In Manhattan, things can get a little crazy. But no ones life is as crazy as the life of a Newsie. Most of them are known as street rats, but to each other... Selling 'papes' is a living. They're seen running around the streets with newspapers in their hands, screaming as loud as they can just to get a lousy cent. But to one girl, things couldn't get any better. She loved it.
. . . . On the Streets of Manhattan . . . .
"Race! What about that one?" A short girl with long brown hair and brown eyes whispered.
"Yah… He's perfect." Race whispered back. His name was Racetrack, well… That was his newsie name. The reason he got it is because that's where he spent most of his days, selling around the Racetrack and betting all of his money. Mostly losing it.
"I'll distract him and you snatch the bag." The girl replied back. Her name was Reffy. She wasn't like any other girl in New York, all she could rely on was the boys she called her 'brothers' back at the lodging house.
"Ready… Go!" Racetrack yelled.
Reffy laughed and ran up to a man in a black suit holding a small paper bag. She ran past him and snatched the black hat right off of his head.
"YOU RAT, GIVE ME THAT OR I'LL GET YOU IN THE REFUGE WHERE ALL YOU KIDS BELONG!" The man bellowed.
"Been there. Done that!" Reffy yelled and laughed as the mans face turned red in anger.
"You want your hat back? You're going to have to get it!" Reffy teased, and started running circles around him. The man frantically snatched for his hat, and accidentally dropped his brown paper bag.
Racetrack snuck up behind him and grabbed the bag off the ground. Reffy threw the hat back at the man and ran away along with Racetrack.
"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT WORTHLESS NEWSIES!" The man yelled.
Racetrack and Reffy turned the corner and couldn't contain their laughter. Once they caught their breath, Racetrack pulled up the paper bag and opened it. There was a loaf of bread inside that was freshly baked from the market down the street.
"We did better than yesterday!" Reffy said happily, grabbing onto Race's shoulder because she started laughing again. Racetrack smiled and broke the bread into two pieces.
"We better go back before the guy gets people after us." Racetrack said taking a bite into his piece of bread.
Reffy and Racetrack walked down the street eating their dinner. It was probably the only thing they'd be eating for a while, because they never really earned any money. But it was a living and they didn't complain about it.
Reffy and Racetrack walked into the lodging house and went up the stairs.
"Look what we have here…" Jack said as Reffy and Racetrack came into the room just finishing up their bread.
"What the… How do you guys do it?" Mush asked. He was always shocked that they never got caught taking food from people.
Reffy just laughed as she finished all of her bread and took her money out of her pocket.
"Did you sell a lot today?" Jack asked walking up to Reffy who was counting her money.
"Barely anything. Nobody buys from me anymore, Jack…" She said and sighed.
"Well you won't be selling at all when you get put back in the refuge again." Jack warned.
"Whoa… What's this? Why is Jacky-boy trying to tell ME to stay out of trouble? What about yourself? You're always getting into fights." Reffy replied sticking the money back in her pocket.
"I'm just looking out for you, kid." Jack said and playfully punched Reffy's shoulder. He turned around and walked away as Reffy sighed again.
About 5 years back, Reffy got caught stealing money from Pulitizer himself. She got sent to the refuge and met Jack there. Once Jack escaped, he promised to come get her one day.
After a long time, Reffy lost hope of Jack ever coming back and getting her out of that place. She hated that she could live and die there, and she needed to get out.
One night, Jack finally came back and they escaped. That's when Jack told her about the business he got into. He introduced her to being a newsie.
That's how she got her nickname, Reffy. Jack always wanted her to stay out of trouble, and remember that if it wasn't for becoming a newsie, she'd be back in that refuge before she knew it.
Racetrack was her very best friend. They were exactly alike, always having fun instead of worrying about their money or where they would sleep. They were constantly getting into trouble together. They didn't worry about the refuge - it didn't scare them.
Reffy was happy where she was. She didn't care that she was poor. She loved every single one of the newsies, and as long as she had them her life was fine.
"Reffy, I think it's time we took you to Spot. He'll straighten you out. Teach you to keep out of trouble." Jack joked, walking back to his bunk.
"Shut up! Spot has nothing to do with this, I know that I'm doing, Jack! I'm not gonna get caught again." Reffy said.
"I have nothing to do with what?" Someone said walking up the stairs.
Reffy's eyes got wide as she looked and saw Spot Conlon standing there. She always had a thing for Spot, but never showed it.
"Reffy's been stealing." Jack said, nodding over to where Reffy was standing. "What are you doing here, Spot?" He asked.
"Me and Race were hungry," Reffy cut in, looking at Jack. "It's not like the old fat guy was gonna chase us."
