ATLA is not mine.
Thanks toxxjazzygurlxx for the suggestions, you gave me ideas.
Jill was an accident, it's Mai.
Ch. 2
As Suki and I walked onto the school grounds, I thought of how the sky looked extra blue today, the sun shining like the prettiest bulb on the Christmas tree, and the sky only consisting of one giant fluffy pure white cloud. All the lunch tables were filled up, so we took the more natural way of eating outside.
"My brother and his friend will meet us out here," I said as I sat down underneath a large oak tree.
"You have a brother here?" Suki asked sitting down next to me, "My sister is in fourth grade, but my parents won't send her here until she's a ninth grader."
"My brother's a sophomore, but sometimes I think he has the maturity of a fourth grader."
"Is that you're brother?" Suki asked smiling pointing to the taller boy of the two walking towards us, "The one with the buzz and ponytail?"
"That would be Sokka."
The color on Suki's cheeks rose to a bright pink as Sokka gave her a slight smile and sat down in front of us.
"Hi, I'm Aang," my bald-headed friend grinned, "Are you new here."
"Yes, I just moved here. But I like it so far," Suki said in a cheery way that brought a smile to my face.
"Well, I'm glad someone likes it here," Sokka said in an angry voice, "Because I certainly don't. I'm about ready to kill that stupid Zuko boy."
Aang just sat there, trying to keep a straight face, but the strain of it was causing his face to turn red.
"What happened," I asked humoring Sokka. I could tell he was just dying to tell me what that stupid Zuko did. Zuko's been here as long as I have, but I've never seen him more than a few times because he's two grades ahead of me, but a lot of locker room gossip evolves around Zuko's sexy six pack and jet black wavy hair.
"I was just minding my own business at practice when I was thrown down with tremendous force by Zuko."
"I'm sure you didn't do anything to make Zuko angry at you either," I said rolling my eyes."
"Sis, you know he has a bad temper. You've heard stories."
"But they're all stories. I don't know which ones are true and which are false. For all I know, they could have been made up by people who got in fights with Zuko and exaggerated the story just like you. Because I know you probably did something that pissed him off."
At this Aang started laughing and nodding his head vigorously. Suki looked appalled about the fact that Sokka had been tremendously thrown down and that Aang was laughing about it.
"Aang, can I hear the whole story?" I asked calmly taking a bit of my macaroni and cheese.
"Well, I was standing in the goal box, and Sokka was dribbling the ball toward me. Zuko came in and stole the ball from Sokka, but knocked him over in the process. I heard something come from Sokka about dirty socks and a prickly cactus. Not sure exactly what he said, but Zuko pushed him down," Aang said laughing as Sokka shot him an annoyed look.
I just closed my eyes and leaned against the tree, trying not to imagine what Sokka said. A bird whistled near by and reminded me of my clarinet. The clarinet that has been with me since before I came to this miserable place.
"Katara, I would love you forever and ever if you got my soccer bag from the field. I accidently left it there?" Sokka asked in a whiney voice.
"Just get it yourself."
"If I'm late to my next class, I'll get another tardy from that old hag Mrs. Krig and then I'll get a detention because I've already gotten as many tardies as I can get."
"Fine," I said sighing. No matter how much I hate letting Sokka have his way, I'm more concerned about him getting kicked out of the school. Were not exactly paying a tuition to come here and they could replace us with someone who is a lot more behaved than Sokka.
A few large dark clouds blew into my beautiful blue sky blocking my shiny sun from few. The sky looked even more ominous as I walked toward the fields, which happen to be a good distance from the school, so if there is a downpour, the only shelter is the small supplies shed.
As the fields came into a view, I could make out one lone figure juggling a red and black ball.
"Oh great," I muttered at Zuko's midnight hair and lean frame. I could make out Sokka's torn and cruddy bag at a spot about five feet from where Zuko stood. I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer that Zuko doesn't know I'm Sokka's sister. I get enough trouble from Azula and don't need anymore.
A happy smirk came unto Zuko's face as I walked closer and surge of anger burned through me.
"So that idiot's your brother," Zuko said arrogantly as I picked up my brother's bag.
"Yes, that idiot is my brother and because he's my brother, I'm the only one with the right to call him that. You can think he's an idiot, you can tell yourself he's an idiot, and you can tell other people he's and idiot, but you're not going to tell me that," I said in a stream of annoyed anger.
