"Did you hear the news?"

"No. What?"

"The volleyball team said that Coach Kyoshi chewed Azula out the other day for talking out of turn."

"Serves her right. Who better to humble her arrogance than the ever poised Kyoshi. She might just be my favorite person."

"Mai! You can't say that. We should check up on Azula. She's probably really sad."

"You can if you want to. I won't be doing anything for that nightmare in a skirt. Besides, we've known Azula all our lives. Have you ever known her to experience feelings? Especially sadness?"

Zuko stands at his locker catching the drift of a nearby conversation in the stiff wind of his school's corridors. It makes him reflect on how out of the loop he is on all things social in his school. He has no friends and only ever been kind of friends with Azula's friends.

But it sounded like Azula didn't even have friends at this point, so he definitely didn't have friends either. He shrugged as he grabbed his books from his locker.

It made sense for Azula to not actually have friends though. She wasn't normal by far – not that he was either – but she never really knew how to be friends with anyone. Zuko guessed that was a result of growing up under Ozai's care.

He was a ruthless businessman. Life wasn't about friendships so much as networking with other shady people to secure investments and profits. It was how they'd been introduced to Mai and Ty Lee actually.

Ty Lee's parents – surprisingly – were much more reserved than he'd ever imagined for a girl as spunky as she was. Mai's parents on the other hand reeked of desperation. They were social climbers who kissed ass to get every opportunity they could. Her father was an expert suck-up. He always laughed no matter how unfunny or awkward, agreed no matter what was said, and overwhelmed you with calls to settle business agreements.

Mai hadn't even wanted to speak to them, it was her mother, whose smile was always strangely set in place that it reminded him of a clown, who forced her daughter to talk to them. Azula had taken a liking to the sarcastic girl, but he didn't believe that Mai ever had.

Mai was too reserved and nonchalant to ever admit to it though. She did everything to appease her parents, so that meant she never got angry, never got happy, and never outwardly dissented any of the choices they made for her. She was a miserable person through and through.

Zuko couldn't imagine what it'd be like to have a life like hers. But then he remembers his father is Ozai and his mother and uncle only just came back after nearly a decade of disappearing. They were all so incredibly fucked up.

As Zuko walked down the hall to his class, he brushed shoulders with a distracted Azula. Her brows were furrowed – in confusion or anger, he couldn't tell. He had half a mind to call out to her. He lets her pass by him until the distance is so great that he can't identify in the sea of scalps that pass by him.

….

"Here you go," Chan said as he dumped a stack of books on Azula's desk.

She peered up at him, a berating scowl like one someone would use for a pesky fly. He felt the beginnings of a snarl in the back of his throat.

Just as he was about to give her a peace of his mind, Professor Yangchen – a book in hand – fixes him with a look that he knows is a simple, yet highly effective warning. The last time he'd received one of those, he'd ended up in detention for a week. And a looong phone call home that resulted in a week long punishment without electronics.

"You're lucky she showed up," he mutters under his breath in what is supposed to be a threatening tone, but it falls flat because Yangchen is still watching him with hawk eyes.

"I'm shaking, really," Azula counters in her usual sarcastic drawl.

"That's enough you two. Let's worry about our literature reviews lest we end up failing the semester. We don't want that do we, Chan?"

The classroom fills with snickers. A dark blush rises to Chan's cheeks as he slides into his seat next to Ruon Jian. He pouted to himself. How did Azula always win without even trying? Ruon Jian offered him a small smile and a pat on the back.

"Maybe you should lay off trying to get revenge for a while, y'know. Just wait for a plan to come to mind and then strike."

"Hmmph, as if you could even understand my motivations," Chan whined like a child.

Ruon Jian raised a brow in confusion. Chan couldn't do anything but roll his eyes. The guy had always been super clueless about everything.

"She comes in and ruins my summer, now she's gonna ruin my school year, too? I don't think so. The girl's a walking bad luck charm. I have to get rid of her somehow."

"Get rid of her?"

"Oh my god Ruon Jian, I'm not gonna kill her. Just…just put her in her place y'know?"

Ruon Jian doesn't get it. Not at all. But he nods his head anyway as his friend tries to burn holes into the back of Azula's head. He's never thought about it before, but this may be the first he'd ever actively involve himself in trying to stop one of Chan's crazy schemes.

….

"Why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea, Ursa? You look absolutely frazzled."

Ursa found herself naturally falling into a routine with Iroh. He was warm and a reliable shoulder to lean on. She vented to him about everything. He always had sage advice to give her. She hoped that he could give her some for such a delicate situation.

Ursa fiddled around with her hands, constantly interchanging between kneading and cracking them. Iroh, from behind his tea, smiled to himself.

"You should drink the tea I've brewed. It'll calm your nerves," he politely suggested.

Ursa, flustered and still fidgeting with her hands, brought the cup to her lips and drank a small sip.

"What's troubling you?"

"Well…it's Azula."

"That's a surprise," Iroh quipped sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

His focus never left his steaming cup of tea. Ursa laughed heartily.

"Really Iroh. I'm worried about her…about us…about what this means for our relationship," she explained, biting down on her lower lip all the while.

Iroh just shook his head absentmindedly. "What do you expect of her, Ursa? You always said that she favored Ozai a little too much for your liking."

"Well, yes, but I thought that maybe my coming back would allow us to have a relationship we never had before."

