The next morning at breakfast, Katara was still worried. She hadn't heard from Zuko, she hadn't been able to check her Facebook; she was lucky to be able to watch TV. She was watching half-heartedly, her fork prodding at her pancakes hesitantly. Hakoda, a founder of Chander, Bei Fong & Marina, a law firm that rivaled Scorsese, Sisko & Tamesis due to the fact that as the largest firms in town, they were quite often pitted against one another in court, was watching the local news. Hakoda suddenly choked on his cereal and reached for the remote to turn it up. Katara and Sokka started paying attention merely at this gesture.
'Locals report to seeing the mysterious masked man 'jumping across the rooftops', and a sharp addition to the newspapers runs a tabloid of the area having its very own superhero vigilante. Twenty-four year old Leanne Morris reports she was rescued from a rape attempt by the man, ma'am, what exactly did you see?'
'I was walking home when this man attacked me, and from the rooftops, this ninja looking guy just leapt down from a roof and knocked the man off his feet with one kick! Then this morning I was dragged down to the police office to-'
'Did you see his face, or hear his voice?'
'No, he was wearing this wooden mask, it was like Chinese or something, it had two huge fangs sticking out, it was blue and white, and he didn't say anything at all. He had a sword sheath on his back though.'
'Do you have any comments or thoughts on this news bulletin?'
'Yeah! It's like we have our own personal Spiderman or something!'
Hakoda shook his head and smirked slightly. "Spiderman." He muttered under his breath, a chuckle escaping his lips.
'Four citizens' arrests were made last night. The surprising element of it is that the arrestees were restrained with synthetic rope and left in front of the local police department. Since, two witnesses have come forward to testify against two of the arrestees. Detective Thomas Mills speaks on the matter. Detective Mills, let's hear your take on this.'
'Thank you, see, this so-called 'hero' has made these arrests in an outrageous manner, and it's being publicized, so even if these prisoners are dead guilty, their lawyers are going to play the 'dismissive evidence' cards. One of the prisoners has agreed to a deal with the victim, but just because the guy made one arrest, and got one conviction, that doesn't mean he's a hero. He's a reckless vigilante, and he's also a criminal. That's the kind of thing us regular cops get 'police brutality' lawsuits for doing.'
Hakoda turned off the television. "Go on, now. School." He shooed his children. "I've got to get to the office."
"Oh my god! Did you see that Sokka?" Katara squeaked as she got up. "That is so cool!"
"It is, kind of." Sokka smirked slightly. "I mean like, Spiderman is made up, but this is actually real."
"It's so cool!" Katara turned to her father. "Daddy, please can I check the internet? He probably has a superhero name!"
Hakoda smiled softly. "Here." He handed her cell phone back. "Don't make me regret this."
"I won't, Daddy, I promise!" Katara hugged him tight. "Best dad ever!" she turned to see Sokka heading for the car. "Hey, wait up, Sokka!"
During the car trip, Katara found a web page with a drawing of the superhero. 'Epic Win' was written in capitols over it, and a row of four hogtied prisoners was in the background. Katara put her phone back in her bag. Zuko would think it was awesome.
"Oh my god, did you see the news this morning?" Suki ran up to Katara and hugged her tightly in the hallway.
Katara simply squealed in her friend's arms. "So awesome!" Katara sputtered out while choking in Suki's grip.
"It's worth hanging around in alleys hoping to be attacked now." Suki joked, letting go of Katara and walking with her toward biology.
Katara laughed lightheartedly. "Oh, hey, is Zuko here?"
"Yep, he's glowing; I think he got laid last night."
"Oh no." Katara frowned hard.
"Huh?"
"That means he got back with Mai." She pulled a face. "I don't know, I think she brings him down into that whole Goth thing she does. If Zuko's dangerous for me to be around, than surely she's worse for him."
"No kidding." Suki nodded, as they crowded through the door into the classroom and took their seats. After class, they made their way to the cafeteria table they always sat at. They stopped a few yards away; able to see Zuko standing with his bag in one hand and Sokka at the table saying something that was making Zuko a little pissed. The two girls ran toward them.
