For Now in My Arms and Forever in My Heart By Daisy It was a fairly hot day in Manhattan. Jack Kelly, Sarah Jacobs, and Spot Conlon sat inside Tibby's restaurant watching people walk by outside. There were so many interesting people living in New York. "Ain't it great livin' in New York?" Jack asked in a thick New York accent. "I mean look. This town is as good as it gets." He looked at Sarah. "Well, not as good as it gets." They smiled at each other. "Aw, stop it!" said Spot, matching the strong accent that Jack had. "You two do dis way too much! Don't you ever get tired at just looking at each other? I mean, don't it get a little old after a while?" Sarah and Jack smiled at Spot. They were always in a good mood when they were together. "Well Spot, you'd look at her too if you had a girl here as good as Sarah!" Jack put his hand around Sarah's shoulder. "But, you know that I mean that in the best way possible, you know that, right Spot?" Jack grinned and then sniggered. Sarah couldn't help but hold in a giggle. She found Jack and Spot very funny when they were together. Spot smiled. "Yeah, but I guess I don't have a goil to look at so don't rub it in!" He playfully smacked Jack's face. Spot hated it when his fellow Newsies showed off their girlfriends to him. He hadn't had a girlfriend in a very long time. In fact, he hadn't had one since before the Newsies strike. He did, however go out with a girl named Carrie Quinn. Everything was fine between them until Carrie's dad got very ill and she had to leave New York and go to Maine to care for him. They both knew that a long distance relationship wouldn't work so they broke it off. That had upset and hurt Spot a lot and he hadn't gone out with another girl since. "Jack, you know I don't have time to watch this junk between you two. I gotta go sell me papes. I'll see you two around," Spot said as he got up to leave Tibby's. "Okay we'll see ya around Spot!" Jack called. "Yeah, see you Spot!" Sarah echoed. "Actually, I better be going too," Jack said. "I'm a little behind schedule with me papes. I got me too many today. The headline really ain't that great." Jack kissed Sarah on the tip of her nose and she smiled. Then, he took his papers and walked out of Tibby's. Soon after, Sarah left too. "Extra, extra!  Three kids found alive yesterday! Extra, extra!" Jack yelled over the loud roar of the crowd. He was barely heard, however. Jack always picked the busiest places to sell his papers. He thought that it worked better that way. And, in a way it did because he always sold 100 papers, whether the headline was good or bad. Jack had an excellent way of `improving the truth' as he called it. Jack graciously thanked an old man for buying a paper. `Only 15 left!' he thought. `After this I can go to Davey's!' Davey was Jack's best friend and he had been ever since they met one morning a couple months ago before the Newsies strike. Davey was also Sarah's big brother. "Extra, extra!" Jack shouted again. "Here ma'am. Would you like to read about the Bradley kids? They were found alive yesterday mornin'," Jack asked an elderly lady that looked as if she may have been interested in buying a paper. "Why, yes I would," the lady said reaching into her pouch and taking out a shiny penny. "I was wondering about those kids. Didn't know what happened to `em, did they?" "No ma'am. At least not until yesterday mornin'," Jack replied kindly. He smiled at her and took the penny that she was handing to him. "Thanks ma'am. You have a good day now." "Oh I will now that I have a paper to read! Thanks dear!" The lady smiled a nice old lady smile and took the paper that Jack was holding out to her. Jack tipped his hat as he turned around. He suddenly crashed into a young girl who seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. In her hand she held a small suitcase. "Oh I am so sorry!" the girl exclaimed, bending down to pick up the scattered newspapers. The girl was very pretty. She was tall and had beautiful reddish hair and blue eyes. She had on a dirty light blue dress that was covered in dirt and dust. "That's okay," Jack replied. "I really am sorry. I got lost I guess. Oh, look what I did to your papers!" the girl said holding up a crumpled and dirty newspaper. Her voice was very pretty, too. "No problem," Jack replied. "You new to this area?" "Yeah," she said. "Just got off the train actually. I ran away-" she stopped in mid-sentence. "Oh never mind," she said and stood up and handed Jack the papers that she had collected off of the ground. "I better go. I really am sorry about your papers." She started to turn around but Jack stopped her. She looked so sad that Jack felt it was his duty to comfort her. "Um, do you wanna talk?" Jack said. The tone of his voice made you want to trust him with all of your heart. "Or at least get out of this big crowd?" "No," the girl said quickly, looking away. "C'mon," he said leading her out of the crowd. He led her to a small, wooden bench in an alley not far away. Rumbling could still be heard from the noisy crowd. They sat down on the bench. "Thank you very much, but I'm sure you must have better things to do than listen to me. I'm so sorry that I disrupted your selling." She got up off of the bench and wiped her hands on her dirty dress. "I really must be going," she said to him. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm awful sorry about those papers." She turned around and walked off. She looked behind her to smile weakly at Jack. Jack didn't know what to say to her. He felt bad for her. She really didn't know where she was headed. Lost in New York was not a good position to be in. Jack felt bad that he hadn't helped her out just a little more. "Hey-ya Jack! Whatcha thinking about?" Spot's voice echoed throughout the alley.  "Aw nuttin' much Spot. What are you doin' out heah? Shouldn't you be in Brooklyn by now?" Jack said looking at Spot. "Yeah I should but I don't wanna go back right now. I want to stay here tonight," he called back. Jack got off the bench and walked toward Spot. "You wanna stay at the Manhattan Lodging House? I'm sure that Blink won't mind if you sleep in his bunk tonight. Is there anything eating atcha Spot?" "Naw. Just don't want to go back to Brooklyn is all." "Oh," Jack replied, accepting Spot's answer. The sun was beginning to set and it made the sky a reddish pink. "We best gets going if we gonna make it to the Lodging House before sunset," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You'se right," Spot replied. "I sure hope that Blink won't mind. If he does, I can sleep on your bunk, right Jack?" Spot looked up at Jack with neutral eyes. "No you can't! You'se can sleep on the floor for all I care!" Jack smiled, took off his cowboy hat and began to hit Spot on the head. "Hey Jack!" Spot yelled backing away from the oncoming hat. He began to playfully punch Jack in the stomach. "Ahh!" Jack yelled. "He's after me!" They began to chase each other around the alley. Then, they made their way back the Lodging House. ~*~ On their way there, Jack decided to stop at Tibby's. He and Spot were pretty hungry for dinner. Every once and a while, Jack went out to eat dinner. Usually, he ate the dinner at the Lodging House but he figured that today was an exception because Spot was with him. As they walked up to Tibby's, Jack thought that he someone familiar inside the window. "Sarah?" Jack questioned. "Spot, can you tell if Sarah is in there? I think that she is," Jack said to Spot. Spot looked into the window. "Yep, Sarah's in there all right," Spot said to Jack. Just then another figure sat next to Sarah and handed her a drink. A tall figure with blond hair was all that Jack could make out of the person. "C'mon over here, Spot," Jack said motioning him to the street. The two boys hid behind a parked wagon so that they had a better view of what was going on. The figure seemed to be sitting awful close to Sarah. "Who do you think that is, Spot?" Jack whispered. "I dunno, Jack. Probably Davey or someone like that. C'mon, I thought you said that you was hungry," Spot nudged him. "Hold on a second, Spot," Jack said to him. "You'd rather spy on your goilfriend than eat a good dinner? Jacky-boy, you are messed up!" Spot said. "Jack are you listening to me?" "Uh-huh," Jack replied in a tone that said that he really wasn't. "Aw, c'mon Jack. I bet that the Newsies all the way back in Brooklyn can hear me stomach growlin'! Heya Jack, are you payin' any attention to me? I don't think that you are!" Spot leaned over and hit Jack on the head. "Yo Jack! You still there?" Spot laughed. "Jeez, Spot, cut it out. Let me watch this," Jack muttered. "Aw Jack, you're kidding, right? Lets go in and just see who it is! I mean, it ain't that hard to figure out," Spot looked at Jack. He was straining his eyes to see who was in there with his girlfriend. "Spot, shut up and let me watch this!" Jack snorted. Just then the figure leaned over and kissed Sarah. It was a long kiss and, by the looks of it, very meaningful. Spot looked at Jack. Anger surrounded his face like a cloud. "Hey Jack. I don't think that-" "That does it," Jack said standing up. "I can't just stand here and see my girlfriend be kissed by another guy. C'mon Spot, we're going in to see who this idiot who thinks he can mess with my girlfriend is!" Spot stood up and then they began to walk toward Tibby's. When they reached the door Spot said, "Jack just act casual, okay? I mean, goils don't..." "Don't tell me what to do Spot, okay. It's been a long time since you've had a goilfriend so you are not very experienced in this subject!" "Jeez, Jack. I'm sorry," Spot said. "Just let me handle this, okay?" Jack looked at Spot and he nodded. Jack had a right to be snotty. Some guy was messing with his girlfriend. Any guy would be mad at that! Spot followed Jack into Tibby's. Once inside, Jack spotted Sarah and the mystery guy sitting in a back booth kissing again. Jack stared at them for a little while. His anger had turned into fury. "What is going on?" Spot thought to himself. Jack took a deep breath and walked briskly over to the booth where Sarah was sitting. "Sarah," he said loudly. Sarah and the mystery boy stopped kissing and looked up at Jack. "Jack," Sarah said, sounding surprised but looking embarrassed with her bright red face to show it. "What are you doing here?" "I could ask you the same question but I won't because I have a better one. Who is that?" Jack nodded his head towards the guy. Spot could tell that Jack was trying real hard not to blow up at Sarah and the mystery guy. "Oh uh, this is my friend, Daniel," Sarah replied, her voice shaking. She couldn't tell if Jack was mad at her or at Daniel. "Your friend? Oh yeah well you must be real good friends I mean, good enough friends to swap spit!" Jack almost yelled. Some of the late night guests at Tibby's had stopped eating and were watching the quarrel. "What do you think you'se doin' with my girl?" Jack said looking at Daniel with large, bulging eyes. "Um…" Daniel started.  Spot could tell that he was very intimidated by Jack. "I was uh..." "You were, were ya? Well, you won't be able to anymore," Jack took hold of Sarah's arm and pulled her out of the booth. "We'll be going now. Sarah, say bye to your friend!" Jack was furious. Spot had never seen him so angry before. Jack turned on his heel and walked out of the restaurant, keeping a firm hold on Sarah's arm. Spot followed behind Jack. He could have sworn he saw Sarah give a look of worry to Daniel. "What was that, Sarah?" Jack said once they were outside. "I mean, You really don't think that I am stupid enough to believe that he is your friend. So what happened?" He gave Sarah a little shake. "Jack, please let go of my arm," Sarah whimpered. Jack let go of her arm reluctantly. "What happened Sarah?" Jack had lowered the volume of his voice. It was down to a questioning tone that was yearning for an answer. Sarah didn't answer. She looked at the ground instead.      "Sarah, I need to know why he did this," Jack looked at her.      "He didn't do anything, Jack," Sarah said after the longest time.      Jack's expression turned clueless. "What do you mean?"      "I mean that he didn't do anything. We did," Sarah looked at Jack. His eyes were as angry as the look on his face. Jack was still piecing the story together. "What do you mean we? We as in you and him?" "Yeah. As in me and him." Sarah had a weird look on her face. Part of it looked sad and the other part had no meaning. "You been seeing him behind my back?" Jack inquired sadly. Sarah nodded. She seemed to be afraid to speak to Jack for fear that he may get worked up again. Jack looked Sarah in the eyes. His eyes were confused and sad and her eyes had no expression in them at all. Jack began to shake his head. "No Sarah. Tell me that you are lying." He looked at her. "I'm not, Jack." She put her hand on his shoulder and he shook it off. "I thought that you were different than other girls. I thought that you might be the one…" Jack trailed off. Sarah stood speechless. "Jack, I'm sorry," Sarah said. "No you aren't," Jack said, "you couldn't be." "I am," Sarah said. "Stop lying to me Sarah!" Jack burst out. It made Spot jump. "I know that you are." Sarah looked at Jack again. She thought that she saw a small tear stroll down his face. "Jack never cries," she thought. Then she realized how badly she had hurt him. "Yes, Jack. I truly am sorry." "Sarah, shut up! I thought that we had it made but obviously, I was wrong." Jack looked up at Sarah and then he turned around and began to walk away. Spot, sensing that the fight was over, began to follow Jack. He could hear Sarah crying. Spot didn't feel a bit sorry for her. "How could she do this to him?" He thought. When he finally caught up to Jack, Spot said sincerely, "Hey Jack. I'm real sorry `bout that." "Me too, Spot," Jack said without looking up from the gravel road beneath his feet, "me too. They walked together in silence until they got to the Lodging House. "Heya Jack!" Crutchy called from the doorway. "We'se been lookin' all ovah for ya. Where ya been?" Spot put his finger to his lips and Crutchy silenced with a weird look on his face. "I'll tell you later," Spot whispered to Crutchy when he walked past. Crutchy just nodded. "By the way Crutchy, you got any leftover dinner? I'm kinda hungry." ~*~ Jack sat on his bunk contemplating what just happened between Sarah and him. "How could she do this to me?" Jack asked himself. "Hey Jack. I brought you some leftover dinner. It ain't all that great but it will do, considering you didn't have any." Spot's voice echoed throughout the empty bunkroom. "Thanks Spot but I really ain't hungry." Jack sounded hurt and sad. Spot knew that he was yearning to talk about what happened. "How could she do this to me Spot?" Jack turned and looked at Spot. "I dunno, Jack. Maybe she is a little screwed up in the brain. You know, maybe that guy sucked all her brains out," Spots attempted joke backfired and didn't make Jack laugh. In any case, it made him feel worse. "Sorry Jack. That came out wrong." "Hey, Spot it's okay. I can handle anything now." Jack sat up on his bunk. His head was inches away from the ceiling. "You know, Jack. I may not know a lot about goils but I think that she is screwed up. I mean, I really do." "Remember how she used to smile at me? Do you remember, Spot?" Jack looked out the window. It was dark and only a few street lamps were shedding off some light. "Yeah, Jack. I remember. I think that you should talk to her. I mean, I think that she should seek you out but you should talk to her if you see her." "I just don't know how I can even stand to look at her again.  I mean, she really crushed me. To see her through that window kissing him is really hard to handle. How stupid do you think I feel being totally oblivious to the fact that she was seeing him behind my back?" "Goils are pretty sneaky, Jack." "Yeah, I guess. You know, I didn't know who to blame at first. I wanted to tell myself that my girlfriend wouldn't do that. I wanted to go up to that guy and soak him, right then and there. I hated him at first, Spot. But, when Sarah told me that she was in on it too, I wanted to hate her just like I did with that stupid guy of hers but I couldn't. I seriously couldn't! I got so mad but I couldn't hate her. Gosh Spot, why couldn't I bring myself to hate her?" "You like the goil. You like her an awful lot, Jack." "Yeah I do. I just can't think about us being apart. Ugh!" Jack moaned and flopped down on his pillow. "I don't wanna break it off. I like her too much. What am I gonna do?" "I think that is one of those `forbidden' questions, Jack. I think that you gotta make it yourself. She did somethin' bad to ya and it hurt you a lot but you like her a lot too. I guess you gotta go with your gut feeling." Spot felt bad that he couldn't give him some real advice. "You probably have to sleep on it, Jack." "Yeah you're right. Thanks Spot." Jack said. "You want the soup that I brought ya?" Spot asked. "Yes! I am starving!" Jack sat up and took the bowl from Spot and began scarfing down the soup. "You're right. It ain't good...," Jack said between gulps of the soup. "Well you sure seem to enjoy it more than I did!" Spot laughed and Jack smiled. "Thank goodness!" Spot thought. ~*~ Jack sat on the steps of the Lodging House using the wall as a backrest. It was thundering and lightning outside and Jack could have sworn that that was happening inside of him too. He could sense that there was going to be a huge storm. His knees were clasped up to his chest and he was trying to keep warm. He was thinking about everything that popped into his head. While Jack sat there, Davey came up to him. "Hey Jack," Davey said. Jack looked up. "Oh, hi Dave." There was no emotion in his voice. "I heard about what happened." "Yeah?" "Uh-huh" They were silent for a little while until Jack broke the silence. "Ain't it kinda awkward for ya? I mean, to talk about your sister with me. I imagine that it's kinda hard. You're torn between your sister and me." "You'd think that it would be but it's not. I don't agree with what she did. I mean, I haven't told her that but that's how I feel. You should be mad at her, Jack. What she did was wrong. I just hope that this doesn't ruin our friendship, Jack, you know?" "Hey Dave don't worry. This is between me and Sarah." Jack said. "Good. You know that you can tell me about this stuff Jack. Even though she's my sister doesn't mean that I'm gonna take her side." Jack nodded. He didn't feel like talking much. Somehow, Davey sensed that. "I guess I'll see you around then," Davey said. "Okay Dave." Jack nodded at him and smiled weakly. Normally, Jack would have spit shook with Davey but this time he didn't. He was just too crushed. ~*~ Sarah sat on her bed looking out her window. She remembered when Jack used to wait there for her to wake up, his head resting on his hand. He did that every morning and when she woke up, she would go to the window and they would give each other a good morning kiss. It was such a great way to start off the day. Sarah felt like a queen when Jack did that. "How could I have done this to him?"  Sarah thought. She really had made a big mess of this whole thing. She recalled the fight the previous night. She remembered the looks in Jack's eyes and the expressions on his face. She knew that she had hurt him tremendously. After Jack had stormed off and left Sarah in the street crying, Daniel came out and had tried to comfort her. She was so sad and angry and her feelings were swirling like a huge tornado inside of her. "What's wrong?" Daniel had asked. "Nothing," she had replied. "C'mon," he said soothingly, "you can tell me." "No I can't! I'm sorry Daniel. I think that I need some time to myself. I'm sorry." Sarah had said to him. "I have to go," and she had walked off her hands to her face. Sarah cringed at the flashback. The thought made her realize how badly she hurt Jack. She knew that he liked her a lot and she liked him too. They had so much between them that it hurt Sarah to even think about their future, together or not. She knew what she had to do but she didn't know how to do it. She hugged the pillow on her lap. This was going to be really tough but she thought that it was the right thing to do. She got up off the bed and put the pillow back in its place. Then, she took a deep breath and set out on her rather difficult mission. ~*~ Jack sat in the same spot for a very long time. The Newsies weren't going to sell papers because it was a crummy day and no one would want to buy anything. Days like this were very rare and the Newsies loved them because they didn't have to go sell their papers. Jack was too sad to think about anything reasonable. He could barely concentrate on what was happening right before his eyes. It had begun to rain and he was getting drenched. He didn't care though. Nothing really mattered to him. He wanted to talk to Sarah but he didn't want to see her. He didn't know what he was feeling for real. He felt as if all his feelings were getting beaten like an egg and his real feeling that he wanted to get in touch with was the tiny piece of eggshell that couldn't be scooped out. He shuddered and decided to go back inside the Lodging House. He pushed open the door and warm air welcomed him. He trudged up the stairs and nearly fell through the door of his bunkroom. Spot and Racetrack were playing cards, Blink and Bumlets were wrestling with Mush and Specs, Crutchy was refereeing, and Boots was washing his hands and cheering for Blink and Bumlets.  It was as noisy as a circus but when Jack entered, everything went quiet. Racetrack stood up and walked over to Jack. "Hey Jack. I heard about what happened," he said, his cigar bobbed as he talked. "Sorry." "Thanks Race," Jack said. Then, everyone in the room began to ask Jack questions about what happened. Spot made his way to Jack and said, "I tried not to tell `em but they kept pressuring me. They was all worried about you Jack. They said they never saw you so sad before." "They were gonna figure it out sometime," Jack said. "No use feeling bad for me, Spot." Jack sat down on an unused bunk. All the Newsies sat down in front of him and waited for him to tell his story. Spot took a seat next to him. He had been at the fight so he was almost as valuable to the story as Jack was. "Last night," Jack began and the group of Newsies fell silent. "Last night I saw Sarah kissing another guy." Jack took a deep breath and finished telling story word for word. After he was finished, all of the Newsies said, "Sorry Jack," and "Too bad Jack." He got countless pats on the back. When everyone had told Jack that they were sorry, they went back to playing and goofing around. Only Jack's best friends stayed around him. ~*~ Sarah walked up to the Lodging House steps. She took a deep breath and walked up the steps and went inside. She walked up the stairs and into the Newsies' bunkroom. She paused before entering the room. "Just act casual" she told herself and opened the door. The whole room fell silent and all of the Newsies stared at Sarah. "Jack, you'se got a guest," Spot said nodding his head toward the doorway. Jack looked up and saw Sarah standing in the doorway. Her face was bright red. "Do ya want me to do anything?" Spot whispered. Jack shook his head and stood up and walked over to Sarah. "Can we talk?" she asked as quiet as a mouse. "Yeah," Jack replied. Sarah nodded. "Can we talk outside?" Jack turned around and looked at the other Newsies. They all looked away. Jack nodded and walked out the door. Sarah followed. They walked down the stairs until they were in the lobby. "So what is it Sarah?" Jack asked. "What do you want?" "I wanted to say that I am sorry," Sarah said. "Is that it?" Jack asked. "Well, no," she replied. "What then?" Jack sounded a little angry. "I just came to say that I still want to go out with you. I never should have done that, Jack. I never should have. I wasn't thinking. Honestly, I didn't make a good choice and I am sorry. Jack, I am so sorry. I want you still, not Daniel. I wasn't thinking. I really don't know what came over me," Sarah said. She looked at him and he looked at her. "Why did you do it, Sarah?" Jack asked. "I told you, Jack," Sarah sounded as though she was hurt. "There has to be something else. I know that you had more going on in your head. What was wrong with us?" Jack looked at Sarah again. "Nothing," Sarah said. "There had to have been something wrong or else you wouldn't have done this," Jack said. He had begun to get angry. "Jack, I know that you aren't going to believe this but I'm going to tell you anyway. Daniel was my best friend from a long time ago, when I was about 4. Then, we had to move because of Papa's job. I thought that I might never see him again. So we moved, and, now, just a couple of weeks ago he came to visit our family. I was so excited," Sarah paused. Jack was listening intently to what she was saying. She shrugged, "Anyway, I don't know why I didn't tell you that he was here, I really don't know why. We kept going out, not courting but just doing things and I was having such a fun time. Then we went out to Tibby's that one night and we..." she trailed off. "You kissed Sarah. Go ahead and say it. I saw it through the window, okay. I saw you kiss each other." "Yes, we kissed. I thought that it would be okay because he was my best friend. Jack, he was just my friend." "Sarah, I want to believe that. I mean, I do believe it but do you know how hard it is to see you kiss another guy? I mean, it's tough Sarah. Especially knowing that you didn't know that I was watching." "I'm sorry Jack. I really am," Sarah said. "I want to believe you, Sarah. I want to believe you so bad! I just don't know how I can keep seeing you the way that I used to. I am gonna look at you differently now, Sarah. I can't know that you kissed another guy behind my back. I just can't handle it." Jack took a deep breath and said what he dreaded saying. "I don't think that we should see each other anymore." Sarah just stood there, calmly nodding. "That is what I was afraid you were going to say. I understand though, I guess." "Good." He leaned over and gave Sarah a hug. And with that, he turned and went up the stairs to the bunkroom. ~*~ Jack fell onto his bunk. Everyone had forgotten about him and they were still playing in the room. Spot came over to him and said, "How did it go?" "We broke up," Jack said. "Aw Jack, I'm sorry," Racetrack said to him. "It's nuttin'," Jack said. "You wanna talk?" Spot asked. "Not especially, Spot," Jack answered. "Okay," Spot said. He began to walk away. After a while, Jack hopped off his bunk and went outside. He didn't know where he was headed but somehow, his senses were leading him towards Davey's. He climbed the stairs and knocked on the Jacobs' door. Les answered. "Hey Les," Jack said to him, "is Davey here?" "Hi Jack," Les said. "Yeah he's here. I'll go get him." Jack stepped inside. The Jacobs' home was cozy and he could remember countless times when he and Sarah would snuggle up on the couch and read books to each other. Jack loved coming here and being with Sarah. "Hi Jack," Davey said. "Hey Dave," Jack replied. "Momma, Papa, I'm going out with Jack. I'll be back in a little bit." Jack smiled as Mrs. Jacobs walked in the room. "Okay David. Be back soon though. Hi, Jack," she said, nodding at Jack. "Hi Mrs. Jacobs," Jack said politely. "Bye, Momma." "Good bye, David. Good bye, Jack." Jack waved his hand and Davey nodded. Then, they walked out the door. ~*~ Jack and Davey walked down the road. The ground was damp and squishy under their shoes. "Wanna know what happened?" Jack asked. "Uh-huh," Davey said. "We broke up," Jack said. "I figured that you would," Davey replied. "You did?" Jack stopped walking. "Yeah. I mean, listening to your voice this morning I could tell that you weren't gonna forgive her." "Why didn't you tell me that her friend was visiting?" Jack asked. "I guess I didn't because Sarah didn't," Davey said. "What do you mean?" "If Sarah didn't tell you, she obviously didn't want you to know. I mean, Jack, she tells you everything and if she doesn't tell you something then she doesn't want you to know." "Why didn't you tell me this morning?" Jack asked again. "Because I didn't think that there was any way I could change your mind. From the way you talked, it seemed like you didn't want anything to do with her. I figured that I shouldn't talk about her because you didn't want to hear about it." "Well, there was a way to change my mind, Dave. I wanted to forgive her. I really did. I just didn't know how. I didn't want to break it off. I didn't. I just thought that I should." "Yeah but Jack, you wouldn't have forgiven her even if I did tell you that they were just friends. They kissed and that's bad, even if they were friends. I don't know. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I didn't think that it was a good thing to do. She's my sister and I guessed that you may think that I was taking her side and not yours." "Hey Dave this ain't gonna affect our friendship, remember?" Jack said reassuringly. "Okay," Dave said nodding. Then, they started walking again. ~*~ They went to Tibby's and got into a booth. There was hardly anyone there because the rain had kept everyone inside their homes. "So, you don't feel bad about me dumping your sister?" Jack asked once they were seated. "No," Davey replied casually. Jack nodded. They both silently ate as the rain patted the roof. Once they were finished, Davey said, "This is gonna be tough for you and me." Jack nodded again. "This was bound to happen, you know that, right?" Davey said. "I know," Jack replied. "We just have to work with it," he said. Jack nodded. "It's gonna be tough for me to get over Sarah. But, Dave, when I do, don't get mad at me for going out with another goil. As much as I loved Sarah, I still have to go on with my life." "I know," Davey said. "I completely understand." "Good," Jack said. They got up from the booth and paid the waiter. "I'm gonna have to start eating at the lodging house from now on. I got no extra money to spare," Jack said, digging in his pockets. "The headlines haven't been that great lately." "A headline doesn't sell a pape though, Jack," Davey said while they walked out into the cold air. "It does now. I must have lost my technique of selling," Jack said. "How could you have lost your technique?" Davey asked. "I don't know. Maybe it was because I was always thinking about Sarah while I was selling. Who knows, maybe I'll get some work done now that she isn't my girlfriend." Davey felt a little hurt for his sister, but he was Jack's friend and he just needed to listen to everything that Jack said no matter how much he put down his sister. "Why do I have to be the one torn between these two? It's going to be harder than I thought," Davey thought to himself. When they got to the Lodging House, Jack said, "Thanks for listening Dave." "You're welcome," Davey replied. They shook hands and Davey walked home. ~*~ "Momma, Papa, I'm back," Davey called when he entered his little apartment. "Hi David," Sarah said. She was sitting on the couch next to Daniel. "Hi," Davey replied. He glanced at Daniel. "Where were you?" she asked. "I was out with Jack," Davey said. "Oh," Sarah replied. She sounded surprised, curious, and a bit disappointed. "Hey Daniel," Davey said nodding at him. "Hi Dave," he replied. "So, did Jack tell you the whole story?" Sarah asked. "Nope. Just the highlights of it. I heard that you two broke up. Jack is crushed but he's gonna try to get over you as soon as possible," Davey said, trying in the nicest way possible to make his sister feel guilty. "Oh," Sarah said again. She sounded very disappointed. "Sarah, I better go," Daniel said getting off the couch. "Okay. See you later," Sarah said. Davey noticed that their hands were connected. "Bye, Daniel," Davey said. They watched him walk out the door. "So, Jack misses me?" she asked curiously after Daniel was gone. "Yeah, a lot," Davey replied. "He said so?" "Yep. He also said that he needs to get over you." Sarah shook her head. "I don't know why I did it. I just did. I miss him too. I missed him coming to my window this morning. Why did I do it? Why did I kiss Daniel?" Davey just sat there, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer her question. "I guess that I'll just have to get over him too. You're on my side though, right?" "I'm not sure. I guess I'm on both Jack's side and your side. You're my sister and I'm always gonna love you but I think I'm mostly on Jack's side in this situation. What you did was wrong Sarah. You know that, right?" "Yes," Sarah said nodding. "And I regret it, I really do." "You can tell me stuff though, okay? I'll listen to you," Davey said. He sounded very caring. "The next time you see Jack, tell him that I miss him and that I'm really sorry." "All right," Davey said. "Thanks Dave. Thanks a lot," Sarah said, giving Davey a hug. "You're welcome. I'll be sure to tell him." ~*~ Jack sat in the bunkhouse playing cards with Spot. It was getting dark outside. "I hope that none of me newsies back home are worried `bout me," Spot said setting down a card. "I dunno," Jack replied. He studied his cards intently. "I hope it ain't raining tomorrow. I need to sell some papes soon or else I'll be broke." Spot looked at Jack's face. "Me too," Jack said. "I won." He set all of his cards down. "Aw no way! C'mon Jack. Best 2 out of 3. What do ya say?" Spot said shaking his head and looking at the cards. "No thanks, Spot. I think I'm gonna turn in now," Jack said. He got off of the crate that he was sitting on and went over to his bunk. "I'm pretty tired." "Okay. Will you come visit me sometime?" Spot asked. "Yeah, sure." Jack replied. "Hey Jack, maybe you'll find another goil tomorrow." "Yeah. Who knows," Jack said sarcastically.      ~*~ Jack opened his eyes at the sound of Kloppman's wake up call. He tried to close his eyes and fall back asleep but the sound of all the other newsies waking up and heading into the bathroom stopped him from doing so. Slowly he lifted himself out of his small bunk and walked tiredly to the bathroom to get ready for the day. "Hi-ya Jack," Crutchy said. He sounded as if he had been awake for hours for his voice was happy and cheery like always. "Hey Crutchy," Jack replied before splashing cool water on his face. It had been 3 days since the break-up. Jack hadn't seen Sarah or Davey since then. After Jack was finished washing up, he walked down the wooden steps to the lobby, said a quick good morning to Kloppman, who was sitting behind the counter, and went outside. The cool morning air welcomed him outside. "Hey Cowboy," Racetrack said to Jack. "Hey Race. How's it goin'?" Jack said. "Good. Wanna meet us at Tibby's after you sell your papes?" Race asked. "Naw, Race. I was planning on going to Brooklyn today. I told Spot I'd come visit him and I think today will be the day," Jack replied. "Okay. Good luck with your papes," Race said. "Thanks. Good luck with your poker games at Tibby's," Jack replied. "How'd you know I was gonna be playin' poker at Tibby's?" Race asked. Jack shrugged. "Lucky guess." Race nodded. "See ya." Jack slowly made his way to the circulation desk just as the bell rang. "100 papes," Jack said to Weasel. Weasel had gotten his old job back and so had Oscar and Morris. They could keep their jobs as long as they didn't pick any fights with any of the newsies, Jack in particular. Morris handed him his papers and Jack set off on his journey to Brooklyn. He sold all of his papers on the way there. It was a chilly morning. The breeze from the water below chilled him a little as he crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and made his way to the Brooklyn newsies' pier. "Hey Jacky-boy," Spot said. "Hey Spot. How's it going?" Jack replied. "Pretty good," Spot said as they spit shook.   "Did you sell papes today?" Spot asked noticing the lack of papers under Jack's arm. "Sold all of `em on the way here," Jack replied. "What about you?" "I only got 50 today. I sold `em all but I wasn't really up to selling," Spot said. Jack nodded. "Wanna go inside? It's kinda cold out here," Spot asked. "Sure," Jack replied. They walked off the pier to the Brooklyn Lodging House. Inside it was warm and cozy, unlike the air outside. "I woke up pretty early this morning," Spot said once they were inside. "Me too," Jack replied. "We got a newcomer here," Spot said. "Came here pretty late last night. All tired and wanting a place to stay." "Really?" Jack asked. "Yeah. You should see her Jack. She's real pretty," Spot said. "She?" Jack asked again. "Yeah. I don't know why she was here in New Yawk but I'm glad she stayed with us," Spot said excitedly. "Her name's Daisy. The name fits her; she's sure as cute and pretty as a daisy." "Spot, you sound like you're in love with her," Jack said, a small smile spreading across his face. "It's hard not to go crazy for her," Spot said. Jack smiled. "So, Spot, can I meet her?" "Yeah," Spot said. They walked up the steps. The Brooklyn Lodging house wasn't very different from the one in Manhattan. It had the same structure. Jack knew exactly where they were going; up to the bunkroom. They walked into the bunkroom. On Spot's bunk lay a beautiful girl; her long reddish hair was scattered across the pillow. "Hey Daisy, ya up yet?" Spot asked. The girl opened her eyes and smiled. "Yes," she said in a sweet voice. She got out of the bunk and walked toward the two boys. She was wearing a white nightgown. It looked just like what Sarah used to wear when Jack would meet her at her window. "How'd ya sleep?" Spot asked. "Really good. I needed it," she said smiling. "It was awful nice of you to let me stay here." "It was no problem," Spot replied. She looked at Jack and her cheeks went a light shade of red. She smiled shyly. "Dis is Jack," Spot said. "Hi," she said, still gazing at Jack. "I'm Daisy." "Nice to meet you, Daisy," Jack said, taking off his hat. Daisy blushed even redder. "He lives in Manhattan," Spot said. "Oh, is Manhattan far from here?" Daisy asked. "No, not very. You just cross the bridge and you're there," Jack said. "So, how long you gonna be staying here, Daisy?" "I don't know. As long as I can, I guess," she replied. "Spot said I could stay here as long as I like." "The offer still stands, you know," Spot said. "Thank you so much Spot. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your hospitality," she replied. "Since you're gonna be staying here, you want a tour of the place, you know, to get used to your surroundings?" Spot asked. "Yeah, I'd love one," Daisy said. "I might get some more papes and sell while I show ya around," Spot said. "I didn't sell very many this morning. I was waiting for you to wake up to see if you was okay." Daisy smiled once more. "That would be great if you could show me around! Um, I need to get dressed." "Okay, we'll wait downstairs for ya," Spot said. "Okay. I'll be down soon," Daisy replied. Jack and Spot turned and walked downstairs. Jack seemed to remember the girl's face, like he had seen her before. "See what I mean," Spot said as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Yeah," Jack replied. "She's pretty." After about 5 minutes, Daisy appeared on the top step. She wore a long blue dress that accented her small waist. Jack smiled to himself at the sight of her. "I'm ready," she said. "Great," Spot said, perkily. "Let's go now so we can get a head start." "Would it be okay if Jack came? I mean, the more the merrier," Daisy said cheerfully. Spot glared at Jack for a while before saying, "Yeah, if that's okay with you." "Sure," Jack said. "Great," Daisy said, a big smile spreading across her freckily face. "Let's go," Spot said. His voice wasn't as perky as it was before. They all walked out of the Lodging House. The Brooklyn newsies all took off their hats when they saw Daisy. "Hey Spot, we need ya over heah," a newsie called over to Spot. "Okay," Spot said. "I'll be right back." "So how do you like New York so far?" Jack asked Daisy once Spot was gone. "From what I've seen, I really like it. Everyone is so nice! I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome from Spot and the others," she said. "You been here for long?" Jack asked again. "No. A couple of days, I think," Daisy replied, shrugging. Jack nodded. "Sorry, some of me newsies was pickin' a fight with each other. Okay, now let's really go," Spot said returning from his conversation. The rest of the day was dedicated to showing Daisy each and every inch of Brooklyn. Spot dragged her around the whole city while he told her every aspect of being the leader of Brooklyn. The sun gradually set over the town and Spot, not quite understanding that he had been dragging Daisy and Jack around all day, didn't realize that the day was almost ending. After what seemed like forever, Spot said, "Well, that's probably enough for today. I'll show you more tomorrow," and turned around back to the Brooklyn Lodging house. Jack and Daisy exchanged smiles at Spot. Spot led them down an alley claiming that it was a shortcut to the Lodging House. The alley got darker as they walked into the depths of it. Spot led the way without a hesitation to where he was going. He seemed to know the alleys of Brooklyn better than the back of his own hand. "We're almost there," Spot said speeding up his pace a bit because the darkness was taking over the day. "Help!" screamed a voice further down the alley. Spot turned around. "Somebody please help me!" the voice pleaded to the silence. Daisy glanced at Jack with a concerned expression on her face. They all started sprinting at the same time. A blood-curdling scream not far from where they were filled the alley and then all was quiet.   