"Damn it." Jack Sullivan muttered, tripping over a branch that lay in his running path. Ever since his mother had gotten remarried, he had begun waking up with the sun and going jogging along the beach with his golden retriever, Tipper, that lay five minutes from his house in southern California. Running took the stress, primarily caused by his stepfather, out of his life. He ran a little bit faster as he came to the wealthier section of Emerald Bay, Austen Drive, where the five wealthiest people in Fairmont resided, as well as other well-to-do families of Emerald Bay. He checked his watch. 40 minutes until he had to be at the hell he knew as Brebeuf High School, a high school where anyone who was anyone went.
"Hey Chance." Michelle Beaufont, giving her friend a hug as they both climbed out of their cars. Chance's a teal blue 1960 Mercedes Convertible and Michelle's a new BMW.
"Where is everyone else?" Chance asked, looking around for her other three friends.
"I'm pretty sure they're already here." said, gesturing to the Porsche, Jeep and Jaguar that were already in their usual front row parking spots. It was an unspoken rule at Brebeuf that the Emerald Bay Five got special privileges, like special parking places.
"Right. Stupid me." Chance said, smiling as she applied lip-gloss.
"Are you going to the soccer game after school?" Raven asked.
"Do you even have to ask? Oh, you didn't know. Logan got selected as captain, this year. And he'll be starting as center forward, as well." She smiled and bit her lip, a nervous habit that had developed over the years. "Are you going?"
"Of course. Andrew Ripper is playing." Raven said.
"Oh right. That's your boy of the week. Are you ready?" Chance asked.
Michelle nodded. "Let's go." They linked arms and walked up the concrete stairs to the open green in front of their high school.
"Look who it is." Ann Guyer said sarcastically as Michelle and Chance walked up the stairs. "Two members of that picture perfect Emerald Five. Hey Cowboy." She said, as Jack Kelly walked up next to his group of friends.
"Coochie Alert." Skyler McClure said, gesturing to Chance's layered, extremely short skirt.
"Hey. I really don't think its too bad." Tony Higgins commented, smoking a cigar.
"Smoking's a disgusting habit. You really should quit." Sapphire said, picking the cigar out of Tony's mouth and putting it out.
"I'm trying to, baby. Ya know that." He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"Hey Cowboy." Jessica Lynch said, coming up behind him and nuzzling his neck.
"Hold up! Remember what I said about PDA in front of me?" Ann said, pulling Jessica and Jack apart.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry Ann." Jack said. "So, who's coming to the soccer game this afternoon? I'm actually starting as a midfielder, against the wishes of Brad."
"Everybody up! You'se got papes to sell." Kloppman said, in one of the rooms at the Newsboys Lodging House in Manhattan. Jack Kelly rolled over and put his pillow over his head. "C'mon Cowboy, get up." Kloppman took the pillow off of Jack's head.
"Do I have to?" He grumbled.
"If ya wanna a bed to sleep in here, then yeah. Sorry Cowboy, but we'se all gotta make money to live in dis god forsaken city." Kloppman said, as he made his other routinely rounds, waking the other boys up.
"So, Jack, where are you'se sellin dis mornin?" Racetrack Higgins asked him, while shaving his neck.
"I was tinkin of sellin over on 5th Street. Dos rich old broads'll buy any story ya give 'em." Jack said, pumping some water into the basin.
"Good tinkin, Cowboy. I'll come wit you." Blink said, adjusting his suspender straps.
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. Blink liked to sell alone and never sold with anyone else.
"Why da change in ya sellin patterns, Blink?" Jack inquired, wiping his face with a dirty towel nearby.
"Ah..no reason. Cept the other day when I'se was sellin over dere, a pretty goil bought a pape from me and we talked a bit. Really nice and smart, she was." Blink said. Jack shrugged.
"As long as I'se make money, I'se happy." Jack said.
"Jane," Jaclyn Pulitzer began, sitting up in bed. "Could you go downstairs and ask Cook to prepare Daddy's favorite dishes and some cake for tonight's dinner party? Oh and tell the maids to clear the dining room and air out the ballroom. I want everything to be perfect for his birthday celebration tonight."
"Of course, Miss." Jane, her maidservant said, opening the windows and letting in the fresh May breeze. "What are your plans for today so that I may inform Mr. Pulitzer of them?"
"Tell him that Michelle's older brother is taking Michelle and I shopping today. I should be back sometime around 2'o'clock. And please remind him to be ready by 7 tonight. Oh, and tell him to wear that black tailcoat I love so much."