"What's going on?" Katara asked sharply.
"Apparently I'm not allowed to sit with you guys anymore." Zuko explained dryly.
"Sokka." Katara began calmly. "Don't be a bastard about this now."
Sokka's eyes narrowed. "Okay, fine, but if we get into trouble with dad, I'm blaming you."
"Fair enough. Sit down, Zuko." Katara sat down and put her bag on the floor. "So who else saw the Blue Spirit news?"
"SPIDERMAN!" Toph and Aang chorused together.
"It's an internet sensation on its first day." Suki thought aloud.
Zuko looked puzzled. "The what news?"
The others all chimed in at once trying to explain. In ten seconds, Zuko was informed of everything. He laughed slightly as Katara leant forward, her chin on one hand, thinking dreamily.
"I bet he's muscley." Katara mused.
Zuko scoffed a laugh. "Yeah. He might be." He agreed humorously.
"And tall."
"Probably." Zuko answered. "Hang on." he paused, his mind knotted. "Wait, are you fantasizing about the Blue Spirit?"
Katara sat up straight, now defensive. "I can fantasize about superheroes. Sokka went a whole summer obsessed with Wonderwoman." She glared at Zuko. "And you liked Jean Grey from X-Men."
"Hey! Katara!" Sokka snapped at Katara.
Zuko laughed again, but this time a little nervously. "I'm just saying, it's a little bit like those Justin Bieber fans." He tried; he couldn't have his best friend having a crush on his alter ego.
"No it's not!" Katara yelped over-sensitively. After a while, she added. "I- is it?"
Toph laughed out loud. "Oh, this is too good." She snorted. "Katara wants a man in tights. So much for your bad-boy theory, Sparky."
"Ha. Guess that explains Jet." Aang smirked. "Tights." The gang erupted in laughter. Jet tried constantly to get onto the wrestling team but never made it on account of the fact that Coach Nelson had called him out as a 'pussy' on his first trial.
"No, no, I want to hear it. How is it like the Beliebers?" Katara pointed to a table full of girls in pink t-shirts gawping over pictures of the singer, all of which occasionally grouped together and began singing 'Baby, Baby, Baby, OH,'.
Zuko shrugged in thought. "Never mind."
"So, Zuko; are you back with Mai?" Suki asked brightly.
"Huh? Why would you think that?"
"Well, 'cause you were glowing this morning, I just thought you got laid or something." Suki shrugged. "So are you?"
"No, I'm not." Zuko answered calmly. "I guess I was just glad to get away from my dad."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Aang asked curiously.
"It's complicated." Zuko frowned, awkwardly reaching up and scratching his head. When he put his hand back on the table, he saw a small bunch of black hairs between his fingers. Katara also caught sight of this, but the others seemed not to notice.
Katara was finally sat in detention that day after school, sitting back with her arms crossed and her eyes focused on Mrs. Alderman, the detention attendant. If looks could kill, the attendant would be dead. Her eyes occasionally moved to the clock above Alderman's head. She had been in the room for fifteen minutes. Jet Tybalt was sat a few rows in front of her, on the left, Chan Nakoma was on the right sight of the room, and Mai Tamesis was sat right behind Katara, tapping her foot as if having withdrawal symptoms. As much as Katara tried not to like Mai for being Zuko's ex, she had to admit she kind of did.
The door opened, breaking the silence as Ms. Yugoda, Katara's after-school yoga club teacher walked in with Zuko right behind her, scowling with a dark look on his face. Yugoda smiled briefly at Alderman. "I caught this young man smoking on school property. I wonder if he could join your detention session?"
"Not a problem." Alderman pointed to a seat a back corner of the room. "Sit." She instructed him.
Zuko trudged to the seat and sunk down into it, leaning back and crossing his arms the same way Katara was. Katara knew Zuko smoked, but he rarely did it on school property unless there were exams coming up and he was stressed. He must have been waiting on Mai, or Katara or something. Yugoda left the room, and silence took over again. Another half hour passed before Alderman got up to photocopy what she'd been working on. Katara turned to look at Zuko.
"You never smoke on school property." She stated curiously.
