The day was dreary and hot, dragonflies dancing on the wind's breath and over a pond water's ripples. Occationally there was a cloud or two floating above in the blue sky, and birds flew by with happy songs. And there were six teenagers at the pond, some playing in the chilled water, others laughing at the playful ones; but one wasn't so water-friendly.

"It's way too hot out here..." A young girl sat at the edge of the water, her feet kicking in the cool liquid as she leaned back on her arms. "Don't you guys want to go inside or something?" She sighed, noticing how she got no one's attention, and flipped her black hair over her shoulder, which landed to her mid-back. It was amazing on how fast her hair grew, it had only been two years since the war ended. Hm...two years, huh? She thought. That meant this was the first time in the last year that she had met up with the five in front of her. Not much point to it, though...every time we've met, they somehow end up blocking me out anyway...how boring...

Not sure how to react with this painful realization at the age of fourteen, the young earthbender pulled her feet out of the water and slowly stood up. The old man that sat in the corner under an umbrella silently sipping tea noticed Toph heading inside the summer house, and smile over to her.

"Ah, young Toph. Would you care for some tea?" But the girl only sighed before walking over to the chubby man. She had only met him towards the end of the war, and she had never seen him angry.

"Iroh,"

"Oh no, no! I told you to call me Uncle!" Corrected Iroh with a smile. She only shrugged before continuing.

"Why are you drinking tea on such a hot day?" In response, he poored Toph a cup of tea, and handed it to her. Her fingers jumped at the coldness of the cup; it was ice tea. "Oh...I see..."

"Try to enjoy today a little bit, Toph. You've got a week here with your friends, be happy!" He laughed, his belly moving this way and that. Toph sighed, her eyelids falling over her light green eyes.

"They're taking care of that for me." She said, pointing over at the five others who continuously splashed around. "It's kinda sad, though..." Toph said before chugging the rest of her tea, and then standing up, "I can't have fun with them, even at my own house." With that, she opened the back door to her (rather large) home and slammed it shut. The fire lord stepped out of the pond now, and took a towel from beside Iroh.

"Is Toph mad or something?" He asked as he rubbed the towel on his head, looking at the door she had just shut. His uncle only replied with a sigh.

"You kids...you need to clean your ears out." Zuko only blinked in response.

Toph leaned her head in to the living room, calling out to her friends that were sitting around aimlessly. "Do you guys want anything? I'm going out to the store." They turned to the earthbender and started calling out requests, but the avatar, Aang, immideatly stood up and walked over to Toph, causing her to stand up straight. "W...what is it twinkle toes?" She asked in confusion as he leaned forward. She hated that he went through puberty...he was taller than her now.

"You're wearing makeup!" Before Toph could breathe, the rest of the group was crowding around her.

"Ah! It's true! Since when have you worn make up, Toph? It looks good on you!" Katara said, giggling. "And you're wearing such a silky dress!"

"Well my parents are sending me clothes and money every month, I found it useless to go out and buy other clothes instead..." Toph explained. Her parents still wanted to spoil her when she came back after the war, but she didn't want that. So they compromised: They would send her any where in the Earth Kindgom, as long as she stayed there. She decided to move only a little way from home (only to the edge of the city), seeing that it wouldn't be that different from living at her old one. Sokka started to pull Toph's cheek, and she stomped her foot down, causing rocks to quickly startle Sokka, and knock him down. The group laughed as he growled from the ground.

"Hey! What was that for?!" He yelled.

"I'm not a kid anymore, so quit pulling my cheeks!" She retorted, stomping again and scaring Sokka with more earthbending before turning around and walking towards the door, a grin pulling at her lips. She had to admit, she had missed doing that. It was then that she felt some one running from behind her, and she, realizing who it was, stopped to wait for them. "What is it Zuko? Did you want something else?" Zuko looked down at the blind girl, not sure what to say. After a bunch of bluntly confused questions to his uncle, he finally realized that Toph felt a little lonely, even with her friends there. Sure, they weren't the closest, but he did feel bad for leaving her alone again. So he was here now, trying to think of something to say.

"Uncle wanted me to get him some...tea!" Toph tilted her head. "That's it, tea!"

"But doesn't he have tea? We bought his favorite kind before you guys came." Zuko looked at her, surprised that she actually knew what his favorite tea was. He tried to think of something else, but in the end, just sighed. Toph finally realized that he just wanted to tag along, and so she turned around and started to walk. "Well you can think of what kind of tea he wants on the way, hurry up!" Zuko caught up with a smile on his lips.

