It got a bit awkward.

She stiffened in confusion as I nullified her aura, and I stiffened in panic because I nullified her aura.

It was pretty tense as we both just stared at each other with drastically different emotions dominating us. Probably looked pretty awkward, but I was a bit too busy to consider the social impact it would've had as Elizabeth reacted first.

My jaw slammed shut with an uppercut, courtesy the Gray-Eyed Nutcase. The force from the punch pushed me back and I barely managed to cover my head before rolling backwards head over heels and barely stopping myself in a crouch instead of a sprawl.

I turned back immediately, still in the crouch and eyes on Elizabeth. There was apprehension in her features, fear from something she didn't understand. I rubbed my jaw, maintaining eye contact as I slowly stood up. It throbbed in time with the pulse in my head.

"That really hurt." I said as I rose to my full height. "Maybe we should call it even and walk away?"

She scowled and fell back into her stance. I grimaced, my hand fell back to my side. "I’m guessing that means no." Hell, it was worth a shot anyway.

Her next attacks were cautious and purposely close-contact. I don't think she wanted to initiate an element fight because she wasn't sure what had exactly happened. I, on the other hand, needed to switch up my game. Rhaeya's training taxed me enough without having to deal with this now. Even Christopher went a bit light when he trained me after. Only mixing it up now and then with a bit of elemental training to let me rest.

Making up my mind to switch over, I started using a bit more force behind my attack. And soon enough, she stumbled away with a harsh kick in her stomach.

Coughing wildly as she regained her balance, I immediately launched a fire projectile towards her. She was too good to be caught off guard that easily. It dissipated against her ice shield. And as she shifted, I realised that the shield was attached to her arm. The ice was wrapped around her forearm all the way from her elbow to her wrist. The shield grew from the outer part of it, big enough to cover her from any major attacks I could throw her way. However, it significantly impacted her speed. I guess the fear factor from my earlier stunt had worn off.

Speed didn't matter. My projectiles weren't getting through, and I certainly couldn't punch through solid ice. My Fire reserves would eventually be exhausted, then she would be able to defeat me hands down.

She slammed into me with the full force of her body behind her shield. Pain bloomed in my side as I hit into the ground with her on top of me. Her knees straddled my waist as I groaned in pain. She raised her shielded hand and brought it down full force onto my face.

I raised my guard just barely in time, a scream left me as the edges slammed against my forearms. It sent a shockwave of pain through my arms. She raised it once more, and brought it down with more power. The force behind it vibrated through my bones as I arched my back in an attempt to throw her off. She wasn't shaken, her shield rose for a third strike on me.

I couldn't keep this up. My bones would snap under the repeated pummelling. That shield isn’t light, she can’t keep this up either. However I don’t think my bones can afford to tire out first. I grunted in pain as she bought the shield down on me for the third time. My hand shifted lower and I managed to grab the slippery edges of it. The cold burned against my skin. A yell escaped me as I pushed it to the side. Elizabeth gasped in surprise as the shield slammed against the floor, the grip it had on her body practically threw her onto their back. I didn't waste a moment and turned, my fist shot to slam it into her gut. Her body jerked with the force I hit her kidney with. I wasn't done. I had to end it. Raising my fist once more, I-

Heat bloomed on my side. The entire left side of my vision turned bright orange as a fire projectile burrowed into my side. I screamed in pain as it threw me off of Elizabeth. My side hit the floor first, the momentum slid me across it. A choked sound escaped me as I slammed into the base of the bleachers.

My skin boiled. My insides felt stewed. My vision was blurry right now. I didn’t kow if it was because of the pain or if I was crying. It hurt. It hurt so much. My body shook, mouth opened and closed as I gasped for breath before I slowly looked down at myself. A bit considerable chunk of my tank top had gone up in flames, the edges glowed like embers I didn't have the strength to douse. The skin visible had gone an angry red. I couldn't breathe. The air had been shoved out of my body. There was only pain... and a harsh heat I'd thought I'd never feel in my life again.

I heard a commotion behind me but I couldn't turn. My hands shook as I pressed them to my side and curled up in a pathetic attempt to not cry from the pain. My mouth was wide open, cheek pressed to the ground as small bursts of sound finally escaped me. My eyes stung with how wide they were open. The floor was the only cold thing I could feel. I wanted to scream so bad. I wanted to yell till my lungs hurt so I wouldn’t have to feel my body. But, it sounded like I was choking to death because I couldn’t find my voice through the pain.

"Fiera!" I heard Rhaeya snap my name through the pain. "Get up! What kind of shit fighting was that?!" Her voice was growing closer. The fireball must have come from her.

I turned my head slightly up to see her form loom behind me with a displeased look on her face. "Get up!" She snapped again, her eyes burned with rage. Did she-was it… it was.  She… she’d attacked me. That direction, that strength… but it made no sense. Why would she attack me?

