Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! You guys are totally Super Mega Radically Awesome.
To answer some reviews and PM's,
-What's under Aang's beanie/hat? That's for Toph and Aang to know and for us to furiously ponder. We shall further explore Aang's scalp later (maybe a poll? Why don't you guys vote on whether he has hair or not?)
-Zuko, Jet and Suki are in college, not high school (there may be more college characters that crop up here and there)
-Iroh is not in high school. HURR HURR HURR
-Toph transferred near the end of the school year (3-4 months before) as a junior. Katara and Sokka are seniors. Aang is also a junior. Yeah, Suki's older than Sokka in this fic.
-TRY TO FIND ALL THE REFERENCES, YOU GUYS. There's usually more than two in every chapter (Prev. Chapter included Pride and Prejudice, the actual Avatar show, Gurren Lagann and a few others...)
P.E./Phys. Ed/Physical Education/Gym/Jock Period
"Hey, Twinkletoes!"
Aang dropped the basketball and grabbed his hat, holding it tightly to his head.
"Chill your face, man, I'm not going to take off your hat." said Toph, jogging towards him. "I've already been enlightened."
"What?" Sokka exclaimed, his eyes popping. "You saw Aang's Head?"
"Yup!"
"What happened? Why did you let her see it? What was it like? Is he bald? Does he have hair? A wig? Is it true that his scalp is made of gold?"
"What the heck, Sokka?" yelled Aang, his face flushing. "Where did you hear that?"
"Sorry, Snoozles. But I made a solemn vow not to tell." Toph said, putting her hands up. She decided to distract him. "Nice biceps!"
Sokka stopped mid-angry rant and flexed, admiring his arm.
"Really? Thanks, I've been- yeah you're damn hilarious." he said, dropping his arm and scowling at Toph's cackles.
"Now shoo, buff guy. Seniors are playing over there."
The older boy swore and sprinted off to his class. Aang and Toph laughed before facing each other.
"Thanks for not telling him." Aang said gratefully.
"No problem," Toph replied casually, whacking Aang's shins affectionally with her walking stick. "The Blind Bandit always keeps her word."
"Yeah, I've been wondering about that, actually! Why do you call yourself the Blind Bandit?"
"Hehehe! I'm the only one who can manage to pickpocket Sparky."
"Zuko? Wait, what do you mean?"
"I would tell you, but then I'd have to tell you about the Snowcone Incident. And Sparky will probably chop me into teeny pieces and spread me all throughout the city."
"I'd find all the pieces and put you back together." Aang said with a mischievous grin.
Toph punched him in the arm.
"Come on, 'Tara, just with number four! I hate number four. Goddamn word problems and their... word-problematic... ness! Help me with number four! Don't ignore me, young lady, I will bust your alarm clock again..."
Katara continued to chew the tip of her pencil, spacing out.
"Sokka, study hall is for studying. If you don't get a problem, figure it out." she said absent mindedly.
"Four. Four is such an ugly number. Why four? Why not three?"
"Four is the number of balance, Sokka."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just help me, already! I hate math. Who invented math."
"Keep working, Sokka."
"What's with you, Katara? You're all... spacey. And weird. What's up with you? Did you drink cactus juice? I know it was a very odd and invigorating experience, but-"
"I think I'll go buy a new necklace this week." said Katara suddenly, snapping back into attention and straightening up in her seat.
Sokka stared at her.
"... What? I mean, I'm not getting my old one back, and I miss it. I'll buy one that reminds me of mom."
"Katara, losing that necklace has affected you way too much. Just forget about it, okay? Mom would understand if she was here."
"Well, she's not here."
"I mean it, Katara. You've been a lot snappier than normal, you've been really... I don't even know. You're just... fiercer. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing. You have to let this go."
"I did! Really!" Her brother didn't look convinced. She decided to fib a bit more."And don't worry about it. I'm just... I'm just really hyped up after Grandpa's Tai Chi Chuan lessons! Yeah! He says I take after it like a fish to water. I thought it was really ironic since-"
"Wait, what? You're taking lessons from Pakku? The one that Gran-Gran didn't want to marry? The one that made Gran-Gran take a plane to another continent before they got her back?"
"Be more respectful! He's not too bad, you know." Katara said, relieved that her brother was distracted... for now.
"I don't like him." he grumbled, crossing his arms.
"You're just mad because I got a cool amulet for Christmas while you got a Ziploc bag with four cashews inside."
"I hate him."
Okay. This isn't hard. You can do this. This is easy. It's like... It's like getting a shot! Yeah. A bit of pain, but then you don't have to deal with it for another year or so. You can do this.
Zuko dialed and waited.
"Hello? Who is this?" said the voice on the other line.
"Azula? It's-"
"ZUZU!"
Zuko winced and put the phone away from his ear.
"It's been a while, college man. When will you stop using Star Sixty-Seven when you call me?"
"I don't want you to have my number."
