Walk The Path

Chapter Seventeen

As the dead of winter approached, Aang's training continued amongst the cold, dreary days. The airbender walked inside the mansion after waterbending practice with Pakku, sweaty and exhausted. The Master Waterbender placed a firm hand on Aang's shoulder, "You really have come a long way, Aang. It didn't take you long to beat me today. You're ready." Pakku gave a small smile and nod to Aang, which he took as the highest compliment since the Master almost never smiled. Walking back to his room, Aang changed his clothes and began to start scrolling through his phone. He saw 10 missed calls from Toph, the last call being 3:07pm. He checked the time to see it was now 3:21pm. Frantically, he called Toph, hoping he wasn't too late.

One Hour Earlier

Three boys wearing red hoodies were encircled around Teo, who looked frightened and trembled with nervousness. "Give us your phone and your wallet or say goodbye to your wheelchair," the tallest boy sneered. Toph had just turned the corner in the school hallway when she heard the hyena-like laugh from the three boys. She recognized their voices as that of the most obnoxious Fire Nation kids in her year. In addition to being annoying, she was certain all of the boys were the children of members of Ozai's resistance. She could not abide bullies, and especially not bullies that were supremacists as well.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size," Toph yelled a few feet away from the scene. The boys turned around and grinned at the sight of her. "Oh look, it's the blind bandit! I'm sooo scared of a little, blind girl," the tall boy cackled. The student on the right side of the tall boy said, "Good one, Hide!" Toph rolled her eyes as she opened her locker, "Ugh, clever joke, you big oaf. I've definitely never heard that one before!" Hide and his two friends approached her, now encroaching on her personal space. Toph realized too late that there was a significant lack of earth around her to bend before she felt her body being moved.

The three boys laughed as they shoved Toph into her locker, her arms flailing as she screamed, "Get off me, you bozos!" The slam of the locker made her stomach flip. The sound of the boys laughing fading away as she heard a squeaking wheelchair approach the locker. "Good job, Teo! What, were you on vacation?" she asked sarcastically. He sighed, "I'm really sorry, Toph, as soon as they went over to you I started to look for help but then I heard you yell and I came right back. There's not anyone here really since school's over, but I'm going to keep looking. Sit tight!" Before she could yell obscenities at him through the locker door, he had left.

Toph fumbled through her backpack to pull out her phone. She voice commanded her phone to call her friends but only was met with unanswered calls or straight to voicemails. After what had seemed like a eon of calling her friends, her phone vibrated loudly and a robotic voice stated, "Goodbye!" Toph knew her phone was dead and cursed every curse word she could think of. Then, an idea appeared in her mind. "Wait a minute, metal is just earth, right? I should just be able to..." She grunted and groaned as she stood up and stomped her feet in soleless shoes into the bottom of the locker. Luckily, she was small enough to stand inside. She flexed her hands so her palms faced her, pressing her hands into the sides of the locker with force multiple times. After a few minutes, Toph felt the metal bend in her hands.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she stomped her feet and pressed her hands into the locker over and over. After a few minutes, using all of her strength, ripped the door from the bolts and felt it crumple to the ground in the hallway. Ecstatic, she leapt out of the locker and on to the floor. She ran her fingers over the heap of scrunched up metal, admiring her work. A few moments later, Teo gasped as he moved towards the earthbender. "Toph! Are you okay! What happened?" Teo asked nervously. Toph grinned and held the scrap of metal over her head triumphantly, "I bended my way out of that locker. I'm the best earthbender in the world and don't you forget it!"