Chapter 4
'Into the minds of the Skirtless'
Flashback
Flashback with in a flashback.
Toph was sitting absently in class waiting for the bell to ring for lunch. She was tapping her foot lightly, trying to keep her mind of the pain in her knee. It was acting up again, she sighed and laid her head on the desk, she'd have Katara take of it later. She closed her eyes and tried to think happy thoughts.
0o0o0o0 Flashback 0o0o0o0
Toph was playing basketball in the park, but she was angry and frustrated, so the damn ball wasn't going in the damn hoop. She threw it behind her and sat down with a thud. Her father and her and gotten into another one of their 'arguments.'
"Toph you know you can't play because of your knee," her father said hovering over her like a hawk. "If you keep this up your gonna be a full cripple!"
"Dad I am thirteen years old! I don't need your approval to play basketball! Plus whats the big deal, it's not like I'm playing soccer or football! It's basketball!" she yelled.
"I don't care!" he roared, "as long as I am your father you will listen to me!"
Toph looking down at the floor, "If mom were alive she'd let me play," she whispered.
Her father's eyes gleamed dangerously, "What did you say?"
Toph looked her father straight in the eye, "You heard me. If mom were alive she would have let me play. IF YOU HADN'T KILLED HER SHE WOULD HAVE LET ME PLAY!" she yelled tears coming out slowly.
Her father grabbed her by her shirt, "You know I was cleared of all charges of killing your mother."
"LIER! ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD MY BUY YOU FREEDOM, BUT NOT MINE! I WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU DID!" she yelled.
Her father slapped her across the face, it hurt more because of the many rings he wore, "How dare you speak to me like that! I am your FATHER! And as a Bei Fong..."
"I AM NOT A BEI FONG! I AM A TANAKA AND I'M DAMN PROUD TO BE ONE!"
Toph grabbed her ball and ran out of the house, she had to get away from that man.
Toph placed her head in her knees and cried softly, until she heard footsteps. She stood up to see Haru standing there smiling, holding her ball, he held it out to her, "Hello beautiful. I think you dropped this,"
Toph blushed and took the ball away from her boyfriend, "Thanks Haru I..." he reached out and touched her cheek.
"Your father hit you again," he said in an angry tone.
Toph pulled her hair back behind her ear, "I'm fine. It was more his rings, than his hand," she said blushing.
Haru took her in his arms. She stiffened slightly then hugged him back. "You know Toph, I'm here for you if you need me."
Toph looked up at Haru and kissed him lightly, "Thank you Haru."
I love you...Haru.
0o0o0o0 End 0o0o0o0
Toph raised up from her seat and looked at Haru, he was sitting a few seats in front of her. He was staring at the board attentively, Toph could feel her heart pound in her chest. Even when he held her hand earlier her heart responded to him, she loved him, but he was with Ty Lee.
Toph sighed and put her head back down and felt a tear fall onto her hand, she brushed it away quickly.
I don't cry. I am like a rock I feel nothing.
0o0o0o0
Miya entered the principals office, "Hey Principal Bumi!" she said happily.
Bumi gave a laugh-snort, "Hello Ms. Takahashi. What are you in here for today?"
"I got into a fight with Mai," she said calmly.
"Did you win?" he asked.
"Kinda, I ripped of her weave, but she ripped my shirt."
This cause another fit of laughter from Bumi, "That must have been quite a sight," Bumi's voice suddenly got serious, "but Miya, I can not condone fighting in this school. Your a smart girl and a star athlete. I mean I talked you your parole officer and you've been clean for three years. Why risk it all fighting?"
Miya looked out the window, "I've always been a fighter it's in my blood. I refuse to let myself be hurt by others."
Not anymore.
0o0o0o0 Flashback 0o0o0o0
Miya sat in the police station an officer was sitting next to her. "You know Miya we called your sister, she'll take you to live with her in a nice neighborhood," she told the seven year old with a smile. Miya looked at the woman with dark eyes and looked down back to the floor.
Miya sat on in her closet the phone in her hands and a backpack on her back, she was gonna wait here until they came. Her clothes were bloody and wet her hair plastered on her face, dry tears on her eyes and red lined her brown eyes. Her arms were wrapped tightly with white clothe and red stains could be seen. She heard a thump. Someone was walking up the stared. She curled up and stayed quiet.
