Anyone Else But You
Chapter 1
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There was one thing I was absolutely sure about and one thing I wasn't absolutely sure about.
First was the fact that I, Katara Kirima, the straight-edge walking, goody-two-shoes had in fact had done it with the school's number one reject and my best friend, Zuko Sozin.
Second was the fact that I might be pregnant with his baby.
I lay on my bed, a hand draped over my head as I attempt to figure out what to do. Who do you tell? How do you tell? You'd think you'd just walk up to someone and splurt out "Oh hey, I'm pregnant! How unexpected is that?" But I'm pretty sure that's not how people want to be told.
My pyjama bottoms are riding up my leg. I reach and pull them back down, when my hand comes back up it grazes my midriff and a shiver is sent through my whole body. Something could be alive just sitting there, waiting to come out, into the new world. I would have to take care of it, so that would be bye-bye University of British Colombia.
I flip over onto my stomach, my hair hanging in my eyes. For a moment I just sit there, safe from reality behind the brown, tangled, jungle but then I'm ripped out of my sanctuary by a photo sitting on my bedside table.
It's a nice picture. It's of a formal dinner our school had. Zuko is looking extremely uncomfortable in a suit and tie while I stand beside him, smiling widely in a strapless blue dress.
We've been friends forever and now whenever I think of him all I can think about is the fact that we had sex. S.E.X. Sex. It's not like everyone's doing it. I know a few people that have done it and they said it wasn't half bad. Maybe Zuko and I were just inexperienced.
With a flick of my hand I knock the picture off my bedside table. It trips over my iPod and fall behind the realm behind my bed.
Okay. I might be pregnant. Who do I tell first?
My phone is in my hand and I'm clicking the number '7' speed dial to the rescue. The cool plastic rests against my ear as I listen to it ring. Once. Twice. Three times it rings before the line picks up and I hear, "Yo."
"I've got a problem."
"Katara? It's 1 am. What do you need?"
"I think I'm pregnant."
"So who was the lucky man to finally the one to claim Katara Kirima's virginity?"
"Zuko."
"You did Zuko? And now have his baby brewing inside of you. Wow Sugar Queen, I didn't know you had it in you. I'm sure Zuko is delighted that he won't be voted 'Most likely to be a forty-year-old-virgin' in our yearbook."
"Toph. I'm serious."
"I don't know what to say Katara. If that happened to me I'd probably cll you for advice. So just think about you would say to me.
Suddenly the door to my room explodes open and there is my brother, wearing nothing but blue boxers ad a t-shirt. "Sokka!" I yell, jumping at the loud entry. "How much have you heard?"
"Enough! You did Zuko? Out of all people! When I'm done with him he won't be making babies for a very long time." He turns around as if at that moment, aat 1:12am he was going to go beat up Zuko.
"I'll talk to you later Toph, your boyfriend is going insane." I snap the phone shut. "Sokka, don't blame him. It was as much my fault as his."
At this Sokka gives me a blank looks before he starts laughing. Not nervous, fretting laughter but full out, in stitches, laughing.
Between spurts of giggles he manages, "You? You agreed? You've got to be kidding me."
All my worries, fear, anger, confusion and frustration boiled to the top. I brought my right hand and across my brother's face, leaving a stinging red mark behind. The slap seemed to echo as my brother stared, hurt and bewildered, and I glared back. "It's not funny Sokka. We are in serious trouble right now. I'm in serious trouble! I can't have a kid! I'm only 17! This wasn't in my plan!" By now I was sobbing and soon I couldn't force the words out anymore and I collapsed onto my bed, utterly bawling.
My brother walks over and puts an arm around my shoulder. "It's going to be aright Katara. I promise."
Back in grade 5, I managed to start a fire in my house. Well, actually it was Azula's fault but I was blamed but, for the sake of the story, let's just say I did it. This fire killed my mother and gave me a horrible scar on my left eye.
Now think about that guilt, that complete and utter sinking feeling I had when I found out my mother had died because of I fire I had started. Now multiply that a hundred times and that is me, right now.
"Zu-zu, you've been pacing for an hour now and it's interrupting my beauty sleep." My sister in leaning in my doorway, her silk pyjamas shining in the dull moonlight coming in through my window. "Is something wrong?"
She's never cared about me so I snap back, "Nothing's wrong, I just can't sleep."
Azula saunters into my room, and sits on my bed, examining her nails. "Oh c'mon Zu-zu. You can tell your sister anything."
I point at the door, doing my best to keep my temper under control. "Get out. And don't call me that. I have a name."
She ignores me. "You seem tense."
"Out!" I shout at her.
"It's not like you and Katara did it or anything."
I stare at her. I have to hold my fist down from punching something. In my calmest voice, trying to show that she didn't ruffle me whatsoever, I ask, "How did you know!?"
Azula saunters from my room and pauses at the door. "I didn't, you just told me. Funny, I didn't know you had anything to screw her with."
Bested again by my younger sister. One day I'll get her… or something along those lines. As Azula walks away I notice her hair. An odd thing to notice, it wasn't that it was pretty or anything, in fact, Azula took such good care of her hair sometimes it looked too good if you know I mean. What I noticed about it is that it is brown.
Somewhere in my brain the fact that Azula hair was brown linked with the fact that Katara's hair was brown.
Just like that I was back on the subject of Katara. I collapse onto my bed and yell into my pillow.
It was going to be one long week.
Author's Note
Okay, I have a whole summer, who says I can't start as many stories as I want? XD
So this story spawned from a conversation between myself and TrueThinker so this one is all her fault and I swear it was a brilliant idea. She also deserves credit for this one line: "Funny, I didn't know you had anything to screw her with." I laughed so much when I first read this and the rest of it well...
This is loosely based of Juno, but very loosely. Mostly I just took the idea of Zuko and Katara doing it and the repercussions.
Enjoy :D