Drool dripped past my open lips as I tried to form words. Only a gasp of pain left me as her foot slammed into my back out of nowhere. "Stop this! I've hit you with worse. Get up and get on with it."

No, she hadn’t. Rhaeya had never even used elemental magic on me, just demonstrated it. The force, the power behind just one shot had me incapable of movement. I turned away from her. A pathetic attempt to hide as my face against the heavenly floor again. I couldn’t look at her. It made me want to cry, and not just because of the pain my body was in.

"Stop hurting her!" I heard Flo cry out. She sounded kind of close. It didn't matter to me. I curled up into a tighter ball, breathing methodically to get the pain under control. "You're her teacher!"

"And I've hurt her worse!" Another kick, not as harsh as the first one. My body jerked with it, but I didn’t cry out this time. "I didn't hit her that bad."

"That bad?!" A deeper voice- Eric. "Even after so much pounding— by an Ice user no less— she wasn't down. A single shot by you has her half dead!"

"She's not half dead..." Rhaeya's voice was softer now, uncertain. Wow, my friends had her actually ashamed of her actions. I should have introduced them to her earlier. "I had to find a way to stop the fight."

Irritation passed through me as she said that. Irritation strong enough to make me want to sit up.

I hissed in pain as I rolled onto my back, her kick from earlier stung as I pushed myself into a sitting position. I was angry now. The heat inside me rose up to fill my head, control my tongue as I glared up at her. "What's... wrong... with you?!" I finally spat out. I started to stand, sneering at Rhaeya as I rose to my full height.

Rhaeya's cold eyes followed me as I rose to my feet. Eric and Flo stood behind her, too scared of her to move forward. My vision wavered a bit as a sharp bolt of pain shot through me.

"You should be thanking me." Rhaeya rolled her eyes, voice carefully lowered. "You were running out of stamina. You would've lost in a few more moves."

The air boiled around me. It only instigated my wounds further. "I was... going to... end it." The pain just fuelled my anger.

"Oh, please." She scoffed as she started to turn away. "You mean she was going to end you. Your forearms are wrecked, your sides have more bruises than a ten-day old apple, and your Fire is no match for her Ice. Especially if you’re going for a fight this intense after training. Face it, Fiera. You would've lost."

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME!" I screamed, finally losing my nerve. She flinched, surprise crossed through her face at the volume of my voice. "I have been waiting for this fight to happen for months now. I didn't come into-ugh..." I took a step towards her. Even that light movement caused pain to ripple through my wounds "-this with even the thought of winning. I don't care at this point. I just want this shit to get over with so I can move on with my life!"

My chest heaved with anger. All the anger born from my pain directed towards Rhaeya. Her eyes were wide in shock at my outburst. Unable to hold my glare, she looked away towards the ground and I began to realise that there were eyes on me again.

My eyes roamed the Gym, the few spectators quickly looked away or down as my eyes landed on them. Eric and Flo held concern in their features, frozen where they were unsure of how to react. Elizabeth had a curious, but confused look on her face, Christopher standing beside her almost seemed to be in pain. It's not everyday you have to watch a fight between your girlfriend and your best friend's sister knowing you can't do anything to stop it. It's probably going to mess him up.

Luckily, my feet had escaped damage this time. My footsteps were ginger, yet quick as I twisted to leave. I headed deeper into the school. I couldn’t go to the nurse, there would be no nurse on duty now anyway. Even if I did find him, it would be hard to explain how I reached this state without incurring a future trip to the principal’s office. As of now, I could do without serious medical attention. The girl's bathroom would provide me with the cold water and privacy I needed.

My sneakers squeaked on the tiled floor as my steps got sloppier and my feet dragged against the floor. The sounds echoed down the empty halls, not as loud as the slam from when I shoved the bathroom door open. It was probably empty. I didn’t bother to check as I placed my hands on the cold sinktop and I hung my head. It was a while before I could get my breathing under control. I could already feel regret growing in me for screaming at Rhaeya, but I pushed it aside to deal with later as I faced myself in the mirror.

My midriff was an angry red from the middle of my back spanning all the way around my left side reaching my belly button. It was a weirdly jagged outline. The fire had eaten through the lower left half of my tank top. The upper edges of my shorts had scorch marks but luckily enough, I had a spare shirt in my locker.

I turned the tap on, splashing cold water on my side and exhaling from slight relief it provided me. No matter what mindset I'd walked into the fight with, the last thing I'd expected was that end. I was angry at Rhaeya. All that about wanting to finally end it was true. She wasn't far off about my imminent defeat. Atleast... it would have ended for good.

