'Okay, you can do this...' Korra thought confidently. A slow bead of sweat began to make it's way down her forehead, the afternoon sun bearing down on her like she was in the sky's interrogation room. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down at home plate; the batter appearing to be ready for whatever she could throw at them, but she knew otherwise. A steady grin slid across her lips as she bent over a little, the ball moving easily in her palm as she gave the catcher a final nod before straightening up. Her left leg began to bend upward, her arm reaching back for a quick moment of aim, then she let it all go.
'Step, bend, throw.' Her mind recited for her body; the two working as a team as she hurled the ball down towards the batter. The ball moved as if at lightning speed, even giving a slight curve near the end of it's journey towards home plate. Her heart fluttered as the batter swung and her knees bent a little as if preparing her to grab the ball if it was hit - though it went unneeded as Korra watched the catcher's glove wrap around the incoming ball, followed by a loud yell.
"Strike three!"
"Ha! Mako, you're out!" She cried out with a victorious smirk, pointing at the boy who was now ripping his helmet off. She saw him shake his head and she immediately began to laugh.
"You cheat." Huffed the dark haired boy as he tossed the bat aside, plucking the gloves from his hands by the fingers. Korra could see his dark eyes burning from the pitcher's mound, immediately snorting at the statement, her hand now on her hip.
"Oh, don't be such a sook, Mako. It's not my fault you can't hit." She teased with a nod of her head, and her grin only intensified as she heard a loud guffaw from behind her at second base.
"Damn, bro! She got you good." Called out Bolin, who was now wiping at the sweat on his own forehead with his arm.
"Stuff it, Bo." Growled Mako, his jaw clenching for a quick moment as he moved into the dug out, throwing his stuff into his bag with a deep frown.
"You're such a sore loser, Mako. It happens to everyone." Korra sighed, now raising a brow as the mentioned boy looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "I mean, did you really think you could hit something from me?" She challenged playfully with a tilt of her head, and another laugh rippled from her chest as she heard Mako mutter something, presumably about her.
"Alright team, huddle up!"
Everyone's head swivelled over to the voice, and Korra gestured for Bolin and Mako to hurry over as she and the rest of the team made their way over to their coach. Everyone stood in a wide circle, all panting and sweating as the heat was really starting to become noticeable, but it appeared that nobody minded.
"So, our last game of the year is tomorrow afternoon. Are we all ready?" The man asked, his head soon tilting up to make eye contact with all the students gathered around, though a warm smile was across his lips.
"Yes, Coach Bumi." They all said in unison, some heads nodding, others ducking down as the sun continued to shine on them.
"Alright! Now everyone go hit the showers." He ordered, sighs of relief coming from almost every team member. They all parted and moved to grab their stuff; Korra, Bolin, and Mako hurrying a bit more than the rest.
"I say we just head home." Bolin shrugged as he slung his bag over his shoulder, earning a nod and a silent agreement from the other two. Korra peeled off her hat, pulling her hair from it's hold right after, and shook her head as if to cool it off.
The three made their way from the diamond and up to the parking lot of the field.
"Are you guys excited for the last game, or what?" Korra asked curiously as she stuffed her bag into the trunk of Mako's car, grunting a bit with the effort.
"Yeah, I guess." Mako replied with a little less enthusiasm than Korra would've liked. "I'm just not excited for the many weeks of training we'll have to do after the season." He shrugged and got into the driver's seat, followed by Korra in the passenger's, and Bolin in the back.
"I feel ya!" Bolin sighed as he leaned back against the seat, his head turned to look out the window. "Crank the AC, bro. It's like a sauna in here."
"It's broken." Mako sighed and turned the car on with a twist of his set of keys. Bolin groaned and dropped his head against the window he had been looking out of, and Korra laughed.
"Okay, you seriously need a new car." She chuckled, now reaching to fish her phone from her pocket. She turned it on, frowning slightly when she had a couple missed calls.
"Sorry for the inconvenience. Bo, just put down a window." Mako suggested, glancing in the mirror at his younger brother, but soon turned his attention to driving.
"Shit!" Korra cursed, now fidgeting in the seat.
"What?"
"I was supposed to look after Meelo, Jinora, and Ikki this afternoon." Korra groaned, slapping against her forehead as she mentally kicked herself for forgetting.
"You babysit Mr.Tenzin's kids?" Bolin asked from the back seat, his head currently out of the window he sat next to, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the cooling rush of wind.
