, drink in hand.
“Hey there.”
A young girl, roughly Opal’s age, slid into the barstool next to hers and snatched up the nearest glass (which had been Korra’s)— knocking back the shot and grinning.
“That wasn’t yours,” the Beifong frowned.
“She looks to be a little busy, don’t you think?” the girl asked, nodding her head at Korra grinding her hips against Kuvira’s. “Besides, I don’t have enough for another drink— I think your friend would understand.”
“If you can’t afford the drink, why come to the bar?” Opal challenged, raising her eyebrow.
The mysterious girl laughed, bringing her lips to the Beifong’s ear, “Well there’s plenty of appetizer to snack on, isn’t there?”
Fifteen minutes later, Opal had found herself in the back alley, pushed up against the wall by this stranger kissing her with unmatched ferocity. Making sure that they both wanted to do this, the two girls agreed to go beyond kissing and fondling. It helped her forget, and that’s all she could ask for— enthusiastically growling as she began to unbutton the stranger’s pants, gliding her hand down and feeling flesh that… well… she’d never felt on anyone besides herself. But if anything, the mysterious girl merely smiled into the kisses, groaning a little when Opal’s fingers hit a small bundle of nerves.
“Right there,” the stranger moaned.
Eventually, after a few minutes of building intensity, Opal managed to get the other girl to slump against her— panting and gripping at the Beifong’s dress. She felt something wonderfully hot and sticky against her fingers and slowly drew them up to her mouth. Tasting the tangy substance sparked something in the still-heaving stranger, who pinned Opal to the door and raised up the bottom of her dress. The other girl’s teeth raked down Opal’s neck, coaxing a moan from the Beifong.
“You’re so hot… shhhh… that’s a good girl…”
She’d never let anyone touch her like this, but not even the setting nor the conditions of their nonexistent relationship made Opal want to back down— certainly not when stars began exploding behind her eyes, two fingers hooking up against a spot that sent her clutching at the stranger’s leather jacket. She hooked her leg around the other girl’s hips bring them closer as something amazing built up within her and…
“Oh gods— JINORA!!” she screamed, her eyes shut and bliss flowing through her body.
Not everything, it seemed, could be so easily forgotten.
The other girl let Opal ride out the orgasm on her hand without any protest. With one last kiss, amidst a wave of apologies from Opal for shouting the wrong name (not that she knew what to call this girl), the stranger smirked and walked back into the club. Opal ran her fingers through her hair and let a few tears fall, not even looking up when a tipsy Korra and a shitfaced Kuvira found her in the alley half-naked twenty minutes later.
__________________________________________________________________
Sunday:
Opal awoke by accidentally rolling off the couch, bumping her head against the coffee table and letting out a loud, frustrated groan. Her head pounded as though a hammer were repeatedly colliding against her skull. She sat up— quickly shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. Averting her sight, she noticed a sticky note pressed against a glass of water and a few ibuprofen pills;
Had to go to training, help yourself to some breakfast,
Korra.
The door to the Water Tribe girl’s bedroom was closed, but Kuvira’s shoes were still lying on the welcome mat— Opal decided to cook something for them both. She opened the fridge and laughed; as The Avatar, a big name in Pro Wrestling, Korra had nothing but protein shakes and weird vegetables that you only find in hippie organic grocery stores. Opal reached in the back and managed to find a carton of eggs, pulling a pan out from under the counter. She turned the stove on and went to work.
Creeeeeaaaaaakkkkkkk!
“Morning,” Opal smiled wearily, as the bedroom door opened and closed.
Kuvira was, unfortunately, not an early bird like her girlfriend— shuffling into the kitchen with rat’s nest hair and sitting down at the table. Rubbing her forehead with a grimace, the older sister merely sat with her eyes closed for ten minutes while Opal continued to scramble the eggs around in the pan. Kuvira pulled the blanket wrapped around her shoulders even closer and glared at her younger sister with a bloodshot, bleary eye.
