AUTHORS NOTE

I am proud yet scared to say this is my first fanfiction ever. I've written this chapter a while back but have been way to nervous to actually publish this story. So, todays the day were I throw all my fears out the window and just do what I love, and thats writing. I hope you guys like it. I think im going to put the first three chaptrs up today since there basically introduction chapters. About chapter four is when the main story hits. Ok so on that note, I hope you guys love this story as much as I love writing it. By the way, REVIEW!

"Wake Up! Sell the papes! Carry The Banner and sell the papes!"

I woke up to Kloppman screaming threw the lodging house, trying to get all the boys up. Me being the only girl was awaken with a gentle knock on my door to my private room.

"Clarebell, time to wake up and the sell the papes. Get a move on, got it!"

"Yes Kloppman. Hear ya loud and clear sergeant." I heard a muffled laugh come from the door

"Ok, but if your not out in five minutes I'm gonna call that King of Brooklyn of yours here, got it."

Now THAT got me going. I got up and ran to the door to stop him from sending a birdie to Brooklyn, but by the time I got there Kloppman was already walking away chuckling to himself. I hit my head against the wall. Jeez Clare how the hell do you fall for that every single time? You know he just wants to get your energy flowing. Figuring there's no use of playing that "daily routine" by confronting Kloppman, I head back in my room and put my clothes on.

I was the only one in the lodging house to have a separate room, due to the fact I was a girl. I know what your thinking. Girls shouldn't be newsies. They should be factory workers. Well guess what, that's not nor will that ever be my style. I rather work like a boy then to have to dress in stupid frilly dresses all day long. So, I go in the drawer and pull out my brown suspenders and pink button up I stole from Skittery a while back. I grab my brush and lace and head to the washroom.

"Hey ya Clarebell how's it rollin'?'" I didn't even have to think for one second that it was one of the couple people I was closest to here.

"Heya Race. I'm doin good. How bout you on this fine morning?" I know how much he hates morning. He only likes them because where he gets to sell his papes is none other then the racetracks. Hence, the name Racetrack. All I get is a mumble in return but somehow it's satisfying.

All of a sudden I'm getting picked up and twirled around. "Jack put me down!" Cowboy. How do I even describe Cowboy. He's two years older then me, him being seventeen me being fifteen. He found me in an alleyway back when I was 10, sleeping on a hay bale. He had asked me if I had anywhere's to go, but I didn't respond. I was to scared back then. Which I will have you know nowadays, some may say I'm way to outspoken. But anyways, he held out his hand and explained that if I wanted he would take me back to the lodging house where I could be a newsie with him. Then he said though I would be the only girl there, that he would always make sure he would be there for me. Then, to even my surprise, I took his hand and I've been under his wing ever since. Being the Manhattan leader and to make sure he kept his promise of always having my back, I eventually came his second in command so he could always know where I was.

"Come on Clare, you know youse loves it every times."

"Oh ya cowboy, how'd' you know I love always having the feeling of throwing up in my stomach?"

He finally put me down smirking "I always knew it."

Wow, he can just be plain gross sometimes, but I love the kid. Speaking of that, everyone always thinks that since were so close that we go out. Not the case AT ALL! He's like my extremely overprotective brother. He's been extremely overprotective ever since me and…well it doesn't matter. All that matters is we are NOT together.

Crutchy comes over to us, looking cheerful as ever.

"Heya Jack,Clare."

That's what I always loved bout Crutchy. Always in the best mood even if his leg was messed up.

"Heya Crutchy."

"Heya guys can I ask ya something. When I walk, does it look like I'm faking it?"

Jack answered for us both "No. Who said you is faking it."

"Well I don't know. There's a lot of fake crips out there that us real crips don't have a chance."

While I'm looking in the mirror putting my hair in braids for the new day, the rest of the guys are rambling off to him all these new selling spots he can go to. I take one good look in the mirror and sigh. I never thought I was an ugly girl, but I was never satisfied with my appearance. I had curly brown hair that went to the middle of my chest. Not like spirals, but curls. I had big brown eyes that everyone said looked like a puppy dog. I was about five two and weighed the average fifteen year old girl weight. Some may say a little skinnier. Don't let that fool you though because I can sure kick ass. I know what some of youse are thinking, that doesn't sound ugly. She sounds sort of pretty to me. Well like I said I never called myself ugly, just that there's nothing real special about my look. Nothing big that makes me stand out from the rest.

