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Goodbye

Spot's eyes widened when he realized what he had done. He knelt next to me, and cradled my head. Ace and Mac awkwardly slipped away, but Spot paid them no mind.

"What'd I do? Oh, Graceful. I's so sorry!" he cried. He seemed to forget all about Ace, Mac, and I being to Brooklyn late. A few tears slipped down his face. I weakly raised my arm and brushed his tears away with my thumb.

"It's okay." I reassured him. "I's been through woise. Just get me ta ya room. I can treat me wounds dere."

Spot nodded and picked me up, carrying me to his room. He placed me on his bed, but I immediately got up again.

"Lie down." Spot ordered.

"Relax." I joked, smiling, and wincing at the effort. "I's only hurt, not near death."

I got the gauze and rubbing alcohol from under the sink, then dipped a piece of gauze in the alcohol, gently rubbing it on my face. I hissed in pain at the contact and Spot came over, taking another piece of gauze and dipped it in the alcohol. He put a finger under my chin and turned my head to face him. 

"Doesn't dis remind you of somethin'?" I asked him, a small smile on my face.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Da day ya came he-ah and got beat up by me newsies. It was also da day I fell fo' ya."

"Awwww, Spot. You'se such a sap." I joked. But I leaned in and gave him a kiss anyway.

"I hoid Jacky-boy's havin' a trial tamorrow." he said once we pulled away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boys stood behind a fenced in area in the courtroom. They were impatiently waiting for the trial to start.

Soon enough, the bailiff came in.

"All rise, all rise. Court is now in session. Judge E.A. Monahan is presiding."

Monahan sat down and faced us. 

"Are any of you boys represented by council?" he asked us. No one answered. "No? Good, that will move things along considerably."

"Hey, yer honor, I object." Spot called out before Monahan could continue.

"On what grounds?"

"On da grounds of Brooklyn, yer honor." Spot replied. We burst out laughing. I nudged him and he smirked at me.

Monahan banged his gavel on his podium. "I fine each of you five dollars or two weeks confinement in the house of Refuge."

We immediately stop laughing and Race speaks up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Five bucks? We don't got five bucks. We don't even got five cents! Hey, yer honor, how 'bout I roll ya for it? Double or nothin'?"

We chuckle again and Denton comes in with David and Les.

"Your honor, I'll pay the fines. All of them." Denton says. He turns to us. 

"Look, fellas. We need to talk. Meet me in Tibby's."

He goes over to the clerk and David goes over to us. "Hey, you fellas alright?" he asked, looking among us. "Where's Jack?" he asked, upon not finding him.

As if on cue, Jack is led in handcuffed. 

"Heya fellas!" he calls out to us.

"Heya, Cowboy! Nice shiner!" Race shouts back.

I give him a small wave and he gives a small smile in return. Then that good-for-nothing warden Snyder walks in an "vouches" for Jack.

"Oh, ain't dat nice. You two know each odda." Jack sneered.

Snyder continues on and Monahan agrees. He bangs his gavel on his podium to finalize it. "So ordered."

"No!" Les screams.

Jack is led away and Snyder follows him out. I grit my teeth and grip the rails tightly, my knuckles turning white.

"Dat no good-" I begin, but Spot puts a hand on mine.

"Calm down, Graceful. 'Sides, we gotta get ta Tibby's." he said.

I shook my head. "I's not goin'."

"Come on, ya gotta!"

"Fine! But I's got a feelin' on what Denton's gonna say."

I walked out of the courtroom, through the lobby, and into the sunlight, glaring at the ground as I did so. Spot hurried after me. 

I made my way to Tibby's, kicking rocks as I walked, grumbling under my breath. 

"Hey, ya can be wit me afta talkin' wit Denton. It's just dat I's been helpin' some a me younger newsies read."

I smiled at him. "Awww, Spot. I'd neva imagine ya as an olda brudda."

He sheepishly smiled back. "Well, I's did have younga siblin's when before I's came ta America."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I's had a younga brudda. But ya already knew dat. Ya just didn't knows I's had a younga sista."

"Cute." 

We reached Tibby's. I turned to Spot and gave him a kiss.

"See ya lata, Spot. Have fun teachin'."

He waved and I walked in. The newsies had somehow gotten there earlier than I did, considering how I left earlier than they did. Denton was already talking to them. I sat down at a small table and took out my polishing cloth and started polishing my bow.

"Whaddya mean it neva happened?!" Race exploded at Denton. "You were dere!"

"You'se wrote it!" Blink added.

"It's not in the papers, it never happened." Denton replied calmly. "The owners decreed it not be in the papers. Therefore.......I came to tell you fellas good-bye."

"What happened?" David asked. "You get fired or something?"

"No, I got reassigned to my old job as the Sun's ace war correspondent. They want me to leave right away. The owner thinks I should only cover the really important stories." he explained. "Wish me luck fellas. At least half of what I wish for you. They don't always fire. I would be black balled from every paper in the country. I'm a newspaper man. I have a paper to write for." he added, taking out a piece of paper. "This is the story I wrote about the rally. I want you to read it at least." He took out some money and put it on the table, looking at the waiter. "This should cover it."

David looks at the story, but then crumples it up and throws it on the table. 

"We get Jack out of the refuge tonight. From now on, we trust no one but the newsies."