Lucky had just won a good game of poker against Race and he was pissed. Romeo, Queen, Sniper, and her twin brother Smoke had been playing too, but everyone knew it was either Race or Lucky who was gonna win. In fact Race had actually started a betting pool about who would win. She had just finished her victory ritual where Race had to carry her around while she high fived everyone in the rec room, when Davey and Les came in the door of the lodging house. Les immediately came over and checked who had won and so Race started a new game for him. Lucky got up from the table and went over to where Davey was standing in the doorway waiting for her. "Where do youse want to do it today?" He asked. "The roof, I like listenin to the sounds of the city." Lucky replied. "Will Jack be okay with us being up there's?" "Yeah, as long as we don't touch his drawings. Besides he's up there's now so he'll send us back down if he don't want us up there's." "Alright, come on then." Davey replied. They walked down the hall past Kloppman's office\room and both the boy's and girl's bunkrooms and the washroom and climbed out the window and up the fire escape to the rooftop. Jack was sitting on the edge legs dangling, while he sketched. "Hey, Jacky! Mind if Mouth and me use this as a makeshift classroom?" Lucky said. Jack looked up startled. "Oh uh yeah sure, hiya Dave how was school?" He said slipping back all the way over the railing and hugging Davey. "It was fine. But I miss selling the mornin edition with youse all." Davey said, then turned toward Lucky. "Oh yeah I have a different book today since youse didn't like Kidnapped, I think youse'll like this one though." He said. "What's it called?" She asked. "Ivanhoe and Robin Hood's in it." "Oh okay." They delved into the book and only stopped a couple times so that Davey could explain a couple words to her. It wasn't that Lucky couldn't read she could read headlines and most words but she wasn't to great at new words so she had asked Davey to help her a couple weeks earlier and from then on everyday he could he would bring a book and have her read out loud to him while he did homework and now she could read almost any word by sounding it out. The next thing they knew Jack was tapping them saying some of the leaders were here so they needed to call it quits and get downstairs. They climbed down the fire escape and re-entered the Lodging House. As she walked with Davey into room where the the leader's meeting was being held she noticed that Spot Conlon, was looking at them oddly until Hatter, the eccentric leader of the Staten Island newsies leaned over and said something that made him laugh. Smalls, the girl leader of the Bronx brushed by and sat down by Davey, who nodded at her and then looked back down at his book, only to jump up again and rush over to Lucky. "Can you check on Les," He asked "Cause I just realized Race has probably let him run naked in the streets by now." Lucky snorted and nodded. She turned and was about to go check on Les when she noticed Spot giving them that weird look again, she stared him in the eyes until he had the grace to look away. Lucky went back into the rec room and looked around not seeing Les, then she heard what sounded like his voice coming from the boy's bunkroom. She went to check it out and found it was Les talking nonstop to Specs, Elmer, and Jojo, while Race and Albert ran around the bunks, Albert having stolen Race's cigar again out of boredom. Lucky stepped in Albert's path, stole the cigar back, and handed it to Race. "Thanks." He said smiling and popping it back in his mouth even though it was unlit. "Welcome, where are our lil brothas?" She asked grinning back. Race and Romeo weren't related but they were as close as brothers so everyone acted like they were, just like everyone acted like Jack was their older brother and Katherine was their older sister. "I think they're in the girls' bunkroom with Queen and Tex." He replied going over to his bed and pulling bag out from under it. He rummaged around a bit and then hid the bag again and came back over. He handed Lucky a cigar and nodded toward the door. Queen was the girl version of Romeo and Smoke and her had been going out for a couple weeks now. Tex was just a girl Romeo liked to hang out with because instead of saying hello or goodbye she would just kiss you, if it was another girl she would do it on the cheek but if it was a newsie guy it didn't matter the age or borough she would go for the lips. It wasn't romantically that's just what she did. Jack had once gotten told off by Katherine because Tex had kissed him and and he hadn't pushed her away.
Race and Lucky had been best friends for as long as Lucky had been a newsie which was nearing on four years and Smoke and Romeo were best friends too. Wherever one of them was you could usually find the other, Smoke was more shy than Romeo but if he really tried he could be just as charming. Once they were on the front stoop where Sniper and Buttons already were having a weird conversation about socks, he pulled out a match and lit his cigar and then leaned over and lit Lucky's. They each took a couple puffs before He asked "What do you want to do while we wait for the leaders meeting to end?" "We could head ovah to Medda's hang around for a bit." She suggested. "Okay. You guys wanna come?" Race said getting up. "Nah." Sniper said before delving back into their conversation.
When they got back to the lodging house, the leader's meeting had just ended and all of the leaders were still there. Sniper and Buttons were still sitting on the front step now having an argument about food. Lucky and Race stepped over them and opened the door. In the rec room Davey and Smalls were having a lively game of chess, while Les, Jack, and Romeo watched, yelling encouragement to the side who was winning at the moment. Blackjack, the Queens leader sat with Spot, Ash, Blackjack's second in command, and Emerald, Hatter's second in command. Hatter was standing over them humming quietly and randomly yelling out jokes. Race headed over to the chess game to start a betting pool and Lucky handed him a dime and whispered "Smalls." Before pulling out a seat in between Emerald and Ash and striking up a conversation with them. An hour and a half later Hatter, Emerald, Blackjack, and Ash had left and Davey was trying to drag Les out the door, while Smalls was packing up her chess set and one of the boys from the Bronx had come to get her. Lucky was headed back to the girls' bunkroom when Spot tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped not having heard him come up behind her. "Good night." He said then turned and walked toward the door. Lucky looked after him, then shrugged.