CHAPTER 162: RECONCILIATION

Round after round, the battle raged between both girls...

Tasha summoned a storm of lightning, bolts raining down like divine judgment. Cassandra answered with a whirlwind of fire, the flames twisting into a dragon that clashed against the storm.

She feinted left, then blasted a superheated jet of flames from her palm. Tasha ducked, the fire scorching the air above her as she countered with a thunderclap at point-blank range.

Neither fighter yielded. Neither one could.

Their abilities were too evenly matched—fire and lightning, destruction and speed, each canceling the other out in a relentless cycle.

The arena trembled. The air itself burned.

Mrs. Valerie watched, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Even she couldn’t predict a winner.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Cassandra leapt back, panting, her flames flickering. Tasha stood opposite her, electricity dancing across her skin, her breath just as ragged.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other. Like as if they’d made a silent agreement to let each other catch a breath.

The arena fell into an eerie stillness as they stood apart, chests heaving, the air between them crackling with more than just the remnants of their powers. The crowd’s murmurs faded into background noise as something far more profound unfolded in that charged silence.

Cassandra chuckled breathlessly, wiping sweat from her brow. The flames at her fingertips flickered weakly. "You’re holding back, Tasha," she teased, though her voice lacked its usual bite.

Tasha exhaled sharply, electricity skittering across her skin like static. "I could say the same for you, Ms. Sparkles."

Cassandra’s eyes hardened. "You don’t get to call me that... not anymore."

Tasha nodded, her smile tinged with regret. "Of course." A beat passed before she added softly, "But y’know, I was there the day you got that nickname." A quiet chuckle escaped her.

Cassandra didn’t respond, but the tension in her shoulders eased just slightly.

"It was the day we went to take our braces off," Tasha continued, voice warm with memory. "Do you remember?"

Cassandra sighed, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah. You, me, and Jessica. But Jessica was scared to go to the dentist, so she hid in the freezer." A small laugh bubbled up. "But she accidentally locked herself in."

Tasha’s laughter rang clear, bright against the weight of the moment. "Yeah, and by the time we got back, she was frozen solid—face all blue and shivering." Her smile softened. "Then you tried to warm her up with your flames."

Cassandra groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, but all I could manage was a pathetic flicker from one finger." She held up her hand, mimicking the weak flame. "Like some dumb candle. All it did was light up the room."

Tasha giggled. "I thought it was cute."

"Ugh, Mom thought so too," Cassandra muttered, though her tone lacked real venom. "That’s why she gave me that stupid nickname. God, I hated it."

Tasha’s grin widened. "I know. That’s why I teased you with it every single day."

Cassandra barked out a laugh, sudden and unrestrained. "Hah! I hated you for that, y’know. And I always tried to get back at you, but..." Her laughter faded into something quieter, almost fond. "Geez, you were just so... impossible to stay mad at. I couldn’t bring myself to not love you."

The words lingered between them, heavier than any blow they’d exchanged.

Tasha exhaled, her gaze dropping to the scorched arena floor. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper.

"Do you... still love me?"

The air stilled.

Cassandra’s breath caught. For a heartbeat, the mask of indifference slipped—just enough for Tasha to see the storm beneath. The raw, unguarded something that flickered in her eyes before she swallowed it down.

"I... I don’t know," Cassandra admitted, voice rough.

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the crowd felt it. And although they were wondering why the fighting had ceased, they didn’t complain either. They could tell that something was going on with the old friends and they didn’t want to interrupt.

Jayden, watching from the stands, leaned forward, his enhanced hearing catching every word of their conversation.

Back in the ring, Tasha and Cassandra stood frozen, the weight of months of unsaid words pressing down on them.

Then, abruptly, Cassandra straightened, flames roaring back to life around her fists.

"Come on," she snapped, voice sharp. "Let’s get on with the fight and finish what we really came here for."

But Tasha didn’t move. Didn’t so much as twitch toward a fighting stance. She just.... looked at Cassandra, her expression unbearably open.

"What if I don’t wanna fight anymore?" she said suddenly.

Cassandra scoffed. "You can’t be serious."

But Tasha didn’t blink. Didn’t waver. The resolve in her eyes was absolute.

Cassandra realized Tasha wasn’t kidding, and this made her surprised. She took a step forward, voice like steel. "Fighting’s not an option when you’re in the ring, Tasha. You have to fight... or suffer the consequences of not fighting."

Tasha shrugged, careless. "I don’t care about the consequences. I just want to stay here, look you in the eye, and tell you..." She hesitated, throat working. Then, softer: "Tell you that I’m sorry."

