Sokka dismissed his class soon enough, not wanting to keep the anxious young adults in the room any longer. He had honestly wanted a P.E. job, but they only had a History class opening, which was nearly as good as being outside. He noticed a few of the female students eyeing him, which twisted his gut and made him feel sick. Sure, he was only a few years older, but these were his students and surely none of them were his soulmate. Besides, he had given up on that soulmate crap a while back, ever since, well, the incident. H refused to linger on it further. Instead, he gathered up his student's papers and walked out with his class, not having to teach another until late that afternoon. Since he was just starting out teaching at a small college, the administrative staff had thought it best to ease him into teaching by only assigning him two classes. At least they were a part of the same sequence and not one dealing specifically with one nation and the other with a different topic altogether. He had time to head home and get to work on grading these surveys, getting a bite to eat, and taking a small nap before he was due back up at the college. He walked to his blue car with white wall tires, truly an oddity to be seen at the college, and placed the papers in the passenger seat before walking around to slide into the driver's seat.
As he started to drive away, his cell started to play that annoying, upbeat song his sister had somehow made his permanent ringtone. One day it was going to ruin a moment, and he was not looking forward as to explaining why his ringtone is a Hannah Montana song. He picked up the phone, cutting it off at "It's the best of…"
"Hello?"
"Sokka! Hey man. I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat at my uncle's shop while we have a breather." Sokka relaxed as Zuko's voice trickled through the speaker, sounding clear as a baritone bell. He always liked Zuko, but even more so since he and Sokka's sister had broken up.
"Sure man. Your uncle has the best food around here." They chatted a few more minutes before Zuko had to hang up. Sokka tossed his cellphone into the passenger seat atop the messy stack of papers and continued en route to Uncle Iroh's Tea Shoppe, reflecting on the happiness that Zuko and Katara had found. Zuko and Katara had been dating for years, even though they had different marks, Zuko's being a dagger and Katara's being an intricate Celtic wind design. Sokka didn't necessarily hate Zuko during that time, but that was his little sister. He wouldn't approve of any guy dating her. They had been together so long that everyone thought they were going to get married. One day, while they were on a date, they both ran into their soulmates: Mai and Aang. Zuko put up a bit of a fuss, thinking that they were going to throw away what they had, and Katara, calming presence she is, had made a deal. If it turned out that their soulmates were the platonic kind, they'd get married. Turns out, Zuko was the first to fall in love, then Katara. They were still the best of friends and talked to each other constantly.
Sokka still wasn't sure how he felt about Aang. First off, the kid was a vegetarian. HE DIDN'T EAT MEAT. Other than that, he was an alright dude. A bit too peaceful, but alright. He was a few years younger than Katara, and she treated him a bit too motherly at points, but they really were a match. Sokka envied their connection at times, he being the only one in their group who hadn't found his soulmate, but he was glad that they were happy. He soon reached the shop and parked, grabbing his worn leather wallet and sliding it in the front pocket of his jeans. He never understood why men placed them in the back pocket. He hurried inside, his mouth salivating at the aroma of spicy meat, and soon saw Zuko and Mai at a booth. He walked over, sliding into the opposite end of the couple and beamed.
"Hey honeymooners. How was the vacation?" He chortled as Zuko's face turned red and Mai had a sly smirk slither across her face.
"It was satisfactory." Mai's monotone voice filled the air and now it was Sokka's turn to flush as he caught the double meaning.
"Mai. C'mon. We're in public."
"So is that other couple, but they have no qualms about making out in the corner there. You should be thankful it is only words and not actions." Zuko shook his head, the tips of his ears slowly returning to normal. His had grown his hair out somewhat, which Sokka thought an improvement. It helped draw attention away from his burn scar that he had received as a child. Sokka never really got the details, but after Katara had told him about Zuko's abusive father, he never wanted to ask. Their waitress came by and took their orders, then they began to chow down. The time passes too quickly for Sokka's liking and soon he had to leave. Instead of going home, he went back to the college. He carried all the papers back to his classroom and began going through them. Some made him laugh, some made him cringe, and some he could only shake his head at. It wasn't until he reached one written in a beautiful green ink with the second messiest handwriting he had ever seen, rivaling his own. He read through her answers and chortled. While she didn't seem enthused about learning, she did seem on board for food. He frowned after a moment. He had told them to use black or blue ink. Maybe she hadn't of heard him, or maybe she didn't care. Either way, he had to give her a talk. He still gave her an "A," however; but only because she expertly wove her sarcastic humour throughout the questions, and totally not because she passionately proclaimed her dire love for all things savory and of the meat category. Not that at all…
Sooner than he would have liked, his next class filtered in and he went through the same routine. He again let them go after they filled out his questionnaire and gathered his things, preparing to leave. He walked to his car, noticing how everything became illuminated as the sun fell. He drove home, this time with no interruptions might he add, and soon arrived at his one-bedroom apartment. He took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped outside of his car, greeted by the sight of the pale moon. He swallowed hard and hurriedly grabbed his papers, walked up the flight of stairs to his apartment complex, and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and shut the door before slumping to the ground, his bottom lip quivering slightly as he fought back the emotions that were swelling in his chest. He had forgotten it was the full moon tonight. He buried his face in the space between his knees and took shallow breaths, losing the oncoming battle between his resolve and his tears. It had been two years, but it still seemed like it had only happened yesterday. He dropped his papers and as they scattered, he allowed himself to weep for lost love, lost opportunities, and regret. He remained there for a while longer, sobs wracking his body violently at first before dying down gradually. After an hour, he gathered the papers, beginning to grade numbly. All was looking well, and he finished quickly. He stacked them haphazardly and went on to brush his teeth and lay down in his bed, shedding all clothing except his boxers. He fell asleep quickly, and thankfully, no dreams of compassionate blue eyes entered his sleep.
As he awoke the next day, he stretched, sighing in contentment as his back popped loudly. He swung his legs out of bed and gathered a blue polo and a pair of jeans, laying them upon his unmade bed. He let his hair down as he hopped in the shower, taking more than enough time needed to get ready, enjoying the steaming water hitting his back, relaxing his muscles. He stepped out, shaking his head and causing water droplets to fling everywhere as he wrapped a towel around his waist, padding to the kitchen. He looked in the refrigerator, cheering as he saw a pack of bacon with some eggs. He got to work, whistling merrily as he cooked his breakfast. He soon finished, cutting the stove off and pulling a plate down from the wood stained cabinet on the right to put his food on. As it cooled, he moved back to the bedroom, dressing quickly and towel drying his hair. He pulled on a pair of black socks and his converse, walking back to the kitchen to eat. He soon noticed the time and shoveled his food in his mouth faster. He was already a pretty quick eater, but he was going to be late if he didn't eat even quicker than before. He finished and placed his plate and glass in the sink, rushing to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He quickly pulled his hair back up and styled his small goatee, flashing a cheeky grin in the mirror.
"Looking good, Sokka!" He rushed to the car, picking up the papers on his way out. He noticed that Beifong girl's paper on top, reminding him that he needed to discuss respect and adherence to the rules with her. He wasn't going to be harsh, just somewhat authoritative. He sped to the school, walking to his classroom. To his utter delight, he was there before any of the students. He straightened the papers up and as his students began to file in, he handed them back. Miss Beifong was the last one in, and as he handed her the paper, he muttered loud enough for her to hear, "We need to meet after class to discuss some issues." She just looked at him somewhat with an unfocused look, yet her gaze seemed to pierce through him. He had never seen such an eye color before. She shrugged and walked up the steps, taking her seat. With a deep breath, Sokka began class.
