Authors Note: Its going well. Yay!
Katara was so happy that it was finally lunch time. Not because she was hungry but because she was tired of the constant embarrassment and always running into that crazy chick Azula. She had to introduce herself 2 more times after the first time and in one of those classes, Zuko's bitch of a sister was in them. Katara hated her so much and she barely knew her. In her last class, her teacher told everyone that she was Sokka's little sister and asked if they had any questions. Azula thought it was funny to ask Katara some really embarrassing and stupid questions like if she had ever had a nose job, if she was as stupid as Sokka and asked who did her hair. It was the worst four minutes of her life. Her seat was two seats in front of Azula so she could hear whispering and other conversations about her in general. In the middle of the class Katara slammed her book closed and asked what the hell her problem was. Of course, Katara was called out but given a warning since she was new.
The new kid card was working all day and she hoped it would for another few days. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to take Azula's bullying. The only good thing is that she only had to deal with one sibling so far. She hadn't seen Zuko since her first class. She hoped she wouldn't see him but sort of wish she would at the same time. It was a weird feeling and attraction she had to him. She didn't even know him but she felt like she needed to be near him.
"Hey, Katara!" a voice screamed from behind her. She only figured it was one person. Sokka came running up beside her to catch up. "Hey, how has your day been so far?" Katara groaned and stopped to lean against a wall. "Uhg, it's been a nightmare all day." Sokka seemed a little confused at first and leaned up against the wall with her. "Why, what's wrong?" Katara was just waiting for him to ask.
"That stupid, stuck up, bitch Azula has been on my case all freaking day! She's in two of my morning classes and in both of them, she made me look like an idiot. I hate her so much!" Katara resumed telling Sokka about Zuko, her first class, and the embarrassing questions in her second class.
Sokka scoffed. "She didn't have to bring me up! Jeez, I never get a break. "
Katara sighed pushed herself off the wall. "I just want this day to be over. I'm so tired of it already. I thought that everything would be okay, but it's not. I'm so unhappy here…"
Sokka smiled and placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Katara. Just stay strong and everything will turn out okay, I promise. Remember you've got me and Dad with you." Katara smiled a little and nodded. She really did miss Sokka when he moved away. He always made sure that his little sister felt better in times of need even when he didn't mean to.
"C'mon, its lunch time and I'm starving. Also I want you to meet some of my friends. I think you'll really like them. They're really cool I mean they are practically the coolest people you will ever meet."
Sokka put his arm around Katara and lead her to the cafeteria. She was hoping that his friends weren't just like him. Sokka's definition of cool was sometimes well, not cool.
As they walked into the cafeteria, Katara saw lots of kids scurrying around and chatting amongst each other. There were so many different kids in such a small town yet they all talked to each other so easily. She figured that this town was like the kind you see on T.V. where everyone knows everyone and they all hang out together. It was pretty funny to think about but that could serve against her if she gets settled in.
While the two were walking, Katara spotted her "best friend" sitting with her brother and followers. She quickly looked away hoping they didn't see her but most likely that wasn't the case. While Sokka and Katara walked passed their table Katara kept her head down and face hidden behind her hair. A few giggles could be heard but she ignored it not wanting anymore attention from those girls. She was pretty sure the new kid card had reached its limit along with her patients with Azula.
Sokka lead Katara to a corner in the cafeteria where there were two girls and two guys sitting at a square table. One of the girls were really short and she had dark hair in a large bun. The other girl was kind of pretty and she had short brown hair and looked a little older than the other girl. One of the boys was also a little short and bald but kind of cute. The other boy was much taller and seemed older than the bald boy. He had long brown hair and he wore a green head band. He seemed like the type that Sokka would hang out with and it looked like he was trying to grow a beard. Katara finally arrived at the table and smiled sweetly. Sokka grinned and waved at everyone with an enthusiastic look. "Hey everyone, what's going on? I would like you to meet my little sister, Katara!" He pointed at her as she stood there with a small smile waving to them slightly. "Hi everyone, it's nice to meet you all." Everyone at the table smiled and waved back to her.
"So let me introduce to you everyone." He started on the far side of the table where the short girl sat. "This is Toph." Sokka leaned into Katara's ear and whispered, "She's blind…" Toph narrowed her eyes in Sokka's direction. "Sokka, I'm blind not deaf so I can hear you, you know?" Sokka laughed nervously in embarrassment and continued to the next girl. "This is Suki. She's in my Biology II class and she helps me stay awake and lets me copy off her homework when I forget to do it." Suki laughed at this smiled at Katara. "It's really nice to meet you, Katara. I hope you like it here in Cadian." Katara nodded as Sokka continued to the next two boys. He pointed to the small balled one first. "This is Aang and next to him is Haku." They both waved hello and Aang seemed the most happiest to meet her. Sokka grinned proud of what he had done and pat Katara on the back. "I'm gonna go grab some lunch for us. I'll be back in a few minutes." Sokka walked off and winked at Katara as a signal for her to mingle. She sighed and took a seat at the end of the table next to Toph.