"Of course Miss." Jane said, helping her into the dress she was to wear that day."Thank you Jane." Jaclyn said, sitting down at her vanity, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She knew she was a pretty girl, everyone always told her so. Her father had said she had inherited it from her mother, but the only thing she had to go by was a portrait she foun, tucked away in her father's office. Her mother had died during childbirth. The midwife didn't think that Jaclyn would make it either. There had been two miscarriages before Jaclyn and one stillbirth. It was a miracle she had survived. And so, her older father had raised her. Two peas in a pod, off to face the world together – he often said. She brushed out her long, blonde hair and shook the thoughts from her head. She decided she'd wear her hair down today, though it was generally frowned upon. She was Joseph Pulitzer's daughter, who was really going to tell her otherwise?
"Can you believe the nerve of those people? Shouting out coochie alert when I walked by. Such rudeness." Chance complained, a dark expression coming over her normally sunny face.
"I know. Some people need to take a manners course." Michelle said sympathetically as they walked to their usual spot on the green, right in the center.
Chance looked at the people gathered in the commons. It was a reflection of the social hierarchy of their town. The Emerald Five, as people called them, came from the five wealthiest families in Fairmont. They had grown up together and gone through everything imaginable – from sailing lessons to manners classes. They were also use to not receiving enough attention from their parents; however, the parents always made it up to them by the endless supply of credit cards, Chanel handbags, designer clothes and whatever else their empty hearts desired. Joining them was always one of Michelle's many boys, never part of the Emerald Five, but always coming from a wealthy family. Scattered around the Five, there were the wealthier people from the area and on the outside were those whose families were not well off. Some of these people managed to get into Brebeuf through academic or athletic scholarships. That was the way Emerald Bay and Brebeuf High School worked, and that was how the Five liked it.
"Hey Chance." Brad said smiling, as they neared the elite circle. "You coming to the game tonight?"
"Of course." She said, giving him a quick kiss before carefully sitting down. "Here I baked you some good luck cookies so that you have some energy for the game." She took a package out of her black Prada backpack.
"Oh my god. You guys are like the perfect couple. It almost makes me sick." Riley Corbette said, snatching one of the cookies from the package.
"Back off, Ri. These are mine." Logan said, playfully slapping her hand away.
"I do not want to go to History, this morning." Michelle moaned, laying her head in Andrew Carleton's lap. "Have you heard? Mr. Kloppman's assigning us a project to do."
"Partners?" Lucky asked.
"Of course." Michelle replied. They were the only two in the Five who had opted to take AP European History. Everyone else had opted for US History and were breezing through it.
"I still don't understand why you couldn't have taken US History with me, Cowboy." Jessica said pouting. "Why did you and Sapphire decide to ditch us all and take a smart class?"
Inwardly, Jack groaned. Like clockwork, every day Jess asked him this question and everyday, like clockwork, he responded with the same answer. Not that he didn't like her. Actually, he thought that he was in love with her. At least, if this wasn't love, it was the closest to love he had ever felt. It was just those little things that really bothered him.
"It looks great on college applications, Jessie. I'll see you at lunch." He said, giving her a quick kiss before he and Sapphire headed down the corridor to the history classrooms.
"Buy a pape, miss?" Jack asked a group of two girls and a boy as they headed down the street. One of the girls, with her hair flowing freely from beneath her hat turned and looked at him.
"Wait for a minute. I think I will. How much?" The girl asked.
"A penny a pape." Jack repeated like clockwork. She flipped him a penny.
"Impressive." He said. He didn't know any upper-class girls who could flip a penny like a newsie. She smiled and he noticed her blue-gray eyes light up. He had not noticed her eyes before but now, her eyes seemed magnetic, drawing their eyes together.
"Thanks. I learned from one of my maids." She replied, taking her paper from his outstretched hand.
"Have a nice day." He said, wishing she'd stay and talk with him; although he knew that the thought was unrealtistic. He missed having any sort of female companionship. One didn't meet too many girls, except the high class ones and he was too far below them socially, being a newsie. When Sarah had moved to Chicago, to stay with her aunt and uncle, she had taken his heart with her, Jack had cut off any and all ties to any member of the opposite sex. He couldn't let himself become bewitched like he had with Sarah.
"You too." She said, as her friends ushered her away.
"Trey!" A girl called, walking down the street. Jack looked at his selling partner in surprise.
"You told her your real name?" He asked in disbelief. Blink shrugged.
