Brooklyn Baby | Spot Conlon ¹

Chp. 29: Red

1900

"Aye, what'ya doin'? Be a gentleman, eh? Give tha lady some papes," The thick Jersey accent scolded.

"Thank ya, Jets,"

"If these guys give ya a hard time again, you's come ta me, got it, Red?"

"Aye aye, captain," She smirked.

"Thatta girl, go sell some papes,"

The boy watched the girl strut off, her fingerless gloves on one hand clutching the newspapers, the other popping bubblegum into her mouth. She tossed her brown hair back over her shoulder as she negotiated with people with her charisma. She had only been here for a year, but she was a natural at selling papers.

She didn't say anything about how or why she came here, along with anything from her past. They concluded she had sold newspapers before, so maybe she had come from New York. They didn't even know her name. She showed up with the alias 'Red', and it stuck.

Jets tried to decipher the mysterious girl's secrets, but with no luck. She smiled and shook her head when they talked, but he detected a ray of sadness in her green eyes. He wanted to know why this beautiful girl had turned up out of the blue, and how. No matter how much she had bonded with him and the other boys over the course of a year, she had not opened up in the slightest.

<>

Meanwhile in New York, the fact that Kenny Sullivan was gone was old news. Jack had given up hope that she would return about six months later. Race was still asking around, but no one had seen her. Not even Ace, the best spy in New York, knew where she was. She really knew how to disappear.

Spot had mentally forgiven Kenny about three months later, finally realizing that he indeed could not live without her. What killed him was that all he wanted was to talk to her, and to kiss her, and he had no idea where she was.

Skiddy had not made amends with Spot, and did not intend to. He never liked Spot Conlon, but respected him along with the rest of New York. He lost hope of finding Kenny a month after she left.

A year came by slowly, Manhattan grey without its source of liveliness, which was Kenny. She kept the newsies happy and optimistic, and now that she was gone, they woke up everyday with the same dullness.

Just when all hope was lost, a boy named Wood came into New York, in search of Spot Conlon.

<>

"Spot, this one came here just for ya," Wiz said, pushing the fairly small boy. He had freckles and reddish-brown hair, and was Spot's height a year ago. Believe it or not, Spot had grown.

"Yeah?"

"Wow, it's really you," The boy had an unmistakable Jersey accent.

"Yeah, it's me, can I help ya?"

"Tommy, it's me!" The boy threw his arms around Spot. Spot, not a very big fan of hugs unless they were from Kenny, looked down at the boy.

"Do I know ya?" Spot was also confused on how the boy knew his name.

"It's me, Chucky!"

Spot's eyes widened. It couldn't be Chucky, no, he was dead. He looked down at the freckled boy, and images of a smaller freckled boy helping him sell newspapers years ago popped into his head.

"But, you died...you got shot,"

"A little scratch neva' killed nobody," Chucky laughed and revealed a scar on his chest. "I been lookin' all ova for ya,"

"Come on and sit then, we can catch up,"

Spot and Chucky had talked for hours on the top of the crates, laughing and talking like old friends. Chucky told Spot all about New Jersey, which is where he had been healed in a local hospital, and stayed there ever since.

"I wanted ta come visit, Tommy, I did, but times were tough. I was already in debt from the hospital, and papes were hard to come by,"

"I bet Jersey's nice, huh" Spot laid back and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, I mostly stay in Trenton. There's nice newsies there, ya know? Let ya sell papes. I met this goil who's gotta knack for it. They call her Red. She can lie her way outta anythin': sellin' papes, stealin' things, the Bulls, ya know. I ain't neva' seen anythin' like it,"

"Ah, got ya-self a goil, eh?"

"Nah, she's too old fah me. Total babe, anyway. All tha Jersey girls are all prim and prissy, but this one, man. She's one of tha boys. Looks like a goil though,"

Spot laughed. He knew how that looked. The total dream girl. It had a name, too. Ken--

"She's new, too. Came a year ago."

Spot sat up.

"A year ago, huh?" He said. "I lost my goil a year ago,"

"Where'd she go?"

"That's tha thing, we don't know,"

"What's she look like?" Chucky asked.

"Brown, wavy hair. These emerald eyes that you could just get lost in. She was pretty small, the perfect size. Her lips were naturally pink, and complimented the tint of blush on her cheeks,"

"Sounds like Red if ya add some fiery lipstick and leatha clothes," Chucky laughed.

"Wait, do ya know where she came from?"

"No one does," Chucky says. "She just came in outta tha blue. People say she's from here, seein' how good she is at sellin' papes,"

Spot immediately jumped down from the crates.

"Where ya goin'?" Chucky asks.

"Jersey, and you's comin',"

"What for?"

"I need ya to help me find this 'Red',"

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is it kenny?