A/N: It's been a while since I've been on here, but I was having some Tokka feels and wanted to write a little something. Might be more coming soon. Also, don't own anything At:LA related, just wish I did.

I wasn't the girl to pick flowers or wear fancy dresses or even most days bathe if there wasn't any sort of need to. Katara occasionally muttered about how I was just as gross as any of the boys, and I took it with a sense of pride. Yes, I was like the rest of the boys, not only in my rough mannerisms and hygiene, but I was just as tough as the boys, even stronger than them, at least when it came to Twinkletoes, who was a total wimp, and Sokka, who couldn't do anything to counter my bending. Being thought of as one of them, being better than them, it just proved that my parents were so wrong in all of their assumptions about me. I didn't need them.

Sokka flopped down beside me on the air temple balcony, his body sending vibrations through the ground. I could feel the ebb of my soup through the clay dish. He smelled like sweat and something else… failure. "No meat for the Meathead?" I teased, mouth open, food showing like they'd expect. Underneath the skin, I felt my blood flow more rapidly, heart beat accelerated. I didn't know how the stupid boy did it to me, but he did, and I could only be grateful that I was the only one who knew. Everyone's heart was on display for me, but mine was a secret from the rest. Even Twinkletoes still had some issues with the whole foot-seeing technique. He was a slow learner, and for the most part only used it when we were being attacked.

"It's not like there's any wooly-pigs around here."

I snickered, kicking my feet out.

"Besides, you laze around here all day, getting dirty and not doing much of anything. I'd like to see you find us dinner."

Only a Meathead would make that accusation. I attempted rolling my eyes, not entirely sure if I succeeded in doing it right, but I knew that Sokka probably wouldn't get the message even if I had done it right. "First of all," I started, probably a little bit louder than I should have judging from the way Sokka flinched. I wouldn't let that stop me now though, my anger was too strong. Already I was moving in to a fighting stance, feet firmly planted on the ground. "I spend my day training the Avatar, who as you might remember, needs to master both Earthbending and Firebending before he can defeat the Firelord, and besides that, you go out all day 'hunting' and never come back with anything to show for it. We can at least see Aang getting better at his bending." I heard once that when seeing people get angry, they're vision blurs. Well, mine doesn't because of the whole blind thing, but my eardrums start pounding like war drums.

Sokka began pushing himself up as well, "To- -"

I pressed the heel of my foot in to the ground, a simple motion that didn't break my stride in any way. A few feet behind me, Sokka let out a yelp like I expected he would, a result of the rock that had jumped up and hit him in the forehead. "Don't follow me, I'm out." My bowl clattered to the ground.

"Toph, you know what I mean," Sokka called out weakly. "It's not that you don't do anything, just that you don't help around like Katara does. Yeah, you're training Aang, but what about when Zuko is with him or he's exploring temple, what then?" I could feel his voice straining, but all he'd done is blunder his way in to even more offensive training.

I whirled around, facing his vibrations. "So you're saying that since I don't busy myself all day cooking and cleaning up after you boys and then making sure I'm all pretty and presentable, I'm not important?"

"Calm down Toph. Did you forget that you're practically one of us? It's not like you actually care about what we think of you. You're another guy yourself." I bet Sokka was smiling to himself, thinking that he was in the clear now, but he wasn't.

This was the only time I'd taken offense to someone saying I was like the boys. "No Sokka, I am not a boy. Maybe it's hard to tell under the layer of dirt, but I am a girl, and just because I am doesn't mean I need to rub it in your faces all the time for you to notice me."

"So that's what this is about," he said, the tone in his voice was one that he used when he thought he understood something.

"What are you talking about Meathead?" I demanded.

"You just want us to notice you for the pretty little girly-girl you are. I'll make sure everyone else knows this."

For once I couldn't tell if he was being joking or serious, sarcastic or sincere, and so I turned around and stomped off. This time when I walked away he didn't say anything. He fell back on to the ground and sat there probably proud of this discovery of character he thought he'd made. Too bad he was wrong. I didn't care if anyone else realized I was a girl. I just wanted Aang to look at me as his Sifu, Toph as another member of the gaang, and for Zuko to think I was more than just some kid. Sokka was already my friend, already the person I was most comfortable around and most used to, the partner for my numerous escapades and the teasing companion I needed, but to me, he was really just a guy, and I wanted him to realize that I was a girl.