“You had sex with a complete stranger in an alley last night?”
Opal ignored her, continuing to jostle the eggs around and adding a small pile of pepper to the pan. She bit her lip, but her back was turned to Kuvira.
“I shouldn’t have brought you there… it was irresponsible of me,” the adopted woman sighed.
“Shut up,” Opal frowned, setting the pan against the stove with a loud bang, “It doesn’t fucking matter and I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t talk about me like I’m a child. I’m fucking eighteen!”
Kuvira stood, dropping the blanket (clad in boxers and a white t-shirt) and gripping Opal’s shoulder harshly, forcing the younger girl to turn around, “That doesn’t mean jack shit to me; what were you thinking?!”
“I had a good amount of alcohol, so I clearly wasn’t!” Opal snapped, pushing past her sister and stomping into the bathroom.
Despite the banging on the locked door, Opal flipped the showerhead on and stripped last night’s dress off. She sunk down to the floor of the tub and cried as subtle waves crashed against her legs. She heard a scraping at the door and realized that Kuvira had sat down outside the bathroom as well.
“I’m sorry,” the adopted sister whispered. “That was mean of me… I shouldn’t have taken you to a club when you were… feeling so down… I’m sorry, Opal…”
The Beifong closed her eyes and let the water spill over her stomach, leaning back with her head against the porcelain frame. She heard a pin push through the bathroom door’s lock and Kuvira putting a shower curtain in between them before sitting down on the toilet and sighing.
“I didn’t mean to get angry,” Opal apologized, tears still dripping down her face.
“I know, it’s okay. Who is it?” Kuvira asked, her fingers fiddling with the towel at the sink counter.
Which girl broke your heart?
“Jinora. Mr. Gyatso’s daughter.”
“Oh… that’s… that sucks,” Kuvira frowned. “Does she know you have feelings for her?”
“I kissed her Friday night. She told me ‘she doesn’t swing that way’.”
“Oh… I’m so sorry, Opal… I should’ve asked sooner…” her older sister trailed off.
Her knees drew tightly to her chest, “It doesn’t matter.”
Kuvira seemed a little defeated, standing and giving her younger sister some privacy. Opal continued washing up, feeling numb and hollow as she scrubbed herself clean. She stood and dried herself off, realizing that she had nothing but the dress she’d worn last night to wear. The dress she’d foolishly and drunkenly lost her virginity in. Well that wouldn’t do.
“Hey! Would Korra mind if I stole some of her clothes?” Opal called out.
“Naw, just take some sweats and one of her brotanks!”
Opal riffled through Korra’s dresser (only going through the shirts and pants drawers so that she wouldn’t have to gaze upon anything sinful— she knew that Kuvira had some interesting tastes), and pulled out a tank top and a pair of loose pants, quickly pulling them on over her undergarments and walking back into the kitchen.
“Wow, you almost look like her— just with darker hair,” Kuvira smiled, setting a plate of eggs down on the table.
She quietly ate, not feeling in much of a mood to speak. Her older sister sensed this; clearing away the dishes when they were finished and picking up her wallet.
“You ready to go?”
Opal nodded, grabbing last night’s clothes and pushing the front door open. The two girls walked back in silence, uncomfortable yet enticing stillness within their breath. Their footsteps in rhythm— right feet, left feet, right feet, left feet. Not touching any of the cracks in the sidewalk. Opal knew, because she couldn’t lift her head up, her eyes glued to the ground in shame.
Shame.
Shame that she’d just given herself up so quickly to a stranger— just to forget that she had feelings for a girl out of her grasp.
All the tears had left her, though, and silently she grabbed Kuvira’s hand; wanting, no, needing something to hold onto as they walked through their neighborhood. Her shoulders trembled with anxiety, and the only thing she wanted to do right now was curl up against someone who truly loved her.
