"Suki had noticed, that Katara is still a bit angry with her and that her friend still blames her a bit, for what has happened deep down in her mind, so she didn't feel free to tell her, that she didn't felt well." Yeah, they've still got a bit of a mountain to climb.
"So, finally trial day." Lmao I hate writing trials. And I still have to write two more of them. I weep. "Damn you made Jet the kind of bastard, you have to hate." Yup. I like canon Jet, but in this fic, I didn't want to leave any room for sympathy. Chan, sure. Usha, wouldn't recommend it, but go ahead lol. Jet gets no sympathy."And even more disgusting and shocking to me is the fact, that this disturbed point of view is something, that could be found by real offenders." Exactly, it's the kind of thing that just makes you angry. It was very hard to write that chapter because, his line of thinking is pretty much everything I hate. "She was the victim, Jet has comitted the crime, but Katara suddenly has to defend herself, why she has tried to live a normal life?! Things like this, makes me so angry, every time." This is the type of story I hate hearing the most when people talk about survival stories. When the victim is made out to be at fault. I'm all for playing devil's advocate and seeing it from both sides, but when it comes to cases like Katara's I am very firmly against faulting the victim for being in the wrong place or crowed. "He was already convinced, that he would go to jail, so he took the last chance for a long while to deliver some hard strikes against his victims." That and he's hella arrogant. He was shooting for a lighter sentence too, but that wasn't on the table for him with such concrete evidence. "It's a way for him to assure, that he keeps holding up power over Katara and TyLee." But yes, this was the main reason for it. He wanted to deal as much damage as he could. "A strong but hard chapter again and well done, in my opinion." Thanks, this next chapter should be lighter and easier to read.

Zuko handed his chip to Iroh, the old man smiled warmly. "One month, Zuko. You should be proud of yourself." He handed the chip back. "Jasmine or ginger?"

"Whatever you think would taste the best." Zuko replied, knowing very well that the man would brew up every type of tea if he had the chance. Especially since he was brewing it in celebration of him having been newly cleared for outpatient. He watched Iroh bring down his special tea set and his higher end herbal mixes. "You don't have to do that uncle. I've only been a month clean."

"A month clean is more to celebrate than a year clean."

Zuko furrowed his brows.

"It gets easier and easier over time. I've always thought that it was the first few months that counted the most. Those are the months where you have to truly fight and restrain yourself." He set the cups out on the table. "So let's celebrate the strength in that."

Zuko picked up one of the cups. They had a red class make with a filigree trim of gold that resembled the powerful scales of a dragon. Genuine gold, according to his uncle. That genuine gold trim was inlaid with genuine ruby, table cut. He was almost afraid to pick it up, let he shatter it. He was almost certain that the glasses were the most expensive things his uncle owned, next to the matching teapot; a thing that depicted an dragon unfurling its shimmery wings and puffing out a breath of metallic fire.

It would be at least an hour before the tea would be served. Only Iroh could draw it out that meticulously. But that had to be the reason why his tea was particularly wonderful, with the ability to make him feel wholly cleansed by the last sip. Some months ago he would have been rushing the man, telling him to hurry it up as it was just tea and he had things to attend. Today he was glad for the length of preparation. "Uncle, I have something to talk to you about."

"Anything." Iroh replied.

"I love it here, you know I do." He paused. "And I know I just got back…"

Iroh moved his tea kettle to the stove. "Yes?"

"But I ran into Azula and she said that she was living with mother."

Iroh smiled. "And you want to go stay with her for a while."

Zuko nodded. Though he was worried at the prospect of staying with Azula again. "How far away does she live?"

"Not very far at all."Iroh replied. "You could walk there, if you really wanted to." He turned away from the kettle. "Would you like to bring some tea to your mother and sister?"

It sounded like a plan to him.

.oOo.

"Teo, this is my mother." Azula introduced.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kasai!" He greeted.

"Ursa is fine, dear." She smiled. "How did you meet my daughter?"

"Well, there was this one time-I think it was last year-when she threatened to push me out of my wheelchair. You know, typical love at first sight things."

Azula resisted the urge to slap her hand against her forehead. "Keep sharing stories like that and I will push you out of your wheelchair." She mumbled.

Ursa sighed. "Well I'm glad that the two of you have moved passed that." Azula supposed that she appreciated her mother's efforts to not accuse her of being difficult to care for. "She has been treating you well lately?"

Teo curled his hand around hers. "Yeah, she's been great."

