Since Skittery and I had spent lunch yesterday at Anton's, I hadn't seen the newsies at all for the rest of the day. When David and I arrived at the yard in the morning, I found myself being bombarded by the boys, asking me how I had defeated Jack and what techniques I used to sell my papers. I felt overwhelmed by everything until Skittery stepped forward like my knight in shining armor.

"That's enough, guys! Let Seven have some room t' breathe. Now I know you're all curious as t' how 'e pulled it off, but now ain't th' time. Let 'im get some papes an' he'll explain it to ya at Tibby's later."

The air whooshed through my body as I gazed at Skittery with admiration. Can I bear your children?

"They're jus' excited is all." he offered. "It ain't every day that Jack takes a defeat like that."

"I'm sure."

"Seven," David said, "the line's getting shorter, you should probably get your papes now."

Les had joined us this morning, as he didn't have school either, and was buying his own stack of papers. I filed in line behind David and bought another hundred, which I fully intended to have all sold before lunch. I found Skittery chatting with Dutchy and Race and went to him, but I noticed Swifty watching me. His gaze wasn't leering, but rather one of curiosity. I decided to ignore him and joined Skittery.

"So Seven," Race said, "you gonna try to beat Jack again t'day?"

"I plan to."

"Alright, this time my money's on you." He patted my shoulder. "Make me proud, kid!"

Skittery and I left the yard and headed toward his selling spot. "How ya feelin' today?" He asked me.

What an odd question. "I'm well, I guess. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Bad dream?"

I'd dreamt of the murder again. Who was it that I was supposed to apologize to? "Yeah. But then, I haven't really slept well at all since I got here. It's probably because I'm not home."

A gentle smile spread across his lips. "Want somethin' t' cheer you up?"

"Sure." I hid my enthusiasm. "Cheer me up."

He cleared his throat. "'I know thee well. How dost thou, my good fellow?'"

Chuckling, I replied with Feste's line: "Truly sir, the better for my foes, and the worse for my friends.'"

We continued reciting the banter between Orsino and Feste from the final act and scene from Twelfth Night and by the time we reached the end we have arrived at his selling spot. We hawked the headlines, and I used my technique of acting out one of the stories. Again, my papers sold before noon.

"You really are somethin'." Skittery said.

"Thanks." I fought the heat that was threatening to bloom in my cheeks. "I have to ask though, do you guys ever take a day off from this?"

"Sometimes." His expression suddenly fell. "When somethin' comes up, like a big event or something upsetting or a birthday, we'll usually take a day t' ourselves. Like what I did th' other day. But th' headlines never stop, an' th' papes can't sell themselves."

I felt ashamed for having reminded him about Pepper. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Ah, don't worry about it."

"Are you doing okay about that?"

"I'll be fine." He sighed. "I'm just trying t' convince myself that I did all I could."

"But you did do all you could."

Nodding, he looked away. "Yeah. It's gonna take me a while though before I'm gonna be completely okay with it." He looked to me again. "Thanks for bein' here for me through all this. Ya don't know what it means t' me."

The way he stared at me made my toes tremble. I wanted to hug him, but remembered again the promise I'd made myself. Be his friend, but maintain distance.

"I'm glad I could help. So what's say we head toward the direction of Tibby's?"

He agreed and we went to the restaurant; he sold more papes along the way. When we entered, I took a seat and was instantly the center of attention as several newsies who had been there for a while asked me questions on how I sold my papers better than Jack. I tried to sound humble in the process, but it was hard to do!

"Well, I just take a look at the headline. I try to reword it, like you guys do, but I act it out a little bit. What I do, is I wait for a small crowd to gather, then perform the headline and some of the story with it. The way it works, more people gather as I perform, and they love the effort that I put in that they buy the papes just for the show."

"I'm gonna hafta try that sometime." Snipeshooter said.

The boys kept asking for tips and pointers. As I spoke with them, I kept glancing back at Skittery. He was quietly leaning back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest. He was watching me closely and thoughtfully. I wished he wouldn't watch me so much, or at least join the others in their questions, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so.

Jack eventually came in with David and Les, obviously having already finished lunch with Aunt Esther. They chatted with the boys for a little while, but I noticed that Skittery was still watching me. When the boys started to scatter to sell the rest of their papes, Jack took that time to take me aside to speak to me. "So, have ya thought about what I'm gonna do to pay ya for this?"

