Staying on the honour roll

HoNoUr

Yeah, I'm getting really low on chapter names even though I said I had some ✨interesting✨ ones in the bank. I lied, ok? I had one idea. Next  1 or 2 chapters will be written by my friends, so be prepared for a different writing style. I'll probably only have 2 or 3 more chapters though, so it should be wrapping up pretty soon.

Uncle Iroh has told me many times over the last few weeks that I couldn't be given my honour, it was more of a state of my mind, or crap like that. Which is dumb, because we aren't talking about honour as in what war heroes have, we are talking about my spot on the honour roll. But he insists it is a state of mind, earning your honour, and that's why he has been getting in touch with Katara to minimise my tutoring lessons, so he can instead teach me about honour.

She thinks it's funny, and sweet of him to want to spend time with me, but I think he is up to something else. He has been making me attend tea sessions with him almost daily, instead of tutoring, and I would say no but mother has been making me do it as well. Just as I had begun to catch up on my schoolwork, and climb the honour roll, I've started to collect more piles of work, and fall down the list.

Last night, I tried to talk some sense into my mother and Iroh, but she's completely taken in his idea that having the right state of mind will help me more than achieving academically. I seriously doubt that, unless the teachers test us on who's most willing to achieve rather then who is actually achieving.

Since I had finally gotten Katara's number, I decided to call her.
'Well, I don't really know what to do.' She admitted when I fully explained the situation to her. 'Honestly, it kind of seems like they are messing with you'
I rolled my eyes at that. 'You don't know Iroh. This is exactly the kind of stuff he always does. He would create a religion based off worshiping tea and tea pots if he could.'

She laughed. 'I mean, what's stopping him? It's all about "the state of mind".' She tried to impersonate him in the last part, but failed miserably.
I shook my head, but then remembered she couldn't see me, and spoke into the phone. 'My fathers pretty strict about only believing the ancient fire nation myths, so I doubt he'd be happy with his older brother prancing around spreading stories about how his jasmine tea died on the cross to save us or whatever. He could probably execute him over that.'

Katara made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sound of disbelief. 'Damn. I don't know whether that's hilarious or extremely scary. But we should probably find a way for me to keep tutoring you, or you'll be right back where you started.'

I laughed. 'I started on the honour roll, so it would be nice if I could go back. But I know what you mean.Maybe I could say I joined an after school club, but we could meet secretly at your house or the school without them being suspicious of where I am.'
'Hey, that's smart. Let's meet up at lunch tomorrow in the library to find a club that you can say you've joined. Needs to be something low profile, but not demeaning for a prince. And not something you wouldn't do, either.'

'Ok, thanks for helping me. I'll try to do some work now. Bye.' I heard the beep that meant she had hung up, and was a little disappointed she didn't return the "bye". No matter, though, I thought. But it kept me distracted the whole time I was doing my work.

The next day we looked through the school information pack at the many club choices. Swimming, track, dance, you name it, they've got it. We eventually decided on photography. It was something I wouldn't actually mind, not too high
profile, but suitable enough for someone of my status, and didn't require any performances that Iroh and my mother would attend. We printed some photos off and I showed them to Iroh and my mother, pretending that I had taken them. I think they bought it. So now I can stay late after school for "photography" 3 days a week, which means I can have 5 total days of tutoring every week.

That night I was on the phone to Katara, laughing about how easy it had been to fool my uncle and mother, when I remembered something. I stifled another laugh and said into the phone; 'Uh, Katara? Remember a few weeks ago when you told me that a 12 year old kid had asked you out? Who was it?'

A certain someone had been avoiding me whenever I had hung out with Katara for the past while, so I had a small suspicion on who it was.

She let out another laugh, then her tone turned a little more serious. 'Oh, that? It was aang.' (I knew it.) 'It's kind of cute I guess, but I could never see him that way. I prefer...older people. But not, like, old old! Like, people my age, or a little older I guess. But not a 12 year old.'

I nodded. Honestly, my habit of nodding into phones has got to stop. She said goodnight and hung up, and I lay in my bed without bothering to pull the covers over me. I wondered if Katara had meant me when she talked about liking people older.

SPOILER ALERT: He isn't going to get with her! I need to clear this! I can't have people thinking that she will. Katara will not end up with anyone because she is amazing as a single person she just doesn't give a crap okay. Also I can't write any romance so yep. If they did get together in this story they'd probably like lick each others eyeballs while making out or something idk I have no experience so don't judge me.

Also we are #6 for the tag "wut" somehow. Pretty nice.