One Perfect Year at Stevenson High

Chapter 3

Catra froze mid-stride and looked up from her phone. Minutes ago, she had fallen down a rabbit hole of memes. She was so engrossed in her feed that she hadn't noticed Adora lagging behind until she felt a tug at the back of her skirt.

"Adora, what are you doing back there?"

"I'm trying to fix your uniform. How are you already such a mess?"

"Rude much?" Catra twisted, trying to see what Adora was seeing. "Are you sure you're not just trying to check me out?"

"Oh, please." Adora fought to play it cool. Yes, Catra looked great in her uniform. And, sure, maybe Adora was guilty of letting her gaze linger a little longer than she should sometimes. But this time, her intentions were pure. "You and I both know Coach Weaver will lose it on you if your uniform is dirty, and right now it definitely looks like you sat in something."

Catra's attention was already back on her phone. "Whatever. If it's not a dirty uniform, she'll just find something else to rage at me about. Besides, I'm pretty sure it's just dust. Scorpia violated the ten-foot radius policy when we were in the library earlier and I backed into a shelf I don't think has been dusted at all this century."

Without thinking, Adora tensed. "So... did Scorpia finally make a move?"

To anyone with a functioning pair of eyes, it was painfully obvious that Scorpia was head over heels obsessed with Catra. She doted on her constantly, lavishing Catra with attention and praise, even when she didn't necessarily deserve it. Scorpia was also a hugger. Though she generally subscribed to equal opportunity when it came to who wound up on the receiving end of one of her embraces, there was no denying Catra was her favorite target. It was actually kind of cute, or at least it would have been if Adora didn't find herself reeling with inexplicable jealousy every time the towering senior attempted to show her affection.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll work up the guts one of these days," Catra said, sounding absolutely over the whole thing. She didn't even look up from her phone this time. "But today was not that day. So, is my ass satisfactory or what? Because we're gonna be late."

Adora shook her head and gave the back of Catra's skirt a couple quick swipes with her open hand. "Huh, it came off. I guess it was dust."

"Whatever you say, pervert."

The pair jostled through the school, shoving one another playfully and pretending to trip the other up as they hurried for the gymnasium. Only a handful of students still loitered in the halls, chatting at their lockers or meandering for the exits now that the school day was over. The sound of the girls' giggling echoed in the emptiness around them, making them feel like the only people in the world.

They were only a couple paces from the gym doors, and all but sprinting, when Adora unknowingly stepped down onto the end of Catra's shoelace. With a startled yelp, Catra lurched forward. Her foot had come dislodged from the shoe. Adora skidded to a stop.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Adora! You filthy cheater!"

"I am not!"

Laughing, Catra stooped to fix her shoe and waved a hand toward the door. "Just go! I'll be right there."

Smiling, Adora rolled her eyes dramatically but did as she was told. She opened one of the gym doors just wide enough to slide through, hoping to arrive discreetly. Inside, Coach Weaver stood facing a bench on which the rest of the Valkyries were already seated. Every one of them turned to look at Adora in unison.

So much for being discreet.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, scampering across the polished floor.