"I have, and I think I won't have you do anything. The fact that you relinquished your title to me is enough."

He laughed and nudged my shoulder. "I'm serious. I wanna keep ya. But for now," he lowered his voice so David wouldn't hear, "when I was talkin' with Spot th' other day, 'e asked about ya. He thinks ya oughta stick with Skittery."

"What?" I hoped that David wouldn't see the shock that registered in my face. "Why?"

"Well, Spot said that since ya two were hangin' out so much an' since Pepper died, it'd be best if Skittery 'ad someone t' watch out for 'im. Ya guys are pretty good friends, ain't ya?"

I glanced at Skittery, who was still watching us but not aware of what we were discussing. "Well, yeah, but-"

"I know, it's a weird thing t' ask, but it was Spot's idea. An' I trust Spot's intuition."

I shrugged. "All right."

"Thanks. I knew ya was a good kid."

Jack and David left the restaurant and Les followed Jack with almost puppy-like adoration. When they exited, Skittery walked over to me. I don't know why, but for the first time, I realized he was out in public in his pink underwear, pants and suspenders. Why hadn't I noticed before that he wasn't wearing his normal faded gray shirt and brown vest?

"Ready t' go? I think I have twenty-three papes left."

"I'm ready." I gulped, constantly repeating over and over in my head what I had decided the other night. So far, I'd done a good enough job bonding with the other boys, though none of them seemed to be the type to cling to me as Skittery had done. Yet.

We stepped outside and Skittery sold the remainder of his papers in less than twenty minutes, catching the lunch rush as businessmen waited in line at kiosks and outdoor cafes for their meal.

"So, what now?" I asked once he had sold his last paper.

"Well, I'd like t' just walk for now." He looked up at the sky. "It's a pretty day. An' I was inside all day th' other day."

"Okay. Anywhere particular you wanna go? Maybe back to the library?"

"Nah. Jus' walk." He looked at me and smiled. "I got an idea. Follow me."

He led me down an alley not too far from Tibby's. Most of the alleys around here reeked of garbage and humanity, but this one was surprisingly cleaner. It was behind a local grocer's store and had a cleaner area so that the food inside wouldn't be contaminated. I was clueless as to what Skittery wanted to do here.

"So what's your idea?"

Before he answered and I could react, he reached up and pulled my hat off. I gasped as my red hair flowed freely down and hung below my shoulders.

"Skittery!"

"Shh." He put a finger to my lips, then stepped back, took his hat off and swept down into a gentleman's bow.

"Wha-?"

He dropped his hat on the ground next to mine. "I always tip my hat to a lady."

"How did…when did you-"

"I knew the moment I saw you that ya weren't a guy."

He stepped closer to me, and I backed up against the closest building. I was terrified. Of what, I didn't know, but I was scared. He was just looking at my face, nothing more. I began to tremble, and then he brushed his knuckles against my cheek. My skin burned where his fingers made contact.

"Wow." His hand uncurled and held the side of my face. "You're awful pretty. I thought ya were pretty underneath that hat, but I wasn't expectin' this."

My mouth twitched, trying to find the strength to smile. I was still so scared I couldn't make my face do what my brain was screaming at it to do. Skittery noticed and raised his other hand to cup my face in his hands.

"This'll help ya smile better."

In an instant, his lips gently pressed against mine in a sweet kiss. Glory Hallelujah! I felt as though I had caught on fire and yet refreshed at the same time. Part of me felt ready to burst out into song from a Broadway musical. And then everything ended all too quickly. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine. Though thoroughly captivated, the kiss had ended far too soon, and it seemed like I had been enjoying a rich chocolate mousse and was it taken away from me before I was even halfway finished. Still, my face was ready to rupture with how big of a smile that had erupted. He chuckled softly.

"Toldja it'd make ya smile."

With my head in the clouds, I was completely free of any inhibitions I had previously had. I slipped my arms around his neck and lowered his lips to mine. This kiss began simple, but became passionate as I released all the pent-up desire I had been holding that he matched almost perfectly. The world around me was gone, all I knew was that I was with Skittery and that was all that mattered.

