Azula snaps out of her trance and quickly pulls her hand out of Sokka's Grasp.
"What on earth are you doing? Don't you dare touch me like that again." Azula sneered, red shade still visible in her beautiful cheeks.
"Azula, calm down." Guidance Counselor Iroh said,
"Get out of my way uncle!" Azula shouted. The flustered girl stormed off from the gym, leaving the boomerang boy bewildered.
"Geez, it seems like Azula really doesn't like you." Aang said while petting Momo on his shoulder.
"Ain't it obvious? She probably hates me now." Sokka said, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm so sorry about my niece, sometimes she can be a bit harsh on people." Iroh told, to which Ty Lee chuckled.
"Don't worry uncle Iroh, Azula always gets that way all the time." She said,
"Yeah it's almost like she's crazy or something." Aang told.
"Well not entirely…" Iroh trailed. "Yes well, maybe a little bit crazy."
"Now wait, don't mind Azula, she's probably just caught off guard because you kissed her hand." Ty Lee told. "I've never seen anyone make her blush that much before. If you ask me, I think she has a soft spot for you."
"Um yeah, I don't know about that. She really looked like she wanted to beat me up." Sokka told.
A moment later, Principal Bumi appeared from the entrance of the gym.
"Is that principal Bumi?" Aang asked,
"Yes, I'm here," Principal Bumi greeted everyone with a smile.
"I thought he was absent today." Ty Lee said, Iroh could only shrug at her in response because he didn't know Bumi was here either.
Principal Bumi then walks up to the three teenagers and raises a finger at Sokka.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you are having relationship problems?" Bumi asked.
"It's not really a relationship." Sokka told.
I'll give you advice, Sokka. If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I'm not just a principal, I'm also a love Guru myself." Principal Bumi told.
"Love Guru huh? And you're sure that your advice will help me have a date with the most popular and sophisticated girl in the whole school?" Sokka asked.
"Of course! Of course!" Bumi said. "I used to be called the Master of Matchmaking, mind you."
"Okay, I'm convinced. Let me hear your advice." Sokka said, grinning from ear to ear.
"You should…" Bumi trailed.
"Yeah?" Sokka waited.
"Ask her out."
Sokka slapped his face and bowed his head in disappointment.
"Wow, fantastic advice." Sokka sarcastically commended while clapping his hands. "Way to go Principal Love Guru."
"See? What did I tell you? Another brilliant and successful advice from yours truly. Right Iroh?" Bumi asked.
"Uh, I just remembered, my Jasmine Tea is getting cold in my office. Please excuse me." Iroh told and left quickly before he could hear more words of wisdom from the self proclaimed Master of Matchmaking.
"That might be it, Sokka." Aang snapped his fingers. "Try and take Principal Bumi's advice to heart."
"Hey, come on people, we're talking about Azula here. There's no way that she's gonna wanna go out with me."
"Have you tried asking her out before?" The principal asked.
"Well, not yet." Sokka told.
"Child, that's the solution to your problem. Don't assume that you will get rejected by the girl the soonest that you ask her out." Bumi said. "Being fearful of rejection only hurts your confidence, so I suggest you grow a pair and just swing for the fences."
Sokka rubs his chin and thinks about what the principal had just said.
"So just ask her out huh?" Sokka asked. "She's probably gonna say no but you know what? I'm gonna go for it."
"Atta boy." Principal Bumi told. "Now, all of you, get back to your classes."
"But classes are over." Aang said.
"Oh then, carry on."
Later that Night
Azula came home from the workshop she had just attended. For some reason, the knot in her stomach kept bothering her. Probably because she knew that she had made a mistake and knew that there were bound to be consequences.
She looked around the house and searched for her father, Ozai. There were no signs of him anywhere at home. Azula sighed in relief.
"Good, Father is not home yet." Azula muttered. Then she proceeded to go to the living room. It was quite dark, Azula could barely see a thing. She reached for the wall and flicked on the light switch; the whole room was illuminated. The fiery teenager let out a sharp gasp when she saw her father sitting on his chair, dressed in his business suit with a stare that put fear in Azula's heart. "Father, you're home."
"Take a seat, Azula." Ozai, her father said with a stern tone. Azula did as she was told and sat right in front of him. "You disappoint me, daughter. When the authorities informed me of your tardiness in the workshop that you attended earlier, the only thing that crossed my mind was how you are slowly becoming like your brother."
"I didn't mean to arrive late-." Azula was cut off when Ozai raised his hand as a sign for her to stop speaking.
"That was very unlike you, daughter. Did I not teach you that punctuality should never be neglected?" Ozai said as he poured one of the most expensive wine brands that he owns onto his glass.
"Yes father. I haven't forgotten your teachings." Azula told.
"No, but you disobeyed them just now." Ozai told.
Feeling all the guilt in the world, Azula went down on the floor on her knees and bowed down to her father.
"It was a mistake that I will never make again, father. Please forgive me for my carelessness." She pleaded. Ozai sighs with a hint of annoyance.
"Rise, daughter." Ozai commanded, raising his hand up. The teenage girl stood up from the floor and watched as her father took a sip from his glass of wine.
"Care to enlighten me why you were tardy?" He told. "Surely there was something that distracted you from your obligations.
"I…" Azula's cheeks turned a light shade of red as a brief image of Sokka kissing her hand flashed in her thoughts. If her father finds out that she missed her workshop because of some boy in school, he might never forgive her, or worse. An idea came in Azula's mind, it was the perfect explanation to tell her father. "I was late because of Zuko. He didn't bring me there on time. To be honest, I wouldn't have been late if I drove a taxi instead of him giving me a lift."
