Disclaimer: Still don't own newsies....

AN: It's June! June 2nd and I've been out of school for quick count on fingers well, a lot of days. And Sunday is graduation, but my party was on the 28th, of May...

where is she going with this?

Well, now, with all my lovely graduation cards opened and accounted for, I'm offering a nice reward for all those that review.

yea, money!

And cheesecake! Don't forget the cheesecake. There was a lot left over and who doesn't like CHEESECAKE!

Geez, starting reading already...

Book Two: Chapter 3

When Race woke up that morning he couldn't help but feeling like it was going to be a wonderful morning. He even stood up in the chaotic bunkroom, grabbed the first two newsies running by and told them so. Both were quick in escaping but Race didn't mind; it was a wonderful morning.
It had been a week since meeting with Annabelle for the first time and the race was in two days. They're training was winding down and tomorrow would be a complete rest day. It was evident that both horse and rider were comfortable on the track. And their chemistry together as a team was already starting to turn some heads.

That was part of the reason for Race's high spirits—the other part being his naturally optimistic self. Walking around the city he felt the weight of money in both pants pockets and he hadn't even picked up a pape. With a smirk on his face, and a pat on his back for his own ingenious gambling strategies, he watched his friends try and sell both the morning and afternoon editions with little success. Thursdays were always so-so, right before the weekend news scandals, but not there yet.

He settled into Tibby's later in the afternoon, right up at the counter by himself, glad to see that that wonderful morning had continued into a wonderful afternoon. After ordering the largest sandwich they could make he broke open his newest prize, sure of a wonderful night.

"Here, let me get that for ya." Jack swiped the cigar from Race's fingers, lightening it as he had said he would but stealing the first drag.

"Dis cigar," Race explained, taking it back. "Is woith more den you'd sell in a week, Kelly."

"Dat so?" Jack mused with a smile, watching as Race tried to blow a smoke ring. "Must be some suckers in town then. How else would you get so much money gambling." He picked up his own menu but ordered nothing. Instead he swiped at the food on Race's plate.

"Me luck is coming back," he warned while sheltering his food. "and it would do you some good to be nice to me for a change."

"I think I'll just come down to da track wit you'se and give 'em a go meself." Jack laughed, patting his friend on the back.

Jack had never been one for the tracks. He'd gone with Race when they were both selling, gut rarely as a gambler himself. So Race hoped that reminding him of this would do more than dissuade him from tagging along. He had to meet Annabelle and Miracle at the track, and he was more than certain that Jack's presence would be an obvious distraction. "Do you really tink that'd be a good idea, Jack?"

He shrugged, oblivious to it all and playing with the salt shaker. "Soah, what else do I gotta do?" For a moment, Race felt bad for his friend, who had been in poor spirits ever since his hasty reunion with Annabelle.

He shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth before mumbling another excuse. "How 'bout buying sometin nice for May."

"Aw Race, you know I got rid of her." Jack pushed away from the counter, walking in a quick circle before resting his back and elbows on the counter.

"Oh, right." He shoveled the last of his sandwich into his mouth, seemingly intent on chewing.

"Now come on, why you give me such a hard time? I'se getting the feeling you ain't keen on me going wit ya." He said in a teasing manner, which was how they normally addressed each other, but underneath that smirk there was an edge of truth.

"I ain't keen on seein you lose!" Race said, managing to focus on their light bantering. They both chuckled lightly until their laughter faded into awkward silence. Race pushed away his plate, flinching at the noise it created. "Honestly Jack, don't go tonight. Wait it out."

"Why? You said youself, you're lucks comin back. Maybe it'll rub off on me."

Race shook his head. "Trust me Jack, not tonight."

"Why?" This time his eyes narrowed and the joking tone was lost. Race had seen Jack—normally sickeningly cool in every situation—lose his cool and it wasn't something he felt needed to be provoked. But he could feel his friend shifting in that direction. "What are ya keeping from me Race? Dis ain't like you'se."

"Jack." He said sadly. The two friends stared at each other and Race whispered her name in his head, wanting to tell him while keeping his promise all the same. To his surprise, as soon as he'd whispered her name, Jack's eyes widened and he fell back into his seat.

