Bella [AANGXOC]

Chapter 73: Peeling Bark

My heart was pounding in my chest once Appa had touched the ground. He's going to be angry, I have to prepare for that. He's going to be angry no matter when or what I tell him at this point. But I figure the earlier I do it the less angry. It's never a good idea to do big things out of impulse but I made a plan and I'm going to stick to that plan. It's time for this to end.

We slid off of Appa, and Aang and Katara started to take his saddle off. Sokka and Toph stood behind them while I stood cautiously to the side. Aang airbended the saddle up while Katara kept it steady and then lowered it to the ground beside me. They started to take things out of the saddle such as our food and tents, some fire supplies.

"Hey Aang." My voice sounded a bit shrill and my words shook.

There's still time to back out.

"Yeah?" He said, stopping the unloading and turning his attention to me.

Talk.

"I was--there's--I mean I--um."

Oh gosh, stop talking.

I saw Katara stiffen and Toph was standing unusually still, staring at the ground.

Tell him you need to talk to him somewhere else.

"Oh, nevermind."

Why am I like this?

Aang shrugged his shoulders and turned back around to keep helping the unloading.

Why is he so sweet?

In conclusion, I went to bed that night feeling a lot worse.

~

Morning came and went. The sun doesn't wait up for anybody. Aang and Toph went and started the earthbending training and from what I was hearing from my rock, it wasn't going super well. I didn't sleep very well through the night either, I just can't stop thinking about it. I've locked myself in a cage and threw the key across the room.

I was sitting on a flat rock away from everybody. I had the idea if I planned out what I was gonna say, word for word and just said it then it would happen. The reveal would happen.

But in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think what would happen if I just didn't tell him and he found out on his own.

Either way he'll be angry, and there's nothing I can do to change it now; I've already waited too long.

I sighed and flopped down on the rock. What a nightmare.

I heard some gravel shuffling behind me and I jerked up and turned my head back pretty quickly, force of habit I guess after being jumped a couple times. But it was only Toph behind me, coming up close to the rock.

My heart began to beat a little faster, now that we're alone, I can find out what she knows and how she knows it.

Act natural, "Oh, hey Toph."

"Hi," She replied boredly.

"Not training with Aang anymore?"

"Nah, he's playing in a puddle with princess to make himself feel better."

"Oh."

After a couple seconds of silence the tension built up too quick and I said the first thing that popped into my head, "Pretty sunset right?"

Bella you idiot.

One of her eyebrows raised as she looked at me questionably but she thankfully let it go.

I slid off the rock and stood in front of her. I was about to ask her why she had come to see me but I jerked back when she threw her hands up and chucked a rock she pulled from the ground over my head.

I ducked and slid back, Oh my gosh she's trying to kill me because I asked about the sunset.

My heart rate sped up quickly while I stared at her questionably. Still in a defensive position. But, mentally giving myself a pat on the back for not airbending at it.

"So you are a bender."

Sweat broke out on the back of my neck and my first instinct was to deny but I decided to skip that and ask her how she found out. I have to take some steps to telling Aang and letting someone find out seemed like a good thing to do.

Though I was still too tongue tied so Toph pointed at me, "Look at your feet."

I looked down and noticed the problem right away. My right foot extended in front of my left foot, pointing inwards and my left perfectly straight. Toph must've seen it in her badgermole earthbending vision. It could be played off as a weird thing I do when I'm in danger but any respectable bender would notice a stance. Especially because she's seen the same one over and over again from me. And there's someone else in the group to compare it too...

Stupid practicing in the North Pole.

"You're not an earthbender," she said.

"And Katara doesn't do that, but you know who does?"

"...Aang," I answered for her.

"Why haven't the others noticed this?" I said more so to myself as I kept looking down.

"Guess they just don't look for it, but I see it no matter what I'm looking for," Toph replied in a disinterested tone, but she's always sort of speaking in a disinterested tone.

However she was smirking broadly with her arms crossed and it made me question her intentions.

"Are you going to tell them?" I asked.

"Wasn't planning too."

"I wouldn't be opposed," I spoke without thinking.

Toph gave me a weird look and I decided to just tell her everything, why not? I told her about my parents, the journal, how Katara knows, why Aang doesn't know. And anything else I could think of pertaining to me being an airbender.

We ended up sitting and leaning against the rock I has been laying on.

After I had said everything, I finally took a breath. Because I had never explained it before and as cheesy as it sounds, I felt lighter.

"My advice, get it over with--"

She was talking about me telling Aang, and giving me the same advice Katara had given me a month ago.

"--But if you can't, you have to know the longer you wait the more he'll hate you for not telling him.."

My head fell back against the rock as a sigh left my lips, "He'll hate me anyway."