It seemed Aang decided to be the one to strike up a conversation to make her feel more comfortable. "So, where are you from?"
Katara set her bag on the floor and smiled looking down at the table. "Well, I'm from Sowata and it's so much more different then Cadian. It's always so cold and cloudy here that it's a little hard to adjust."
Toph nodded while taking a bite of a banana. "I know what you mean. I moved from a huge city to come live with my grandma and the climate change was huge but I feel a lot happier here. Even though I can't see, I seem to get along just fine here. The teachers are really nice and they even write their tests in Braille for me. I don't have a problem getting around either cause Sokka helps me to my classes"
Katara thought that was really amazing. She couldn't imagine being blind like Toph and coping with high school at the same time. Sokka's friends weren't bad at all and were very nice and friendly. This made her day so much better than this morning and felt ten times better than she did before about living here. She couldn't help wonder what Sokka's friends thought of Zuko and Azula. Not many people seem to be in their circle. Every time they're in a group, it's always Azula, the two girls and Zuko so it rose a lot of questions of who they are. Despite what she had been through today, she was still curious about Zuko.
"Hey, can I ask you guys a question?" She looked around to make sure Sokka wasn't going to pop up and stop her from asking anything that he might find out of the ordinary.
They all looked at each other and nodded. "Sure Katara, you can ask us anything." Aang smiled as he leaned in. She hoped Aang's or the others answers would be exaggerated who like Sokka did. If so, she would just give up and do her own research. She believed that some things are best to be kept secret, just not from her. Katara sighed and leaned into the group. "What do you guys know about Zuko and Azula?" Everyone's faces changed to a concerned look something that was familiar when she brought it up with Sokka.
"Well…" Haku started, "All I know is that they barely ever come to school and that Azula is someone you don't want to mess with." Aang nodded agreeing with him. "I had about 2 classes with Azula last year and it seemed that they would miss about 4 days a week sometimes. I hear it's because they travel a lot but who knows?" Suki took a drink of her soda and nodded whispering "No matter how often they're absent, they still stay on the teachers attendance and they make perfect grades. I hear their dad has something to do with the way the town runs, like a town official or something. I've never seen him though."
Katara's curiosity rose higher from their reactions and responses. Each of them had something to say about Azula or both of them but barely anything about Zuko alone, someone she mostly wanted to know about. They talked about the girl that was sent to the hospital and they talked about the perky and gloomy girl. The perky girl's name was Ty Lee. They said that she is basically always around Azula and its rare you don't see them together. There were a few rumors that she use to be a part of a traveling circus but she thought that was a little ludicrous. The gloomy one's name was Mai and they believed that she had a thing for Zuko. It was funny because when she asked about Zuko, they really didn't have much to say at all. They just said he was quiet, his didn't always hang around Azula, and it seemed like he was afraid to talk to anyone. Other than that, Zuko was a huge mystery. I guess it looked like she was going to have to do some research herself to find out more about him.
Finally after getting through the line, Sokka had brought lunch for him and Katara. This lunch must have been the highlight of her day. Sokka's friends were really nice and she didn't feel awkward around them at all. She suspected there was something going on with Sokka and Suki because they argued and flirted a lot. Most of the time she spent at lunch, she was talking to Aang. He was really sweet and he had lived in Cadian all of his life. Of course she asked when Zuko and Azula moved here but he said he couldn't quite remember.
At the end of lunch, Katara only had one more class left and was so happy. One, because it was AP Biology and it was her favorite subject and two it was the last class of the day. The only bad thing about it was there was a chance that Azula could be in the class and her day of reckoning might have just reached and intermission. She hoped and prayed that wasn't true. Katara waved goodbye to her brother and his friends and thanked them for being so nice before she headed to class. She felt a lot better knowing that she will have friends here because it made her think her stay here a lot more enjoyable and its something she could tell her mom to let her know that she wasn't withering away here.
Katara's last class was the first class all day that she made it on time. It was right next to the cafeteria and Sokka told her how to get there. She picked and empty seat in the back and waited for the teacher to come in. This class seemed a little crowded for AP Biology but she guessed it would work out if she needed help with homework. After a while, the teacher walked in settling the class down and started to take role. Once she got to Katara's name she welcomed her to the class and introduced herself as Mrs. Duffy. Katara was glad that she didn't make her stand up in front of the class like the rest of the teachers did even though at this point she didn't mind because she was use to it. The one thing Katara noticed about the class is that Azula wasn't in it. She felt so happy because this class was going to become her sanctuary.
