"Jane Quinn is that you?" Luella looked at her in shock as Jane stepped into the backstage costume area. "What in God's name happened my dear?"
Jane gave a sorry smile, "I'm alright, honestly, it looks much worse than it is." She explained as Luella came across the room towards her.
"How did this happen?"
"Really, it's not that bad, I actually... well... I fell up the steps outside my house." Jane replied sheepishly.
"Good heaven's darling, why on earth do you have this repulsive thing on your head?" Luella referred to the large awkward bandage wrapped around Jane's head.
"My friend Mary, she can sometimes be a little over-the-top." Jane replied, feeling her head.
"Well, well dear. We shall sort you out a bandage for a lady, and if you feel up to it, you may darn dresses with the others." Luella smiled warmly and put her arm around Jane, guiding her to a chair.
The other girls were seated around; dresses, frills and fabric draped over their laps as they stitched hem lines and embroidered costumes. Luella disappeared to collect some smaller dressing for Jane, and quickly returned to start removing the old one.
"So my dear, whatever were you doing to make yourself fall over some steps?" Luella enquired, unwrapping the vast amount of linen around Jane's forehead.
Jane fidgeted for a second. "I tripped over my own feet." Well, it was the truth... "I think I was just a little bit drunk."
A girl across the room gave a laugh, "Ha ha! Bet ya weren't as drunk as Arlene!"
The group of girls in the room all started laughing, including Luella and Jane.
"There we are sweetheart, fixed up like a lady." Luella declared, tapping Jane on the shoulder as a sign she had finished with her new bandage. Jane stood and turned to look in the mirror behind her. Her dressing was small and her hair fell down mostly over it, around her shoulders.
"Thanks Luella." She smiled.
"Nonsense darling, we can't be having you going around with that dirty great sheet on your head." Luella replied. She then addressed the entire room, "Now let's get on with it ladies! The sooner you finish, the sooner you can go for the rest of the day."
They all then continued to chatter between themselves as Jane took a dress in working progress from the table and seated herself down again with needle and thread. She began working on the hem line and let her mind wander. That Spot Conlon... What an unusual name... Everyone is scared of him? What was he doing really walking her home? What was he doing outside her house this morning? Why did everything he say make her so frustrated? If he was this great Brooklyn leader person, why would he bother winding her up? Mary said he was a liar; he did lie to her... or did he?
A few moments later, the backstage room door creaked open, and Arlene came slowly walking in. She didn't look all together, her face was very pale and the expression on it looked queasy.
"Oh my gawd!" One of the girls exclaimed pointing at Arlene, "Ladies! Look who managed to crawl from her bed!"
The other girls all shrieked with laughter, Jane included. Arlene looked pretty rough, she pressed her hand to her temple as she very slowly shuffled towards a chair next to Jane and sat down.
"Alright, alright!" Arlene hollered at them, "Gimme a break! And for god's sake stop being so loud..." She winced at the pain it caused in her head. "I don't even wanna know what kinda state I was in last night." She managed to look at Jane and gave her a feeble smile, "I remember Jack picking me up... and I also remember being sick..."
Jane chuckled at her. "Very nice, Jack did put you to bed, but he failed to mention you were sick, in fact, he may of implied you two got up to something else..."
Arlene's eyes widened at her, "Really? Shit, I can't even remember!"
"Really Arlene, I don't think you did anything at all, Jack was back at the table only a few moments later, and he looked very sincere."
"Of course he would look sincere, Jane, he's a newsie, one of the best."
"Well, I'm just glad you saved us all the pleasure of watching you be sick." Jane giggled.
"What about you? When did you leave?" Arlene asked, pushing her fingers in a circular motion on her temple.
"I left right after Jack came back, it wasn't late, I walked straight home." Jane replied quite quickly.
Arlene didn't notice, "Oh. Okay. Did you meet Race and Blink and Mush?"
"Yes, they were fun, they were playing cards all night, and I wasn't very good."
"Yeah, they're a nice bunch of guys, there were so many other people I wanted you to meet."
"Really?" Jane enquired, "Like... Spot Conlon?"
Arlene's hands came away from her head and she sat bolt upright, looking at Jane directly. The other girls in the room went silent. Jane realised they were all looking at her as if she had shouted out and extremely rude word at the top of her voice.
"Spot Conlon was at my party?" Arlene asked, almost stunned.
"Erm, yes, he was at your party. I didn't speak to him, I only saw him."
"Oh." Arlene seemed bewildered
One girl across the room spoke up, "What was he doing? Was he with a girl?" she asked, eyes boring into Jane's.
"Um, no, I don't think so." Jane answered
"I heard he always takes two girls to parties with him." Another girl said.
"Well I heard he goes for them real richie kinda girls." The first girl stated.
Everyone in the room now was listening to the conversation, chipping in what they knew about Spot.
"One time he took me out, we'se went to a poker game and he left with some other woman!" exclaimed another girl.
"My sister went out with him once, said he was the sweetest thing, right up until he got what he wanted from her." A blonde girl said, "And I don't need to tell ya what that was."
Some girls looked at each other knowingly. Jane listened intently.
A quiet girl in the corner then spoke up, "Well I heard," Everyone turned to look, the girl looked apprehensive. She spoke a little quieter, "I heard he's killed people."
No-body spoke.
"And just what is going on in here? Are we just looking at the dresses ladies??" Luella shrilled as she stepped into the doorway. "Arlene? Good god girl, you look positively dreadful! Go home immediately; you can make it up tomorrow."
Arlene gave Jane a half smile, "Why doesn't she just tell me not to come in the day before I drag my hungover ass here."
Jane gave a small grin. "See you tomorrow then? And Luella's right, you do look positively dreadful." She mimicked Luella's choice of words.
"Yeah, well." Arlene got up to leave, she then pointed her finger towards Jane, "And don't even go there with Conlon," She looked stern despite being ill, "That boy's caused just as much in tears as he has in bloodshed."
And she left, as Jane mulled over everything she'd heard whilst only managing several stitches.