21. The Tricksters, Three

The next day at lunch, Snipeshooter glared at me and wouldn't let me come near him when I delivered his food. I had set it down on the other end of the table and have the boys slide it down to him.

All the newsies I had terrorized had now remembered who I was, and to my surprise, I was also well known by the boys who weren't around when I had been. I found it funny that I was sort of like a legend to the newsies. Had a really been that bad?

I worked until long after dinner, so when I walked home that night, I ran into Jack, both of us on our way home.

"So Jacky bo...man, whatvah happened to dat Tart of yoahs?"

"Tart?" asked Jack, looking confused.

"Yeah, that bouncy goil with red hair that you were always hangin off of." I teased.

"Well whatevah happened between you an' dis Jim guy that made you run back to New Yawk?"

My smile dropped from my face, I was immediately sober.

"Sorry, Loki." Said Jack quietly. "Ruby moved to New Jersey to marry Oscah Delancy. I was seein her off that day I met you at dah station."

"Oh." I felt sort of embarrassed. "I came back 'cause I missed New Yawk," I said, feeling that Jack needed some sort of explanation.

"And?"

"And nothing."

"Yeah right Loki, dere's gotta be somthin."

"Well there ain't!"

"Liar."

"I left me friends because I missed New Yawk...and because Jim asked me to marry him." I said, staring Jack icily in the eyes.

"Oh," said Jack this time. We walked silently home, this topic had made us both uncomfortable.

I decided that I had spent enough time walking with Jack, so I dashed ahead of him. Too continue running I had to hike up my skirts, so I'm sure I was quite the eye opener to a passer by.

When I reached the building I ran inside and up the stairs. When I got to the top step I sat down and tried to catch my breath. Sometime later Jack appeared and he walked up the steps.

"Feelin Bettah?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Jack held a hand out to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me to my feet again. We each walked to our own apartments.

It wasn't really early enough for me to go to sleep, but I had nothing in my room to draw. I sat at the table wondering what I should do to keep myself busy. Jim always had great ideas, but he wasn't here.

There was a knock on my door and I quickly opened it, revealing Sunny.

"So Maria and Danny are asleep an' we'ze were wonderin if you wanna play some pokah wit us." She said casually.

"Alright," I agreed.

I grabbed my drawing pad (I seldom went any where without it) and followed Sunny down to her apartment.

Racetrack and Jack were sitting across from each other at the table playing cards. Jack had a cigarette hanging from his lips, and Race had a cigar clenched between his teeth. Neither of them looked up when we entered, but continued to study their cards carefully.

"Alright boys, I got us anudda playah. Befoah you begin Loki, I'll warn yah that everyone of you'se at this table are gonna lose to me. So if you don' like loosin, you bettah leave now," said Sunny cockily.

The two men made choking noises, pretending to hide their laughter. Sunny just smacked them with a dishtowel and sat down at her place at the table. I took mine, and Race dealt up the cards.

I won a game or two, but for the most part I was loosing, but not to Sunny like she had said, to her husband Racetrack. There was obviously a very very good reason why he was given the name he had.

I needed to save my money, so I bailed out, and just sat on a near by couch, drawing the poker players who were sitting at the table.

"Oy Loki, what you drawin?" asked Sunny, after awhile.

I turned my pad around and showed them the picture. They all quietly looked at themselves on the page.

"So waddya think? Good likeness?" I asked.

"Poifect likeness." Said Race, taking the book from my hands and studying it more carefully.

Over the next few lunch hours, I began to show the newsies that I wasn't out to get them, like they might still think. I started all this by sitting down at the table with Jack and Mush (I later learned that they worked together.)

When the guys saw that I was doing nothing bad to Jack, nor him anything to me, they seemed to relax a bit more when I was around.

"So Mush, how you been?" I asked, while sitting down.

I don't think that Mush had gotten over the shock that I was back, because he just mumbled out an inaudible answer.

"Listen, I'm sorry 'bout stealin that money from you'se, I was starvin an' only thought of me stomach. I didn't think that it might do somethin to yoah livin."

"It did nuttin tah me," said Mush quickly.

"Yeah? Well maybe I can make it up to you any way. You like cupcakes? I love cakes. I think I'll by you one." Jack began laughing, and Mush just stared stupidly at me.

"What's his problem?" I asked, jerking my thumb at Jack.

"Dunno, he's Jack." Said Mush, with a grin. I grinned right back at him, making him blush. I decided that blushing made him look cute....little boy cute I mean.

"Lotta, stop talking, we have customers to tend to," said Pete, the other waiter.

"Lotta?" Jack and Mush both asked in unison.

"Yeah, what?" I asked, confused.

"Why'd he call you'se Lotta?" asked Jack."

"Because that's me real name dummy. You didn't think that some one would actually name me something that meant 'trickster god'," I said rolling my eyes. I picked up my tray and walked off, two pairs of eyes staring after me.

Another late shift had me walking home with Jack again, but Mush was with him. Those two were pretty close; I guess it was because they were some of the only older newsies that were still together in the newspaper business. As we walked, we passed a bakery.

"Wait!" I called out. Both boys stopped and I dashed into the bakery. When I came out I triumphantly held out a brown paper bag. "Cupcakes on me." I handed a cup cake to each one of them, and pulled out another for myself.

"So if Loki means trickstah god, den what does Lotta mean?" asked Mush.

"Why should I tell you?" I asked, giving him 'the eye'.