"She's dere, ain't she. Race!" His hand slammed onto the counter. "Why didn't you'se tell me. She's been dere all along and—"

"Jack, calm yourself. C'mon." Throwing some of his change on the counter, Race dragged Jack outside and around into the closest alley. "Look, I didn't tell you'se 'causehey, where you goin?" He sprinted to get ahead of Jack's long stalking strides, rounding him to a stop but unable to calm the obvious anger.

"To see her! I can't believe you didn't tell me"

"Wait, listen to me." Race dodged Jack's hand that was aiming to clench onto the front of his shirt. "You can't see her now. Wait until Saturday, til after da race."

Jack shook his head, pressing hard on the pressure points at the bridge of his nose. "Race? What race?"

"The tournament, ya know, da one Roz was supposed to race in."

Jack threw his head back, arms raising into the air so that all anger was allowed to resurface. "Is that why she's here?! You—you're letting her race dereRace, what da hell are you thinking?"

"You sound like her mother" Race spat, suddenly as frustrated as Jack was. He was angry with Annabelle for making him lie to his friend, angry with Jack for reacting in such a way, and furious with both of them for ruining his wonderful day.

"Yea, well, her mother had a point." Jack responded with an exhausted sigh. "she's gonna get killed! I mean, look what happened to Roz and"

"Jack, it's fine. I'se been helping her and you know I wouldn't if I didn't think she could hold her own." He pulled out one of his cigarettes and offered it to Jack who greedily inhaled the drug. Feeling as if he had the upper hand he crossed his arms over his chest. "If you're so concerned wit her safety, den you'll cointainly wait to see her."

"What the fuck are you—" Smoke flew from Jack's nostrils as he flew into a frenzy again.

"Seeing you will just mess her concentration, Jack. She needs to focus on the race and believe me, dis past week has been notin' but getting her to forget about your sorry ass for as long as it takes to cross dat finish line. Don't mess this up." Race jabbed Jack in the chest hard, surprising his friend so that he stepped back into the building.

"I—When can I see her, then?" He unconsciously rubbed at the mark.

"Well, she don't want to see you'se." The conversation had been winding down but as soon as the words slipped from his mouth the small amount of sense in Race's brain began to wail, reflecting Jack's own response. He was sent running again, dragging Jack to a halt and pouring on the famous Higgins charm. Walking with an arm around Jack's shoulders, he tried to reconcile, "But if you wait until Saturday den we'll arrange something"

"We?" Jack turned from staring at his ratty boots to Race's diplomatic expression.

"Yea, she's stayin with Spot and Miracle." Race dropped his arm and stepped back from Jack, waiting for another outburst. "Kloppman sent her over dere when she got here last week."

Surprising Race once again, Jack stared at him in awed silence before collapsing onto a nearby stoop. His long legs bent awkwardly so that his knees almost blocked his face. "So you guys all know and you haven't told me all dis time, even when—Jesus, Race, she didn't let me explain." He rested his arms on his thighs and then his head on his arms.

"I know"

Race didn't know what else to say, every amount of sentimental talk making him uncomfortable. As Jack mumbled into his stomach, Race shuffled his feet, wondering what the two of them looked like to the busy people returning from work. "I mean, I hadn't seen her since last summer, she didn't write andand well, a year had practically gone by."

"Yea, well, she seemed to be thinking 'bout you for dat whole year Jack."

"I was too—I was thinking of her too Race." Slapping his hands against his pants, they both watched the dust that rose from them. Jack stood with a tight smile. "Saturday, you promise? I gotta figure this out and she's not leaving if we ain't"

Race held out his hand, spitting in it first, the number one newsie sign of a man's word. "Promise."

From her seat towards the back of the room, Annabelle was able to see Race enter the bar and immediately pull together a game of cards. Before anyone could ask he dumped a handful on change into the pool, letting everyone know who the big spender would be that night. Scanning the rest of the crowd she watched Spot and Miracle walk over to their friend and converse quickly. A moment later, Miracle glanced in her direction and catching her friend's eye, forced a quick smile.

But Annabelle thought nothing of it, waving to Race when he looked in her direction also. Miracle left the two boys, stopping by the bar on the way back to her seat next to Annabelle. She offered a glass, which Annabelle accepted hesitantly, and dropped into the open seat.

