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[Jack Kelly]

"Jack I don' wanna fight with ya any more."

Jack looked at her, keeping his face haughty and stony. "Ya think I wanna fight with ya, Jinks?" he said heatedly. "An' whaddya mean, I'm the only newsie that cares about ya? You got your Staten Island kids...an'..." he hated to say it, "Don't Spot care about ya somethin'? Never mind, he better, or else we'se gonna have a problem. Anyway..." He fiddled with his shirtcuff. "Naw, Jinks, I don't wanna fight no more. But ya see...we're too different. We both want somethin' else and we can't both get what we want."

Jack paused for a moment, putting his hat on his head and then taking it off again quickly. "Look. I ain't gonna leave this alone, no how. You do what you want, Jinks, cause I know I ain't stoppin' ya, as much as I want to. I just sometimes...I hate that I care so much, ya know?" Caring made everything harder. It was what was preventing him from picking everything up and going at that moment. He cared too much, about Jinks, mostly. But also his boys, his friends...he cared too much. Caring slowed you down.

[Jinks]

"An' whaddya mean, I'm the only newsie that cares about ya? You got your Staten Island kids...an'..."

"Honestly, I think they're kinda mad that the old Staten leader picked me insted of a Staten newsie that been there longer then I have. I don' know why he picked me either. He just did." said Jinks looking up at him.

"Don't Spot care about ya somethin'? Never mind, he better, or else we'se gonna have a problem. Anyway..."

"Like I said befoh I don't know. Spot is kinda hard ta read ya know." she said and smiled just thinking of Spot. She just thought of him and continued to smile.

"Look. I ain't gonna leave this alone, no how. You do what you want, Jinks, cause I know I ain't stoppin' ya, as much as I want to. I just sometimes...I hate that I care so much, ya know?"

"Yea I hate how much ya care too." said Jinks smiling at him "I know we're too different. I'm a goil and your a guy. But other than that we the same." she said "But don't ya have someone else ta take my place in your care circle?" she asked "Like a goil newsie of yours or somethin? Or maybe..... um.....what was her name...oh that Jacobs girl that ya told me about?" asked Jinks smiling at him some more.

[Jack Kelly]

"I don' know why he picked me either. He just did."

Jack nodded, understanding. It was usually traditional for a leader who had grown into an adult and was going off into the world, moving away from a turf, or otherwise leaving their newsies behind to handpick a replacement. The Staten Island leader before Jinks had been a strong boy with a silent type of authority. Jinks was no more than a child, and a lot of the time Jack wasn't certain she had the full support of her newsies, because she was so young. So far she had proved an adequate leader, but sometimes the question arose how she could fully gain respect. "Still, though. You're the leader. And like it or not, they gotta respect you and back you, whatever ya do."

"Like I said befoh I don't know. Spot is kinda hard ta read ya know."

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, his eyes going slightly cold at the mention of Spot and the smile his name brought to his sister's face. Spot almost never gave away what he was thinking. It was a sign of weakness, and if people could read what you were feeling, they could feed off you and see exactly where to hit so it hurt. Jack was also good at hiding what he was feeling. He said to Jinks, "And just lemme tell ya. Don't go after him if you don't know how he's feelin' back, alright? I don't need my sister on a wild goose chase, alright?"

"I know we're too different. I'm a goil and your a guy. But other than that we the same."

"Ahh, Jinks!" Jack exclaimed. "You know it ain't just that. Yeah, you're a girl and I ain't. But you want to do different things that I want you to do. And same the other way around. We may be brother 'n' sister, but we think different about a lot of things..."

"Like a goil newsie of yours or somethin? Or maybe..... um.....what was her name...oh that Jacobs girl that ya told me about?"

Jack looked at Jinks when she mentioned Sarah. He sighed and said, "Sarah, her name is. And kid, there's no one who I can care about like I care about you. Sarah I care about in a completely different way. The same amount, but in a different way. You'se my little sister. I ain't got any more of those." He grinned a little. "Even if I tried...I don't think I could not care enough..."

[Jinks]

"And just lemme tell ya. Don't go after him if you don't know how he's feelin' back, alright? I don't need my sister on a wild goose chase, alright?"

"Right Jack," said Jinks crossing her fingers behind her back. "Jack please don' go yellin at Spot." she said "Ya always ruin my relationships so don' do it okay." she said getting up and walking back to the book shelf and put her books back. It was true she was once going out with this one newsie in Harlem but then she told Jack, Jack soaked him and then they broke up because the guy didn't want to get soaked again.

"Sarah, her name is. And kid, there's no one who I can care about like I care about you. Sarah I care about in a completely different way. The same amount, but in a different way. You'se my little sister. I ain't got any more of those....Even if I tried...I don't think I could not care enough..."

"Lucky me," she said comming out of the book shelves. "Ya know what, I don' think ya would tell me if ya were dating someone." said Jinks walking back over to him. "Ya know it too. I never know what your up ta. Ya just come and ask me what I'm up to but then when I ask you the same quiestions or if you're dating anyone and then you just change the subject other than answering it." she said.