Suddenly, the door opened and Katara's heart stopped. She couldn't help but think it was Azula coming in late to class. She slumped down in her chair and put her hands over her head knowing well that if it was her, she would spot her in less than a second. Finally it was revealed that it was not Azula but Zuko. She had only seen him once all day today and she hadn't finished her silent research on him. This was great but not at the same time. She didn't really know Zuko but she assumed that he would be just like his crazy sister Azula. Then again, she didn't really like it when people would assume that she was just like Sokka so maybe there was a chance that he was different then Azula plus she didn't get that he was like her. Mrs. Duffy crossed her arms and scolded Zuko slightly for being late. He apologized and handed her a piece of paper. He started to walk to his seat and saw Katara. His eyes narrowed, shooting her a dirty look. This made Katara freeze and shift a little in her seat and watched him as he walked to a desk one away from her. He kept his eyes away from her general direction and even scooted his chair away from her as thought being one seat away from her wasn't enough.
Katara started to become frustrated because she had no idea what this kid's problem was. She didn't do anything but show up to class. Maybe Azula told him something stupid like she had some kind of disease or just told him to do that to piss her off. Even though he was Azula's brother, he was nothing like her. He was so quiet and didn't really talk to anyone during class just like what she heard from the others at lunch. He was so handsome too and he was tall and a little pale but she couldn't help but admire his abnormal beauty. Every once in a while Katara couldn't help but look at him and she would even catch herself staring at him for long periods of time . It didn't surprise her that every time she was looking at him he would catch her staring at him and in return she would catch him staring at her in a very dark way and this sent chills down her spine. It crept her out so much that it was hard to concentrate and she stopped staring even though she knew he was looking at her sometimes.
Mrs. Duffy announced to the class that they were going to do a worksheet and that she didn't mind that they help each other. Katara hated worksheets so much. She thought they were boring and an excuse for teachers not to teach the class but you know what they say, different strokes. As the teacher passed out the worksheets everyone immediately started paring up with their friends and talking. Katara got straight to work and looked up answers in the book. To her this stuff was easy and probably would take no time.
While Katara was working she was starting to notice Zuko was staring at her even more than before. This was really starting to irritate her. She grunted and moved her hair to block her face from him but she could still see if her was looking. Every so often when she looked through her hair she could see him shifting uncomfortably in his seat and looking around every so often but to look back at her. It made it really hard to concentrate and it made the class go by a hell of a lot slower. She started to get hot so she pulled her hair back into a pony tail. While she was doing it, she could see at the corner of her eye that Zuko's breathing started to get heavier and he smiled while he stared at her. The look in his eyes mapped Katara's imagination to think the worst possible thing. She guessed that he was some crazy pervert that was going to rape or kill her or maybe Azula did something to make him think badly of her. There could be a lot of reasons but she wouldn't let it bother her. If things got bad, she knew how to take care of herself. Also her protective mother gave her a small keychain of mace that she could use just in case.
Finally it was the end of the day and the bell rang and all the kids scrambled to head out the door as Zuko trailed behind giving Katara one more look. Katara shivered again and sighed heavily quickly grabbing her bag, handing in her paper and headed out the door. She guessed this research on Zuko was going to be a lot harder than she thought
As Katara walked outside the school she noticed that the parking lot was a mad house. There were so many kids running around and driving out of the lot like NASCAR drivers. She should have established a meeting place with Sokka because she couldn't remember where they parked due to all the cars that were there. Then she remembered that Sokka parked next to Zuko's car. Katara squinted her eyes and finally found the flashy red car along with Zuko and his sister. They were all laughing and talking near the car except Zuko, who's eyes were glued in her general direction. Again with the staring game. She quickly looked away and then she saw Sokka waiting next to his car and checking his watch. She smiled and yelled out to him.
"Hey, Sokka!"
Sokka looked up and waved back to her a looking a little annoying hinting that he'd been waiting a while. Katara rushed out into the street then she could hear a brother scream "Katara, look out!" Katara looked to the right and saw a speeding Camero coming her way. She froze instantly watching the car continue to move forward at a fast pace despite the fact that she was staring it right in the face. Suddenly she could feel her body jerk backwards and slide across the grass on her back. The car then speed past her as the horn honked and the car came to a stop where she stood. Katara's eyes were closed but she could feel that there was someone on top of her. As her body shook her eyes opened and saw Zuko was laying on top of her covering her head. When she looked behind him she saw that there was a large dent on the front hood of the car. She was shocked because the whole front end of the car was pushed in beyond recognition. She saw the girl get out of the car and stare at it in horror completely unaware that she possibly hit someone or something. Everyone gathered around wondering what just happened. Katara looked at Zuko to see if there where any bruises or blood but not a single scratch. She also noticed that he traveled a good distance in less than a second. She didn't even see him come over. As a matter of fact…where she was standing was 50ft away from where he was. He looked down at her in a panic looking around a little before meeting her eyes again. Her breathing got faster along with her heart as she looked him in his light eyes she asked him, "What are you…?"
AN: Sorry it took so long. I had severe writers block and I've been busy with work. Also I need to find a new Beta reader so yeah…okay well I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I started the next one and hopefully It will be done a lot faster.