A/N: Sorry about the long wait guys! Just finished for the hols though, so i should be able to update a bit more often! Im not really sure about this chap, but i hope its still good :) REVIEW!
Italics mean there's a flashback!
Disclaimer: Nothing's changed in my absence. I wasnt off negotiating a deal for Avatar. Bad times.
After the New Year's party, they had had to wait till the day AFTER New Year's Day until they all left. Not even ridiculous numbers of bacon sandwiches could make any of them want to so much as move from the sofa for anything more than water or greasy food. They slept on Toph's many sofas among the mess they had created, and since the servants were allowed a days leave to be with their families no-one had bothered clearing up.
Finally, Aang and Sokka stood up, still in the clothes they had come in.
"Kay Toph, I think me and Sokka are gonna go now. I told Gyatso I might not be back till today, but he might be getting worried about me by now!"
"Eh, no worries Twinkles. I'd see you out, but I can't be bothered. See ya!"
The drive back home was mainly occupied with listening to Sokka's iPod that he'd plugged into Aang's stereo, a fair bit of banter, a lot of crude jokes on Sokka's part, and basketball discussion.
"So what you up to for the rest of the holidays dude?" Aang asked Sokka as they cruised down the motorway, windows open and arms hanging out of the side of the car.
"I have no idea my friend. Playing COD, generally vegging out. Play some music. Sorted."
He took a break from talking to Aang as a car full of girls pulled alongside them. Flipping up his Aviators, he wolf whistled loudly, attracting the attention of the girl in the back passenger seat. Quickly nudging her friends, she leant out of the window and blew a kiss at Sokka. Sokka, ever the corny Romeo, pretended to catch the kiss, holding it close to his heart. She blushed, and Sokka winked at her, nudging Aang as the signal to roar away, stepping on the gas and letting the Golf effortlessly pull away from the girls' car.
Sokka and Aang burst into laughter as Aang calmed the engine down again, slowing back down to normal speed.
"Oh, man! How freaking cool are we?" Sokka's grin explained it all.
Aang looked into the rear-view mirror wistfully.
"I wish I had as much confidence as you did Sokka. Girls seem to just, like you. How dyou do it?"
Sokka completely missed Aang's tone, tinged with sadness, and simply leaned back into the seat, pulled his shades back down over his eyes, and gazed out over the sun-baked motorway, still crisp with the winter frost.
"Talent, my friend. Pure, simple, talent."
Aang pulled up at the end of Sokka's driveway, ready and waiting for him to jump out of the car. Sokka opened the door, but rather than saying a casual "later" and slamming the door shut, he hesitated a second.
"Hey, dude, dyou wanna come in and play COD for a while?"
"Uh, sorry man. No can do. Gyatso wants me home as soon as. Get Katara to play with you"
"Yeah, that's been an issue all holiday. Kay man, later..."
And with that, he turned, sauntering up his drive. Aang pulled off, looking forward to getting home and his own bed, without really thinking about what Sokka had just said. Instead, his mind drifted back to the New Year's party at Toph's, and he grinned slightly at some of the memories.
Toph's staircase and hallway lay in front of them, twenty feet of stairs and another thirty of hallway, leading straight out of the front door and down the slightly downhill drive to where Teo, Meng, Yue and On Ji were stood, barely able to cope with the incredibly tense excitement that was about to unfold.
At the start of the hallway, armed with baking trays well greased with oil, where Aang, Sokka, Zuko and Toph. Originally it had been a bet between the guys, but Toph had muscled her way in as well. First down the stairs, along the hallway, down the drive and to finish their drink at the end won. Last place had the forfeit. It was gonna be a good race.
Agreeing to keep it fair, they decided to start by counting down together. Anyone going early got another forfeit. The countdown began. It ended. Four baking trays were thrown down the stairs, their occupants diving on at the last minute, the oiled trays flying down the stairs at breakneck speed. Zuko hit the ground first, and almost lost it, struggling to stay on his tray as he smacked into a doorframe, cutting across Toph. She grabbed his feet, attempting to pull him back and herself forward. Sokka, however, grabbed her ankles, and as they flew through the front door he span Toph. She lost control, her and Zuko aimed straight for the nearest bush. Sokka whooped in triumph, but his cheer was cut short as Aang nipped in front of him, crossing the line first and jumping off his tray to grab his drink from On Ji. Sokka climbed off his tray as Aang was half done with his drink, snatched his own from Yue, and finished it in one. He and Aang both yelled at the same time. The main focus of the rest of the group, however, was Toph and Zuko.
They had landed in the bush together, and like a scene out of the corniest, cheesiest movie you could possibly imagine, she had landed on top of him, his arms wrapped around her, lips barely out of kissing distance. Moments later though, that gap had been closed, as the whole group hollered and cheered. The rest of the group left them to it, and they had reappeared ten minutes later, both of them grinning from ear to ear. They split, Toph going over to Meng, On Ji and Yue, while Zuko strolled over to the guys, high fiving and fist bumping each in turn.
Needless to say, Zuko and Toph spent a fair amount of time together that night...
Aang grinned as he thought about it. There was a lot of that epic New Year's he didn't remember, but that stand out moment had given him some ammunition over Zuko and Toph for some time.
Moving back into halls was going to be a weird experience for Aang. After New Year's, he hadn't really spoken to any of the gang, spending his holiday switching between his Playstation and his guitar. Gyatso drove him back up to university, and as he heaved his stuff up the stairs, he realised he was the first one back. He was pretty happy, this would give him some time to get some work done he had completely abandoned over the holidays before anyone was around to waste work time with.
Slowly, one by one, everyone moved back in. But, most confusingly for Aang, Sokka turned up with his dad alone.
"She's getting a lift up with Jet." Sokka explained in a very strained voice when Aang questioned him about it. Aang was confused about the anger in Sokka's voice until the two turned up later. Katara with her hand around Jet's waist. Jet's arm around Katara's shoulders. Jet, seeing Aang watching on, leant down to Katara's face, guided her face to his with his left hand, and brought her lips to his.
Aang had seen a fair few friends kissing over the past few days, but the happiness that was there when Toph and Zuko had gotten together was miles away from what he was feeling now. Anger, sorrow, jealousy.
Heartbreak. Actually, given what Aang was feeling, break was an understatement. Shatter was closer to the mark. So painful, he clutched his chest, afraid the pieces would fall free from his chest. Fighting back awful tears, he excused himself quickly, practically sprinting back to his room.
Jet watched him go with a smirk plastered wide on his face.
