Brooklyn said she had some errands to run and asked Jack to keep me out of trouble. He smiled and replied, "My pleasure."

I wasn't quite sure whether to be happy about this or not. Don't get me wrong, Jack is a great guy, not to mention good-looking. But there was that one little thing I couldn't remember that was bothering me. I tried to forget it as I walked around New York with Jack. He showed me around and told me about some of the newsies and then showed me his favorite spot. We stayed there and talked for about an hour. He was telling me about Santa Fe and how he wanted to go there some day when he suddenly leaned forward and just when he was about to kiss me, I remembered what had been bothering me all afternoon. I pulled back.

"Is somethin' wrong?" Jack asked.

"Yeah...... well...... uh, don't you.... uh... don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked nervously.

He seemed disappointed for a while. "Where'd ya hear that?"

I looked at him sheepishly. "Brooklyn told me in one of her letters."

He smiled a little. "Yeah. I did. We broke up though."

I started to tell him that was a good thing but decided to keep my mouth shut. We walked away and saw Spot and Brooklyn kissing not to far from where we had been.

Spot and I went to Brooklyn. We watched the sun set on the bridge and talked till it was completely dark. He leaned close. A carriage rushed by.

"Um, I'll walk you home." He said.

Darn carriage. He helped me up and we headed to the lodgin' house.We passed by the New York World. Jack and Chris were standing their arms around each other. I was jealous. Spot put his arm around me. He pointed at them. "Let's leave them alone."

We stood in front of the lodgin' House. He leaned over and kissed me. We heard footsteps and turned to see Jack and Chris. "Hey Spot." Jack shook his friends' hand.Cowboy and Chris went inside. Spot kissed me again. "Bye."

"Bye Spot."

I went to the room Mr. Kloppman had made up for me. It was small but it was just for Chris and me. "I am madly in love!" Chris announced when I walked in.

"Why do you associate love with a mental illness?" I asked in a nice-as- possible voice. She just glared at me.

The next morning Brooklyn and I had just gotten ready to leave when Jack walked in. "Oh good. Yer up." He said cheerfully.

"Good morning Jack." I said happily as I smiled at him.

Brooklyn wasn't as merciful. "Jack haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

He laughed. "Hmmm..... knockin'? Yeah, dat does sound familiar."

Brooklyn hit him with her hat and walked out the door. I laughed and followed her. Jack walked up beside me and smiled. "So, ya got a nickname yet?"

I stared at him. "Huh?"

He laughed. "Do ya have a nickname?"

I shook my head. "Uh... no. Why do I need one anyway?"

He shrugged. "All of da newsies have 'em. It helps if da bulls are lookin' fer us. So, are ya sellin' at Da Sun wit Brooklyn or at Da Woild wit me an' da guys?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I know Brooklyn wants me to sell for The Sun because there isn't anyone that she likes selling with her, but I'm not sure if that's where I'm going to go.... what do you think?"

He looked away. "Well... uh, ya sell at Da Sun wit Brooklyn, den she wouldn't be alone an' she would probably be yer only friend dere, or if ya sell at Da Woild ya could be around all of da rest of us but Brooklyn would be alone."

I bit my lip. I could kill Brooklyn. She had layed a guilt trip on me the night before and she knew that I hated making decisions more than anything, and that I wanted to sell at The World. I shifted from one foot to the other and looked at Jack. "Well, she only buys her papes at The Sun, she doesn't sell there, so she's not really all by herself, right?"

"Does dat mean dat you're gonna sell fer Da Woild?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

He smiled. "Great. Follow me!"

I followed him to the circulation center and bought some papes then followed him to his selling spot. I looked at the headline. "Mayor's Dog Run Over? They're kidding right? I thought the point was to sell these things"

Jack smiled. "Yeah, dat is what newsies do."

I laughed. "Not with headlines like that!"

He shrugged. "Headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes. Ya have ta improve da headline a little."

