A/N: oh snap two updates in one day. That's gotta be a record. Well I hope you liked the last chapter and reviewed it. Okay now to the best part, the story.
He looked at me when I said this, like maybe he did remember. It was just a moment but I saw something cross over his face like he knew everything. Knew why I had come here and why I was looking for him. But in that instant, it was gone.
"No, no I don't remember you. Who are you?" he asked. The rest of the guys were snickering at me and what I was saying but I didn't care. Let them laugh; they didn't know what was going on anyway.
"Cowboy. I gave you that nickname. Maybe we could go talk somewhere?" I said, hoping that by mentioning his nickname that he would remember.
He screwed up his face in concentration and then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide and he came over to me and bent down to whisper so only I could hear, "Cassie?"
"It's me Cowboy." I whispered back.
He turned back around to the anxious faces of the rest of the boys in the bunkroom. "I'll just be a minute fellas." He said to them and he took my arm and led me downstairs. Once we got to the door he opened it and closed it again when he realized it was pouring out. He looked around, his face distant, nervous.
When he tried to pull me into another room I stopped him. "I'm not running around here all night while you dodge the fact that I'm here. Now we need to talk." I said to him, all fear and nervousness melting away. After all I had grown up with this boy, known him since I had been born. His family and mine had been long time friends. Our fathers were business partners, but their line of business didn't include suits and briefcases. More guns and cigarettes.
I was kept in the dark mostly about my fathers work. My mother figured it would be better if I didn't know. However Cowboy's father insisted he know about it. He never told me much, preferring to keep to my mother's wishes, but he told me enough so that I understood when he left. His mother knew if she didn't send him away he was in danger of slipping into our father's line of work. It broke my heart, sort of a little girl crush I guess but seeing him know brought back those feelings and memories, only intensified.
"Why are you here?" he asked me after a long silence.
"It got to be too much. Your mother was right in sending you away. Our fathers weren't doing well. They had a lot of people after them, including the bulls. My mother was prepared to send me to boarding school but I decided if I could find you, I wouldn't have to. I missed you." When I was finished tears stung my eyes. I had promised myself I wouldn't be a baby and cry.
"Our…our fathers aren't doing well?" I shook my head and he continued. "What about my mother? How is she?" he asked. He knew the answer before I even gave it.
"I'm sorry, she died last year. It all got to be more than she could handle. Losing you and then having to deal with your father on her own. I guess you could say she died of a broken heart." I told him. I swallowed hard, fighting the tears that threatened to overcome me.
"I guess I expected that. So when did you leave?" he asked me.
"Two days ago. I knew you'd gone north and I remembered when we were kids…you'd always talk about visiting the city someday. When you weren't talking about Santa Fe. I figured I could start there."
"One destination down, one to go." He said laughing slightly. "So how long are you staying?"
"I never really thought that far ahead. I guess for a while. You're the reason I left in the first place and now that I've found you it seems pointless to leave."
"Well, it doesn't matter. It's just good to see you again. Cassie, I've missed you too." He said and he pulled me into a hug. He was so much bigger than I remembered and I got lost in his large, familiar arms. It felt so good to be with him again. I finally gave up fighting and let the tears come. I could swear I felt some of his own but I couldn't be sure.
When we were done he pulled me back and looked at me. "You know, you really grew up. You look so much older know." He said.
"Well I'm fifteen now. That would make you seventeen, right?" he nodded.
"You look so…pretty. You're not the little girl I remember. The one who chased me around, always looking for stories." He smiled at the memory. "The one with a crush on me."
"I did not-"
I was cut off when he pulled me back into his iron grip again, my voice muffled against his chest. My protests quickly turned into laughter and he released me once again.
"So I see you still go by the name Cowboy." I told him.
"Sometimes. Other times its Jack. Jack Kelly." He said. I was hardly surprised. He needed to give an actual name when asked and he was too proud to give his real one.
"Well Jack, at least you didn't totally forget me." I said playfully. It was like we were kids again.
"Now how could I forget you?" He had such a beautiful smile. How had I never noticed before?
I looked away, embarrassed and then turned back to him and said "It's getting late. Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"
"Sure. C'mon." he led me up the stairs and into the boy's bunkroom. The boys all watched us as we walked in. Jack quickly began ticking off names and soon I was on information overload. I couldn't for the life of me put names to faces. Except for a few that were easy, like Kid Blink and Specs.
"Hi," I said timidly when Jack had finished. One of the boys in the corner, Race-something I think, came over to Jack.
"So Jacky boy, what's the story with her?" he asked.
"Uhh, Race why don't we talk in the morning?" he replied. Race shrugged and went back over to where he'd come from. "And why don't you get to bed." He said turning to face me.
"Cowboy, we ain't kids anymore. You don't have to be the protective big brother." I never really thought of him as my brother, but I figured he thought of me as a little sister. He'd always looked out for me like that.
"I don't care, your still in my domain and I have the right to tell you what to do. You have a lot to learn about the newsie way of life. Lesson one: always listen to the leader. In this case that's me."
I looked at him incredulously. He'd always been the leader type, but leader of the Manhattan newsies?
"Well ain't you moving up in the world?" I told him with a smile. He winked at me and I headed to the girl's bunkroom.