The Conlon Twins

Chapter 6: Melted Ice

It was sunset by the time Jess could be seen bounding over the horizon, the rest of Brooklyn following a small distance behind her.

"Hey Jacky-Boy!" She said once she was close enough.

"Hey Jess." he called back, motioning for her to come inside the small restaurant.

Jess walked in with Jack by her side.

The Manhattan Newsies quieted a little when Jess came in, most of them already drunk.

The Newsies who didn't shut up when Jess entered, did so when the Brooklyn Newsies came in, Spot leading the group.

Spot looked over the crowd, his expression hard and his eyes like steel.

"Spot, ya look like you're gonna murder someone." Jess said, throwing her hat at her brother. "I'm about to. It's gonna be you, Jess" Spot replied in an annoyed tone. "I'd like to see you try!" She boasted as she went to retrieve her hat.

When she bent down to grab her hat, Spot kicked her legs out from underneath her. With a yelp, Jess hit the hard ground.

Spot doubled over in laughter, and as he did so, Jess kicked him in the crotch. Jess stood up, hat in her hand, brushed herself off, and triumphantly put her hat on. Once Spot had recovered, he glared at Jess with an even icier look than before. "What's the matter, Spot? Ya look like ya just lost to a girl! Oh, wait... you did!" She mocked.

The Brooklyn Newsies burst into laughter, causing a few Manhattan Newsies to laugh nervously.

After that, all the Newsies, Brooklyn and Manhattan, mingled and started drinking again.

Jess made her way over to an unoccupied chair and sat down. She looked over the crowd at the many, many Newsies packed into the small restaurant.

Jess, who was overheating quickly due to all the body heat of all the Newsies, ordered a glass of water. She downed the entire glass in a matter of seconds. Jess groaned in annoyance. She just couldn't seem to cool down.

She finally resorted to shoving all her hair inside her Newsies cap to keep it off of her neck and shoulders.

Jess was about to drive herself insane, when a familiar thump thump thump brought her back to reality.

"Heya, Jess!"

"Crutchie! Good ta see ya!"

"You too, Crutchy!"

The two talked for nearly half an hour before Crutchy went to find his friends. By this point, nearly everybody was drunk, and it was loud as hell. Even Davey was drunk. Jack had somehow coerced him into it.

Jess, who was still sitting next to Crutchie, was still enjoying herself, though. Watching her brother and the other Newsies make fools of themselves proved to be quite entertaining- to the point where Jess was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe.

In an attempt to catch her breath and at the same time escape tour noise and the fumes of alcohol, she decided to step outside for a few minutes. She was halfway to the door when another Newsie walked through the door. One she hadn't seen before. He had blonde hair and an eyepatch.

"Blink!" A few of the Manhattan Newsies chorused. "How was Queens? We hearin' Weddin' bells ringin' yet?" Race asked.

"Shut up." The Newsie, Blink, said playfully.

"Well? Do we?" Race asked again.

"No. Belle broke up wit' me." Blink sighed.

The Newsies gave a few sympathetic words before going back to their drinks.

Jess continued her walk to the door. Suddenly, someone shoved her and she fell on top of another Newsie.

Still dazed from the fall, Jess looked at who she had fallen on. It was Blink, the one Newsie she didn't know.

Talk about an awkward situation...

"Uh... sorry..." she mumbled and stood up. Once she was steadily standing in her own two feet, she offered a hand to Blink and pulled him up.

He looked at her, curiosity burning in his eyes. "Ya new? Nevah seen ya 'round before." he asked. "No. I'm from Brooklyn." she explained. "Ya look familiar, yet at the same time... unfamiliar..." He mumbled a bit too loudly.

"This one botherin' you?" A very drunk Spot said, wandering up behind Jess. "No. Now go sit down before ya get me more annoyed!" She snapped back. Jess heard Blink draw in a sharp breath behind her.

When Spot didn't move, she kicked him in the shin and shoved him back the way he came. "You're too drunk for ya own good!" She shouted after him. With a satisfied smirk, she turned back to face Blink.

"Sorry 'bout him." She apologized. "Blink, right?" "Yeah. Who are you?" He confirmed.

"Name's Jess. Conlon. Jess Conlon." She stuttered, a few of her Newsies drunkenly stumbling into her. "Jess Conlon as in Spot's sistah?" Blink questioned, eyes wide. She could only nod in return as she attempted to break up a fist fight that broken out between two Newsies at the table behind her.

It was a few minutes later when Jess gave up trying to stop the fighting and just grabbed a fistful of one of the boys' hair. "Spot, Jack, have some dignity, please!" She yelled. Blink now stood directly behind Jess, biting his lip in a sad attempt not to laugh as two of new York's most revered Newsies were hauled out of a restaurant by a girl. A strong girl, but a girl no less.

Jess came back inside after a moment to apologize and say goodbye. "Gotta make sure the idiot get's back to our turf before he starts anotha fight," she explained. "But I'll be back in 'Hattan tomorrow. We's heard ya startin' a strike and Spot wants me to observe ya;  see if ya worth our time." She explained. "Well I'll see ya tomorrow, then," he said, waving at Jess, who was already halfway out the door. She paused to turn and wave back, but was on her way again in moments, dragging her brother along, too.