"My Old Friend"

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, yadda yadda yadda, you get da drill! Tuesday owns Esco, Lil' Italy owns Butcher, Poker O'Shea owns Poker and Cut O'Shea, Sneaks owns Preacher, the name Trey Campbell (given to young Kid Blink) belongs to my boss, and it just so happens that the name Mike Rodgers was the name of that guy on Saved By the Bell: The College Years (which, by the way, is much more cheesy and corny than the first ones!) But anyway, that just goes to say that I own nothing! Ya happy? Good.
A/N: I'm not sure of the specific sleeping arrangements in the lodging house, but for the purposes of my story, Kid Blink and Jack's bunks are next to each other's, and Race's is right under Blink's. I think that's how it is anyway! Anywoo, enjoy!

Thoughts from an author's mind: In setting out to write "My Old Friend," my first goal was simply to write a good Newsies story: accurate, believable, grammatically correct, interesting, etc. But this has become quite a project for me. It is, in at least three different ways, a coming of age story. After about page 20 or 25, I finally realized this and tried my best to fully develop each of these sub-plots. This story is my baby. I didn't choose the plot; in effect, it chose me. I had already started another Newsies story (which, btw, didn't amount to jack), but I just started thinking, "What if Jack really did go to Santa Fe?" I suppose we've all wondered that, but then I started singing Santa Fe and putting in different words, and it just wouldn't leave me alone! So this is just my take on what it might possibly could be like. So, without further ado…

Chapter One: I'm Still Here

"Santa Fe
I'm still here
Do ya swear that you remember?
How I promised you that I would come someday?
Now the boys is finally sleepin'
And I think I'll take my chance
And I'll hop the train that's bound for Santa Fe…"

Jack Kelly boldly walked up to the Grand Central Terminal and dug in his pockets for the money that he had been saving for the past couple of weeks. "One way to Santa Fe."

--- Kid Blink awoke suddenly in the middle of the night. His eye shot open. He looked around wearily, his hazy mind gradually picking up the inkling that something was wrong. Yes, something was definitely wrong…Jack. It had to be. His friend had been acting rather strangely for the past week or so. He always had this far-off, rather dreamy look in his eyes, and he acted very distant. Since the strike was over, he hadn't been the same fearless leader, always standing up for the weaker boys, solving problems, and doing the normal leadership duties that he had always been so good at, making them seem effortless. Blink resisted the urge to wake Racetrack or one of the other guys and tell him of his suspicions about Jack. They would just shrug him off, think him crazy, and tell him to go back to sleep. Jack's bed was empty, but that wasn't uncommon considering the normal proceedings of the past couple of weeks. Cowboy often slept outside, claiming to enjoy the unpleasantly cold, wet weather. Blink had begun to infer that for some reason, perhaps Jack couldn't pay his rent, but would never have the guts to suggest that to his friend. Newspaper sales had been pretty high lately in light of the still recent strike. Either Jack had been saving up his money for something he wouldn't tell anyone about, or he was spending all of his money on something he couldn't tell anyone about. Maybe it had something to do with his falling out with Sarah Jacobs three weeks ago. "You're a dirty, lazy street rat, and I wish I had never fallen in love with you!"

Jack's eyes widened crazily. "Well I'se glad Mush an' Boots caught your hoity-toity butt cheatin! If dat's how yous been actin da whole time, I wish you hadn't neither!"

"I did love you! But it's over! You're a dreamer, Jack Kelly, and that's all you'll ever be!" Sarah accused, wagging a finger in his face. "You'll never amount to anything! You're gonna be living on the street your whole life! You're not always gonna land on your feet." She took a deep breath, calming down slightly. "You'll never get to Santa Fe, Jack. You're dreaming your life away, and mine. It's been fun, but dreams won't put food on the table! Henry can provide for me! He's got plans, big plans."

"Sarah, I gots plans!" Jack insisted adamantly.

"There's a difference between dreams and plans, Jack. Henry is getting an education, he's going to law school next year. I'll have security. I love him, I'm happy with him. If you really loved me, you would be happy for me!"

"Oh, of course, what's wrong wid me?" Jack threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. "Why ain't I thrilled to find out dat my goilfriend's been cheatin on me for da past month!?"

Sarah stared him down evenly, shaking her head slightly. "Someday, your luck's gonna run out, Jack Kelly. And I'm not gonna be around to see it."