Breaking out of trance I remember I'm not alone. Blink walks out of the bathroom, looking excited as ever, stares at me and says, "I smell money!"

Crutchy on the other hand looks in the bathroom he came out of "You smell foul!"

Blink, about to go into attack mode, gets stopped by Mush hugging me from behind saying "Met DIS goil last night!".

Jack then looks at us both. Annoyed at Jack ruining the fun, I smile at Mush, push him off and stick my tongue out at Jack. He just smiles and continues getting ready. I go back to my room to get my hat. I pull it over my head and run with the stampede of boys down the stairs outside, straight to the nuns. Unlike those ANIMALS I walk slowly, eating my bread a little at a time, while the boys are running to the distribution center. But then I notice an arm around me.

"Race, why you way back here. Usually ur with the others."

"Thought dis' be more fun dat's all." We stare at each other and just smile. Me and him have been having a lot of these random moments lately. I never think much of it, not wanting to ruin our friendship, so I just go along with it.

We finally reach the rest of the guys, who are complaining about bad headlines. Right when we get into the conversation, we're interrupted by the two nastiest people out there. Racetrack takes one look at them, and smirks "Heya boys!" The Delancy brothers. Talk about scum.

Like always, whenever they come around, Jack orders the boys to keep me in the back. So as usual, I feel Mush and Skittery take my hands and haul me to the back with them. But, then I see Racetrack whisper something to Jack, who looks skeptical at first, but then nods. As soon as I get to the back, Racetrack takes my hand "Jacky boy said I could jus' take you to get ur' papes now so we wont have ta' deal wid' dem' lata." I nod and we both sneak out. Well, right after we see Jack running with something while the Delancys are right on his tale. Knowing they could be back any minute, Me and Race run to the distribution center to get our papes.

"Heya Wease!" we both say in sync.

"I told youse a million times, it's Wiesel. Mr. Wiesel. To youse"

I get my hundred papes while Race is trying to talk his way out of paying for the day. Being stupid as he is, Weasel agrees and gives him fifty papes on the house. When we step down, we notice two other boys whom we've never seen before get their share of papes for the day. The little one, who looked about ten, is staring at the pape I'm reading, looking very interested. I smile at him and tell him he can sit down if he wants. He smiles back and sits next to me. "Look at dis. Baby born with three heads. Must be from Brooklyn." I star cracking up, me only knowing Races double meaning of it.

"Are you accusing me of lying kid?"

None of the other guys are here yet so it has to be the boy who was with the one sitting next to me.

"No" he says, "I just want my papes"

Being the caring person I am, I go count the papes for them both.

"Nope, its nineteen Weasel. But don't worry, I bet Morris counted em' right. And I bet he had has shoes on again." I chuckled while the boy looked at me funny, debating if he should be offended or amazed a girl was helping em'.

"Race, lend me some cents". He throws me some and I give it to Weasel. "Twenty more for my friend here." The boy looks at me in shock while Weasel gives him the papers. "Common Race, lets go sellin'!" He stands up and we start walking till the boy yells out. "WAIT!" We turn around to see him and the kid right behind us.

"We don't want these papes. We don't need charity. Here's your papes."

I look at him, frustrated that I was just one newsie helping another. He must have understood I was annoyed.

"Look, I didn't mean to come off rude. But it looks like you could use the papes more then us."

You'd think I would be offended by that. But being a girl doing a boys job for this long, you don't care what others think about you. He obviously must of thought I was gonna soak em' though.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry I would never mean it like that. I just meant it as…well…uh.." "Don't worry bout it" I chuckle "believe me when I tell you I have heard way worse in my time"

I finally got him to smile. "Oh, well I just wanted to make sure you didn't hate me for that."

I want to start laughing on how he's saying those confident words, yet he looks like he about to pass out.

"I don't know ya so I can't hate ya. But all I gotta say is that you're lucky that it's me your talking to and not somebody else."

Almost forgetting Racetrack was beside me, he finally chimes in. "Yeah. He's sure lucky it was you an not Cowboy." Me and Race laugh in agreement.

"Yeah, if Jack knew you were giving me crap bout charity, then it would be da' end for you."

"Dis' kid was giving you crap!"

I turn around to see a fuming Jack Kelly.