Brooklyn Baby | Spot Conlon ¹

Chp. 30: Nothing

Spot and Chucky ran all the way to Manhattan, where Spot found Jack and Race.

"Heya, Wood, I see ya found Spot." Race says.

"Wood?" Spot asks. "This is Chucky, my old friend,"

"They call me Wood now,"

"Why?"

"Ya know, like, Woodchuck? They say I look like a chipmunk, I dunno."

Spot grinned. "Anyways, he's gonna take us to Jersey. I think Kenny's there,"

"What makes ya think that?"

"A goil arrived there mysteriously a year ago, and they have no idea where she came from. She's good at sellin' papes, and from what Chucky describes, she sounds like Kenny,"

"I dunno, Spot, what if it ain't her--"

"But what if it is?" Spot cuts Race off. "We gotta just try,"

Race looks at his old friend, who has a flash of desperation in his eyes. Spot really wanted to see Kenny.

"Alright, I's in," Race says.

"Then I guess I'm in," Jack sighs.

"Alright, lead tha way to Jersey,"

Chucky grinned and led the three New Yorkers to the city of Trenton, New Jersey.

<><>

"How 'bout you, Red?" Jets nods at the girl, who eyes her cards carefully. The boys all wait, all have already placed their bets and were just waiting on her.

"All in,"

"Ya sure, toots?" Calico called.

She purses her lips and squints her eyes, giving the boys a look to move on.

Jets reveals the cards, to see that Red had gotten a straight flush. The boys look at her in awe as she collects the bets.

"That's the game, boys,"

She leaves the dark room, squinting from the harshness of the sun, and walks down the street. A few minutes later, Jets, Calico, Swipe and Frankie join her. They all head to their newsies' spot, which was an abandoned junkyard.

"Wait, what'd you say? She does what?" Jack asks.

"Steals, robs, whateva tha term is in New York." Chucky says. "Life is hard in Jersey, sellin' papes or not,"

"Ya don't got a refuge?"

"Ya mean a slamma? Sure, but they don't throw kids in often. Unless they's killin' people, which, she ain't,"

"She got anyone wrapped around her finga?" Spot asks. Race smirks to himself.

"Yeah, bein' the only goil in Jersey who ain't afraid of ants," Chucky laughs. "She's a loner from what I's seen. I's only talked to her once or twice at da poker table,"

"Me sista's playin' poka?!" Jack says.

"We don't know if it's ya sista yet," Race points out.

"Guess we'll find out soon, we're here," Chucky says. They all stepped off the train, which was fairly empty, and onto the platform that clearly said 'Trenton'.