"She seemed too good to call me by my nickname. I thought Trey was better." He hugged her when she got to their corner. "Hey Jane. Dis ere's my friend, Jack." She smiled as Jack kissed her hand.
"I can't stay long. Miss Jaclyn is throwing a birthday dinner for her father and there's still so much to do. I just need three papers to lay out in the living room." Blink smiled and handed three papers over to her.
"Calm down, Jane. You'se so stressed. Maybe you should go talk to a friend of ours dats always like dat." Blink said, winking at Jack, referring to Stress, a performer at Medda's who had recently developed an interest in Jack. He elbowed Blink, as Jane was getting ready to leave.
"Trey?" She asked, looking down rather shyly. "Jaclyn has given maids the night off after we take coats because she has brought in caterers to assist her. So we were having a get-together at the servant's quarters behind the Pulitzer mansion. I was wondering if you'd like to come? Your friend, Jack, could come as well." Blink smiled.
"Of course I'd love to come. Just tell me when."
"Come around 8. I'm not sure how long it will last." Jane responded as she hurried back down the street. Jack looked at Blink.
"So, we'se going?"
"Come wit me Jack, please? I'se really like dis one." Jack rolled his eyes, thinking that that was the same thing Blink had said about every girl before Jane.
"Yeah, I'll come. At least I'll get a free meal." There was an awkward moment, as Blink wanted to thank Jack, but somehow couldn't get the words out. "So..umm..Jane seems well brought up."
"She's very classy. I tink she's out of my league but she keeps encouraging me so I'se don't know."
"Jaclyn, you're on Cloud Nine. What is happening in that brain of yours?" Michelle's older brother, Luke teased.
"I'm just preoccupied with hopes that everything will go smoothly for this dinner party." She responded, picking up an item at a downtown shop and examining it.
"Could it be that you're also preoccupied with a certain newsboy that took up a few moments of your time this morning?" Michelle asked, taking the item from Jaclyn and setting it back down. Jaclyn could feel herself beginning to blush. That was exactly what she had been thinking about. In reality, she was quite intrigued with him. "Don't lie to me. I thought he was quite attractive."
"He was attractive, I won't lie. But a newsboy?" Jaclyn managed a small laugh. "Just a bit below me, don't you think? What do you think of this item for Daddy?" Jaclyn asked, quickly changing the subject.
"For this project, I want you and your partner to choose a time period in European history and focus on anything from that that you want, but it can only be one thing. For example, if you choose France in the 15th century, you might choose a certain piece of artwork and write a paper over anything about that topic that you find." Mr. Kloppman droned as he handed out the guidelines to the class. Jack and Sapphire looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Since this is a year long class and you will be with the same people for the rest of the year, I feel that it is imperative that you get to know other people outside of your cliques. Therefore, I have decided to assign you partners." At this point, there was a collective groan throughout the classroom. Michelle turned to Chance and rolled her eyes.
"Michelle Beaufont." Mr. Kloppman said, as Raven looked up. "You will be paired with Steven Gallion." Raven turned to her friend and shrugged. Chance knew the shrug meant that at least she wasn't paired with someone poor.
"Please, let me have a good partner." She thought.
"Chance Pulitzer – Jack Sullivan." Lucky groaned and turned to look at Jack, who was sarcastically waving at her from across the room, while one of his friends, Sapphire laughed at his immaturity. "Please get together with your partners and discuss what you want to do and then check it with me."
Jack turned to Sapphire who was getting up to meet with her partner. "I get to be stuck with one of the Em Snobs. Lucky me." Sapphire laughed.
"Have fun with that." Sapph said. He groaned and went over to Chance's desk. After all, he was still a gentleman and he didn't even have to take a manners course.
"Look. I'm as unhappy about this situation as you are but let's just do this and get it over with. I know you don't like me and quite frankly, I really don't like you. I think we should pick an obscure person from the French Wars of Religion and do that." Jack said, pulling up a chair and opening his history book.
"That's fine with me." Chance said, opening up her book. "Hold on. What do you mean you don't like me and I don't like you. I don't not like you, I just don't know you and you haven't exactly made an effort to get to know me."
"Well, you're a member of the EB Five. Its common knowledge that people like you don't associate with people like me. And that you don't choose to hang out with people like me either. According to you, I'm poorer than you and therefore I am not included in your social radar." Jack said angrily.
"Excuse me?" Chance asked. "Maybe I don't hang out with you on a regular basis but at least I'm civil to you and your friends. I don't yell out coochie alert when one of your friends is wearing a short skirt. At least I have manners, Jack."
