Beach Bums

Chapter 8

Grinding

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The smell of freshly toasted bread wakes me up. Iroh's café comes into a bleary focus around me as I blink sand away. Across the table, Zuko sits, nibbling at the burnt corner of his breakfast.

Yawning, I sit up and stretch. The blader pushes a plate towards me. "Mornin'. Iroh made breakfast."

I grunt a thank you and start slopping half a stick of butter onto the bread. Iroh squeezes between us, placing a tray of steaming tea between us. We sit in silence, Zuko watching the tea simmer, me shoving toast into my mouth and Iroh twiddling his thumbs, smiling pleasantly.

I had forgotten how nice these kinds of mornings were. Nothing had to be said, Zuko and I get to let our tough-sides down for a moment and just enjoy ourselves. Iroh's presence always does that. You just want to be yourself around him.

Acting on a cue that could only come from years of tea-knowledge, Iroh takes the leaves out and pours three cups of the bitter drink. Zuko lifts his mug in a mock salute before taking a long drink. The tea wakes me up and I glance at the clock, squinting until it comes into focus.

"Ten to eight…" I sigh, running a hand through my messy hair, "Dammit… I've got a contest at eight o' five."

Zuko gets to his feet. "We better go, you've gotta protect your title."

"Do I have to?"

"Do you want that jerk Ruon-Jian taking it?"

This gets my attention. I thank Iroh, finish my tea in one swig and hurry out the door, Zuko hot on my heels. We breeze down the boardwalk, people parting out of our way. I yawn, trying to wake myself up. Not that I need it, I could kick anyone's ass in my sleep.

The assembled competitors are the usual suspects. Younger skaters thinking they can take on the world, older ones, closer to my age, doing it more to see the others skating rather than showing off and the serious ones, the ones trying to beat me.

Ruon-Jian and Chan are among these guys. Every year since I've won -three years, and counting- they've tried to beat me, and every year I've totally creamed them. Sometimes, I pretend to almost lose, just so they won't give up, just because I'm so nice like that. That and I don't want to lose my only entertainment.

Zuko gives me a quick nod and rolls away, saying he wants a good seat. I glance over at the trick park, trying to figure out which will fit my needs best.

"Scopin' out the field, eh Toph?" I look round and see the tall, gangly figure of Sokka. Behind him, Katara and Aang stand, talking happily. They spot Zuko and wander over to him. Aang gives me a thumbs-up; I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Sokka, who's staring at me with a huge goofy grin.

"Yeah, I guess I am." One of my feet sits on my skateboard as I rock it back and forth; more out of habit rather than pre-contest jitters.

Sokka rubs the back of his head, stuffing his other hand into his pocket. His breathing is pretty fast for just standing. "You know I skated once." He says. His hand rubs a little faster.

I look at him from the corner of my eye. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep." He lets out a tiny laugh, "I was terrible."

"At least you're honest." Folding my arms, I close my eyes, trying to imagine the course. I find it better to know the park rather than seeing the park.

He seems to calm down and his hand relaxes from it's attack on the back of his head. The hair there is frizzled and tangled. "Why lie? Everyone knows I'm incredibly untalented when it comes to sports. But I can drive like a madman." He mimes grabbing the wheel of a car, swinging his lanky arms wildly.

I chuckle. "I bet you wouldn't be that bad."

"What? Toph Beifong paying me a compliment?"

"Not a compliment. Just a comment."

"Fine." "So… maybe sometime we could get together and you could teach-"

"ALL CONTESTANTS TO THE PARK. WE'RE ABOUT TO BEGIN." The announcer's voice booms over the crowd, interrupting Sokka.

I jump on my board, already trembling with excitement. "What was that Sokka?" I ask him, slowly rolling away.

He raises a hand, waving it off. "Nothing. Good luck Toph."

"Luck is for losers." I punch him in the shoulder and slide down the side of the skatepark, joining the other contestants. Ruon-Jian sneers at me. "you're not gonna win this year Beifong. I've got this one in the bag."

"We'll see who's smiling after this contest."

Oh, cliche saying. Major points off. Don't lose your edge Toph.

The sun is setting as I roll to the end of the boardwalk. In one hand I hold a blue ribbon, in the other; a small trophy. I'm not surprised I won, I mean, my competition consisted of little kids and men compensating for something with big words and bad boarding. I would like to say that Ruon-Jian at least put up a bit of fight, but he didn't. After his first airgrab he ate it, busted up his nose pretty bad. I don't think he'll be smiling at me anytime soon.

I step off my board and flop my legs over the side of the boardwalk. My toes brush the water and wetness seeps into my shoes, feeling cool against my burning feet. I close my eyes and let my head lean back, enjoying the last few rays of sun before night falls. Behind me, the boardwalk creaks as someone walks towards me. Judging from the smell of oil and meat, I think I can take a pretty good guess.

"Sokka. What are you doing here?"

The creaking stops. "How did you know it was me!?"

I tap my nose. "I can smell ya' a mile away."

He groans and sits down beside me. His shoulder gently touches mine. "You can't."

"I can. You're a stinker Sokka."

"Hey!"

I laugh, grinning widely. Zuko's a great friend and all, but he's hard to make fun of. Well, not hard, but I feel bad sometimes. Sokka, on the other hand, he's just a mockee waiting to me messed with. Gradualy, I open my eyes and turn to look at him. "Alright, so what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you on your win." He reached over and picks up the trophy. "Bet you have a million on these."

"Two million, actually."

He smiles and carefully leans against me. "Katara's won quite a few of these. We're running out of places to put them..." He sighs, putting the trophy back down and glaring at it.

"So... You tried to ask me something before the contest?"

He shakes his head, his cheeks turning a light pink. "It's nothing."

"Tell me. I promise, I won't laugh. Too hard at least."

"Thanks for the boost." He says, rolling his eyes. "I was just wondering if maybe... you'd teach me how to board." I blink at him. In the silence that followed, the blush on his cheeks deepens. "Nevermind." He stands up suddenly. "Stupid idea, forget it."

Thinking fast, I turn around and push my board towards Sokka's retreating feet. It bumps against his ankle and he stops. "Don't go anywhere, I haven't said anything yet."

"You mean..." he face me slowly, his face shining with hope. Infact, I think his eyes may be sparkling, "You'd teach me?"

"On one condition." I hold up my finger, "You have to call me 'Sensei Toph, greatest skateboarder in the world'."

"Can we forget the 'greatest skateboarder in the world' part?" He grin at me.

I walk over to him, punching him. "Only if you buy me icecream every Friday until summer's over."

"You've got a deal."

I raise my eyebrow.

"You've got a deal," he bows, "Sensei Toph."

Author's Note

Okay, just a heads up. This is Kataang. Stop asking. Thanks.