"You really did that at the meeting? Are you really that much of an airhead?! Mashed potatoes!" Toph burst in to laughter as Zuko explained his first '4 kingdoms meeting' in the fire nation when the war was over. He wasn't sure on how to begin, so he stood up as they ate dinner to announce something, only to trip on his long cloak, and fall in to the mashed potatoes in front of him. They all laughed at him, and it took a while to start things up again. "Unbelievable...I thought Aang would do that sort of thing...but you? Wow...are you sure you're not an airbender?" She joked, jabbing him in the stomach with her elbow. He grunted just like he always did, and Toph sighed quietly; she had missed that too. As Zuko rubbed his stomach, people around them stared, wondering why they were playing around in a store. Zuko looked apologetically at them before they resumed their shopping. Once they had finished, Toph and Zuko picked up the bags they had and walked out of the store. But another motion caught Toph's attention, this one she couldn't remember where she had felt it. "Zuko, do you see something over there? Like a wheel barrel or something?" She asked, pointing to where she felt what ever it was. Zuko blinked, looking over, and smiled at what he saw.

"Teo!" Toph blinked, what was a Teo? It started to roll up to them.

"What a weird name for a wheel barrel..." She said before another voice was heard laughing.

"I'm not a wheel barrel! It's me, Teo! The guy who glides in that wheel barrellooking thing." Toph thought for a moment, and then remembered.

"Oh yeah! I remember you! Teo! What's up?" She asked, walking up and finding his head so she could pat him with her free hand. "What are you doing here?" He laughed again, happy to see his old friends. Thought the three of them never really got a chance to become as close as Aang and himself, he was glad to see them.

"My father and I decided to move from the Northern Air Temple, and come live here!" Toph smiled.

"That's awesome! Now I have some one to hang out with!" Teo blinked at the two.

"What are you doing in the earth kingdom, Zuko?" Zuko told him that he was visiting Toph with the others. "Eh? Are you living here too Toph? I thought you lived in the central part of the earth kingdom!" Toph explained her move once again, and Teo sighed at her.

"Must be nice to be so rich..." Toph, not liking being called a rich person, stomped her foot and caused Teo to be lifted up in to the air on a slice of rock. He yelped as Toph screamed at him.

"Take that back!" She yelled, Zuko trying to restrain her. "Take that back right now!" Teo stuttered a sorry as he was lifted higher in to the air by the rock.

"Toph! What's gotten in to you! Stop it!" The young fire lord commanded.

"I hate it when people call me rich! It's annoying! So..." She lifted her foot up higher, ready to throw it down, but Zuko picked her up so that her feet couldn't touch the ground. "Hey! Let me go Zuko!" She yelled in annoyance.

"Not until you calm down! Sheesh, what's wrong with you? Just because someone gave you a compliment, you've got to start bashing people? Enough!" Toph stopped struggling and faced Zuko in surprise. She had never heard him so aggresive since before he became a good guy. She shut her mouth and closed her eyes before finally ripping out of his grip.

"Okay okay, I get it!" She slammed her foot on the ground again and Teo was lowered to the ground.

"I...I'm s-sorry, Toph! I didn't know you were offended by that!" Teo said as he rolled closer. Toph only looked away with a humph before walking away. Zuko apologized for her outrageous actions.

"I'm sorry about that Teo. I never would have expected her to be so rash still, even after all these years." Zuko said with a sigh. "She's stubborn, mean, and lately she's gotten--" Zuko looked up to see Teo looking after her, blush hanging on his cheeks.

"She's become amazing..." He said, a smile riding his lips. Zuko looked at him strangely, and Teo looked up at him. "I never knew she was like this!"

"Do you mind if I come in for a little while?" Teo was now on his crutches, standing at Toph's door as Katara opened the door. She greeted him with a happy hug as the others came from behind.

"Teo! What a coincidence! Toph was just talking about you!" Teo's cheeks glinted bright red, looking up in alertness.

"Where is she, though? Isn't this her house?" Sokka and Aang leaned on each other, sighing.

"That's just the thing," Sokka started.

"When she finished ranting about you and Zuko, she went out again." Zuko looked at his feet, worried that she was angry at him, Teo feeling the same.

"I'm going to go look for her!" Zuko and Teo yelled. The two boys looked at each other, and then pointed to themselves, "I made her mad!" They lowered their fingers and stared in silence; they did it again.

"Let's just go." Zuko said with a sigh, walking from the door and out in to the night. Teo waved to the others before following suit.

"What is it with this place? How can they not have those chips in any of the stores?" Toph sighed, exiting her thirteenth store, looking for simply a bag of chips. She threw her head to the side, knocking the hair out of her face (even if she couldn't see, it was still annoying...).

"There she is! Toph!" She turned to feel Teo and Zuko, who were now running towards her.

"What's going on you guys?" She asked casually. The two stood up straight and looked at each other strangely as Toph stared in their direction.

"Aren't you mad at us?" Teo asked, confused. Toph tilted her head.

"Why would I be mad at you?" The two boys tried to explain,

"Well...I called you rich and you got mad..."

"And I yelled at you like you were a kid."

"And then," They said in unison, "you stormed off!" The two looked at each other again, starting to feel uncomfortable with their weird syncs. But Toph only responded by laughing, gripping her stomach.