I don't know how long we had been embraced, but even though it had probably been quite a while it was still too soon when we parted. We were both breathless, and my body was faintly convulsing at the emotions and sensations that had swept over me.

And then, I realized what had happened. I had just lost my head and completely forgotten about my decision from the other night. Skittery saw my troubled expression and he became troubled as well.

"What's the matter?"

Everything! Everything was the matter! "I have to go."

I wriggled free from his arms, grabbed my hat and ran. I didn't look back.

It was another sleepless night for me. David and Les came back to the apartment and were surprised to see me home before them, but I blamed it on "girl problems" and they quickly left me alone. I couldn't shake the memory of those kisses from my mind. Was it possible one could die from having touched something so wonderful, only to run away from it?

The hours passed slowly, and I every time I drifted to sleep, the memory of Skittery's kisses gave me a light feeling that awakened me. I wanted, yearned for more, but I couldn't allow myself to be any closer to him. It was bad enough he had just lost his friend, but if he took this time to find someone else he was certain to have more gossip spread about him!

I heard a noise. Slowly, I rolled onto my side and looked out the window. Another soft tap. There was a dark figure in the window. I jerked up, clutching the bedcovers to my chest. David roused at the creaking of the bed but didn't awaken. I was ready to alert him when the figure held a finger to its mouth.

It was Skittery.

I grabbed my coat which was hanging off of the bedpost. Swinging it around my shoulders, I went to the window, unlocked it and opened it just a crack. It didn't make any noise.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Shh!" He kept his fingers to his lips. "Meet me on the roof."

He scampered up the nearby ladder to the rooftop and was gone in an instant. I glanced back at David to make sure he was sound asleep. When I was convinced, I grabbed my shoes, then slowly opened the window and slipped out onto the fire escape. I shut the window and tied my shoelaces before joining Skittery on the roof. He was pacing by the ladder when I finally reached the roof.

When he saw me, he took my hand and helped me down from the ledge. "I thought you'd be awake."

I fought against the rising emotions crashing over me. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you."

He gently pulled me into his arms. I took a moment before wrapped my arms around him and pressed myself to him so that I wouldn't seem too eager. He stroked my hair and rested his cheek on my head.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. But you invited me t' church. I 'ad t' clear things up before I saw ya."

I drew away enough to look him in the face. "Is that why you pulled my hat off today?"

"Partly." He brushed his fingertips across my face. "I also wanted to know what ya really looked like." He took my hands in his and stepped away so he could have a good look at me. "An' I like what I see."

I looked away from him, embarrassed. "Thank you."

"I mean it. Ya look so pretty right now."

Feeling exposed, I pulled the lapels of my coat together to close off my nightgown. "I was trying to sleep."

"It ain't what you're wearin'. It's the moonlight. It seems to love you."

He came to me and touched my face again. I didn't know how to react, but he smiled at me and then kissed my forehead.

"I was thinkin' after ya run off. Why ya did it. Were ya thinkin' about what ya heard 'bout me an' Caitlyn?"

I averted my gaze again and walked to the rooftop ledge. "That, among other things."

"Before I go on," he came to my side, "what other things?"

"I'd never been kissed before."

He laughed in disbelief. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me."

"It's true."

"Ya coulda fooled me. I thought you'd have kissed lots 'f guys the way you kissed me."

"No." I looked at his face, sweetly illuminated by the faint moonlight. "You're my first."

He grinned and propped his head in his hand. "How'd it make ya feel?"

I looked up at the sky. "Heavenly."

He took my hand in his, his mouth tipping slyly. "Ya wanna feel that way again?"

If he kept this up, I could lose my head all over again. "Not yet. Not until you tell me what you came here to say."

"Okay." He folded his hands together and looked out into the night sky. "It 'as t' do with Caitlyn."

"I thought so."

"I jus' thought it best that ya heard my side 'f th' story. I know ya got th' unbiased view from Jack an' heard some 'f the guys talkin' 'bout it, but I think ya oughta know how it happened with me."

"I'm listening."

He was quiet. I thought he was going to chicken out, but as I looked at his face I could see he in heavy concentration. Maybe he was searching for the right words to say.

He finally spoke after taking the time he needed. "Caitlyn was a girl I shoulda known was trouble. I din't know her reputation, but she was givin' me attention that I liked. So I went after 'er. She was really good at bein' able t' tell what your weaknesses were an' manipulating them t' twist ya 'round her finger. I wasn't the first, an' I probably won't be th' last."

