Catra's feet pounded against the field, but the burn in her muscles was nothing compared to the ache in her chest. The drill was simple enough—run, pivot, kick—but her mind couldn't stop circling around one thing: Adora. She had no reason to care. She had no reason to feel like her chest was about to cave in with the weight of every mistake she'd ever made.

But there it was. That pull. That sting.

Adora, standing just a few feet away, like everything had never changed.

But it had. And whether Catra wanted to admit it or not—it was her fault.

Practice finally ended. Catra didn't bother changing in the locker room, she didn't feel like the stares would be anything but damaging to her today.

She made her way back to the dorms. The early morning had faded into the afternoon. The sun was shining more harshly than it had before, the morning dew disappearing into the hot wind. Students were out and about, discovering the campus and getting to know each other. The last thing that Catra wanted to do.

The burn in her legs and the sweat dripping from her head just made her want to pass out on the nearest bed. She could only imagine how bad it would be when practice started going late into the night after hours of classes. She grimaced at the thought.

She ducked into the dormitories, day two of the brightness and Catra still felt like she was in a hospital, the bright lights boring into her.

Catra pushed open the door to the dorm, the familiar sound of music and laughter spilling out from the hallway, clashing with the numbness that settled over her. She didn't feel like being anywhere near people right now, especially not Scorpia, with her endless energy and overenthusiastic attempts to make them best friends.

The room was quiet when she stepped inside. Scorpia's side was still decorated with a ridiculous number of plants and motivational posters, but at least it was hers. Catra's side of the room remained untouched—sparse. The bed was made, but her things lay scattered in the duffel bag, half-unpacked, just like everything else in her life.

She dropped her bag on the floor with a heavy sigh, too tired to deal with anything else. The sweat was starting to dry on her skin, and the air felt stuffy, not cool enough to make her feel any better.

A soft knock on the door made her jump.

"Catra?" Scorpia's voice floated through. "Hey, you okay?"

Catra froze. She could feel the weight of the question hanging there. Am I okay?
Her mind was still too tangled up with Adora and the growing knot in her stomach to process anything else. She could hear Scorpia shifting outside the door, probably looking at her side of the room with a hopeful grin that Catra didn't know how to answer.

She inhaled sharply, smoothing down her hair before pulling open the door. "Yeah, just tired. Practice was rough."

Scorpia's face lit up with concern. "Oh no, do you want to talk about it? Or like... do you need a snack? I've got a stash of protein bars, and I'm pretty sure the oatmeal is magic or something."

Catra resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn't that Scorpia was being annoying—she wasn't—but Catra wasn't in the mood for cheerful. She just wanted some peace. Some quiet.

"No, I'm fine," Catra muttered, trying to mask the exhaustion in her voice. "Just need some rest."

Scorpia seemed to accept it, though there was a small frown that creased her brow. "Okay... but if you need me, I'm here. You know that, right?"

Catra nodded, then closed the door before she could say anything else.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Scorpia's kindness—it was just... too much. She needed time to process. Time to figure out how to handle all of this—college, soccer, her new life—and especially Adora. She leaned against the door, letting out a long breath as the silence swallowed her whole.

"Move schools?" Catra echoed, her heart suddenly racing, the pit in her stomach deepening.

Adora hesitated before nodding. "Yeah... I don't know, I just... I might. It's not definite, but... I had to ask."

Catra swallowed, pushing down the spike of fear that rose in her chest. "Why would you want to go anywhere?" She forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow to her own ears. "You're not going anywhere, Adora. No one's leaving."

But deep down, she wasn't sure whether she was reassuring Adora, or herself.

Adora bit her lip harder, almost drawing blood. "It's a really good school, for smart people, Mara said–"

"So Mara is making you go?" Catra asked with anger in her veins. Even as a child she had anger issues, ones that got rooted into her with all of Weaver's outbursts.

"No–she's not-"

"So you want to go? You want to leave me" The words fell venomous from her tongue, Adora's eyes widened, she shook her head.

"No–that's not-"

"Then what is it?" she asked, her voice hurt but also anger. Anger that Adora wanted to leave her.