"You wound me, big brother dear. How's life? What are you majoring in? Are you doing well in classes? Why don't you ever visit? It's been ever so long since you called. I'm beginning to think you don't care for your dear sister! No, really, why don't you ever visit?"
"I apologize for wounding you. Life is alright. I'm majoring in business. I'm doing well in classes. You know why I don't visit. It's been five months since I last called, if I'm right. I do care. You know perfectly well why I don't visit. Now, since I answered all your questions, can I hang up?"
"You're no fun! And come on, just visit. Mai misses you, you know!"
"I'm sure Father would love to see me."
"He doesn't have to know." She sounded serious all of a sudden. "I mean, it's been years since... you know. He can't do anything to you."
"He already has."
"Just come back, Zuzu. No one blames you for what happened."
"I called you because I promised I would. Not for another decade of therapy. I need to go. My roommate is coming."
"Wait, before you go."
"Yeah?"
"Mom would want you to visit."
"... I'm hanging up, Azula."
She sighed.
"Bye."
Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, furrowing his eyebrows. Goddammit. He pulled out a lighter and flicked it on. He stared at the small, wavering flame until it went out on its own.
"Hi, Toph!"
"Twinkletoes? Shouldn't you be going to class?"
"We have five minutes. Why aren't you in class?"
"Study hall. You?"
"Math. Uhh, listen. I was wondering..."
"Yeah?"
"Um... Weeell... You see... You... I..."
"You should take a course on speech."
"I... I... Do you..."
Aang tripped and stumbled over his words, his face turning redder by the second. Toph simply stared, vaguely wondering if she should call a doctor.
"Do you... Um... You don't have to, but... Um... I mean, I was just wondering..."
"You can do it, Twinkletoes. I believe in you. I've heard you formulate complete sentences before."
"Do you... want to go hang out this weekend? You know... Together?"
The implication flew completely over Toph's head. Which is understandable, since she's pretty short.
"Sure! I'll tell Katara and Suki afterschool! Have you told Sokka and Zuko yet?"
"Uh, err, that wasn't... exactly..." Aang sighed, giving up. "Sure, I'll tell them later."
"Sweet!" said Toph. She punched him in the arm and grinned. "We're gonna have a hell of a good time. Right, Twinkles?"
He couldn't help but smile at that.
"Right."
"Hey, Sweetness."
"Hi, Toph. Where's Su- I mean, Smellerbee?"
"She's comin'. I think she's bringing someone over. I was trying to think up a nickname for her, but I can't beat Smellerbee, can I?"
"I don't think so." she said with a chuckle. "Here she comes now. There's someone with her."
"I could tell. Hey, Smellerbee. New dude." Toph waved at them, and Katara greeted them as well.
"Toph. Katara." Sus- Smellerbee said, nodding at the two of them. "This is my friend. He's from Vietnam, and he's in my math class. His name is damn near impossible to pronounce, so I call him Longshot."
Longshot waved at the two of them.
"You guys don't mind if we sit here?"
"No problem!"
"Go right ahead."
"So, Longshot. How are you?" asked Katara politely.
He just shrugged and began eating his pizza.
"He doesn't talk much." said Smellerbee, putting an elbow on his shoulder and reclining. "Not if he can help it."
"What's his real name?" asked Toph curiously. "I wanna try pronouncing it!"
"It's Luo... No, wait, it's Li... Or was it La... You know what, I don't even know." said Smellerbee, throwing her hands in the air. "It's impossible to pronounce."
Toph seemed a bit disappointed at the lack of challenge. Longshot chewed quietly, although he seemed amused.
"So... Smellerbee. Got any siblings?" asked Toph, taking a bite out of her hotdog.
"Yeah. Older brother. He goes to college, and he's a total dork. Got himself kicked out of like thirty schools. Surprised he made it to college at all."
"What's his name?"
"Jet."
Katara spat out her water into Toph's face and began coughing uncontrollably. Toph's facial expression didn't change one bit.
"... Ew." she said shortly, as though she was used to such things happening to her. She grabbed a napkin and began scrubbing at her face.
"You alright, there?" asked Smellerbee, trying not to smile.
"I'm *cough* *hack* *wheeze* fine!" Katara scrambled up, still coughing. "I *cough* have to *hack*- bathroom!"
She ran to the restrooms while the three of them watched.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So, Smellerbee. What kind of music are you into?"
Aang: hey, zuko?
Zuko: whatsup aang. why are u texting in class?
Aang: i have a question. you've known toph for a long time, right?
Zuko: uuh... yeah. why?
Aang: how long have u known her?
Zuko: since we were kids. why?
Aang: have u guys ever... u kno.
Zuko: no, i don't know. what are u talking about?
Aang: have u guys ever dated?
Zuko: christ, aang, she's like my sister. what makes u say that?
Aang: nothing, i was just wondering.
Zuko: did something happen?
Aang: not exactly. never mind.
Zuko: just tell me.