"Is that so? Your brother is not only a mere disappointment to the family but he is also affecting your future as well." Ozai told. "I strongly advise you to refrain from letting your brother drive you anywhere moving forward."
"Yes father. Thank you for understanding." Azula said with a smile as she bowed her head in respect. She knew that her father was gonna believe anything if Zuko was the cause of it. She turned around and started walking towards her room.
"Wait, I wasn't done talking to you yet." Ozai told. Azula's smile turned into a frown, but she did not let her father see it.
Azula turned and walked back to her father.
"Did you really think that I was just going to let you walk away without any sort of repercussions?" Ozai told, eyeing her daughter with a disappointed scowl. "Starting tomorrow, after your classes at school, you are to return home immediately. You are not to meet with your friends or engage in any of your usual extracurricular activities."
"But my violin lessons and my fencing practices." Azula trailed. "These are activities that require consistency for me to master."
"It will be halted. This will teach you not to repeat the mistake. Imagine receiving a call from your peers telling you that your very own daughter is late. It's the most pathetic thing I have ever experienced." Ozai told. "This will go on for one week. If you break such a rule, I will be forced to kick you out of the house like I did your brother. Is that clear, Azula?"
"Yes father." Azula said and went back to her room to sulk and face the consequences of her decisions. All of this happened because of her decision to help Sokka. It's unfair. She thought. But what could she do? She is at the mercy of her father, the only person who believes in her capabilities and her potential. She cannot and will not disappoint him again.
The next day at school
Azula was walking together with Mai and Ty Lee after their first class. Mai sighed after Azula mentioned that she was grounded for the week.
"You're going to be stuck in your house for one week?" Mai asked.
"Yes, that's my father's lenient way of disciplining me, I guess." Azula told.
"That sounds really boring." Mai sighed. "It probably sucks being you right now."
"So, what are you going to do later after school?" Ty Lee asked.
"I haven't got a clue." Azula told. "Since father told me that he will be busy working in his company in the next two weeks, in his office, I'm all alone in the house."
"Oh, I know! Why don't we spend the night together? You know, a good ol' slumber party!" Ty Lee excitedly told.
"Ugh, what are you, 8 years old?" Mai asked, wincing at the thought of doing a slumber party.
"Come on, it'll be fun! At least Azula won't be alone, right?" Ty Lee said with a huge grin on her face. "We can even invite him along."
Ty Lee pointed to the young boomerang wielder who was taking books out of his school locker.
"Are you outside of your mind, Ty Lee?" Azula said, visibly flustered. "He's the reason why I'm in this predicament."
"I saw the way you looked at him when he kissed your hand. I sensed your aura, and it has never been pinker, Azula." Ty Lee joyfully told.
"Will you be quiet?" Azula told.
"Come to think of it, you do seem to be acting a lot different nowadays." Mai said. "I mean, not that I care or anything."
"You should have seen it Mai, Azula was all cutesy like a cuddly, pookie turtle-" Ty Lee didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as her mouth was covered by the flustered firebender.
"Finish that sentence and I will throw you to a nearby lake." Azula threatened to which Ty Lee playfully laughed.
"Ooh he's coming this way. Azula, act natural." Ty Lee told.
"I'm out of here." Azula said, walking fast to avoid a conversation with the young WaterTribe native.
"Oh man, she left before I could even talk to her." Sokka said with a defeated expression on his face. "Is she avoiding me?"
"Oh definitely, she's soooo into you."
"TY LEE!" Azula's voice echoed in the hallway.
"Coming! Sorry!" Ty Lee laughed as she and Mai headed out to where Azula left off. Sokka just crossed his arms and pouted.
"How the heck am I supposed to ask her out if she's gonna keep avoiding me like this?" He said to himself. Little did Sokka know that he was being watched from the corner of the hallway by Jet and his group of friends.
"So he's into that freaky girl huh?" Jet said to himself. "Look at him, just a scrawny pain in my ass."
"Jet, we need to go to class. We shouldn't be here doing this." Smellerbee told, placing a hand on Jet's shoulder. Jet shrugged his shoulder off, not allowing her to touch him.
"Hey, I still haven't forgiven you two for abandoning me yesterday." Jet said. "You traitors!"
"Sorry Jet but we couldn't help it, you were up against the scariest girl in school. She could zap you with lightning and you won't even see graduation." Smellerbee said. Longshot nodded in agreement.
"To hell with that! That girl and that ponytail trash will get what's coming to them. Mark my words! I already have a plan." Jet said. "They think they can get away from making me the laughing stock of the entire school?"
Jet glanced behind him and a couple of students. One pointed at him and mocked him.
"Hey look, it's Jet. He got beat by a girl yesterday." The guy said. All of them laughed while they threw pieces of chips at him.
"Shut the hell up!" Jet shouted, trying his best to quiet the students but he failed miserably.
Jet turned his attention back to Sokka but the boomerang boy already left where he was standing.
"He's gone, come on Jet. Let's get to class." Smellerbee told. "We can talk about your plan in class."
"Whatever." Jet told.
They then had to walk towards their classes while dealing with the fact that most students in the school premises kept calling them names and making fun of them. This infuriated Jet and made him all the more determined to get his revenge against Sokka and Azula.
Authors Note: Yo what's up! Sorry for abandoning this story. Writer's block and procrastination got the better of me. I'm still a writer in training so let me know what you think of this chapter.