Ursa moved into the pantry and pulled out some homemade pastries. She offered them to Teo. "Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't."

"Yeah, no problem."

"If you want to give some to your father for raising such a gentlemen, I'd appreciate it."

Azula couldn't tell whose face was more flushed, her's or Teo's.

"I can do that." He took the tin.

Ursa turned to Azula. "I have some for Katara and her family as well."

"I'll try to remember." Azula replied. She ought to remember, it would likely do Katara well to have some kind of a treat the monday after her trial. Based upon the silent treatment she was given by both TyLee and Katara, she was willing to bet that it was in full swing.

"Alright, well I have a sequel to work on. If you two need anything, give me a call. And let me know if you plan on going anywhere."

Azula fights back a frown, Ozai had never made her report where she was going. "I was just planning on going around the block." Between practice and therapy sessions, she hadn't exactly gotten to explore the neighborhood. That was her plan for the day, the venture would be more pleasant with some company.

As soon as she stepped outside, she regretted it. She didn't realize that the forecast had called for snow. She drew her hood over her head. It was a light fluffy sort of snowfall, the kind that clung to her lashes and the wool of her gloves, but only for a second before they melted away. The ground already had a light dusting of the stuff; it glittered trees and set the windshields of cars shimmering.

"Your mom is a nice lady."

"She's trying." Azula replied. Though trying was an understatement. The woman was doing everything in her power to make Azula feel at home. It was almost suffocating, especially when put up against the lack of affection Ozai had shown her. Yet it was as comforting as it was overbearing. She no longer outright dreaded breakfast. She wasn't comfortable, by any means, but she wasn't going to great lengths to avoid it either.

It also didn't horrify her to bring back a lackluster report card. Ursa insisted that her collection of B's was perfectly acceptable. Azula disagreed vehemently, agitated that she had let them slip that far. Granted Xi River was in the process of discussing accommodations in light of her transfer, her abuse, and her suicide attempt. Even so, she didn't want a pity grade.

It was a hassle to do so, but she left those thoughts on the back burner for the time; she had promised Teo a real date. In her mind, she flipped subjects to something lighter-her teammates were as awful on the court as they had claimed, but they treated her well. She both hated and loved to admit that Yue had been right, they paid very little attention to her body. Shoko in particular seemed to put all of her attention on simply not getting a volleyball to the face.

"I have my first game next weekend." The words were accented by small misty puffs that drifted skyward. "Are you going to come?"

"Of course I'll come. What time does it start?"

"It starts at seven." She replied. "I would be there by six." Actually she would be there by five if someone had invited her to a game, but she couldn't imagine Teo wanting to arrive that early.

"I'll see if Katara and TyLee want to come." He came to a stop. "This is pretty nice."

She wasn't sure if he was talking about the pond and its snow-speckled cattails or the faded white gazebo overlooking it. She wheels him toward it, only to find that its only entrance had stairs. She hadn't seen him look so disappointed in a while. With a deep sigh she attempted to lift him out of the chair. She supposed that she could handle carrying him for that short distance. She set him down on the bench built into the gazebo, facing the water. The effort left her terribly winded but his eyes had such a twinkle. She sat herself down to catch her breath. After a few moments, he pulled out his camera. At first only capturing the pond and the snowfall. Eventually he grew board of this and slung his arm around her.

Her cheeks are rosy with the cold. She cold no longer feel her nose. But she let him snap the picture anyhow.

He snatched up her phone and took a second. How wonderful, she would never have to worry about forgetting the time she almost froze her ass off in a gazebo. She shivered. With her phone back in her hands, she took off her gloves to send Katara a quick text, asking her to let her know how the trial had gone. That alone, left her hands a shade of pink. She shivered with more force.

"You don't do too well in the cold do you?"

"I have no idea why you'd say such a thing." She muttered through chattering teeth.

"Do you want to head back to your place?"

She didn't spare it a second thought. She scooped Teo back up and put him in his wheelchair. They hadn't gotten very far at all, in their walk. She supposed that she would have to explore the place in the spring, or at the very least, on a warmer winter day.

"Whose car is that?" Teo asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe one of mother's friends." Using a makeshift ramp, she helped Teo get onto the porch and pulled the door open. Hot air was pleasant on her skin. The smell of herbs was twice as potent as it was prior to her walk. She hung her coat and hat up and made her way into the kitchen, Teo in tow.

"Uncle?"

"Good evening, niece." He greeted. "If I would have known you'd have a guest, I would have brought a fifth teacup."

