she never listened to anyone. sometimes not even to herself. nope. not her. she loved to defy anyone above her, lower than her, the same as her, and so on. shit, shes even tried to defy gravity. a broken arm proved that gravity won that fight but im sure, she'll challenge it again. rebelion is what brought her to being a newsie. her parents looked down on them, even though they are just as hard working as they are, or maybe even more so. she ran from that house, just wanting them to chase. and they never did. she lost the battle with her parents, although running never makes you win nor lose, just stay even. in her mind, because they didnt yell at her, she wasnt breaking the rules enough. that was one of her two life's sayings. " rules were made to be broken." and her second " life sucks, and then you die." thats flirt for you. and why is this her name and not "rebel" or " trouble"? because she is a huge flirt with every boy she comes across, and they fall for her. shes pretty too, dark hair and eyes to match. shes out going, not mean as she would seem, but she always seems to be right in the midst of the prank going on. yep, thats flirt for you. she toyed around with most of the guys, breaking their hearts as soon as she got them into giving a shit. bumlets fell the hardest, and its like the ground never seemed to meet his face and hes been suspended in air since he met her. every day he'd go up to her and ask her how she was. if you ask me, i think shes into him, but wont let him have her because, he wants her and she'll do anything to antagonize the situation.
" hey Boston how are ya?" she asked me
" pretty good, and yourself?" i washed my face with the cold water from the pump
" eh, thinking of a prank, its been getting pretty boring round here. the dust is settling, time to, stir it up a bit." she shrugged
" you just pranked skittery two days ago, im sure the dust is still up." she smiled and made a box with her fingers and scoped out the room in the view she made
" yuh know, Bos, i could do some serious damage in here." she laughed and walked out. she always left earlier than us, and i dont know why. maybe she liked to flirt with boys or do god knows what. another striking feature about flirt is that shes almost always on the drunk but never gets hungover like the rest of us do. new years eve 4 years ago, 1900, she drank 2 bottles of chapagne herself, and managed to get up and sell papers the next morning. power to her. i saw her selling rarely, but when i do, shes getting the attention of older men, or boys around our age, 21. i usualy sell with my friend slingshot, and our boys mush and race. the delancy brothers didnt show up today, and so we didnt have a hassel as we waited for the gates to open, as they creaked open, i turned and saw flirt at the end of line, lighting up a cigarette. the headline was good today, " GIRL FOUND DECAPITATED IN BATHTUB!" no one had to make up the headlines. tibbys is our unofficial restaurant, we go there for lunch almost everyday. flirt, however, removes herself from us, and heads to her unofficial lunchtime spot, the local bar, Bubbles Pub. ive walked pass many a time hearing her say
" two more please" or " the usual frank." shes a regular there and i have pity for her. she hates her life and theres not much else to it. bumlets would like to be in her suckish life, but he wont, shes to much of a rebel for a boy friend. she came with us today.
" hey bumlets" she said, answering to his pathetic wave. she brushed by him and sat down next to me and slingshot.
" hey flirt." i said between bites, she nodded up to me, and then reached into her pocket, and took a swig from a flask she carried around
" shit flirt, the amount of that crap you drink, you'd think you'd be dead already!" slingshot said getting up, walking out with race. they loved to bet.
" bitch, worry about your own life." she rolled her eyes and took another gulp
" flirt you should really take it easy." i said calmly to her. she glared at me, took another sip, and put it away.
" whatever. hey mush, you treating Boston real nice lately? or am i guna find out you did something bad and have tuh whoop yer ass in front of all yer friends?" she smiled, and so did he
" haha you hear dat fellahs?" he turned to see that none of his friends particularly cared, i love him and his simplicity.
" shudup mush. look guys i gotta be goin now, guna go and, do some stuff i guess." she shrugged, and began to walk out the door when bumlets grabbed her shoulder
" wanna go for a walk?" she shrugged again
" why not butt boy?" they both smiled and walked out together
BUMLETS POV
i love her. i know that sounds strange but i cant even explain the feelings i have for her. shes funny, witty and awfully pretty. i need to ask her on a date but, i just dont know....