"Yeah, so what if I lit up before heading home?" Zuko answered irritably.
Mai gave a scoff. "I bet they smoke on the grounds."
"Probably." Zuko grumbled.
"Which ones you on now?" Mai asked in boredom.
"Benson & Hedges." Zuko replied. "You?"
"Same. But I'm out." Mai shrugged. "I was chain-smoking on New Years, I ran out last night."
Zuko glanced cautiously to the door before reaching into his pocket, fiddling about and producing two cigarettes. "Here." He reached out and outstretched them to her.
She took them and put them in her own pocket. "You're a saint." She continued tapping her foot.
"So what did you guys do to get in here?" Zuko glanced between Mai and Katara.
"I skipped detention yesterday." Katara looked to Mai, who gave a casual shrug.
"They found a knife in my locker." She answered calmly.
Zuko was silent for a moment before asking; "Why did you have a knife in your locker?"
Mai gave a short, amused laugh. "I wasn't going to hurt myself. That would be stupid. I was going to hurt someone else."
Katara and Zuko stifled sniggers before they silenced themselves as Alderman walked back in, examining the papers in her hands as she sat down at the front desk, none the wiser. Katara thought for a while. What if Zuko and Mai did get back together? They were good together, sort of. They did get in fights, but everyone did that. She'd be a little upset that he would spend more time with Mai than her, but it wasn't like Katara would be jealous. Zuko had always spent a lot of time with Mai when they were together.
Katara had even been forgotten once, completely. There had been a huge fight then, between Mai and Zuko, and when Zuko came to think it out with Katara, she'd turned him away. They got too enveloped in eachother, they forgot about everyone else. The sex must've been amazing, Katara thought to herself, if they were so obsessed. 'Bros before hoes,' was the saying, but it didn't work with a guy and his female friend.
Katara had never forgotten about her friends when she'd been with Jet. Thinking back, Jet had really been Katara's only boyfriend, and she couldn't say he was a bad kisser, but there was no spark, no real sexual attraction. At least not on Katara's part. Katara turned around to look at Jet. He wasn't even bad-looking, in fact, he was quite a looker. He was a catch, for some. Katara looked forwards again; perhaps what Jet needed was someone who could play him the same way he played other girls; someone who wouldn't take any bullshit. Katara even knew exactly the girl for the task, too.
Jin Territa was one of Zuko's exes, probably the most popular girl in school. She didn't see herself as popular though, she was sweet, but she took no bullshit. She didn't let people into her head either. She and Zuko had broken up because she knew he was still in love with Mai. Katara remembered that she'd admired Jin for that; she'd known how much Jin had liked Zuko.
The next time Zuko and Mai had broken up, Zuko had dated Song McFarlane, a farmer's daughter with a taste for horse riding. Katara had met Song at riding lessons when she was ten, and again in freshman year. In freshman year, they had gone twice trail riding. That time, Zuko had broken up with Song because he believed she deserved better. They had met through Katara.
Lost in her thoughts, Katara hadn't even noticed the detention attendant motioning them to get up. Mai poked her in the shoulder blade with a sharp, long, black-painted fingernail. "Earth to Marina." Mai laughed once.
Katara got up and smiled briefly. "Thanks, my head was elsewhere."
"Mine too. I was thinking about getting a drink." She glanced to Zuko and back to Katara. "You guys want to join me?"
"Sorry, I can't. I've got plans for tonight." Zuko smirked honestly. He actually did have plans; major plans that involved kicking ass, cleaning the streets and possibly helping old ladies across the street.
"Grounded." Katara shrugged in annoyance. "How about Ty Lee?"
Mai nodded slowly. "Guess so. See you." She raised a hand as a wave and walked out on her way to the black sedan her father had handed down to her.
Zuko and Katara headed out of the classroom and down the hall, before emerging in the school parking lot. Sokka was waiting in the car, and Katara could hear Eminem pumping from the stereo. She climbed in, waved to Zuko and buckled up. Sokka's car stalled, twice and sputtered a few times before starting. Sokka made some comment about seeing a mechanic later in the day, but Katara was too busy hoping to see the Blue Spirit online when she got home.
