"Skoochy? Is that you, kid?" A familiar voice called. The boy jumped and slowly turned around, praying to every spirit that it wasn't a cop. As their eyes met, he felt a wave of relief to see Mako standing there, a grin of recognition on his face.
"Oh, hey Mako! Long time no see!" He called. The firebender chuckled.
"I'll say! Look how big you got! How old are you now, fourteen?"
"Fifteen, skoochy corrected. Mako chuckled again.
"Right! Your Jinora's age, I always forget." He stood in silence for a moment. "Anyways, I gotta run. See you later!"
And with that, Mako took off in a different direction. Skoochy wasn't 100% sure who Jinora was, but he had a sneaking suspicion he'd seen her before (assuming it was a her.) That name sounded familiar. . .
All of a sudden, it clicked. Jinora was that airbender girl, the one who got her tats a few years back. He'd had a run-in with her over a stolen papaya once. For some reason, she'd let him go.
A rich-looking guy walked by. Skoochy picked his pockets and disappeared into an alley before he could notice.
Jinora was pretty. If they'd met under different circumstances, he probably would've tried to woo her.
Another time, he thought. After all, they were bound to see each other again.
~
A few weeks passed, and Skoochy did indeed see Jinora again. He was considering going over to her when he saw the boy.
He was about their age, with an undercut and a mischievous grin, balancing on an air ball. Jinora was laughing hysterically as he tried to balance while juggling three balls, and her laughter increased when he fell on his butt. He joined her, and they lay on the ground heaving with joy.
Then she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, and they smiled at each other. Skoochy felt a little disappointed. It was clear that these two were a couple. Which was a shame, really, because he'd been hoping she was single.
Oh well, he thought, there are plenty of other girls.
And he went about his day pick-pocketing.