"Please, if being nice to me means ignoring me than you have a weird sense of politeness and manners. Its not like you've ever made an effort to get to know me." Jack said.
"Well, maybe that will change, Jack and I'll prove you're wrong about people like me." She said, and got up to tell Mr. Kloppman about their plan. "By the way, good luck today at the game. Brad told me you'll be starting." She said, spitting the words out and stormed out the door as the bell rang.
"Go! Brad!" Chance yelled as he scored the goal that won the game. She went down the stairs onto the field to congratulate her boyfriend. "Good job Brad!" She said, giving him a hug and a kiss as some of his teammates patted his back. "Eww..you're all sweaty!" She teased, giving him another kiss.
"Hey, Chance. I'm going to go change and shower and then I'll take you to dinner." Brad said, jogging with Andrew off the field.
"Hey Jack." Chance said, in an effort to prove him wrong "Great job! That was an amazing goal you scored."
"Um..yeah. Thanks. Why do you act like that?" He asked.
"Like what?" Chance asked.
"Like, Eww..Brad, you're all sweaty. And baking him cookies? No wonder people think you're so ditzy. You don't exactly prove them wrong." He said, with mocking the high pitched voice that she had used. "Listen, I'll talk to you tomorrow about our project." He jogged towards the locker rooms, leaving Chance standing alone on the field.
"Maybe because I haven't learned how to be anything else." She said, quietly, as her best friends, Riley and Michelle, came up to her.
"Why was he talking to you?" Riley asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"We were just discussing our project for Euro." Chance said, letting her friends drag her towards the entrance to the locker room to wait for Brad.
"Jaclyn, dear. I would like you to meet someone. He's the son of my dear friend, Matthew Ritter, the president of the Bank of New York." Joseph Pulitzer steered his daughter towards the sofa in the center of the room. "Logan Ritter, may I present my daughter, Jaclyn." Her gaze was focused on an attractive young man surrounded by a crowd of intent listeners. He had blonde hair that was fashionably messy and light blue eyes. Though he was sitting, she could tell he was tall and had a lean but built body.
"Miss Pulitzer, I've heard so many things about you." He said, smiling up at her and kissing her hand.
"Good I hope?" She said, trying to act somewhat coyish.
"Very." He replied, with another dazzling smile. "In fact, this is a splendid party that you planned for your dear father, isn't it?" There was a murmur from the small crowd as some engaged in a light applause. "Now, Miss Pulitzer would you care to join me in a dance?" She smiled, this time genuinely, and took his outstretched hand.
"We're looking for Jane." Blink asked a young man standing near the door to the servants quarters. He motioned for them to follow him and took them to a loud room where many were dancing.
"Trey! You made it!" Jane said, shouting from across the room. She clasped Blink in a hug. "And you brought your friend! Come." She took them both by the hand. "Let me introduce you to some of my friends, and some other attractive young ladies for Jack."
"Jaclyn." Michelle hissed, pulling her away from the crowd. Jaclyn smiled and tried to cool herself by heading over to a window. "Who is that you have been dancing with?"
"Logan Ritter. He's Matthew Ritter's son. Matthew Ritter, president of New York Bank." She said, smiling.
"Where has he been all this time? And why haven't I seen him before?" Michelle asked, peering over Jaclyn's shoulder to catch a glimpse of him.
"He's been in Europe for the past three years studying. He only just got back a week ago. And he's asked me out to lunch and to the theater tomorrow!" Michelle and Jaclyn both squealed in delight.
"Does he have any friends?" Michelle asked with a sly smile.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ritter for a moment. I just have to inform my maid of my plans for tomorrow." Jaclyn said.
"Hurry back. I'll be waiting." Logan was unbelievable, not to mention charming and intelligent. Why, he even asked for her opinions on things. She let herself into the servants' quarters, looking into each room for Jane. She saw Jane chatting in the corner with some unfamiliar people.
"Excuse me, Jane?" She asked, hesitantly, wanting to get out of there because she knew she looked out of place in her fancy clothing. Jane looked up, as did her two companions. Jaclyn looked into the eyes of one of Jane's companions and fainted dead away.
"Oh my god!" Jane cried. "Someone get some smelling salts!" Jack snapped out of the shock that he was in when he had seen those bright gray eyes again. He picked Jaclyn up and carried her outside so that she would get some fresh air. She rose as he set her to the ground.
"Its you." She whispered in shock, as Logan, Michelle and her father came running out of the Pulitzer mansion.
