Jade: I will now give you an update. But first…

Disclaimer: disclaims

Jade: And now for the chapter.

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Chapter Ten

Katara groaned at the alarm clock. It couldn't possibly be time to wake up. Not yet.

Toph took aim at Katara's head with the back of her pillow, waiting for Katara to stay in bed for another ten seconds before pummeling her. Katara, sensing danger, opened her eyes and sat up.

"Fine," Toph said, dropping the pillow. "Ruin my fun." She then stalked off as Katara got out of bed.

Toph and Katara kept up an argument about Katara's sleeping habits as they got ready for class.

"I'm sorry, Toph," Katara said, holding the doorknob. "But I rise with the moon, not the sun. It's a waterbender thing." Toph rolled her eyes and answered with a Whatever.

When Katara's eyes fell on Azula, typing on a laptop, the events of last night rushed her. Her eyes narrowed to a glare.

Azula chuckled. "Grown a backbone, have you?" she mocked. "Go glower at someone else, peasant." She then went back to typing on her computer.

Katara continued to stare down the princess until Toph pulled her out the door. Azula was still laughing quietly to herself.

"What was that?" Toph asked. Katara was about to tell her about Aiza. But what if she laughed at her? What if, for some inexplicable reason, Zuko was dating Aiza of his own freewill? Unlikely, but what if?

"I don't know," she said. "Azula just…ugh. She bugs me." It wasn't a solid excuse, but it was the truth, so maybe Toph wouldn't be able to tell she was lying. The fact that Azula was bugging her was not lying at all.

Toph looked a bit dubious, but shrugged. "Eh," she said. "Can't blame you."

-

Choir made Katara…edgy. It wasn't so bad until Aiza started making goo-goo eyes at Zuko. After that, Katara had pushed all the angry energy into her singing. This earned her a solo for during practice. Mrs. Glades was very approving of the strength in Katara's voice.

She had to look away when Aiza propelled herself across the room to kiss Zuko after class. She heard shouting coming from the classroom as she walked away. Katara didn't know whether to be more or less irritated.

Katara slumped in English. They were reading A Sound of Thunder. It was a decent story, but Mr. Bustle could not keep control over his class. When a paper airplane hit someone in the eye, all he did was sit with a You-will-be-quiet-even-if-I-don't-do-anything-because-I-am-your-teacher-and-you-respect-me sort of smirk. Apparently the students were missing the thoughts behind this smirk. It was doing nothing to quiet them.

So Katara finished the story. Then slumped. And thought about what to do about Aiza. Maddie finished shortly after Katara. She then turned around and listened to Katara mumbling under her breath.

"Stupid…could I do…Aiza…idiotic…"

"Who's Aiza?" Maddie asked. Katara sat up. Why should Maddie care about her problems? They weren't even real friends. But then again, who would Maddie tell? She could be the perfect vent. Maddie was just the girl in English class. Someone Katara could vent on without actually caring what she thought.

"Aiza is," Katara paused to think of the right words. "You'd have to hear the whole story." Maddie shrugged. Her expression said, We've got time. So Katara told her the whole story. Aiza had a crush on Zuko. Zuko hated Aiza. Azula hated Zuko and was friends with Aiza. She told Maddie about her theory of blackmail and how she wanted to get Aiza back. And she may have inadvertently let slip that she liked Zuko a little.

"You do realize you have to do something," Maddie said. She doodled a face on her desk, and then looked up at Katara. "You want help? 'Cause I can definitely help with a plan."

Katara smiled weakly. People were so nice. Never mind they were nice by helping to get revenge. It was thoughtful none the less.

When the bell rang, Katara realized she had a new friend. Not a particularly close friend, but a friend.

-

Toph found Katara at break.

"Today any better, Sugar Queen?" Toph smiled easily as Katara scowled at the nickname.

"Yes," Katara answered. "And why do you keep calling me that?"

Toph laughed. "Because I love you that much." She smirked. "What? You don't like pet names?" she asked with mock hurt.

Katara rolled her eyes. "You are the weirdest earthbender I've ever met. And you're even weirder today. Did Aang tell you he liked you or something?" She smirked back at Toph.

Toph's eyes widened. "Don't say that so loud," she whispered. "People might hear you."

"Well then," Katara said. "Don't call me Sugar Queen."

They started an actual dance in Waterbending class to the song Walk Away. They hadn't started to incorporate waterbending yet, but the steps themselves felt like bending.

The exercise and waterbending movements put Katara in a better mood. Geography wasn't so bad after that.

Amber turned to look at Katara as soon as Mr. LaSalle stopped talking. Her face was all business.

"Okay," she started. "I normally get stuck in other work and leave stuff until the last minute. I really don't want to start doing that so early in the year." She gave Katara a pleading look. "Can we pleeeease get this done fast? Please?"

Katara nodded and Amber's shoulders dropped in relief.

"I know what you mean," Katara said. "My mind's sort of elsewhere right now. I'm not really that focused." Under her breath, she mumbled, "What with Aiza and all..."

Amber's eyes widened. "You know a girl named Aiza, too?" Just my luck, thought Katara. She'll turn out to be Aiza's best friend or something. "I just heard about her from my friend Maddie. She said this girl she knows is trying to get her to leave her boyfriend alone or something."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Amber looked up from finishing the outline of the fire nation. Her eyes were narrowed with mischief and she looked pleased.

"So you know Maddie, huh?" said Amber. "She told me about a friend's dilemma."

Katara smiled. What a small world.

"I'm so helping," Amber said. Katara began arguing, but Amber cut her off. "I don't really care if you want help or not. Revenge is fun. Besides, we have other work to do right now," she said, gesturing to their map.

