This is going to be a hilarious and strange story and let's leave it at that. Inspiration- I miss you- Blink 182 and Guilty Pleasure by Cobra Starship. This is an AU and Toph's not completely blind.
She carefully finishes painting on the last blue line of the peace sign on her cheek. "Perfect," the lady says handing Toph a mirror," So how do you like it?"
"Umm," Toph mumbles adjusting the mirror to the right light so she can see," I love it. You know I think I'm gonna get it tattooed on one of these days." She says smiling. Toph definitely has a hippy rocker thing style going on. Her long black hair is up in a fo-hawk pony tail. She's wearing black corduroy skinny jean with a loose lacey tank top with swirly and flower designs on it. 10+ bangles on each arm and four metal piece signs around her neck of varying lengths and black army boots. "Let me get this straight," I reply grinning not entirely sure if she's kidding or not. ," tattoo of a piece sign on your face."
Its 4th of July weekend and strangely the mall is completely deserted. The face painting lady was nice enough to give us face paints half price since we've been her only customers all day. I got an American flag on my forearm.
"And a nose ring." she says smirking. "Why not?"
"It's just a little over the top." Her grin widens."Really mister surfer man thinks a nose ring is over the top," she retorts laughing. "You say it likes a bad thing!"I stammer back at her. She hands the lady back the mirror. "Come lets go," she says dragging me away," I wanna go down L&L without those screaming fan-girls there." L&L stands for Lyrics and Listen, it's a music store. A hardcore music store. It was originally owned by this old jazz musician who used to sit around and play his Barry sax on the counter. But when the economy went south last year he had to sell it. He was lucky enough although to be able to stay on as general manager. Unfortunately he sold it some loser who happened to be the Jonas brother's uncle. They were once spotted there once I say ONCE about a year ago and ever since then it's been packed with preps and screaming 12 year-old fan girls. And the worst part of their presence is the store has started stocking things like Disney music and seventeen magazines. It's insane.
We step out of the elevator and the doors to L&L are wide open. "YAY!"Toph screams throwing her arms in the air sprinting headlong for the doors, "It's deserted!" I follow her grinning and shaking my head. She stops just short of the entrance. Glaring angrily at a cardboard cut-out next to one of the doors. It's an advertisement for theirnew CD. "Now this we must fix." Toph says grinning deviously pulling two expo markers. Hurling one at me. "Do you carry these around with you at all times?"
"I'm thinking raccoon eyeliner and nose rings for Nick."
"Strange I was thinking a French mustache and foot long eyelashes for Joe" I reply stroking my chin," He is the gayest one after all." We immediately begin scribbling all over the poster. Ten seconds later we step back and admire our handy work. "What should we do the other one, " Toph asks.
"heh," I reply shrugging," I think he's weird enough already." I cap the expo marker and stand back.
"MAN LADY!" Toph screams attacking the poster. Big hair, lipstick, boobs, eyelashes and a mole on the right cheek .
"What are you doing?" A guy in way to tight of pants for a guy and striped polo asks from the doorway. Toph stops scribbling and we both look over. Another guy with curly hair and really, really, really tight pants on walks over, "You know that's called vandalism," he says crossing his arms.
Toph and I do a double take between them and the poster. "HOLY SHIT ITS THEM RUN!" Toph screams! In a flash were both taking off down the hall way. "Hey stop them!" "Get back here you're going to fix that!" They yell taking off after us.
"ALREADY DID YA PANSIES!" Toph shouts back at them.
"Come on Toph we gotta lose 'em," I say shoving her in front of me down the railing of the down escalader. Looking back I see the Jonases standing up at the top of the escalators. "There they are!"They shout.
Second floor. I glance right and left quickly looking around for a place to hide.
"The Gothic Couture store," Toph yells pointing to the right," they'll never go in there."
"Are you kidding, that's the first place they'll look, "I say pulling her by the wrist to the left. "Come on they're right behind us." Second floor left side, we don't come down here much considering, it's mostly hair salons and high end designer stores. "In here," Toph grabs my arm and we dive headfirst into a store. "The Victoria's secret?" I retort.
"Yeah they're pansies they'll never come in here." She replies standing up.
"Can I help you," an old lady with oversized coke bottle glasses at the register asks frowning. "Because if you're not here to buy or try on anything I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Before I can say anything Toph walks over to a three tiered fountain looking' display thing full of underwear and grabs an arm full. "Yeah, me and my gay friend were just going to try these on." She replies casually nodding toward the dressing rooms. I roll my eyes following.
I close the lilac and pink flower dressing room curtain behind us. "What the heck was that?" I whisper harshly.
"What we needed a place to hide?" Toph retorts dropping the entire pile of under wear on the floor.
"Yeah but why'd I have to be gay?"
She rolls her eyes folding her arms. "Because I wanted her to think we were actually going try on underwear." I can only stare at her disarray.
"It's okay snoozels." She smirks patting me on the back.