"Dude, she lives with Mr.Tenzin and his family, remember?" Mako raised his brow his brother's question, even chuckling a bit as he saw Bolin frown.
"Oh yeah - hey, how come we never go over to your place, then?" Asked the boy in the back, and Korra shrugged her shoulders whilst looking through her messages.
"Tenzin's kinda strict on the whole having-friends-over thing. I think he thinks that we'll trash his house with some wild party." She chuckled, turning her head to give Bolin a dopey smile. "But, in all honesty, I think Meelo would be fully capable of destroying the house by just himself." The comment earned her a laugh from both brothers, and she soon settled back in her seat for a good portion of the ride; her eyes watching as trees and other cars zoomed by them on the streets they drove through, but was quick to sit up at one point. "Drop me off here."
"Here? Why?" Mako frowned heavily at her request, though slowed his car down quite a bit.
"I can walk from here." She murmured and began to undo her seatbelt.
"Wha - Korra, stop. We can drop you off at home." Mako reached over and placed his hand on her's to stop her from moving anymore, and Korra sighed.
"But - " She started, though a loud voice rang from the back seat.
"No buts! We will not let out best friend walk home alone!" Bolin practically yelled, and Korra sighed again as she looked at both of them. They each had a stare off, though Korra felt outnumbered with the two of them giving her hard looks, though fought to contain laughter as Bolin began to wiggle his eyebrows.
"Fine!" She snapped with a small smile, shaking her head as she slumped down in the passenger's seat. "Take a right onto Airbend Street. Third house on the left." Korra instructed, and Bolin gave a clap as Mako nodded. They drove for a good while; the music playing casually from the car's radio accompanied by the group of friends' voice singing and humming along, though soon ended slowing to a stop in front of the designated lot.
"This it?" Mako asked as he looked over at Korra, and she nodded. She began to pull off her seatbelt with no interruptions, giving a bright smile to the two of them.
"See you at school tomorrow, yeah?" Korra nodded, slowly opening the door of the passenger's side. In response, she got a collective "Yeah" and "Of course!". She smiled and climbed out of the car, her hand patting the trunk in a signal for Mako to open it. A click was soon heard and Korra pulled the door up, grabbing her bag and hauling it out onto the pavement before closing the hatch. She heaved the bag up onto her shoulder and began to hobble up to the front door. A loud honk sounded behind her and she smiled, glancing over her shoulder to wave at the two brothers before they pulled from the curb and drove off; leaving her alone on the front porch. She breathed a small sigh before twisting the door knob and pushing in, stepping inside of the household to be immediately greeted by music and the voices of kids.
"Korra's home!" The voices of three different children hit her ears at once, and she felt her lips twist into a wide smile. The sound of heavy and quick footsteps filled the hall before a rush of bodies hit Korra, several arms soon hugging her tight.
"Hey guys!" She chuckled, stepping back to grab her bag from the floor with hardly any strain at this point. She brushed past them, clearly wanting to avoid the oncoming confrontation she knew her and Tenzin would have if he spotted her. She hurried up the stairs, her feet moving as fast as they could up the steps, eventually reaching the top with a small pant.
"Good afternoon, Korra."
Korra cursed and fought the urge to stomp her foot, slowly turning in her spot with a sheepish smile. "Tenzin!" She greeted with as much excitement as she could muster, though it was obvious it wasn't genuine. The older man narrowed his eyes, his long beard twitching as he frowned slightly, and Korra took a small step back. "Look, I'm sorry that I couldn't look after the kids. I had practice and tomorrow is the last - " Her explanation was cut short as Tenzin raised a hand, and she immediately began to grow a bit anxious. 'You've done it now, dumbass.' She thought almost nervously, but became instantly confused when Tenzin gave her a small smile.
"I understand. I had Jinora watch over her siblings, and it went perfectly fine." He stated, giving a nod to Korra, but she remained frozen. "And I hope you know that we will all be attending your game tomorrow, as the kids have been begging me to see you play all summer."
Korra smiled slightly as she began to nod as well. "Alright! Cool!" She began to slowly back up, step by step, the bag on her back starting to grow uncomfortable. After a quiet minute of just looking at one another in absolute silence, and to Korra's utter relief, Tenzin turned and headed downstairs. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, making her way sluggishly into her room. She dropped her bag on the floor with a loud groan, though soon exited and headed towards the bathroom for a shower that, at this point, was long overdue.
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AN:// I apologize if this part was a bit boring, but I just had to get it down. The story will definitely pick up with the next part, and many more characters will be introduced.
Tell me what you think! ^~^