Hey, everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story. Stuff to all of you, PLEASE R&R! I REALLY want to know what all of you think but I won't unless you review. It does frustrate me when I get dozens of people reading a story but none of them review, then I can never tell if they like it or not. Anyway, notes.

elleestJenn: No, my name is not Jenna but I'm glad you're enjoying the story regardless of what my name is. LOL. My name is Rachel and all my friends call me Red Rae Rae because I have red hair, that's where my fanfic name comes from. LOL. :)

Chapter 3

"So, how's it going?" came the voice of Jenna's mother as they sat at the kitchen table.

"Goin' fine, Mom," she said, sounding annoyed.

"So, what are you doin' with the money?" she asked. Jenna immediately felt a pang of sorrow as her mother said these words. Her mother didn't know she was saving her money for her, she didn't want her to. She knew her mother wouldn't want her begging for money just for her. She knew Jenna was saving money to pay the bills and to buy food, but the rest she wanted Jenna to spend on her own stuff. Little did she know that there wasn't much left over. If Jenna ever spent any money it went to another box of toothpicks.

"Just savin' it," Jenna replied, pulling the toothpick box out of her back pocket.

"Oh, Jenna," her mother sighed.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't pick your teeth, it's a horrible habit," she said.

"Mom, I ain't a girl anymore, none of the boys care," she said as her mother rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Toothpick!" came Racetrack's voice. "Toothpick! Hey, ya deaf?" He tapped Jenna on the shoulder as she immediately whipped around.

"What?" she asked.

"Ya deaf, Toothpick, I've been callin' you," he said.

"Toothpick?" she asked, confused.

"That's your name from now on," he explained.

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah, now, you wanna play?" he asked, pointing at the circle and holding out a handful or marbles.

"All right," she decided, her face twisting into a sly grin. This was what she'd been waiting for, the chance to play Racetrack.

"Toothpick's playin' Racetrack!" Mush announced as the rest of the newsies crowded around the two.

"You ready for this, Toothpick?" Racetrack asked as if it was a warning.

"Oh, I'm ready, Race," she said. "Why don't we just make this a little interesting?"

"Like a bet?" Racetrack asked. She nodded as his eyes brightened. Racetrack hardly ever turned down a bet and she was ready.

"Ya sure you wanna do this, Toothpick, Racetrack's the best gambler 'round here," Crutchy warned in her ear. She grinned even bigger as she nodded.

"I'm sure," she assured him.

"All right, how much you bettin'?" Racetrack asked.

"Let's start off low, ten cents," she said.

"All right, Toothpick, you're on," he agreed.

"Ten cents, Race," she said, holding her hand out. He sighed and forked over the dime as she smiled and stuffed it in her pocket.

"You're pretty good, Toothpick, I never would have expected it," Racetrack admitted, slapping her on the back.

That one touch brought upon her something she would never have expected. Racetrack became someone special. She didn't know how else to express it. He was just, well, special. She had never known this feeling which made her feel as if nothing but he mattered. When he spoke they became the most important words she had ever heard. His eyes were beautiful and she could be lost in them if she looked at him too long. She longed to run her hands though his dark brown hair, almost black. His accent intoxicated her and she couldn't help but laugh at any of his jokes. She had never felt any attraction to any boy before, it was just typical that she'd fall in love with one when he didn't even know she was a girl. She loved being a newsie, but now she also loved Racetrack, and she couldn't exactly explain why. It had all been so sudden, she didn't even know if it was love or not. Whatever it was, it wasn't going away as easily as it had come.