Chapter 2: Adverse Grouping
"Wake up. Come on, you're going to be late."
Zuko groaned as he buried his face in his pillow and rolled over in the blankets. "It's just past sunrise, Uncle." Though in the past he had been able to get up at the crack of dawn, today he just found himself lacking the will to do so.
Iroh clucked his tongue as he tried to shake his nephew awake. "You cannot be late on the first day of school!"
"Right," Zuko frowned as he crawled out of bed and nearly fell to the floor in the process. Cursing, he extricated himself from the tangle of laundry that had wrapped itself around his feet.
"Last night was definitely not worth it," he thought as he found a clean shirt in the pile. He willed himself not to think too much about the waterbender he would have spent the entire night bickering with were it not for Sokka being around. "If it wasn't for the fact that her brother is a friend of mine…"
"I'll be down for breakfast in a bit, Uncle," he said to Iroh, who had somehow pushed out the overflowing hamper that he kept in the corner.
"Alright then. And by the way, you need to take care of this more often," the old man said, indicating the laundry pile. The young man merely nodded before the door was shut.
"This term had better work out better than the last," Zuko told himself as he rummaged for clean pants and a jacket. He could practically hear his father and his younger sister berating him in addition to his uncle's more gentle reprimands. "If I hadn't left home, and if my sister hadn't decided to study elsewhere, I think I'd go insane."
After washing and getting dressed, Zuko searched through a stack of books for the things he needed for his classes. He flinched however when he came across twenty-one cards from his classes the previous school year.
"I could do better than this," he muttered, looking over the 2's and 3's that marked his grades. He stashed the cards back in between two dog-eared books before running his hands through his hair one last time and shouldering his backpack.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Iroh was already boiling water in preparation for the first round of tea for the day. "What's your first class for today, Zuko?" he asked.
"Principles of Basic Governance," Zuko replied, sitting at the small table where he and his uncle took meals after working in the café out front. "Then I think I have Introduction to Anthropology after that, all the way across the campus."
Iroh smiled sympathetically. "Wear your running shoes then."
"Thanks for the commiseration," Zuko muttered, looking at the holes in his shoes. He could hear the usual noises of the street outside such as the occasional passing car and the clatter of dishes being set in the neighboring houses. It was not the first time that he wished that his uncle soundproofed the place.
Iroh set down a cup of hot water in front of his nephew. "A new school year is a time for a new beginning, Zuko. You should seize this chance to rewrite what you think is already set down in stone."
"Don't I wish for it," Zuko wanted to say. He looked into the steaming cup and at the reflection in the water. He had yet to lose the eyebags from studying for his political science classes, and the scowl from everything else that had fallen in between.
"Yeah right," he simply said. Not surprisingly, Iroh shrugged and went off to ready the café for the first customers.
Katara was thankful that somehow, most of her classes were on the same floor of the Feng building. Clutching her rather heavy Psychology book as well as her satchel, she walked down the hall to the corner classroom where she was supposed to meet her older brother.
"This is the Anthropology class, right?" she wondered as she peered in. She could see a few other students in the room, talking among themselves. None of them were familiar to her. A short girl sat in the third row, listening to music through her earphones that were half hidden under her bluntly cut black hair. She wore a slashed green shirt, and her sandals were dangling off her feet.
Feeling more encouraged, Katara entered the room and took another seat in the third row. As she did this, the girl wearing the earphones quickly looked up. "Your feet are heavy, you know."
Katara glanced at her with surprise. "Really?"
The other student nodded. "I could feel it when you entered."
Katara moved a few seats closer. "Are you a freshman too?"
"Yeah," the girl said, taking off her earphones. "Taking up Economics. Boring."
Katara winced. There was something unusual about this girl that she could not place yet. "My name is Katara Haon. You are…"
"Toph Bei Fong. You don't sound like you are from these parts."
"I grew up overseas in the South Pole."
"Oh," Toph said, facing Katara now. "That's far away."
Katara bit her lip to prevent from remarking at what she was seeing. "Pale green eyes--she can't really be blind, can she?" she wondered. Her question was answered when Toph suddenly brushed her hair over her eyes.
"Sorry for staring," Katara said weakly, afraid she had offended her seatmate.
"I just don't want the teachers to know. Yet," Toph said matter-of-factly.
Katara would have said something to this if the door hadn't opened, admitting a whole throng of students. "Hey Tara, don't you want to sit in the back?" Sokka asked, sliding into the other seat next to hers.
"I intend on taking notes this term, Sokka," Katara retorted. "Oh by the way, Toph, meet Sokka, my older brother. Sokka, meet Toph. She's also a freshman."
