Medda's was packed that night. It was a normal Friday night, filled with laughter and hootin' and hollerin' from the crowd.

One table in the corner, however, was very quiet.

At one part of the table sat Racetrack Higgins. The short Italian sat calmly. He had five cards in his hands. He was also wearing his trademark poker face. He had a cigar hanging out of his expressionless lips and he occasionally glanced up at the other players.

To his left was a blonde girl. Her name was Lucks. She was sitting there, perfectly still, her big blue eyes staring at the cards in front of her with a dazed look. Her short hair fell into her face, causing her long eyelashes to flutter. A slender hand shot up to attempt to tuck it safely behind her ear.

To her left was another girl with stick-straight brown hair that was also tucked behind one of her own ears. This was Curly. She was frowning, confused down at her cards.

Next to her was Spot Conlon. The saucy Brooklynite smirked to the other players. He only came into Manhattan for the weekly poker night... and to spend time with Curly. Now was a perfect occasion for both.

Next was Kid Blink. Eye patch over one eye, Kid glared at the cards in his hand.

Mush looked at his cards blankly. Skittery and Specs looked at their cars and then at each other before dropping their cards saying, "Fold."

Jack Kelly sat next to Specs. His chocolate brown eyes glinted in the candlelight.

All the other Manhattan newsies sat behind the poker players. They were very intense spectators.

Four other girls sat in the group of spectators as well...

Fidget, a young girl with big eyes and somewhat bushy hair, sat behind Skittery, her arm cautiously wrapped around his shoulder.

Cat, a girl with long black hair and a bored expression, stood behind Blink, leaning on his chair slightly, and dug dirt from under her fingernail with a pocketknife.

Giggles stood quietly with her slender arms draped around Mush. She yawned and her thin lips opened to reveal her sparkling teeth.

And finally Flashbox sat at a nearby table next to Jake, biting a fingernail nervously.

"All right gentlemen..." Race glanced at Lucks and Curly who looked mockingly offended. "And ladies." He added. "Show ya cahds."

Jack laid out an eight, a six, two fours, and a two, all but one four was a club. Mush also had a four, a five, a six, a two, and a nine, all diamonds. The newsies cheered, and Giggles kissed him on the cheek, excited. Blink laid down his cards, two nines. Spot laid down a ten, a nine, an eight, and a seven, all hearts.

"Read 'em 'n weep, fellas." Spot smirked and took the money from Mush.

Curly frowned and laid down a three, two twos, and a five.

"Not so fast, Spot." Lucks smirked gently laying down a five, a four, a three, a six, and an Ace.

The crowd cheered again. Spot mumbled something as Lucks gathered the money towards herself to begin counting it.

"A ten, a Jack, a Queen, a King, and an Ace...all spades." Racetrack interrupted, laying down his cards. "Sorry Lucks, but I'll be takin' dat." He grabbed the money away from her and began to count it. He was now wearing a very smug expression. He looked up. "'Nuddah game anyone?" He grinned and winked at Lucks who lazily punched him in the arm.

Flash stood up, sighed, and yawned. "Well, ladies, it's time to go."

Giggles and Mush exchanged goodbyes with three small kisses and an eskimo kiss.

Cat and Blink gave each other a simple hug and goodnight kiss.

Curly and Spot had left together. She was probably going to walk him home. Or the other way around.

Finally it was Lucks, Race, and the girls left.

"We'll meetcha back at da house, Lucks." Flash winked. She ushered the girls away from the table and out of Irving Hall.

Race started to pack up his cards. He placed the small, worn box into the front pocket of his vest and patted it, as if to make it'd be safe.

The crowd of people slowly began to disperse after Medda had left the stage.

"Ya ready?" Lucks asked Race, sliding his coat over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I juss wanna drop by ta see Medda firs-." He looked up at Lucks and rolled his eyes, trying no to smile. "First." He took his coat in his hand and pulled it off of her. "An' dats mine."

Lucks stuck out her tongue as a little brat who didn't get her way would.

Race patted her cheek with a rough hand. "Ya shouldn't do dat. It makes ya face look fat..." He tried not to smirk, but his wits got the best of him and a playful grin spread across his face.

Lucks' expression changed with the snap of a finger.

She threw a punch at him which he easily dodged. He threw his hands up and perched his thumbs on either on of his temples and waggled his fingers, crossed his eyes, and stuck out his tongue immaturely before laughing and running away to the backstage of Irving Hall.

Lucks rolled her eyes, grinned, and chased after him.

Race took his hat off, fixed his hair, and took a flower from a passing stagehand before knocking on Medda's dressing room door.

The door opened a crack just as Lucks came up and wrapped a lazy arm around Race's shoulder.

Medda's head poked out the door and she smiled sweetly seeing the two of them.

"Hiya Medda." Lucks grinned, breathing heavily and resting her head on Race's shoulder.

"How ya been, kid?" Medda opened the door to reveal herself in a purple silk robe, her curls tossed over her shoulder.

Race took her hand in his own and brought it to his lips.

Medda smiled.

