Chapter 13: Place Your Bets

"Okay, I won't say it."

"Say what, Blink?"

"That I told you so."

Blink haughtily raised his eyebrow as Kate rolled her eyes at him. She put her hands on her hips, like she always would when someone would make her mad, but Blink knew that she was only joking around.

"C'mon! It's funny. 'Sides, you're happy, right?" he asked. "Admit it. I was right."

Kate couldn't help but smile as she recalled the events from five nights ago. "Yes, Blink," she replied, exasperated. "You were right."

Blink's momentary victory was cut short as his eyes narrowed in one someone across the street. Kate noticed and looked to where his eyes were fixed.

"Ah, that's why your smirk suddenly left your face," Kate quipped. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "So, are you going to take your own advice now?"

"Shh, shh. Just a minute," said Blink, as he waved off Kate's comments. Across the street stood a girl of about sixteen or seventeen. Her dress revealed that she was probably middle class, with perhaps some ties to some money. Her blond hair was done up neatly in a bun and covered by a hat, which she clung onto as she perused the contents of the outdoor wagon just outside the deli.

"Blink."

"Blink..."

"Blink!"

"Wha-what?" he shouted.

"You, uh, were staring," said Kate, trying her best not to start laughing.

Blink, trying to find a good excuse, said "Oh, well...I was...y'see, I was just lookin' at da...at da..."

"The..the girl?" finished Kate. "Blink, just go talk to her! Remember what you told me?"

Blink averted his gaze to the ground. "Yeah, but dat's different. You knew Jack. I dunno dis girl." Blink looked across the street again, making sure she was still there.

"Well, you'll never know, unless you try," said Kate, as she playfully pushed Blink towards the other corner. "Get her to buy a paper. Then go from there!" She gave Blink one last look of "stop acting so silly" and then he finally got enough courage to walk over to where the girl was standing. Kate looked on as Blink successfully sold one of his remaining papers to her. She smiled to herself when the two started to strike up a conversation and began to walk towards Tibby's to give Blink some "privacy."

The sun was shining unusually bright for a late November day, even though there was a definite chill in the air. Winter is just around the corner, thought Kate, as she smiled to herself. One more week until December. She loved winter, even though to many it just brought cold weather and charities begging for money. Winter meant time with family, singing carols, and most importantly, Christmas: her favorite holiday. Her father had always made Christmas so special for her, and she clung to any memories of past Christmases. It wasn't about the gifts. It was just the feeling you always get when you hear a Christmas song, or see a tree all lit up with lights and ornaments. She loved the spirit of the season.

Of course, her recent Christmases had been far from being spirited. Somehow, though, she had managed to keep the spirit alive within herself, while trying to shut out everything that was going on around her. It didn't matter now, though. Her entire past didn't matter now. For the first time in a long time, her life had a purpose, and everything seemed to be looking up.

Honestly, she never thought she'd fall in love. She'd always dreamt of it, and longed for it with every fiber of her being, but when her life at the theater became so intolerable, she'd given up any hope. And now, in just a few weeks, she'd been rescued, taken in, gained several new brothers, and found someone who cared about her...loved her, even. At first, she thought Jack was just some cocky newsie who believed the world was in love with him. But, as she let her walls down, she discovered that there was more to him than her first impression, much like herself. Now, she couldn't go a minute without thinking about him.

A warmth filled her when her thoughts traveled to him. It was almost bittersweet, though. This new start was just what she needed, but her thoughts were constantly plagued with the memories of the theater. There were things of her childhood that she longed to remember, but there were recent memories that she couldn't force her mind to forget. A sharp breeze startled her from her reverie as she noticed that Tibby's was just across the street.

Wake up, she thought. No use worrying about a time that's past.

She leaned her weight against the cold, heavy door to Tibby's and was greeted by a few shouts and hollers from the nearby tables. She quickly prepared herself for a few off-color comments from the boys, which had been the norm ever since they had all found out about her relationship with Jack. Her eyes quickly found him seated at a booth near the back, surrounded by Skittery, Race, Mush, and Marcus.

Jack saw her coming in and quickly stood up to make room for her in the booth. She smiled at him and he quickly returned it. As she slid in, Mush raised his eyebrow at her, and she nonchanlantly kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" he cried.