"Is that so," Zuko said putting an even bigger smirk on his face, "At least I know how to player soccer. That clumsy kid wouldn't be able to score if his life depended on it."
"Oh," I said in a rising voice, "You are so full of it. I don't know how it's possible that Chicago's snobbiest, cockiest, and most arrogant kids were all put in the same school. "Obviously you've been too pampered in your short life. Whatever you get from the other girls, you're certainly not going to get from me." With that I turned and walked away. I considered that a win for me because he had nothing to say back.
As I walked back, the rain came down like small bullets falling from the sky. It didn't bother me; maybe the intensity of it would wash away the anger building up inside me.
I showed up to jazz band ten minutes late, but my teacher didn't say anything considering the fact he could probably tell I was in no mood for conversation. When I started playing, the music danced through me, washing away my anger better than the rain did. For a second, I forgot that I was in crappy hand-me downs, that my school hates me, and that I just got in a fight with one of the cockiest kids in the school.
The music of Duke Ellington filled my thoughts, and I needed nothing more. Class ended too soon, but I decided I'd find an abandoned room to practice in.
"Ah, there's the band geek," a wretchedly familiar voice said standing by the water fountains a few paces away from where I stood.
"Nice to see you too Azula," I said backing away in the other direction, but Azula saw my hesitation.
"Mai, Ty Lee, and I were just taking a stroll, and we heard some lovely music coming from that room. We had no idea you played the clarinet," Azula said in a mock sweet tone, "Well, I decided that I would like to try to play you're clarinet. You know I've never played one and thought it would be fun to try."
"Don't even come near my clarinet," I said fiercely, hugging it close to my body. The gleam from Azula's eyes told me she had found a weakness in me; a weakness she would use. It was my fault too; something that could have been easily avoided if I didn't speak so quickly and intensely.
"We thought you might say that. Mai, Ty Lee, you know what to do," Azula said in a bored tone.
"Leave her alone," a voice barked, driving Mai and Ty Lee back a few steps.
"Oh hello Zu-Zu, glad you've come to join us," Azula said laughingly as her tall brother joined their circle. His presence was dominating. He had on a fresh pair of jeans and a black Nike shirt, which contrasted greatly to his sweaty soccer clothes. I took in a quick breath. It never hit me until now; Azula and Zuko are brother and sister.
"Leave her alone," he repeated in the same stern voice; his eyes never wavering from his sisters, the golden iris's suddenly hard.
"Fine," Azula said and Ty Lee and Mai followed her down the hall, "Just for now though," she added before they disappeared around the corner.
"I had that totally under control," I suddenly shouted out. Zuko had just rescued me, but I was mad at him. Mad at him for no reason, just mad at him for being there.
"That's a nice way to show you're gratitude. I just saved you from Azula and her derisive cronies and all I do is get yelled at," he said, a smirk coming onto his lips, replacing the tight stern line that had just been there, "Stay away from her though," he said, his face darkening once again, "Nothing good ever comes out of her."
"Oh thanks for telling me that," I said sarcastically, "It's kind of hard to stay away from her when her best friend's you're roommate and she seems to find you and torment you for the fun of it." His face darkened even more and a deep scowl settled onto his face.
"I would stay away from you're room as much as possible then. None of them are good. They're just puppets to Azula, doing whatever she pleases."
"Thanks for the warning," I said in my same sarcastic tone, "But I already had that much figured out. And the only time I ever go in my room is to sleep at night." Zuko just murmured something incomprehensible and we started walking towards the library where Aang and Sokka would be waiting for me.
We walked in silence for a few minutes, I having no intention of breaking it, but Zuko did. "So, you play the clarinet?" he asked casually.
"Yes," I said simply. That's what he wanted to know, so I didn't have to say anything further than that.
"For how long?"
"Since I was six. My father played it, and he gave me his." Why in the world did I just tell him that? Sensing that this is a sensitive subject, Zuko didn't say anything more.
We walked in silence until we reached the library, where a few girls gave me some nasty stares, but I didn't mind in the least. Zuko isn't anything to me, so they can have him back as soon as I'm sitting at one of the tables doing my homework.
"Do you come here often?" he asked as I was opening up the large doors to walk in."
"Every day," I said and shut the door.
I found my table of friends, but I was too perplexed to truly concentrate on my homework.
Yay! There you go for Ch. 2; hoped you liked it. And remember, reviews are always wonderful and I always like to hear you're ideas and ways to make the story better.