Daisy turned and ran around a corner and gasped. On the ground lay a girl; knocked out cold. Spot approached the girl. "She's still alive." "We better get her to the Lodging House," Jack said approaching the girl also. Spot stood up very quickly. Jack rolled his eyes and cautiously picked the girl up. Quickly and speechlessly, they all walked back to the Brooklyn Lodging House. The air was getting colder and it was very dark. They walked up the stairs to the bunkroom where all the Brooklyn newsies were. Jack walked to the nearest bunk and set the girl down on it. "Skipper," Spot ordered a newsie, "go get a wet cloth." Skipper did as he was told and soon returned with a damp cloth that Jack gently placed on the girl's forehead. "She looks beat up real bad," a newsie said. "Looks more than just beat up," another declared. "You know what I mean." Jack looked up from the girl. "She's sick and she may have some broken bones. We better not move her until she gets a little better. She'll have to stay here for the night." "What are you, da doctor?" Spot asked smiling but suddenly looking alarmed. "We don't have any extra bunks! We gave the last one to Daisy yesterday night. This is Daisy's bunk that she's on! You'll have to carry her to Manhattan, Jack. We got no more room here!" Spot was talking a mile a minute. "Whoa Spot! Calm down! We can't move her. More than likely she has some broken bones and if we move her we'll make them worse. Daisy can just spend the night in Manhattan," Jack said. "But, it's a long trip there and it's dark out!" Spot said. "I'll be walking there too, you know. She wouldn't be walking alone." Spot tried to object but no words came out of his mouth. "Spot, Jack's right," Daisy said. Everyone looked at her. "I mean, we can't let her get worse. She looks bad enough as it is. It would be best for her to just stay here. Besides, I think I should decide where I should go because, after all, it's me you're talking about." Spot looked stunned. "O-okay," he stuttered. "If you're sure it's okay." "It's fine," Daisy said. They waited until the girl was situated in Daisy's old bunk. Then, after Daisy had gathered her 2 dresses in a small shoulder pack, they walked down the stairs to the lobby, followed closely by the other newsies. "Tell me when she gets better," Daisy said to Spot. "I hope she does very soon." "I'll tell you," Spot mumbled. "Spot, thank you so much for letting me stay with you. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow," Daisy said smiling. "Sure," Spot mumbled. "See ya, Spot," Jack said spitting in his palm and holding it out to Spot. Spot didn't even look at the out stretched hand. Jack pulled it away and wiped it on his pants. "Bye," Daisy said. The Brooklyn newsies waved and Daisy and Jack set off to Manhattan. They walked in silence for a while. The night was very chilly. Only the bright moon illuminated the sky. "Do you need help carrying your bag?" Jack asked. "No thanks, I've got it," Daisy said readjusting the pack as she said it. "So, uh, why are you heah staying with the newsies?" Jack asked. "It's a long story," Daisy replied. Jack laughed. "I don't even know why I ask that question. No one ever tells me." "You mean about their past?" Daisy asked. "Yeah," Jack replied. "How'd ya know?" "Every newsie I talked to in Brooklyn wouldn't tell me about theirs. I wondered why," Daisy said. "Too embarrassed, I guess." "I'll tell you about mine if you want to know," Daisy said. "If you're willing to tell, I'm willing to listen," Jack replied. Daisy laughed. "Okay, well, my parents died a couple years ago and I was sent to a boarding school. I hated it so much that I decided to run away with my friend. So we did. We lived on the streets for a few weeks, stealing occasionally. We didn't have any money. One day, I got caught by the bulls. We decided that we needed to get away and we split up and I just happened to end up here," she finished. "Sounds like some past you have there," Jack said. "So, you're in trouble with the bulls?" "Well, just a little. Nothing serious. I mean, we just stole some food," Daisy replied. "Sounds harmless, doesn't it?" Jack said quietly clenching his teeth together. "Yeah. You sound like you know what it's like to be in trouble with the law," Daisy said. "I have been," Jack said. "Why?" Daisy asked. "I stole some food too and got in tons of trouble from the bulls," Jack replied. "So, what is your past like?" Daisy asked. "If you don't mind telling me." "My mom died when I was little then my dad was put in jail. I lived on the streets for a while. The only way I ate was to steal. Then one day, the bulls caught me stealing food and I was sent to the refuge. Then I escaped and I've been a newsie ever since." A cold gust of wind swept over them. Jack looked over at Daisy. The bright moon illuminated her profile. Jack smiled to himself. Somehow, he couldn't look away from her. Daisy turned her head and saw Jack staring at her. "You look really familiar." "So do you," Jack replied. They walked for a little while in silence. "So, um, how much farther do we have to go?" "A couple blocks," Jack replied. Daisy nodded. They walked again in silence, enjoying the peaceful night. "Is the Lodging House we're going to like the one in Brooklyn?" Daisy asked. "Yeah. It's almost exactly the same," Jack replied. "You know, I only stayed at the Lodging House for one night and I feel as if I've lived here my whole life. Isn't that strange?" Daisy asked. Jack looked at her. "Yeah, I guess." Soon, they approached a town. "Here's Manhattan," Jack said proudly. Daisy looked around. "It's nice." "Yeah," Jack said. "There's the Lodging House." Daisy looked where Jack was pointing. Right above the door was a sign reading Newsboys Lodging House. They made their way to the steps in the dim light of the street lamps. "You're fun to talk to," Daisy said as they reached the top step. Jack turned around and looked at her. "Thanks," he replied. "So are you." They looked at each other for a while longer. Then, Jack opened the door and they entered. It was warm inside. They walked up the stairs to the bunkroom. Noise could be heard from inside. "They're probably playing poker with Racetrack," Jack said. "He's always beating someone. You'll see what I mean." Jack opened the doors. "Hey Cowboy," Racetrack said, getting up from his poker game and walking over to them. "Hey Race," Jack said. Racetrack looked over at Daisy. "Who's dis?" "Dis heah is Daisy," Jack said. "Well, it's nice ta meet ya, Daisy," said Racetrack. Daisy smiled and nodded at Racetrack in reply. "Heah is your bunk," Jack said walking over to a lower bunk. "Okay," Daisy said walking over to it. She took her pack off her shoulder and placed it on the bunk and turned around. Almost every newsie was looking in her direction. Her face turned red. "Jack, they're all looking at me," Daisy whispered. "I know." He raised his voice and said, "Guys, dis is Daisy, in case you're wondering." "So, Jack, is dat you're new goilfriend?" Blink asked. "Uh, no," Jack said, looking at Daisy. "She's just a friend." "Oh," said Blink, a little embarrassed. Jack looked at Daisy, embarassed. "I'm kind of tired," Daisy said to Jack. "Okay. The bathroom is over there," Jack said pointing to it. "Thanks," Daisy said. She got her brush from her bag and walked over to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom were a few shower stalls and toilet stalls. In the middle of the room were sinks. She went over to a sink and proceeded to wash her face, brush her hair and get ready for bed. Almost immediately after she was done, all the newsies came into the bathroom to do the same. Daisy made her way to her bunk and slid under the covers. She took a book out of her bag and tried to concentrate on the words in front of her but couldn't because of all the noise. "Whatcha reading?" someone asked. Daisy looked up from her book and met the gaze of a rather attractive boy with beautiful dark skin and curly brown hair. "Um, I'm not really sure," she replied shyly. "I found it on the train and I haven't started to read it until now." "I've only read a few books in my life. I usually just read the newspapers," he said. "You can borrow it if you want," Daisy said, offering him the book. "Not now but maybe later," he said. "I'm Mush by the way." "I'm Daisy." "So, have you been in Manhattan for long?" Mush asked. "No. I actually just came here with Jack." "So you haven't seen the town?" "Just in the dark." "Are you going to sell papes tomorrow with us?" "I don't really know." "Well, I hope that you do. It's a lot of fun." Daisy smiled. "Okay." "Well, good night. Enjoy your book," Mush said. "Thanks." Daisy opened the book again and struggled to read the first sentence but she couldn't concentrate. The noise of the newsies washing up was very loud. Finally, she gave up. It was just too noisy. "Daisy, do you want to sell papes with us tomorrow?" Jack asked, kneeling by her bunk. "Sure," she replied. "Good. I'll see ya tomorrow morning then, bright and early." He got up and started walking to his bunk. "Okay," Daisy said. "Hey Jack? "Yeah," he said turning around. "Thanks for walking me here. I'm glad that I met you instead of someone else." She smiled. Jack looked at her. "I'm glad I met you too," he said smiling. Then he walked over to his bunk smiling to himself. Daisy closed her eyes. She fell asleep with a picture of Jack in her mind. ~*~ Rain was pouring down so hard. Everything was wet. Thunder echoed through his head. Lightning illuminated the dark sky for a second before it went dark again. He was so cold and wet and hungry. Very hungry. He needed food. He knew he needed food but where could he get it? He opened his mouth and tried to catch some raindrops. Maybe if he ate some rain, he wouldn't be hungry anymore. Thunder once again shook his frail body. Lightning flashed. It didn't fade. The light kept growing brighter and brighter. He lifted his arm to block the light and looked up into the sky. A giant ball of light was emerging through the clouds. He looked closer. A face. There was a face appearing in the middle of the ball of light. He strained to get a closer look at the face. He squinted and just barely made out a dirty face encrusted with blood. A piece of rope was tied around it's neck. It had long and stringy brown hair. It looked as though it were sopping wet.  He struggled to see who the face belonged to. A loud, horrible scream erupted out of the face. The scream was full of pain and agony. Then it came to him. The awful realization hit him hard. He knew the person. He knew her very well. It was his mother. ~*~ Jack awoke with a start, just as a roll of thunder rumbled in the distance. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sweaty palm. He could hear rain on the roof above him. Jack rolled over. He looked over at Daisy's bunk. He just barely saw that it was empty. He sat up and looked around the room. It was very dark. Just then, lightning split across the sky and Jack saw a figure by the window. He got out of his bunk and walked over to it. "Daisy?" he said. Daisy jumped and turned her head. "Jack, you scared me," she said. "I'm sorry. What are you doing up? It's the middle of the night," he said. "The thunder," she replied and turned her head back outside. "It woke me up." Jack nodded and sat down on the wooden window seat next to her. "Did I wake you up?" Daisy asked looking at him again. "No," he replied. "It was the thunder, too." They sat in silence for a while. Thunder boomed in the distance.      "Don't you just love thunder? It sounds so majestic." Jack looked at her. "I guess." "I mean, you hardly ever hear anything as loud coming from nature. It's amazing how so much sound can come from the sky." Jack nodded. "I'm sorry. I guess I talk too much." "No you don't. I like hearing you talk. You're interesting." She smiled. "No one's ever told me that." "Tell me something else," Jack said. "Like what?" "Tell me something about your childhood." She smiled and looked out the window. "When I was little, my mother and I would wake up during thunderstorms and sit by the window to watch and listen to it. We would sit and smile at the thunder and make funny faces at each other when the lightning flashed. When I got older, we'd still wake up but we'd just talk about things. It was the one time that I got her undivided attention. I used to pray that we would have thunderstorms just so I could just talk to her." She looked back at Jack. "Tell me something about your childhood." "I had a boring childhood," Jack said. "No you didn't." "How do you know?" Jack asked. She looked at him. "I can tell. What's your favorite memory of your parents?" Jack looked at her. "I only have one." "Tell me." "My mom and me used to want to travel. We would come up with places that we wanted to go and talk as if we had already been there a million times. We both decided that we really wanted to have a ranch and raise animals. Once, I found a travel brochure on Santa Fe. I brought it home as quickly as I could to show Mom. I remember her reaction, too. She said, `Jack, someday we'll go there together. Just you and me. We can get away from here. Someday, Jack. Some lovely day that God finally will have mercy on us.' " "Did you ever go?" Jack shook his head. "She died before we made it there." "I'm sorry." "It's not your fault." "That's a great memory, Jack. It's so sweet." "You like to think, don't you?" Jack asked suddenly. "What do you mean?" Daisy said. "I mean, you really think about things thoroughly." "Yeah. I guess I do. Where did that come from?" "I can tell that you're the curious type." "Well, I am." "What are you curious about?" Jack asked. "Everything." "Why?" "I guess I'm never full of the right information. You see, I know and understand everything I learned in school but I just don't know the things that I want to know. That's why I always am thinking. I guess it is more like curiosity, though. " Jack smiled. Thunder roared again. "I just love the rain," Daisy said. They sat in silence and watched the rain fall outside the window. "Do you miss her?" Daisy asked. "Miss who?" "Your mom." "Yeah, sometimes. I miss the hope that we had about moving away from everything and going to Santa Fe. I loved talking to her about what kind of animals that we would have and where we would live. She was just so interested in everything that I had to say. Sometimes, I would find myself rambling on and on about some imaginary animal that only we could raise on our ranch and she would just sit and listen to me. But, most of all, I miss the way that she..." Jack stopped. "The way that she what?" Daisy asked. He smiled. "It's crazy but, I miss the way that she smelled." "What did she smell like?" "She smelled like flowers and the air after a rainstorm." Daisy smiled. "How'd she die, Jack?" Jack cleared his throat. "My father killed her." "Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry." He shook his head. "He was always drunk and he was never home. Mom hated him because he changed after they were married. I barely even knew him. I was only 12 when he killed my mom. Then, he was arrested and sent to jail. I packed up and left afterward because I didn't want to get sent to an orphanage. I took all the money out of the money jar that mom and I kept for Santa Fe and bought a train ticket and ended up here." "You just left everything behind?" "Everything but the travel brochure and some of my clothes." He took in a breath. "So, how did your parents die?" "Well, they were riding in the carriage over a bridge and it broke from under them. Neither of them knew how to swim so they drowned." Jack nodded. Again, they sat in silence as the rain pounded the roof. Daisy yawned. "I'm tired. I think I'll go back to bed." "Yeah, me too," Jack said. "Good night, Jack," Daisy said. "Good night," he replied. He stayed at the window for a while after. Then, he walked over to his bunk and glanced at Daisy. She was already asleep. He looked at her for a while and smiled to himself. A strand of her red hair fell across her eyes. Jack walked over to her bunk and brushed the hair off her forehead and pulled her covers up over her shoulders. Then, he crawled into his own bunk and closed his eyes. ~*~ When Jack opened his eyes, it was still dark but all the other newsies were awake. "Hey Cowboy, you finally decided to grace us with your presence," Racetrack yelled. "Shoah did, Race. What's happening?" Jack asked. "We don't have to sell today. It's raining," Race replied smiling. A cigar hung out of his mouth. Jack smiled and got out of his bunk. "Guess who?" someone said, covering Jack's eyes. "I give up," Jack said. "You can't give up, you have to guess." "Hmmm," Jack said. "Daisy?" She laughed and took her hands away. "Good morning, sleepyhead." "Good morning. How long have you been awake?" Jack asked. "About an hour or so," Daisy said, taking a seat next to Jack on his bunk. "I was up before everyone else. They have all been playing cards with Racetrack. Well, they've all been losing to him." "That's usually the way it works," Jack said smiling. Daisy laughed. "Jack, I was thinking. Do you want to go over to Brooklyn today with me and see how that girl is doing?" "But it's raining," Jack said. Daisy shrugged. "So we'll get a little wet. It's just water." Jack smiled. "Sure. Let me get dressed first." Soon, they were out the door headed in the direction of Brooklyn. No one was outside because of the crummy weather. The rain was hardly coming down but it was getting Jack and Daisy wet anyway. "So," Daisy said out of the blue, "what should we talk about?" "I don't know," Jack said. They walked in silence for a while, Jack leading the way. "You remind me of someone," Daisy said. "Who?" Jack asked. She shrugged. "I don't know." "Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" "It's good. It's definitely good. I just can't think of who." She looked at Jack. "This will irritate me until I think of it." They turned down a dark alley. "You know where we're going, right?" "Yeah. I come down here to visit Spot all the time," Jack replied. "It's creepy in here." All of a sudden, two men came out of a corner and grabbed Daisy and pulled her into a corner of the alley. "You thought that you could get away from me that easily?" someone said. He pushed her hard against the wall. "Get off of me," she said. "Was I just so mean to you that you couldn't bear it?" "Hey, get away from her," Jack yelled. "Who's this, Daisy? Your new boyfriend? My replacement? You taking my girl away, newsie?" "Just get away from her," Jack said pointing a finger at him. "Leave us alone, Larry," Daisy yelled. "Shut up, Daisy." He pushed her against the wall again. His friend, John, grabbed her hands so she couldn't move. "Hey leave her alone…" Jack started. Larry twisted Jack's hands behind his back and pushed him into the wall. "You have a problem?" He shoved him again. "Do ya?" "Jack!" Daisy cried. "You want me to leave her alone? Well, I think you should." He pushed Jack harder into the wall. "She's mine." "I'm not yours," Daisy said clenching her teeth together. "No? Is this who you ran away for? Huh, Daisy? This piece of street trash?" Larry kept throwing Jack against the wall. "He'll pay for this, stealing you away from me." "Stop it!" Daisy yelled. "Stop it!" Larry turned around and slapped Daisy across the face. She let out a cry of pain. Thunder boomed. "Shut up," Larry said. Jack turned around and punched Larry square in the face. "You idiot! Get him, John!" Larry yelled at his friend, wiping his bloody lip on the back of his hand. "Please, stop it!" Daisy pleaded, watching Jack get punched in the stomach. She tried to hit John but he pushed her into the wall and she hit her head and fell to the ground. Larry picked her up and pushed her into the wall. He smothered her body with his. "Jack, help me!" she shouted as Larry slapped her once more. "Get off of her," Jack yelled. He lunged at Larry and punched him in the stomach and he fell. John ran up to Jack and punched him in the face. They struggled for a while, punching and kicking each other. Finally, Jack knocked him to the ground. He ran over to Daisy and pulled Larry off of her. "Get the hell off of her!" he yelled, punching him in the side. Larry let go of her and held his side. "Get out of here, both of you!" Jack yelled, kicking him. "I'll get you, Daisy," Larry yelled. "You better watch your back!" "I said get outta here!" Jack yelled back. He ran at Larry and shoved him into the wall. Both Larry and John ran out of the alley. He walked over to Daisy. "Are you okay?" She fell into his arms and sobbed. "It's okay. They're gone now," Jack said comfortingly, stroking her hair. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I didn't know…" "It's okay, don't worry about it." He held her until she couldn't cry anymore. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Let's go to Brooklyn." Jack stared at her. "Um, okay." He wondered why all of this had happened but it didn't seem like Daisy was willing to tell so he let it go. "She'll tell me when she's ready. I know she will," he thought to himself. They continued their walk to Brooklyn in silence. Neither of them had anything to say. When they reached the Brooklyn Lodging House, Jack knocked on the door and Spot answered. "Daisy, Jacky-boy! Nice ta see ya!" Spot said. He looked at Daisy and seemed to be confused. As if reading his mind, Jack shook his head, telling Spot not to ask about the rip in her dress and the strange looks on both of their faces. "Hi Spot! How are you?" Daisy asked. "I'm fine. Come in," Spot said. Both Daisy and Jack walked into the lobby of the Lodging House. "Jack, you didn't try nothin' on her did you?" Spot asked, pulling Jack aside. "No. We got attacked in the alley on the way here. I'll tell you later," Jack replied. "Daisy, I've got some good news for you. The girl is awake," Spot said, changing the subject after realizing what Jack was talking about. "Oh really! That's exactly why Jack and I came here," Daisy exclaimed. "Is she okay?" "She seems fine. A couple of bruises but no broken bones. Wanna go see her?" "Yes," Daisy said. They walked up the staircase to the bunkroom and Spot opened the door. Spot walked over to the girl's bunk. "You'se got some visitors. Dis heah is me friends Jack and dis is Daisy." "Hi, I'm Jack." The girl looked over at Jack and Daisy and her face turned white. Jack looked at Daisy and her expression was exactly the same. "Carolyn?" Daisy exclaimed. "Daisy!" the girl replied as enthusiastically as she could. "What are you doing here?" Daisy asked running over to her bunk and hugging her gently. "I was going to ask you the same question," she replied. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I'm okay." "Wait, you two know each other?" Spot asked. "Yeah, of course we do," Daisy said. "How?" he asked. They both ignored him and continued talking. This didn't bother Spot as much as it normally would have because he was too interested in what they were saying to each other. "I came here on the train. I told the conductor to take me as far as her could," Daisy was saying. "So did I," Carolyn replied. "I thought that you were going to…" "I tried, Daisy, but I just couldn't. I just couldn't! I needed to go somewhere where I could just have it and get it over with. So I came here. Oh but the most horrible thing happened, Daisy! John followed me, and so did Larry! I don't know how they knew where I was going but they found me and they tried to kill me!" Daisy began to cry. "Oh, Carolyn! They found me and tried to kill me, too. Just on the way here! Luckily, I was with Jack and he saved me but… oh Carolyn! This is so horrible!" The whole bunkroom had gotten quiet and all the newsies were listening. Jack and Spot were speechless. Finally, Spot got so impatient and curious that he blurted, "What's going on?" Daisy wiped her eyes and looked at Carolyn. "I'll tell you when there's not as many people here." "Okay, everyone out," Spot ordered the rest of the newsies. They all groaned and eventually listened to their leader. As soon the last newsie filed out the door, Spot shut it. He was eager to hear the story. "They're going to find out sometime, Daisy," Carolyn said. "You're right," Daisy replied. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner. I'm Carolyn and it's nice to meet you, Jack." "Nice ta meet ya, too," Jack said taking off his hat. "Okay, tell us what's happening," Spot said. "You know how Carolyn and I ran away from the boarding school and lived on the streets for a while, right?" Daisy began. Jack and Spot both nodded. Daisy took in a deep breath. "Well, we met these two guys while we were on the street, John and Larry. They were our boyfriends until they started to give us some money to do things with them. We were young and naive and we didn't know right from wrong.  We just did what they told us to and, we at least knew that we needed the money so we couldn't turn them away. Everything we did, we relied on the money that they paid us." "These guys were drunks," Carolyn said. "Always drunk." "Then, we were caught stealing some food and got in trouble with the bulls. Around then, however, Carolyn got pregnant with John's baby." By this time, both Carolyn and Daisy were crying. "Anyway, we realized that we couldn't take it anymore and we decided that we needed to get away from there, from John and Larry and from the bulls. Anyway, we pooled our money together and I told her to go straight to the hospital and… and," "And get an abortion," Carolyn filled in. "There wasn't enough money for us to both go so we had to split up. I came as far as New York because that was as far the conductor would let me go. I thought, without knowing anything, that I could make a life for myself here," Daisy said. "So did I, after I realized that I didn't want to kill an innocent child for a mistake that I had made. This is where we are now and, apparently, John and Larry have followed us both here." Jack and Spot stared at the girls in disbelief. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth, Jack. I didn't think that it was that important. I was never expecting John and Larry to follow me and I certainly was never expecting to meet up with Carolyn ever again," Daisy said. Jack nodded slowly. None of them talked for a while. "Carolyn, do you need a dress?" Daisy asked suddenly. "I do," Carolyn replied. "John and Larry ripped mine pretty badly. I don't have any money, though." "You can use one of mine. Oh I never even thought that you'd need a dress! Imagine being in a room full of boys with a tattered dress! Jack? Can we go back to the bunkhouse so I can get a dress for Carolyn?" "Yeah," Jack replied. "I'll come with," Carolyn said. "Are you sure you're strong enough?" Daisy asked. "Of course. John and Larry are bastards and no matter how hard they try, they can't make me weak," Carolyn replied. Daisy smiled, exhausted. "That's the Carolyn I missed. I thought I was never going to see you again, Carolyn," she said softly. Carolyn smiled in response, which seemed to say, "I'm glad we found each other." ~*~ The cool, fresh morning air hit her face as she stepped out of the alley where she had been sleeping for the last few nights. She hadn't been with him for almost a week and was desperately in need of his money to buy a decent meal. Then, she heard a cough coming from her friend. She raced over to find her with a pile of waste in front of her. "I knew it," her friend said. "I just knew it! I didn't mean to. Honest I didn't!" Tears streamed down her face. "This is not good. I can't bear this… this thing inside of me! It's not mine! It is his- conceived in his own selfishness! I cannot do this. How could I let this happen?" "Shh," she found herself soothing. She could see the horror in her friend's eyes. "It will be okay. I heard about the new idea of getting rid of it before it comes. Were you with him last night? Do you have any money?" "Of course I was with him last night and he paid me fairly well. Why do you want to know?" "You aren't going to like what I have to say but you must listen. We're already in trouble with the bulls so there isn't really any other choice. You will get on a train and ask the conductor for the nearest hospital. You will go there and ask the doctor the details. Here," she said reaching into her dress pocket. "I don't have too much but hopefully this will pay for it all." "How are you going to get money?" she asked, holding out her small hand and accepting the money. "I suppose I'll go with him for one more night. I don't know what then but I'll manage. The important thing is you and your life. Now you better hurry and catch the morning train." "But we'll never see each other." "Sure we will," she said, doubting the words as they escaped her mouth. "You better go and get out of this hell and make something of yourself. There is nothing stopping you now." "I must ask, why are you being so generous to me? What have I ever done to deserve a friend like you?" "You were my friend and that is what friends are for. Now, hurry and go!" The girl stood up and began to run toward the sunrise to the train station. The other watched her friend become smaller and smaller until she was a speck; until she was gone. All of her confidence gone to make a better life for herself and she, she was stuck here, waiting for another night, waiting for more money to pour in to live the next day doing the same. "I will leave, too," she thought to herself. "I'll make a life for myself somewhere other than here." The night she spent with him and the morning she spent on the train, running away from her old life and heading into and toward the new, hopeful future, confidently and not knowing what lay ahead. ~*~ That night, Jack crept out onto the fire escape. He couldn't sleep and always found peace on the fire escape. He sat there for a long time, contemplating the day's experiences. He had no idea that Daisy had such a strange past. He sat there in silence, absorbing the sounds of the peaceful night. "Jack?" He looked toward the window. "I knew I'd find you here," Daisy said, climbing onto the roof. "I need to talk to you." "Okay," he replied. She sat next to him. "It's about today. Thanks for rescuing me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there. I thought that I was being truthful when I told you about my past, I just left out a few things. It's annoying when a past that you wanted to forget catches up to you and kicks you." She took in a breath. "The truth is, Jack, I'm scared. I'm scared of what is going to happen to Carolyn and her baby and I'm scared of what John will do to her if he finds out. And, I'm scared that my past is going to catch up to me and I'm going to become who I was again. The whole deal of Carolyn and me living on the streets and what we did makes me want to vomit. I can't believe that we ever did something like that. We both were so confident and we just threw it away, and look what happened to Carolyn. I don't want that to happen again because it is the worst feeling and life in the world." "It won't happen again, don't worry. You aren't who you were. Under the circumstances, you did what you had to. Life is tough, I know. You gotta keep living it and forget about the past." "It's etched into me though. It's part of who I am." "But you're different now than you were then, I can tell. Without a past, there isn't a future and, Daisy, you learned from your mistakes. It won't happen again. That's exactly what the word past means; past." She smiled at him. "Thanks, Jack. I mean, thanks for everything. You have really helped me get back on my feet. Not many people would do that." "I'm just glad that I got the chance to meet you," he replied, looking at the ground. "You're a really great girl." "You're not mad at me for what I did?" He shook his head. "How could I be mad at you? That is who you were, not who you are. And, I really like the way you are." He looked into her blue eyes and they glimmered in the moonlight. "Thanks," she replied softly. Before she knew it, Jack's lips were on hers. He gently stroked her hair and she placed her hand on his shoulder and held him close. Her eyes remained closed as their lips parted. When she opened them, they were met by Jack's. "Don't change," he whispered. "I like you the way you are." "I won't," she said, smiling and tucking his blond hair behind his ear. "You'd better not either." She placed her lips gently on his once again. Then, she stood up and went back into the bunkroom. Jack stared after her for a while and then looked back up at the silver moon. Smiling to himself, he became lost in thought. ~*~ The next morning, Daisy awoke to Jack's light tapping on her shoulder. She smiled at him. "Good morning." Jack returned her smile and quietly said, "I'm gonna go sell papes now. I'll come back as soon as I'm done. I just didn't want you to wake up and find nobody here." "Can I come with you?" Daisy asked. "Ya wanna sell papes with me?" he asked. "Yeah," she replied. Jack smiled. "Okay. I'se got an idea. We sell the papes on our way to Brooklyn and we can visit your friend." She smiled again. "That's very thoughtful. I'd love to." As soon as Daisy got dressed, they were out the Lodging House door and in line waiting to buy newspapers. Jack took Daisy' hand and put a nickel in her palm. "I'll teach you how to sell," he said. She smiled a thank you. "Jack!" Jack turned around and saw Davey. "Hey, Dave! How ya doin'?" Jack replied, spit shaking with Davey. "I'm good. Hey, Jack, Sarah came with me and wants to talk to you. Daniel went back home on the train yesterday." He paused. "She really misses you, Jack." Jack nodded. "I hope she's not too sad that he's gone. Or maybe she is and that's why she's comin' back to me." "That's not why," Davey defended. "I know, I'm sorry," Jack replied. "So, Dave, where you been?" "Around," he replied. "Mostly at my house playing cards and junk with Les. Rainy days aren't any fun with a little brother." Jack smiled. "Hey, Dave, have you met Daisy?" Jack turned around and motioned Daisy to come over. "Dis is Daisy. Daisy, Davey." "Nice to meet you. Are you new here?" Davey asked. "Yeah," Daisy replied. "Jack?" Sarah asked, coming up behind him. Jack glanced at her. "Hey." "I'll go buy your papes, Jack," Davey said, walking toward the line. Daisy, a bit confused, barely took the hint and followed Davey into the line. "So," Sarah said once Davey and Daisy were out of earshot, "how are you?" "Good," Jack replied. "I heard that Daniel left yesterday." Sarah nodded. "Yeah," she said, pausing. "Jack, I really miss you." There was a silence. "What do you want me to say, Sarah? Oh, I miss you too and let's get back together?" Jack smiled sarcastically. "What do you want me to do? You've already crushed all my feelings for you." "No, I don't want you to say that. I'm sorry for what I did, Jack and you know it. I don't need an answer from you. I just want to tell you how much I miss you. I realized that I made a big mistake because I wouldn't have done anything like that if I had known before that we couldn't be together anymore. I had a lot of fun with you, Jack, and I just wanted you to know that."  "I had a lot of fun with you too, Sarah. You… you really hurt me. I thought that we had something." He rolled his eyes. "I feel I've already said all of this before." "You have," she replied. "I just hope that we don't become enemies. I mean, if I can't have you as a boyfriend, I certainly don't want to give up having you as a friend. Will you still be my friend?" Jack looked into her eyes. They seemed truthful and pure. "It's gonna take a while, Sarah because I'm still angry. It's gonna take a while for that feeling to go away." "I understand." "But yeah, if you'll have me, I'll still be your friend," he said. She smiled. "I'll still have you… as a friend." They walked back to the line just as Davey came out with 200 newspapers. "Here, Jack," Dave said handing him his 100 papes. "I was teaching Daisy how to buy papes. It takes skill, I tell ya, dealing with the Delancys and Weasel." Jack smiled. "You wanna sell with me and Les today, Jack?" Davey asked. Jack shook his head. "Daisy and I are planning on making our way to Brooklyn today. Your welcome to come with us if you want." "I can't go to Brooklyn. I gotta go home and help Momma after I'm done selling. I'll see ya around then?" Davey said. "Yeah," Jack replied. They spit shook. "You ready?" he asked after Davey left. Daisy nodded and they started walking. "Who was that girl?" Daisy asked. "My old girlfriend." "What did she want?" Daisy asked. "She wanted to know if we could still be friends." "What did you say?" "I said yes. Why do you want to know?" "Do you still like her?" "Well, yeah. I mean, I caught her cheating on me and I couldn't keep dating her after I saw that." "You mean you still like her?" "Yeah. What's wrong?" "Do you like me or was the kiss last night a fluke?" "What do you mean? No, it wasn't a fluke. It was perfect for the moment. What's eating at you?" "I didn't know that you still liked your old girlfriend. If I would have known that you did, I wouldn't have kissed you last night." She turned around in a huff and started walking in the opposite direction. Jack just stood there, confused. A few minutes later, Daisy came back. "This would have been a lot more dramatic if I had somewhere to go," she said, stomping her foot on the ground and trying to hide an embarrassed smile. "Daisy, I don't still like my old girlfriend. I don't have any feelings for her anymore." She looked into his eyes. "Really?" He nodded. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little jealous because… because I really like you and I didn't want you to like someone else and not like me back." She looked at the ground. "I do like you, Daisy. I like you a lot," he replied. "Really?" Daisy asked, looking at him with a smile on her face. He smiled at her. "Yeah, of course I do. How could anyone not like you? You're really fun to be with." "You are too, Jack. You have been so nice to me since I got here. It's hard not to fall for someone so nice. I didn't mean what I said before about it being a fluke because I know that it wasn't and…" Before she could finish, Jack lifted her head to his and kissed her in front of the whole town. "Now tell me that that was a fluke," Jack said. She shook her head. "I can't." "Can I teach you how to sell papes now?" Jack asked. "I'd love it if you would," Daisy replied with a new cheeriness to her voice. ~*~ "Wake up, newsies! Sell those papes! Wake up," Kloppman yelled. Daisy opened her eyes, yawned, and kicked the bunk above hers, knowing that Jack was still asleep. She stood up and stretched. "Jack, get up," she said, gently shaking him. