i'm sooooo sorry it took me this long to update! school got in the way. but homework's not so bad now and i promise it won't happen again. ^^

Zuko's touch was like an electric shock running down her whole body. She looked up at him, startled, and he smiled back, a little sheepishly. He looked as though he was about to speak, when-

"Lee! It's really you!"

Jin.

"Lee?" Katara smirked as their hands flew apart.

"Oh... uh... I think you... have me... confused, with, with someone else," Zuko stammered, his face red.

Jin moved one hand to cover the side of her face in a portrayal of his scar and smiled. "How could I forget? Don't you remember me?"

"Oh..." the Firebender replied, as if it was just now coming back to him. "Jin..."

"Nice to see you too," she laughed, then eyed his sash. "So that's how you lit the candles..."

"Um... yeah..." Zuko said dumbly. Katara was struggling not to giggle. "I... have to go now. Sorry."

"Okay, Lee," Jin replied easily. "See you around..." She smiled coyly, then continued on her way.

"What was that about?" Katara questioned, and then finally allowed herself to laugh out loud at the absurd expression on his face.

"Ugh... I blame Uncle for this..." Zuko groaned, and continued fuming all the way to their assigned classrooms. "Dumb tea shop... stupid Ba Sing Se..." They parted ways at Sifu Piandao's classroom.

The hand-holding was forgotten.

--

"Excellent work, Zuko. You make a fine swordsman."

Piandao looked on approvingly as the Firebender demonstrated his abilities with the dual swords. His movements were fluid and he never put too much energy into any one strike. He took in his surroundings in an instant, but could allow the things around him to distract him. That would be the area he'd have to work on in class.

"I'd just like to see how you handle some sparring, but if you can handle that then you're in my class for sure," the master said, and Zuko bowed respectfully before turning to his next opponent.

--

"Today, as an assessment of your writing abilities, I am going to provide each of you with a cliche concept. You will then have forty-five minutes to create an original story from it- one that will capture the reader's attention despite its overused premise. If everyone is ready, I will pass out the topics now."

The teacher, a severe-looking woman from the Fire Nation, made her way down the rows of students, handing each a small slip of paper. Katara swallowed, hard. She had been pretty excited about taking this class, but now that she'd arrived, the Waterbender was beginning to have second thoughts.

The instructor reached her desk and handed her a white sheet, then returned to her bureau at the front of the room. "Everyone has their concepts. Extra paper, brushes and ink are at the back of the room. You may flip over the paper and begin."

Katara picked up the vellum with shaking hands.

Opposites attract.

She smiled, coated her brush with ink, and wrote a love story to make Pu-on Tim proud.

--

Both Zuko and Sokka were gasping for breath at the end of their duel.

"Congratulations Sokka, Zuko," Piandao approached them, nodding to each in turn. "You've both made it."

Zuko allowed himself a sigh of relief. "You're pretty good with that sword of yours, Sokka."

The Water Tribe warrior just looked down at the blade sadly. "It could never replace Space Sword..."

"Sorry," Zuko said quickly. The look on Sokka's face told him to change the subject. "So... you go for any other AP classes?"

"I tried for one when you guys were testing for bending."

"Oh yeah?" Zuko asked, trying to sound interested. "What was it?"

"Oh, you know..." Sokka replied, gesturing with one hand vaguely. "Just... a class."

--

Madame Macmu-Ling looked on sternly as the girls ooh'd, aah'd and giggled at his foolish, meaningless words. After that day in Ba Sing Se... Well, she had been certain that was the last time she'd see the boy.

How wrong she was.

Sokka signaled for silence as he dove into his final haiku, the coup de maitre.

"That's right, I'm Sokka," he began. "It's pronounced with an 'okka'."

A dramatic pause.

"Ladies, I rock ya!"

How she wished she hadn't made the rule so lenient! But she had said that he had only to impress her eight star pupils and he would be accepted into her class.

Her eight star pupils swooned in the oaf's wake.

"Congratulations.... Sokka..." she stood, speaking with barely disguised disdain. "You have been chosen for advanced placement poetry."

Sokka bowed quickly, winked at the eight girls now cheering traitorously, and ran from the room.

"Ah," he sighed contentedly as he headed towards the AP weaponry test. "Poetry."

--

As he left Sifu Piandao's room behind him, Zuko couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. He did his best to ignore it. It was lunchtime now, and he was going to relax with his friends. Plus, Katara was going to be there...

He reached the Roku table and sat to one side of the Waterbender. Aang was on the other. He felt the Avatar's glare at his back the whole time.

Everyone laughed and talked for a while, and at first Zuko didn't notice the silence that had descended on his table.

He made the mistake of looking up.

"Oh, Zuko, I'm so glad I found you," Mai drawled, grinning evilly.

"Umm... why?" he questioned nervously.

She led him away without a word.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a plain, uninteresting room at the heart of the stark white central building. "Zuko and Mai?" A silver-haired man at the entrance asked. At a nod from the knifethrower, he bowed low and gestured inside.

"Excellent. The guidance counselor will see you now."

dun dun DUNNNNN... poor zuko. he's about to enter a world of hurt...and i'm sorry about the 5-7-5 society, but it was begging to be included...
i'll update soon, i promise! but in the mean time, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEASE R&R.

thanks!
~z4e