Aang: i'm in class, man. stop texting. geez. whats with u
Zuko: ... you little shit...
"Hey! Over here!" Katara and Toph exclaimed simultaneously. Suki drove towards the curb they were standing on, and they both stepped lightly into her car.
"Hey guys! How's life?"
"Alright."
"Meh. Nothin' much. How 'bout you, Fangirl?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Hey, Sweetness. What was with your little seizure today when Smellerbee told you about her brother?"
"Smellerbee?" Suki crinkled her nose. "That's a weird nickname."
"Err... I just drank my water too fast. You know how it is." Katara replied nervously. She began fiddling with her fingers.
"Liar." Toph poked Katara's arm.
"You know this Smellerbee's brother or something?" Suki asked distractedly. Damn this traffic.
"No!" Katara yelped, straightening up in her seat. Toph's eyes narrowed.
"Really? You don't know this Jet at all?"
Katara turned scarlet while Suki burst into laughter. She began pounding the dashboard in hysterics.
"Jet? The same Jet? PFT- AHAHAHAHAHA..."
Katara looked like she was about to strangle Toph.
"Why? You know him too? What's so funny?" Toph demanded eagerly, not noticing the older girl's death glares.
"Suki, don't you dare tell..."
The driver didn't look like she was able to say anything coherent at all. She continued laughing as she drove, occasionally wiping a tear from her eye. Toph pouted until she got a clever idea. She snapped her fingers (she had to thank Iroh for that) and turned to Katara.
"Sweetness, you have to tell me why Fangirl's laughing! Final favor!"
"No! Anything but that."
"You promised! And this is totally reasonable."
They argued for a few more minutes, and Toph could feel Katara's will slowly crumble. Finally-
"Ugh. Fine. Alright, you little insect. I'll tell you. When I was younger, I used to..." Katara sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I used to have a crush on Jet. There. I said it."
Toph grinned, but shook her head.
"Nope! That's only part of the story, isn't it? I can tell you're hiding something. I asked you to tell me why Fangirl's laughing!"
At this, Suki began laughing even harder.
"I can't believe... After all this time..." was all she could manage before she succumbed to more giggles.
Katara's face turned even redder.
"Well... Remember how I told you about Suki's present for me? When I was fifteen?"
"Yeah. Something about shutting you in a closet, which is a pretty lame gift."
"I agree. But, it wasn't just that."
Toph drowned out Suki's guffaws and listened harder- Katara was becoming more and more quiet for every word she spoke.
"See... She knew I had a crush on Jet, but I was too afraid to tell him. So... She kind of... trappedmeintheclosetwithhim."
The last sentence was said very softly and very quickly, but Toph understood it perfectly. She cackled along with Suki while Katara covered her face and groaned in embarrassment.
"How long did she keep you there for?" asked Toph, trying to keep a straight face.
"A little over three hours."
More laughter, more pained groans.
"What did you guys do?"
"I apologized like crazy, while he said it was alright and stuff. We sat there in super awkward silence, trying to forget the other person was there. I still haven't forgiven you for that!" Katara snapped, blushing furiously.
"So do you still like him?"
"No. I thought he was really nice, but it turned out he was actually this huge jerk. I haven't seen him in years, but it's still humiliating thinking about how stupid I was to like him."
"You sure it's not... the Closet Incident that makes you so embarrassed?"
Suki and Toph high fived.
"I hate you both."
Aang: sokka? u busy?
Sokka: sup? i was kinda asleep, but yeah, whatsup?
Aang: you're know how you're going out with suki?
Sokka: REALLY :o
Aang: shut up. anyway, ur "experienced" when it comes to girls, right?
Sokka: I guess... why? should i be afraid?
Aang: No... i just need ur help. there's this girl i like...
Sokka: IF YOU COME WITHIN TWO INCHES OF MY SISTER, I SWEAR, I WILL DO HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE THINGS TO YOU IN YOUR SLEEP
Aang: holy crap calm down! i don't like ur sister anymore! i told u already!
Sokka: oh ok then. so who's the girl?
Aang: i'm not telling u!
Sokka: so i know her. hmm. okay, that doesn't help much...
Aang: come on, i'm serious. i tried to ask her out today, but it didn't rly work
Sokka: contrary to popular belief, bursting into song doesn't rly help. at all.
Aang: i didn't sing. i just kinda asked her out. but... yeah.
Sokka: ooh, she dump ya? we can go drink some more of that cactus juice to drown ur sorrows.
Aang: she didn't dump me. she... misunderstood what i was saying.
Sokka: aaah. u were too afraid to ask her out lyk a normal person, so she has no clue.
Aang: ... kind of. she didn't think i meant it... romantically.
Sokka: i see, i see. and when u tried to straighten it out...?
Aang: thats the thing. i didn't.
Sokka: well no wonder. do u kno if she likes u back?
Aang: no. she's not... very... romantic?
Sokka: holy shit u tried to ask out toph
Aang: what? no!
