Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Mai,

Working late today. Let's talk tomorrow.

Love,

Mom

I take the handwritten note off the kitchen counter and crumble it up, then toss it into the trash can.

Working late; Shocker. Let's talk; After four of these notes a week you'd think we'd have talked by now. Tomorrow; Ah, yes, that day never comes, does it?

Love. Hmm.

--

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Who's this?"

"What do you mean, 'who's this'? It's me."

"'Me' who?"

"Ty Lee! It's Mai."

I hear the perky teenager chuckle into her phone.

"Ohhh, okay! I didn't check the Caller ID. Hi."

"Hi," I mutter, already annoyed. She should know my voice by now.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing really, we just haven't talked in like a week."

"Has it been a week? Wow, I didn't even notice! I've been spending a lot of time with Jet. Did I tell you I'm his girlfriend now?"

"No. We haven't talked, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I am."

Silence.

"Aren't you happy for me?"

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess."

"If you got a boyfriend I'd be happy for you!"

"Ty Lee, of course I'm glad that you're happy. I'm just anti-fangirl or something. You know that."

"I guess," she sighs. "So, anything happen with Zuko yet?"

"If by that you mean him liking me back, then no. And where did that 'yet' come from? It's possible-probable, actually-that he'll never like me more than he does."

"Why wouldn't he like you?"

"Can't I just tell you the reasons why he would like me? It's a much shorter list."

"Ouch. Attack your own self-esteem, much?"

"There wasn't much there in the first place."

"You got that right."

"Not helping."

"Why should I help you if you won't even help yourself?"

To this, there is no answer. I can't believe I'm saying this, but…Ty Lee makes a good point.

--

The rest of my Sunday consists of a chic but oh-so-uncomfortable couch, old DVDs, and one too many bowls of ice cream. When I tell people about my heavy eating habits, usually they don't know what to say, because it doesn't show. I mean, I'm not trying to be conceited or anything, but I am rather skinny. I was just born that way, according to my mother. She also thinks that the protein from the food I eat goes to my hair instead of my body, because it's so shiny and I'm so thin and tall. But that makes me feel like there's something wrong inside my body. Whatever; if it means not having to worry about what I eat, it's fine with me.

Before I know it, Monday's here, and I'm half-asleep in homeroom; my usual morning activity. The next few classes drag by, and then I'm in History, preparing to do the same thing. But as I look around the room, my eyes stop briefly on Zuko, and he smiles at me. I offer back only my own tired expression, holding in a yawn, and he laughs a little.

A few minutes later something lands on my desk, and I almost jump, then realize it was just a piece of paper. I unfold it under my desk and push back in my chair to read it so Mr. Drake doesn't see.

Not a morning person?

I figure the sketchy print is Zuko's, and take out a pen to write my reply on the same page.

No. But nice aim, you woke me up.

I think about how I'm supposed to give it back to him without the teacher seeing, but then I see him walking by my desk, his palm up. I stuff the note into his hand and he walks to the side of the room, getting a tissue and putting the note in his pocket.

He's smarter than I thought.

He goes back to his desk, reads, writes, and this time I'm ready when the paper hits my desk again. But the thing is, I don't even get to unfold it, because Mr. Drake is standing right in front of me, his expression angry, and his arm outstretched.

He's dumber than I thought.

--

I hurry out of the classroom, trying to make it to my locker and then the cafeteria before the next bell rings. Mr. Drake had kept Zuko and me after class to give us a "quick speech" on paying attention instead of chatting. Ironic how I caught only half of the lecture because I was dozing off.

Somehow I slide onto my bench in the cafeteria with half a minute before the bell. Zuko, on the other hand, is not so lucky, dragging himself in about five minutes later. When I call him on that, his expression gets even gloomier.

"I would've been here in time, but first I fell, then the janitor yelled at me for getting the floors muddy after he cleaned them. Then the lunch lady told me to stop running, and sent me back to the end of the hall to 'correctly walk down it.' It's not funny!" He says when he sees me starting to laugh.

"I'm sorry Zuko, but I disagree."

"So you find humor in my misery?"

"First of all, it's not misery. You're being overdramatic. And second, yes. Yes I do."

He sighs, taking the lunch out of his brown bag.

"At least somebody's Monday is a little better."

Just then Jet walks by, Ty Lee draped over his arm. I give her a halfhearted smile and glare at her boyfriend. He sees this and purposely knocks into Zuko's back, not even looking at him, thinking it would annoy me. Real mature.

"Dude," he says.

"What?" Jet turns around.

"You just hit me."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings, freak?"

"Well usually when someone hits me they have the guts to look me in the eye and apologize."

Jet snorts. "I'm not scared of you. And I didn't apologize because it wasn't an accident." He looks Zuko up and down. "You won't get an apology outta me, but if you want, I could give you a scar to match that one."

Zuko narrows his eyes, just about to reply, and I look to Ty Lee. Our gazes lock for barely a second when I find we're both thinking the same things. She squeezes Jet's arm more and whispers something, and I quickly go over to Zuko.

"Come on, he's not worth it."

"You mean beating this jerk until he's a halfway decent person isn't worth the punishment?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"You've got to be kidding me."

I sigh, grabbing his sleeve and leading him out of the cafeteria.

"You are so dense."

"I could've taken him!" he argues.

"I know you could've. But that's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

"That it's pointless."

"How?"

"Do you really think hitting Jet until he's unconscious and you're expelled will make him a better person?"

"Not really," he sighs. I decide to change the subject.

"How are the pictures coming out?"

"Pretty good. I still have to work on a few of them tonight. They'll be ready tomorrow. You, uh, want to come over?"

"Yeah. Please," I add. Lately I've been struggling to remember manners, which is odd considering that that's what I've been taught to do all my life. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, and we begin to walk opposite ways to our lockers.

"See you then," he says over his shoulder.

"Yeah. See you."

A/N – Next chapter you'll find out why Zuko acted strangely when talking about the pictures in chapter 5. Muahahaha. :D If you think you know, please do NOT spoil it in the comments. Please! :)