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning," she said, placing her lips on his. "Cut it out, you two," Racetrack shouted. "You'se making me sick!" "Knock it off Race, you're just jealous," Daisy shouted back jokingly. In the past few weeks, Daisy had become one of the "guys" and was accepted, generally, as just another newsie, despite the fact that she was a girl and, one that was admired by all the newsies. "Do you want to go to Brooklyn today?" she asked. "I want to see how Carolyn is doing and you can see Spot and we can see if the bulls have caught John and Larry yet." Jack nodded. "Let me get out of bed." Soon, all the newsies were out the door and ready to buy papes. Jack and Daisy walked hand in hand. "Jack! Daisy!" Davey and Les stood at the bottom of the Lodging House steps just like they had for the last few weeks. "Hey, guys," Daisy said. "How's it rollin'?" Jack asked. "Not too bad," Davey responded half-hearted. "Heya, Les? Ya up for a little competitive selling to get the day rollin'?" Jack inquired as they reached the pape stand. "Yeah!" Les cried enthusiastically. "200 papes," Jack told Weasel. "200?" Weasel asked. "You heard me, Weasel." Weasel rolled his eyes and yelled at Oscar and Morris to give Cowboy 200 papes. "Who's da goil, Cowboy?" Morris asked as Jack went to get his papes. "What are ya blind? She's been with me for 3 weeks, Moron and ya just noticed her?" "I didn't just notice her. She's a looker. What's her name?" he asked. Jack rolled his eyes. "You better not try nothin' with her, Morris and if you do I'll get da bulls on your tail and you'll wish you ain't never said nothin' about her." "Jack?" Daisy asked. "What's taking you so long?" She looked at Morris and smiled politely. "Ma'am," Morris said grinning and tipping his hat. "How are ya?" "Fine," Daisy started before Jack took her arm. "Let's go," Jack said leading Daisy away. "Who was that?" Daisy asked after they were out of earshot. "Morris Delancy, a greaseball that works in the pape stand." "He gave me the creeps but it's funny because he looks familiar." "You know him?" Jack asked. She shook her head. "No, no. It's probably just my mind." Les ran up to Jack. "You're gonna sell 200 papes? I can't win if you do that." Jack shook his head. "No, half of these are for Daisy. How many did you get?" "100," Les answered. "Good. When you're finished selling all of yours, go to Tibby's. Whoever gets there first having sold all of their papes is the winner. Go!" Les smiled and ran off. He loved the attention Jack gave him. Jack smiled at Daisy. "I'm gonna let him win because we're going to Brooklyn and won't get back in time to beat him." They went to Brooklyn and sold their papes along the way. After a long walk, they arrived at the Brooklyn Lodging House in late afternoon and all the Brooklyn Newsies were just coming back from a day of selling. "Jacky-boy!" "Hey Spot," Jack said, turning around and seeing Spot. "Heya. Whatcha up to?" "Not too much. You?" Spot shook his head. "Hard day of pape selling." He looked at Daisy. "Hey Daisy. Daisy?" She had her eyes closed and her head seemed to be swaying in the air. It seemed as if she could've fallen to the ground at that moment. "Daisy?" Jack said, touching her arm. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah," she replied, shaking her head a little. "I'm just a little tired, I guess. Spot, where's Carolyn?" "Inside, I think. She was feeling tired this morning and didn't sell. I wanted to stay with her but she told me to go sell anyway." "I'm gonna go talk to her." She turned around and followed some newsies into the Lodging House. Jack and Spot gave each other a worried look. "So, Carolyn's really your girlfriend, Spot?" Jack asked walking to the pier. "Yeah," Spot replied following him. "You're okay with the whole baby situation?" He nodded and draped his arms over the side of the dock and gazed into the water. "It's her I like, Jack, the good and the bad. I don't really mind it all that much." "I don't mean to put you down but it's not yours, Spot." "I know that. To tell you the truth, I don't really think about it that much. I haven't had a goilfriend in a long time and it's really nice to finally have one. I mean, I like her as a person, not just as a girlfriend. Aside from her growing stomach and big appetite," he said smiling, "she's just the regular Carrie that I like. So, how's Daisy?" "She's great. I really like her. She likes being a newsie and I like being with her. There's more to her that what meets the eye. She's nice, thoughtful, and, well, she's pretty, too." Spot smiled. "So is Carolyn. We're lucky guys, Jacy-boy. We know how to pick `em." "They know how to pick us!" Jack remarked. "Hi, Daisy," Carolyn said as Daisy walked into the bunkroom. "Hi. You feeling okay?" Daisy asked. "I'm just a little sick. I'm sure it's the baby." Daisy nodded. "How far along are you?" "7 months but it seems like forever," she replied. "You know what I was thinking? I was thinking how good my life is right now, what with Spot being my boyfriend and this job as a newsie. Daisy, I never thought I'd say this but I actually want to have this baby. I'm not afraid anymore. Even if it is John's baby, it's my baby, too and it isn't going to be deprived of love or anything." "Really? Do you mean it?" "Yes, I do. In fact, I'm looking forward to it." "That's good, Carolyn. It's comforting for me to know that too because I'm so worried about you and the baby." "Carrie, how are you feeling?" Spot asked coming into the bunkroom with Jack. "I'm better," she replied smiling up at him. "Hi, Jack." "Hey," he replied. "Spot, have you heard anything about John and Larry?" Daisy asked. Spot had taken the liberty to tell the cops about John and Larry because he was the one, oddly enough, who was in less trouble with the bulls than the rest of his friends. He had to maneuver the story, however, as to not get Daisy or Carolyn in trouble. He shook his head. "They're looking, I know that much but, so far, no one has reported another crime that could be linked to them so we just have to keep waiting." Daisy frowned. "I hope they find them. They deserve to be put behind bars." "When I hear something about them, you know that you will be the first to know," Spot said. "Anyone for a poker game," a newsie yelled out, "come over heah!" "I'm game," Daisy said. "Me, too," Carolyn chimed in. Before they knew it, Jack and Daisy were playing poker until evening. As soon as the last earnings were collected and the debts paid, Daisy realized the time. "Jack, it's evening. We better get back to the Lodging House before they close their doors for the night!" "You're right. We'll see you later, Spot. Thanks for letting us stay here." "See ya guys!" Spot said, shoving his few winnings into his pocket. "Feel better, Carolyn!" Daisy said. Outside, the air was cold. "What does this remind you of, Jack?" Daisy asked. He shrugged. "The first day that we met, remember?" Jack smiled and put his arm around her. "I thought that you were the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. I still do" "Really? I thought that same thing about you." "No kidding," he replied. "It was something about the cowboy hat, I think," she said jokingly. "So you like my hat?" "I like everything about you." "But, more importantly, you like my hat?" She laughed. "Yes, I love your hat." They walked in silence for a while. "I really like you, Jack. Ever since I got here I've liked you. I never really believed in love because I thought that it would never happen in real life but, I think that it did." "You are the best girl I have ever met. I love being with you and all I can ever think about is you, all day." She gazed into his eyes and he gazed into hers and before they knew it, their lips were together in a passionate kiss. They walked hand in hand through an alley, supposedly a shortcut back to Manhattan. All of a sudden, Jack was thrust into a wall and fell to the ground. "Jack!" Daisy cried, running to him. Her arms were grabbed and she was pulled up. She could feel someone's hot breath on her cheek. "We meet again, Sunshine," said a voice. "Where's my whore? I heard she's carrying my baby," said another. Daisy knew the voices immediately. "Jack!" she screamed. "Jack? That's his name?" John said. He sneered, turned around and kicked him hard in the side. "Jack ass." "Please stop! What do you want with me?" Daisy pleaded. "We want what we had before," Larry said. "Can you do that?" "No, I won't do that!" "Then we'll just have to make you. Did you really think that you could just run away from your old life? Well, it's not that easy, sweetface. Once you're a whore, you're always a whore and not just to me. Who is this Jack? Another customer?" Daisy glanced over at Jack who was holding his side and struggling to get up. "No, he's not a customer, you bastard! Did you come all this way just to get Carolyn and me? What a pathetic life! Didn't you have anything better to do? Get yourself a new whore because I'm through!" She spat in his face and kicked him. "Let go of me!" Larry punched her and she fell to the ground where he proceeded to kick her. "Help! Help, please! Someone!" Daisy screamed as Larry tried to lift her skirt. "Jack!" Jack staggered over to her and threw a lousy punch at Larry who threw one back at Daisy. She screamed in pain. "Jack! Help me please!" John and Larry ganged up on Jack and hit him until he fell. Then, they ran over to Daisy. "What do you want with me?" she screamed. "You come back with me and we can have it all," Larry said. "I don't want to have anything to do with you!" "You're going to wish you hadn't said that." He slapped her. "What's it going to be, huh? If you won't, then tell us where Carolyn is. She'll come, won't she John?" John nodded. "Yeah." "Follow me now and I'll pay you better than I did before. Are you listening to me?" He slapped her. "Are you?" She didn't reply but held her hand against her bruised cheek. "Why do you want me?" she screamed. "Am I the only one you could get?" "Shut up," Larry said. "I've had enough of you. Are you coming or not? You can get away from this street trash Cowboy you've been with for 3 weeks." "How did you know that?" Daisy asked. "My buddy Morris told me `bout you. That's how we found you, you know." He sneered. "Or did you already know that? He's had his eye on you for a while now. So, are you coming?" "I'd rather die!" she screamed back. Larry had had enough. He kicked her hard in the side. "I always knew you were worthless and didn't know what was best for you!" He kicked her over and over again. She knew that she was screaming but could feel nothing except the pain that Larry was giving her. She tried to look for Jack but he wasn't there where he had been lying before. Suddenly, faint sirens could be heard in the distance. "Damn," John said, "someone called the bulls." "Your last chance, Daisy. You come now and we'll give you a good life back home," Larry said. "You'd better run or the bulls will get you," she replied wearily. She gathered up her courage and said,  "Did you really think that I would say yes to you filthy pigs? I hate you and I always will!" John kicked her in the side. "We'll find Carolyn and get her then. Larry never wanted you anyway but you were just so damn cheap that he couldn't resist." Tears streamed down her face as she felt one more blow to the head and blurrily saw Larry and John run down the alley. "Jack?" she whispered. "Where are you?" She tried to stand and used the wall to help herself up. She was very dizzy and couldn't see straight. "Daisy?" She could hear Jack's voice calling her. "Jack. I'm over here, Jack," she whispered. Her voice wouldn't let her yell or scream, just whisper. Suddenly her head became heavy and she couldn't hold it up any longer. "Daisy? Where are you?" Jack ran around a corner and saw Daisy collapse to the ground. "Daisy!" he yelled running over to her. "Daisy? Wake up!" He touched her cheek. "Daisy!" She weakly opened her eyes. "Oh, Jack, where were you? My head hurts… bad, so bad…" she trailed off. "I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I knew I couldn't take them alone. I yelled to some lady to phone the bulls. I'm sorry I wasn't there." "You're here now and that's all that matters. Stay here with me." She winced as she spoke each word but was determined to say it. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. What about you?" "I'm not so good, Jack," she tried to joke. "I can't see you clearly." "Hold on, Daisy. Help is coming. It's okay." He held her head in his arms and stroked her hair. "Jack, Jack," Daisy said. "Shhh. I'm right here. It's okay. Don't worry, help is on the way." He said this more to comfort himself than Daisy. "My head hurts, Jack." She looked into his eyes and saw tears welled up. "Don't cry, Jack. Please, don't cry." She tried to reach up and wipe a tear away. "I'm not," he said. "It's bad enough that I am." The sirens had gotten so loud that the sound pierced Daisy's ears to the point where she screamed, not only in annoyance of the sirens but in pain, frustration, fear, and anguish. "What's wrong?" Jack inquired. "Nothing," she replied, wincing at the lie. "What happened?" someone yelled. "Over here," Jack yelled. "Come quick! She's hurt." Three people rushed over to where Daisy lay. "You look bruised up yourself, boy," one said. "I'm okay. She needs help." "I'm scared, Jack," Daisy whispered as they ran to get the stretcher. "Don't be, Daisy. There's nothing to be scared of. I'll be right here. They're here to help you." Tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Don't worry, baby." They came back with the stretcher and picked her up. Jack saw her, through the flashing red lights of the ambulance, wince in pain. He grabbed her hand and they ran her to the car but Jack was pushed back. "Sorry kid. We don't let just any street rat in here," someone said. "But I'm her…" "I don't care." "Jack?" Daisy said, worried. "It's okay, Daisy. I'm right behind you. Don't worry. I'll be right there," Jack said, flustered. He held on to her hand tightly. "Come with me, Jack!" Daisy called as they loaded her into the car. Jack was pushed away and was forced to let go of her hand. "We need to get her to a hospital - without you." "Jack!" Daisy yelled. "Calm down," someone said to her. "It'll be okay." "I want Jack!" she said to the woman. "I'll be right there. Just wait!" Jack yelled. He caught a glimpse of her sad, bruised face calling out to him as they shut the door and sped off. "What happened, son?" a cop asked. "We got a call from someone who said that she heard screaming over here and someone came to her door and told her to call the cops. Was that you? Can you tell me what happened?" "Can I see my girlfriend?" Jack yelled. "You can just as soon as you tell me what happened," the cop answered. "You got here just in time," he said. "I didn't know if I could leave her to yell at that woman to call you. My side was hurting and I knew that I couldn't take them alone." He felt the whole story pouring out of his mouth but could only think of Daisy as each word hit the cop's ear. "John Touchman and Larry Hughson?" the cop asked. Jack nodded carelessly. "We've gotten more reports on them in the last few weeks…" he trailed off. "Haven't been able to find them yet. Do you know where they went?" He shook his head. The cop took down his name and where he was "staying" and told him that he would be notified if any more information was needed about the convicts. "You're a newsie? The newsie that started all those rallies?" Jack nodded and the cop stifled a laugh. "How is this girl going to pay for the hospital bill?" "Can I please see her now?" Jack could feel the tears welling up at the thought of Daisy. The cop nodded reluctantly. "Thanks for the information. We'll have these guys caught in no time with that Morris Delancy telling us about them. The hospital is that way." Jack glared at the cop. "I know where it is. You ain't gonna offer me a ride?" "We don't let your kind in a clean cop car unless you're in there because you're under arrest. Have a nice night kid. Sell extra newspapers because hospital bills are expensive. Too bad you don't have any money to keep her alive." He and the other cop smirked at the joke. Jack stared at the cop in disbelief. "I can't believe that you are really a protector of the law. You don't seem any better than a street rat yourself!" "Keep it up and I'll rip this claim up in front of you," the cop threatened. Jack rolled his eyes. "You have a nice night yourself," he said sarcastically. Then he turned and ran all the way to the hospital. ~*~ It was late when he reached the big brick building. It took him a good hour to get clear across town. "I'm looking for a girl who came in here about a few hours ago. Her name is Daisy." The receptionist looked at him strangely. "The doctor over there can help you. You her husband?" He shook his head. "No." "You look like a good kid to me. Tell him that you are. It's the only way you'll get any information from him." "Thank you," Jack said, and ran to the doctor. "Did a girl named Daisy come in a couple hours ago?" The doctor looked at him blankly. "Who are you?" "I'm Jack Kelly. Her… her," he stuttered, "her husband." "She was asking for you in the ambulance before she passed out." "Where is she? Can I see her?" "Follow me," the doctor said. He led him to a small room and made him sit down. "She is very sick, Jack. Had Daisy experienced dizziness before the fight? Any fainting or light-headedness?" Jack tried to think back. "All I know is that I saw her collapse after they left her alone. Oh, I remember her seeming a little out of it this morning. Why?" "I believe I know what it wrong," the doctor said folding his fingers. "What?" Jack almost yelled. "During the fight, she must have been hit or kicked hard in the side. Her internal organs are not functioning properly at the moment. However, this could be due to her brain. Prior to the fight, I've concluded that she was not getting enough oxygen to her brain and that is what caused her to collapse after the fight. It isn't the fight that is making her so sick, it is the deadly combination of the two conditions." "Can I please see her?" Jack said. "I have tried to wait patiently but now I'm tired of pretending to listen. I don't care about what anyone is saying. I just want to see her. Can you do that for me, Doctor?" The doctor got up from his desk. "I can. Go across the hall and she is in that room the first bed." Jack was out of his chair and across the hall before the doctor knew it. He ran through the door and saw her lying on a dingy hospital bed. "Daisy!" he said taking her hand in his. "I'm here now." Slowly, she turned her head to face him. "Jack," she whispered, a small smile spreading across her face. He touched her cheek but didn't say anything. He just smiled weakly because he was glad to be with her. "I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked. Jack shook his head. "No, you're not dying. You are healthy and you'll get well soon." "Jack, do you remember when I told you that you reminded me of someone but I couldn't think of who?" He nodded. "Yeah?" "I remembered," she said smiling. "I always dreamed of someone coming to rescue me from my life. I hated everything about my life and I always dreamed that someone would come and take me out of it, something aside from reality. I never knew who. I always had dreams of the person taking me away to someplace not real where we were always happy, for eternity. I never knew who would do this but I knew that I would recognize it when it happened, if it happened. And it did, it really did. Jack, that person is you. You remind me of who I've always been searching for. You are the one. You took me out of life, into a dream. Now, I know that I can go in peace because I have found everything I've always searched for." She touched his cheek. "I love you, Jack. I love you with all of my heart and soul." A tear rolled down Jack's cheek. "I love you too, Daisy, and you can't leave now, we've only just begun the dream." "I have to. You can't stop what destiny has in store for you." "There isn't a destiny because if there was, you wouldn't be taken away from me right now!" he cried. "It's for the best. I've already found my destiny and you still have to figure out yours." "I don't know what my destiny is but I'm sure it's you and me together." "You have the rest of your life to live and…" she stopped mid-sentence. "Daisy?" Jack asked. "I love you, Jack," she pulled his head close to hers and kissed him gently. "What am I supposed to do without you?" "Live your life, have fun, love someone…" "I can't love anyone but you." "Yes you can. Whoever you choose to love is a lucky girl." "How can you say this, Daisy? You said you loved me and I said I loved you but you're saying now that I should love someone else? It doesn't make sense." "Don't be mad. I know what I'm saying." He shook his head. "I don't want to believe it." "I know but you have to." She took in a big breath. "Oh, I'm tired. Could you find the nurse for me?" Jack wiped his face on the back of his hand and nodded. He walked out of the room abruptly. His feelings were so mixed that he could hardly stand it. He walked through the halls, not knowing where he was going, looking for her nurse. He suddenly realized that he was going around in a circle when he saw the nurse coming out of Daisy's room. "She's sleeping," she said to Jack. He nodded silently and walked into the room. Sitting down on a chair next to the bed, he took her hand. He then realized how tired he was. It was mid-morning and outside it was dark. Jack fell asleep while thinking about everything that had happened that day. ~*~ The day was dark and gloomy and the raindrops fell heavily onto the brick siding of the hospital. Jack sat next to Daisy's hospital bed, clinging to her hand. He had been there for almost 2 days straight since Daisy had gone into a coma. As she slept, he watched her and hoped that she would wake up soon. Jack thought back on the day before when Spot had come over to the hospital. "Hey," Spot had said to Jack. "Hey," Jack replied. "Git yourself something to eat. You ain't looking too good." He shook his head. "That's okay. I ain't hungry." "You have any money or haven't you been selling papes?" "Spot, do you really think that I would be selling papes?" "Here, take some money and eat something." He shook his head again. "I don't want your money." "You haven't eaten for 2 days. You look like a wreck." "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I hope you get up to snuff soon. You know, she ain't dead." He looked up at him with a melancholy look in his eyes. "Get out of here. I don't wanna talk to you right now." Spot had sulked out of the room, feeling guilty for saying something so hurtful to Jack. Jack squeezed Daisy's hand. "Daisy, please wake up. I can't stand you not being here. I know that I didn't want to believe that what you said was right. I'm still thinking about it and I still don't know what you mean. I'm not mad at you anymore, I promise, I just didn't know what to feel when you told me all of that. I just want to talk to you again and see you smile again. I'm just not ready to let you go yet." Daisy opened her eyes right then. "I'm ready to go now," she said abruptly. He jumped. Her face had gained some color and for a split second, Jack could see the old fun-loving girl he had first met. "You have to let me go, Jack." Jack's heart suddenly felt lifted and everything around him seemed to change. "I love you," he said. "I love you more." She smiled up at him. He smiled back at her. Then, she closed her eyes, squeezed Jack's hand, and was gone. Tears flowed out of Jack's eyes. Big tear drops of sadness, grief, and loneliness. Aside from the blurring of his eyes, he concentrated on her beautiful, smiling face that was now someplace else. ~*~ After a few hours, as Jack was walking out the hospital doors, the nurse ran up to him. "Jack Kelly?" she called. He turned around. "Yeah?" The nurse handed him a note. "She wanted you to have this after she passed away." Jack's stomach lurched and he took the note carefully. He opened it and it read: Jack, go to Santa Fe. It's your destiny. I love you and I'll always be watching over you. He smiled sadly to himself. Tears welled in his eyes as he turned the note over. On the back was a number. He looked up at the nurse. "What does the number mean?" "Oh, yes, she told me to tell you that it is your bank account that you two started together after your wedding. She said you were a little forgetful." "Our wedding?" "Yes. You two were married, right?" He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we were." "I'm sorry. She seemed like a very nice girl." "She was. The nicest girl I'd ever met." She smiled and walked back inside. Jack turned around and walked away from the hospital. ~*~ Jack picked up a newspaper and began to read it. He had bought it from a newsie on the street for a dollar. The train lurched forward as he opened the front page and caught a glimpse of the headline, Two Men Caught After 6 Major Attacks. He read it further. The verdict is finally in for John Touchman and Larry Hughson, two men accused of attacking 6 women. Along with their accomplice, Morris Delancy, these men are sentenced to life in prison. Jack stopped reading and smiled to himself. "Serves them all right," he thought. He looked out the window at the passing land and thought about everything that was in store for him. He placed his head against the window and became lost in thought.  ~*~ Dear Davey, How is everything going back there? How is Les? He's 15  now, isn't he? And Racetrack? I heard that he won a big game of poker and is living good! How's Mush? Did he really get into acting professionally? Sarah  started her own clothing company, didn't she? She's good at that kind of thing. And, what about you Dave? How's college? I always knew you were smart enough to go to college. I heard that Spot and Carolyn's son, Brooklyn, is going to be a big brother. I still can't believe that he is almost 3 years old. That means that they have been married almost 2 years! I wish we all didn't split up after everyone grew up. To tell you the truth, I miss being a newsie and being with all my friends all the time. I'm glad everyone is doing okay, though. Someday, we should all get together again. I don't know if I already told you but the fortune that Daisy left me brought me down here in the first place but it also bought me my new ranch. Well, I'm a cowboy now, Dave. I have my own ranch and I'm raising horses. Maybe someday you could come visit me down here in Santa Fe. That would be fun. I'll even let you ride on my favorite horse. She's really pretty and can run as fast as lightning. I've been down here for almost 5 years, and it seems like only a few weeks! I love it down here. The sun is always out and shining and the horses are always willing to go for a run. I hope to hear from you again soon. Give your family my best and say hi to Les for me. Oh, and, tell Spot that he should come visit, too. Brooklyn would love the horses and so will the new baby, I'm sure. It would be nice to see him again. Keep in touch, Dave. Cowboy