Making Sense of It: Sukka (on hiatus)

Chapter 8: Sokka

A/N: Hey, so I don't know what happened but I just noticed that for some reason chapter seven was showing up as only being halfway finished. Idk if this was just on my end, but I fixed it, so it's back to its full length now. Enjoy this chapter!

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 After the dance, Sokka and Suki had driven to Azula's house. Aang and Katara weren't coming, because although Aang had mostly forgiven Azula about the whole Appa incident, Katara could hold a grudge for a very long time. Also, they weren't invited, although that clearly hadn't stopped some people from coming.  

"No Ru, you cannot come in, because your dress tonight is hideous. Suki, you made it! Come in." Azula spared not a second glance to the girl who was now running away from the house in tears. Sokka had only been inside of her house once, when he'd helped Zuko move out. Now he was back, and it hadn't changed that much, with its modern decor and the lack of Ozai, who was supposedly Azula and Zuko's dad, although Sokka had never seen the man. Azula was now yelling at two servants, who were carrying buckets of what looked to be very expensive champagne. 

"It's my last chance to get rid of it," Azula explained with a sigh, "My dad imported ten cases of vintage champagne from France using his inheritance after my grandfather died, which was also the same day my mother left. I think it was just out of spite, because it hasn't been touched in seven years. Anyway, it expires in two weeks, so please take a bottle."

"I think this is wrapped in gold leaf," Suki said, wide-eyed, "We should sell it."

"We can have Toph help us," Sokka agreed, "She knows everything about scamming people."

"It's not a scam," Suki argued as they walked over to one of the plush sofas in the huge living room, "At least, I don't think it is."

"Let's see, is gold leaf actually..." Sokka typed into his phone as Suki opened the bottle, releasing a weak smattering of bubbles that vaguely reminded him of a car engine sputtering out. They glanced at each other for a moment before they both started bursting out laughing. 

"Sokka?" 

"Zuko!" Sokka said, "I didn't think you'd be here! Did you know this stuff is real gold?!" 

"I guess I could say the same for you," Zuko replied, confusion on his face, "Hey, could I... maybe talk to you for a minute."

"Uh, sure..." now it was Sokka's turn to be confused, "What's up?" Suki glanced at them. 

"I'll be right back," she said gently. She squeezed Sokka's hand, a gesture that he felt comforted by, but also, strangely nervous, like an electrical current was traveling up his arm.

"Sokka," Zuko said, "You owe me an explanation." 

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked. 

"For almost a year, you've been distant, you've dropped out of soccer, you don't care about Omashu university, and you won't tell anyone why. This is the happiest I've seen you since..." Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but Zuko's words stopped him in his tracks.

"Sokka, tell me what happened to Yue. Did she really just move away?" Sokka felt suddenly nauseous. 

No, he couldn't tell Zuko the truth. Thankfully, he didn't get the chance to, because his phone started vibrating. 

"I- I have to take this," he muttered, before staggering off of the couch. He spotted a sliding glass door near the kitchen. He stepped out into the cool night air, onto a concrete platform next to a swimming pool. Sokka walked to the corner and looked at his phone.

Arnook. Yue's father. On impulse he declined the call. Why was Arnook calling him? He thought he had cut all ties with her family, but he must have been wrong. He would just ignore it. Maybe it was an accident. It was pretty late anyway. Sokka stared at the phone for a few more moments, desperately hoping it was an accident. Just when he was about to put it back into his pocket, Arnook called him a second time. Once again, almost as if his fingers had a mind of their own, he declined the call. 

"So you just weren't going to tell me you're planning on going to school in state?!" The voice was Ty Lee's, and it sounded angrier then Sokka had ever heard before, "I thought we had a plan, and now I find out you're throwing it away by hearing an offhand comment?! We both know why you've been so nice lately." She and Azula walked to the edge of the pool, not even seeming to notice Sokka.      

"Yes Ty, I was nice to people because you asked me," Azula sighed, "And maybe the reason I haven't told you is because I knew you'd react like this. Speaking of reactions, my dad would cut me out of the will and wouldn't pay tuition if we just ran off with nothing but a note. We need that money. I promise that once I finish school-"

"You said we'd leave last year, but that was obviously a lie," Ty Lee retorted, "You said we'd make our own way, that we'd figure out how to make ends meet, but you care about your future more than you care about me." 

You care more about your future more than you care about me. Memories crashed through him like a rising tide. 

No. There were too many ghosts at this party. He was forgetting. He had to stop it. Sokka ran inside, as quietly as he could. Ordinarily he would've been surprised by what he had just heard, that Azula and Ty Lee were planning on running away together, like the leads of an indie romance film, but now was not the time. He saw Suki sitting in an armchair, talking to Mai. He gave her a wide berth, heading for the door.

"Hey, Sokka, is everything all-"

"I have to go," he said to Zuko, vaguely registering the coldness in his voice,"I'll see you in class." He was almost at the door when he heard her voice, froze, felt his shoulders tense.

"Do you need a ride back?" Suki asked, walking up to him, her face full of concern. 

"I- There's a bus stop nearby. I'll be fine," Sokka said, as he was flooded with more and more memories, more moments than he could handle. 

"Sokka-" she grabbed his hand again, "I just want to say that I had a really nice time tonight-" He tore away, opened the door, and made the mistake of looking back. He had seen many expressions on Suki's face. Happiness, humor, confusion, but now he saw genuine hurt as her features collapsed. 

Sokka squeezed his eyes shut and ran. 

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Thank you for Reading! If you guys couldn't tell, this one's gonna be a slow burn.