"We came ta say thanks again," Lucks smiled softly.

"Oh no problem, come whenever you like." Medda smiled. The phone rang quietly behind her. "Medda, it's Sherri." A girl with short brown hair called to Medda, placing the receiver in her palm. Then the girl looked out the door to see Lucks and Racetrack and she blushed and walked out of sight.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I've got to go. You two stop by later." Medda gave each of them a peck on the cheek before closing the door and leaving them out in the hallway alone.

Lucks stood with a hand on her hip, the other one twirling her short hair.

"So, ya want me ta walk ya home?" Racetrack asked. As if he had any other choice.

"Shoah." Lucks smiled.

Race nodded and casually put his thumbs down the front of his pants as he usually did. Then he began to walk down the hall.

Lucks linked arms with him and rested her head on his shoulder as they left Irving Hall.

On their way, Lucks stopped suddenly. Then she walked to face Racetrack who was utterly confused. Lucks looked up at him and titled her head from side to side.Then she took his hat slowly off of his head and placed it on her own.

Race's brows furrowed even more. He would never understand this girl's ethics.

Lucks ran her fingers casually down his shirt and to his pocket. There she found a cigar and a pack of cards.

She placed the cigar between her thin lips and noticed by the dampness that Race had already tasted it.

She then began to shuffle the cards, walking backwards as she went.

"So, whadd'ya say, Race, ya wanna play a liddle game?" Lucks inquired.

Race looked around. "On da ground?"

Lucks shook her head and smirked. "Nah, not pokah. I was t'inkin' somet'in moah along da lines of... fiddy-two pick-up."

Cards flew. Race's mouth flew open. And Lucks had to cover her own mouth to prevent loud laughter.

"My cahds!" Race looked at the cards on the ground with a shocked expression. But that quickly changed when he looked up at Lucks.

One of her hands was glued to her mouth, the other held his cigar near her side. Her entire body was quivering for fits of giggles to come bursting out of her frail body.

Race almost had to kick himself to stop a smile from spreading across his face. "Oh, ya gonna pay fa dat." He threatened.

Lucks, red faced, removed her hand and managed to stick out her tongue before bursting into her obvious giggles.

Race lunged for the girl and she ran out of his reqach. He grabbed for her again and she ran, this time she so he had to chase after her to catch her.

Unfortunately, Lucks was laughing too hard to run very fast. Within seconds Race had grabbed her by a dark blue suspender and pinned her to the ground.

"Ya gonna pick up my cahds?" Race asked.

Lucks bit her lip and shook her head.

"Oh really? Perhaps I can change ya mind." Race began to tickle her like there was no tomorrow.

Lucks felt a shocking pain in her lip and realized she'd been biting it. She frantically wiped tears out of her eyes. "Okay, okay! I'll do it!" She giggled, licking the blood off her lip.

"Do what?" Race grinned, continuing to tickle her.

"I'll pick up ya cahds! Please, juss stop!" She gasped.

Race stopped tickling her. Satisfied, he stood up. "Dat's what I t'ought." He wiped his hands on his chest before leaning over and grabbing his cigar and hat out of Lucks' hands.

Lucks licked up more blood before wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

She sat up as Race started to to away, but Lucks had a better idea. She wrapped her arms around his legs, knocking him to the ground.

He groaned as she perched herself on his stomach. "Get offa me!"

"Not a chance, Slick. Ya gotta say ya love me first." Lucks smirked.

"A'right. A'right. I do!"

"Do what?"

"I love ya!"

Lucks rolled off and caught Race in a hug as he tried to stand up. "Aw...dat was sweet. I love ya too, Race."

Race rolled his eyes, but smiled and hugged her back.

"I suppose I bettah pick up ya cahds." She winked at him.

"Dat'd be great, Lucks. T'anks!" Race laughed and finally stood up.

Lucks glared and took his hand to help herself up.

After all fifty-two cards were safely in Race's pocket, the two of them were on their way again.

Lucks shivered in the cool night air. She had forgotten her coat at the Lodging House...again.

Race sighed and draped his own coat around her shoulders.

She looked up at him with her big blue-grey eyes and smiled softly. Scooting closer to him, she rested her head on his shoulder.

He placed his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He looked down at her dirty, freckly face. "What didya do ta ya lip?" He touched her bottom lip with his thumb.

Lucks winced slightly. "I bit myself."

Race grinned.

"Because you were ticklin' me!" She hit him playfully in the stomach.

"Be gentle, ya sat on me, in case ya don't remembah." Racetrack laughed.

They approached the Newsgirls' Lodging House. The narrow building sat awkwardly between two wide alleyways. All the second floor windows were lit up. A low noise was coming out of two open windows near the fire escape.

A brunette head in curlers poked out of one of the the windows and peered down the street at the two approaching figures. "Lucks? Come on! Flash needs ya ta help wit da liddle ones!" Giggles' voice called out.

"Okay, I'll be right dere!" Lucks yelled back, frowning.

Giggles stuck her head back in the window.

