Title: I'm Invisible
Summary: When you look at Swifty, it's just like looking through a window...
Disclaimer: Newsies belong to Disney, not to moi, unfortunatly.
'I'm invisible,' Swifty thinks miserably, as he puts his head in his hand and stares out the Lodging House window.
'I'm invisible, it's way too cold for October, and I don't have a jacket,' he sighs and lowers his head onto the windowsill, not feeling at all motivated to sell papers, especially when the weather (freezing rain and strong winds) is obviously out to get him. Unfortunately for Swifty, betting nearly all of yesterday's earnings on an obviously rigged poker game requires him to not only earn all of yesterday's money back, but enough to pay for a bunk in the Lodging House for tonight as well.
Abruptly and without warning, someone smacks into him, nearly knocking him to the floor. Luckily, Swifty has fast reflexes. He regains his balance and turns his head to see who bumped into him, hoping for an 'Oh, sorry', or at least an apologetic smile. He catches a glimpse of a red bandana in the crowd of other newsboys, and realizes that he will not be getting apologized to. Since, after all, Jack Kelly does not apologize to people very often, and since Swifty is invisible, he certainly won't be apologizing to thin air.
Swifty gingerly rubs his ribs and turns back to gazing forlornly out the window.
"D'ya think Swifty'll mind if I borrow his scarf?" Racetrack calls out suddenly, holding up the sad excuse for a scarf about the heads of the other boys so they can see it.
"Don't think so," Kid Blink answers back, "I think he left anyway."
"Great," Racetrack grins and flings the scarf around his neck, even though, Swifty notes, he is already wearing a heavy coat and thick, albeit ratty, gloves.
"Hey! Wait a—" Swifty yelps, realizing this scarf is his last hope of defense against the cold. He whips around in attempt to snatch his scarf back, but unfortunately, Racetrack has already dashed out the door.
He groans and turns once more to the window as the remaining newsboys mosey out of the Lodging House and the bunkroom becomes silent.
'I'm invisible,' Swifty thinks again as he stares down at the rain-soaked citizens of Manhattan, many of whom are totting umbrellas and have their coats wrapped tightly around themselves.
"Hey, Swifty!" A voice calls out from the opposite side of the room. Apparently, not everyone has left the Lodging House. Swifty turns away from the window and recognizes Bumlets standing inside the doorway across the bunkroom.
"Are you ready yet?" he asks, leaning on the doorframe and grinning, "You've been starin' out that window for ten minutes, at least,"
"I have not," Swifty says defensively, although he cracks a grin as well, "I just don't wanna go outside, is all. It's cold, and I er…don't have a coat…"
Bumlets rolls eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah, I've noticed. Here, borrow mine," and with that, he whisks off his own coat and tosses it to Swifty, who catches it with one hand. Swifty stares at him, surprised and slightly confused.
"…Really? Won't you be, you know, uh, cold? It's rainin' pretty hard out there…"
Bumlets just shrugs, "I'll be fine. Now c'mon, they're not gonna have any papers left if you don't get a move on,"
Swifty smiles and shoves and arm through one of the sleeves of Bumlets' coat, "Yeah, I guess. Let's go,"
And so the two newsboys plodded out into the street and made their way to the distribution center, rain soaking their hair and shoes. All the while, one thought rings out in Swifty's mind;
"Well, maybe I'm not completely invisible…"
A/N: Background characters need more love. Go. Worship them. Now. :K Reviewing will earn you my eternal love. So review, silly.