The Lodging House was buzzing that night when Tricks and Mush returned. Some of the boys were reading quotes of the article out loud, while Crutchie followed Tricks around shouting things like "I always knew she could cause trouble! " or "Just like her brudda!" in a good natured tone. Tricks's shoulder was bruised from the number of hard claps and admiring punches on the shoulder she'd received.

She finally escaped to an old settee that one of the boys had dragged in off the street, purposely stretching her legs out so no one could sit and start talking to her again. Before opening her borrowed copy of Great Expectations, she searched the room for Mush, finding him playing cards with Blink. He looked up and smiled, nodding his head towards Tricks. She smiled back and buried her nose into the book, relieved to finally have a minute to herself.

"Ya look beat." Tricks jumped slightly as Skittery appeared behind the settee, crouching down with his chin resting on the back.

"Exhausted." Tricks agreed, sticking her finger in the book to hold her page. Skittery remained crouched next to the settee not saying anything. "Ya not helping." She pressed, wishing he would just go away.

"Looks like ya need to have some fun."

"Fun? What's fun?" Tricks laughed. "I think if I move, Crutchie's gonna start yelling 'I always told Jack she was a good egg' or some other nonsense."

"Remember that favor ya promised me?"

Tricks groaned, forgetting in her haste to escape Mush in the Park, she'd promised Skittery a favor to be named later. "Vaguely."

"We're goin' out tomorrow night." he replied. "Don't look so happy."

"Ya think ya can just demand I go on a date with ya?"

"Look, I wanna go to one of those dance halls on the Lower East Side." Skittery explained, leaning on his walking stick. "Who else am I gonna take? Cowboy?" He nodded towards Jack, who was coming down the stairs. Crutchie was limping over to Jack, the now-tattered copy of the The Sun in his hand.

"Fine." Tricks agreed quickly as Jack approached where Tricks and Skittery sat.

"Skittery." Jack said, "Mind if I talk to my sista?"

"Don't have a choice, do I?" Skittery replied with his trademark sardonic tone. He stood to leave. "See ya tomorrow night, Tricks." He winked and tipped his hat.

"Tomorrow night?"

"I owe him a favor." She replied shortly. "What is it? I'm tired."

"Roof." Jack said simply, walking back to the stairs.

Tricks closed her book with more force than necessary and followed her brother. "Like I got nothing better to do than hang out on da roof." She grumbled, running up the fire escape. Jack, whose strides were much longer, was already smoking a cigarette by the time Tricks reached the top of the building.

"Now can ya tell me what ya want?" she asked.

"Saw Denton today while I was sellin' with Davey."

"Ok..."

"Said dat people had been stoppin' him all day, talkin' about your story."

"Well, at least someone else is bein' bothered over this."

"All that stuff you said..." Jack trailed off and took a long drag on his cigarette. "Sorry that I didn't listen when you tried ta tell me about it." He let out a puff of white smoke that hung around his head for a few moments before dissipating.

"Ya weren't really around ta tell."

Jack looked away from Tricks and out towards the street. "A girl died?"

Tricks nodded solemnly, stealing a puff of Jack's cigarette. She closed her eyes as she released the smoke. "She was my roommate. Worked on the machine next to me, and died right in front a me. I had blood on my clothes."

"I shoulda been dere."Jack kicked dirt up off the roof, pulling his cowboy hat on his head to hide his eyes.

Tricks shrugged. "Mush was there."

"Not surprised." Jack was silent for a few moments. "Shoulda been me, though." He sat against the ledge on the roof and Tricks plopped next to him with a yawn.

"Doesn't matta now." She replied, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation and escape to bed.

Jack turned to look at her. "I promise I won't evah send youse back to another place like that. I won't send ya anywhere ya don't want to go. Ya my family, and I'm gonna try to be betta at actin' like it."

Tricks pretended to consider his offer."Deal...just make me a promise?"

"Shoa."

"Lighten up a little, will ya?" Tricks said, nudging Jack with her shoulder. "Ya been in mournin' since I got back."

"Aight, aight. Fair enough request." Jack laughed, lighting another cigarette. "So what kinda favor ya owe Skittery?"

Tricks sighed and rolled her eyes. "He wants me ta go dancin' with him."

"Dear me, ain't we got a nice liddle social calendar goin' here. Dancin' with Skittery, dates with Spot Conlon...oh yeah, and dinner with Dave's parents."

"You mean Sarah's parents?" Tricks said knowingly. Jack had been mostly absent since Tricks's return because he spent most of his free time with a girl Tricks had not met yet.

"They wanna meet ya. Impressed with what they read in the papah."

"This mean I gotta wear a dress?"

"Course ya gotta wear a dress. What else are ya gonna do? Show up in da nude?"

Tricks laughed so hard she snorted. "Hope that's not a challenge."

XXXXXXX

The next morning dawned steamy and wet. Tricks sat in the doorway to her room, waiting until the last possible moment to leave the bunkhouse. The Newsies all crowded in the hall, hoping for a momentary lull in the deluge, but it just seemed to rain harder. Jack was the last one down the stairs.

"What's the hold up?" he yelled over the crowd.

"Medda's here!" Race yelled excitedly to Jack as the crowd parted and Medda emerged, looking flawless and holding a purple umbrella.

"Medda." Jack said, making his way over to Medda and kissing her hand. "To what do we owe tha pleasure?"

"Heard your sister was back in town." Medda replied with a sideways glance at Race, who was staring at her dreamily from the doorway.

"Never left." Tricks said, emerging from her room.

"Tricks Kelly!" Meddda said, enveloping her in a hug. "Causing trouble like usual, I hope."

"Little bit."

"More than a liddle bit.' Jack said with a roll of his eyes. "So what can we help ya wit, Medda?" he asked, leaning against the front counter.

"Can you still play the piano?" Medda asked Tricks.

Tricks had learned to play piano at Medda's theater back when Medda was still just a performer and not the owner. As their father sunk deeper and deeper into the depression that would eventually end with him landing in jail, he frequented some of the more bawdy vaudeville theaters in Manhattan, taking (and promptly forgetting) his children along. Medda, pitying Jack and Tricks, had taken them under her wing, and eventually asked one of the musicians to teach Tricks to play.

"Yes." Tricks nodded. "There was a church next door to the factory with a piano; the nuns used to let me play when I got a day off."

"Then I have a business proposition for you. Let me treat you to breakfast." Medda said with a smile. "Jack, you're welcome, too."

Ten minutes later, Jack, Medda, and Tricks were sitting in a small cafe digging into plates loaded with bacon, eggs, and toast. Medda's back-up piano player was moving out west in two weeks, leaving her to find a replacement. She'd seen Tricks's name in the paper and figured if the girl could still play, the job would be perfect for her.

"Just a couple nights a week, Jack, and a couple shows on Sunday. And the shows she doesn't need to play, we'll just have her running around backstage, helping the crew."

"Sounds good." Jack said, stuffing another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "But it's upta Tricks."

Medda turned to Tricks and smiled. "Whaddya say, Miss Kelly?"

Tricks put her fork down and took a sip of orange juice, a rare commodity for a Newsie. She leaned back slightly in her chair and grinned. "I think it's a deal."

XXXXXX