A/N: So this was originally going to be a one-shot then I just got more and more ideas so it will be a 3 part instead. I wrote it on an airplane across the country – writing makes the time pass soo quickly! Like I have said before I have a fascination with Pie Eater because, well, we don't really know anything about him and I really like his facial expressions (just watch him they are funny)! So here is a look into his world, or at least my version of his world. This is my first time writing Race so forgive me if you feel he is way out of character and as for Jake…no one ever puts him in a story and I felt sad for him. Poor Jake, no love. Please read and review!

Thursday Night

Part 1

"I'm gonna ask him."

"Why! There ain't a point and you know it!" Skittery swatted Jake's bowler off and let out an aggravated huff. Two blue eyes narrowed back at him in response, attempting to burn holes through his shabby pink union suit. "It's Thursday, you know he ain't gonna play." He continued to cautiously shuffle the deck of tattered cards taking care to not further damage the small pieces of paper.

Jake retrieved his bowler and replaced it atop his greasy head. He did this with a sullen demeanor and meekly explained, "I was jus' going to be nice…"

"Yeah well nice or not, Mr. Sunshine over here's right." Racetrack added and threw a penny on the floor between them all. "Antae up boys." Another penny joined his on the floor boards and Race immediately flashed an annoyed eye at Jake. "Are you playin' or not? I'm ready to win you two bums' money!"

"Yeah. Jus- just hold on…" The overall clad boy pulled himself to his feet and departed towards the washroom.

Skittery rolled his eyes in disapproval, "Stupid kid can't listen…"

Pie Eater was examining his forehead in the mirror. He scanned his pale skin looking carefully for any blemish or impurity so that it could be dealt with immediately- he had to be perfect. It was Thursday night which meant it was his night and his alone. It was the highlight of the week; the few hours that he anticipated from the moment his head hit the pillow the previous Thursday. He licked his rough index finger and proceeded to pinch, press, and twitch a small unruly lock of hair that had gone slightly askew. It had to be perfect, everything had to be perfect.

"Pie" Pie Eater shifted his eyes so he could make out the blurred reflection of Jake in the doorway. Jake was a pest – yeah he was one of his good friends but it was Thursday and it didn't matter if Jake was Santa Claus, it was his night and nothing could change his plans. He adverted his eyes back to his own reflection and didn't bother to respond, all his energy had to go into that pesky hair.

Jake shuffled a few feet closer before attempting to address his comrade again. "Pie, we were wonderin' if you wanted to play some poker with us? I mean – Skitts and I, we need some help beatin' Race and all."

"Nah, I'm going out," he responded dully lacking any trace of enthusiasm, "Ask Snitch."

Jake stared back, void of expression. His response was what he had expected but all the same it was curious. It was Pie Eater's usual ritual. Every week while the others were getting ready for bed, gambling, and resting their aching feet from a long days work he was in the washroom primping and preparing for some mysterious location. He was generally one of the cleanest boys – actually taking the time to bathe on a weekly basis - an accomplishment few others were even remotely interested in. He began to wash his hands taking the effort to remove as much as the ink deposited in every crack and crease of skin. Jake shook his head and turned on a heal back to his gambling partners.

"Let me guess," Skittery addressed Jake before he even had a chance to sit down, "he said 'no'?" Race grinned, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

Jake looked at them both sourly, he hated being patronized, but tossed a penny on the floor anyways. Race dealt out the cards in a few quick, clean movements only learned from years of practice. Three, King, Five, Eight, Two – the hand was lousy so Jake immediately folded while Race and Skittery continued to toss in change and trade in cards. Skittery was concentrating deeply on his hand, a deep crease formed in the middle of his forehead while Race was grinning and perfectly at ease. Moments later they showed their cards – Race a Full House and Skittery three Fours.

"Damn…" Skittery cursed under his breath though he was not surprised in the slightest that Race won, he always won.

"Guess you ain't eating breakfast!" Race cackled, puffed a few clouds of smoke into the air, and collected his meager winnings. Skittery punched Race in the arm, he was a sore looser. "Hey don't get mad at me just because you ain't no good at Poker!" Race hit him back which was returned by another slug from his moody comrade.

Jake did not even notice their quarrel, he was staring intently back towards the washroom where he could see Pie Eater dotting his neck with after shave. "What do you think he does?"

Racetrack turned his head "Wh—o?" A hand had slapped him mid sentence in the nape of the neck and he turned back sharply to a smirking Skittery.

"Pie Eater"

The grin melted from Skittery's face and was replaced by flared nostrils. "Will you shut up about 'im!" He yelled back at Jake and followed his words with a punch to the arm.

A hand met Skittery's cheek sending an acute pain into his skull. "You shut up Skittery!" Race barked back. The three of them crinkled their noses and stared at each other angrily.

A moment later Racetrack broke the immature silence, "I think he's got a girl…"

"Ha!" Skittery laughed amused by the prospect, "That guy can't look at a girl without blushin' let alone talk to one!"