" 'cause if you'se don't tell me, I'll always tink how wonderfully 'trickster god' suits you...and know its true." Said Mush. I must say, that was the most outspoken thing he had said since I had stolen his money two years ago.

"Lotta means 'petite beauty," I said quickly, embarrassed of my real name.

I'm not sure if I actually heard it, it was so quiet, but I thought I hear Jack mumble to himself, "That one suits you better," but I could be wrong.

Mush stayed with Jack for the next few days until he had gotten himself a new apartment. Apparently he was kicked out of his last one because the landlady had grown immune to his charming and would no longer extend the date when he had to pay his rent.

Sunny told me that his apartment had cost too much anyway, the only reason he had it was so that he would look all spiff for the ladies. He and I got along well, he liked to call me Lo', that way you can't tell whether I was Loki or Lotta- but I still caught him gawking at me from time to time.

Everything in my life was going fine until one morning when I got off work early. I had been walking home (without Jack or Mush, they were still at their jobs) when I saw a familiar character standing near by.

"Jim!" I exclaimed, cupping my hand over my open mouth.

"Hey Sugah," greeted Jim, swaggering over to me. I had missed him and the others so much that I threw my arms over him, and Jim swung me around in a circle.

"I cain't believe yoah heah, when did you'se arrive?" I asked, while tugging him in the direction of my place.

" Only this moahnin. I was gonna start looking for you tomorrow."

"Well I guess I saved you'se dah trouble."

Jim looked around him as we passed into the more lower class area of town. "Wheah we goin Loki?"

"To me apartment. And I ain't taken you no wheah. I'm headin home an' if I feel like it, I mights invite you in," I said, sticking my nose in the air.

I started to walk in front of him, but he reached out and pinched my rear, so I immediately moved back beside him and out of his reach.

Inside the building, Maria was playing on the floor, her baby brother, Danny, sitting beside her.

" Hi 'oki!" shouted the girl happily.

"Hey Marie."

"Uncow Jack wif you?"

"No, Jack is at woik, He'll be home latah," I said, pulling Jim up the stairs.

"Who's Jack?" Asked Jim, pulling me to a halt.

"If I told ya 'e was me fiancée would you believe me?"

"Nope, not foah a second. Nobody messes with my Sugar." Said Jim confidently.

"I ain't yoah sugah!"

I suddenly remembered why I had left him; he thought we were a couple. Unfortunately, we were all ready standing at my front door when I remembered this, and I couldn't run.

I unlocked the door and quickly ran in, shutting it swiftly. Jim shoved his foot in the door and pushed his was through, before I could do anything.

"Nice place. Shall I send foah me stuff now?"

"You are not staying here,' I said, throwing my purse down on the table. Jim didn't say anything, but began peering into my bedroom...and my closet!

I walked quickly up and slammed the closet door shut. Sadly for him, his hand had been in the way and got slammed in the door.

"Don't snoop in my stuff," I commanded, as he swore and sucked his fingers.

Jim followed me back into the living room, and began to look at me with an intense gaze. It was beginning to make me nervous, I didn't like what he was doing.

"Why'd you come Jim?" I asked.

"I came foah you."

"Bull."

"Truth. I said I wanted you Loki, and I do," said Jim, advancing towards me.

I backed up until I was in the open door way, jammed up against the frame.

"Wantin ain't the same as lovin Jim."

"Oh yes it is."

I tried to move out of the way, but Jim got hold of me and began to lean forward for a kiss as I struggled.

"She bettah be wantin you to be doin that."

I breathed a sigh of relief as Jim moved away and glared at Jack.

"And you are?" asked Jim, obviously ticked off.

"Jack. I already knows yoah Jim."

The two men began to stare each other down, which looked really stupid from where I was standing.

"Jim, go back to yoah hotel," I said, breaking their trance.

"Cain't afford a hotel."

"Well you can stay with me," said Jack, his mood changing instantly. He put a hand on Jims back and ushered him down the hall.

"Jack," I called. Jack walked back to me. "Keep a sharp eye on 'im, he's a real trickstah," I whispered.

"Hey, I can handle you cain't I, he'll be nothing in comparison?" Jack kissed me on the forehead then winked at the shocked Jim, before leading his new roommate onward.

I tried not to laugh aloud. It looked like Jack had planned a few tricks of his own.

....hey all! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter done, i had to reboot my brain. Incase you wanted to know, i can see this story ending in the next two chapters....but we'll see.

Shouts Outs

Koodles4you: Yay you thought my last chapter was grand!!! So did I:D Jim is back as you can see, but i think he's got his mind a bit muddled. Haha he and jack are in for a bit of a ride eh?

Shrieksy: Well i'm glad you like Jack's attitude because i have more of it planned for chapter 22. Snipeshooter is around fourteen or fifteen.

HAZZAGRIFF: Well i'm glad that i no longer have to worry about my spelling. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm really hoping that my last few chapters will be great as well.

Air: Jimmy and Timmy forever! I'm sorry that i was distracting you when you were trying to write me a review! But thanks for all your encouragement because it made me so happy that i flew up to the roof like in Mary Poppins( I like that movie).

ShortAtntionSpaz: You would never believe how amazing it was to wake up and find 15 reviews for me all on the same story! You sure caught up, and made me happy that you reviewed every chapter! Now i get to put you in my shouts outs. YAY.

And always my special thanks to Doc Na Skywalker who gave me the greatest idea of how to end my story.

Luv you all!