Fuck Kai. Fuck Jinora, too, she frowned, walking up the porch steps and opening the front door. I don’t need them. I don’t need her.
___________________________________________________________________________
Monday:
She had decent grades— but that didn’t mean she was at all good at paying attention in class. With a pout, Opal tapped the rubber eraser on her pencil against the plastic tan desk, watching the piece of wood and graphite bounce around and feeling the vibrations in her fingertips.
“Now can anyone tell me what the Fire Nation used to secure a victory against the Air Nomads?” the History teacher droned on.
Everybody looked at Opal for the answer— she’d been one of about twenty-five students in the city, including Kai, randomly selected to participate in reinstating Air Nomad culture. She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest defensively; a warning that she would make the other students work for their grades.
A hand raised in the front, calm and collected.
“I believe that the Fire Nation used an ambush attack— the Air Nomads had no formal military and were easily wiped out; save for one surviving member.”
No. No. No. Absolutely no fucking way.
Opal’s eyes searched through the sea of heads until she realized that the student who had answered the question was none other than the stranger from the bar. The girl leaned back in her chair, to the point of nearly tipping over, and flashed the teacher an innocent yet cocky grin.
She felt the breath in her lungs vanish.
“Correct— extra credit for you, Miss Ishikawa.”
For a second, Opal thought she might be able to hide for the rest of the class, but then the girl turned and smirked at the Beifong— causing all the blood in her body to freeze. “Ishikawa”, though Opal supposed that was only her last name, gave her a wink and turned back to face the chalkboard.
Ring! Ring!
“I suppose that’s it for class,” Mr. Kato sighed, setting down the piece of chalk. “Don’t forget, we have your three-page Air Nomad essays due next week— I expect four pages from you Miss Beifong.”
She frowned, but let her anger go; knowing that he also gave her a little more extra credit now and then than she deserved. Still, life was hard enough without Honors History breathing down her neck. She weaved through the students packing up their backpacks and left the classroom, only to have a voice hold her back.
“Well, if it isn’t ‘Bourbon and Ice’ from Varrick Global.”
Opal slowly turned, feeling both anger and shame flow through her, “What do you want?”
“Relax!” the girl held her hands up, “We’re even. We’re cool. There’s enough drama in the gay cliques without you leaping at my throat… figuratively speaking.”
“Can you just leave me alone?” Opal asked, pushing past a few frightened freshmen.
The stranger scoffed, “Do I at least get your name, or do I keep calling you ‘Bourbon and—”
“You already know who I am. Everyone knows who my family is at this school,” Opal challenged, turning and facing nose-to-nose with the stranger, “The question is what’s your name?”
“Pleased to meet you, Opal. I’m Mika.”
She stared into amber eyes for several moments before turning away, curtly walking down the hall, “I don’t need to deal with this bullshit— I’ve got enough on my plate without dealing with the repercussions of a one-night-stand.”
“Suit yourself!” Mika called after her.
“Come and sit with us!” a hyperactive voice rang out.
Opal sat at the table, avoiding eye contact with Kai, and certainly avoiding meeting Jinora’s stern gaze. Ikki began spewing off at a thousand miles an hour;
“Guys guys guys, I’ve already decided what my senior project is going to be— I’m going to do the controversy over opening the Spirit Wilds to tourism and whether or not we have a right to visit them and it’s going to be so awesome I can’t wait and I want to start now but I’m worried that they’ll solve the problem before I actually have to start doing the project and—”
“Ikki, you’re a freshman,” Yung pointed out.
“So?”
“Let the rest of us have a chance to do our projects first,” Ryu sighed, taking a bite of his sandwich and frowning, “I didn’t put any pickles in here.”
It wasn’t that Opal didn’t like the other kids that’d been selected for the Air Nomad restoration program— she wanted a bit more of a social life than a bunch of reluctant nerds, though. Across the cafeteria, Wing and Wei had started a food fight and were being chanted on by the rest of the room. She wished she could have that kind of popularity, but then regretted that wish when she saw a pizza smack into Wei’s face.