"What...what are you guys talking about?" She wiped her tear away and sighed, focusing again. "I'll admit I was a little mad at both of you, but most of it was just stubbornness!" They looked at her in confusion still.

"But...then why didn't you come home?" Zuko asked, Teo nodding in the back. She blinked, explaining that she forgot to look for her favorite snack, and none of the stores seemed to have them. "What on earth could you be looking for?" He asked, looking at the stubborn girl in front of him.

"Those chips Iroh gave me when you guys came! They were so good!" She said, licking her lips as she thought about them. "I've been going around, asking stores if they sell them." She sighed, "But no luck." Zuko sighed as well, and Teo and Toph looked at him.

"You can only get those in the fire nation...we haven't expanded them out yet." When Toph looked down in aggrevation (she had been searching for an hour), Zuko caught her attention again. "But..if you really want some, I have two more bags of that stuff in my room." Toph grinned, and punched him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Zuko!" Teo smiled, feeling a little jealous, and even more left out. Teo let out a little sigh, and Toph turned to the young brunette.

"By the way, Teo," She said as he snapped his head back up. She grinned over to him as Zuko rubbed his shoulder, "just for the record, I wasn't trying to be mean earlier. I'm a little touchy on the subject of family still, it seems." Teo nodded, and Toph continued. "But you know, you're very nice. Don't change that part of you." Teo found himself blushing, not knowing what to say. The girl in front of him was so strong, it amazed him. Teo admited to having a bit of a weak heart when people insulted him; he was a bit of a chicken. But Toph was different...it was as if she were a normal person who could see you clearly--no, a girl with extraordinary power, that could see you inside out. How interesting she is, he thought, she is a very proud earthbender...a very proud person in general...I wish I could be like her, sometimes.

"You're amazing, Toph! I really admire you!" Teo said, gripping her hands in his as he leaned his crutches under his arms. She blinked, trying to understand what he was saying as he continually praised her. Zuko looked at him with a grin, seeing his clear crush on Toph.

"Would you mind if Teo came for dinner, Toph?" The firebender asked.

"Huh?" Toph asked in confusion.

"Oh, now I see...everyone is staying here for a week. How fun!" Teo said with a smile as he sat down for dinner with everyone.

"Won't your dad wonder where you are, Teo?" Katara asked as she walked from the kitchen with a dish in her hands. "It is just the two of you, after all." Teo smiled,

"It's alright. He works a night shift, and I told him I'd be eating out for dinner. He's not worried." He said as he took the plate passed over to him by Sokka.

"I see you're finally going through puberty, little dude!" Sokka said to the brunette with a grin, hitting his shoulder. "You look taller, even when you're sitting down!" He ruffled his hair with a wide grin. "And you've got some muscle now, too!"

"Are you sure you like girls?" Toph interjected, "You notice a little to much on the boy." The group laughed loudly as Toph and Sokka began to argue.

"I'm engaged to Suki! Of course I like girls!"

"I'm sure it was blackmail...it had to be."

"Stop it Toph!" He said, slamming his fist on the table.

"Be truthful, Sokka, be truthful!" Toph said, waving her finger in the air.

"Argh!" Sokka said, slamming back on to his chair, "Two years ago you weren't so sarcastic! Where did you learn to be this mean?" Toph grinned.

"So now you notice I've grown a little too, huh?"

"Well, it sure isn't in the height section..." Toph answered Sokka's final insult with a rock tipping up his chair, causing him to fall back. The group laughed again, Aang petting Toph's head.

"She's still the Toph we know and love, isn't she?" She tried to hide her blushing cheeks by looking away, but it failed miserably. "Aw, she's blushing!"

"Quit it twinkle toes!" She said, shoving him away as they all began to laugh again.

"Thanks for letting me come by, I had a lot of fun!" Katara gave Teo a final hug, and Aang and Sokka each shook hands with him. Zuko did the same, and then pushed Toph up. She knocked his hand off, asking him why he was being so pushy.

"I just wanted to make sure you were going to say goodbye!" Zuko said, a small smile curving at his lips.

"Of course I'm gonna say goodbye! I'm not that mean! Geez!" She faced Teo, who looked at her nervously. Everyone was staring for a moment before she hit his arm. He yelped as she turned back in to the house.

"See you later fly-boy!" She called, waving her hand in the air before going up the stairs. They stared at the stairs until they heard her door close, and then turned to Teo with grins.

"Teo!" They chimed in unison, rubbing his head and all that.

"W...What did I do?" He asked, confused.

"Don't pretend like you don't know!"

"We saw that! You dog!"

"W...What? I'm really confused..." He said, scratching his head.

"She's taking quite the like to you!" Aang said. "She hit you pretty hard, right? That means you're growing on her!" As Teo blushed, Katara thought up an idea.

"Why don't we all go on a double date?" The group stared at her in silence before Teo's head tilted, beet red.