Cassandra’s flames died. Just—snuffed out. Her lips parted slightly. "Wh—what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tasha stepped closer, voice thick. "I’m sorry, Cassie. For everything. For hurting you. For what I said that day. For ruining our friendship. Ruining us. I’m really sorry."

Cassandra’s breath hitched. She shook her head, disbelief and something dangerously close to hope warring in her expression. "No, you—you can’t say that now. Why are you saying that now?"

Tasha sighed, exhaustion lining every word. "I don’t know. I’m just... tired. Tired of fighting you. Tired of pretending to hate you... cause I don’t. I still care about you. And I can’t keep doing this. So please... just forgive me. I’m sorry, Cassie. I really am."

Cassandra’s face darkened. "It’s too late for apologies, Tasha. You know that." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You’ve had months to say this. But you didn’t. So why here? Why now?"

Tasha didn’t answer. She just held her gaze, guilt and something softer shining in her eyes.

Cassandra’s fists clenched. The air around her warped with heat. "Answer me, Tasha! Why now?!"

Tasha flinched but held her ground. "Please, Cassie. I already told you I’m tired of fighting and pretending. We’re fighting out of hatred. But this was supposed to be a simple duel, not a war. And I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I... I don’t want to fight you. Not like this. And I know deeo down, you don’t wanna fight me either."

Cassandra laughed... a cold, hollow sound. "That’s funny. Because I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. And I won’t let you ruin it." Her voice turned to ice. "I don’t care about hatred or feelings, I just want to settle an old score. So yes, I definitely wanna fight you."

Tasha shook her head. "I won’t fight you, Cassie."

Cassandra’s smile was razor-sharp, her voice ice-cold. "Well... I will."

Then—

She moved.

One second, she was standing there. The next, she was gone.

And the moment Cassandra vanished, time seemed to slow.

Tasha barely had a second to register the shift in the air before—

BAM!

A fist wreathed in flames slammed into her gut, the impact driving the breath from her lungs. Her eyes flew wide, a choked gasp escaping her lips as her knees buckled beneath her. The sheer force of the blow... fueled by months of pent-up anger and hurt, sent shockwaves of pain through her body.

The crowd erupted in gasps. The strongest student in Eleanora High had just been brought to her knees.

Cassandra loomed over Tasha, fist still crackling with fire and aimed at Tasha’s head for the finishing blow. Her expression was unreadable. Unpredictable.

And for a heartbeat, she hesitated... just long enough for Tasha to raise her head, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Come on," Tasha whispered, voice raw. "Do it. I know you want to. And I know I deserve it. So do it... just do it."

Cassandra’s fist trembled. The flames flickered.. then died. "I can’t." she shuddered.

And then—

She crumpled.

Her knees hit the ground with a dull thud, bringing her eye-level with Tasha, her own tears now spilling freely.

"I can’t do it." she whispered.

Tasha sighed deeply. She was a bit relieved to hear that.

"Why, Tasha?" Cassandra continued, her voice cracked. "Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? Why didn’t you apologize the next day? I thought you would, but you never did."

Tasha exhaled shakily. "I don’t know. Maybe I believed I wasn’t the one at fault. Maybe I was too guilty to face you... or maybe I just thought you would apologize first."

Cassandra let out a wet chuckle. "Y’know I almost called you the next day. To say I was sorry. To tell you we were still friends." She wiped her face roughly. "But I was so mad. And stupidly, I thought... you’d call me first."

She laughed bitterly. "But you didn’t. So I told myself, Screw Tasha, I don’t need her." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But that was a lie. And I knew it. I just... kept lying to myself. And after a while, it was easier to believe it."

Her gaze met Tasha’s, vulnerable and open for the first time in months.

"I do love you, Tasha. And I still care about you. But I was too scared to admit it—because I was the one who ruined everything. If I’d just trusted you, if I hadn’t gone behind your back to carry out those crazy plans I had... we’d still be friends. And I wouldn’t have had to pretend to hate you."

Tasha’s expression softened. "Hey... you don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s okay, I understand."

Cassandra shook her head. "No, it’s not okay. This is my fault. I’m the one who should be punished. You were innocent in all of this."

"No, I wasn’t," Tasha said firmly. "I said things I shouldn’t have said. Did things I shouldn’t have done. And If I hadn’t said or did those things... we’d still be us. But it’s not too late. We can fix this. Fix us. Go back to how things were before that dumb election."

Cassandra snorted. "It truly was a dumb election."

Tasha grinned. "Yeah well, I won that dumb election because of you. And only you. Because let’s face it, if Megan didn’t drop out of the race, I never would have stood a chance."

Cassandra smirked. "You don’t know that for sure."

Tasha smiled softly. "But you did. And that was why you convinced her to apply for the global tournament."

Cassandra’s eyes widened in surprise. "Wait. How did you know that?"