Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar. No der.

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Aang's POV

Most girls were complicated. Saying one thing and meaning the other. The kind that beat around the bush. Undecided women.

That was most girls.

But that wasn't Toph.

She was simple. Hardcore. And straightforward.

So, why did I feel like I barely knew her anymore?

Instead of telling the gym teacher that interrupted our conversation to mind her own beeswax she'd agreed to go back to class. And whenever I tried to have a conversation with her she just ignored me. It's been a week and she was still ignoring me. This surely wasn't the same Toph I had known for almost 7 years...was it?

Why hadn't she told me what was wrong? I thought we were best friends. We told each other everything.

I explained these thoughts to Todd as we sat down at his dining room table doing our art homework. I was drawing his earth toned dining room and he was drawing the landscape outside his window.

"Listen, Aang," he said. "Maybe she had a point. Ever thought of that?"

The absurdity of that thought had me draw a rather nasty black line in the middle of my drawing.

"What do you mean by that Todd?"

I erased furiously.

"Today at lunch did you hear anything Toph said?" I took a minute to think about it as he continued. "No, you didn't. Why? Because a group of girls came up to you and started asking you questions about your country, if you were single, and your hair. You were paying complete attention to them while ignoring us. Now I know you didn't do it on purpose. You know how I know?"

I shook my head and blew the eraser shavings off the table. I was paying attention to them to make sure I didn't reveal anything about us traveling forth in time. Excuse me for trying to protect our secret.

"I know," he continued, "because no matter how good your grades have been-you're incredibly stupid when it comes to girls and their feelings." He got up and tossed me a soda from the refrigerator.

"I know a lot about girls and their feelings. I've had my fair share of problems." Namely: Katara...Katara...Katara. I opened and closed the top of the can rhythmically.

Todd shook his head. "Like what? Unrequited love? That's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about-specifically-Toph and her feelings."

"I just don't get what her problem is. I haven't done anything wrong...have I?"

He sighed and fished in the fridge for some pie.

"Just...right now you and Toph are the talk of the school. I swear it's like you're celebrities because the guys think Toph is the hottest thing ever and the girls think you're the best thing since...Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or one of those stupid actors. You shouldn't let all this attention get to your head."

"That's what Toph said too, but I think I can handle just fine."

He sighed and shook his head. "Every closed eye is not sleeping, every open eye is not seeing." He licked the pie off his fingers after he had stuffed it in his mouth in two bites.

"What are you talking about?"

He smiled a private smile. "Meditate on it, my good sir."

I excused myself from the table to go outside to try and meditate this situation out. My toe barely hit the wrap-around porch when I was pushed back by an extremely irritated Riley.

"Sorry, Aang. Where's Todd?" His normally calm face was splotched with red and his hair was in a wild tangle around his face.

I was scared to answer. "I-in the kitchen. What's wrong?"

"He did it again!" Riley growled as he ran his fingers through his hair. It stood up on ends like that Einstein fellow we were studying two days ago.

"Shut up and calm down you stupid loudmouth." The Todd that was obsessed with Romeo could change so drastically to a callus man. "What did that brute do this time?"

Riley paced back and forth and fast and furious strides. "He made her cry again! I thought he was going to go out for more than just one hour. When he saw her on the couch drinking a freakin' soda he snapped and scared the living-"

"And what did you do?" Todd asked.

"Yelled at him of course. See what that got me?" He lifted up his shirt and there was a huge fist sized bruise on his abdomen. He pointed to his eye and now that he had stopped moving I noticed it was swollen.

He yelled, "I hate him! Ugh!" He punched the wall and broke through the drywall.

Todd pointed at him. "You're fixing that." Todd picked up a soda bottle on the coffee table, inspected it, shrugged and chugged it. "Have you spoken to Heidi?"

Riley plopped down on the couch and ran a hand over his face. His eyes were wild and furious. For a second there, he looked just like Zuko. I shook my head to clear it.

"No," Riley answered. "I...I can't. I hate seeing her cry and I...I just can't!"

"Dude," Todd sat down on the couch opposite of Riley. I sat down on the floor. "You can't do everything, okay? Heidi's going to bounce back, you know it. She's a little Mexican jumping bean, man."

Unexpectedly, Riley shot up from the couch and grabbed Todd's shirt, threatening to punch. Todd looked at him, silently asking Riley if he could do it. Before that could happen I pulled them apart.

"Riley, hitting him won't solve anything." He let Todd go.

"Yeah, but it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better." He began pacing back and forth, trying to relieve the tension from his body.

Todd stood up and dusted himself off. "Now I'm going to have to add emotional expenses to your debt."

"Todd..." Riley said in a warning tone.

Todd held up his hands in surrender.

"Riley, take five deep, deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth," I instructed.

Riley stopped and looked at me. "Aang...no offense, but I'm not in the mood."

"Trust me," I pointed to myself. "It'll make you feel a lot better."

