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Walk a Mile on My Route

* Part Four *


Spot just didn't know what he looked like, Antoine decided. All the Brooklyn Newsies knew of him was that he was rich and had been beat up by the Delancy's. But shouldn't his limp have been enough to tip Spot off? And why hadn't Oscar and Morris recognized him from before? Oh, he'd tried to explain that away as well, but the solution he came up with still didn't sit well.

He walked along trying to sort everything out in his head when he caught sight of Jack's friend and his little brother--- what was that kid's name again? Danny? Darren? DAVID! "'Ey Dave..."

David Jacobs and his younger brother Les both looked up at the same time, and also at the same time looked disgusted at what they saw. It didn't phase Antoine though. He needed to talk to someone and he needed to talk right now. Who better than the Walking Mouth?

"'Eya." Antoine scuffed his shoe on the pavement a little.

"Les... why don't you go catch up with the others at the Restaurant? Tell them I'll be along in a minute." David ushered his younger brother away.

"Awwww, but--!" Les protested.

"Just do what I said, please!"

Begrudgingly, the boy jogged off towards Tibby's.

"So what can I do for you Antoine Bernard Smith the Fourth?"

"Ya remembahed my name."

"Surprised?"

"Well, no one else seems ta call me anythin' but Pursestring dese days." He chuckled ruefully. Not that he minded anymore. It was just still rather hard to get used to.

David loosened up a little. Antoine seemed to be a little more easygoing at the moment, so there was no reason not to be friendly. "They do that. Hey, a lot of them call me Mouth. What can you do about it, right?"

"Guess so." Antoine shrugged. He'd wanted to talk but... suddenly it didn't seem as important. He'd get accepted into the group. It'd just take time. "Say.. ya headin' ta Tibby's?"

"Wondering when you were going to ask." The two Newsies headed off for a late lunch. David was still wary, but he felt that Antoine had changed a lot over one morning, if such a thing was possible. All that time alone really did the snob some good. He was glad it had worked out this way instead of the opposite scenario where Antoine ran off looking for home and got himself hurt... or dead.

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The standard lunch crowd was buzzing at the Newsies' chief hangout when David arrived with Antoine. The same silence as the day before fell over the tables where the others sat, but Antoine didn't let this intimidate him for a second time. He marched right over, grabbed an empty chair and pulled up to Jack's table. The others sitting there - Mush, Race, Blink, and Pie Eater - all slid over in surprise.

"So..." Jack began. He wasn't used to being caught speechless. But this kid's sudden burst of self confidence fit neatly into the 'unexpected' category. There was something different about him, but Jack couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"'Ow'd everyone do dis mornin'?" Antoine took this awkward moment as his cue to start the conversation.

"Fine..." Race, too, wasn't sure what was going on.

Mush didn't want to pussyfoot around the issue though. "Geez. What 'appened ta ya? Yer like a different guy."

"Didn't hit yer 'ead 'er nuthin', Antoine?" Pie Eater cocked his head and waved his hand infront of Antoine's face.

"Call me Ant. An'.. I'm fine, really!" Antoine batted at Pie Eater's hand. "Haven't felt dis good in a real long time."

The others still looked skeptical.

"Ya all taught me somethin' real important. Dat's ta unstuff me shirt an' look at all da good around me. S'easy ta take it fer granted when ya lives inside a nice little sanitized house yer whole life." He took a deep breath. "I've been a real jerk, I know. Da phrase 'spoiled brat' even comes ta mind."

"Hey! Whaddya know, Ant? Mine too." Blink replied sourly. Gimme a break. Dis sounds so rehearsed. An' still---

"Give 'im a chance." Jack hushed Blink. He knew about getting a second chance to set things right and wasn't about to deny that to Antoine. No matter what kind of a egomaniacal pipsqueak he had been the first week, there was something different now. He felt honesty coming from Antoine for the first time.

"All I want is anudder shot. Ta start ovah. I's real sorry 'bout makin' ya put up wid me."

The other tables had long ago discontinued their conversations in favor of listening in to what was happening at the main table. At Ant's last comment, they exchanged looks. "Should we?" "Whaddya t'ink?" "Could it hoit?"

Finally, Jack gave the okay. The first test for the new and improved Antoine would come that afternoon, anyway. They were planning a trip to the docks in Brooklyn--- the first one since Jack and company had walked away a week before. It was going to be a little strained, but what better place to test 'Ant'? "Et's get outta 'ere an' go fer a swim."

