"What are you doing?" Jack asked walking up to me. I sat on the floor cross-legged. I inhaled deeply held it for two seconds and then exhaled.

"Breathing."

"What for?"

"..Uh gee, I dunno. Maybe ta live or somethin?"

"Watch ya mouth, Goily."

"Who you callin 'Goily'" I asked standing up

"Who's the only goil around dis place?" Jack smeared shaving cream all over his face.

"Quit ya bawlin, you two." Mush came up and washed his face in the sink.

"Psh, who ast you, Mush?" Jack and I said at the same time. We both couldn't help but laugh at this.

Jack, Mush and all of the other Newsies around here were my best friends and they were just like brothers to me.

I sat wet and cold in a Manhattan alley. "I miss my mom. And my dad." I said to myself as I began sobbing, " And I'm cold and hungry."

"Well, I can fix that." I heard a voice say. I tugged my knees closer to my body as a hand shot down, offering to help me up. I just stared at it. I trailed up his arm and looked at his face.

"Who are you?

"Some call me Jack."

"What do other people call you?"

"Well, let's not go there…. So what's yer name?"

"Jessica. But my… mom and dad used to call me Jesi." Thinking about my mom and dad made me cry again.

"What happened to 'um?"

"They left me here, yesterday."

"Aw, see, Sweetie, they don't mean nuttin' now cuz, now youse gots me. And I got a whole big family. Ain't no mom or dad but I gots lotsa brudders and now I gots a little sista, too." He smiled at me and I smiled back.

" Okay. What's your last name? We can't be family with different last names."

"You're cute kid. Kelly's da last name. How old are ya?"

" 8."

"I'm ten. Almost eleven. Let's go meet da rest of da family."

"Where's Race at?"

"Da bumma's still sleepin'. Go boder 'im till he wakes up."

"I was gonna do dat any way." I walked over to Race's bunk. Blink jumped off the top bunk, "Heya, Blink." " Mornin, Jes."

" Hey Race. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" I shook him and took his covers off. It seemed to do nothing.

"Racetrack! Wake up. I'll smoke all ya cigars!"

"Don't touch me smokes!" He shot up in his bed, hitting his head on the top.

"I knew that'd get ya up. C'mon Race, get outta bed."

"I'm goin, I'm goin." He put his pants on and laced up his boots. He went over to the bathroom area and shaved and washed his face. I was sitting on his bed, shuffling his cards. He came over put his hat on, put a cigar in his pocket and took the cards from my hands.

"C'mon, newsies time ta go!" Jack rushed.

"Hey Race, I'll race ya outside." I offered Race.

"You're on."

"Ready… go! Last one there is a rotten egg!" We shoved through all of the other boys, racing down flights of stairs.

" I WIN!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, I let ya get a head start."

"Yeah, right. You're just embarrassed cause youse lost to a goil."

We sat outside the gates, killing time until they opened.

"Gimme all ya…. Sevens." Mush demanded.

"Uh.. Go fish." Blink said.

"Hey guys. Let's play some poka." Race interrupted mine, Mush's and B link's game of go fish.

"I'm in." Mush said throwing his cards in a pile.

"I'm in." Blink followed suit.

"I'm in!" I exclaimed.

"Naw, Jes. Jack said you ain't gambling til youse 14,like us." Race said

"Awww, Race! C'mon! Lemme play!"

"No! And, youse waited thoiteen years, what's anudder day?"

"It's a lifetime Race, simply a lifetime!" I said dramatically, putting my hand to my forehead and pretending to faint, leaning on Mush.

"Well, since youse put it like dat… uh no."

"Fine! Well, uh, can I teach youse another game real quick? It's called 52.K, gimme all da cards, heah." I heard the bell ring and the gates opened. I threw the cards in the air making them go everywhere.

"52!" I exclaimed. I shoved my way through the crowd to catch up to Jack.

"Hey! I need youse ta buy me some papes. Fer when I go to da Sheepsheads wit' Race." Jack bought me fifty papes. I went to go find Race again.

"Hey, youse still goin to da Sheepsheads with me?" He found me.

"Of coise. How'd ya like day game I taught cha?"

"It was pretty lousy, s'all I can say."

"Delancey's, three o'clock."

"Let's go bum a ride 'fore dey see us."

We caught a ride on some guy's wagon. We jumped off about 20 minutes alter and walked for ten more. I sold ten papes on the way.

"This Jes would be the Sheepsheads." We came up to a large building with people gambling, drinking smoking and fighting.

"Extry extry..!" We began.

---

Race and I had sold all of our papes and now Race was gambling all his money away.

"Race, we're leaving. C'mon! You already beat everybody. And it's twelve thoity. We gotta go, c'mon!" I dragged Racetrack up by his elbow, him protesting and throwing his cards down, " I was feelin lucky!"

"I'm tired, Race, and we still gotta walk back to da lodging house! I'm tiyad, me legs hoit. I been woikin all day and all I gots ta show for it is a lousy seventy five cents."

"Jeezus, I'll carry ya on me back if it 'a make youse shut ya trap!"

" I'll take youse up on dat offa."

I jumped on Race's back and rode until we got all the way back to the Newsy Lodging House.

"Okay, put me down. Race put me down!"

"K, ya ugly, ya smell and ya look like a boy."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Put me down, I don't want tha guys thinking I'm all weak and stuff.

"But, ya are all weak and stuff."

"Whateva Just put me down." Race put me down in front of the lodge. When he tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.

"I don't believe it! Dey locked us out! Those lousy sons of bi-"

"Watch it, Goily."