Sokka: oh. rly? huh. alright, good, cuz zuko would prob. start beating u up again.
Aang: ... do u think so? not that i'm gonna ask out toph! just theoretically, u kno. we spar together, remember? he taught me a lot. i could take him on... right?
Sokka: nothing gets in the way of an older bro whose sister is being eyed by potential rapists.
Aang: wth, i'm not gonna rape toph!
Sokka: okay, okay, i'm just sayin, good thing u weren't tryin to ask her out. who's the girl?
Aang: not telling. she's in one of my classes.
Sokka: alright. we'll continue this discussion some other time. i gtg.
Aang; alright, c ya.
Sokka: dude.
Zuko: nice job wasting a text. what's up.
Sokka: if someone were to ask out toph, how would u react?
Zuko: well first i'd find the person's address, and then their daily schedule, and then determine when they could disappear without being missed...
Sokka: ok, so u would hunt them down and probably kill them.
Zuko: yeah... jesus christ i'm turning into u.
Sokka: i'm not that protective!
Zuko: u threw a chair at jet when u guys first met.
Sokka: well... shut up. he's a dick.
Zuko: he's my roomie, i should prob. tell him u said that.
Sokka: pft. i could take him on.
Zuko: sure. so why r u asking about toph?
Sokka: just wonderin.
Zuko: does someone want to ask toph out? who? tell me now.
Sokka: i'm not namin names, man.
Zuko: i swear, i will tie u to a tree if i have to. and take your most precious possession and wave it around ur face until u break.
Sokka: no srsly. it's just a theory, i dunno if he actually will ask her out.
Zuko: whatev. whoever it is, after toph's through with them, i'll finish him off.
Sokka: what do u mean?
Zuko: toph hates relationships. love. romantic stuff like that. says it's too girly. she swore the first person who asks her out was gonna get a black eye. i'll just ruin the other eye, too.
Sokka: ... i see.
Sokka: ur sure ur not gonna ask toph out? its in your best interest that u tell me the truth.
Aang: what the heck! i'm not!
Sokka: no need to get defensive.
Aang: i'm not being defensive!
Sokka: uh huh. ok.
"Hello?"
"'Sup, Snoozles. You sent me a text with the expectation that I could read it."
"... Oh, right. Sorry."
"I'm used to it, you blundering fool. So what's up?"
"Wha- right! I was just wondering... how would you react if someone asked you out?"
Toph thought for a minute, rubbing her chin contemplatively.
"I'd have to say, quite honestly, first I'd punch their eye in."
"... Uh huh..."
"Like, really hard. They're gonna be able to stare at their own brain."
"I see..."
"Then I'd let Sparky finish them off. He'd probably punch their other eye in. So that that eye was actually looking at the eye that I'd punched in."
"... Did you... Did you guys plan this out or something?"
"Nah. I'm just guessing what he'd do. But seriously, whoever has the guts to ask me out are gonna end up looking like 2D from Gorillaz or something."
"Why?"
"Romance is grossly icky. It's gicky."
"Well... alright."
"Is that all you wanted to know?"
"Yeah. Uh, see you tomorrow, Toph!"
"See ya, Snoozles."
Toph hung up and continued to watch Blues Clues.
"Where's the clue, kids?"
"How the hell should I know?"
Toph thought very hard about her conversation with Sokka that night. She'd never really thought about her being part of a relationship before. First off, she'd been homeschooled for most of her life, which had made meeting new people very difficult. Second, she was blind, and was usually pitied rather than actually welcomed. Also, she was Toph! She was the toughest damn girl in that flaky-ass school! Well, Katara had her good points, too, especially when she lost her infamous temper. Oh, and Smellerbee could kill someone just by staring at them for too long. But still! She could easily beat the organs out of anyone, guy or girl.
Of course, Toph couldn't quite speak from experience, but she'd read (forced Zuko to read aloud) many romance novels (they'd die before either of them admitted it). And Toph was quite certain that guys liked a certain type of girl. Or more exactly, one that couldn't and wouldn't beat the organs out of anything. And she did not fit in that category. According to these romance stories, ideal girls were tall, busty, delicate and so on and so forth. At a fairly early age, Toph had realized that she wasn't tall (her father still called her "squirt"), she wasn't busty (then again, she couldn't exactly tell), and she wasn't delicate (Kuei cried more than she did).
Toph had accepted that she wasn't the ideal girl. She didn't even want to be the ideal girl. From what she could tell, the girls in those romance novels were the type of girls she routinely beat up for lunch money (this "bullying stage" only lasted for grades five and six, so she was okay now). Zuko had insisted that no one actually liked the girls in said romance stories, but Toph didn't believe him. So, she'd strived to be the opposite of those girls. If getting in a relationship meant that you had to act like the total numbskull that guys were into, then she was staying out of it.
She giggled at the memory of when she'd first told Zuko to read to her...
