This chapter is rated Teen, because Toph goes crazy. :P

Toph's First Day

The first bell rang and Toph took her sweet time leaving her home room. Not only was she tired, but, after a mere ten minutes of sitting down in a cheap plastic desk again, she was already bored out of her mind. Unlike Aang, who loved reading and learning, to Toph, school meant listening to a windbag talk about some unimportant stuff for forty minutes and then getting too much homework on a topic she personally could care less about, all the while getting terrific grades because of the contributions her parents made to the school system. "Same story, different building", she told herself.

Toph scratched her hair. She wore her lucky hair bands with the white skulls, hoping that they would continue to bring her good fortune. After all, they were the same bands she wore when she first met Aang.

"Oh, look at this mess." Toph heard someone say and, in an instant, transformed back into her defensive, angry self. "She looks like she got her clothes at a garage sale." A thin, tall girl with black hair talked down to Toph. She had fiery red lipstick and very expensive red clothes. Her eyes that looked like they belonged on a serpent's head instead of a person's. (Guess who)

"Seriously Azula. I've seen hobos dress better than her. She looks like one of your brother's friends." A very, very monotonous voice came from behind Toph. Another, extremely pale, girl walked to the left of the first brat. She had long black hair that was wrapped up into two long strands on the side of her head. Her face was empty, without a hint of emotion. Her clothes, her shoes, even her fingernails were pitch black.

"Mai, be nicer to her. She doesn't look that bad." A high pitched, very happy voice popped up and a thin, gorgeous girl jumped next to her two friends. She had an hourglass shaped body and a ponytail that trailed down to her curvy hips. The mid-rift and a miniskirt told Toph that she was either a cheerleader or just a showoff.

"You got a point Ty Lee." Azula spoke again. "She probably is just new here and doesn't know that guys don't like ugly girls."

Toph smiled and looked at the Queen Bee. "Guys don't like ugly girls? I bet you'd know all about that, wouldn't you bitch."

"Excuse me?" Azula looked surprised that someone had the nerve to speak back to her.

"What, you didn't know?" Toph pointed to Mai. "Ask your lesbian friend over there. I'm sure she'll tell you all about being rejected by guys."

"Excuse me!" Mai said. She looked angry, but her voice remained extremely dull.

"Is there an echo in here?" Toph wouldn't stop. She targeted Ty Lee next. "You look like the kind of girl who guys like to 'experiment' on." Toph flexed her fingers up and down when she said experiment. "Wanna let your by-curious emo friend 'experiment' on you? Or are you with that witch over there?" Toph pointed to Azula.

Azula's eyes narrowed when Toph was finished. The short tomboy crossed her arms and smiled smugly, assured that she had won.

"You've got a big mouth for such a tiny girl." Azula said as she stepped forward. Toph didn't move. "You better be carefully. We're not the ones you want to mess with."

"I ain't afraid of you punk." Toph spat on Azula's shoe. Ty Lee and Mai gasped. "Oops. Sorry." Toph said sarcastically. "I'm sure daddy will buy you a new pair."

"You little…" Azula thrusted her palm forward, trying to slap Toph, but Toph caught her wrist before she could land a strike. Azula threw her other hand forward and Toph caught that one too. Wrist both locked, Azula couldn't move. Toph pushed her backwards and Mai and Ty Lee caught her before she could fall down.

"You made a bad enemy today tiny." Azula looked like she was ready to kill someone. "You'll live to regret this day!"

"Oooo. Thanks for the warning Bigfoot. I'm shaking in my size 6 shoes."

Azula looked down at her feet and suddenly thought that they were too big. They weren't really big, but Toph loved planting the seed of doubt in someone's mind.

"Let's go ladies." Azula demanded and the other two followed her like good lap dogs.

Toph smiled, but then looked down at her feet. She always pretended that she didn't care what she looked liked, whether or not she was pretty. But she had been bullied before and, even though she put up a tough front, words like Azula's still stung.

"Everyone be quiet! The bell has rung. That means that you are on my time." The old teacher closed and locked his door. "My name is Mr. Pakku and I will be responsible for molding your young and able minds this year. I teach English for each year of students, and philosophy for seniors. If any of you last that long, you can take my class as an elective."

Toph sighed, guessing that Mr. Pakku had said the same speech several times already and was as uninterested in the class as she was. English was not her strong point. She dwelled in the world of the material, not concepts. She liked the opinions that English teachers let you have, but she hated reading. Toph had yet to find a book that she actually enjoyed.

Mr. Pakku continued, unaware of Toph's resentment.

"Every other Friday you will have a small quiz. There will be four major tests, including the final and mid-term. We will read six books that I choose, four of which will have book reports. You can choose which books you wish to report on, but the books progressively more difficult and projects for the sixth book will be graded the most strictly."