Adora shook her head, her voice small. "It's just a good opportunity Catra"

Catra's voice was tight as she repeated, "So you want to leave me for some 'opportunity'?"

Adora hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "It's not like that, Catra. It's a good chance for me—"

"I don't care about your 'good chance,'" Catra cut her off, her words sharp. "You're just going to leave, like it's nothing."

Adora's face faltered. "I don't want to leave you, Catra. But I want more for myself. Why can't you understand that?"

Catra's heart squeezed painfully. "Why are you making this so hard? Why does anything have to change? We have everything, and now you just want to throw it away?"

"I'm not throwing it away!" Adora's voice cracked, frustration and hurt clouding her eyes. "But you're acting like I'm betraying you. I can't shove myself in a box because you don't want me to leave!"

Catra broke out of her trance. Replaying that day in her mind, like a broken record that played when the silence got too long. All Adora wanted was Catra to support her. But Catra—she blew it out of proportion, she was supposed to be there for her best friend. And all she did was turn on her at the first sign of trouble.

She was older now, supposed to be more mature, but the ghost of that moment still clung to her. Adora had wanted support, and all Catra could give her was anger and fear. It was so childish, but wasn't that what they'd always been to each other—children trying to carve out something bigger than themselves?

She sighed, her body ached and she desperately needed a shower. She could already smell her sweat. She pushed down the turmoil, ignoring the thoughts that swirled like a tornado in her mind.

The shower felt nice on her skin, the cold water cleansing her of her thoughts and sweat. The cold water felt like ice being dumped on her, waking her up—making her feel more alive. It soothed the aching in her legs—it always felt nice being clean. She stepped out, the cold dorm air hitting her—though it was better than being hot and sticky.

She sat on the edge of her bed, drying her hair off. She'd always thought about cutting it. Maybe—maybe it was time. She ran her fingers through her wild hair. It would grow back, it was just hair. And right now, she needed something she could control. Something that was hers.

She changed into shorts and a sports bra, heading to the bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair, the strands feeling so familiar under her fingertips. But also a weight. The weight of who she was. Who she had been.

Before she could stop herself, she started cutting. The hair dropping to the ground. Falling like tears all around her. The tears she didn't dare let go from her eyes.

She looked up, her once wild hair—ones that signified her boldness, her determination. Gone.

She covered her mouth to let out a gasp. Her reflection looked like another girl and she trembled slightly. She'd never cut her hair, and if you asked her last year she would have laughed in the person's face.

She didn't look bad, she was Catra, she never looked bad. She took the scissors in her hands again, the blade feeling more in control in her hand the second time. She took a breath, there was no going back now.

She cleaned up the choppy edges, her cat ears looked big under the now short strands. It was a cute pixie cut. It didn't look bad, just—different. It wasn't an unwelcome change. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

Suddenly, the dorm door opened.

"Hey, wildcat! Dinner's starting, and I wanted to know if—"

Catra's eyes met Scorpia's, her mouth falling open. A tense silence hung between them for a moment, like a stretching rubber band.

Catra's heart raced in her chest, and her palms felt clammy. She could barely breathe, her voice trembling. "Is it bad?"

The silence stretched, thick and unbearable, before Scorpia shook her head, her grin widening by the second. Her eyes were sparkling with warmth. "It's so... cute!"

Catra exhaled a long, quiet sigh, the tension melting from her body. 'Thank the lord.' At least someone liked it.

Before she could even register the relief, Scorpia launched forward, pulling her into a tight hug. "Personal space! Personal space!" Catra squeaked, squirming in her grasp.

"Sorry, it's just... so adorable!" Scorpia let go, her sheepish smile still wide. "Your ears look so cute!"

Catra flushed a little, uncomfortable with the word "cute" slipping into the conversation. Asshole, snarky, bitchy? Sure. Cute? Not in her vocabulary. "I... I just thought it was time for a change, ya know?" She shrugged, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, trying to ignore the way her cheeks felt like they might spontaneously combust.

Scorpia's smile stretched even wider, if possible, and Catra immediately regretted that little speech. Knowing Scorpia would mistake it for a big bonding moment.