"He's ridiculous." She joked, taking a big gulp from her glass. "And you're to blame."

"Me?" Annabelle asked, coughing slightly from her own drink.

She pointed again with the hand that held her glass, tipping the chair back onto only two legs. "Yeah, you winning that race has gone to his head."

"Winning! The race is tomorrowand this pressure isn't helping."

"Aww, you'll perform better because of it."

Annabelle took another sip from her glass, satisfied that these tiny dosages of whatever Miracle had brought her didn't burn as much when swallowed. "You sure hope so."

"You'll do finejust concentrate on the race and then we'll have another big party just like this one tomorrow night." The two laughed and looked around the room at the other newsies who had gathered. Most of them were from Brooklyn and still unaware of Annabelle's disguise. So she kicked her legs up onto the nearest table, the pants she wore spattered with mud from the track. The bottom of her boots were caked also, reminding her of her father's boots.

Thinking of home, she abruptly took her feet off the table and poured the rest of her drink into Miracle's glass. "Honestly, I'm getting antsy." She rubbed her hands against her thighs and seemed to be fascinated with the ceiling. "Macy is too."

Miracle's right eyebrow rose in question, settling her own glass on the table and leaning on her elbows. "What ya saying Turner? You wanna go home?"

"I think so." Annabelle shrugged, rolling her shoulders a moment later. She tried to explain her case. "At least then I could ride whenever I wanted to, wherever too."

"That sowhat about that mamma of yours. Heard she was a real stickler" Miracle shook her head before tsking loudly. "And a husband. Didn't think you'd wanna get one of those."

Annabelle's forehead wrinkled in concern. "Yeawell, I left thinking things would be different." She avoided eye contact once again, going against her better instincts and reaching for Miracle's glass. She swallowed a large amount, hissing as it burned her throat.

"Who says they can't." Miracle pulled the glass from Annabelle's hand before more damage could be done, and Annabelle cooperated, running her tongue along the inside of her teeth. "Look, you've been hanging around dese guys too often, you've forgotten that females are a little more perceptive so how 'bout telling me what's bothering ya"

"I just wish" Annabelle sighed in shook her head.

"Yea?"

"I left partly for the race but more so because of Jack and now that I'm here, and he's" she flitted her hand around for lack of a better explanation. "Well, it makes me seem a little lost." In response to Miracle's cute little smirk, Annabelle set her own lips in a determined line and crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't like it when things are out of my hands."

To her surprise, Miracle kicked back in her seat and said in a cheerful voice, "Who says dey are." Annabelle rolled her eyes, about to find another seat or better yet, head home. "Don't look at me like that! Have you been listening to Race at all dis week? Jack's been going nuts and he don't even know you're here! What do you think he would do if"

Annabelle interrupted quickly, taking a shaky breath. "I don't wanna know, 'cause I don't think it would fix anything."

Miracle glanced over at Race, his words of caution upon entering the bar earlier that night, flying right out her ear. She knew she could push a little, even if Jack was aware of Annabelle's most recent vacation in Brooklyn. "Aw, c'mon. Let him apologize, spend some cash on buying you something pretty and promise that he'll never do it again. You'll have him wrapped around your finger for the next month." She laughed to herself. "Or at least, that's what I always do with Spot." At this last comment, Annabelle jumped to her feet but didn't get far before Miracle grabbed her wrist. "Okay, okay, joking aside, and going against my better judgment that's telling me I shouldn't be discussing this on the eve of your big raceI'm sure that if you talked to him it would straighten some things out."

"Yea, but just how they'd come out is what scares me." Annabelle twisted out of Miracle's grasp, not exactly angry with her friend, but more with herself. "I'll see you later." She pushed through the crowd, the late hours now affecting how sufficiently each newsie walked. Liquor penetrated every part of the room, along with smoke and the stench of things Annabelle didn't want to know more about. Pushing into the cool nighttime air, she looked up at the sky hoping to see the stars as she had at home. But the lights of the city, not to mention the pollution, clouded her vision. It only made her miss home more, or at least how home had been more than a year ago. She couldn't go back with out some sort of explanation but staying in the city now felt pointless.