I dampened some paper towels and plastered them on my side. It felt nice. My shorts were wet from the side because of the water. I needed to head to my locker for a fresh, unburnt shi-

The door swung open. The person's hesitant footsteps made me turn towards the entrance expecting either Rhaeya or Flo.

My eyes widened slightly. A chill passed hrough my body despite all that had happened. I felt my brain shift into overdrive as I met those gray eyes.

"Elizabeth."

She sneered as she looked me over. "You look even more pathetic now." What a greeting. "I didn't think that was possible."

"And you still look like a bitch." I spat back, feeling my anger rise up again. "Interesting how it gets clearer being this close."

Her eyes narrowed at my insult. "You're just lucky your bitch of a teacher stopped me from ending you."

"Takes one to know one." I said with a simple shrug, causing her lips to twist downward. Did she expect me to defend Rhaeya? "What are you here for?"

I stepped away from the sink as I gestured to the running stream of water. "Going to turn that into an icicle and stab me?"

"As much as that would please me." Elizabeth gritted out, also pissed. "I'm just here to make it clear you were going to lose."

"You don't need to make that clear. Not after I said that in the beginning, and Rhaeya said that right after kicking my insides to a pulp. I know I would've lost. And now that that's clear to you that it's clear to me— I'm guessing you're going to drop this."

She scoffed. "Why? You think I'm scared of your teacher? Dream on."

"No." I rolled my eyes. "You're going to drop this. Otherwise, the next time you face me, face me alone. No spectators, no boyfriend, nobody."

"Your friends showed up too."

"I didn't call them. They probably figured it out on their own."

Her lips pressed together, mirroring my irritation. She was getting more and more annoyed at me by the word. "Fiera, right?" She spoked after a few moments of silence.

"You got that right." I turned to face her, my arms dangled by my side.

"I'll make your time here hell."

I chuckled. "Really? Hell?" Still chuckling, I walked towards her. She didn't back away, only inches separating us now. "Honey, you don't know the meaning of hell. I've dealt with humans for fifteen years of my life. Whatever you can do, I can dispense hurt way worse than that."

I saw her lips twitch as anger flared inside her. She tensed up in anger, her nostrils flared as she struggled to bring it under control. Her gray eyes searched my calm visage. I'm pretty sure she could see that I wasn't lying. There's no way I was going to take her shit lying down. I'll fight fire with a flamethrower. I don't care.

She whipped around and stomped out of the bathroom. I leaned back and narrowly avoided her lush black hair from slapping me. I groaned loudly a few seconds later as I finally gave into the pain. My body sagged to the side I gave in to the pain that had throbbed through the entire interaction. It had taken... everything in me to not show the pain front of her.

I'd been lucky that my mishap with the aura was only something between the two of us. Too slight for anyone apart from us to notice. She'd probably shake it off as something wrong with her powers and not something of my doing. I mean, it's a pretty long shot to believe someone is half water and half fire.

I spent a while in the bathroom to gather my composure before finally leaving. I hoped I wouldn’t see her outside. All I wanted was peace and quiet.

Surprisingly enough, Eric and Flo were standing by my locker. My bag dangled from Flo's fingers as they conversed lowly amongst themselves.

"Hey guys." I called out as I approached them. "How's it going?"

Both eyes turned to me as I interrupted their conversation. "How's it-" Flo stared at me incredulously, offended by my casual manner "-How's it going?! Are you nuts!?"

"The case of my mental health aside." I stopped in front of them. My words paused unintentionally as I pushed the pain aside. "I'd like to... know how you guys knew where I was."

Before Flo could burst out again, Eric took the wheels. "Rhaeya approached me right as we were about to leave and asked where you were. I said that I thought you were with her because she'd been training you for the past few months. She seemed confused, said that she hadn't been the one training you." I grimaced as Eric's tone turned biting. "So we decided to confirm what you'd been up to, and with who, in the Common Gym... only to see you fighting Elizabeth."

"Oh." I nodded. "Makes sense." I reached for my locker, Flo moved away. "Thanks for showing up anyway. It felt better having you guys there."

"You're... welcome, I guess." Eric continued as I rummaged through my locker. "But you owe us some answers."

I sighed as I tugged on cloth stuck in the recesses of my locker. "It was Colin. Colin was helping me." I paused as I closed the locker. "Turn away, Eric. I need to change."

Eric threw his hands up and turned his back to me as Flo just hesitantly looked away. A hiss escaped me as tugging the top off pulled at my burns. It barely felt better to tug the clean, if crumpled, garment on. I should’ve kept the burnt tank on, this was rubbing on my skin. "Okay, turn back now."

Eric turned back and frowned. "Why are you wearing a tank again?"

"Because..." I started to walk. The burnt tank was dumped in the dustbin as they followed "...we're supposed to always carry training appropriate clothes. I can't burn my clothes during training and show back up in a hoodie."