“How about we go and eat outside?” Jinora offered.
Opal quickly stood, picking up her thermos of Tom Kai Gha and wordlessly following the other kids out the doors and over to the large grassy hill next to the cafeteria. She heard several teachers shouting, and even Principal Raiko firing off at the twins for starting such a ruckus, but at that moment all she cared about was losing herself in the soup.
“How was your date?” Ikki dreamily asked Jinora.
“I’m not talking to you about my romantic life,” the older sister scowled, leaning up against Kai under a cherry tree, “It’s none of your business.”
Thank god, I don’t think I could stand listening to—
“We went to the beach!” Kai piped off, in a bragging tone. “And we even saw a pod of whales off the coast!”
“AAAAWWWW!!”
Opal made a face and continued staring at her soup, but when she looked up— she realized that Jinora had been staring at her, quickly averting her brown eyes back to Kai. Subtle waves crashed around in the thermos as she continued stirring the chicken and the mushrooms, not feeling all that hungry.
___________________________________________________________
Tuesday:
Opal leaned back against the comfy library sofa— typing her essay out on her laptop as she listened to Nick Mulvey. The librarian gave her a small smile, as she did enjoy coming in here often to work, read, and mostly think. Opal reciprocated the expression and continued typing— feeling every click of the keys against her fingertips.
She felt someone sit down on the cushion next to her and paused— the library had been empty, there had been plenty of other comfy spots to sit at, and that could only mean this person wanted to talk to her.
Mika flashed a small, nervous smile, “Hey there.”
“What do you want?” Opal whispered, taking her earbuds out.
The other girl ran her fingers through her long brown hair, “Look— I wanted to apologize. We… well, I know that it was an agreed decision when we… you know… but you’re obviously angry at me.”
Opal bit her lip, “No, I’m angry at myself.”
“Okay,” Mika nodded. “Does this mean we’re okay?”
“Sure. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again, though,” Opal warned, closing her laptop.
“Oh, I didn’t realize that you were a married woman… does your wife’s name happen to be Jinora?” Mika stealthily questioned.
“Don’t you dare,” Opal’s eyes widened.
“Look— I’m not out to get you. Like I said, we’re good. We’re cool. You gave me an orgasm; I gave you an orgasm. I can help you get this girl,” Mika mischievously grinned.
Opal narrowed her eyes, “What are you trying to do? Getting into my drama?”
“I realized who you were after we… did it… at the bar— when you shouted her name and all? She’s Kai’s girl. Well… I don’t mean to be so abrupt but I was his shoplifting buddy last year.”
“No, Kai wouldn’t have shoplifted— he’s a good kid!” Opal hissed.
Mika casually picked at the unfurling cushion seams, “I have the selfies to prove it. Anyways, I figure that Jinora wouldn’t be so pleased to learn about his underground life. But she’s going to learn tonight just what a scumbag he is.”
“Why are you doing this?” the Beifong whispered.
The other girl stood and casually kissed Opal’s cheek, “You’re really good at giving orgasms, I thought I’d give you a proper thank you. Besides— Kai owes me $300 that he never paid back. I don’t like uncollected debts.”
“You’re a horrible person,” Opal angrily frowned.
Mika chuckled, prompting a glare from the Librarian, “Ah, but I’m a horrible person who’s helping you out.”
Later that evening, Opal received a text, her heart stopping in her chest;
Jinora: fuck
Opal: what’s up?
Jinora: Kai was a fucking shoplifter— a blocked number texted me a bunch of pictures of stuff he stole. Fuck fuck fuck!!
Opal: shit… what can I do to help?
Jinora: I showed my Dad and he said he had to turn this over to the police.
Opal: I’m sorry. I’m here if you need anything.
Jinora: I guess you got what you wanted, right? I’m no longer dating him. I hope you’re happy.
