Katara hates apples. Same reason she hates carrots, because whoop de do, who doesn't hate vegetables? That, and it's hard too. The sort of crunchy-hard, the sort of solid-hard that hurts when it hits, after the cafeteria food fights somehow suddenly includes her.

... it's not like she started it -- she just participated. (Jet really needed that jello shoved in his face because throwing that green mush at her while being 'caught up in the atmosphere' isn't the best thing he should do to the Katara Hakoda.)

She fiddles the apple that just rolled down to her, because there's nothing to do when waiting for the Principal to arrive and question almost every student on the scene. Pakkie (as everyone giggles behind his back) takes his time with these things; he's rather sarcastic, but he's serious and somehow, that's why he likes to interrogate someone to the brink of breakdown, to reveal every incriminating detail.

She didn't do it and why doesn't anyone believe her? She wouldn't start a food fight of all things, because who doesn't know that things don't stay funny when someone gets hurt?

(She hoped the black ring around Teo's eyes would fade in a few weeks.)

Someone had tried to make a 'bomb' out of the apple she's holding; it's squishy, soft and bruised all over; one hard throw and it would explode rather nicely.

Katara prefers waterbombs -- once 'innocent bystanders' get hurt (it's all fun and games until you lose an eye), it's not funny anymore. She bet it was Han who started it. Stupid Han.

Stupid Han. Her hand tightens on the apple before she knows what she's doing, then stops. It's leaking juice over her palm and her fingers are sticky. Ick.

Then she thinks about it. Throwing it at someone would be nice -- at Han would be better -- or she could...

She remembers what some girls were giggling about at the cafeteria, before their laughter turned to wild shrieking (jello! There's jello in my hair!), talking about killing flowers to determine someone's love and twisting apple stems to find their husband's initials. Twist; say a letter; lather, rinse and repeat until the stem falls off.

Jee. Real problems for W, X, Y and Z.

And after a thought: no wonder Mr. Yu isn't married.

She twists the stem, imagining it to be somebody's neck. A, B, C...

Katara makes it up to L, before someone's scratchy voice drifts from the intimidating Principal's door.

"The next students please?"

M, N, O...

The door swings open; she hides the apple behind her back. Principal Pakkie's head pops out--

--just as Zuko dashes up from behind her, panting like mad. Katara notices that his red shirt has no milk stain.

She unconsciously continues twisting as Zuko covers for her, lies for her, insisting that they were at the far right corner of the cafeteria and that someone had started it far away from their table (P, Q, R, S...) and everyone had decided to get the hell out of there once her hair had been hit with well-thrown jello and really, oh, Jet's face was just because of him slipping over that... pea surprise thing.

They really had nothing to do with it.

(Katara wonders if he had defended the rest of his friends as well.)

The stem breaks off after Pakkie believes them, just as Zuko flashes a secretive and slight but relieved you owe me! smile at her. 

Z.

The apple's sticky and it's annoying. She throws it away at the nearest bin outside the school administration office, but she doesn't notice the stem's stuck at her palm.