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Spot saw them coming from a good distance away. That was the advantage of being the most famous and respected Newsie in all of New York-- you always got a good view of things. From his perch on the pilons at the docks, he could see everything for blocks around. Nice of Jack to finally come around. He hadn't meant anything by their conversation before, just that he didn't trust scabs and that if Jack knew what was good for him, he wouldn't either. They had a tendency to turn on you. "'Eya Jackie-boy. Wonderin' when you was comin' back."

Jack cracked a half smile and offered a spit shake to Spot, who accepted. Everything was going to be alright, even if they didn't agree on Jack's new boy.

Grabbing Ant by the shoulder and clearing his throat, Jack began the introduction he had run over at least a dozen times in his head. "Spot, dis is---"

"Pursestring. 'Eya again."

Floored, Jack gaped as Ant spit-shook with the Brooklyn leader. "Nice ta see ya again too, Spot."

Don't Spot know dat--- Waaaait. I got dis now. Spot don't know who Antoine is. Well, really is. Jack unclasped his hands. But when did 'e meet Ant?

"Spot an' 'is boys got me outta a scrape wid da Delancy's dis afternoon." Ant answered the unspoken question. "Now I know why 'e's got da respect of all da Newsies in New York."

"Alright, schmoozah. Enough's enough. Ya gonna sit 'ere an' buttah up Spot all aftahnoon or ya gonna come fer a swim?" Racetrack punched Ant playfully in the arm and dove off the end of the dock.

Ant spun and took off after Racetrack. "Yer gonna get it fer dat!"

Once more all alone. Jack glanced over at Spot. Should he tell him the truth about Antoine? The guy was bound to ask where their new pretty boy was at anyway.

"So where's dat scabbah? 'E decide ta stay back at da lodgin' 'ouse an' cry?" Spot chuckled.

"No..." Jack took a deep breath. "'E's 'ere."

"Where?"

Soundlessly, Jack pointed off the end of the pier where Ant was splashing around with Racetrack and Blink.

Spot raised an eyebrow. "Yer jokin'." He took a good look at the Manhattan Newsie's face. "'Kay, so yer not." He shook his head. "Can't believe it. Well, 'e ain't what I figured."

"'E ain't like 'e was when 'e came ta us 'bout t'ree weeks ago neidah. 'E's different. Kinda---"

"Nice?" Spot supplied with a smirk.

"Yeah, dat."

As the two continued their conversation, Ant swam forward and ducked down below the water. Down in the murky depths, he devised a plan and started swimming towards the support beams under the dock. Gotta time this just right... He surfaced briefly to take in some air, unnoticed by his two intended splashing victims.

"-- an' 'e don't even look like da ol' Antoine neidah." Jack was confiding to Spot. "Or talk like 'im."

"Gotta hand it to ya, Jack. Ya really did a good job wid 'im. Ya couldn't tell 'im from one a'da uddah's who's been sellin' papes fer years any more."

Tensing, Antoine shot straight up in the water. He had heard everything and was furious. So that was their plan. Change me into one of them! And here I was thinking that they actually wanted to be friends. I fell for it!! "So glad ta know dat I was a good lil' guinea pig fer yah!" He leapt onto the dock and ran as fast and as far as he could. He was going to find his parents, and he was going to find them now.

"Where's 'e goin', Jack?" Mush pulled his dripping wet body out of the water and stared after Ant.

Jack set his jaw, cursing the lousy timing.

"Ta find 'is parents, I'll bet." Kid Blink shook his head. "Whadya say ta 'im, Cowboy?"

"Somethin' dat Purse misundahstood, no doubt." Snipeshooter too crawled up onto the dock. "Judgin' by da speed a'which 'e took off, I mean."

"I could send some a'my boys aftah im', Jack." Spot wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he felt bad about what had just happened. "Bring 'im back 'ere."

"No." Jack spoke for the first time since Ant took off. "I'll follow 'im m'self."

"Yer kiddin', Jack! You'll nevah catch 'im." Blink said incredulously. "At least let some of us look too."

He didn't really want the others involved, but Jack realized that without them, he might never find Antoine. "A'right. But let me do da talkin'."

"Sure." Kid motioned to Mush and Race. "We'll check 'round midtown."

Snipeshooter snagged Boots and Snoddy. "We'se got Harlem."

The other Newsies quickly broke up, Spot sending his boys out to personally check out every crevice of Brooklyn. They were going to find him and explain things. He wasn't just a pawn in some game. He was their friend.