A/N: I know I haven't updated in around 3 years… yet some of you continue to read this story. And I hate leaving things unfinished. So I'm going to finish this story rather quickly, probably in 3 or 4 more chapters. As always, I don't own avatar, or the story would have ended very differently…

Zuko's Pov:

The start of second semester was like beginning of the year all over again. We got new schedules, and I learned that I didn't have to biology anymore, I was moved up to chemistry. I was currently walking to said class when I noticed Toph sitting in between two locker banks. She had a crumpled piece of paper in her hand, and was leaning her head back against the bright blue locker.

"Toph? What are you doing here?" I usually never talk to people, unless it was absolutely necessary, but Toph reminded me of myself.

"Well, I was trying to be a good student, and decided to take some advanced classes this year, since it was either that or my parents send me to some stupid private school. But the dumb secretary at this school forget to tell me where my classes are, and since I can't see," she waved her hand in front of her face to emphasize her point, "I can't go to class."

"Don't you have any friends to help you?" I asked. She cringed, and I remembered what Katara had told me about her and Sokka.

"You're one to talk Mr. My best friends are a girl who talks about hope all the time and the dude that follows her around like a dog." she huffed.

I sighed and pulled her schedule from her hands. She was going to chemistry, so I offered to walk with her. We made it to class just as the bell rang. Our teacher was an old man, who looked like had died 50 years ago.

I slid down in a seat next to some girl who looked like she was asleep, and Toph sat at the table next to mine.

"Okay class, today we are going to be taking a partner pretest to see how much you know about chemistry already. Just work with one or two people next to you." Mumbled my teacher. At least, that's what I think he said, his dentures were falling out while he was talking, so he kept pushing them back in his mouth.

The pretests were passed backwards, and the girl next to me still didn't look up. So I tapped her on the head with the sheet of paper.

"What do you want.", she said, rather than asked while glaring at me. I recognized her immediately, it was Mai from the ice cream parlor.

"Uh… we need to… work on this pretests together. You may not heard because you may have been sleeping, but it's a group grade." I told her. In all honesty, she sort of scared me. Mai just continued to stare at me.

"But if you don't want to, Toph and I can work on it, and we could add your name, so you get some credit…." I trailed off. Good thing Katara wasn't here, this failure of a conversation was proof that I was not the long awaited love guru.

"Do you think I'm too stupid to work with you guys?" Mai questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"No, no, no, it's not that, I'm sure you're very intelligent, I just didn't want to bother you…." I had no idea what I was doing, but I was aware of my face continuing to redden. Toph snorted, "Niiice Zuko. You're a master with the ladies." The corner of Mai's lips lifted up in what looked like a smile.

"Can we just work on this?" I asked, gesturing wildly to the sheet of paper in my hand. Mai grabbed it from me and filled out the entire front page.

"Wow. You really must love chemistry." I observed.

"No. I hate the world." I guess I subconsciously listen to Katara, because I suddenly remembered something she told me about how girls love compliments popped into my head. Before I knew what was happening, I said, "You're beautiful when you hate the world." Mai then turned bright red, Toph started laughing uncontrollably, and I sheepishly smiled at her. Little did I know this was far from the last time I would make a fool out of myself in front of Mai.

Monday:

I swore silently under my breath as a sliced my finger on a piece of notebook paper. "I think I'm bleeding!" I showed my index finger to Mai.

"Ohh… you poor thing" she crooned. "Want me to kiss it?"

"Really?" I said, eagerly putting my finger in front of her face. I then realized she was being sarcastic.

Wednesday:

Toph told me I should use a pick up line, so I used one I thought would make Mai like me.

"If you were C6, and I were H12, all we would need is the air we breathe to be sweeter than sugar!" I took Mai's uncontrollable laughter as a good sign.

Friday:

"Look Mai, I've been wooing you with my charms for a while now, and I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to Katara's winter party with me." I tried to come off as confident, but Mai just gave me a funny look.

"Sure Zuko. For a dork, you seem nice enough" she laughed as she left the classroom.

"YES!"