"Yeah, I know you all too well," she said with a laugh.
"Hey! We also gotta remember that we hafta keep our knowledge to ourselves. Like the old saying, knowledge is power. And we have it. Like all those t.v. shows say, we can't pollute the time line. We can be here, sure, but we gotta be careful what we reveal about anything. Got it?"
"Got it," she answered after a short pause.
"Pinki-swear," I said and held out my pinky.
"Pinki-swear," she confirmed and locked her pinky with mine. We shook and each kissed our thumbs. That's how we pinki-swear; it's odd, but it's how we do it.
"Okay, okay, enough of this silliness. We have lunch ta get to," I said.
"How do you know this?" she asked, almost angry, but surprised that I knew what was going to happen.
"Like I said, me and my premonitions. Come on, Spot awaits," I said.
"Yeah, you and yer premonitions," Jax mumbled.
We walked back down to the lobby. "Ah, Fearless Leader," I bowed, "on tah Tibby's I presume?"
Spot looked at me, somewhat confused. "Uh-huh," was all he said.
"Jax, look, it's Mister Conversationalist!" We both laughed.
Spot rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said and left the building.
Jax and I laughed again. "Comin', Spot," I called. Jax and I followed him out, still laughing.
It took five minutes, tops, for us to reach Tibby's. It was lunch time, so most of the newsies were inside. Spot held the door open for Jax and me. We entered the restaurant and were greeted by a few whistles and an almost complete silence.
"What? You people don't have girls around here?" I quipped. Jax chuckled. As did a few of the guys in the room. Spot rolled his eyes again. He really wasn't all too fond of me. "Oh, come on, Spot, am I that bad?" I said with a half-smile.
He glanced around the room. "No," he confessed.
"Good. Now, let's get some lunch." I walked over to the counter and ordered us some lunch. Then I went over to an empty booth. The guys clustered around.
"Hey, guys," Jax said, a little nervously.
"Okay, here we go. Now, I'm Birdie, that's Jax," I pointed to her, "and you guys are..." No one answered. "Loquacious group here," I said under my breath.
"Hey, Birdie," a boy with a cowboy hat said. I looked over at him. "I'm Jack Kelly, better known as Cowboy. Dat's Racetrack, Kid Blink, Dutchy, Mush, Snitch, Crutchy, Snipeshootah, Pie Eatah, Itey, Specs, Skittery, Snoddy, Jake, Boots, Bumlets, and Itey. Welcome tah Manhattan. I takes it dat Spot brought ya heya?" he said.
"More like led us here like puppy dog, i.e. his name." I suddenly realized something. I turned to Jax. "Jax, I doin' it again. It's Chris all over again here."
"Bird, ya gotta quite that."
"I know, I know." I looked at Spot. "Sorry, I'll try to refrain myself from poking fun at you," I apologized.
"Dat's okay," he said. Everyone was shocked. Spot wasn't known for forgiving people.
"Uh-huh. Anyhow."
"Hey, Boidie, d'ya like da races?" Racetrack asked.
"Sure do, Race. Never been there, but I think it'd be fun," I said with a smile. Spot glared at Race. "Anybody like tah play poker?"
"Yeah!" several guys chimed in. Jax and I laughed.
"Well, then, after lunch, what kin Jax and I do?"
Everyone was quiet, they were thinking. I swear I saw some smoke coming out of a few of the thinkers before me. I could almost hear Jeopardy music playing.
After several minutes of silence.... "I've got it!" I said loudly and stood.
"Got what?" Kid Blink asked.
I looked at him solomnly. "Milk," I said. Jax and I doubled over with laughter. The guys just looked at us. They obviously didn't get my joke. There's no reason that they should; it's a 1998 thing.
"Hey, hey, Boidie!" Spot yelled.
