"Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl... "

I herd footsteps coming closer to me. I looked up expecting to see an angry Jack. Instead, Jack was standing there with Mush by his side.

"And how may I help you fine gentlemen?" I forced a small smile.

"Well we were hoping you would come back down and sit with me and Jack when we played?" Mush looked at you hopefully.

"We'll miss ya down dare," Jack said kneeling on the ground. I really didn't want to go back down, not with that boy insulting me on my nonexistent card playing skills, and with that group of boys I ran into on my way home. I looked up at the boys.

"I can't go back down there, I'm sorry, I just don't belong." Mushed sighed and sat down next to me. "I'm not even a newsie." I looked over at Jack who was now sitting in front of me.

"Of course you belong Evelyn, your family. And let me tell ya, there are mad manhattan newsies down there because of what Spot said about ya, and…" I cut him off.

"THAT was Spot Conlon!" I said in surpise. HE looked a lot different then I expected him to, actually, he didn't look that bad. What im I saying he's a jurk!

"So he is a boy…" I mumbled to myself. Mush laughed but Jack didn't hear what I said, thank God.

"Yes, that's Spot, now come back down." I followed Him and Mush back to the Fire escape.We went through the window and I noticed that Spot staring at me. I keept my eyes off of him and went to my bed. Mush sat down on my bed while Jack went to the table to sit next to Sam.

"Ok imma teach ya how to play poker." Mushed said as he pulled out a deck of cards.

"Muuuuuuuuuush do I need to know how to play poker? I meen it's not like I'm going to be playing again anytime soon, especially with the great Spot Conlon." I wined at him.

"Jack was right, you aren't quite." I laughed as he passed out the cards. He explaned the rules and what I had to try to do. It all went right over my head, but we had a great time. We talked about the newsies and the strike that had happened a month ago.

"And then out of no where, Brooklyn comes in we beet 'em! PAPES EVERYWHERE!" Mush said with a jump.

"I don't see whats to great about Brooklyn." I looked over at Spot and…he was looking right back at me! Then I noticed he was one of the boys who had followed me on my way home. This only increased my dislike of the boy. "Mush…is it true…what he said?" I put down my cards. Once again, I lost. I laughed at my weak hand.

"NO…NEVER! And don't let anyone make you think that. It wasn't right of him to say anything about you when he doesn't even know you, AND he shouldn't have compared you to Sam." He scoped up the cards and put them in his pockit. I looked over at the table again.

I looked away quikly, "Mush he keeps staring at me."

Mush looked at Spot then back at me. He shrugged, "And I have meet him before, today on my way home I ran into a group of boys and ya know, the whole 'are you lost sweethaert?' 'Where you goin honey?' So I ignored them and I went to Davie's because they were following me."

Mush looked amused "You ignored Spot Conlon, nice. You have to have been the first girl to ever do that."

"So..." I wiserped to Mush, "He's not gay?"

"WHAT? No...no he's vary much into girls.And girls are into him."

"O…I understand…he's just not Spot Conlon, he's Spot Conlon: The Ladies Man." I gave a fake high-pitched girlish giggle.

Mush and I burst out laughing only stoping when we were getting odd looks from surounding newsies.

By now, the younger newsies were asleep and the poker game was brokein off. Everyone sat down and talked to whomever. Mush went to hangout with…I think Jack called him Kid Blink, and Jack and Sam were nowhere in sight. Finley maby he'll tell her that he likes her. I smiled to myself. Then I looked at Mush and Kid Blink again, they were talking to Spot. I grabed my book and countined my reading on the pharose of Eygpt. It was what I was working on at the musaem. Just as I was about to start the chapter on the Nile I felt my bed sink down. I slowly looked up to see The Great Spot Conlon himself.

"Evy I'm…sorry." He said, I superesed the urge to laugh because it sounded like he had naver done a thing like apolgise before. "I shouldn't have said those…things about yous."

"Um…thank you Spot." I gave him a small smile. "It's ok though, what you said was true. Sam is a lot more agreeable to be around then me."

He looked at me funny; boy, this kid has staring problems!

"Well, lest you're smart, and you're not a loud mouth like David over there." Then he looked at the floor, "and your just as prity as your sista."

Feeling my face get hot I looked back down at my book, hopeing he wouldn't notice.

"Well, the game's back on and I'm goin back to play." He smiled and then headed for the table.

I saw Jack and Sam walk back in. Sam looked like she was walking on air, but Jack, ooooo he didn't look so hot. He came over to my bed and sat where Spot was currently seated.

"Jack whats wrong?" I closed my book and put it back under my pillow.

"She doesn't like me Evy."

"You asked her?" I moved closer to him.

"No."

"She told you?"

"She told me she liked someone else."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?" He looked over at the poker game. I followed his gaze and gave a node of understanding. Sam was talking to Spot.

"Jack...Mush told me how Spot dosn't stay with girls long, maybe..." I traled off. Sam seemed very happy untill now. Spot must have said something that she didn't like.

"For someones whose talking to the guy she likes she doesn't look to happy." I said looking at Jack again. Jack straghtend up. I looked to see what was going on. What I saw was an annoyed Sam, and an aproching Spot.

"Hey Spot," Jack said not looking at him "What cha need?"

"I need at talk at ya."

I wonder whats going on, Sam seems upset, Jack is upset, and Spot Conlon has something to do with it.