Toph awkwardly shook Sokka's hand. "Why are you taking class with us if you're older?" she asked.
"Academic problems," Katara laughed before Sokka glared at her.
"Let us just say that I have decided to postpone the study of anthropology for a more conducive time," Sokka said. "Besides, I think this class is mixed."
Katara glanced to the front. "Professor is here."
A bespectacled man set down several tomes on a desk. He surveyed the classroom full of whispering students. "Class, settle down. My name is Professor Zei and I'm teaching Introduction to Anthropology," he said quickly.
"He looks the part!" Sokka chortled under his breath before Katara and Toph glared at him.
Suddenly, the door swung open. Katara watched with horror as a figure hurried into the room. "Sorry to be late," Zuko said. He was covered in sweat, and his pallid face was flushed as if he had been running.
"Where did you come from, young man?" Professor Zei asked, lowering his spectacles.
Zuko took a deep breath. "Other side of the school at the Omashu building."
"Take that seat there," the teacher said, gesturing to the seat on Toph's other side. Zuko awkwardly slid past Sokka and Katara, avoiding the siblings' puzzled looks. He practically collapsed in the vacant seat and buried his face in his hands.
Katara stared at the firebender in disbelief. "What sick coincidence is this?" she wanted to ask him, but she bit her tongue.
"Anyway, as I was saying, this class is an Introduction to Anthropology," Professor Zei continued calmly. "We will be studying different cultures, past and present, from all around the world. The aim of this course is to give you an idea of people—not animals, not plants, not buildings or elements, but people and their way of life."
Katara watched as the professor began handing out the course syllabus. "Toph, how are you going to read it?" she asked.
Suddenly, Professor Zei held out a white paper studded with dots. "Is there a Miss Bei Fong in this class?" he asked.
"That will be me, Professor," Toph said. She made her way to the front without bumping anything and accepted the paper. "Thank you, sir."
"She's blind, isn't she?" Zuko asked Sokka and Katara.
"But she manages well," Katara replied curtly. "Unlike some."
"You will notice that in your syllabus, many of the activities required of you will be done by groups. Your groupings for the first assignment will be the same for the rest of the activities for the term." Professor Zei said. "To make things easier, you will be grouped by rows."
Sokka groaned, shooting a wistful glance towards two pretty girls seated in the back. Toph merely shrugged as she continued "reading" the syllabus. Katara caught Zuko giving her a look of dread.
"Seems as if this group is missing one member," Professor Zei said, surveying their row. "Class, could someone be kind enough to—"
Just then, the door was blasted open by a gust of air. An orange and yellow blur suddenly slammed into a desk.
"Ouch!" Toph exclaimed, as if she felt the vibrations.
Professor Zei helped the newcomer to his feet. "Are you alright?" he asked.
The boy who had made an entrance rubbed at his bald head, which was marked with a blue arrow. "Yes, I think so. Is this the Introduction to Anthropology class?" he asked.
"It is. And you're very late. Your name is?" Professor Zei asked.
"Aang," the boy replied sheepishly. "First year, Psychology…"
"Are you in the same classes?" Sokka asked Katara.
Katara shrugged. "Never saw him before."
"Alright, that will do. You will join this group for the rest of the term," Professor Zei said, showing Aang to the last seat beside Sokka.
Aang smiled anxiously at his new seatmates. "Hey guys. Looks like we'll have to work together from here on then?" he said.
Katara smiled weakly at Aang, feeling her hopes for the term dissipate. "Tui, La, what did I do to deserve this?" she wanted to beg.
"Alright, for your first group assignment, I want you to get to know each other and submit a short report on "What is Anthropology", due at our next meeting." Professor Zei said.
Some people dropped their books. Others groaned, while a few stopped speaking altogether. Aang's eyes widened, Sokka's jaw dropped, Toph hit her head on the desk, while Zuko crumpled a sheet of paper.
Katara only shrugged philosophically. "At least that's one thing in here that's still normal."
Unlike a lot of students, Zuko did not see anything wrong with eating lunch alone. Today, he took refuge from the crowded cafeteria and headed up to a fire exit near the cafeteria building, right next to the football field.
His stomach growled as he opened up his packed lunch. "Why do I always end up with a schedule that has a late break?" he asked himself as he set out his sandwich and a can of juice.
He had to admit, for the flaws of his chosen eating place, the proximity factor was a good thing. He was in a perfect position to run if the bell or worse, a Dai Li Prefect caught him unawares. As he bit into his sandwich, he browsed through a brochure he had picked up earlier in the day after Anthropology.