He took in the deep breaths slowly. When he finished he looked a bit calmer.

"Thanks...I guess."

"It's all about the breath. Remember that." Could he have been a firebender in another life? I mean, I was giving him Firebending techniques just because for a fraction of a second he had reminded me of Zuko, and he had executed them perfectly. This world was definitely going to give me whiplash.

Todd held out his cell phone. "Call her."

Riley turned his back. "You don't understand. I can't. How can I?"

"Usually you'd just press the buttons."

Riley grabbed a pillow from the couch and whirled it at Todd. Why did Todd have to irritate him? Maybe I could help....

"Umm, what's this all about?" I asked. I was at a lost as to what they were talking about. The only thing I registered was that someone had made Heidi cry and I didn't like the sound of that.

Riley sat down on the couch and his shoulders seemed to slump in exhaustion. His face unnerved me, for it wasn't the calm facade he usually had on. This face seemed to be 112 years old. He looked tired.

"It's my dad," he explained. "He hates Heidi because she's not from a wealthy or prestigious family. He's racist against anyone who isn't himself. Why my mother married him I'll never know. But today he made her cry again. And I couldn't protect her."

Fear washed over my features. "He didn't hit her too...did he?"

Riley's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "NO! I'd never let that happen!" He defiantly stated and I apologized. I smiled grimly and sat down next to him.

"I've been in a similar position as you. Many times, actually." I closed my eyes as I thought of all the times I couldn't protect my friends: Toph, Sokka, Appa, Momo, and Katara. Then again, we were in a whole other time period then. My problems were extremely different from their problems.

But I was the Avatar. I could adapt to anything. I had to help in some way.

I continued, "There was an instance where my...friend was kidnapped. I was so angry I wasn't myself anymore. I couldn't protect him; I hated feeling like that."

Riley nodded. "Scary how accurate you are."

"Well, I ultimately just ended up withdrawing from everyone and lied to myself about how I was feeling. But...something gave me hope. Hope that I could do something to get my friend back. Though there were many trials I had to overcome; I was able to get my friend back of my own will. That's what you have to do. Have hope that there is a way you can resolve this." I motioned for Todd to give me his cell phone and I handed it to Riley.

Riley weighed it in his hand. He sighed. "Sounds like your life has been crazy, man." He pressed some buttons and stood up to take the call outside.

"Everyone ought to bear patiently the results of his own conduct," Todd said quietly.

"What?"

Todd stood up and threw his bottle in the trash. "He won't learn if we tell him what to do. If he's a man he can figure it out himself." He gave me a look that seemed to hold more than what met my eye. "Same goes for you."

I scratched my head full of hair. "I'm going to go meditate. Don't wait up for me."

I put on my shoes and made my way to that thing called the Grand Canyon. But on my way out I caught a bit of Riley's conversation.

"H-Heidi...I'm sorry." He sounded so sad that I felt like I was intruding onto another side of the quiet Riley.

"What are you talking about? The song that Megan sings in Hercules? Heidi, please be serious for one second."

Is that what Todd meant by Heidi being able to bounce back? She was already singing?

"Heidi I don't get it! You were crying just two hours ago. Now you say you're fine? What in the world?"

If I was Riley I'd be asking the same thing. And...beg for forgiveness for putting her in that kind of situation.

"My God. 'It's over and done with so why worry anymore'? How could you say that? What he did was unforgivable. How can you forgive him?"

Did he need to get so angry? He ran a hand through his blond locks and I touched mine. I'd gotten used to this head of hair but it still bothered me. It itched and kept me wondering why it was even there.

"So you're not forgiving him but you're fine with this?"

His fingers were tensing up and I could tell he was having a hard time not crushing the phone in his palm.

"He made you cry Heidi. I don't get you at all." He was silent for a moment. "Is this your whole 'what's past is past' crap?"

Even from where I was beside the porch I could hear Heidi yell, "It's not crap! You know I hate to keep grudges-sometimes-but I don't want to keep living that moment in my mind so why not accept that it happened and be done with it? What's so wrong about that, Riley!?"

Riley sighed and apologized.

I turned to walk away, suddenly feeling guilty that I had eavesdropped on his private conversation. When I entered the Grand Canyon I was a bit tired from walking and decided to take a nap by the waterfall Toph and I had visited the week before. The heat trapped in the rocks even though it was in the shade was very inviting and before I knew it I had fallen asleep.

"Wake up, Aang."

I grumbled.

"Aang, wake up."

I swatted the hand on my shoulder away. In response a finger swatted my forehead.

Holding my head I jumped up to face the voice that had been speaking to me.

"The Avatar should not be sleeping in a place like this. Meditating here I can understand though."

I rubbed my eyes. "Avatar Roku?"

A/N:

Don't kill me!!! Fuss me out all you want just please let me live!!

Extremely sorry about not updating. I'm trying to update more frequently but I barely have a chance to get on the computer.

So sorry!

Love: Lola of the Peaches

=]