"Miya! MIYA!" yelled a very drunk and angry man.
It was her father she stayed completely still and silent.
"Oi Calista, where's that blasted daughter of ours!" he yelled.
"How should I know," her mother yelled in a drunk voice, "check the closet."
Miya's eyes widened as she whispered, "I'm gonna die."
The closet door slammed open to reveal an angry drunk man, he grinned down at his daughter and dragged her out by the leg. Miya was kicking a screaming.
"No! NO! PLEASE LET ME GO!" she screamed. "MOMMY!"
"Shut ya mouth girl. Ya mom ain't gonna do shit," he said pulling her and then taking her over his shoulder ignoring the kicking and screaming as he took her to his room.
"Now listen here your becoming a woman so I gots ta teach ya how a woman pleases a man," he grinned at her laughing at the terror in her eyes.
He tugged on her dress and she kicked him in the chin, "YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
She took the bag from he back and hit him with it hard. "DAMN IT!" She ran down to her father's bed room and started to fumble the drawers. Then he came in and pulled her hard by the foot slamming her head to the floor, the drawer falling next to her. He wrapped his hand around her throat.
Miya saw it there, like a gift from above. She grasped it tightly, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger not stopping until he stopped moving. She opened her eyes and his blood, flowing from his body like liquid fire. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what she had done.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A woman ran into the police station, her black hair covering her red eyes slight, "Miya!" she embraced her younger sister.
"KAI!" Miya cried holding her big sister.
The police officer stood up, "Miya may need psychiatric care..this murder has..."
"He deserved it," Kai said the venom in her voice clear, "and as my sister's guardian I will decide if she needs psychiatric care."
Kai took Miya and led her to the car and opened it and Miya smiled brightly, her best friends in the whole world were there for her, "TY LEE! JIN!"
The three girls held each other and cried together as Kai held them both.
0o0o0o0 End 0o0o0o0
Miya turned and smiled at Bumi, "Don't worry I promise I won't start anymore fights on school grounds for at least a week."
Bumi made another laugh snort, "Thats all I ask, but you and your friends and The Populars are gonna spend the rest of the period in group."
Miya groaned group with The Populars, it was better than class she supposed. "Alright the Principal B. I'll go to group."
"Good girl Miya. I know you will do what must be done."
Miya hugged Bumi and walked out of the office and down the hall.
0o0o0o0
Katara sat in front of Toph, her eyes on the teacher as if she was soaking up all this words like a sponge in water. That could not be farther from the truth. Katara's thoughts were focused on home.
I didn't lock my door...she Kali better not go in there, she thought
Ever since Katara's father went to Iraq, Kali, Katara's step-mother, was trying to remove her mother's stuff from the house. There were many things she could put up with but not that, her mother was the foundation of her life. Katara would not allow that to be effaced from their memories.
0o0o0o0 Flashback 0o0o0o0
Katara was in the room with her step-mother and was gripping a box with pictures in it. Her eyes were stained by tears.
"NO! NO! NO! Enough is enough Kali!" Katara yelled pointing at her step-mother.
Kali slapped Katara and she feel to the floor clutching her cheek in pain, "Listen well Katara. YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD. D.E.A.D! Your tears and yelling will not change that. And I will not allow her junk," she dropped a picture of Katara's mother on the floor and it broke, "to clutter up my nice house."
With that Kali slammed Katara's door. Katara sat up slowly crying softly, she saw the broken picture on the floor and crawls slowly to it. She lifted the now, ripped picture from under the broken glass. Her eyes began to spill fresh tears as she held the picture, almost painfully, to her heart.
"Mommy...why did you have to go."
Six-year-old Katara and seven-year-old Sokka sat in the back seat of the car. There mother smiled at them and handed Katara her stuffed penguin. It was slowly starting to rain and the road was getting a little hard to see even with the window clearer (i have no idea what they are called lol).
Katara clutched Sokka's hand as the thunder boomed over them, "Sokka...make it stop," she commanded in a shaky voice. Then from the front of the car. Their mother smiled, "Don't worry baby. Mommy will protect you."