These were the last words she ever said to him. As these events re-played themselves over and over through Jack's racing mind as his train pulled into the grimy station, his anger gave him more courage and resolve to do what, two months before, would have been nigh unthinkable. The breakup had been the catalyst to his renewed dream of escaping to Santa Fe. Everything had been going great. The strike had concluded with a great victory, newspaper sales were higher than ever, and he was in love. But, the strike was over. Obviously, Sarah was over. What now? The guys didn't need a leader anymore. And David and Les? They had gone back to school about a month and a half after the strike. It had been horrible for Jack. He knew he had to be strong for his friend, so he had tried his best to take it as easily as possible.

"Hey, Cowboy. I need to talk to you." David hardly ever used Jack's nickname.

"Sure Davey, what's goin on?" Jack asked somewhat apprehensively, sitting down on the curb.

David followed suit. "Jack, my father's doing much better."

"Well that's great, send him my regards," Jack congratulated, clapping Dave on the back.

"No Jack, that's not it. The factory gave him his job back. He's starting work tomorrow."

"So far so good. I don't see no problem, Davey."

David took a deep breath and continued. "Jack, Les and I have to go back to school."

"What?"

"My parents always told us that as soon as dad got his job back, we would start school again. We don't need to earn the extra money."

A rush of memories came flooding back to Jack, and he shook his head to try to dispel the lump beginning to form in the back of his throat.

"Jack, you don't get it, do you? Me and Les won't be selling papes anymore. I can't do that! I'm a newsie now! That's all I want to be. I don't want to go back to school."

Jack turned his head back to David, and the other could see red rims beginning for form around Jack's eyes. "Davey, I don't wantcha to go back to school neither. But ya gots to do whatcha gots to do. I gots to sell papes, and yous gots to go to school."

"But Jack, I'm different now. You and the rest of the guys have taught me so much, I've really changed."

"Good. It'll help ya out. If I'se taught you anyt'ing I want it to be that it ain't always bad to take a chance, shake t'ings up a bit. Go for it. I know yous is gonna be alright." He enveloped Dave in a sudden hug. "I'se gonna miss yous two, we all will. But you'll be by to visit, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. And you know you're welcome to come over for dinner whenever you want."

A grin broke across Jack's face. "Thanks, Davey. I t'ink I'll take ya up on dat."

The boys stood and exchanged another hug, "Thanks Jack. I feel much better." But Jack could see his friend's eyes twinkling with held back tears. "I-I'd better be getting home," David coughed softly. "Okay, I'll see ya Dave." He spit in his palm and extended it to David, who returned the gesture.

The boys then went their separate ways, each desperately trying to quell the small flood of tears he had been hiding from the other.

Blink remembered that night. Jack had come in several hours later, but Blink was still awake. Blink had quietly watched his friend lying there for a few moments, a tear or two still slowly making its way down his cheeks.

Jack looked over to see the one-eyed boy quizzically watching the last few tears slither down his face and quickly rolled over. "Blink!" came the surprised squeak. He quickly cleared his throat, adding, "What you still doin awake?" with a slight hint of defensive annoyance.

"Couldn't sleep," Blink answered shortly, trying to pretend he hadn't seen what he knew he had. "So what's goin on?"

"Davey and Les is goin back to school," Jack confided with a defeated sigh. "Fadda got his job at da factory back."

Blink was truly shocked. "No way. Dat ain't right!"

"I knows it."

The two boys lay awake for the rest of the night, talking some, laughing a little, and simply thinking.

He boarded the train with confidence. The train, his escape. His portal to a new world, a world of rolling plains, open pastures, clear blue skies, and all he had ever read about in his books.

He finally allowed a few hot tears to trickle down his cheeks as he realized that most of his thoughts for a long while would dwell on the boarding house full of sleeping boys who he had left behind. As Jack thought back, he remembered how he and Kid Blink had bonded the night that Davey left. They had always had a special relationship, as most of the newsies did with one another, but after that night, it was different. At moments, one almost seemed to know what the other was thinking. Somehow, Jack knew that Blink was awake right now, and even that he probably suspected what he was up to. However, right after Jack and Sarah's break-up, when he first made up his mind to make his dream his reality, he began to distance himself from all of the guys. But especially from Blink, and also Racetrack, whom he had always been very close to as well. He feared they would suspect his intentions, but reasoned that the farther he pushed them away, the less they would be able to conclude. As the train roughly bumped on, he thought of a confrontation with Racetrack two weeks ago.

Racetrack walked up to an unusually quiet Jack during a bustling night at the lodging house.