I tried to stop laughing, but it was too hard. I dropped to the floor in an attempt to catch my breath and stop laughing. Also my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. I finally got it down to a giggle. I looked up at Spot and stopped laughing. He looked a bit angry. I grinned at him; he didn't flinch. My face turned solomn again.
"Gee, Spot, brighten up a little why don't cha," I said.
This time everyone laughed, even Spot. But Spot wasn't exploding with laughter like the other guys. He was chuckling. I was snickering.
After several minutes of laughing, Spot, Jax, and I finally got our food and we all sat down at the booth. I sat across from Jax, so I could look out the window, and Spot slid in next to me. Jack had already taken the seat next to Jax.
"So, goyls, I gear dat youse guys don't got not New Yawk accents. Where youse guys from anyways?" Jack asked.
Jax just looked at him. She was too afraid to speak to anybody now, very uncharacteristic of the Jax that I knew. I decided to answer him. "Naw, Jack, we're not from round here at all. We both used tah live in Springfield, Virginia. It's right south of Washington D.C. by the way. Jax lived most of her life there. I lived in a couple different places. But the place where we live's really metropolized. No one's got an accent. You hafta go down a couple a hours tah get that," I responded.
Both Jack and Spot nodded. "So, why'd ya leave?" Spot asked.
I looked at him, right into his eyes. They sparkled in the streaming sunlight. I shrugged. "Not like we had much of a choice," I said.
Spot looked a little confused and a little worried. "What 'appened?" he asked.
I looked at Jax. "I don' wanna git into it," I replied, still looking at Jax. We both had sworn to keep our knowledge to ourselves. And that was what we were going to do.
~~~~~~~
>~~~~~~~
After a lengthy lunch, we all went out into the square. Most of the boys left to go finish selling their papers. Spot, Jack, and Mush were finished, so they stuck around with Jax and me. I sat up on the statue and the others leaned up against it. Jack was smoking a cigarette. We were discussing the day.
"Hey, Jack, Ise stayin' heya tanight," Spot said.
Jack nodded. He took the cigarette out of his mouth. "How come?" he asked. Spot nodded at Jax and me discreetly, but not discreetly enough; I noticed. "Uh-huh," Jack mumbled.
"Uh-huh," I thought to myself. "What's developing here?" I looked at Spot's blue-gray eyes. I tried to see beyond them (it's just something I do), but I couldn't. He was hiding something, and I was going to find out.
"Britt!" Jax yelled in my ear.
I jumped and looked at her. "What!?" I asked.
"Finally," she said, "we've been trying tah get yer attention fer five minutes." Then she whispered something in my ear. "A little enchanted are we?"
I looked at her. "No!" I exclaimed. "I was jist tryin' tah figure somethin' out," I whispered back to her.
"Come on, Boidie. It's time tah git back tah da Lodgin' House," Jack said.
"Awready?" I asked, looking up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "I guess it is," I said with a shrug. I hopped off the statue and followed the guys back to the Lodging House. Jax, Mush, and Jack walked ahead of Spot and me.
"So, why'd ja leave?" Spot asked.
I looked at him. "Spot, we discussed that at lunch, and I'd appreciate it if you'd respect my wishes and not ask me about that again," I said.
"Why?"
"Spot, yer jist gonna hafta accept the fact that I can't tell you everything. In fact, there's quite a bit that I can't tell ya. Yer jist gonna hafta accept that."
Spot looked at the ground. "How come?"
"What is zis? Twenty Questions?" Spot looked at me. "Spot, I'll make you a deal. You be nice tah me; I be nice tah you. You don't ask about my and Jax's past; we won't ask about yers. Dice er no***?" I said and stopped walking.
Spot stopped next to me. He looked at me. It was clear that I wasn't going to budge. "Deal," he finally said. He held out his hand.
I glanced at it, then back up at him. "Deal," I confirmed. I spin in my palm and slid my fist into his. He smiled and we shook hands. "Come on, Spot. We're gonna be late."