Scorpia practically bounced on her toes as she pulled open the door, gesturing for Catra to follow. "Come on, wildcat, food's calling our names!" She shot a grin over her shoulder, clearly more excited than Catra was about the idea of a meal.

Catra rolled her eyes but followed anyway, her new short hair feeling oddly light with each step. She'd have to eat at some point. Catra felt relieved once again that no one knew her so they wouldn't notice that 90% of her hair was gone.

The dorm building was alive with chatter, students huddled in groups and passing by, their energy buzzing in the air. Catra felt weird with her hair gone, what once fell down her shoulders like a cape was now just barely below her ears.

Scorpia didn't seem to catch the fact that Catra didn't feel like chatting, telling Catra anything and everything that filled her mind.

"I met this girl yesterday! Entrapta! She's like really smart, though she kept saying stuff about codes that I didn't really understand'

Catra blocked her out, her eyes falling around campus. Now that it was late afternoon, it was quite pretty—that was when you weren't trying not to die of heat stroke.

Students were playing football in the center of the Quad, others occupying benches with friends. Catra made a mental note of the layout of campus. Trying to memorize it before classes start. Classes. She mentally groaned.

As if high school wasn't long and boring enough, she dreaded class. She had a horrible time focusing and wasn't the brightest. Reason why she was on scholarship for soccer and not something real like math or history majors.

She felt a little bit like a fraud. All of these kids got here for actually being smart or having a talent. All she did was kick a ball into a net and got shipped off here.

"And then there is Perfuma!" Scorpia said. Snapping Catra from her spiralling thoughts and back to the noisy present.

Catra hummed in acknowledgement, "That's your girlfriend, right? You mentioned her. Plus there is a photo of you two on your wall"

Scorpia smiled, a wave of fondness falling on her face that nobody could miss. "Yeah, she's awesome. She's really into plants! She even runs the gardens here!"

Catra nodded. She wondered what it would be like. To be with someone, to have someone like that. She shook the intruding thoughts, she didn't need that right now.

As they neared the dining hall, the noise from inside grew louder, filled with clattering trays and bursts of laughter. Catra's stomach tightened—not just from hunger but the idea of navigating the chaos of new faces and social dynamics. She didn't know anyone here except for Scorpia, and even then, they weren't exactly friends. Yet.

Scorpia beamed at her, oblivious to the tension in Catra's posture. "Oh, this is gonna be so great! I heard they have like, three different kinds of pasta today! Do you like pasta?"

Catra shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Awesome! Oh, and they've got these desserts too. I think they're called macarons? Entrapta was raving about 'em. She said they look like tiny UFOs."

Catra snorted despite herself. "Tiny UFOs? Sure, that makes sense."

The automatic doors of the dining hall whooshed open, blasting them with cool air. Catra's senses were hit by the overwhelming smell of food and the bustling crowd inside. Tables filled with students sprawled across the hall, trays piled with food. The noise was almost deafening.

Catra scanned the room, already thinking about which corner looked least likely to attract attention. Scorpia was already heading toward the food line, waving for her to follow. Catra sighed and trudged after her.

Catra stood in line with her, blocking out the chatter around her, including Scorpia. Her eyes fell on a table, she recognized the girls from the soccer team. It seemed fitting that they all sat together, all of them but Catra. She felt obliged to keep it that way. Her eyes flicked to the familiar blonde ponytail, the girl was talking to some pink haired chick. Catra recognized the girl.

Whenever the Horde had a game against Brightmoon in high school she and some other guy were always there for Adora. Catra was too busy making Adora's life hell to even find out their names.

That thought made her stomach churn, the rising guilt filling her chest. Her hands became clammy and she gripped her arm harder. Her nails dug into her arm slightly but not enough to draw blood.

As they moved through the line, the din of laughter and conversations pressed against Catra's ears. She kept her eyes down, focusing on the slow shuffle of feet in front of her. The apple she grabbed felt cool and firm in her hand, but the mere thought of biting into it twisted her stomach into knots.

