Anyone Else But You

Chapter 3

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I could tell Toph knew what I wanted the minute I called her. When she picked the phone I could hear her punk music turned down to a quiet throbbing, a gesture that she is willing to listen.

"Hi Toph." My voice breaks with unrealized puberty, oh the irony. It's a sign of our friendship that she does not laugh.

"Hey Katara," a pause where neither of us speaks, "What's wrong? Normally you'd b talking off my ear." Her last sentence brings a grin to my face, at least she's not pretending to be sympathetic, the playful taunt is really Toph showing affection.

"I need you to come do something with me."

"What is it?"

I take a breath, knowing that Toph will probably break a rib from suppressed laughter when I ask her. "I'm going to buy a pregnancy test and I want you to come."

To my surprise, instead of stifled laughter she says, in a controlled voice, "I'll be there in five." Toph hangs up the phone and I do the same.

I stare at the blue plastic and for a brief second I consider calling Zuko but the thought is quickly dashed as a mock conversation forms in my mind.

"Oh hi Zuko!"

"Hello Katara."

"So I was wondering if you'd life to pop down to the local store and buy a pregnancy test to see if our big mistake is even bigger."

"Of course I would! What more could I want to do than go to the store and find out if the girl that I dated for two days is going to be the possible mother of my first child?"

I shake my head, trying to stop Zuko's eerily cheery voice from echoing in my mind.

Suddenly Aang's voice pops into my head and a conversation starts to play.

"Hey Katara,! What's up?"

"I'm just going to the store to see if the boy I went out with for about a day and knew all my life is my first!"

"Wow! That's fabulous! Our two-year relationship must have mean nothing to you!"

Growling, I stuff my face into my pillow and the minutes until Toph comes are spent in a brooding, pillow-dampened silence.

A doorbell rings downstairs followed by my brother yelling "I'll be there in a second!" He thunders down the stairs. The door opens and I can hear a pair of shoes being kicked off.

Though they probably think they are whispering conspiratorially I can hear every word. "hey Toph, what are you doing here?"

"Katara called." A pause, and in the most concerned voice I have ever heard from Toph Beifong, "How is she?"

"She's…alright."

I can't stand them talking about me like I'm terminally ill. I push up from my bed and walk across the floor, make sure to be as loud as possible so they know I'm coming.

At the top of the stairs I see Toph and Toph and Sokka standing by the doorway, Sokka still in his pajamas while Toph is all coozied up in her green coat and black scarf.

"Katara!" My brother's voice in strangled, "we were just…"

Suddenly he pulls Toph into a tight embrace but before he can seal it with a kiss she escapes and pushes him away.

"Let's go." She says, pulling on black and green checker Vans.

I go to the closet, I consider taking my bright blue hoodie before opting or a black peacoat, better uptight than looking like a knocked-up…never mind.

"Why are you so mean?" Sokka whimpers, massaging the spot where Toph's fist had contacted with his shoulder. "I could be with any girl. Who knows? Maybe I'll go out with Ty Lee, what's stopping me?"

Toph rolls her eyes, Sokka always moans about this kind of stuff. "This is stopping you." She kisses him and then gives him a noogie. "See ya, Snoozles."

I follow her out of the door and close it, leaving a disgruntled and love-struck Sokka.

"Shouldn't Zuko be doing this?" I give her a look and she raises her hands in her defence, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Okay, okay, I was just asking no need to get your panties in a twist."

There are at least fifteen types of tests, each promising 99.9 accuracy and easy to tell result that are almost instant.

I look at Toph; she didn't wear her goggles today so all the boxes must look like squares of colour and nothing else. She leans against a display that advertises the latest weight loss pill while I compare boxes.

In the end I pick the one in the blue box with bright pink lettering. Clutching two twenties in my pocket I start towards the cash. As soon as my eyes fall on the person working behind the till my heart drops somewhere close to the pit of my stomach.

There, looking happy as a clam, is Aang. I glance around, looking for someone else, anyone else, heck, even Jet would be better than Aang, but it seems as though he's the only one working right now.

I run back into the aisle, almost knocking Toph over. I seize her by the shoulders and almost shake her in my state of lunatic-like anxiety. "Toph, you go and buy it for me."

She pushes me off and gives the classic -yeah, right- look. "No way in hell! Shouldn't Zuko be doing this? You're his girlfriend."

"I am not! You know what, never mind, it doesn't matter." Say trying to brush the statement off. "Will you buy thi-"

"Of course it matters!" Toph interrupts. "Aren't you going out with Zuko?"

"Uh." The question everyone's been waiting for. Just because I did Zuko does it make us boyfriend and girlfriend?

"It's a yes or no question. Answer it." Toph says, her voice crossed between exasperation and delight.

As our whispered argument escalated we didn't notice the lone cashier approaching us. "Can I help you?"

"Aang?!" Quickly I hide the box behind my back. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." He glances at the shelves and I can see him blushing. Boxes and boxes of feminine products. A man's worst nightmare. He clears his throat awkwardly. "So, do you need any help?"

Desperately, I shove the pregnancy test into Toph's hands. "Yes, Toph needs to ring this through."

Aang takes one look at the box and I see his Adam's apple bulge. "Oh I s-see. Just co-ome over to the t-t-ill." He stumbles over his own words and starts towards the registers. As Toph follows behind him she draw a very significant finger across her neck while looking at me.

I shrug apologetically. I'm sure she'll find someway to pay me back.

Of course, the instant karma is swift. At that precise moment Toph turned to me and said, in her sweetest voice, "Oh Katara, could you lend me a five? I'd hate to pay for all of this considering it's yours."

I left as quickly as possible, leaving an embarrassed and depressed Aang.

I look at the label and almost choke. It says I can't test until three days after my period. I throw the box to the ground, what is this!? I paid good money when I could've just waited for my period, why did I not think of that!? I think back to my last period. It was exactly (I'm very in tune, it's a girl thing) twenty-eight days ago.

I only have to wait two more days. Sighing I sit on my toliet. The minute I got in I ran up to the bathroom and locked myself inside. A litle safe heven.

Now, alone with my thoughts for the first time the only thing I can think about it where, in the last week, did everything go wrong?