Jack gave him a confused look. "What happened?" he asked.

Mush quickly stifled his cry and said "Ow-oh-I accidently kicked the table," he explained, rubbing his shin. Kate smirked at him and sat down.

Jack sat back down and slid next to Kate. As much as he wanted to, he still didn't put his arm around her. He was still the leader of the Manhattan newsies; he somehow had to maintain his reputation, even though he figured in a week he wouldn't be acting the same way. Even though she didn't say anything, Kate took the hint and understood.

"Where's our boy Blink at?" asked Race, as he pulled out his deck of cards and began to shuffle them.

Realizing that he would be slightly embarassed if she told them the real truth, Kate quickly said "Oh, he's just finishing up his papers, over by the deli. He told me to go ahead." Jack gave Kate a quick look, and she shrugged him off. He'd gotten the hint; whenever Blink was late for any meal, it was usually due to some girl.

"Well, we'll just have to tell him later 'bout da meeting with Brooklyn next Saturday. He's volunteered ta be our representative dis time," said Jack.

"What's da talkin' about Jack?" asked Mush.

"Ahh, you know territory disputes with Harlem. They're givin' us trouble again. Nothin' we can't handle." Everyone nodded their heads. They understood exactly what Jack was talking about. Every so often, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx held a special meeting to discuss any territorial problems in their respective districts. All three had a special alliance, and an open animosity towards Harlem.

"Well, I'll be seein' 'im latah. Where and when, Jack?" said Skittery.

"Da usual spot. Only dis time, meet by da third base line at Hailey's Field. Nine o'clock." Skittery nodded gravely. He knew the seriousness of the matter, as did everyone else who sat at the table.

Racetrack finished shuffling his cards and split the deck on the table. "Alright, fellas...who's playing? One more game of poker." Skitts and Mush just groaned while Jack rolled his eyes.

"Race, we just played t'ree games before lunch," said Jack, as he slyly moved closer to Kate, moving his leg to touch hers. Her lips curved into a smile, as she did the same.

"Yeah, an' I'm givin' ya a chance ta redeem yourselves," shot back Race. Jack waved him off and stretched his arm across the back of the bench.

"Alright, Race," said Kate. "Deal me in."

Race, still surprised that anyone had any interest in playing, took a look around the table. "How 'bout..."

He suddenly noticed the lack of remaining papers Kate had, and the overflow that awaited him after lunch. He internally criticized himself for spending so much time at Sheepshead Bay that morning.

"All right," Race began. "We'll bet on papes. Whoevah loses gets da winnah's papes."

Kate, realizing the absurdity of the bet, raised her eyebrow and said "Race...if I win, you only gain six papers. If you win, I'd gain twenty."

Race blinked his eyes and stared blankly at Kate. "So?" he replied.

Kate took a quick glance around the table. "So...why don't we even things up a bit?"

"Meanin'?" he asked.

"Mush, Skitts, how many papers do you have left?" inquired Kate. The two boys quickly gathered up their remaining papers and counted them.

"Five."

"Seven."

Kate curled her mouth up, adding their totals together. She turned to Jack.

"Jack, how many papers do you have left?"

"Three. Why?" he asked.

Kate snapped her finger and said "Okay boys, give me the rest of your papes." Mush and Skitts looked at Kate with a confused expression no their faces and placed their remaining papers on the table. Jack did the same, realizing what Kate was up to.

"Whattya doin' Ka-" started Race, but she quickly cut him off.

"If I win, you get every single one of these twenty-one papers, plus your own. If you win, I'll sell them all. Deal?" she asked, her eyes fixed upon Race's.

Race grinned, already knowing the outcome, and said "All right. It's your funeral."

Race began to deal out his cards, but Kate abruptly grabbed his wrist. "And no cheating."

"All right, all right," shot Race, as he shook off her hand and finished dealing. Jack looked on in amusement. Sure, Kate had improved as a poker player, as well as blackjack, but she wasn't as good as Race, or himself for that matter. But, he wouldn't be the one to tell her that. Why face the wrath of her temper when he was being relieved of his papers for the day?