"What would it take to get accepted in this exchange program?" he wondered. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to travel the world and learn useful things. Not to mention that his family would stop ragging on him for his lack of achievements. Zuko thought back on the grades he had found earlier in the day. "I really can't settle just for that…"
He heard a shriek from the playing field below him. "Oh yes. First year bending class and the assessment test," he thought. He could feel his face smart with the memories of his freshman humiliation. "At least I caught on, eventually, and got some of those earthbenders to shut up during the final duel." In the university, benders were usually assigned to smaller groups within the bending classes, depending on the element they specialized in. Non-benders had it easier with the Physical Education track.
He watched with interest as a tower of earth grew in the middle of the field. He could see the tell-tale green of Toph's shirt at the pinnacle. At the foot of the tower, he saw Katara defending herself using waterbending to ward off the earth missiles that Toph sent at her.
"Okay, so maybe those girls are good at something," Zuko remarked to himself before he saw someone rising on a whirlwind of air towards the young earthbender.
"That can't be!" Zuko exclaimed, amazed at the sight before him. It seemed to be something straight out of the legends he had heard as a child. He blinked to make sure that he was not hallucinating. "Uncle is going to want to hear of this."
He made a mental note to ask Aang about it later. After all, if he had taken notes on his hand correctly, they were all meeting tonight, about Anthropology, of all things.
"Stop doing that, Twinkletoes!" Toph yelled exasperatedly at Aang.
"What did you just call me?" Aang shouted over the gusts of wind that he was sending at her.
"Twinkletoes, dummy!" Toph screamed at him, bending pebbles in his direction. One hit Aang straight in the chest, making him lose control of his air scooter.
"Wait!" Katara called, sending a stream of water towards Aang to somehow break his fall. However, the airbender quickly recovered and floated to the ground.
"Thanks, Katara" he said, grinning at Katara.
Toph lowered the pillar of earth and stepped off furiously. "I can't catch you like that," she said.
"That was a great exhibition. Master Aang, arrangements will have to be made for you. Miss Bei Fong, you should not be at the beginners' level so you will be put in another earthbending class," Master Pakku said from the end of the field. However, his blue eyes narrowed when he looked at Katara. "A word with you though."
"Yes sir?" Katara asked, dusting off her clothes.
"I think with your skills, you will need another class. I will have you placed in Modified Bending," Master Pakku said.
Katara felt the blood drain from her face. "What will I learn from that besides the history of bending?" she wondered. She had heard about the class from her brother, who had described it as, "a pity case of sorts."
"Master, with all due respect, I think I can keep up with the normal bending classes," she said.
"It is not appropriate for me to teach waterbending to women," Master Pakku said firmly. "It goes against traditions."
Katara drew herself to her full height. "Not in the South Pole tribe."
"You are not there anymore!" Master Pakku said loudly. "I will arrange your class adjustment with the registrar by next meeting," he said before going to speak with another student.
Katara glanced at her classmates, all of whom save Aang and Toph were shaking their heads. "I have to go to class. See you later," she said quietly, closing her thermos of bending water.
"This isn't right!" she fumed, feeling her humiliation sink in. "You tried to prove your abilities, but you won't even get to use them," she berated herself. In her fury, she almost did not see some students walking towards her.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" a girl wearing a bonnet snapped, shoving Katara rudely.
"Easy there, Smellerbee," a calm voice said.
"Easy for you to say, Longshot!"
"I'm sorry," Katara said to Smellerbee and her companion Longshot, who was holding her back. "I should watch where I'm going…"
"Just chill, it was an accident," another voice said calmly. Katara turned to see a boy wearing a jaunty shirt with a vest and jeans. He seemed to be chewing something in the corner of his mouth as he looked at Katara intently. "I saw what happened out there at the field."
"I don't want to talk about it," Katara said coldly, though she was aware that her eyes were still glued to him.
"Hey, I meant it as a compliment," the boy said, giving Katara a rakish look. "I hardly see the likes of you in this place."
Katara nodded skeptically. "Thanks," she said, unsure what to make of this cocky stranger's words.
Before she could turn, he was in front of her again. "I know your name is Katara. You're new here aren't you? You look like you could use some help," he said.
"Maybe he doesn't mean any harm," Katara reminded herself. She smiled at him. "So what do I call you?"
He swallowed the mint he had been chewing. "Call me Jet."
"The only reason why I volunteered my place is because I know Uncle might need my help tonight," Zuko thought as he hurried home, library books in tow. He could feel his sneakers beginning to yawn as he turned the corner.
At a road crossing, he caught sight of a blue-clad figure lugging heavy books under one arm and swinging a satchel from the other. "Well, at least someone is punctual," Zuko noted. Squaring his shoulders, he dared to approach the girl.
