Disclaimer: I'm tired and I can't really think of anything witty to put here, so I'll hit random keys for a bit, until I think I should stop…

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Okay, that's good… ;)

Chapter Three: An Apple

Skoochy had never really like Mondays before; then again, he had never had a reason to before now. Days dripped by like cold honey as he found himself more enthused than usual to see someone who he barely knew. Even Takeo had taken notice.

"Are you going to stop staring at that tree? It's making me worried that you might be going nuts or something, and you know how much I hate to worry about people…" Skoochy's head snapped around to face him.

"You know Skooch if I didn't know better, I say you were dizzy over some dame…" Takeo laughed heartily roiling his eyes "But of course, I'd be forgetting who I'm talking to, the I-don't-need-nobody grifter." Skoochy felt a compulsion to add an awkward chuckle before adding.

"Takeo, I said that when I was seven."

"Oh, and have you really changed any…?" Skoochy didn't answer. He knew the answer; he was still a thieving street rat. But maybe part of it wasn't so true anymore; maybe he did need somebody… well, not somebody, her… just her. Takeo picked up on his lack of response.

"Murder, I never thought I'd see the day!" exclaimed Takeo clapping him on the shoulder roughly.

"Who's the dame, Skooch… Amaya? Riko?... Naomi? I always thought you had a thing for that broad…" Skoochy rolled his eyes, unhappy with the turn this conversation was taking. Takeo was the last person, he wanted to talk about this with… then again he was probably going to be the only person he could talk about this with. Despite their honest lack of friendship Takeo was probably, by default, the closest thing he had to a friend.

"Okay Genius, you figured it out; there's a woman…"

"Oh, a woman" replied Takeo mockingly. Skoochy gave him a look that said quit it.

"Listen, her name is Jinora…" Skoochy said, waiting for the reaction he very well knew was coming.

"Jinora you mean the airbending doll, the councilman's daughter." sighing, Skootchy nodded

"How, you even get to know her…?"

"We met at the train station while she was waiting for her date."

"Murder, Skooch a dame with class and a goof; you sure know how to pick em…"

"I didn't know any of that until later and honestly we've only spoken twice, but I feel like I know this girl better than anyone, and…" he took a deep breath; he was acting whacky.

After a moment Takeo spoke "This dame's really got you dizzy over her…?"

Skoochy nodded.

"And you're not trying to chisel at the broad; you're not trying to steal from her…?"

Skoochy shook his head putting his face in his hands.

"And what about the goof what's he like?" Skoochy lifted his head

"A greaseball" he stated bluntly. Takeo raised an eyebrow

"Have you even met the fella…"

"No, but when I saw him walk off with Jinora, I caught him glancing at some quiff… and the time before that he was a no show for their date…"

"So you've never met him?" he asked again. Skoochy threw his hand up in frustration.

"Are you saying he isn't wrong for treating her like that…?" Takeo motioned for him to calm down.

"I didn't say that, Skooch… what I'm saying is… look, whether or not this guy is actually a swell fella or a greaseball… it don't matter; she still his girl…" Skoochy went back to running his hand through his hair anxiously.

"So you're saying I don't have a chance…" Takeo looked over to the younger man.

"No, I'm going to give you some advice… before you even go after this girl you have to make some changes with yourself… you have to grow up" Skoochy rolled his eyes here was a man only five years his senior taking to him like he had lived a life time longer. Then again maybe he had.

"You need to get a real job, start earing you living, and get cleaned up a bit. And in the meantime with the dame; you should just try to be her friend. If the guy is like you say he is; what she need right now is a friend and she'll sort everything out eventually." As always Takeo seemed to have all the information.

"That sounds easy, how you say it but I can't… I have debts… to the Triple Threats, and I'm near beat with paying them…" Takeo considered it for a moment, debating something with himself before replying…

"Okay, I pay them…" Skoochy looked at him disbelievingly

"And how?"

"You'll have to pay me back, but at least it'll be better the Triple Threats on your back," said Takeo simply.

"What's your angle?"

"You get a job, and play nice with the dame and her goof"

"Why would you do this?" he asked still not believing Takeo, heck anyone, would want to help him out just for the sake of it.

"Hey, when I see something I can fix; I fix it..."

The sat in silence for a moment or two, as Skoochy though over the conversation they had just had. It was probably the first time he'd ever heard anything but black market prices and a rehashing of the latest rumors. It was odd, seeing as he had known Takeo well over eight years.

"Hey Takeo?"

"Yeah…?"