Iroh chuckled, "I know my brother like the back of my hand. That means I know Azula, too. She won't come. She's too stubborn and bullheaded. She and Ozai are too arrogant to ever look at problems and see that maybe they had a hand in creating them."

"But she's only 14, Iroh. And she's been stuck with her father for so long."

"Zuko's lived with them both and he has the decency to hear your side of the story. He's been actively trying to mend all his past relationships."

"But you've never taken a liking to Azula as you've taken to Zuko."

Without an answer, Iroh simply shooed her question away and went to make another pot of tea. Ursa giggled merrily as she gulped down the rest of her tea.

….

Azula was riding with Ruon Jian again. She didn't feel like walking home and he just so happened to be parked where she usually stood to wait for her father's chauffeur. She didn't bother going through all the possible reasons for his appearance. All she knew was that she was tired and she didn't want to go home yet.

Practice was…abysmal. Turns out, Kyoshi had been right. With the change in positions, plays had been running more smoothly. The girls who usually ran from the ball had even started to become more daring as they lunged to get hits in.

Azula was quieter than usual during practice. Half out of bitterness and the latter out of shame. Maybe Kyoshi – her poor judgement and all – was right. It pained her to think that much less say it.

Ruon Jian – sensitive to her needs as always – smiled at her from time to time as he drove. He looked like a complete idiot, but Azula appreciated his sentiments. But she had been curious about something for a while.

"Ruon Jian," she started after he had smiled at her for the umpteenth time.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, unable to take his eyes off the road as they reached an intersection.

"Aren't you the same age as me? How are you able to drive, much less own a car?"

He flashed that wide, goofy grin at her again. She'd be lying if she said she didn't find it at least a little charming.

"I've had a fake ID for a while now. I don't really get pulled over much since I'm a decent driver. Plus, most people just assume I'm older 'cause I'm pretty tall for my age."

He said the last bit with his chest puffed proudly. Azula hid her stifled laugh behind her hand. She felt so young when she was with him. Like nothing else in the world mattered.

They were at his house in no time. His smile hadn't wavered until they got close enough to see another car parked in the driveway.

"Ruon Jian? Is there something wrong?" she asked, shocked by the empathy within her own voice.

He shook his head, never looking in her direction. He parked slowly and really carefully. When he went to open her door and usher her out, he even pushed her car door closed as gently as possible. Azula, unused to such a serious Ruon Jian, did her best to lighten the mood. She'd never done it before and he was her only reference point.

"Uum, Ruon Jian!" she shouted a little too enthusiastically.

He jumped with the sudden uptick in volume. She felt her cheeks color red. Oh god. Had she always been so awkward?

"Uuuh," she hesitated as she smoothed over her unwrinkled clothing. "You never did answer the whole question."

"What do you mean?" he asked genuinely, stepping closer to her with every step.

She could smell his cologne now. For a moment, she began to understand what Ty Lee babbled on about whenever she would go on one of her long anecdotes about guys. They really could be mesmerizing without even trying.

Azula placed her hands on his chest and pushed away to create a bit of distance between them. She could've sworn she saw the faintest pout when he realized.

"You never told me how you ended up owning a car."

"Well I don't own it. It's my-"

"Hey, Ruon Jia- Woah! Since when did you start bringing girls over?"

An older, just a bit shorter version of Ruon Jian popped out from the front door entrance. Azula smirked seeing how embarrassed he had become.

"-brother's," Ruon Jian finished bitterly.

….

Awkwardness aside, Ruon Jian and his brother – Hayate – did get along very well. The brothers were especially wily and although Hayate tried time and time again to catch her name, Ruon Jian hadn't allowed Azula to get a word in.

For the first time, she genuinely laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. It was such a light, airy feeling to see siblings engaging in playful banter. Maybe she and Zuko were like this once upon a time.

By the time Ruon Jian was finally able to get his brother to scamper away, Azula was already in his room laid out comfortably on his bed. He opened his room door with an annoyed pout still marring his face.

Azula fought her train of thoughts. She couldn't actually be considering someone…cute.

Ruon Jian, finally calming down, looked to see the situation he'd happened upon. A faint blush colored his cheeks. He was glad that he'd cleaned his room in advance. It was only luck that Azula had agreed to come along. She seemed like the type who couldn't be moved no matter how much coaxing.

Cautiously, he slid into place next to her. He held his arms down straight, his body completely stiff. Azula didn't notice. Or rather she didn't care to comment on his sudden eccentricity. Feeling a bit bolder, he flipped to his side, propped his head up on his palm as he tried to imitate the sexy stare he'd seen in movies.

She was laying down peacefully, her eyes closed in thought. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and was quite perplexed by whatever expression he'd twisted his face into.

"Are you constipated?" she asked, her brow lifting so far up her forehead, it almost reached her hairline.

"No…," he said, feeling embarrassed as he tried to be more conscious of how his face might have looked.

"You were making a weird face."

"Oh."

Azula's eyes closed again. Her fingers drummed lightly against her stomach.

She looked blissful. Ruon Jian laid back down, the silence taunting him. He felt himself getting fidgety. He didn't know what to do with his hands. He'd never had a girl in his room before. What were guys supposed to do in these situations?

"Uuuuh…do you…want to watch a movie?" he finally asked, the cracks in his voice revealing his nervousness. Azula, without opening her eyes, simply nodded.