"Yea Jack, I mean… Without her I'd be starving right now. We were just getting bread." Racetrack said walking past Reffy and Jack and over to where Mush and Crutchy were talking.
"Ref," Spot said sternly, walking over to them. "My newsies can't protect you at the harbor."
"That's my selling spot. I don't need people to protect me, I'm not gonna get caught doing anything!" Reffy yelled.
"Jack you should sell with her tomorrow so she won't go getting into any trouble. Find her a new place to sell." Spot said, turning away from Reffy and looking at Jack.
"I'm selling with Davey at Central Park." Jack replied.
Spot nodded. "A'right, then I want you to come back with me to Brooklyn, Ref." He said.
"Why!" Reffy asked angrily.
"Because none of my boys are at the harbor and we need to find you a new selling spot where you won't get into trouble." Spot replied. He motioned Jack to follow him down the stairs.
"When me and Spot are done talking you're going back with him." Jack told Reffy, then followed Spot.
Reffy rolled her eyes and looked over at Racetrack.
"That sucks." Racetrack commented. The amused smile on his face caused a few of the boys to snicker.
"Shut up, will ya?" Reffy replied, leaning up against the bunkbed.
"Good luck with Brooklyn, Ref." Skittery said, messing up Reffy's hair as he walked past her.
"Go to hell, Skitts." Reffy replied, running her fingers through her hair.
Spot and Jack came back up the stairs.
"Be good." Jack said, putting his finger under her chin and tilting her head up. "I'm serious."
Reffy hit his hand away. "Yea. yea, yea." She mumbled, and walked away.
"See ya tomorrow, Ref." Racetrack said as Reffy followed Spot back down the stairs.
Once they were outside she realized that it got really dark out.
"Listen... I don't want you walking around these streets when you're not with me or one of the boys. The only reason you're outside walking around here this late is because I'm with you, got that?" Spot asked. He was always trying to protect her.
"I'm not 10 years old, I know how to protect myself. I don't need Spot Conlon helping me out." She said and crossed her arms because a cold breeze swept by them.
Spot looked at her and smirked. "You always were the toughest girl I know." He said as they made their way to the Brooklyn Bridge.
"You don't need to follow me around tomorrow, I know what I'm doing! No refuge is taking me back, I know how to fight for myself." Reffy said.
"Nah… You don't." He said. "You're gonna stay in my room tonight." Spot said.
Reffy's eyes got wide as she looked around. "Umm… Why?" She asked as she got butterflies in her stomach.
"Because my boys get restless when a girl stays at our place, so one of them will try to do something." Spot said.
"So now I can't have a boyfriend…?" Reffy asked. She hated how everybody acted like her older brothers.
"You! Have a BOYFRIEND! Ha! That was a good one Ref." Spot said and started laughing.
Reffy scoffed. "Why wouldn't I have a boyfriend? I could get one." She replied and smiled at him.
"I see you more as the type to beat up boys, not kissing em." He said.
Reffy looked down at the dark ground and frowned.
One they arrived to the Brooklyn Lodging House, Spot got everybody's attention.
"Reffy's stayin here tonight, if one of you bother her, lay a finger on her, or even TALK to her the wrong way, I'll kill you." Spot said being serious.
All the boys in the room were always scared of Spot. Everybody was. He was the toughest guy Reffy knew. Everybody knew about him all around New York as being the guy you shouldn't mess with.
Reffy walked into Spot's room and sat on the bed. She had butterflies in her stomach and she had no idea why. She didn't like them that much... Well, she didn't think she did.
"A'right I'll have one of my boys take you selling tomorrow and we can find you a spot where people will buy from you." Spot said.
"I don't get why I can't just stay at the harbor…" She replied.
"Because," Spot started as he put down his cane in the corner. "Jacky-boy's been saying that you tend to get yourself into trouble. I'm doing him a favor and making sure you don't." He said.
Reffy laughed. "I don't get into trouble. Me and Racetrack, we just…" Spot cut her off.
"I know I know... You and Race. Every newsie knows about you guys." He said.
"Really…?" Reffy asked and raised her eyebrows.
"Yea. The two kids who can't seem to stay out of trouble. You guys are inseparable." Spot said and laughed. "We can't let you go back to the refuge just because you and Race like to fool around."
Reffy laughed. She grabbed an extra pillow and layed down on the floor.
"What are you doing down there?" Spot asked.
"Sleeping."
"You can take the bed; I'll sleep on the floor." He said.
"I grew up sleeping on the ground, Conlon. I think I can take it for another night." Reffy said quietly and closed her eyes.