(Flashback)
Four years ago, when Toph was a wee thirteen year old, and Zuko was but an angry, angry sixteen year old, Toph had gotten a bit... curious. She'd known about the birds and the bees and whatnot, but she didn't know about such things. And who better to teach her than her male, teenage friend? Yes, she was sure he would be able to teach her many, many things.
She went to the local library, grabbed some books, and called Zuko (she was never allowed to come to his house, for some reason).
Now, don't get any odd mental images of a thirteen year old Toph and a sixteen year old Zuko going at it with the Kama Sutra in hand (whoops, too late). Toph knew what she was doing, as she always did. Zuko came over to her (gigantic) house fifteen minutes later, eager to help his friend.
"Hey, Sparky. I have some books that seem really interesting!" she had said, gesturing for him to sit on the couch next to her. Yeah, her room has a couch. This is your cue to turn away from the screen, put your fist in the air, and curse rich people. Did you do it yet? Yeah? Alright, keep reading. "Will you read for me?"
"Sure, Champ. I always read for you." Zuko replied with a smile, making himself at home. "What is it this time? More pirates? Folktales? Martial arts?"
Toph grinned and threw the book to him. She couldn't see, of course, but she could tell that he was blushing.
"... Midnight Island: A Passionate Affair..." He sounded like he was choking.
"Ooh, cool!" Toph grabbed a Poptart from the stash of snack foods she kept in a bowl on her desk. "Sounds raunchy."
"... Toph, an explanation would be much appreciated." Ooh, no "Champ." That meant he was serious.
"What? I've never read a romance book, I've never talked to anyone about relationships, never seen a movie on love... I just wanna see what it's like. I'm just curious."
"Please try to understand, Toph, these books are trash, they don't reflect actual relationships at all, and- and-" he sputtered, holding the book with his fingers as though it contained some kind of repulsive disease. "They're embarrassing and... and... You'll get the wrong idea, and it'll probably do some kind of horrible psychological damage to you, and..."
"It sounds like you're just defending your male pride. I understand perfectly! Reading these things have to be the least manliest thing in the list of Non-Manly things... I can understand if you don't want to..."
"It's not just that! Just..." Zuko sighed, resigned to his face. Toph grinned; she knew she'd won. "Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Don't try to be like the girls in this book."
"... Alright...?"
"Don't go into any relationships that are anything like this book."
"Okay..."
"Just... remember that this is as much of a book as a bag of vomit is a cheeseburger."
"Got it..."
Zuko sighed again, looked around as if to check if anyone else might be in the room, and slowly opened the neon pink book before him, careful not to touch it any more than he absolutely had to.
"Chapter One: A Star-crossed Rendezvous." he read aloud. He fought back a torrent of bile rising in his throat.
Toph covered her mouth as she giggled.
(Two long, arduous hours later)
"That's it. I've had enough of this bull. I refuse to do this." Zuko threw the book on the ground and resisted the urge to pull out a lighter (not only was it a nervous habit that his councilor didn't approve of, but he also seriously considered setting the book on fire).
Toph got up from her position on the floor and looked at him wide-eyed, horror written all over her features.
"What? But it was such a good part!" she exclaimed.
"You were laughing at me!" he accused, drawing his knees up from his place on the sofa.
"I was laughing at the book!"
He relaxed a bit at that. Toph noticed.
"Come ooon, Sparky! What happened after George nipped at Jennifer's collarbone, causing her to melt into a puddle of molten desire and longing?" she struggled to maintain a straight face.
Zuko let out a moan of anguish and covered his face with a pillow. His arms hung limply over the sofa.
"Please smother me," said Zuko emotionlessly. His voice was slightly muffled. "There's no other way for me to end the pain."
"It was a really good part." Toph said, pouting. Honestly, the book was about as ridiculous as it could get. But she wasn't about to let her fun stop. She grinned mischievously before sighing loudly.
"My favorite part was when they were talking about shirtless Fernando." she said dreamily. Zuko tensed.
"'Emily couldn't help but stare at Fernando's sweaty body, and the way his tan abs rippled when he slowly stood up...'" Toph sang loudly.
Zuko scowled and threw the pillow at Toph, which she caught.
"Throwing things at the blind girl? That's low!"
"I'm not reading it anymore. I'm serious."
"Do you have rippling abs, Sparky?"
"Champion or no champion, I will attack you."
"Come on, at least finish what you started! Pretty please?"
Toph stuck out her lower lip and widened her eyes. She wasn't sure what she looked like, but for some reason it worked a lot. Zuko glanced at her expression and groaned.
"Not the face, Champ."
To be honest, she looked pretty darn adorable. Of course, he would never say that to her face. Not if he wanted to live.
"Fine." he said, feeling his willpower crumbling into dust at the force of The Look. He snatched the book from the floor and opened it to the page he'd been on. "You're the devil."
Toph smiled.
(End Flashback)
"Honey? Our darling daughter is doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"The one where she's alone in her room and she starts laughing loudly for some reason."