Katara saw him first. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Going to the meeting, obviously," Zuko said, more snappishly than he'd planned. "Need help?"
"I can manage by myself, thank you," Katara said primly, standing up as straight as she could. "Have you seen the others?"
"I thought you'd know the answer to that question,"
"Well, I haven't seen them, that's why I'm asking."
Zuko nodded wryly, feeling the tension thicken even more between them. "So, Katara, have you found anything useful for the report?"
Katara sighed, shifting one of her hair loops. "I went to the library but some of the better books were checked out by some upperclassman."
Zuko felt the books grow even heavier in his bag. "She's going to kill me when I bring them out, I just know it." He adjusted the strap of his backpack. "I checked out some stuff we could use," he said, grinning at her.
Katara raised an eyebrow. "I figured you were cocky, but I didn't think you'd be so contemptuous."
Zuko was taken aback. "Contemptuous? I'm only asking because I'm concerned about passing, or getting more than that."
"And you think I'm not?" Katara said, placing a hand on her hip. "Listen here, Zuko, I can't afford to fail anything. Actually, I literally can't afford to get "just passing" on anything. I don't want to be mediocre."
"I wonder why…" Zuko thought, but he brushed aside his query for later as he and Katara crossed the street to the tea cafe. As he opened the door for her, he felt her sleeve brush his arm. The jolt it gave him was almost electric, and he swallowed hard before stepping in.
"Hello Zuko. I see you've brought a lady friend?" Iroh greeted them.
"She's not a lady friend. She's just my classmate," Zuko said through gritted teeth. "Katara, meet my Uncle. Uncle, this is Katara, Sokka's kid sister."
"A pleasure to meet you, Katara," Iroh said. "Can I get you anything?"
Katara looked at the menu written in flowing calligraphy over the counter. "Some berry tea please," she said.
"Zuko, I need your help in the kitchen for a minute. You don't mind, I hope?" Iroh said to the younger people.
Zuko shrugged resignedly as he put down his backpack. "Just for a minute," he said under his breath.
Once they were out of earshot, Iroh nudged Zuko. "She's a pretty one."
"Uncle!"
"And if she's the sister of your friend, you'd better treat her right."
"Tell that to her," Zuko scowled. "She was in here yesterday. She was the one who gave me that gash on my arm!"
Iroh nodded as he poured boiling water into a teacup that had a purple teabag in it. "I think you could learn a lot from her."
"Yeah, what can I possibly pick up from a waterbender who is younger than me?" Zuko asked.
"You'd be surprised," Iroh said, handing him the teacup. "Now give this to her."
Zuko gave his uncle a dirty look before returning to the café front room. Much to his surprise, Toph and Aang were already there, discussing something seriously with Katara.
Aang waved him over. "So it's just Sokka we're waiting for?"
"Apparently," Zuko replied, setting down Katara's tea cup on the table. "What's going on?"
Toph took a deep sniff of the tea. "Discussing what happened today in bending class," she said. "This tea is too sweet by the way."
"I like it that way, thank you very much," Katara said, lifting her cup to her lips. "I can't believe that Master Pakku is so biased," she said when she had taken a sip.
"Biased, what do you mean?" Zuko asked.
"He won't have Katara in his class and he wants her in modified bending because she's a girl and he doesn't think girls should learn waterbending," Aang explained.
"I say you show him what you've got. Challenge him," Toph suggested.
"That's crazy. He's a professor," Katara said quietly.
"Whatever happened to the girl who said that she didn't want to be mediocre?" Zuko blurted out.
Katara stared at him with surprise just as the café door opened again. "Sorry I'm late," Sokka said, pulling up a chair. "And I've got the guide questions, by the way."
"Oh good," Toph said. She scowled when she grabbed the paper Sokka had in hand. "Okay, someone should dictate these for me so I can type," she said, reddening a little as she fished in her backpack for a small computer.
"Is this your entire group?" Iroh asked, returning to the front room. "Nice to see you again, Sokka."
"You too, Uncle. Have you met my sister?" Sokka greeted.
"I have," Iroh said, glancing quizzically from Toph to Aang. "Would you like anything?" he asked them.
"Green tea for me," Aang said.
"I like black." Toph said.
"Mine with lemon," Sokka chimed in.
"I thought so," Iroh said. "Zuko, if you want some chai, I'm heating up some already."
"Thanks," Zuko mumbled. He looked down just in time to see Katara opening his backpack and pulling out the library books. He nearly laughed to see the surprised look spreading over her face as she surveyed the book titles.
"You had them all along?!" she asked him, her expression a mix of gratitude and outrage. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Zuko smirked at her. "You never asked."