"It's fine, uncle. Teo and I can share." She was trembling and desperate for something to warm her. So much so that she almost didn't ask him what he was doing there.

"I came to drop your brother off." He filled her cup and handed it to her. "I hope that you will make things easy for him."

"He wants to live here?" But of course he did, their mother meant the world to him. It was going to be strange to be in his company again. It had been so long. She brought the teacup to her lips, savoring the heat that rolled off of the liquid and onto her tongue.

Azula heard a drawn out beep and Ursa stood. "The two of you made it back just on time for dinner." Iroh followed her into the kitchen, no doubt to give she and Zuko some bonding time.

"Sweet." Teo smiled.

Azula still didn't share his sentiments. Two weeks into her new meal plan and it still left her feeling privately ashamed and without the comfort of being able to rid herself of it. For an uncountable amount of times, she reminded herself that the purging didn't do anything anyways. She swept a curtain of hair out of her face and offered the teacup to Teo. She had taken care to leave it half full.

"Thanks."

She nodded.

.oOo.

Zuko knew that he would be seeing Azula soon, his mother had told him that much. He hadn't expected to see her enter, hand in hand with Teo. The last he recalled, she was mocking the boy for his condition. And yet, she had helped him get comfortable at the table's end, she was sharing her drink with him. It would seem that he had missed a lot where Azula was concerned. Every time she spoke it became more apparent. Granted, she was still much quieter than usual-perhaps it was because he had showed up unannounced.

Physically she was different too. His brief and somewhat distant glance at her in the rehab facility hadn't been enough time to process it. Since then she had put on a little more weight and it occurred to him that, that was why he hadn't recognized her right away. He felt bad for thinking so, even if she'd never hear it.

And her hair, had it been dyed when he first re-encountered her? He could have sworn that it was fully black. But now her hair faded from its natural hue to a deep crimson to a vivid read. It had been trimmed nicely and framed her face well.

She was wearing makeup again, winging her eyeliner in the way he was use to seeing her wear it.

The clothing she wore was different as well; stylistically it was the same, but it was much baggier. He didn't know if he should attribute this to insecurities or to the cold.

All in all, she was well put together, as usual. It wasn't fair that her life could be in such disarray that she needed therapy, and that she could still look as sharp as ever. He wondered if he should vocalize his thoughts but decided against it, not knowing how she would take it. Instead he pulled his chip out of his pocket and set it on the table. "I got my red chip today. Picked it up really early this morning."

"Your red chip?" Azula asked.

"I've been clean for a month."

"I thought that you were admitted in October."

"I had a relapse." He replied reluctantly. As soon as he said it, his stomach heaved. He had just given her a huge opening. He was lucky his mother was still out of earshot, he didn't want to give her another thing to get teary eyed over.

.oOo.

He relapsed.

Azula supposed that she wasn't surprised, he hadn't had many people to support him. She almost felt bad for having people to hold her hand when he had no one until now and most people considered her to be the more unapproachable and unlovable of the two.

She could see it on his face that he thought she was going to hold his confession over him for years to come. But she had nothing to say. She was a pound or two away from having a relapse of her own. "Did you have to go through it alone? The withdrawl, I mean?"

"No, I had Hahn."

"Hahn?"

"He's two years clean and he likes to drop by to help newcomers."

She didn't know where to carry the conversation from there and a hush fell over them. Zuko rested his arm on the table, it still bore signs of abuse. Pockmarks accented the length of his forearm and she was almost certain that those scars would remain.

Aside from that, he seemed to be in a much better state. His hair was clean, his face was well-shaved again. He no longer had the look of a man in times of famine. His eyes stood out the most. They were focused and had a spark to them.

His eyes had life.

It didn't occur to her just how haunting and hollow his appearance had diminished until, the old Zuko resurfaced. She picked up the chip. "One month." She wondered if bulimics got special chips.

Zuko smiled, he seemed so proud. He had well and earned his right to be so. She flicked the coin back to him. He caught it and returned it to his pocket.

"Wow, you guys are tense." Teo remarked. She had to ponder upon what his relationship with his brother might have been like.

"So, when did you and Azula become friends?"

"Friendship happened some time in September. Dating started...actually that's kind of unclear, it just kind of happened." Teo replied.

"He's your…?"

"Yes, perhaps you should get one."

"For your information, I already did."

"You got back with Mai, already?" Azula asked. It brought a dull ache to her heart to think of Mai. The girl hadn't spoken to her in ages and the thought of reaching out...that window had well and passed.