"What happened that made Pepper so mad?"

"He caught us off together. I didn't know she was 'is girl, an' we had snuck off one night an' din't know he was followin' us. She was doin' all th' flirting, but eventually, we kissed. An' that's what set Pepper off. He came an' hit me straight in th' face, sayin' that she was 'is girl an' I betrayed him. Before I could defend myself, Caitlyn ran t' my side and professed that she loved me, that they were through, an' that she an' me were gonna run off together." He paused. "I'll never forget that look on 'is face. He was angry, hurt, but most of all, betrayed. An' I tried t' tell him that I knew nothing of this, that Caitlyn was makin' it up. He ran off an' I followed him, but Caitlyn caught up an' told me t' forget about him, that we could be together now.

"She wrapped 'er arms around me an' that was when I saw 'er for what she really was: a two-faced man-eater. I'd jus' lost my best friend because of 'er. I shoved 'er away an' told her to go away. She told me I didn't mean it an' tried to wrap herself around me again but I told 'er to get out of my life an' t' get outa here. An' I ran off. But then I heard 'er cryin'. I din't stop, but I did look back for a second. She was watchin' me, wailing like she was mournin' th' dead or somethin', but 'er eyes were something else. I din't like what I saw, her eyes almost seemed…malicious. So I kept runnin'. I found out later that she'd tried to get Pepper back, claiming that I hit 'er an' told 'er she was no good. But 'e wouldn't hear of it. So she made 'er way t' Brooklyn to try for Spot. That was when Lacey met 'er an' got 'er t' leave."

He smiled at me, then continued. "I tried t' apologize t' Pepper countless times but 'e wouldn't listen. The mornin' he died, I'd brought him my copy of Twelfth Night cuz he'd lost his years ago. I said 'e could keep it. He said he din't want nothin' t' do with me. So I told 'im that th' fact that 'e's still angry over what happened with that whore only means that 'e's letting her win this battle. He jus' told me t' go away. I was angry too, so I went to th' ocean an' threw the book into it. I really wish I hadn't now, but I was jus' so upset. He was throwin' away our friendship over a manipulative, shallow girl."

I reached over and took his hand. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Me too." He looked at my face and touched my cheek. "I made a mistake an' I learned from it. I know if th' guys knew what had happened between us they'd be skeptical, but I want ya t' know that I've learned my lesson. An' I never, ever wanna hurt you." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "I know ya got nothing t' base this on. We jus' met, only know each other a few days, but all I want is t' ask ya for a chance. I got a bad rep but if ya jus' give me a chance, I promise I won't hurt ya."

For the first time since I met him, I truly felt like he was being completely sincere. I listened to my heart, my gut and my head and waited for an answer. Nothing gave me the inclination that this was wrong, or even a mistake. For now, at least. Besides, I would be leaving in a few days. If this wasn't meant to be, then I could move on.

"I'll give you a chance."

The look on his face reminded me of a kid seeing that he had just received the Christmas present he had been waiting for so long to have. He caught my face in his hands and kissed me soundly, making my stomach bounce up and down. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer. Still skeptical, I tried to stay in tune with my senses. I couldn't bear to make a mistake, not with someone like him.

When we parted, we were breathless, and I felt like I was floating. It took me a moment before my head stopped swimming. "I have to know, when did you first realize I was a girl?"

"Right when ya walked in."

I laughed softly and stroked his face with my finger. "What gave me away?"

"Ya really wanna know?" His eyebrows rose mischievously.

"Yes!"

He looked down, embarrassed. "It was your backside."

"Oh!" I pulled away from his arms, but was laughing with both annoyance and utter amusement.

"I'm serious!" He was laughing too. "When ya walked in, all I could see was Jack showin' around a new recruit an' I saw your backs. Now I'm not one t' check out other guys, but I couldn't help but notice your backside an' just found myself thinkin,' 'damn, there's no way that a guy can have a butt as fine as that.' An' then ya turned 'round an' I saw your face. An' I knew that ya weren't a guy at all. That's why I did that little striptease for ya, I wanted t' break ya."

