More Than Fiction

The King of Omashu

The sound of Sokka and Suki kissing in the backseat of Katara's car as she backed out of the driveway was enough to make her gag.

"Hey, if I crash from puking it's because of you two back there!" Katara yelled.

The kissing stopped, leaving only the sound of the music in the car.

Feels like I'm standing in the middle of the road

Feels like I'm standing in the middle

And an eighteen wheeler washed over me

I have nothing to say

So if you're gonna go

I think I'm gonna stay

Sokka yelled back, "Well if I die it's going to be from the corny, sad chick music- OW!"

He furrowed his brow at Suki who had just slapped his arm. "Sorry, Katara, we will try to be more mindful, won't we, Sokka?"

Sokka sulked into the backseat of the car and mumbled, "Yeah..."

Katara smiled briefly before stating in a stern voice, "Well, I appreciate it but you guys can ride with Zuko on the way home. I need a break."

Suki and Sokka nodded solemnly as Katara drove away from the house. Nothing but silence for the remainder of the drive.

Sokka, Suki, and Katara entered the packed cafe and joined the line. Suki pointed out the interesting conversation happening at the counter.

"Look at the way she's flirting with Aang," she laughed and Sokka joined her.

Katara's eyes narrowed hearing the barista's annoying voice say "Aangy".

Aang smiled weakily at the barista, "Oh, I guess it is kind of cool to be filiming a tv show. I never really think about it, you know? I just want to be a normal guy."

The barista sighed deeply, "Oh, Aangy, that's so sweet! I can't believe you're so down to earth. We should definitely hang out some time."

Katara really thought she would gag at this moment. She mimicked the girl in high-pitched tone, "Oh, Aangy!"

Returning to her normal voice, she continued to express her annoyance with the barista, "Wow, the thirst is real. Try hard, much?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow at his sister, "Wow, didn't take you for the jealous type."

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" she yelled, fists clenched and red coloring her whole face.

Sokka winced and recoiled from her, "You practically have steam coming out of your ears, Katara."

Katara groaned but became quiet when they made it to the counter. She looked at the girl's name tag, which read 'Koko'. She used her acting skills to order her coffee without seething hatred and sat down with the gang at a booth.

Suki addressed the elephant in the room, "So, Aang, I saw that Koko is pretty into you."

Aang blushed and stammered, "I-I-I...guess so. She did give me her number."

Sokka howled and pointed to Aang, "Awww someone's in love!"

Aang glared at his friend, "Sokka! She just gave me her number, that's all. It doesn't mean anything."

Apparently, Katara's face was a dead giveaway to her feeling sick at hearing this conversation because Aang looked at her with concern on his face. "Hey, Katara, are you okay?"

She faked a smile and replied flatly, "Yes, I'm fine."

His face showed a bit of skepticism but luckily Sokka wanted to show him something on his phone so the interrogation could come to an end. Katara decided to put these feelings aside as well. She drank her coffee and hoped to never hear about Koko again.

Later That Day

Walking at a steady past in her blue robes, Katara quickened her pace to join the set on time. Once on set, she saw the art design of the cave, Aang, Sokka, and the actor playing Bumi standing on their marks.

Aang, in his orange and brown robes, spots her as soon as she arrives. "Hey, Katara!"

That beaming smile of his brightened her whole mood. She couldn't be in a funk for long.

"Hey, Aang" she replied with sincerity in her voice.

Sokka joined the conversation, "Ready to get this scene wrapped, Gangsta of Love?"

Sokka's cackle began to be drowned out by Katara's thoughts. She still felt hurt, and she couldn't understand why. She knew it shouldn't bother her, they're not even together, but thinking about this morning just sent her stomach into a tailspin. "She's not even that pretty," she thought. Katara couldn't hold back a glare this time at Aang as he called her name again.

"Whoa, are you mad at me or something?" Aang asked, confused.

"No, why would you say that?" She replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Aang scratched his head, "I dunno, just seems like...you're angry."

Katara noticed that her shoulders were so tense they were almost at her ears. She sighed and relaxed, weirded out by how upset this whole Koko situation was making her. Of course, she couldn't tell Aang that. He would think she was crazy.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I'm still thinking about the drive with Sokka this morning. I guess his sexist comments got to me more than I thought," she lied with a smile on her face.

Aang hesitated, "Uh, oh..okay. Maybe you and Sokka should drive separately for a while."

Katara nodded, "Yeah, I think that would be best, for everyone."

The sadness Katara felt was wiped away seconds before the director yelled, "Action!" She acted happy, alongside Aang, in front of the bright lights and cameras. The jealousy and anger were pushed aside for a few hours, and she was grateful for the distraction. But she wished that it could last longer, as reality suddenly came crashing back.

"That's a wrap!" the director yelled from her seat.

Sokka snaked his arm around Aang's shoulders, "So, where are you and the freshman going tonight?"

Katara's happy face disappeared and was replaced with a frown. She couldn't bear to hear this conversation and stormed off set, to her trailer. Gathering her things with tears in her eyes, she felt like she was on autopilot. The next thing she knew, she was in the parking lot with her car in her sight. A hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around prepared to yell at Sokka, only to be surprised by Aang standing there.

"Katara, I know you said you were okay, but it really doesn't seem like it. Honestly, you've been weird since this morning," he said with his eyes transfixed on hers.

She stared back, relieved that it was him and he was looking at her with genuine concern, not pity. "Aang, I...it's kind of embarrassing to talk about. I just needed some air. I don't really want to talk about it," she said in a low tone as she rubbed her arm.

Aang, still looking at her with concern, softened his gaze, "Okay, I can respect that you don't want to talk about it. If you want some company, you can come out bowling tonight. It'll be me, Koko, and her friends. I'd love to have a familiar face with me."

Katara's heart skipped a beat. While this didn't sound like Aang and Koko were going on a date, her friends were going to be there, after all, this still didn't rule out the possibility of Koko trying to make moves on Aang. This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to Aang and crush any possibility of Koko going near him.

Trying to hide the smirk on her face, she looked into Aang's big, grey eyes, "That actually sounds great. Text me the details, I gotta head home."

Aang's face lit up, "Great! I will see you tonight."

His arms stretched out to give her a big hug. She wanted him to stay wrapped around her for the whole night but knew the embrace would end soon. As they broke apart, Aang waved goodbye and walked towards his car. Katara gave a pithy wave and an innocent smile before turning towards her car. As she opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, the smirk returned to her face. She whispered as she turned the engine over, "That girl's not gonna know what hit her."