"No." Zuko replied. "We were talking about boyfriends. I said that I got one of those."

"It's Hahn isn't it?" His face flushed and Azula smirked. "It is Hahn."

She tried not to think about where that was going to leave Mai.

.oOo.

Zuko smiled to himself, dinner had gone so much better than he thought it would. Speaking to Azula became surprisingly pleasant after some of the awkwardness cleared. She, him, uncle, and mother-aside from the absence of a father, it was like a real family dinner. If things with Ozai hadn't been so rough and recent, he might have made a joke about Teo filling in for their father. But Ozai was one subject Zuko couldn't seem to make light of. And Azula? She didn't bring the man up at all. In fact, she still hadn't reveal anything at all about what had led to her living with their mother.

Altho, hesitantly, she was eating again. A full and regular meal at that. She made no mention of this either and he felt like he'd be pushing boundaries to ask.

He would chalk it up to Ozai simply forcing her to fast. That would explain, at least a little, how she ended up at the table with he, mother, and uncle.

After a while, she pushed a mostly empty plate to the side and announced that she was going to be taking Teo home. It was getting late and she had a two hour commute going both ways.

Now it was just he, uncle and mother.

"Do you want me to get your things from the car?" Iroh offered.

"Please." Zuko replied.

"While he does that, I can show you to your room." Ursa spoke. "I didn't realize you were coming, otherwise I would have gotten you things to decorate with, like I did for Azula."

"It's okay." He was just glad to be in her care again.

"Tomorrow we can go to the store and pick up a few things."

That sounded good to him. She led him around the mansion. It was a lovely place with a much warmer and more inviting ambiance than Ozai could have ever hoped to create. With the conversation and his thoughts in a calmer, quieter place, it registered that Ursa had soft music playing in the background. The Chinese harp and a Chinese zither welcomed him to his new life.

The wallpaper was as floral as her garden. Winter plants, hung in pots by every window. She led him passed Azula's room. It was as tidy and organized as ever. He noticed that she was displaying her medals and trophies again. Her favorite volleyball, was propped against her dresser.

He didn't know how he was going to decorate his room yet. A few rock band posters couldn't hurt. He'd probably place the tea set Iroh gifted to him on his dresser. Other than that, he wasn't sure what he'd do. He'd probably just collect things to decorate with over time.

"Are you disappointed in me?" He asked.

Ursa came to an abrupt halt. "Why would you think that? I haven't done anything to make you feel that way, did I?"

"No." Zuko replied. "But I feel like having a heroin addict for a son, isn't something to be proud of."

"Oh, Zuko." She took him into a hug. The kind he had longed for since the divorce. The kind that made him feel like he was worth the world. "I'm going to tell you what I told Azula." She paused. "I'm not disappointed in you, I'm disappointed in your father for driving you to this. I'm furious actually. The court gave you to him, thinking that he'd give you a better life. I let him take you because I thought that he could provide for you better than I would."

"Living on the streets with you, would have been safer than living with him." Zuko agreed. "Maybe not for Azula, but…"

"Zuko." She spoke firmly. "There's a reason I'm fighting for custody over her. I'll leave it to her to tell you about that, but Ozai was no good for her either. I need the two of you to support each other. If the two of us can work things out with her, your father will have that much less in his favor."

.oOo.

Teo beckoned her inside. It was already 10:33. She rolled her eyes, "I can't go in before you, you need me to hold the door, remember."

"Let me at least pretend to be a gentleman."

She took hold of the outer glass door and allowed him to pass. The inner door stood open on its own. "Now you can be a gentleman."

"Urge gone." He replied, wheeling himself the rest of the way in.

"Incredible." She muttered under her breath. She hadn't the time to come inside anyhow. "I have to get going."

"How long is your drive?" Teo's father asked.

"Two hours."

"That is way too late to be driving!" The man declared. "You know, tired driving is as dangerous as drunk driving…"

"Dad!" Teo cut him off. "Do you want to spend the night, Azula?"

Azula sighed. Well, she was living with her mother now, she might as well give her something classically motherly to worry about. She sent the woman a text, telling her that she would be spending the night at Teo's house.

"Our picture already got likes." Teo remarked once they were in his bedroom.

"You posted that!?"

"You didn't say not to."

Fair point. She still didn't like it.

"Who's Nagako?"

"She sits with me at lunch." Azula replied. She opened up her phone's internet browser. She hadn't logged into any of her social media pages since her attempt. She hadn't anyone to talk to. It shouldn't have been a shock to find new friend requests, it should have been something she was used to. Once upon a time, she had received them daily. She approved Katara, Nagako, and her volleyball team. "This guy seems like a creep, I should block him."

