Where the Wind Blows

High School: Day One

When Monk Giatso, my mentor and sort-of father, told me we were leaving the monastery I could hardly believe it, and when he told me I'd be attending high school I didn't believe it. My skepticism didn't last very long as I soon found myself sitting on a plane heading for a small two story house in Republic City. Our small two story house in Republic City. To say I didn't shed a few tears would make me a liar. Okay, I full-on cried my eyes out, but I had good reasoning. Our house was painted with alternating walls of bright oranges and yellows with hints of white around the frames. The neighborhood was set around a cobblestone street and was very quaint. The lawn was somehow lush and full, yet very well kept.  

Our new neighbors Sokka and Katara even paid us a visit.  Giatso informed I'd be enrolling in the nearby high school, Ba Sing Se High. Sokka is a funny guy, but he's been really upset over being dumped by some girl named Yue. And Katara, well she's a whole other story. Oh, Katara. She's an enigma shrouded in mystery wrapped in a warm fur cloak of confusion. Also known as an ordinary teenage girl. Except she's extraordinary in every way to me. I look at her and it's like my heart rate triples, time stops, and everyone in the world vanishes. Of course, I'd never tell her any of this because it'd destroy our newly created friendship. At least, I think it will.

 "Aang, Aang! I've been calling you for over ten minute! Put your journal down and get in the car. It's time for your first day of high school," said Gyatso. 

"Coming,Gyatso!" I closed the book, grabbed my backpack, and left. The ride to school was a tense and silent one. Once we arrived, Gyatso nearly shoved me out of the car. When I was finally able to locate the font door on the campus's massive grounds, I was immediately swallowed in the tide of incoming students. I must admit it's truly terrifying to witness the chaos on the first day of school. I was glad to see Katara' familiar face. 

"Katara! Oh you don't know how crazy its been! I really need a friend in this place!" I nearly shouted in her ear. 

"I think I do, Aang. Sokka, being the asshole his is, decided to abandon me here to 'teach me a lesson about how high school really is,' and I just made it here in time for the assembly," her face was awash with relief as she spoke. You know how I said being with her makes the world vanish, well it worked a little too well seeing a jerk senior with mesmerizing gold eyes and raven black hair knocked us both over. 

"Oh I'm sorry, did I interrupt the lovers?" The senior turned to his friends and spoke again. "Let's Oma and Shu here to their business." The other seniors laughed. I got up off the ground before beginning to help Katara up. I emphasize the word beginning because before I could get her fully on her feet, guess what Golden Eyes said. 

"Hey lover boy, we're not finished here. You two need to find somewhere else to make out, and if you don't, I guess we'll do things the hard way." I chose the hard way and decked pretty boy as hard as I could. Now granted, I grew up living the monastic life, but I'm no pushover. I stayed in shape every day, seeing as I had to jog up and down a mountain just to get to the nearest bathroom. I guess I hit him pretty hard, because the senior was unconscious and I was unharmed. Unfortunately, so were his goons.  I could handle one senior, but six? I'm not so sure. I still chose to hold my ground, but I looked around for teachers, hoping for an intervention  of some kind. One never appeared. It was too late to back down now so I assumed a fighting stance. You see, I was no longer Aang, orphan boy abandoned at a monastery, I was Aang, cool and confident high school student. Until I wasn't.