As Race and Kate exchanged a few cards, some other newsies gathered around the table. Another round went by, as did another, until finally, Race wrinkled his brow in thought. While he appeared to be confused, only he knew that this was a trick. An old ploy he learned from his friend Spades in the Harlem, one of the few newsies from that side of town the Manhattan boys trusted.

"Well?" Race said. "I'm satisfied. Now's da time we find out who gets a day off and who has a lotta work ahead of 'em." A slow smile crept across his face as he fanned out the five cards in front of him.

"Four of a kind...ace's wild." A gentle murmur passed through the onlookers. Sure enough, on the table were all four aces. "So, whattya got?" shot Race.

Kate looked at her hand, seemingly confused. "Well, all I have is a straight..."

"Ah ha!" cried Race, as he began to push the collection of papers towards Kate. "Have fun sell-"

"...a straight flush."

With a flourish, Kate slapped her hand down on the table next to Race's, to reveal a straight flush. The cards reading seven, eight, nine, ten and Jack of hearts did not lie: Kate had won.

A roar of laughter and a shout of congratulations arose from the crowd surrounding the booth as Race sat there, dumbfounded. Even Marcus laughed at Race's misfortune. Kate slyly pushed back the heaping mound of newspapers towards Race and proceeded to stand up. She turned to face Jack, who was laughing and was as dumbfounded as Race was.

"How'd ya do dat?" he sputtered.

She winked in return. "Come on, Jack! Looks like we've got a day off. Why waste it sitting around here?" She climbed over him and exited the booth. "Unless, you want to help Race here sell his papers?" She put her hands on her hips, waiting for a reply. Jack shood his head, realizing how cute she looked when she was cocky.

"All right, all right, I'm comin'," he replied. "Catch ya later fellas." He slid out of the booth, leaving a very contented Mush and Skitts, and a very confused Race.

The harsh click of a cane sounded on the cold, hard floor as someone approached the couple. The owner of the cane cleared his throat, so that he would be heard. He was used to being heard by everyone, whether they agreed with him or not.

"Nice job," said Spot. "A straight flush. Not bad for a beginnah." He swiftly tucked his cane into his belt loop and crossed his arms in front of his chest, his steel blue eyes cutting into Kate's. If it wasn't for the fact that Kate had been trained in the theater, Spot's cold gaze may have given her something to worry about. Behind him stood Shorty, not wanting to interrupt his leader's business.

"Thanks," replied Kate. "Beginner's luck, really."

"How ya doin', Shorty?" asked Jack.

"Great!" beamed Shorty. "Hey! We won our baseball game da oddah day! You shoulda seen it! It was-"

Spot snorted, and interrupted Shorty's humble boasts. "Jack, could I have a word with you?" His hands tightly gripped the top of his cane as his gaze suggested that Jack had better comply, or else.

"Yea, Spot. Whattya want?" replied Jack.

Spot rolled his eyes and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Not here. Come wit' me outside." He paused. "Alone." He shot a stare meriting the sharpness of a dagger towards Kate, challenging her. Jack understood the seriousness of his message, and began to follow Spot. Shorty followed suit, but Spot said "No, Shorty. You stay 'ere." With a small frown on his face, he remained beside Kate.

"Kate, can ya stay 'ere for a bit? Dis'll only take a minute." Kate nodded, still eerily watching Spot for any sudden moves.

"Come on, kid. Let's go have our own secret meeting," said Kate, as Shorty followed her back to her booth. Jack followed Spot outside to a nearby alley. Something was up. Spot must've been shaken up by something in order for him to hold a secret conversation with Jack.

"What's goin' on, Spot. Is it dat gang in Harlem again?" questioned Jack.

"In a way, Jacky-boy," Spot began, slowly pacing the alleyway. He turned sharply and said "Ya wanna tell me who your girl is?"

Jack was suddenly caught off-guard. Why would Brooklyn's Spot Conlon be asking him about the identity of his girlfriend? "Why d'you wanna know, Spot?" objected Jack.

Spot shook his head. "I'll tell ya, Jack, ever since da moment I met 'er, I've had dis feeling dat somethin's not completely right wit' 'er situation." His eyes were not wavering: he meant business.

"Ya pulled me all da way out in dis alleyway to question me about my girl?" shot Jack, obviously offended. "We only started seein' each other five days ago, an' you'se already thinkin' dat somethin's not right?"