I nodded and thought for a while. "Right, I think I know what you mean. Mayor grieves after loosing secret love!" I yelled and a small group of people came up and bought papers. I looked at Jack. "How was that?"

He smiled. "Not bad." I sold papes with him until noon when we went to Tibby's. We walked in and sat at a table with Brooklyn, Race, and Blink. "Spot isn't here today?" I asked Brooklyn.

She shook her head. "He had ta go back ta Brooklyn... he is the leader ya know."

I smiled. "I was beginning to think you two were attached at the hip or something."

"So, do ya know which paper your sellin' for yet?" She said to change the subject.

I nodded. "The World."

She pouted. "Oh come on Chris." I frowned and looked down at the table, here comes the guilt trip. "I don't have anyone to talk to at the Sun because the only person that I'm ever around is this really annoying guy and-"

"Geez Brooklyn, it's her choice. If yer so sick of the Sun den ya can sell wit us." Race butted in. She frowned and I smiled, if Race hadn't said something I probably would have given in.

"So Chris, ya got a nickname yet?" Blink asked. I shook my head.

"Ya got any ideas?" Jack asked the guys, and Brooklyn.

They thought for a while and finally started naming off stuff. "Mouse."

Jack looked at Pie Eater. "Mouse?"

He shrugged. "Well, she's real quiet."

Jack shook his head and a few more people called off some suggestions. Sparrow, Dove, Pigeon, Daisy, Tiger Lily, Flower, Petal...

I rolled my eyes. "Guys, please no flowers... I am NOT a plant."

I few of the guys laughed and thought of some more names. Star, Diamond, Ruby, Amythest, Joy, Song...

I looked at Brooklyn who was laughing hysterically by now. "Oh geez." I said and put my head in my hands.

"Somethin' wrong?" Dutchy asked trying not to smile.

I rolled my eyes. "Petal, Leaf, Jovial, Joy.... While we're at it why don't we add Rainbow, Sunshine, and Giggles?" I said sarcastically.

"Okay!" Brooklyn said cheerfully.

"NO!" I practically yelled. Eventually someone suggested Echo, which was a lot better than some of the other names they came up with, so we stuck with it.

The next day I sold papes... with Jack. Sure, I could have sold them alone just fine, but it was more fun with someone to talk to.... especially when that someone was Jack. It was the end of the day and we were on our way back from selling all of the papers. He smiled. "So, how do ya like New Yawk so far?"

"I love it."

He laughed. "Love it? Ya can't even walk around witout gettin' lost yet."

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and laughed. "I can't help it if I don't know my way around.... I haven't even been here that long!"

He shrugged. "Well, den ya'll just have to stick wit me."

I smiled. "I don't have a problem with that."

"Well, I'm glad dat ya tink it's a good idea. I can't spend all my time lookin' fer ya cause yer lost." He said sarcastically.

I snorted indignantly. "Oh really?"

He laughed. "Yeah... ya don't know nuttin' bout dis city."

I rolled my eyes. "And you could find your way around with a blindfold?" He nodded. "There isn't a place in the city you haven't seen?" He nodded again. I smiled. "Prove it."

"What?"

I smiled. "Put your bandanna over your eyes."

He stared at me suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because, I want to see if you're right." He hesitated but tied the bandanna around his eyes and sighed. "Okay, take me away oh fearless leada'.... if ya get lost, I'll 'ave ta soak ya dough."

I laughed. "Just follow me."

I stopped as he grabbed my hand. He shrugged when he felt me turn to look at him. "I can't see ya... how else am I gonna folla' ya?"

I nodded and started walking again. I led him to Central Park in silence. He smiled. "Dis is whera' yer takin' me? Central Park?"

I glared at him. "No peeking!"

He laughed. "I'm not... I just know whera' we's at... dat's all."