"It could be an act!"

"Yeah sure, you can hardly compare his incompetence with Blink's eye!"

Jake interrupted the bickering couple, "Maybe he goes to a show or someth--"

"And where would he get the money for that?" Skittery broke in rudely. He always had to be the skeptic on things.

Race jumped at the chance to insult his friend. "He don't lose it all in poker like youse!" He moved quickly behind Jake to avoid the back of Skittery's hand. Skittery peered back grimly and folded his arms over his chest. Jake swatted Racetrack's grimy hands off his shoulder. The little New Yorker was filthy and left clearly defined smudges on Jake's already grimy shirt.

The silence fell on the group again, each a bit irritated with the others. It was Skittery's and Racetrack's normal exercise of poking and squabbling at the other until one went over the edge and it turned mildly violent. They were good friends but their strong personalities grated against each other leaving open wounds to rub the salt of insult and competition into. Both felt the need to be on top.

Racetrack's grubby little digits separated and flicked the paying cards into neat little stacks. He stopped shuffling when he was sure the cards were reasonably mixed and began to deal in the same manner he had a few minutes before.

"I don't care what you two bummers say – it's a girl." He stated with a steady voice. Neither Skittery nor Jake responded with words but instead rolled their eyes, halfheartedly threw a penny down, and looked at their cards.

Race raised the pot another cent and Skittery followed with the same action. They both waited for Jake to do something but nothing ever happened. Skittery looked up from his cards and narrowed his eyes at the boy across from him.

"You in or not?" He asked impatiently and waved his free hand about. Again Jake did not answer- his eyes were not even fixed on the game or his two partners. Rather, the two blue spheres were focusing on something behind Skittery and Race. Reluctantly Skittery turned his torso to look in the same direction.

Pie Eater was walking directly towards them. All three gamblers watched him dumbstruck. He was pristine, or at least as pristine as a newsie could ever be. His hat was placed strategically atop his head so not to disturb the bangs he had so intently manicured. The brown pinstriped waistcoat he wore on a daily basis was buttoned up to the lapel with his black bandana peaking out from underneath. He had put on his brown jacket, which happened to be in the best condition of any of his clothes, absent of rips and tares because of its seasonal use. The jacket not only fought the cold but concealed the many stains and holes his pale yellow shirt had acquired. His face was smooth; free of the mature stubble which always seemed to return by the end of the day, and his warm coffee eyes had a cheerful sparkle about them. Most striking of all, he had been able to lift the tell-all ink stains from his palms and they now held a warm, healthy, pink shade. Anyone who did not know him would never suspect that he was an orphan, an indigent, or most of all a newsie.

He rounded the side of the poker game; a pungent scent of musk aftershave traced behind him just like a devoted puppy. The threesome's nostrils filled with the sharp yet refreshing scent and they all watched him disappear into the hallway. No one spoke until they could hear his finely polished boots click faintly down the stairs.

"Told you it was a girl," Race broke the quiet void (as usual) with a haughty smirk on plastered on his face. He raised his hands above his head into a stretch and let out a self satisfied sign, exaggerating just to rub it into the others' faces.

"I still don't believe that" Skittery doubted, not wanting to give Racetrack pleasure of winning yet another game.

Racetrack's arms instantly retracted to his sides and he leaned forward towards his opponents face, "If youse gonna smell like that then it is DEFINATLY a girl!" Small droplets of spit escaped his mouth as he over annunciated and they found a new home on Skittery's face. "I'll bet you fifty cents!"

Skittery's hand smeared the saliva across his cheek in hopes of removing it. He contemplated Racetrack's offer – that was a whole days papers, but then again he had no doubts he was right. He would win back the whole weeks gambling money and then some. "Deal!" He exclaimed and thrust his hand towards his companion.

As they shook, both with smug expressions because they had faith in their own opinions, Jake scrambled to his feet and took a few paces towards the door.

"Hey! Where you goin' now?" Skittery protested eager to get back to the Poker game now that his gambling itch had returned.

Jake turned and looked impatiently down at his fellow newsies. Though they were older by a year or two they often were oblivious and ignorant towards everything going on around them. Both of them became too wrapped up in one event and blocked the rest of the world out – especially when it came to their quarrels.

"If you wanna win that bet you better follow Pie and find out what he really does!" Jake stated rather matter-of-factly, as if Skittery and Racetrack had carelessly omitted an instruction from a manual.

The pair looked back at Jake more shocked that he had spoken to them with slight force than anything else. Once the meaning of his sentence sunk in, Race stuffed his change into his pocket and joined Jake by the door, Skittery at his heels. Together they all rushed down the stairs. Jake eager to uncover Pie Eater's secrets, the duo eager for some pocket change. Despite their motives the hunt was on.

End Note: Can I just say Skittery is awesome? Yeah that had nothing to do with anything, he just didn't get a shout out in the A/N. Please review!