"Hey Cowboy, why so quiet?"

Jack looked up from his reverie. "Oh, hey Race. Jus tired, I guess. What's up?"

Race looked at him skeptically and lit a cigar. "Dat's what I was gonna ax you."

"Whadaya mean?" Jack asked, taking the cigar out of Race's mouth and taking a puff.

"It's jus lately you been acting different. Like ya don't like us no more. You mad at me or somethin?"

"Ah, no way Race, I don't wantcha to think that."

"Well, me and Blink both's been noticin dat somet'in seems wrong. We'se worried aboutcha."

Jack took a long drag from Race's cigar and handed it back to him. "I guess I jus gots a lot on me mind is all."

Race thought he knew where Jack had been headed. "Ah, Sarah, I see. Jack, she's a jerk, you gotta get over her, man."

"Yeah, I know, but it's hard. I thought I was in love."

"I know it. But she's jus a goil. Dere's plenty of em out dere, eh Jacky-Boy," Race grinned and ribbed his friend, hoping to get a smile. He did. "We miss ya, Jack."

"I'se still here."

"I know, but yous just ain't da same. Hey, I'se here for ya if ya wants to talk. All da guys is, you remember dat."

For the first time in weeks, Jack genuinely smiled. He suddenly realized that the guys might really be okay without him. If they needed a leader, Race was probably their man. Blink also had a way of getting people's spirits up and encouraging peace and harmony, but may not quite have the guts to get them going on his own. As he continued to contemplate, he realized that all of his boys had become independent over the years. And they would raise the younger ones the same fashion. Yes, the Manhattan newsies' world would keep spinning without their beloved Cowboy.

Racetrack remembered having thought that the smile, which barely reached Jack's eyes, had looked a little funny. He had woken up about the time that Jack had started thinking about the conversation. He was already in a rather restless sleep, and Blink's constant thrashing on the bunk above his had finally roused him awake. The two had always been very close ever since Jack had saved a scrawny nine-year-old Race out of a sticky situation with the also young, but still big, Delancey Brothers. After that, the cowboy and the smart aleck had been inseparable. After a few moments, Blink's stirring had started to become really annoying, so Race pounded on his friend's bed frame, scaring him out of his wits. He leaned down to Race's bunk, breathing heavily, his eye wide with surprise.

"Heya Blinky-boy. Couldn't sleep neither I see."

"It's Jack, ain't it?" Blink quietly hopped down and sat next to Race on his bed.

Race sat up and moved over to make room for the other boy. "Well actually, you woke me up, tossin and turnin up dere. But yeah, I woke up t'inkin 'bout Jack."

"Whadaya t'ink's goin on?"

"Dunno."

"He been actin weird for awhile. I'se worried about 'im."

"Yeah." Race lit a cigar. "I woke up t'inkin bout dat talk I had wit Jack dat I told ya about. Blink, I ain't so sure he was t'inkin bout Sarah dat night."

"Me neither." He took a drag from the cigar Race offered, blue-ish smoke billowing languidly about their feet.

The guys sat in silence for a few moments, smoking and thinking. Eventually Race extinguished the cigar in a nearby potted plant. "So what should we do?"

"Whatever we decide, I say we wait till mornin. We gots to t'ink of somethin to tell de others."

"Well, we ain't even sure what's goin on yet, so we need to make up somethin to cover for 'im, so's dey don't get scared and start panickin'."

"Good idea. We's can say he spent da night at Davey's and's takin da day off."

"Yeah," Race agreed. "But Kid, we can't cover for 'im forever, ya know."

"I know, so's we gonna go lookin for 'im." Realization had been dawning on Blink over the past few minutes. It took those few moments for his thoughts to fully develop, but thought he had an idea of where their friend had gone.

"Where we gonna look, Blink? What if we can't find 'im? We gots no idea where he went."

Blink started to get excited. "Race, t'ink about it. What's been da Cowboy's dream ever since we knowed 'im?"

The same realization hit Race like a ton of bricks. "Santa Fe," he whispered. "Of course, how could we have been so blind?"

Blink resisted the urge to laugh at the irony of Race's last comment. Race hadn't noticed. "I say we go now."

"What? Blink, what happened to waitin for tomorrow? We can't go now!"

"We have to! What good will it be to wait for mornin, we ain't gonna sleep anyway! We might even be able to catch him before he gets on the train! Come on Racetrack. Take a gamble," he implored.

Race seemed to ponder for a mere short moment. "Let's do it."