Katara glowered at the sad excuse for a map. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Here," Amber said cheerfully, handing her a pencil. "Draw in the palace." Katara grabbed the pencil and started drawing.

As she left the classroom for lunch, Katara was immediately accosted by Maddie and Amber, who then dragged her to a table in the cafeteria.

"What are you doing?!" Katara demanded. "I need to go see my friends!"

"What," Amber said with mock hurt. "We aren't your friends?" She began pulling papers out of her bag, still holding Katara in place with Maddie's help.

"I never said that," Katara said, trying to escape. "But I want to see other friends right now."

"Too bad," Maddie said. "We need to plan our attack." Katara looked at the papers Amber had pulled out and saw they were blueprints of the school. Maddie had added what looked like Aiza's and a few others' schedules.

"How did you get this stuff?" Katara asked in awe. Feeling Katara relax, Maddie and Amber released her. They then looked at each other, smiled, and said in perfect unison, "We have our ways."

Katara shook her head, exasperated. "We may as well get planning then," she said, defeated. Maddie and Amber smirked and the plans began.

In about five minutes, Toph found Katara. The three girls were in a huddle over a mess of papers and were talking quietly.

"Whatcha doin'?" Toph asked abruptly.

The girls jumped and the blonde scrabbled to cover the papers on the table.

"Nothing!"

"Okay," Toph said suspiciously. "Katara, are you gonna have lunch here, or what?"

"Oh," said Katara. "Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry I didn't tell you."

"No, it's okay," Toph assured her. "It looks like you're busy anyway. See you later." Toph could tell something was up, but she would let Katara tell her on her own time. Or just wheedle it out of her. Which ever came first.

-

Geometry was sort of boring. The class worked on terms for the coming chapter. In other words, more glorious vocabulary! Katara was anything but thrilled.

They would be learning about different types of proofs and the definitions, theorems, and postulates used in proofs. Katara only half paid attention. She didn't really get the logical thinking in proofs.

Science was a relief for two reasons. One, she didn't really need to pay attention. And two, Zuko was there. Katara took out her notebook and began to write in it. She was totally preoccupied when Zuko took a seat beside her.

He watched her writing for a full minute before speaking. "What are you always writing in there?" Katara turned when he spoke and closed the notebook.

"You look so focused when you write in that thing," Zuko said. "Like your life depends on it or something."

"I'm just writing," Katara laughed. She turned to a blank page when Mrs. Surri turned on the overhead to take notes. She wouldn't be taking any notes, but she tried to pretend to pay attention.

Conversations continued despite Mrs. Surri's droning. Some kid named Tyson flicked an eraser at the back of Zuko's head half way through class. A few minutes later, Tyson found a charred lump where his backpack had been. It may have been coincidence, but the look on Zuko's face told Katara otherwise.

The end of Katara's day would have been very nice, had it not been for what happened after class.

Zuko, trying to ask Katara to meet him at Staples, was pummeled by Aiza, accompanied by a scream of, "ZUZU!!!" He was then pulled away (after putting up a good fight) by the giggling girl.

Aiza's exiting line to Katara as she and Zuko turned a corner was, "Sorry, he doesn't really have time for you."

Katara failed to see how someone that awful deserved to live. Well, she'd get her revenge, and Aiza would truly be sorry one day. She stomped all the way to her room and slammed the door behind her. Azula laughed in response. Katara barely controlled the urge to shout at her to shut up.

It was now around 9:40. Katara lay on her bed in silence. She glared at the wall with anger and envy. A knock interrupted her thoughts.

"What!" She snapped, turning her attentions to the door. It opened loudly and Toph came in with a smirk.

"What's wrong, Sugar Queen?" she asked slamming the door shut and walking towards Katara.

"Nothing," she spat, turning her gaze away from the younger girl.

"Okay… So what were you doing at lunch?" Toph asked, sitting down on Katara's bed. Katara sat up, startled, and began to ramble.

"What?! Me? I wasn't planning anything if that's what you're implying! No! Of course not! That's not something I'd do! I-" Toph cut her off.

"Whoa, there Sweetness, calm down. I never accused you of plotting anything." Katara's face paled and she pulled her pillow over her head.

"Shut up," she mumbled into her pillow. Toph chuckled and shook her head.

"Whatever sweetness, have fun plotting!" she said cheerfully as she went to her side of the room. They were almost asleep when they heard Azula chatting it up with Aiza… loudly. Toph groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. Katara threw the covers off of her body and stalked to the door. She pounded on it loudly twice. The talking stopped and Katara sighed in relief.

BAM!

Katara snapped around as she heard three loud bangs. She clenched her fists.

Like hell I'm gonna let them beat me at my own game!

She looked around the room and smiled as her eyes fell upon a full water bottle. She quickly picked it up and quietly approached the door. They were still laughing, and Katara opened the door slowly. She quickly bent the water out of the bottle and sent it in a wave at them. She then threw the empty bottle, shut the door, and ran to bed and pretended to sleep. Their cries of irritation were louder than their talking was, but Katara didn't mind so much anymore. She just fell into her dreams with a soft smile. As the Aiza in her dream began to melt…slowly. Seems every witch is allergic to water.

--

A/N:

Jade- Please R&R! Please R&R!! Please R&R!!! Please R&R!!!! Please R&R!!!!!

… cause I ain't updatin' till I get at least ten reviews for this chap. And then how would you know what happens to Aiza?

So R&R, for your own good!

Lily- On a side note; never drink more than one bottle of apple cider. It's not good for your health. Especially if it was your parents' anniversary, and the next day is New Years…yeah, don't do it….