The Conlon Twins

Chapter 3: Jacky-Boy

Three days had passed since Jess had fought with the DeLancys. For the last two days, Spot had let her take care of Brooklyn while he would sell papers for her.

Normally, she would sell and Spot would rule Brooklyn, but with two broken fingers, He had declared that she was in no condition to be selling.

Today, Spot didn't feel like leaving her on her own again, so he was sticking around to hang out with her. However, Jess was in a horrible mood because Spot had made her wear a dress.

When one younger boy had come to ask her a question, she had terrified him to the point where he ran away from her. And for a Brooklyn Newsie to run away, he has to be scared beyond comprehension, which almost never happens.

She was currently trying to get Spot to shut up, but he clearly wasn't getting the hint.

The siblings were standing on their "perch", which was a large platform that someone had built on top of some of the random poles on the docks.

It was another hot day, so the newsies had bought less papers than usual so they could get back early and swim around the docks.

Spot was rambling on about something when Jess was scanning the horizon and noticed three figures approaching the docks.

"We've got company." Jess interrupted.

"Who?" Spot asked.

"They look like Newsies." She replied.

As they got closer, the twins realized it was Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan Newsies, Boots, and another boy that neither recognized.

Spot pushed her out of view from the docks. "Stay here" he said before turning and jumping to one of the poles.

"If it ain't Jack-be-nimble,-Jack-be-quick," Spot called before jumping down to the ground.

"Yeah right" Jess grumbled before walking to the edge of the platform.

"See ya moved up in da world, Spot. Got a river view and everythin'" she heard Jack say.

The boy who she didn't recognize must've sensed her movement and looked up at Jess. Jess stared right back at him. She waved and put her finger to her lips in the "shush" gesture.

The boy blushed and looked at the ground. Jess was tired of just standing there, so she eyed the large distance between the platform and the ground. Deciding not to waste the time jumping to a pole and then to the ground like her brother did, she jumped off the perch and fell to the ground.

She launched into a summersault upon hitting the ground, to avoid injury and so she could keep her balance when she stood up.

The four boys stared at her in silence. Jack and Boots just looked shocked, the other boy looked at her with intense curiosity, while her brother gave her the "death look".

"Who's she?" the other boy asked. Now it was his turn to get stared at.

"That's the great Jess Conlon, Queen of Brooklyn, an' Spot's twin sista'!" Jack said, walking over to Jess and spitting on his hand and holding it out for her to shake. Jess spit on her hand and smiled at Jack before shaking his hand.

"Spot has a sister?" Jess noted that this boy didn't have a New York accent.

"No, Jacky-Boy just said that for your entertainment." Jess said sarcastically.

"Ya haven't changed a bit!" Jack said, laughing.

"How's it rollin' Boots?" Spot asked in an attempt to change the subject.