Spot began to pace again. "Not thinkin', Jack. I know somethin's not right." He paused, trying to carefully place his words. "I've seen dis girl before."

"So?" fired Jack. "What's dat got ta do with anythin'?"

"So, the deal is...I think she may be involved wit' Harlem." Jack let off an exasperated gasp, but Spot cut him off. "I'm serious, Jack. Da last time we rumbled, I coulda sworn I saw her mug along side one of those bastards. Hell, I'm pretty sure she swung a punch or two against our boys." Spot turned away from Jack and began pacing again.

Jack knew full well about Harlem's relationship with Brooklyn and Manhattan. It had all started over a territory dispute years ago before either Jack or Spot had taken their respective places as a leader. The dispute had grown to a wary toleration, then finally to an open hatred.

Could Kate really be from Harlem? Was all that she told me a lie? His mind reeled with thoughts, as he logically tried to sort out what was happening.

"Okay, so if she's from Harlem. What den? Maybe she's just tryin' ta change 'er ways." He could forgive her for lying. Everyone has a past they didn't want to remember.

"Jack! You're not gettin' it! If she's really in wit' Harlem, dat means a lotta newsies are gonna be in danger, 'cause she's da one providin' information to their leaders," said Spot.

Jack shook his head. "No, Spot. You're wrong 'bout dis...you're wrong 'bout her." There was no possible way Kate was in league with Harlem. There was no way the girl he had grown to love could lie to his face like that.

Spot's eyes flashed a glint of doubt, and a sneer overtook his face. "I hope you're right, Jacky-boy. 'Cause I wouldn't wanna be da one to tell my boys dat one of their friends got beat up...because of a girl...a girl dat Manhattan's leader is datin'." Spot spat out these last words bitterly. Not only did he not trust this girl, he was jealous of what she and Jack had.

"Spot, c'mon. Give 'er a chance at least. Ya don't even know 'er."

Spot sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I don't. I'm just hopin' that you do."

With a last glare, Spot started out of the alleyway and was gone before Jack turned around. He doesn't know what he's talkin' about, thought Jack, as he slowly made his way back into Tibby's. He quickly scanned the room and found Kate talking with Shorty and Blink, who, at the moment, seemed very excited. He walked over, as Blink suddenly got very quiet.

"Ya better hurry, Short stuff. Spot might leave without ya," said Jack.

Shorty jumped up immediately, but not before giving Kate a hug. "See ya later Kate!" He scrambled out of the booth and ran out the door after Spot.

"Should I be jealous?" quipped Jack, slightly frowning.

"No!," laughed Kate. "He's a cute kid. What was that all about?" Kate asked, referring to the surprise meeting with Spot.

Jack ran his hand through his hair. Do I ask 'er?

"Ahh, nothin'," he lied. "Just a little trouble with da Delancey brother's...dat's all." He wouldn't ask her. Maybe he just didn't want to.

"So, are you ready to go?" Jack had nearly forgotten in the hostile conversation with Spot that Kate had won them a day off.

"Yea," he chuckled. "See ya later, Blink."

"We'll talk later," whispered Kate, as she patted Blink on the back and followed in step behind Jack. The soft chiming of a bell sounded as Jack opened the door and led Kate outside.

"So, whattya wanna do?" asked Jack, as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Quit thinkin' about it, Cowboy, he thought. She didn't lie ta you, just forget 'bout what he said.

"Well, you could always give me another tour of New York," she mused, twirling the fabric of her skirt in her hand.

"Anoddah tour?" asked Jack. "What 'bout da one Blink gave ya?"

"Oh, Blink was a good tour guide, don't get me wrong. But I've been told by some...reliable sources, that you give the best tours." She smiled and batted her eyes, pleadingly. Jack couldn't help but laugh, as he grabbed her around the waist. She laughed.

"I gotta better idea than anoddah tour. C'mon," he said, as he offered his arm to her. She linked her own through his as they began walking away from the central square.

"Where are we going?" asked Kate.

"To Medda's," he replied. Kate's face lit up.

"That sounds great, but do you think she'll like me?"

Jack laughed to himself. He noticed the similarities between Kate and Medda before, but he never gave much thought to it.

"I'm sure you two will get along just fine."