Making Sense of It: Sukka (on hiatus)

Chapter 6: Sokka

When Sokka walked into science class the next day, Mr. Piandao was handing back tests from the week before. 

"Look," Suki said excitedly, holding up her test, "I got a B plus!"

"Wha- how?! I- that was fast," Sokka said, "You've improved so much in just a month."

"I know!" Suki exclaimed, "So I guess... I don't need you to tutor me anymore."

"I guess not." He agreed, "If you ever need any more help with science, just text me."

"Of course," Suki said, "And... I don't know, maybe we could hang out sometime. I have a soccer game next Tuesday." 

"Yes! I'll be there!" Sokka said quickly. He wasn't sure how to feel about all this. At least he would have more free time. But to do what? He'd left his aspirations to go to Omashu University behind him. He'd said goodbye to his soccer and engineering hobbies. All he had of last year, and the year before that, were memories. 

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"Just look at it, Sokka!"

"But what if I don't make the cut? It's better not knowing." Yue giggled.

"Come on," she grabbed Sokka's arm and tugged him towards the list hanging on the wall by the gym.

"Nope, I'm not looking." Sokka covered his eyes for a few moments until he felt them gently lifted from his face. Behind Yue's sparkling blue eyes and white hair, he saw his name on the list, "I'm the goalkeeper," he sighed in relief.

"When is your first game?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't gotten the schedule yet."

"Well," Yue said, "Whenever it is, I'll be there." She waved and headed off. Sokka smiled and walked out the back door, where Katara was waiting for him. 

"It looks like someone's in looove," she teased, as they started to walk to the bus stop, since neither of them could drive yet.

"Shut up, Katara," Sokka said. 

"And by the looks of it, Yue likes you too," she said excitedly, "I mean, she's going to go to all your games, you've been hanging out for awhile."

"You've been reading too much romance, Katara," Sokka sighed. His sister glared at him. 

"What are you talking about? I don't have the time. I'm joining the National Honor Society, and I think I'm going to audition for the play with Aang." Even in her freshman year, Katara was an overachiever. 

~~~

All things considered, the game went well. For Sokka, it was a blur. Throughout the first half of the game, he didn't make a single mistake. He didn't let the opposing team, from Gaoling High School, score a single goal. It was different in the second half, when he was getting tired, and he was thinking about his engineering homework, and was starting stare off into the audience, and began to notice things about them. Like the way Azula affectionately swept a strand of Ty Lee's brown hair behind her ear, or how Zuko was petting Aang's dog, Appa, and he was actually smiling. It was during the second half that Sokka messed up a lot more, or at least enough that Jet, the team captain, was glaring at him at the end of the game, even though they had won. 

"Amazing," Yue beamed, as Sokka walked out of the stadium with her, along with Katara and Aang. 

"You weren't terrible," Katara said, with the smirk that she only used when making fun of him. "Now let's go get ice cream and celebrate."

 A stiff, biting breeze began to blow through. Fall was starting to roll in as the four of them walked to the ice cream shop. 

"I should've brought my fur coat," Yue muttered. Katara elbowed Sokka.

"What?!" he whispered. 

"Give her your coat!" she whispered back, just as Appa started barking at a squirrel. 

"Tell her a joke?"

"No! Give her your-"

"Hey Yue," Sokka said, "What did the cabbage merchant use to fix his cabbages?"

"What?" Yue said with a confused expression on her face. 

"A cabbage patch!" Sokka exclaimed. Yue was silent for a moment, before giggling.

"Your jokes aren't exactly funny," she said, but there's something about the way you say them that's just so charming."

"Appa! No, don't eat that!" Aang shouted, as he ran after the dog. 

"Why don't you two go ahead," Katara said, before following Aang. Sokka and Yue shrugged, and walked a couple more blocks to the ice cream shop. Yue ordered a root beer float, while Sokka got a banana split. 

"This is better than what we've gotten at home," Yue said thoughtfully, "We have a professional chef in our kitchen, but I think that half of the experience of eating ice cream is the people you're with."

"How do you make every little thing so... meaningful," Sokka wondered aloud. 

"What do you mean? Is that a bad thing?"

"No!" Sokka said quickly, "I mean, I think it's beautiful. You're-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence, because Yue quickly pressed her mouth to his. 

"Sokka, I really like you," she said. Her cheeks had a rosiness that wasn't there before. 

"I- I do too," Sokka replied softly,  as the door to the shop swung open and Katara and Aang and Appa walked in, covered in mud.

"I'm not even going to ask," Sokka said. 

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Sokka smiled fondly at the memory. At the front of the classroom, two student council members were talking about the Homecoming dance next week, but Sokka was busy thinking. He had been stuck in the past for too long, and avoiding the future. But he was in high school. He should be having fun, and doing what he enjoyed. Maybe... 

"Sokka," Suki whispered from her desk, "Who are you going to Homecoming with?"

"I don't think-" Sokka paused, "I'm not sure yet," was what he settled on. Maybe... he could have a fresh start. Make new friends, leave the scars of his past behind. He glanced at Suki, who was chewing on her nails. The two of them were starting to form a friendship, and for the first time in  what seemed like ages, he had someone to talk to, who didn't pity him, or was curious about him just because he'd dated Yue. 

"Do you want to go with me?" he asked, as class was dismissed. 

"Huh?"

"To homecoming," he said, "It doesn't have to be anything serious-"

"Sure!" Suki said, "That sounds like fun! No flowers though?"

"Oh," Sokka's face fell, "I was supposed to give you flowers?"

"I'm just kidding," Suki elbowed him playfully, "Thanks for being direct. I appreciate it." She left to go to her next class, just as Katara came up to him. 

"Still eavesdropping on my private conversations, huh," Sokka said.

"I'm proud of you," Katara replied, ignoring his earlier comment, "You're moving on, that's good." Sokka smiled and nodded. There was something in the back of his mind, something insistently tugging at him, but he ignored it.

This would be his new start.

~~~

Thanks for Reading! Sorry updates have been so slow. They'll speed up in a couple of weeks, when I have more time.