"It happens often, doesn't it? Just try to go to sleep, Pumpkin."
Day 43
After school, Toph had gone to the parking lot to find Suki, Aang, Katara and Sokka waiting for her. After Aang had so thoughtfully suggested that the six of them hang out, Toph had taken the liberty to call everyone and invite them to the mall that Friday. Since Suki and Zuko were the only ones with cars (Sokka's had been obliterated after an accident involving Aang's cat Momo and Haru), the plan had been to divide into groups and carpool there together.
"Sorry I'm late, guys. I left my notebook on my desk. Where's Sparky?"
"He said he's going to be late," Aang answered. "Something about traffic."
"I call Suki's car!" Sokka said with a grin, putting his arm around her shoulder. Suki blushed and elbowed him lightly.
Aang remembered the drive with Zuko and paled.
"Me too!" he exclaimed with a shudder. He wouldn't be afraid of anything after that. Anything, of course, but having to get into that car again.
Toph hmphed and grabbed Katara's elbow.
"Fine! I'll be with Sparky. Sugar Queen, you'll go with me, right?"
"Err..." Truthfully, Katara would have preferred swimming to the South Pole, but she couldn't really say no to that face... "Sure. Why not."
Toph whooped and slapped Katara's back heartily (surely leaving a bruise or seven).
"Well, we better get going. Zuko's going to be here in five minutes or so, so we'll meet you there, alright?"
"Fangirl, you just want to get a headstart so that you can go make out with Snoozles faster."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Suki said casually, stepping into the driver's seat.
Katara and Toph noticed that neither of them denied it.
"Uh, bye Toph. Katara." Aang said before getting into the car. "Umm... Good luck!"
They drove off. Sokka waved to them.
"Toph?"
"'Sup, Sweetness?"
"What did he mean by 'good luck'?"
"I'm assuming he meant 'good luck catching up to us,' or 'good luck waiting for Sparky' or something like that."
"... Yeah. Right. That's it."
Aang watched uncomfortably as Suki and Sokka flirted shamelessly with one another. I should have invited Toph to go with us...
"Toph?"
"Yeah?"
"Is Zuko the one in the red car, driving like he's on the run?"
"I don't know what red is, but I'm assuming yes, that's probably him."
"... Maybe we should walk to the mall."
"He can't be driving that bad."
The car came to a screeching halt in front of them, and Zuko stumbled out of the car towards the two.
"Sorry I'm late. I was... busy." He didn't quite meet their eyes.
"Sparky, did you fall asleep?"
"... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hey! Hey, Toph!"
"Oh no..." Katara and Toph moaned simultaneously.
"Who's that guy?" asked Zuko, narrowing his eyes.
"Tomo." Toph grumbled, gritting her teeth. She turned around slowly to face him.
"Well, well, well." he said, smirking condescendingly. Of course, she couldn't tell for sure if he was smirking or not, but she could practically hear it in that stupid, high pitched voice of his. "If it isn't Pipsqueak and Nerdgirl."
"Fuck off, Tomo."
"Woah, there. No need to be so feisty! And here I thought we were friends."
"Come on, Toph." Katara said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just get in the car and ignore him." She gently took Toph's walking stick and put it in the car, along with their bags. Toph didn't turn.
"What, you're taking orders from Miss Honor Roll now?"
"Just ignore him, Toph, just get in the car-"
"Shut up and let Blind Girl talk, bitch!"
"Toph, hurry up and beat the shit out of him."
Toph looked like she was about to do more than just beat him up, but she spat at his feet and turned away instead.
"Come on, Sweetness. Sparky. Let's get out of here."
Tomo looked up, just noticing the older guy standing behind them. Or more importantly, he noticed the scar covering the left side of his face. He was slightly unnerved, especially at how pissed off he looked. But when did that ever stop him? Just as the three of them turned away-
"Nice job, Miss Toph! You guys starting some kinda club for people with fucked up eyes-"
All hell broke loose. It all happened too fast for human eyes to comprehend. So let's slow this down a bit. Imagine this all happening in slow motion. Toph turned on her heel and aimed a beautifully formed fist roughly towards Tomo's cheek. Zuko mirrored her actions perfectly, on the other side of his face. Tomo's eyes slowly widened, realizing what was going to happen to him. But before Toph and Zuko could manage to hit him, something else did. Katara had grabbed the walking stick from the car's open window, and was gripping it with both hands.
She pivoted and swung it at a perfect arc, slamming it into Tomo's gut in the ideal baseball swing. His eyes popped out, and spit flew out of his mouth; he crumbled into the ground, clutching his torso and wheezing, gasping for breath. Now, no more slow motion; let's put it up to real speed.
Zuko and Toph turned to face Katara, both of their eyes as wide as plates. Katara stood there, breathing heavily, still holding the walking stick in her hands. There was a bit of silence interrupted only by Tomo's choking, a moment of hesitation, and the three of them sprinted to the car simultaneously.