Toph raised her hand.

"Yes young lady." Mr. Pakku called to her, not knowing what he had done.

"What are the rules on using Cliff notes?" Toph asked with her feet on top of her desk. Mr. Pakku's eyes narrowed.

"You're not allowed to use them." He said with a grunt.

"None of them?" Toph sounded surprised.

"No! Moving on…" Mr. Pakku tried to ignore her. "…we'll look at some of Robert Frost's works to get warmed up, then move onto Frankenstein for Halloween."

Toph's hand rose again, but Mr. Pakku didn't noticed.

"After Frankenstein…"

"Are we allowed to dress up on that day?" Toph asked her question anyway.

"Excuse me?"

"For Halloween. Cause I was totally thinking of dressing up like the Bride of Frankenstein." Toph grinned, thinking she was funny. Mr. Pakku didn't laugh as he walked closer to her.

"Young lady, every year I get one smart ass student who really tries my patience…and that student ends up getting extra work and is graded even stricter than the others students until they learn how to act maturely like the other young adults in this room. Consider this is your warning."

"Yeah, yeah." Toph rolled her eyes.

"You think I am joking young lady? I'm serious when I say you'll get no leniency from me if you keep this up." Toph sighed. "I don't appreciate rebels in my classroom. Hard working students are the ones who will survive here. There was another student in the earlier class today…I can tell he's going to be the best student of your class."

"Who, Aang?" Toph asked.

"How do…you know Aang?"

"Me and him are best friends." Toph said with a smile.

"That's it! Detention tomorrow!" Mr. Pakku thought she was joking again.

"What? What for?"

"For making another smart remark."

"I'm serious. We've been study-buddies since middle school."

"Keep lying and I'll make it two detentions missy."

Toph shut her mouth, even though she wanted to tell the bitter old man to go screw himself.

"Hey. You're that crazy girl!" Someone had the nerve to yell at Toph from across the hallway as she walked through what was known as 'Azula's Territory'. Immediately, Toph figured out that Azula and the other two girls had already spread rumors about her. Fortunately, Toph knew exactly how to counteract insults.

"Crazy?" Toph approached the older girl who called her that. "Who told you that? One of those lesbians from before?"

"What?" The stranger gasped.

"Yeah. One of them tried to ask me out and I said 'I'm not that kinda girl'. I think I broke her heart."

"Who? Which one?"

"I think it was the mean looking one. The ring leader, what's her name?"

"Azula?"

"Yeah, that's her."

The stranger paused. "…are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so. They looked like they wanted me sooo badly too. I didn't want to hurt their feelings but...well, you know...rejection always hurts a little."

Then the girl ran away, eager to spread the new gossip around school. Toph smiled as she left.

SLAM! Toph's attention was pulled to the opposite end of the hallway, towards the freshman lockers. Someone was pushing Aang against the wall! Toph's Best Friend Instincts kicked in and she ran towards him.

"HEY!" Toph yelled. "DROP HIM!"

The older boy looked at Toph, revealing the ugly left side of his face. Toph wasn't scared.

"Buzz off tiny." He said. "Someone's gotta teach this dork a lesson"

"TINY? Oh, no he didn't!" Toph's inner voice screamed. Toph grabbed his thumb and pulled back on it, as fast and as hard as she could.

"AAHHHH!" The huge jock fell to the floor. Toph was surprised that she didn't break his thumb.

"That dork is my friend, Scarface. And if I ever see your hands on him again, I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass you'll be chewing on my shoes." Toph yelled at the fallen upperclassman. "That sounded so cool," She thought. Toph chopped him in his throat once and the scarred boy looked like he was ready to die.

Aang stared at Toph with wide eyes. He should have been used to her wild attitude by now, but she still had a habit of amazing him. "Thanks." He said.

"Yeah. No problem." Toph patted him on his shoulder. "Let get out of here before a teacher catches us." Toph began to run away. Aang caught up with her.

"I mean it." He said. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah." Toph pretended to be modest, but she could not have been happier to hear his appreciation. "I'll see ya on the bus." Toph said as she ran in another direction.

Toph stopped running when she was absolutely sure that she was out of harm's way. Out of breath, she looked back down the way she came and saw no one.

"Yeah. Safe." She smiled.

"Are you now?" Toph turned around and saw Mr. Pakku glaring down at her with a cup of coffee firmly held in his hand. "And what, exactly, are you safe from young lady?"

"Uh…from…bullies." Toph didn't lie. After all, she was running away from the guy who picked on Aang. Bullies had ahabit of always coming back.

Mr. Pakku glared at her.

"I'll be watching you Ms. Bei Fong." Mr. Pakku sipped his cup of bland coffee and left her.

"Creep." Toph said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

To Be Concluded.