"So, I'll see ya tamarrah? Same place, same time?" Race asked as they reached the steps leading to the door of the lodging house.

"I dunno. Ya made my lip bleed..." Lucks pretended to thinking about it. Race rolled his eyes and Lucks laughed. "Okay, okay, da docks, six o'clock, I'll be dere."

"Lucks!" Cat called out the window, annoyed.

"I'm comin'!" Lucks replied, equally annoyed.

Cat ducked her head back inside.

Race laughed and leaned down, brushing his lips softly against Lucks'.

Lucks grinned and ravenously deepened the innocent little kiss, clutching the front of Race's very in her hand. Letting go and breaking off the kiss, she handed his jacket.

"Goodnight, Racetrack." She whispered, walking up the stairs and to the front door, making sure to move her hips as she went.

"'Night Lucks." He tipped his hat to her and grinned before turning around to walk home. He began to whistle the tune to a song Medda had sung earlier that night.

Lucks watched his figure grow smaller and smaller into the darkness, and she heard his whistling get fainter and fainter until it was gone.

It amazed her that Race knew the tune of the song when he seemed too into the poker game to notice that anything else was going on.

But then again... he could have noticed something... Lucks did. She noticed his occasional glances in her direction. It was nothing new, but Lucks enjoyed it all the same.

"Lucks!" Curly screamed from up a flight of stairs. Clearly she wasn't happy that Spot had walked her home first.

Lucks turned around, laughed, and clambered up the creaky stairs to meet her friends.

"Finally!" Flashbox exclaimed, pulling a nightgown over the head of a seven-year-old girl. "Now go brush ya teeth." She scooted along the little girl and walked over to tuck in another one.

"Hi Lucks!" A little girl by the name of Bow smiled sweetly.

"Heya Bow." Lucks grinned. "See anythin' good taday?"

Bow nodded ecstatically. "Dere was dis big fight neah Midtown. Two coppahs an' a runk. Shoah ya make da headlines." Bow grinned up at Lucks. "How's Racetrack?"

Lucks' expression changed with the blink of an eye. "He's fine. And no, nothin' happened. Even if it did I wouldn't tell you. It's none 'a' ya business...besides, ya ten yeahs old!" Lucks exclaimed.

Bow just shrugged and sat down so Lucks could braid her hair. "It was worth a shot."

A half-hour later, Lucks, Flashbox, and Curly, with the help of the other four had finally gotten all the girls to go to sleep.

Bow was next to go. With her curly brown hair wrapped in braids around her round, freckly face. She yawned and her small chocolate eyes fluttered, trying to stay awake.

"Goodnight, Bow." Lucks smiled, leading the little girl to her bunk.

Bow obediently laid down. "'Night." And she was asleep within seconds.

Next to fall was Fidget, and then Giggles. One in the bottom bunk right next to the other. Cat and Curly crashed next, both on the tops above the other two. And last were Lucks and Flashbox, Lucks on the bottom between Fidget and the window, and Flash on the top between Cat and the window.

Lucks snuggled into her warm covers and smothered her face in her pillow. She sighed. It was good to sleep in a bed, knowing that people cared for her. She couldn't wait until Saturday night...

The next evening, at six o'clock, a figure could be seen, skipping towards the docks.

It was Lucks. She was wearing a light blue skirt and a Robin's eggs blue sash. The top three buttons of her light blue shirt had gone missing (and been found on Giggles' new dress...) about three days previous, so Lucks just wore it without them, which accidently revealed a small amount of cleavage.

Lucks also had a pair of shoes in her hand. She often walked around barefoot, but still owned shoes to wear to Medda's or when she sold in the wintertime.

She walked over to her normal meeting spot with Racetrack and looked around. He wasn't there. She figured he was just finishing a card game in Midtown. That was where he said he'd be after their late lunch at Tibby's.

But all of those notions were swept out of Lucks' head when the smell of roses came under her nose. She smiled and turned around to see Race holding a single scarlet rose.

She smiled and took it from his hand. This was rose number forty-six. She'd gotten one every Saturday night since they began going out the previous August. She still had every single one. After the date, she'd keep them in water for a week until they were replaced by a new one, then she'd hang it up to dry. She kept a bouquet of dried roses on her bedside table.

Forty-six...roses didn't come cheep either. Ten cents. A whole twenty papes. And Race spent it on her. Most of the time it was loose change he had found at the tracks, but it didn't matter to Lucks, it was the thought that counted.

"Ya like it?" Race grinned.

Lucks nodded and continued brushing it past her nose.

Race placed his hands on her cheeks and her hand fell. He smiled and brushed his lips innocently against her own. She replied slowly and he thankfully deepened the kiss.

Lucks casually draped her arm around his neck and her other hand rested on his chest, feeling the fabric of his vest. She was standing on the balls of her feet and one knee bent, lifting a dirtied foot into the cool night air.

Race sighed and rested his hands on her hips, pulling her dainty body ever so closer. He pressed his forehead against hers.

They looked so perfect like that. The moon reflecting off the bay made all their features brighter and seem to glow. They felt perfect.