I shook my head and led him down an unused path and after a few twists and turns led him to an abandoned part of the park that had been forgotten a few years ago. It was a small clearing I had found when I was looking around New York on my own one time. There was a pond, beside the pond there was a small fountain with a bench beside it and a weeping willow. It wasn't easy to find... the pathway that had once led here was almost nonexistent and the trees hid any view of it. I smiled. "Okay, now you can look."

He took off the bandanna and laughed. "Of all the places you take me to prove I-" he cut his sentence short as he looked around at the unfamiliar scenery. "Where are we?"

I smiled at him sweetly. "You mean you don't know?"

He looked around again. "No... I ain't neva' been heya before."

I laughed. "It is in Central Park, you got that right."

He looked over at me. "How'd ya find dis place?"

I shrugged. "I didn't really find it.... I just kind of... stumbled onto it. It's beautiful though, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's great."

I smiled teasingly. "I thought you knew every inch of the city."

He glared at me and then splashed water at me from the fountain. I laughed as I ran away from him and he chased me around the pond for a while until I stepped in a hole and tripped. He kneeled down beside me. "Ya okay?"

"Of course... I'm fine." I said and smiled as I tried to stand up, but gasped when I stepped down onto my foot, and fell back down.

Jack frowned and picked me up. "I betta' get ya back ta da Lodgin' House an' see if yer foot's okay."

I sighed. "I'm fine. I can walk. Really!"

He shook his head. "Ya can't even stand up."

"I can walk... it only hurts to put pressure on my foot!"

He sighed. "Dat ain't walkin'... it's limpin'."

I bit my lip. "I can walk without limping! Come on Jack, just let me try!"

He shrugged and put me down. "Go ahead, knock yerself out."

I hopped a few feet and turned to smile at him. "See? I'm not limping."

"No, you’re jumpin'. Even worse." I rolled my eyes as he picked me up again. I sighed and started giving him directions back to a part of the park he knew. All of a sudden he tripped over a tree root and I gasped and tightened my grip around his neck. He stopped breathing for a second and I slowly let go of him and blushed. "You should watch where you're going." I said sarcastically.

"At least I can walk." He said mockingly.

I groaned. "I can't help it if I stepped into a hole."

He carried me the rest of the way back to the Lodging House in silence. By the time we got there my head was rested against his chest. I looked up and nudged him. "Will you put me down now?"

He smiled mischievously. "Never." His lips brushed against my cheek as he slowly put me down.

I blushed and was so embarrassed that I forgot my foot was hurt for a second and tried to stand on it, causing me to fall. Jack caught me and before I knew it, he was holding me in his arms. He ran his fingers through my hair and then kissed me tenderly. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him, returning the kiss. It lasted for well over a minute until I pulled away. "We should probably go inside."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

We walked inside and I walked into Brooklyn and I's room. A few minutes later Jack walked in. "Ya okay?"

I nodded and flinched as I hit my foot against something. Jack looked worried for a second. "Are ya sure yer foot's okay?"

I nodded again but Jack wouldn't give in and after only a few seconds of arguing he was looking at my rather swollen foot. I jumped as he poked my ankle. "That hurt!"

He smiled. "Well, then I'll just have to get your mind off the pain." Before I could ask him what he was talking about he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me for the second time that night.... and we were interrupted when Brooklyn walked in. "Well, maybe I should leave you two alone."

Jack stood up and smiled at me. "I betta' go... I tink ya just twisted yer ankle, it should be alright."

I looked at Brooklyn sheepishly as Jack walked out the door. She smiled. "Well, I guess Race won that bet."

I glared at her. "What bet?"

She laughed. "The guys were betting on whether or not you and Jack would be together in one week."

"Really? What did you say?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, I bet that you would be.... Kloppmen even bet for you guys."

I rolled my eyes. "Great."

She laughed. "You like him don't you? I knew you liked him. Ever since you first met him and got all starry eyed and-"

"Oh shut up!" I said angrily as I threw a pillow at her. We had a small pillow fight but then decided to get to sleep. I smiled a little as I drifted off to sleep, I had a feeling I was going to like New York.

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