Opal’s jaw dropped and tears flooded her eyes, quickly falling down her cheeks and splashing against her hands like subtle waves crashing against a pier. She thought that this would solve everything… but now…
She curled up into a ball and cried into her pillow; feeling as though she’d ruined everything.
_________________________________________________________
Wednesday:
Kai was noticeably absent from the lunch table. Nobody spoke to each other, and Jinora refused to look at Opal, even though in reality she hadn’t done anything wrong. The contents of her lunch swirled around in her stomach like subtle waves crashing, and threatened to make a reappearance as nausea filled her head. She excused herself to the restroom and didn’t return to the lunch table.
______________________________________________________________
Thursday:
“Opal, sweetie, are you okay?” her mother asked, cracking the bedroom door open.
She hadn’t come down for dinner— she didn’t feel like eating dinner that night. Su wandered into her room and closed the door behind her, sitting down on Opal’s bed and resting a hand on the girl’s knee.
“Did something happen?”
Opal looked up at her mother, who’s eyes had a soft sadness to them. All at once, she felt horribly guilty for everything that’d happened during the past week, letting a tear drop from the corner of her eyes.
“Mom, last Saturday I got drunk and lost my… my virginity.”
Su’s eyes widened, at first in anger and then in hurt— hurt that Opal had not opened up to her sooner. Instead of yelling at her, the mother merely leaned back against the wall, crossing her legs and looking at her daughter.
“I did some stupid shit, when I was your age. It happens,” Su softly whispered. “Was it… you know… consensual?”
Opal shrugged, “We were both drunk… I think I wanted it to happen and she asked me before we did it, but I still regret… she didn’t force me into it.”
Su looked down at the bed sheets, her fingers tracing the pattern, “I’m glad you’re okay, sweetie.”
Her knees drew up to her chest, but she couldn’t find it in her to say anything. She merely stared at her mother, who looked at a loss for words. Suyin patted her knee and kissed Opal’s forehead.
“I’m going to put your dinner under a lid and a few towels in case you get hungry— and I’m going to bring you some tea, alright?”
“Alright, Mom,” Opal nodded softly.
Fifteen minutes later, Su had returned— placing the mug of tea down on the end table next to Opal’s bed. For a moment, nothing happened. And then Opal stood, engulfing her mother in a much needed hug. Suyin didn’t say anything, merely wrapping her arms around Opal and letting out a sigh as steam from the tea filled the room. The young girl felt her body shaking but she held her tears back this time; merely pressing her face into her mother’s shoulder.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, my little turtleduck,” Su smiled, rubbing her hands up and down Opal’s back.
Her mother left her with the tea, and Opal stared at it for a few moments before taking a cautious sip; letting the burning liquid scorch her throat and setting the mug down. A pitter patter of rain splashed against the window like subtle waves crashing against a pier, and she merely sat and listened. Occasional sips taken eventually drained the cup, but it’d been well past midnight before she felt ready to walk back downstairs.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Opal stopped with her hand hovering over the doorknob to her bedroom, turning around and glancing at the glass windowpane. Her heart stopped when she realized that a familiar yellow and orange hoodie could be seen through the darkness— a small person perched on the branches of the oak tree outside her bedroom. The person continued throwing pebbles at the window until Opal cracked the latch open.
“Who is that?” she whispered into the darkness.
“Hey there,” a soft voice replied through the downpour.
“Jinora!? What are you doing out here? It’s midnight! And you’re in a tree! And it’s raining!” Opal hissed, her eyes going wide in shock.
“Can I come in?”
“I live on the second story! And did I mention you’re in a tree?! You could slip and die and that’s fucking dangerous!”
Jinora smiled, beaming with joy as she slowly crawled across several branches, hopping onto Huan’s window sill (which was much closer to the tree), and then slowly crawling along the pipes and boards on the side of the Beifong house until Opal could hastily pull her into the bedroom. The younger girl was sopping wet, her clothes soaked through and causing Jinora to shiver.