"Drive! Drive, you fool!" Toph screamed, jumping into the front seat. Zuko didn't answer, but sped out of the parking lot without looking behind him.
There was about thirty seconds of silence, and then-
"Sweetness. That- that was amazing." Toph still looked surprised.
The events that had just occurred had yet to settle in.
"Katara, that really was." Zuko assured her, his eyes wide.
She registered that it was the first time he'd ever actually said her name.
"Thanks. I... I still can't process what just happened."
They continued to drive in silence. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed.
"Oh God... I can't believe I did that!" Katara moaned suddenly, despair ringing in her voice.
It was as if a dam had broken. Zuko and Toph burst into laughter, and continued to howl for the rest of the drive.
"That was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ever." Toph exclaimed, putting an arm around Katara. "You want a stick of your own?"
"Did you see his face when she hit him? I thought I was dreaming or something." Zuko said happily. He put his elbow on Katara's shoulder. She quickly reminded herself that it was only because Toph was too short.
"You guys suck. What if I actually hurt him? What if he tells? What's going to happen to me?"
They were walking towards the mall, and were teasing Katara about what had happened.
"Who cares? The prick deserved it. I dunno if he saw you, either. I mean, it happened pretty fast." Toph said nonchalantly. She honestly didn't know what would happen. She'd concussed Tomo before, yes, but her parents were ridiculously wealthy. They couldn't afford to kick her out. But as for Katara... Toph didn't want to think about it.
"It's true. I've been hit in the gut before. First thing that happens is your vision gets fucked up." Zuko said, nodding.
"Let's... Let's just talk about something else." Katara said. "Wonder where the others are?"
Suki and Sokka walked hand in hand through the many different stores. Aang had left them a while ago, feeling a lot like the third wheel (he decided to check out the food court). They had stopped in front of one that offered to pierce most of your body parts (they had a small list of areas they didn't pierce, most of which you can guess on your own).
"Hey, Sokka! I dare you to go get a piercing!" Suki giggled. She was feeling strangely elated. She wanted to do crazy things; she felt like she could do anything and get away with it.
"No way!"
"Aww, come on!"
"Nope. No way. Absolutely not. Maybe if you go get one."
"Really?"
"... I was going to say yes, but you sound oddly determined to go through with this."
Suki grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dimly lit store.
"... And that's when the wagon flew apart, causing us to fall towards the urn." Toph concluded.
"I regret nothing." Zuko added.
"You guys are both ridiculous. Did your mom ever find out who broke the table?" Katara asked. Honestly, it was really awkward hearing all these stories about her best friend and her escapades with the biggest jerk she'd ever met. But at least Toph looked like she was having fun retelling all these adventures.
"Naw, she was too busy crying over the vase. Apparently it was an antique. If Sparky here hadn't decided to grab all those Kit Kats before launching, we wouldn't have broken anything."
"Like I said, I regret nothing. Kit Kats are delicious."
"And no one noticed that they were gone?"
"We blamed it on Mr. Bumi."
"He's the old guy who lives across the street from my house."
"That's so mean! You shouldn't drag other people- Oh, Suki just texted me. She's on the third floor. Let's go!"
Aang put down the guitar and sighed. He'd been playing Guitar Hero for almost twenty minutes, now. There was only so much fake guitar riffs you could play before the thrill wore out. Not to mention that the people waiting in line for him were getting antsy. He stepped out of the store and looked around. He was getting bored. He looked over the banister to the floor below and noticed a small green figure with a walking stick. He grinned.
"... And that's when the crow escaped, causing the box to fall onto the barbecue and set fire to the coat." Toph concluded.
"I regret nothing." Zuko added.
"Of course, if Sparky here hadn't decided to take some time to buy gum, none of that would have-"
"Toph! Katara! Zuko!"
The three of them turned to see Aang run towards them.
"Hey, Aang!"
"Hi, Twinkletoes."
"Hey guys! I was waiting for you! Suki and Sokka were being really... close, so I decided to leave them alone."
"Where are they?" asked Katara. "We should meet up with them. I know they're on the third floor, but that's it."
"I dunno. They're probably looking for clothes. Come on!" Aang grabbed Toph's hand and began towards the stairs.
"Wait! Where are you going?" asked Katara.
They stopped.
"To the stairs!" Aang said with a bit of surprise.
"Why? The elevator's right here!"
"I kind of wanted to stop by the food court..." he said sheepishly. "There's an eating contest at the Golding Bakery..."
"An eating contest? A real, live, legit eating contest?" Toph grabbed Aang's arm and began dragging him away. "Hurry! I bet I could take you on!"
"We'll met up with you guys later!" Aang yelled, before they disappeared from sight.
Katara rolled her eyes. Thanks. Leave me with him.
"Come on. Elevator's here." he said from behind her.
"Ow..." Sokka muttered, lightly rubbing the new ring in his ear. "Couldn't I have gotten it on my earlobe or something?"