"Fer what?" I just smiled and started walking to the Lodging House. Spot shrugged and followed me. Spot and I walked into the lobby. We were greeted by a few hoots and hollars. I looked at Jax.
"I bet ya had quite a bit tah do with this; didn't ya?" I asked. She put on a sweet baby-girl face and looked up at the ceiling. "Damnit, Jackie!" I yelled and smacked her arm lightly, but I wasn't angry. The guys were stunned.
"Hey!" Jax yelled back at me and dodged another smack.
I suddenly noticed that all the guys in the room had their jaws on the floor. I looked around at them once more. I laughed. "What, ya never heard a girl swear before?" I asked. They all shook their heads. I laughed again. Spot walked over to me.
"Ya know, respectable goyls don't nevah swear," he said.
"Who said anything about me being respectable?" I answered. He just looked at me dumbly. He couldn't believe I had said that. "Come on, Jax. I'm gonna go change; this skirt's drivin' me nuts." I turned and headed up the stairs to Jax and my room.
"I'll be up there in a sec," Jax called after me.
"Kay," I said and continued up the stairs.
I walked up to the top floor and into Jax and my bunk room. I walked over to my bag and pulled out the clothes I was wearing earlier, a pair of mesh shorts and a tank top (course I'd been wearing a sweat shirt with it before). I stripped down to my underwear and changed into my shorts and tank top.
"Ah, much more comfortable," I said out-loud.
I ran a comb through my hair and pulled it back into a braid, starting at the nape of my neck and going down to the middle of my back. I pulled the tank top down a little and fixed it the way I wanted it. I decided that it was a little chilly, so I grabbed my sweat shirt and pulled it on. But I left it off my shoulders and let it hang on my elbows. I left the room and went back downstairs to the lobby.
"Whoa, Boidie, whattah ya wearin'?" Mush asked.
"Whatevah it is, it ain't much," Blink commented, receiveing a few snickers.
I gave them both evil looks. "Ya don't like it, too bad. I find it much more comfortable," I stated. I heard Spot say something; he was standing against the far wall. "What was that, Spot?" I asked. He looked at me. "And, if yer wondering, I never have and I never will be a prostitute. And you should know what one looks like anyway, Spot."
Spot walked closer to me. "Dat ain't what I said-"
"Oh, it's not, is it? Well, why don't ya repeat yerself fer the benefit of the rest of the room," I said, moving my arms so my sweat shirt jumped up to my shoulders.
Spot looked at me and walked closer; he was a little irate. "We had a deal," he said angrily.
"Yer the one who broke it first," I said with a little contempt.
"I did not!" Spot exclaimed defensively.
"Ya did too!" I retorted.
"I did not infinity!"
"And beyond," Jax mumbled.
I ignored her and yelled back at Spot. "Well, aren't we mature," I said calmly.
Spot looked at me, his eyes wide. "I ain't neiddah!" he yelled, quite sure he knew what mature meant.
I snickered a little. He got even angrier. We yelled insults at each other for several minutes. I'd rather not repeat them; they were a bit out there.
"Well, at least I'm not an egotistical maniac!" I yelled at him.
"Well, yer, yer a, yer a-"
"Come on, say it. I dare ya. Say it," I taunted.
"Yer a, yer a-"
"You can't even say it. Too bad, coulda been fun," I said, much calmer now. I laughed mildly and started up the stairs.
"What da heck's dat mean?!" I heard Spot yell up at me.
"Look it up," I retorted.
"In what?"
I laughed. "Try a dictionary. They work wonders," I replied; I was really mocking him.
Spot got angry and bounded up the stairs after me. I walked into Jax and my room and slammed the door shut in Spot's face. He smacked right into it. A loud THUMP reverberated throughout the Lodging House. Spot opened the door and came into the room. He slammed the door shut again.
Downstairs, Jax was about to come after us, but Jack stopped her. "Jax, dey gotta git it outta dere systems; let 'em be," he said.