Scorpia, oblivious to her internal turmoil, was practically bouncing on her heels, her tray piled high with pasta, bread rolls, and a colorful salad. "You sure that's all you want?" she asked, nodding toward Catra's lone apple.

"Yeah," Catra muttered. "Not that hungry."

Scorpia frowned but didn't push it, which Catra appreciated. They made their way toward an empty table near the wall, but just as Catra was about to sit, Scorpia paused, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh! There's Entrapta!" Scorpia waved enthusiastically at a girl with wild lavender hair sitting with a group near the center of the room. "We should totally join them!"

Catra stiffened. Her instinct was to say no, to find a shadowy corner and stay invisible. But Scorpia was already halfway to the table, looking back expectantly.

Great.

Reluctantly she followed after Scorpia. She felt gazes follow her as she took a seat at the table. Entrapta also wasn't eating, typing away on her computer, a look of concentration on her face. Catra sighed, rolling the apple around in the palm of her hand. She didn't even feel like eating that anymore.

Scorpia leaned over Entrapta, her mouth already stuffed with food. "What are you working on?"

Entrapta looked up, noticing Catra for the first time since they sat down. Her purple hair was pulled into two pigtails and she wore overalls, one strap falling down. She smiled at Scorpia," I've been working on a way to reduce latency in neural net processing by integrating a hybrid quantum algorithm, but the energy consumption was way off the charts. So I thought, what if I just rerouted the entire system through a multi-threaded parallel channel and—guess what? It totally worked! Well, kind of. There was a small explosion. But only a little one. Nothing that can't be fixed with some titanium alloy and a soldering iron."

Catra blinked, barely able to process half of what Entrapta had just said. "Uh... cool?"

"Right?! Super cool!" Entrapta grinned, waving her fork like it was a conductor's baton. "Oh, and—"

Catra just nodded. Not understanding a word of what Entrapta was saying. Her eyes pulled from Entrapta to the soccer table. She noticed some girls glancing at her, one whispered to Adora then back up to Catra.

Scorpia didn't seem to notice the tenseness in Catra's shoulders because she waved happily to Adora, who just gave a small nod in return.

Catra felt her face burn, looking down at her lap. Blood rushed through her ears, already assuming all the rumors that would go around. She knew some of the girls would recognize her as the crazy horde soccer player. She wasn't exactly—tame, during highschool.

"You cheated!" A girl called. It was after a soccer game against Brightmoon, Catra had a habit of playing dirty.

"Did not! You're just mad you can't keep the ball to save your life" she told the girl. Her legs ached from the game and sweat stuck to her forehead. The locker rooms were muggy, but so was everything in the Horde.

"Fucking prick" the girl muttered.

Suddenly the girl was slammed up against the wall, hard. Gasps ringing out in the locker room, Catra's teammates cheering her on.

"The fuck did you just call me?" Catra asked, venom in her tone.

"Enough!"

Suddenly a girl pulled Catra off. Adora. She stepped in front of the girl, hand on Catrra's shoulder. "Leave it. She's not worth it"

Catra scoffed, pushing her hand off her. "Don't fucking touch me. I don't need your help"

Adora's gaze hardened. A flicker of hurt and anger coursing through her. Her blue eyes that were once soft were now piercing. "I was just trying to help," she mumbled. "You don't need to be so harsh about it"

Catra scoffed, fists clenched. She spoke through gritted teeth. "Well I don't need your help, or you. Never did"

She pushed past Adora, ignoring the look of hurt that stuck to the blonde's face, or the glossy tint in her eyes.

"Catra?"

Catra shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. She looked up at Scorpia, the look of worry prominent on her face. Catra realized she had no idea what was just said.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were okay? You look—out of it" Scorpia said softly. The concern etched on every part of her face.

Catra stood up, her legs a little wobbly from the thoughts. The chatter and noise around her cutting through her daydreams—well day nightmares—like a knife. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a little sick, must have not drank enough water at practice"

Scorpia frowned, "Are you sure-I can walk you back, or get you water or—"

Catra nodded, cutting her off. "Totally. I'm gonna head back to the dorms–but you stay and have fun"

The last thing Catra needed was Scorpia