Short. More frequent updates now that I am done with school. Let me hear your thoughts. Much overdue love.

Katara threw her backpack on the bed and reached for the plastic bag she had brought back from the Cabbage Stand. In the dim light of her dorm room, she pulled out a box and noticed it was the wrong one – to lessen the effect of buying a pregnancy test, she had also bought a small box of assorted gummy animals. She rolled her eyes just as Suki stated from behind her, "Those for me?"

She didn't know Suki was home. Inside, Katara jumped, but she was controlled, cool, not wanting anyone to know about her endeavors this morning. "Yeah," she said softly, "remember the solstice festival when you ate a whole bag of them?" She turned to Suki and tossed the box up to her bunk. "Saw these and thought of you," she lied. "Enjoy, girl."

"My saint."

Suki pried the lid of the box open with her nail file and, preoccupied with the unexpected treat, dismissed Katara's sudden generosity. Just last week the waterbender had complained of Sokka's spending habits and their joint bank account, concluding with, "I need a job. Bad." Suki munched on a rubbery penguin candy and purred with delight. She had the worst eating habits of anyone she knew but still managed to keep a full, formed figure, her daily gym visits both a blessing and a curse. Sokka played a role, too – she loved to look good for him though he often appeared in her suite unshaven and sweaty, excusing his behavior with sentimentality – "I just wanted to see you so bad. I came over as fast as I could."

"Have you seen your brother around?" Suki asked after swallowing. "I haven't heard from him all day. I texted him as soon as I woke up and it's almost two."

"I haven't heard from him either, actually."

"Hmm." Suki jumped off her bunk and stretched. Katara could tell she was feigning aloofness – her voice shook when she cleared her throat. She adjusted her jeans and pulled up a pair of lime green socks, suggesting to herself, "Maybe I'll pay him a visit. Do you want to come?"

"What? Why should I go?"

Suki turned to her and raised a brow. "Because he's your brother? I don't know. Aren't you the least bit worried? He hasn't contacted either of us. Usually he's over every day emptying out our fridge."

"Then it's a good thing he skipped a visit!" Katara buried her anxiety with a loud, sharp laugh. Sokka was the least of her worries now. "Am I right? I'm starving."

Suki zipped up her jacket. "Are you feeling okay there, Jumpy?"

"Never felt better," the waterbender claimed. "Tense for exams. I don't know. I'm going to make something to eat. Do you want some?"

"I'll get something on my way to Sokka's." Suki pulled the door shut behind her and Katara listened to her footsteps tap down the two flights of stairs. She turned her own attention back to the bag from the Cabbage Stand, and with a deep breath began reading the fold-in instructions.

At Omashu's, Sokka let his head sink between his arms. His forehead met the marble countertop and he closed his eyes, thinking about the acrobat and Suki and wondering how he would explain – if he were to explain – the ordeal to his girlfriend of two years.

Two years. It didn't seem that long, he thought. He had never felt bored with Suki. It was just the opposite… he often felt she would grow bored with him. Then why had he slept with Ty Lee? True, he was drunk enough to hardly remember it, but it had started to come back to him piece by piece. After two cups of strong, black coffee, three mini-muffins, and a plate of eggs and hash, he felt better, less woozy, and as a result, his memory began recovering. He found he remembered more than he thought and wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or proud or terrified that he had it in him.

Why Suki? She was a good girl, always worrying about him, stressing out about looking good so that she would keep his interest. She was the one who made most of their plans together, insisted they hold hands when they walked, demanded to spend as much time together as possible. Sokka went along with it because he loved her – why wouldn't he? She was good to him… and she had the three golden traits that every boy his age looked for: "smart," "funny," "attractive." There was literally nothing not to like. Often he wondered if she liked him more than he liked her. Those 2 a.m. texts that said "I miss you" when he had left her alone to study, or those long letters she wrote for him while she was in class, or those random presents just "because I was thinking of you" … he never returned the favor, not once. He bought her gifts for her birthday and anniversaries. They were thoughtful but not extravagant. Ashamed, he looked at the classy golden wristwatch she had purchased for his twenty-third birthday last month. Not only was it a limited edition, it was also a Y. L. Chang piece, and he knew without asking that it had cost a small fortune. Sokka banged his head on the counter twice and moaned audibly at his own stupidity. His nose was runny, and the moan sounded more like a snore even to his own ears.

"Don't break the tabletop with your sleepy skull, Snoozles," a voice chastised. "I don't need drool or cracks everywhere." Suddenly Sokka felt the table push back against him. It happened too quickly for him to react – instead he felt his hung-over limbs grow loose as the table moved him so that he was sitting upright. In a second, it returned to its original horizontal position.

"What just – how did that just…" Sokka looked up to find a girl with foggy, white eyes. She stood behind the counter with her arms crossed and a good-natured smirk.

"Earthbending," she answered. "Ever heard of it?"