Teo, still looking down at his phone, replied, "yeah."

She hit the block button.

It took him a few moments. "Hey! Unblock me!"

Her smirk only faded when a message notification popped up. Really, it would do her well to leave it unread. But she was curious. Curious and unwilling to look like a coward. She unblocked Teo before clicking it.

The message was much simpler than she would have thought. 'Please don't sue me.' He was typing again. 'My parents will kick my ass.'

All the more reason to go through with the lawsuit.

"Who is it?"

"Chan."

"What does he want?"

Azula shrugged. "Mercy."

Her fingers hovered over the phone's keyboard. 'I'll kick your ass myself.' Against her better judgement, she hit send.

'So will I. I've been doing a pretty good job of kicking my own ass, actually.'

She had a response at the ready, but he started typing again.

'Can we talk.'

'We're talking now.' She replied before he could begin again.

'In person?'

'That sounds like a perfectly horrible idea.'

Another message popped up. Clicking on that one would have been a worse idea still. He was going to have her head for it, but she blocked her father anyhow. The action left her feeling exposed and uneasy.

'Please.' Chan persisted. 'You can bring that Ryoko chick, she looks perfectly terrifying.'

Azula looked to Teo, "you up for a little...adventure tomorrow?"

"Are you asking me if I want to talk to Chan with you?"

"Come or don't come, I'm rather curious."

"Fine, I'll go with."

She turned her attention back to her phone. '12:00. If you aren't there at exactly 12:00, you won't be seeing me.'

.oOo.

Zuko stretched and yawned. The scent of pancakes tickled his nose. It took him a moment to recall that he was in a new bed. A more comfortable one with a foam mattress and a collection of push pillows. The sun streamed through his windows as brightly as winter would allow.

"Did Azula ever come home?" Zuko asked, upon finding only his mother at the table.

"She spent the night at Teo's." Ursa answered. "Syrup?"

Zuko took the syrup and poured a generous amount over his pancakes. The smell of coffee adds a friendly tang to the morning. He couldn't fathom why he hadn't thought of finding and living with his mother earlier.

It might have saved him from a trip to rehab.

But then, he had started using heroin before his eighteenth birthday. Even so, he can't bring himself to wholly regret having started his use. He didn't think that finding Ursa would have been possible without. Even if that was the case, he wouldn't have met Hahn.

"These are really good!" Zuko commented. He couldn't recall the last time he had eaten homemade pancakes. Tastes like the would surely keep him away from heroine. He liked to think so anyways.

"Thank you." Ursa smiled. "I thought that it would be too late to ever cook for my children again."

His phone flashed, he picked it up, eager for good morning wishes from uncle or Hahn. Instead Mai's name glared from the screen. He considered letting it pile on top of all of the other messages from her, he had missed while in rehab.

.oOo.

Chan stuffed his hands into his pockets. He wasn't looking forward to this one at all. The trial had good and ruined his Saturday, he might as well end the weekend on a sour note. The only good news was that Jet's collection of outbursts had essentially sealed his fate. But he didn't condemn himself without collateral damage. The man went on a good tangent about how Chan had, had a good hand in Ruon's demise. How his parties were trashy and perfect for people like Jet. He had asked Chan if he considered how many other people had been assaulted at his parties, people who didn't and would never come forward. It turned his stomach.

And turned it twice over when Jet stated that he had enjoyed hitting Ruon where it hurt. Thrice over when Jet stated that he had laid some unwanted moves on Ruon, just to see him squirm.

The boy was vile through and through, and not the kind that could be helped. Chan had to guess that the boy didn't want to change.

It was his final words that followed him. "Punch me as much as you want, you killed him too."

He had, hadn't he? Ruon was dead because everything had been a joke or a party to Chan. It was easier that way, until it wasn't.

He could have pulled Jet off of Katara and made something of himself. It could have been an eye-opener, but it was easier to remain blind.

Ruon killed himself because he had a friend who was def to his problems.

He killed Ruon just as much as Jet had.

He had almost done Azula the same.

Hell, he probably had Teo teetering close to the edge and Katara as well.

It was frigid and nippy as hell but he made his way down to the beach. She hadn't told him where to meet her. She didn't need to. He wandered to the volleyball court, the season had already formed sparkling crystals on the net.

12:00 turned into 12:01 and 12:01 turned into 12:02.