" why do you drink so much?" i blurted out, but she didn't seem to mind, she kicked a rock and it bounced ahead of us.
" it makes me feel less pain, and more of the good things in life, but im finding less and less of them everyday. theres not point to life. it sucks and then you die and thats about it." god i hate it when she talks like this
" theres more to it than that flirt, i mean, you only get this chance once, and theres plenty of things to live for. your gorgeous and you've got the newsies, da best family dere is." she was quiet for a little bit
" whats there for me? yah ok, ive got you guys. dat bout it. ive got a penny to my name, as well as the cheap beer im always drinking like water, im known as da town slut and my parents didnt even look for me. ive got nothing to live for. and did you know ive never even slept wid a guy before? never. never never never got it? i am no fucking slut." she crossed her arms, then uncrossed, and brought the flask to her lips again
" i know your not a slut." i said
" well theres one. ive got nothing to live for. think about it bum, theres nothing to live for, life is stupid. what do you have to live for huh?" she turned and stared at me with those beautiful eyes.
" you." i whispered. she smiled, let her lips drop, take another sip, and she walked into her bar, leaving me in the fall air. i walked back to tibbys and sold the afternoon edition with pie eater. i think life is great.
BOSTON'S POV
we play cards every night. and i never win. race is too damn good, but i do give him a run for his money. mush never even deals in, hes not to great with numbers. today was the same as always. i wondered if flirt was going to be drunk, and i was right, i sold real quick, and mush and i have a very, intimate night planned. the night wore on and as usual, flirt is not home from her bar. but its nearing about 12 and shes never out this late on a selling night. i spoke up
" guys, i think we need to go search for flirt, she never been out this late before." people nodded and before we could even get to the door, flirt came charging in with a determined look on her face.
" heya flirt! whats up?" i asked, she just kept walking until she reached the window. she turned, took a swig from a bottle of vodka, that she'd probably swiped from the bar, and spoke
" ihateeee liyyfe anddd bumlets knowssss whadim talkin boutttt, but anywaysssss, imma goo prrooovee gravvitty wwrrrronng." her words were slurred and she went up onto the roof. i realized just what she ment by proving gravity wrong. she going to jump
" FUCK!" i ran after her with bumlets, jack, mush, and everyone else on my heels. we got to the roof and saw her standing on the ledge, looking down, bottle clutched.
" flirt, get down. NOW." i said slowly
" whadaa iisee gottuuh live foaah?" she asked
" us. were you family flirt." i said " now come on down before you hurt yourself."
" noo Bostton. fuuck youu, sttop tryyinn tuhh playy herroo." i was taken back.
" i love you flirt." bumlets said " we all do." he gestured to us newsies
" nooo youseee dontt. welll" she began to get tipsy, but none of us dared to charge at her
" just some on down and you'll be safe." bumlets cintinued to reason with her
" iimmm noottt a whhoreee" she said, crying now. i dont think any of us werent crying
" we know sweetie, now get down from the ledge." he held his had out to her
" willl youusee breakk da ruleesss wid mee? FUCK GRAVITY!" she turned around looking down again. my heart was thumping out of my chest and my nails were digging in to mush's palm
" no, please jsut get down" bumlets said again
" nooo whyyyyshhouuld i?? lifeee suuucks and theeen youuuu diee." she said
" i love you flirt, come down noww please." his voice cracked on please
" iiii looveee youu tooo bumm, ii loveee all off youuseee." she smiled at us
" so come on down now, and we'll get you into bed ok?"
" i juust wanna beat grravvitty, liifee suckss okk? and then you-" she jumped. i yelped and felt the knot in my throght grow. scilence and then we heard her body hit the pavement with a gooey crunch. gone. she was dead. bumlets was a wreck, and same were all the other newsies. some were saying she got what she deserved. and in some ways, she did. she always wanted to break the rules, and she messed with one that shouldn't be tampered with, she looked at life with the completely wrong aditude and was a grouch. but she was a great person and a great friend. im sorry i didnt try harder to stop her, but theres no saving her now, shes in a better place, where perfect pranks lerk around every corner and booze doesnt exeist.