Chapter 3: The Legend of Jack Valentine

When he got back to the gang, he found they had abandoned the game in order to guess what the girl wanted with Jack.

"10-2 she caught him playing with his rope!" Racetrack speculated which the newsies responded with exasperation.

"Hey, Jack was gone last saturday night," Kid Blink winked.

"What's ta big deal guys, huh?" Skittery reasoned, which the newsies booed.

"What's ta big deal, huh? How many goils you gots comin' to ta lodge?" Racetrack inquired, raising his eyebrows sarcastically. The boys laughed and patted Racetrack's shoulders.

"It was no big deal" Jack called from the doorway, "She just wanted ta say somt'in', was all."

There was a general sound of disappointment, and a few newsies asked what she wanted to say. But when they realized Jack wasn't going to say, they grumbling resumed their poker game.

Jack was up, with a full house and impenetrable poker face. Only problem, all the other newsies had folded leaving him to face Racetrack. Racetrack had the tightest poker face in all of New York, and had only lost once (to the Brooklyn leader). The boys were surrounded and being carefully observed for any faltering by either.

"I've gots a proposition for you Jack," Ractrack began. Jack nodded, so he continued, "I goes all in. Now, I knows you can't call me wit' ya chips, so I'll wager all in against dhat lace thing there that I can see a peekin' out of ya pocket."

"Deal."

They showed their cards, and to the uproar that followed Jack collected the pot.

"I can't believe you just beat me. I just can't believe it" Racetrack babbled.

Jack smiled and said, "I knows it hard for ya ta believe, sos I'll show ya what's in me pocket anyways." The boys crowded closer as Jack overactingly extracted the Valentine Day's card and handed it to Racetrack.

"What is dis?" he asked.

Kid Blink grabbed it out of Racetrack's hands

"Hey! I was loo..."

" 'To my love Jack' I was right!"

Mush snatched it from Blink, "Was da goil a looker?"

"So Jack, what is it?" Racetrack asked plucking it from Mush's grasp.

"I'm not quite sureh. Da goil said it was fer Valentine Day."

"Valentine's Day?" Boots asked.

"Yeah, she said you're suppose ta give da person you like a card on Valentines Day."

"So what did you say?"

"I gots someone I likes."

"David sister, yeah?"

"...Yeah."

"Valentine's Day? Who eveh hoird of Valentine Day?" Skittery muttered more to himself, but Savvy, who'd been chewing a cigar nearby, heard.

"Who eveh hoird of Valentine's Day? Me parents dats who."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, 'cept they always tells a story wit' it."

"Tell us about it Savvy" Jack commanded.

"Well I dunno ta whole story, buts here goes. Once upon a time," the newsies laughed, Savvy shot them a look and they settled down, "in ta part of England me Mudder and Father come from dhere's a guy called Jack Valentine."

"Hey that's just like you Jack!" Boots called.

"heh, yeah."

"So dere's dis guy named Jack Valentine, and he had himself a sweetheart. Only, she wasn't quite his sweetheart yet, he only pretended she was. Ya see, he was too scared to say nothin'. But one day he gets an idea. What if he says he liked her, but didn't actually say it?"

"Dat's crazy talk," Skittery voiced.

"Not crazy talk, mad genius-like! Ya see, his plan was ta leave her a note and sweets on her doorstep, knock and run, dhen see what she did. If she looked like she liked it, he'd say somet'in. Ta guy, though, he got pretty noivous, so he kept stallin'. Dhen finally one night he got his courage, and headed to hoir door. Dis night was February 14, today. Only, as he was about ta leave the note and sweets da goil opened ta door! When she axed what he was doin', he went dumb and finally said he was givin' sweets ta all da kids in da neighborhood, and handed her a candy to give her little sista."

"Like Santa Claus."

"Yeah, like Santa Claus, only they didn't have Santa Claus dhen. So day guy rans away after givin' his goil ta candy, buys more candy and actually does go an' leave sweets on all da doorsteps. The goil - see she liked Jack too - so ta two started ta see one anudder. Da next year February 14, both of dhem went out to distribute da sweets, and he axed her ta marry him. And dhey lived happily-eveah afteh."

The newsies appluaded.

"Jack Valentine. And you're suppose ta give ta one you like a card tellin' dhem so and live happily eveah afteh." Jack mused silently as a devious grin spread across his face.

"He'll neveh see it comin'."

Author's Note:

The tale is actually somewhat true, I've expanded it and such (what would I do without wikipedia?)
And you get all the big newsies in here, just chilling together and such. I wonder if I should've made them more touchy-feely? They are in the movie... ; )

I know this is going a bit slow, but bare with for the final chapter is worth the wait.
(things are looking good on my end, I have to hurry,though, or we'll land in the friend-zone!