He should have asked for a location.

"You better make this worth my while." He jumped at the sound of her voice. "You know that I hate this weather." She was buried beneath so many layers, it was hard to forget. He did try to forget, however, the day he had taken her ice skating and she bundled herself up in much the same way.

"You said 12:00." He commented lamely.

"Yes, you needed to be here by 12:00. I get to take my time." Her voice dripped with venom and hate and he was beginning to regret extending the invitation. "Katara told me that you got out of your last trail without repercussion. Why shouldn't I change that?" She folded her arms over her chest.

It was hard to gauge her expression beneath her layers of hoods. He didn't need to see it to know that she was unshakably pissed. The biting cold wasn't doing him any favors. "Do you want to go to a restaurant or something?"

Wrong move.

"What, so you can make more fat jokes?"

Completely wrong move.

"Do you think I'm as dull as you?"

He looked to Teo for help. He knew he wouldn't get it based on that shit eating grin the boy was wearing.

"I just thought that you'd want to go somewhere warmer."

"Not necessary, this conversation is going to be quick." Azula replied. "I believe that it's already almost over.

He groaned, he was going to have to swallow his pride. "Okay, look, I was an asshole."

"You speak as though you aren't still."

The girl was merciless. He supposed that it was nice to see fire back on her tongue, he just wished it wasn't lashing at him. Still, he knew that the lashes were well earned, he had been one of the people to kill the flame in the first place.

"I'm trying to fix that."

"You're trying to save yourself from another trial."

"I don't want to be like him." Chan insisted. "Did Teo give you this big of a hassle when you apologized to him!?"

"Kiss my ass, Chan."

Teo's snickering didn't do Chan's temper any favors.

"I'm trying!" He sputtered. "And it is not working."

"Clearly." Teo snorted.

Azula looked horrifically unamused. She looked down at her phone. "I live two hours away, thank you for your hand in that, by the way. I have to get going. Have fun with Usha."

"Wait!" Chan raked his hands through his hair. "I don't even like Usha. I only got with her to bother you."

"Congratulations, it worked for a while. Good to know that it bothered you too." She hit a button on her car keys and he heard the faint pop of the doors unlocking. She turned around. "While I'm here, I might as well ask why."

"Why what?"

"Why did you want to bother me?"

"I wanted attention." He confessed.

"You had it." Azula scoffed. "I want a real reason."

And he had none for her. They'd known each other for years. They had been in the same group of friends for years. Until her accident. He knew that Usha had been sitting there nice, pretty, and waiting for Azula to fall so that she could take her place at the top. She told him that much. But him? Where was the appeal for him?

He couldn't say why, but it had simply been fun. It was one thing to pick on a nerd and a completely new and interesting experience to pick on someone who had toppled painfully down the social ladder. Was that it? Was that really the only reason he had done it?

"I don't have one." He admitted.

"I know."

The snow crunched beneath her feet as she wheeled Teo back up the beach. Between the sand and the ice, it was a task she was struggling with. He reached out. "If anyone's accidently dumping Teo into the snow, it's going to be me. You've pushed him out of his chair enough."

She wasn't missing one chance. "It's good to have you back." He tried. It was one final attempt at ass kissing.

"You do not have me back." She huffed as she fought to free Teo's wheelchair from a mound of snowy sand. It would be comical if she wasn't so frustrated and he wasn't so stressed. "Not even." Another huff. "Close." The chair was free.

"I mean that it's good to hear some of that sass again." If nothing else, at least he knew that he hadn't left any permanent damage to her self-worth. "Can I please help you wheel nerdass...Teo back to your car?"

"Nerdass doesn't want your help." Teo grumbled.

"Neither do I."

He watched her help Teo into her car and then she climbed into it for herself. It would seem that things were finally going to catch up to him. She turned her keys and the engine wheezes. She gave it a second go and a third. He wasn't a lip reader, but he knew her well enough to know that she was silently cursing to herself and to Teo.

"I have a car and jumper cables." Chan offered.

"Call the tow truck, Teo."

"Really?" He sputtered. "Now you're just being difficult."

"Correct."

Chan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look. I'm sorry. Do you want to slap me in the face or something? Would that help?"

He didn't expect her to take him up on his offer. The sting her hand left reminded him exactly why she had been so good at volleyball. "It helped a little."

"How many slaps will it take to get you to hear me out?" He asked.

"At least one."

He sucked in a deep breath, "go on."

She rolled her eyes. "Start jumping my car. We can talk while you do that."