Raava Academy

Thick Skin

I feel beyond awkward when I walk into the cafeteria, since everyone's heads keep turning, and it's not even remotely subtle. News really does travel fast here, though I suppose it'd be the same in any school. I quickly pay for a grilled cheese sandwich and coke, then spot Jinora waving me over to our table urgently, and I'm grateful to notice that the Krew are looking at me with concern rather than apprehension.

"Korra, are you okay? I heard what happened." Jinora says, chewing a piece of meatloaf. Gross stuff, don't know why she likes it.

"I think so," I sigh, sitting down, twirling my straw around inside the plastic seal of my cup.

"You look like shit," Opal says, smiling.

"Gee, thanks. Wait, what do you mean?" I ask, pulling my phone out, hitting the camera button and going into selfie mode. "Well, fuck," I sigh. There's a swollen redness beneath my eyes making it more than obvious I've been crying. I'm suddenly painfully aware of why those kids stared at me in the hallway, and why I'm getting way more glances than I expected from students in here. Fuck, Asami would have seen me like this too, and I think maybe that's why she didn't lay into me, like I'd expected her to.

"So... You gonna tell us why you went all psycho?" Mako mumbles, with a yogurt spoon hanging out of his mouth as usual.

I sigh loudly. I hate having to lie, fucking hate it, but if it's to protect Asami, and by proxy, all of us... "She badmouthed Mey."

Opal and Jinora gasp together, "Nooo."

"Yeah. She said I should be over her already. I just... I dunno. Snapped. Then I had to have therapy, again." I roll my eyes, adding dramatics for good effect, though I don't tell them that same therapy quite likely saved me from spinning straight off the rails.

"Breaking her nose seems a little excessive, Korra," Kai says, wincing as though expecting a rebuttal.

"You're not wrong," I sigh, shaking my head, "I overreacted because my head's so screwed up. And I feel fucking terrible." That part isn't a lie. I deserve to feel terrible, though.

"Uh oh," Jinora mouths, looking past my shoulder. I turn around to spot Asami, walking down the corridor, wearing a dark purple jacket, crimson vest, grey jeans and her usual long, buckled, black boots. Long black hair frames her pale face, there's a massive bandage strapped squarely to the front of her nose, and... unsurprisingly, she completely blanks me, walking straight past our group and heading three tables down. She sits next to Leanne, opposite Sen and Yena, then quickly pulls her book out and begins to study. I wonder why she even needs that book anyway – surely there's nothing she can learn here.

"It's obvious that you still like her..." Jinora states, following my gaze, smiling sympathetically.

"I... don't know. I wanted to be friends at least. But I fucked up, badly," I say, threading my fingers into my scalp, "How am I ever going to fix this?" I ask.

I look across the room again to see Asami scratching at the bridge of her bandaged nose, and smiling at her newfound friends when they appear to express sympathy.

"We'll think of something, Kor," Opal says, reaching out for my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"And when you're old, grey and married, you can both look back and laugh at this!" Bolin grins, being ridiculously optimistic as always. If only I could tell him that she can't even grow old. If only I could share anything with him, or with anyone! I think keeping this a secret is going to be a hell of a lot harder than I first thought.

I glance across at Asami's table again, curiosity getting the better of me. This time Leanne spots me looking and gives me what I can only presume is some kind of death-stare, so I tear my eyes away quickly, unwrapping my sandwich and digging into my food.