Tag

Toph pulled her leg back and, in one awkward, childish motion, kicked the schoolyard ball into the air, high over Aang's head.

"Wow!" Aang gasped as the ball flew past him.

"Told ya I could do it!" Toph congratulated herself.

"That went like…a million feet high!"

"This is boring. Let's do something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Toph thought for a moment. "Let's play tag!"

"What's tag?"

"You don't know what tag is? Everyone knows what tag is?"

"They do?" Aang felt embarrassed again. Toph had a way of making him feel…out of place.

"All you have to do is run away from the person who is It."

"What's It?"

"You're It!" Toph slapped Aang's shoulder and ran.

"Ow!" Aang rubbed the spot where Toph had hit him.

"Now try to catch me!" Toph yelled from across the playground.

"Why!?" Aang didn't understand how the game worked.

"Because that's the game! You tag me, and then I'm It!"

"Oh…okay?"

Aang pretended to play enjoy himself as he chased Toph around the crowded schoolyard, but no matter how fast he ran he couldn't catch the speedy little tomboy. Even in a lacy skirt, Toph danced circles around Aang as the thin boy struggled to tag her.

"Come on Aang." Toph got tried encouraging him to run faster, but she only made Aang more frustrated.

"Hold still!" In his own mind, Aang believed that Toph had chosen this annoying game just to make him look foolish in front of his other classmates.

"You have to catch me. That's how the game works."

"This isn't fun!" Aang stopped running and stamped his foot on the ground. Toph turned around and ran back to him, but stay a few feet away, still in the mood to play.

"Come on slowpoke. You gotta try and catch me."

"Don't call me slowpoke!" Aang was getting very upset.

"Slowpoke! Slowpoke!" Toph didn't care.

"Stop it!"

"Slowpoke can't catch me! Slowpoke can't tag me!" Toph waved to Aang and giggled.

Fed up, Aang lunged toward Toph, who had her guard down, and push her as hard as he could. Toph fell to the ground and skinned her knee on a small rock. Aang didn't realize what he had done until he saw the patch of blood dripping down her thin leg.

Without missing a beat, the little girl's eyes reflexively began to well up. She tried to fight it, but in a matter of seconds she began to cry.

"I'm sorry!" Aang tried to apologize, but a crowd had already gathered around the two of them, calling them both names. One called Aang a "girl-pusher" and started laughing at both of them.

"What is going on?!" Ms. Wu, the kindergarten teacher, walked over to the circle of screaming children, demanding to know what happened.

"Aang pushed the weird girl!" One brat yelled out.

"It was an accident!" Aang insisted. "We were playing tag and Toph made fun of me and…and…" Panicking, Aang's own little eyes began to water.

"Okay, settle down!" Ms. Wu spoke over the children. "Everyone else, go away. Aang, help Toph up. I think she'd like to stay inside for the rest of recess."

The cloud of kids dispersed at the teacher's command. Aang wiped the tears out of the corners of his eyes and bent down over Toph, offering his hand. But Toph ignored him and helped herself up. She didn't look at him as she walked over to Ms Wu.

For the first time in his young life, Aang felt the bitter sting of guilt.

When recess ended, Toph stayed away from Aang. She didn't talk to him for the rest of the day or say goodbye to him when school ended. Aang didn't even see her leave.

To Be Continued