Chapter One

-Katara Kuruk-

"I'm not going." She sat down on the couch and put a pillow over her head. We're at the Bei Fong's mansion, watching t.v. on their 72" HD plasma screen. Nothing good is on.

"Ugh, c'mon, Toph. It'll be fun."

Rolling onto her stomach, she mutters, "Yeah, for you guys. You know how much I despise shopping."

I sit down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Aww, come on. Everyone is going", I say as I turn to the loccal news station. I only half listen to the news, thinking about a way to get Toph to the mall. But, I do hear about some crazed serial killer in Memphis, Tennessee broke out of prison. The killer makes most of his murders at big shopping areas and amusement parks. They say he is heading to another city, but authorities can't get on his trail. It is certain he's heading to another major city, but I stop listening after that. Memphis is hardly even close to Vancouver, so I forget about it.

Putting on a fake smile, she exclaims, "You mean Barack Obama's going, too? Oh, joy!" She shrugs my arm off and rolls onto her back, her milky green eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. I sigh, feeling defeated. This is the absolutely hardst part about being Toph Bei Fong's best friend. She's super stobborn. Especially about shopping. Why she hates it so much, I don't know. She's hated it since we were kids. I asked her once, but she said was something about 'being a china doll' and 'stuffed into frilly dresses'. I had let it drop after that, but it still bugs me. All of a sudden, Toph breaks the silence. "Are we going shopping or hanging out? I need to know."

Afraid she'll shoot down my answer as soon as I say it, I ease into it. "Well, we're just gonna hang out, really. But, if-"

"No." She raises up a fist and gives me a thumbs-down. "But", she says after a while, startling me, "Who else is going? I'm curious."

"Well, Sokka, Aang-"

"Of course."

"Ty Lee", I continue, ignoring her teasing. "Azula, Mai, Haru, Jet-"

"Jeez, are taking the whole city with you?"

"-and I think Zuko." She sat straight up, the pillow falling to the ground. An almost dreamy look came over her eyes, but she quickly shook it off.

"... M'kay. I'll go", she says so nonchalant, it's suspicious.

I narrow her eyes at her, already knowing why she changed her mind so quickly. "Oh, why the sudden change of heart?"

Toph gets up and bruhes off her shirt. "Do you want to ask questions, or do you want to go to the mall?" I smile up at her.

"'Kay, let's get the others." I get up and follow her lead.

"I'm goin' out", she yells to her parents, who are hardly ever home.

"Why don't you ever ask permission to go somewhere? You just walk out the house?"

She shrugs. "Habit, I guess."

I know, I know. Super weak. Just wanted to try a contest, and the plot sounds easy enough to do, so I gave it a shot.

This is for TwilightRose2's August contest, and I don't own Avatar. Millionaires do.

No flames, but criticism is welcomed. :)