"You know," I stepped closer to him, "This isn't the first time I've worn trousers. When I was about fourteen I had snuck a pair of my brother Laurie's pants and put them on. They fit perfectly, but my mama told me to take them off because it was indecent. Now I know what she meant."

He drew me close and kissed me again. I could feel my heart thumping against my chest and could swear that Skittery's was keeping up to match.

"Hey," he said when we parted, "Laurie ain't your real name."

"No, it's my brother's."

He rubbed hose against mine in an Eskimo kiss. "You're the twin sister, Laura?"

The Twelfth Night reference excited me further. "Indeed I am."

"How'd ya get the nick of Seven?"

"My youngest brother, Ben. He has a knack for numbers. He learned how to count before he knew all of our names, so he counted us off one by one. I'm number seven of the nine kids, so he calls me Seven. And it just kinda stuck here and there."

He smiled tenderly. "I'd love t' meet your family someday."

"Maybe you will." I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "So tell me, what's your real name?"

"Aw." He looked away. "You're gonna laugh at it."

"I will not!" I used my finger to turn his face back toward mine. "I told you mine, so you tell me yours."

"Fine." He sighed. "Henry."

"Henry?" I did laugh, but not in the way that he had thought it would be. "My oldest brother is named Henry."

"Ya don't say?"

"It is, only we call him Hank. Now how did you get the name of Skittery?"

"Well, when my mama died, I had no one left. Pepper 'ad 'is friends in midtown t' stay with, but I din't know what t' do. Then some kid got caught stealin' as I walked by an' he dumped the goods on me. The bulls chased me an' I escaped, but I got lost in this area an' Snoddy found me an' brought me t' th' lodging house. When I first got to know th' streets, everythin' scared me. A few of the guys said I was skittish, an' another few said I was jittery. So they put th' two together an' dubbed me Skittery."

He smiled at me, and I smiled at him. And then we kissed again. And again. And again, neither of us wanting this to end. When we finally stopped, he jerked his chin in the direction behind me.

"Take a look at that."

I turned and saw that the night sky was no longer as dark as it had been, and was beginning to fill with color. As I watched, Skittery came behind me, wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck softly before resting his chin on my shoulder.

"I never do watch th' sun rise."

"It's beautiful." I murmured.

"But it ain't nothin' compared t' you." He gently twisted me around and took my hands in his. "This may sound silly, but wouldja like t' dance?"

"Dance?" The idea appealed to me. "But there's no music."

"No need." He put one hand on my hip. "I'll jus' sing."

Thoroughly enchanted, he led me into a simple box step and began to hum. He had a tenor voice with a lovely sound to it. Then he began to add words to the melody.

"O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear! Your true-love's coming, that can sing both high and low. Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers' meeting, every wise man's son doth know."

I giggled softly with delight. "That's Feste's song, from Twelfth Night! The one he sings for Toby."

"I know. I thought it was appropriate for the situation."

Giggling softly, I cuddled closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder as we continued to dance. He hummed again, and then sang the second verse to Feste's song.

"What is love? 'Tis not hereafter; present mirth hath present laughter; what's to come is still unsure; in delay there lies no plenty; then come kiss me, sweet and twenty, youth's a stuff will not endure."

Slowly, the sun began to brighten the sky and add more color to the scenery. As the morning noises of people and vehicles around us became louder, Skittery drew away from me and kissed my forehead.

"You should probably get back t' bed now."

"I know. But I'll see you soon, right? At church?"

He blushed slightly and nodded. "At church. Which one?"

"Aunt Esther said it was on the corner of Wayland and Elm."

"I'll be there." He swept his arm in the direction of the ladder. "After you, m'lady."

Secretly, I was relieved he had me go down first. I hoped there would be no one else underneath me, otherwise they would see all my unmentionables. Thankfully, the alley was clear, and I made it to the window and peeked in. David was still sleeping. Skittery stopped beside me, then pulled me into his arms again and gave me a long, lingering kiss before heading down the stairway to the ground.

"See ya soon, Laura."

I waved to him, then carefully opened the window, and slid through. Shutting it quietly, I tossed my coat onto the bedpost, yanked my shoes off and pulled the covers over my head. I giggled softly, feeling uncontrollable elation at what had just transpired between Skittery and me. Something told me that this day was going to be a wonderful day.