Katara relaxed and smiled. Mommy would protect them.
The car started to move slower, the soft sound of the rain beating the car was all that was heard. Sokka's eyes drooped until he was in a deep sleep. Katara was still wide awake and took off her seatbelt.
"Put it back on," her mother said in the 'mother voice.'
"But mom nothing bad ever happens," Katara said as she put her seatbelt back on.
"You never know baby girl."
Katara just pouted and rested on her big brother. After a while she started hearing loud noises and slowly started to open her eyes, but something crashed into them. She didn't know what it was..or what was going on before Sokka pulled her out of the car.
"SOKKA!! STOP WHAT ABOUT MOM!!" she screamed. She turned the car a telephone pole had crashed into the front of the car, "Mommy..?"
A crying Sokka tried to turn Katara's head away but she resisted and look toward the accident and saw. Their mother...her head had been crushed by the pole blood was all over the front window.
For a moment Katara was silent until the car started to catch on fire. She ran towards it only to have Sokka grab her.
"KATARA STOP!" he yelled his body shaking as he tried not to loose control.
"STOP SOKKA LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE HER LET ME GO!!! PLEASE!!!" she yelled and cried until she was to tired. She couldn't move anymore. For some reason her body went limp and she fainted.
(The morning after 4:34 AM)
Katara awoke to the scared faces of her father and brother. Her father embraced her and started to cry on her shoulder, "Oh thank you God. Thank you for saving my daughter."
"Where is mommy?" she asked.
Her father's eyes saddened as she could not meet his daughter's, "She...didn't make it."
Katara was silent as she slowly closed her eyes. Sokka looked at his little sister and placed her penguin plushy on her bed. Katara held it close to her. Tears fell from her eyes as she refused to accept the fact that her mother was gone. She would come back..she had to.
She could hear it still, the rain. She didn't have to cry, the sky was crying all her tears.
Katara sat on her bed and held her penguin close and looked at the sky, "It's gonna rain tomorrow." She rested her head on her pillow and let sleep take her. She didn't need to cry anymore...the sky would do it for her tomorrow.
0o0o0o0 End 0o0o0o0
Katara blinked away any tears that started to form in her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The teacher was still droning on about something educational when the P.A system went on.
"Will all members of the Skirtless head to room 7 please thank you."
Katara and Toph looked at each other and nodded, "Group." They gathered there stuff and headed to room 7. Miya was already there playing with Professor Iroh's radio.
"Hello my friends. What's good?" she asked smiling.
"Nothing besides you getting us out of class," Top said with a smile.
"For real that man was gonna bore me to sleep. Can you put on something good I need to move?" Katara said with a laugh.
Miya nodded and put it on Hot 97. The song Chicken Noodle Soup started to play, "That enough movement for you 'Tara?"
Katara rolled her eyes, "That song is so stupid."
Toph got up and blasted the song.
Just When You Thought It Was Safe.
We're Back.
Voice Of Harlem,
Kingdom,
You Remember.
I Got The Finest.
Your Highness.
Young B.
Katara covered her ears, "TURN IT DOWN BEFORE WE GET IN TROUBLE!"
Miya laughed and started to dance and Toph danced with her.
A Let It Rain. And Clear It Out
A Let It Rain. And Clear It Out
A Let It Rain. And Clear It Out
A Let It Rain. And Clear It Out
And Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
Lets Get It
The door opened and The Populars came in and turned it off.
"Hey!" yelled Toph.
"Oh shut up not everyone wants to listen to your hip-hop bullshit," Azula snapped.
Katara crossed her arms, "So what would you like to listen to. Hillary Duff?"
Ty Lee stood up, "Hey! Hillary Duff is awesome."
Toph rolled her eyes and made a W with her fingers, "Whatever."
Mai just glared at Miya and it was starting to get annoying, "Look Mai. I know I'm hot and all, but stop staring."
"THATS IT THIS HEFER IS GETTING IT TODAY!" Mai was about to pounce when Iroh entered.
"Well why are all my favorite ladies here today?"
Toph looked at Ty Lee and glared, "Conflict management."
A/N That is chapter four..lame I know..but don't worry chapter five will be better. This is just something I wanted to add to the story.