Chapter 17: The Dare

A/N: Happy July! A couple of things to note:

1. Now that summer is here, I will really be pushing ahead with this story since I want to finish it so I don't end up writing it a year after it actually 'happened' (and I want to start the new story I've been working on!)

2. If you are experienced with tumblr and the Kataang fandom, you will know that Kataang Week is coming up! Sadly, this will be delaying my updates to this story but it also means a new story is coming the week of July 29th, Aug. 5th, Aug. 12, or Aug. 19th! (the date for Kataang Week hasn't been established yet)

3. Of course, my talk of my 'new story' has been going on since November(?!) of last year and I still haven't published it. For my explanation, I want to finish this story first to give my other full attention when I publish it, and, unlike this story, I am going to try and write chapters in advance. For this one, I usually just write an entire chapter in an hour or two and then read it over once to see if I want to change anything and then hit publish.

4. This chapter is T for underage drinking.

Now, this chapter is the one that I've been dying to write since I started this story. 'Twas the chapter that started it all. Anyways...

Last Time:

Smiling slightly at his love, the airbender kissed his girlfriend's forehead and just held her for what seemed like an eternity, a silence of understanding between them.

The touching moment, however, was quickly brought to an end when the bell abruptly rang, signaling the changing of classes.

Groaning as he did, Aang slowly got up and helped his girlfriend to her feet, wiping away her still slightly wet tears.

"Come on," he said gently, and the two stood up, ready to brave the rest of the day with an iron resolve.

The rest of the day after that passed at the pace of a snail.

It was as if the tests and multiple choice answers and fill-in-the-blanks and quadratics and gerund phrases would never end and would haunt the students for an eternity, lurking in the back of their brains.

By the time last period rolled around, Aang was done. With school, with tests, with everything.

"Those colleges better be damn happy that I know what the hell the axis of symmetry is," he muttered to himself.

Thankfully, Aang and Katara's last period was study hall, a break from all the tests, albeit a bit useless considering they had nothing left to study.

Thus, Aang begun on the few sheets of homework he had been given that day, although not getting much of it done since he was talking to his girlfriend 'inside of their brains'.

Katara rolled her eyes, looking at him from across the classroom.

"For the last time Aang, we are not talking 'inside of our brains'. We are having a mental conversation through telepathy."

Aang shrugged in response, grinning his crooked grin, making Katara blush and melt inside.

"Same difference."

Shaking her head but smiling nonetheless, the waterbender returned to her worksheet for math.

"Cheeseball," she communicated back to him.

Aang raised an eyebrow, despite her not looking at him.

"Cheeseball?" he asked.

"Well," Katara started matter-of-factly, "You're cheesy, as proven by our numerous times together, and you're a goofball, as shown just now when we communicated 'inside or brains', so together, you are a cheeseball."

"Whatever you say, my dear girlfriend, whatever you say," making Katara hide a smile when he called her his girlfriend.

The two worked silently for a bit before Aang heard a ball of paper slide across his desk, seeing Sokka subtly gesturing for him to open it out of his peripheral vision.

His eyebrows furrowed, Aang quietly opened the note as not to alert their mean teacher, Mr. Zhao, who strangely insisted on being called 'Admiral Zhao'.

"Azula + Zuko texted- small party or something their place 6. U coming?" the note read.

Aang nodded discreetly, indicating his response, and tucked the note into his pocket, hurriedly standing up and packing his things as the final bell of the day rang.

As the clock rang 6, so did the Kasais' doorbell as people started to show up, including Aang.

He walked in as Zuko opened the door for him and waved to some of his friends who had already arrived before sitting down on one of luxury couches in the living room.

He made small talk for a couple minutes as people started sifting in before eventually resigning to his phone, rereading some of the texts Katara had sent him.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue and everyone went silent. Aang looked up from his phone, putting it in his pocket to see Azula standing there, smirking, her fingertips still smoking.

"Well, now that we have some sense of order, we can get to business."

She motioned for everyone to have a seat on the fluffy rug of the living room and placed a shot glass in front of everyone, filling each one with what, to Aang, looked like vodka or tequila.

"The game is simple. Truth or dare, but with a twist. If you don't want to do a truth, and only a truth, you may opt out of it by taking your shot. You may take as many as you wish at your own risk but you cannot get out of a dare. Everyone understand?"

8 simultaneous nods followed.

"Okay. I'll start. Ty Lee, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" the cheery voice responded.

A deceivingly sweet look crossed Azula's face.

"Did you or did you not sleep with Hahn the day before he broke up with me?" she asked innocently.

Ty Lee's eyes widened and quickly took her shot so they could move onto the next person.

"Zuzu, truth or dare?" Zuko's eyes narrowed at the pink girl but nonetheless answered.

"Truth."

"Figures," Azula muttered under her breath.

"Is Mai always that depressed with her dark, gloomy aura?"

Zuko shrugged, "Most of the time."

Zuko turned to Sokka.

"Sokka- truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied, ending the 'truth' streak.

The firebender thought for a moment.

"Attempt- attempt- five cartwheels in a row."

Sokka just stared blankly as everyone in the room moved to one side to give him space.

Reluctantly, he got up and tried to do five cartwheels, miraculously not breaking or bumping into anything, before painfully landing his last 'cartwheel' with a groan.

"Next person," he said hoarsely.

The game continued like that for about an hour before it was finally Aang's turn.

"Aang," Azula prompted, "truth or dare?"

Aang, keeping up with his reputation and not wanting to look cowardly as everyone had done or agreed to do at least one dare so far, replied, "Dare," gulping since it was Azula.

"I'll play nice this time," she said disinterestedly, picking at her nails, "make out with Ty Lee for at least two minutes."

Aang's heart and lungs stopped for a second as he processed what she said. Toph and Suki also visibly tensed on the other side of the room, thinking of Katara.

"I mean, it's just one kiss, right? It's not as if Katara will ever-" Aang abruptly stopped his train of thought. How could he even think that? This was the girl of his dreams for goodness' sake! He couldn't betray her like that! But, his reputation...

The airbender froze, unsure of what to do.

"Ty Lee's waiting, Airhead," Azula said snarkily.

Suddenly, perfectly timed, Aang's phone started to ring, and Aang looked to see who it was, stalling.

"Katara," he read silently before accepting the call, making sure the speaker was as low as possible.

"Dad?" he said a little bit too loudly.

"What?" answered the waterbender on the other end. "it's not-"

Aang gasped as convincingly as possible.

"What happened?! Oh no! I'll come as soon as possible!"

He cut the phone and turned to his friends, shrugging.

"Sorry, guys. My dad said it was an emergency, requiring my attention immediately."

And, before anyone said a word, Aang grabbed his things and rushed out the door and into his car, making it look like he was in a hurry.

Sighing in relief, he started the ignition and started to head in the direction of Katara's house but then turned, thinking the better of it considering his treacherous thoughts only mere minutes earlier.

Ring...ring..

Aang looked at his phone and swiped decline at the image of his girlfriend's smiling face, not wanting to have to face her.

With that he ran inside his house and collapsed on his bed, covering his eyes with his arm even when his dog and cat, Appa and Momo, came to greet him.

He groaned, petting the two animals.

"What kind of mess have I gotten myself into, guys?"

A/N: CLIMACTIC POINT! Will Aang choose his girlfriend or his reputation?