“Here, get into something warm,” Opal sighed, throwing a change of fresh clothes at Jinora. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
The brown-eyed girl stepped into the bathroom adjacent to Opal’s room, closing the door and quickly redressing while Opal waited on the bed in absolute confusion. When Jinora left the bathroom, she stood in the middle of the room— unsure of how to hold herself.
“I-I’m sorry,” Jinora admitted rather suddenly. “I got angry at you for something that wasn’t your fault. And, well, Kai was kind of a shitty boyfriend… I took it out on you, though.”
Opal’s fingers reached out and played with the empty tea mug, “It’s alright…”
“Not really,” the younger girl protested, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and giving Opal the Bambi Eyes™. “I shouldn’t have sent that last text message. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”
Opal blinked in confusion, “You crossed town at the dead of night, in the rain, and climbed a two-story-tall oak tree just to apologize?”
“Korra gave me a ride,” Jinora admitted sheepishly. “Mom and Dad think that I’m sleeping at her place tonight.”
Opal sighed, “I suppose I can make something up for my parents tomorrow. Why don’t you take the bed? I’ll just grab some pillows and a blanket—”
“Will you sleep with me?” Jinora blurted out.
“What?!”
“I mean… cuddle with me like we used to in elementary?”
Okay, but that was before we knew about the birds and the buzzard-wasps…
“S-Sure,” Opal smiled, shaking the thought out of her head, “Scooch over.”
Now, just like last time that they’d been alone, the two girls faced each other in the darkness. Opal leaned over and turned off the light— tensing when she felt a hand on her side. Jinora merely stared at her, expecting something to happen…
“I forgive you,” Opal murmured in the darkness.
“Thank you.”
She felt something soothing wash over her, like subtle waves crashing on soft beach sand. Like the calming rain drops pounding against the window. Like a lone drop of water causing ripples in ponds. Opal nodded and let her heart slow its rhythm down to a wonderful lull for the first time that week. She closed her eyes and fell against the pillows. A pair of lips pressed against her forehead, but by the time she’d registered the contact— sleep had captured her.
___________________________________________________________
Friday:
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Yeah?” Opal sleepily groaned, kicking her legs out and colliding against a warm body.
Shit! She’d forgotten that Jinora had climbed into her room Assassin’s Creed style last night! For a moment, her eyes were frozen on the stirring girl, and then they directed to the person opening the door. In a split second decision, she leaned right up against Jinora, pinning her down and covering the younger girl with the rest of her blanket.
“Hey there,” Kuvira smiled, with that knowing look of hers, “It rained so much that the water rushed over the levee next to the school and flooded some of the buildings. Principal Raiko cancelled class today due to emergencies. You two can sleep in.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Opal scoffed.
Here’s a rule, never lie to a Beifong— somehow they always know that you’re lying. Kuvira laughed and closed the door, and a muffled voice spoked from underneath the covers.
“Can I come out now?”
Opal rolled away and pulled the duvet back, giggling as Jinora pretended to gasp for air. She playfully slapped the younger girl on the shoulder and flopped down against the pillows. Jinora fell on top of her with a laugh, and for a moment all was still.
Jinora’s smile faltered, and she merely stared into Opal’s olive eyes with a sad frown.
“Is it too late to take back what I said about ‘not swinging that way’?” she asked, a little breathless.
Opal’s eyes widened, “You’re joking.”
Brown eyes shook and a pair of lips pressed up against hers, forcefully and sure of what they wanted. Startled, Opal let her hands wrap around Jinora’s back, tracing her spine as their lips tangled together, dancing like subtle waves crashing against each other. Jinora was the first to pull away, with a tiny smile— her fingers threading through Opal’s black bob. Half a second passed, and when Opal was sure they’d caught their breath she dove back in— pushing her tongue into Jinora’s mouth with need.
“With you,” Opal murmured in-between kisses, “it’s never too late.”