"How come you've never given me advice like this before…?" he said to the man five years his senior.

"You never asked, and honestly for a long time Skoochy you reminded me of a younger, albeit less good looking, me" he said with a chuckle, but his eyes weren't in it "I wouldn't want to see you end up a washed up grifter like me. You're a good man, one of the few I know, and now it seems you're finally ready to grow up. You know, it took you long enough…"

"Okay" said Skoochy finally

"Okay what?"

"I'll try going straight from now on…" he said, unsure if he would really be able to keep that promise.

"Good" stated Takeo "Real good…"

Monday morning was over cast but it looked like it'd burn off by noon. He decided to star his day by going out and looking for a job like he said he would. That ended, of course, in a string of choice words being yelled at him as he was kicked out of a number of places: Narrook's, Ichiro's Swords, the phonograph shop, even the local speakeasy…

By the time he gave up for the day and made his way to the park; his stormy mood was in great contrast with the clearing sky.

Then he saw her…

This time she was sitting on a park bench, legs crossed as she leaned back in to the seat. She had a book in one hand and an apple in the other. She seemed lost in thought as she put the apple to her lips and sank he teeth in to the skin, juice glistening on her pink lips. Murder! This girl was going to make it difficult for him to stay just friends with her…

He strides over to her and without a word snatches the apple out of her grasp. He reasons with himself that it was just making her look too tempting. With another moments consideration he bought the apple to his own lips and took a bit. That, he reasoned, was because he was actually hungry.

"Hey!" she shouts a delayed response.

"Hey you…" he replies enjoying how her eyes seem to light up the second she realizes it's him. He hands back the apple. Raising an eyebrow, she takes it looking over the bite mark.

"I was eating that you know…" the smirk playing on her face making it evident she's not mad.

"I know, Dollface, but you seemed to be enjoying it so I thought I'd give it a try" She rolls her eyes and moves to one side of the bench. He takes the cue to sit down next to her.

They take turns sharing the apple, laughing at the people who shoot them strange looks as they walk by. Her eyes are smoldering again, emotion wiping away any façade of apathy she was trying to keep up. Then they fell for a second to the book lying forgotten on her lap. Skoochy noticed how her eyes dart much too quickly back up to meet his.

"Whatcha reading this time, Jinora?" he says he says enjoy the way her name sounds. She smirks in reply.

"Just an old story…" it was Skoochy's turn to roll his eyes

"There's a lot of od stories, Dollface. Which one?" Jinora looked down trying to hide the blush rising o her cheeks, only making Skoochy more curious.

"Nights in Ba Sing Se" she said finally. Skoochy wasn't familiar with the title.

"What's it about…?"

"Well there's this girl, and she a daughter of a couns… um… security officer and she meets this boy who's been raised on the streets, and then there some plot development... and I haven't read the rest yet." She finishes quickly, eyeing Skoochy, who was smiling broadly.

"So it's a romance story… right?" Skoochy said causing Jinora to give short laugh.

"I don't know; I haven't gotten to the end…" she says. Their eyes meet curiously; each wanting to know, past-the-present, what was waiting for them.

"Well, when you do figure it out, Jinora, tell me what happens…" he said.

Every week afterwards she was there like clockwork. They'd sit and talk for hours. They would talk about going somewhere other than the park, but they never did. The park was like their own world, and neither them wanted be first to destroy it. There they could be together without anyone to judge.

But the second those afternoons ended reality would come crashing back to them.

He was still looking for a job and trying his hardest to pay back Takeo.

She still had as boyfriend, who he had yet to care for, and he could see it hurt her to talk about him so he didn't bring it up unless she did. She didn't.

But in the world they'd created somewhere in between the cherry tree and the park bench near the water fountain, none of it mattered. They stayed and read each other like books, and learned each other past the story that society, the paper, or the rumors that flew around the city tried to write for them. And in the wake of it all, he was still waiting for her to tell him the end of that book.

But each day that he left without an answer, only made the concern grow in his mind.

Maybe it was all true; maybe there just wasn't a storybook ending for them.

A/N: Sorry this took a while I was really trying to get this chapter to sound right. And I had a semiformal on Friday and my baby sister's b-day the next. So now that it's up tell me what you think. This was going to be one of the shorter chapters but for some reason Takeo wanted some character development. And the plot rabbiroo asked for plot development so, hence this chapter. Anyways as for Jinora's boyfriend he'll definitely play a big part in the next chapter.

So Read and Review and I'll update some time tomorrow (or the next day ;)