I woke up the next morning on the couch as per usual. I sighed figuring I had to get dressed. I threw something on and looked into Jacob's room.
"Morning Sammy." He said grinning at me as he walked to the door.
"Mornin' Jacob, ready to head over?" Jacob nodded and we set off to the Jones' apartment. Jacob knocked and Mel answered.
"Hey ya Jake, hey Sam." She said with a grin. Jacob went inside and Mel came out with me. We jogged down to street level and headed out. "So your brother came looking for me last night, where did he find you?" Mel asked. There was no point in lying to her, she'd just ask Blink.
"I was at the lodging house. Jack invited me over for poker." I said. Mel looked like she was counting in her head before her mouth dropped.
"No... Jack Kelly brought you to Manhattan and Brooklyn poker night?! That my dear is the highest honor an outsider can recieve. How was Spot?" She asked.
"He was okay," I said. Mel laughed.
"Dude! The boy is whipped! Oh my god this is brilliant! So long as you don't start bursting into song,"
"Trust me if I burst into song it means you're boring." I quiped
"No matter! The leader of Manhattan is infatuated with a girl!" Mel exclaimed. She then proceeded to twirl me around.
"Infatuated might be taking it a bit too far." I said. We had reached the corner where Blink and Mush typically met us.
"What's this about someone bein' infatuated with someone?" Mush asked. I wanted to cover it up, but Mel beat me to it.
"Jack Kelly is infatuated with Sam! How else do you explain the fact that he brought her to Manhattan and Brooklyn poker!?" Mel exclaimed.
"Okay first no more sugar in your cereal, second we're just friends!" I replied. Blink laughed.
"Sam, Jack's fond of you. Infatuated might be takin' it a bit too far, but he does seemed to have taken a shining to ya." He said. I rolled my eyes.
"While you three have delusions of granger, I'm gonna go, see you tomorrow!" I said. I walked to school on my own. David was waiting on the steps as he saw me run up.
"Hey Davey, Les out selling?" I asked as we walked in to head to class.
"Yeah, think he and the younger newsies are going out together." He said. When we got to class, Ms. Mathew was waiting and she tilted her head. I shrugged, and sat down. Everyone else came in and sat down and as per usual class began. It had been a drag for me, the rest of the class didn't focus so we only got through half the lesson. So when school let out for the day I was a bit annoyed. The day didn't get any better when I realized that Jack was late. It wasn't a first for him. If he was late, he'd find me on the route back. I was about to start walking when I heard coughing behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned around.
"Ah Annabel, I see you've brought yourself yet again to a battle of wits. That's like bringing air to a gun fight!" I said glaring at her. As soon as other students saw me and Annabel facing off, they knew that things might get ugly. Annabel scoffed.
"And I see you got a day off from the brothel." She said. The crowd started mumuring. I rolled my eyes.
"Oh you were almost relevant." I said. That sent the crowd mumuring even more.
"Your dad died to get away from you." She said. That nearly launched me at her, but I had one more solid insult before things got physical.
"Your face, looks like an alligator chewed up a cat, shit it out, then tried to paint a face using realism and feces." I said. One of the girls that considered herself one of Annabel's friends gasped.
"That's it!" Annabel then launched at me. I braced for her nails but she knocked me to the ground, clawing at my face. The crowd was cheering and I flipped her over. I kneed her in the gut once and then punched her in the jaw. I then felt someone pull me off of her. She got her goons to help her up and I glared.
"Didn't you know?! Ladies don't start fights they end them!" I shouted at her. I turned to who was holding me back, it was David who then walked with me in the direction of home.
"I look like a mess don't I?" I asked once we were a decent ways away.
"Yeah, but to be honest? Annabel looks worse." He said. I laughed as he took me to the lodging house. I tilted my head as to why he brought me here. "You need to get cleaned up, Liam seems like he'd have a coniption if you came home like that." David said.
"Thanks Davey." I said. I walked inside and jogged upstairs. Race and one of the other newsies were already sat around the crate they used to play poker.
"'Ey, you're Cowboy's girl... Sam ain't it?" Race said. Jack had told me a couple days after we met that the newsies flip between Jack and Cowboy.
"I'm not "his girl" per say but my name is Sam." I replied. "I need the bathroom." I said.
"Why?" The other newsie asked. I gestured to my face.
"Had to end a petty cat fight. I won but I have a feeling I've got a split lip coming on." I replied. Race gestured behind him.
"Open the door, Kloppman should have the water on." He said. I nodded in thanks and walked that way. I walked in and realized that the room had no mirrors so cleaning the injuries up would be done blindly. I got a faucet going and splashed my face a couple times. I hoped I had looked somewhat presentable when I went outside. I did go out and Race turned to me.
"Alright Sam, want in?" He asked.
"No thanks Race, I need a nap." I said. I popped up on one of the empty bunks and while it smelled vaugely familiar and had it's pillow facing the center of the room, and I proceeded to take a nap. I didn't wake up until a soothing voice was shaking me awake.
"Jack, just let her sleep." I heard someone, I think David, say.
"Her brother might have my head again. And I want my bunk back." Jack replied. Well, that explained why it smelled familiar, it smelled like Jack. "Sam, Sammy, c'mon Sam you've gotta get up, I don't want your brother ripping my head off." He said. I groaned and rolled over, which in my tossing and turning while I was sleeping, caused me to roll off the bed and plunge toward the floor. Only to be caught by someone. I opened my eyes to see Jack with his always present smirk on his face.
"Didn't plan for you falling for me Sam." Jack said with a chuckled I rolled my eyes and forced him to stand me up. His smirk was still on my face as he steadied me.
"Let go of me Kelly." I said. Jack threw his hands up in surrender.
"Alright, c'mon Sam," he said. The two of us walked out together. We hit the pavement and Jack smiled at me. "Sam, have I told ya about Santa Fe?" He asked.
"I know it's a city in New Mexico. Not much to it yet, why? What's special about Santa Fe?" I asked.
"It's got a different air. A bigger sky." He said.
"I'm not gonna fight you on the air, anything is better than New York City air." I said.
"And the sky?"
"Well the light might refract different, but it's the same sky as here." I replied. He chuckled.
"Yeah I guess, I gotta ask, how'd you get your face busted up?" Jack asked.
"Petty cat fight with Annabel. I insulted her appearence after she insulted my dad." I said.
"But your dad's dead." He said.
"Yeah, but she's the only one outside the immediate family who knows how he died." I said with a shrug. Jack was pretty good at dropping subjects when need be, but this one he didn't want to drop.
"How? If I can ask." He said. I could've said that he couldn't ask, but I was tired of having to keep dad's death a secret.
"Suicide, on my mom's birthday." I said. Jack looked over at me like I might break at any moment. But I had come to terms with my father's death eons ago. We arrived at my apartment complex and I turned to look at Jack.
"Same time tomorrow Jack?" I asked. He nodded.
"Same time tomorrow Sam." He said. He shot me a smirk and wink and I rolled my eyes. I jogged up the steps and got Jacob from Mrs. Jones. Jacob looked at my face and frowned.
"What happened Sammy?" He asked.
"I got into a fight, I'm fine." I said. When I came into the apartment, Liam was putting his boots on.
"Oh good, you got him," Liam said before he looked up, when he did, his train of thought derailed, "What happened!?"
"I got into a fight with Annabel Murphy. You should see her." I said, my smile becoming crooked, mirroring Jack's in a way. Liam rolled his eyes and took off his boots.
"Dinner's on the table." He said as he disappeared into his room to sleep for the night. Jacob and I ate together and when Jacob finished, he left to his room and I crashed on the couch.
Jack's bunk was way comfier.