Suki was too busy admiring the stud on her stomach.
"You have to admit, it looks really cool!" she said with a smile. She'd found out that Sokka didn't like sharp things. At all. It was cute.
"That hurt, though..."
"Suck it up!" Suki pulled her shirt down, covering her newly pierced belly button. "I kinda want one too!"
"Want what?"
"An ear piercing."
"You already do!"
"I mean on the cartilage. Not the earlobe."
"Oh. Well, hey, maybe next time-"
Suki grinned and pulled him back into the store.
The door closed, and the elevator began to move. Zuko began to chuckle.
"What?" Katara asked, turning towards him. Was he making fun of her?
"Remember the last time we were in here, and we got stuck?"
"Perfectly. It wasn't funny at all."
"You have to admit, it had its merits-"
The lights flickered before going out completely.
"... Jesus Christ please tell me this is a joke-"
CRASH!
The two of them fell on the floor of the elevator and didn't move for a while.
"This... This can't be happening." Katara said.
"Mmmmph."
"Oh, right, right. Sorry." She rolled over, and heard Zuko gasping for breath.
"No problem." he said, sounding out of breath.
"..."
"..."
"This has to be a joke. Or some kind of weird... planned event."
"I wish."
"I mean it. Soon the elevator's going to move again, and when the doors open, there's going to be a camera crew there."
"Mmhm."
"This kind of stuff doesn't happen to people."
There was a click! and a small orange light- Zuko's lighter. He stood up and pressed the emergency button. Nothing. He continued pressing it, each push becoming more and more violent; after a while he flicked the lighter off.
"Katara?"
"Uhh, yeah?"
"Cover your ears."
Sokka winced in pain as he rubbed his eye. At least the pain in his eyebrow made him forget the pain in his ear.
"Why my eyebrow?" he whined. It felt so... weird. "It feels so... weird. And painful. Why not my earlobes? Those can be pierced, too!"
Suki grinned and put her hand to her ear, lightly feeling the stud there.
"Oh, it wasn't too bad!"
"Katara's going to bite my head off. I never let her get piercings."
"Ah. Well, you don't have to worry about that."
Sokka stopped mid-step.
"... What do you mean?"
"Well, Katara seemed a bit... miffed that you wouldn't let her get any piercings. So a few years ago, when she was sleeping over at my house, I kind of... pierced her ears for her."
"What?"
"Yeah. She just didn't wear any earrings whenever she was at home."
"They've been pierced for... years?"
"Yeah. We were kind of surprised how you didn't notice for so long."
"You! She-! You!" He was caught between being angry at Katara and being afraid of her wrath when she realized this bit of hypocrisy. He decided to get angry.
"Where is she?" he roared, marching towards the elevator.
"Where are you going?"
"To the bottom floor. And searching for her."
"Didn't you forget? That stupid elevator always breaks. Come on, let's go to the food court. Aang just texted me about some kind of eating contest."
Sokka stopped and turned around, a grin on his face.
"Why didn't you say so? Let's hurry!"
He grabbed her hand and began running to the food court.
"Hurry up and sign my name, Twinkletoes!" Toph bounced up and down in anticipation. Sure, it wasn't exactly the most manliest thing to do, but she was too excited to care. She'd never been in an eating contest before. She was sure she was going to do great.
"Done! Here, the contestants sit at the table over there." Aang couldn't help but smile wider at how excited she looked. In a way, asking her out hadn't failed, after all. Here they were, doing something they both liked, both were having fun, and both were alone.
"Hey, guys!"
Aang sighed. So much for alone.
"Fangirl! Snoozles! You guys are doing the eating contest, too?"
"Yup! And check this out!"
Suki grabbed Toph's hand and brought it to her ear.
"You got a piercing?"
"Uh huh! And on my belly button, too!"
"Lemme see! Woooah... That's so cool... What about you, Snoozles? Did Fangirl make you get piercings, too?"
Sokka took her hand and brought it to his ear and eyebrow, feeling a bit proud of himself.
"Nice job!" Toph exclaimed. She crossed her arms. "I gotta say, I'm impressed. Didn't think you guys had the guts to do stuff like that!"
"Katara's going to murder you two." Aang said with a chuckle. "She'd have wanted to go with you guys."
"Where are they, anyway?" Toph asked, just remembering her two friends. "Zuko would want to do the eating contest too. Can someone call them?"
Before anyone could take out their phones, however, a man walked up to the long table where the contestants were sitting.
"We will now begin the eating contest! Here are the rules. Each contestant must grab a plate with one of our famous pastries from each station. You receive one point for every plate you manage to clean..."
"We'll call them later." Suki whispered, and the three nodded.
"... And you must take one at a time. Golding Bakery would like to thank the following sponsors..."
"They won't pick up." Katara said despairingly.
"What the hell are they doing?"
"I don't know! It has to be pretty important for them to be unable to pick up..."
"I hate this place."
"Me too."