Author's note: Okay don't ask me if this is how my real life is because my life is soo opposite from this it's not even funny. Anyway I thought this chapter was really well done. This is where you get to know more about my characters...except Jiro... I'm going to dedicate a whole chapter about him one day. Okay so enjoy and hopefully i didn't overdo the drama...

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avatar series or their characters.

Chapter IV:

"Did he hurt you?" Jiro asked as we rounded the corner onto my street.

"No. I'm fine, Jiro." I said, rushing to get inside my house.

The truth is I'm not really rich. My house is an averaged sized house but Jiro loved to joke about our estate since we owned one of the biggest houses in…well in the entire village. As I hurried everyone in, I locked the door. My house was pretty average on the inside, a downstairs complete with a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a dining room, 2 downstairs rooms (one was mine and the other was my father's) and a porch on which I used to drink lemonade with my father. Upstairs we had 2 guest rooms for my father's old military friends, two bathrooms and an attic full of stuff from my mom. My father hated going up in the attic. I think it reminded him too much of my mom.

Anyway we snuck in and hauled everyone's stuff upstairs to the rooms they would be sharing. Hopefully they would get good and settled in before my father would wake up.

Did I tell you that my luck was running out?

As I was showing everyone around upstairs, I heard an angry voice;

"Tarania?! Get down here right now!"

I felt like a traitor about to be hanged walking down those steps. I faced my father, who had my shiny black hair and my chin but my blue eyes and face was my mother's. Years of age has withered away on my father's good looks. And it wasn't helping that he had his features lined with fury.

"How dare you?!" He spat at me. "You run away from school, AGAIN! And now you come past curfew?!" he was raising his voice. I knew he would soon talk himself out and that's when I could explain my actions.

"Do you want to die? Is that it? Because if that soldier comes down here to report that you've run away again, I just know he's going to get suspicious!" Now he was trying to put the blame on me. I'm sorry, old man, but I know all your tricks.

"No father." I said softly, trying to calm him down before he would bring up the subject that makes me loose control.

"Don't you see that you've got a chance in this world, child?! Your mother never had that chance!"

He did it now, he brought up mother. I would lose control, as always.

"Don't you bring her up!" I retorted back. "She died because she caught a disease! I. DID. NOT. KILL. HER!"

"With the way you're acting right now, you very well could have killed her!" he roared.

"Well then, maybe it was you who killed her!" I countered viciously.

Shock was written all over his face.

"What?" he said softly.

"You kept her locked up like an animal! She probably died of no sunlight."

Again I would regret this later, but for now all I could think of was how badly I wanted to hurt him. He would never understand how badly I miss the man who once smiled. But ever since she fell ill, he never smiled, never laughed and never sat on the porch and sipped lemonade with me. He forgot all of the occasions, such as Christmas, my birthday was a big one, and he even forgot the solstice, even though he could hear the party outside, he would never join in and laugh. He had "too much work to finish" even though he was retired. All he ever cared about was their stupid anniversary, which he would light a candle with me and then go sit in his room. Alone. And in the dark.

"Tell me father," I wanted him to understand, "what day is it?"

Confused on the direction of our conversation, he paused for an instant.

"The 21st, of May. Why?"

Disgustedly, I turned away.

"Think back on this date 15 years ago."

Silence. Even upstairs, which I knew they were listening.

"Thank you for embarrassing me in front of our guests, father. I'll go show them around and then I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

I heard my father walk away. I hope he would finally see what a mess he's made. I went upstairs and found everyone busily opening their suitcases, even though they had been here for almost fifteen minutes.

"Um…guys?"

Jiro was already waiting at the top of the steps. The rest peeked out of their doors.

"So I discussed it and my father says you can stay."

"Yeah…a really loud discussion." Toph murmured. Katara elbowed her and I pretended not to hear.

"Um…see you all in the morning." I turned away and walked down the stairs.

Jiro followed me to the porch. I stared at the vast ocean that was in our backyard, trying not to cry. I remembered running on the beach with my parents, not thinking that I would lose both of them. I started weeping into my hands and only when Jiro held me, did I start full out crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I sobbed into his chest.

"What are you sorry for?" Jiro said softly.

"For crying on you." I gasped.

"What are friends for?" he said rocking me.

I felt so stupid for crying with Jiro here. But I knew that he knew me too well and if I tried to hide it, he would find me out. Jiro was all the family I had left. My father only noticed me if I did something wrong. But Jiro was always there for me as I was always there for him. I wondered what would happen if I lost him too. Finally, I stopped bawling into Jiro, and he followed me to my room.

No, it wasn't like that. Jiro had been over so many times now that I got a couch for my room so he could sleep there. It still had Jiro's messy form imprinted in the blankets from when he slept over last night. He knew the drill. It was same old same old at the Long's. The fights, the endless silence, and the feeling of independence the next morning. My father wouldn't bother with trifling things such as making breakfast or waking us up. Once I dressed in the bathroom and got settled in my bed, I started thinking about my messed up birthday. Well at least it was as bad as last year's or the year my mother died. Hopefully my new friends wouldn't judge my performance towards my father.

"G'night, Tara." Jiro yawned.

"Night, Jiro." I answered.

"Don't worry; everything will be better in the morning. You'll see." He replied back.

I didn't reply. It always was a sad house after one of our fights.

"Plus," Jiro said slyly, "remember who your guests are. The avatar!"

"Yeah…" I said suddenly grinning.

"Maybe he'll teach us some moves tomorrow." He said excitedly.

"If we don't get killed by the principle tomorrow at school." I said laughing.

And of course we fell asleep giggling.