"Hey have you seen this really tall guy," comes from outside. We immediately we both stop and stare through the cracks in the curtains, "with brownish blonde hair and board shorts and a t-shirt…"
"Whata we do, whata we do," I stammer.
"Up here" Toph hands me other half of the giant pile of undies then climbs up on the dressing room bench. "We'll throw them on them."
"This, this is insane!" I scream at whisper volume.
"Well, you have a better idea."
"No." I mumble climbing up beside her on the bench. "We are going to be in so much trouble."
"….And this girl with black hair and black pants and a white-"
"They're in there," the lady interrupts them pointing in our direction. "Thanks."
Toph and I hold our breath. "You guys can come out now. We know you're in there." They throw open the curtain and are met with an explosion of one hundred pairs of Victoria's Secret underwear. The five of us scream in unison. Me and Toph hurtle over them and make a beeline for the door. We take off right soaring down the hallway. "Where to now," Toph asks.
"Uhhhhhh," I shudder breathlessly looking up ahead.
"WAIT! My bike's out front." Yes, Toph drives a motorcycle.
"Out front," I stammer, "But that's all the way on the other side of the mall."
"Come on," She breaths," it's not that far." The J.B.'s are screaming and shouting right behind us, something about security. We round a sharp corner and I see we're less than fifty feet from the escalators to the 1st floor. "NO," I yell patting," we'll never make it that way. We have a better chance if we go out through the car port upstairs." Toph nods. "Whatever you say snoozels." We sprint down the escalator taking three steps faster than it goes. I feel the rubber skid 'n squeak in my sneakers as we turn abruptly at the bottom heading left. Toph's two paces ahead of me brimming top speed, hair flying. I almost forgot she ran track. Its 100+ yards to the door, good thing tight pants inhibit running, they haven't made much ground on us. We rip open the glass door to the carport and sprint like mad-men through the empty parking garage toward the elevator. Toph jams the buttons with more speed than imaginable with her tiny finger. The doors open 5 seconds later. We burst inside slamming up against the walls. The doors close behind us just as the J.b's burst through the carport doors.
"Woo, that was close," Toph sighs breathing heavily. She slouches against the golden hand bars as she pushes the 1 button. The fire in my lungs is beginning to smolder, I need to work out more, surfing doesn't offer a lot of cardio. Then it dawns on me, "You know they'll probably have someone waiting for us one the bottom floor.
"Crap," with lightning reflexes she hits the 2 button. We both breathe out in harmony. I look up the light bings for the 3rd floor. Ten seconds, I hold my breath waiting for the two to light up. I glance out the corner of my eye at Toph; she has both hands on top of her head struggling to catch her breath. Then something dawns on me.
"I think we should hop over the railing and make a bee-lime out the back."
"But what about my bike out front in the parking lot."
"If try and get away on that they'll just trace the license plate back."
She blows the bangs out of her face. "Good thinking."
The elevator doors open. I burst threw them and throw myself over the railing; landing soundly in an alley way. A few trashcans mark the dark alley way and the building adjacent behind the mall is made of crumbling red brick. No Toph. I look up. Her hands grasp the cement divider tightly. "I don't think so Sokka."
"Come on just jump its only like ten feet."
"Not everyone is 6'4" dumbass."
"Fine I'll, I'll ketch you."
"You drop me. You're screwed."
"I won't I promise."
She grumbles something I don't hear before pulling herself up on the railing. She swings her legs over and pushes off in one fluid motion. I'm hit with the full force of gravity; thankfully the brick wall broke my fall. Toph clings to me tightly, her fingernails painfully digging into my shoulders. I feel my ears go red. "It's okay Toph you can let go now you didn't die." She quickly relaxes and I set her on the ground. I forget how short she is. "Good work, snoozles." We hear the ding of the elevator door opening and the muffled voices of one of the Joe Bros and a security guard. In the blink of an eye we high tale it out of there.
I'm six paces behind her by the time we reach the deserted intersection. "Where to next." I shout as we run across the cross walk. "Heh," she replies coolly, "I was thinkin' the beach." I smirk, "Lets run by my house first so I can pick up my board."
"Whatever you say captain," she yells back at me, classic smile draped across her face. And something deep in my stomach flips in a way I haven't felt since Suki died. Only worse.
The Jonas brothers never do find out is was us. We returned later in disguise (two purple wigs and trench coats) to retrieve Toph's bike. The old jazz musician and the face painter lady aren't about to give us away and the surveillance tapes 'mysteriously' disappeared. The downside is we never could venture back into our favorite mall for fear of being caught. But the upside is the story was featured on national news. The news caster lady has auburn hair and big round glasses to big for her face. Toph punch in the arm disturbs my train of thought. "Come on lets go." She blows her bangs out of her face then starts walking down the street. I take one last look at the TV's in the store front before following her. Best. July 4th. Ever.
I've been working on this on and off since August. It was originally going to be for Tokka week but I didn't finish it in time. Hope you guys enjoy it. REVIEW!