"You're lying." Flo's voice was soft.

My heart skipped a beat as I turned to face her. Her baby blues seemed very fragile, on the edge of being hurt.

I decided to joke it off. "About the tank? Not really."

"I'm talking about the training. It couldn't have been Colin."

I let my eyes roam her worried face. Her red hair framed her delicate features, making her seem younger than she was... despite those blue eyes that showed the true brain behind those looks. She was smarter than any of us.

"Why would you say that?" I questioned her back. My voice wobbled a bit, as if I was hurt.

"It's just that..." Flo glanced at Eric. "... Rhaeya said that you learnt some new style of fighting. If you were training with Colin, like you say you have, your fighting style wouldn't have changed."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You know it's not impossible for someone to learn a fighting style on their own." I shrugged. "I mean, you can believe what you want, but I haven't lied to you guys even once."

Lies follow lies. Bluffs follow lies. I'd been lying to them for a long time now. It sickened me how easy it had become. Just look them in the eye and dish it out like apple pie. A fake apple pie.

They both exchanged glances once more and a harsh realisation hit me. In the time that I hadn't been with them, they'd grown closer. Despite all their bickering, they truly trusted each other. They trusted each other more than they ever individually trusted me at this point.

My heart twisted. I was in too deep to get out without hurting somebody in the process. Eventually, I would have to stop. I would have to tell them everything and that would shatter any sort of bond that was left between us.

There was an intense urge to just spill building in me. To tell them everything. They wouldn't go and tell everyone, they were my friends. They will keep my secret.

I swallowed softly, my mind was blank. It's best to come right out and say i-

"I'm sorry." Flo sighed. I stopped breathing with both surprise and dread. "It's just... It feels like we're losing you. That you're not who you used to be anymore." She moved forward. My eyes were wide as her arms went around me and she pressed her face into my shoulder. "The stress of all this would break any person. I'm sorry that you're having to go through all this."

I felt my tongue shrivel up and retract into my gut as she said those words. Any possible openings I had in my mind to broach the subject just evaporated. Eric's hand landing on my shoulder to reassure me just sealed the secrets further.

"Hey,—" I could hear the smile in his voice "—don't you both start crying on me. I will leave you both here."

I forced out a chuckle as I pulled away from Flo. "And I will burn you alive. Don't you threaten me, or I'll make you cry."

My retort lightened the mood among the three of us as we left. They insisted on wanting to stay when they dropped me off, but I shrugged them off. Downplayed my injuries because I'd really had it, and showed my real exhaustion I couldn't lie to them anymore. Not today.

I was having another breakdown. It wasn't a messy tears sort of breakdown like last time. When I'd just collapsed on the side of the road on the way to work. This was different.

There are two types of breakdowns. One where it shows physically. You cry, you scream, you lament your problems and worries to the world. The other one is more silent. You internalise it. All the crying and screaming is inside you. All you can do is let the self-hatred flow over you in waves. There will be breaks where you'll feel nothing, and then it'll all hit you at once. Maybe if it hits strongly enough, you may end up crying. Crying helps more than internalising it. However, sometimes, your body just... doesn't want to.

I was currently in the lull of my waves. Where I was feeling nothing. I decided to do something with this lull. Work around the house, clean up, finish some homework. I decided to start with wrapping myself up with proper bandages and using some cream.

I couldn't face Rhaeya tomorrow after what had happened today, after what I'd said today. I needed to stay away for a day. The gossip about today's fight would be at its height tomorrow. Let Elizabeth have her win. Let people think that she's beat me down so bad, I couldn't even show up to school. The reality will eat her alive bad enough. She doesn't seem like one to allow wrong rumors flourish however they may help her.

I reached for my phone to text Eric about tomorrow but... but I couldn't find it.

My vision blurred over. No matter how much I blinked it wouldn't go away. I hurriedly swiped at my eyes. They cleared up just enough to see my hand reach out to the phone.

I grasped it, raised it to my face as my vision started to blur once mkre. My hands shook as I typed, muscle memory took over to type out the message I needed to send.

Hey.

Not feeling so hot. Won't make it tomorrow. Go without me.

I swiped my eyes once more. The typing bubble popped up. His reply was almost instantaneous.

You okay?

The phone fell from my hand. A loud, heavy clunk on the glass tabletop as I slid off the chair. I could feel the tears roll onto my cheeks. I could hear myself sob but it felt like I was disembodied at the same time. It didn't seem to me like I was the one crying... but I was. It was a simple message. It had a simple answer.

I'm fine.

That's it.

Two words.

But I couldn't get myself to type it.

I wasn't fine.

I wasn't... okay.

As long as I have to keep lying to my friends, I don't think I would be.