She kicked at a nearby can, following it around the blocks and down every alley until she was back to the lodging house. The whole time she thought over Miracle's advice, unable to stop herself from cracking the slightest smile as she remembered the last bit and Spot's role. As dysfunctional as they were, Annabelle envied how they trusted and relied on each other. It was a comfort that Annabelle feared she'd never experience.

Looking up at the stoop to the lodging house she wiped at her eyes and blinked furiously before stopping suddenly. It took her a few moments to realize he was actually sitting in front of her and not just a figment of her hazy imagination.

He seemed surprised also, which annoyed Annabelle slightly for he had obviously come looking for her. As he stood and brushed off his pants, Annabelle squared her shoulders and decided to storm past him. But as she walked up to him, her jaw had already begun to quiver and she got no further than his side, both his arms stopping her from moving much further. Too exhausted to fight him she slumped away, shrinking against the stair railing.

"Annabelle." He whispered, reaching for her cheek. She turned away hoping he would pull away, but he instead touched one of her stray curls. She could feel his fingers and their gentle touch and unable to wait it out, climbed two stairs more. Jack jumped after her but stopped when she did not go inside. Hesitantly she raised her eyes to his. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you here?" Her voice was ice, even though the position of her body seemed to imply how defenseless she was.

He climbed one step and moved to the opposite side of the railing, letting her know that he would respect her need for space. "To apologizeand explain."

"Well, I don't need to listen." She raised her chin fiercly. "And tell your friends to stop interfering. Race or Miracle must have told you."

"I'm glad they did"

"Sure you are." She spat. "But if you had thought of someone else besides yourselfI have a race tomorrow. I need to get some sleep and and—" She began to blend her words, mumbling quickly but making no sense.

Jack tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants and dropped his chin to his chest, looking at her from under lashes that he knew would catch her attention. "Good luck, Race says you have a good shot." His voice was soft and easy, nothing like the strong confrontation she'd been expecting.

She shook her head, seeing through his plan. "What is this? Small talk was never your thing."

"I just want you to be okay," He leaned closer to her, "it's dangerous down at that track."

"I've dealt with worse." Her look was one of lead and Jack knew she was referring to his own actions. He ran a hand through his hair, trying hard to stay in control, but as she pushed away from the railing he felt desperate. "Now I," She turned towards the door and Jack chose this moment to stop her. She looked at where his hands held one of hers, surprised at how familiar the touch seemed, even after so long. "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk, Annabelle." He pulled her close so that their bodies were touching and his face was close to hers. "I know you came down here to see me and I fucked everything over. And now you have your race, which is very important, I understand that." He felt her relazing slightly and taking it as a good sign, he released his tight grip. She stepped back from him, still allowing one of his hands to cradle one of hers. His grin was one-sided and alluring and she focused on his shoes, listening to his voice grow more confident. "So tomorrow, we'll sit down and I—I'll explain and you can come back to Manhattan, take off that ridiculous hat"

"I like this hat." She quipped, placing her free hand on top of it. "And you're getting ahead of yourself. What makes you thinkI mean, how arrogant do you have to be!"

"You're here now, aren't you." He reached for her other hand but she placed it on her chest. "You could have gone right inside but you stayed."

"Because you're forcing me!" She cried, tugging for him to free her hand.

Frustrated and unable to remain calm, Jack obliged, before stalking into the street. She could tell he was angry and she was surprised to see him this way. He paced at the end of the stoop before kicking at the railing. "Annabelle, look at me, do you want to go back home?"

"Right now that seems my only option." Jack stopping his pacing and opened his arms out to his sides, scoffing loudly. He said all he had to with that motion and Annabelle dropped her gaze. "You're not the same, Jack."

"What do you mean?" He resented the comment and her soft voice drew him back up the steps.
She adopted his own trick and watched him from underneath heavy lashes. "This city makes you different."

He should have been angry, kicked open the door to the Brooklyn lodging house and forced her to come back to Manhattan with him. He'd seen men do worse things to women they claimed to love. But watching her profile in the dim nighttime light, he knew there was an amount of truth to her words. He had felt a change over the past year. What she didn't understand was that he'd gladly go back, if only she could help him. "Annabelle, please."

She sighed, looking past his shoulder into the darkness of the night. "Jack, you know whatyou don't want me to leave tomorrow?" He looked up at her hopefully and in that moment she slipped her hand free. "Then give me a reason to stay."