"Crap." Sokka hissed as the car stalled out again in the road. A car beeped from behind and the boy stuck a middle finger up as he powered up the engine, moving forward again and dialing Suki. "Hello?"
'Hello? Sokka?'
"Hey, I don't think we can do the movie tonight. Can we do it tomorrow? There's something up with my car."
'Aww. Okay. Call me when you get home, 'kay?'
"You know it." Sokka smiled mischievously before hanging up.
"Ty Lee, open up!" Mai smacked her flat hand on the door of the front door of the Chander's large split-level home. She knew nobody was home; both Ty Lee's radically Catholic parents worked to pay back the money they'd borrowed to feed the seven daughters they had, three of her sisters were in college, one lived in Pretoria, South Africa with her boyfriend, and the two just older than Ty Lee went to private school in Washington. Ty Lee was neither parent's favorite child, or considered by any of her family to be talented or absurdly pretty as all their daughters were stunners. "Ty Lee, don't make me knock this fucking house down!" she yelled in exasperation.
At once the door opened and a weepy-looking Ty Lee threw her arms around Mai and hugged her tight. Mai was caught unawares as Ty Lee sobbed into her shoulder. The tissue in Ty Lee's hand was wet from tears and crumpled up tightly in her hand. Mai could tell Ty Lee was trembling by her friend's free hand against her back in hysteric desperation.
"What happened?" Mai hugged back as tight as her reputation would allow her to. "Was it that stupid Haru boy? 'Cause I'll fuckin' kill him-,"
Ty Lee shook her head into Mai's shoulder and lifted her face from it to speak. "No. It was me. I did it."
"Did what?" Mai looked around cautiously.
"It's my fault. I screwed up so bad, Mai." She sniffled. "I'm so stupid. Just like mom says."
"Don't listen to that bitch, Ty Lee." Mai put her hand on Ty Lee's arm and stepped back from her before leading her back into the house. She instructed Ty Lee to sit down, and they did, on the couch. A half-used up box of tissues was on the coffee table and a bunch of used tissues were in the short garbage can near the couch. "What's going on?" Mai asked, somewhat demandingly.
Ty Lee leant forward on the couch and dropped her head into her hands, wiping at the tears on her face. "I screwed up so bad, Mai." She repeated, before looking up at Mai. "I asked Azula to pick it up for me. She's so good for doing it."
"What the hell is going on, Ty Lee? Are you shooting heroin or something?" Mai shook her head.
Ty Lee shook her head and pointed to the garbage can. "It's in there. Well, the pack is, anyway. I couldn't risk my parents finding it."
Mai grabbed the garbage can and plucked out the blue box-looking thing. She froze. The daunting word 'Clearblue' was written in insipidly cheerful lettering. "Ty Lee …" she stopped.
"I'm pregnant." Ty lee breathed, shutting her eyes and letting one more tear fall to the floor.
A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait, my internet was down and we thought the broadband company shut us off for late payment, so we only just realized it was off two days ago. I've written chapters and chapters and chapters of this now, I really like where it's going. That doesn't mean you guys don't have to wait, though. When I feel I've milked all the love out of this chapter, I'll upload the next one. Just to encourage your reviews, I'm goan' slip in an excerpt from the next chapter! Don't you love me?
Mai addressed his buddies. "Make tracks or lose your fingers." She pulled a Swiss army knife out of her coat and flicked up her weapon of choice.
They became wide eyed before fleeing at the speed of light. Mai's face was like a statue, emotionless and objective, as she looked down at Haru, who glared up at her. "If this is about Ty Lee-,"
"Shut up." Mai's eyes narrowed. "You know what this blade is for?" she bent over a little to get her point across. "It's for cutting off your nuts."
Haru swallowed hard, his throat dry. "W-w-what?" he stammered.
"You quite obviously don't want any kids." Mai added calmly.
"N-no! I want kids! I love kids! K-kids are great!" he held his hands up innocently.
And that's your lot until next time. You know, I think I like this 'preview' idea. I may continue doing this. Reviews will bring you the next chapter!
