Gaia waited about fifteen minutes watching Ed, until he and his friends moved out, maybe to watch movies or skate another park. The girl cleared her throat and sat up, a dignified look on her face as she realized she'd sunk into a little pile on the cement next to the Arc, a mass of tangled banana-colored hair and worn in jacket. She tried to stand, but immediately fell backward, cursing legs and their tendency to fall asleep.

"Hey, you okay?"

Gaia stared as a guy stooped down and offered her his hand. "Hey, alive down there?" She looked up, blinking rapidly, and saw a mess of ginger locks and a pair of brown eyes. The kid looked about sixteen or seventeen. She looked back at his hand and gave him hers. It was a strange occurrence for a New Yorker to notice a little girl falling over herself, let alone help her.

"You aren't from around here, are you?"

He stared back. "No, but I will be. I'm thinking of going to NYU."

She shoved her hands in her pockets. "I dunno, the people there are kinda stuck up."

He smiled slowly, and looked around. His eyes caught on the chess tables.

"Do you play?" Gaia asked.

"Yeah, I love it. Up for a game?"

"Sure." She owed him something for helping her up. Taking twenty bucks from him ought to be enough.

***

Fifteen-year-old Heather Gannis tossed her hair as she led the girls to the best new coffee shop in town. They were all giggly that she was treating them. All of them said how much they loved a good latte, but Heather would bet not half of them had ever drank one. This was besides the point, though, as Heather wasn't up for coffee as much as guy-watching. And she knew just the right guy.

"Heath, what are you having?"

"What? Oh, I dunno, what do you want, Meg?"

Megan's eyes grew slightly wider, and Heather laughed to herself. Megan was one of the ones who wasn't much for coffee. Heather slid into the booth first, cramming herself by the window that had a great view of the park. She finally got over her friends' lack of coffee I.Q. and ordered for herself and the rest of them, her eyes only barely coming off the flying bodies next to the stairs and off the fountains, waiting for that tell-tale stance, that lopsided grin, those wide shoulders… there.

Ed Fargo.

"Hell-o! Earth to Heather Gannis?"

The girls giggled at Brooke's remarks. Brooke looked proud of herself. "Ha," Heather retorted halfheartedly. Meghan followed her gaze.

"Omigawd, Heather, those are, like, skate rats." Megan giggled.

"Yeah." Heather replied, still staring at him.

***

Gaia and the guy sat, staring across the board at each other. It was his turn. She dared him to make his move.

Sam Moon was stunned. If all the junior high schoolers in New York were this good at chess, he might as well just go back to Massachusetts. He moved tediously, and nearly cringed as she quickly tapped her piece over his. "Check."

He stared up at her in shock, she grinned. She looked so little, bundled in her huge navy jacket.

"How old are you, anyway?" He said as he got his plan together and moved his bishop in her way.

"Um, fourteen."

"No you aren't."

"Yes I am."

"You can't be this good and only fourteen."

She blushed a little and took her turn. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

She crunched up her face, making her look even younger. "You aren't so much older than me."

"You live around here, don't you?" He might be able to get her mind off the game if he kept up the conversation.

"Sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

She studied the board carefully. "My dad moves around a lot. So we have lots of houses. Check."

"So he works in the army?"

"He works for the government."

"My dad's a pediatrician!" He said helpfully, wanting to know exactly what working 'for the government' entailed, but from all the movies he'd seen, he knew the when someone works 'for the government' that's all they'd like to say about that.

"That's checkmate," she announced. "I gotta go."

And she left.

***

End Chapter Two! I don't know what the accomplished, but it should hold you off until there's a reasonable excuse for a plot, shouldn't it?