Ok, first off, I chose not to write in the following style… "Hey I'se hoid youse was comin' down to the harbor." For the reason that it annoys me occasionally. Second, if you like this please review… I thrive off of reviews. And finally, I really hope that you like this.
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"Goddamn stiffs! How am I supposed to sell a bloody pape, when no one wants to read them?" Hope Jacobs cried, throwing her large pile of newspapers to the dusty sidewalk angrily. She flung herself down next to them and buried her head in her hands. Why had she even come to New York, Oh, right, her family was gone and she had had no place else to go! 5 years ago and 11 year old Hope had returned home late from school to find her house burnt to cinders… The firemen said her parents and sisters had been napping, they probably didn't feel anything. Hope had stayed for a month with neighbors in her small Massachusetts town. But after that she simply had to get out.
She had traveled from her hometown to Boston, to Maine, to Vermont, to Buffalo, to Albany, and finally to Brooklyn, choosing to settle in the Newsgirls Lodging House. There she had been fed, bathed, and clothed. Mrs. Winthrop, the mistress of the house, had been very kind, allowing her time to adjust to "the job"/ Hope was surprised when she saw how the newsboys were treated. They had no hot water, and they had to buy their own food. The boys were pitifully thin, and their faces and hands were caked with dirt.
And of all the newsboys, Hope truly disliked only one… Spot Conlon. Spot was a womanizer, a drunk, a gambler, a cheat and a liar. The womanizing was what really bothered Hope the most. Every time she saw him he was with a different girl, and while he was with her, he was flirting with another. He was good looking of course, as all of his type were. The newsgirls all sighed over his name, and he was all that Hope's best friend Kit ever talked about.
Personally Hope thought that although Spot was undeniably the best looking of all the newsies, the Manhattan newsies were the most "datable". The latest boy who showed interest in her was a Manhattan named Racetrack Higgins. Race gambled often, hence his name, but he never drank or at least he never drank that much, and he never took the "want, get, leave" approach that Spot was infamous for. But Hope didn't feel that she really wanted to move from her friendship with Race into a relationship.
"Ugh! Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse!" Hope muttered, as she saw Spot and his latest "broad" turn the corner and walk down the street. Spot saw Hope and smiled winningly at her. Hope turned away, hoping that if she could only ignore him, he would pass her by without a word. But, no, not like that would ever happen.
"Hey there, Hope. You need some help selling them papes?" Spot asked her teasingly.
"Oh… go eat your hat Spot! I can sell them myself." Hope hissed, standing up. She was the same height as Spot, and she was able to glare directly into his eyes.
"I'm only offering you my excellent services." Spot replied smugly, not backing down.
"Well, your excellent services are not , nor have they ever been required by me. I'd rather eat the papers I don't sell than let you sell them for me." Hope spat, her fist balling hin anger. Spot threw up his hands and backed away.
"Fine, have it your way! If you don't want to eat, don't." Spot's voice was loud enough to turn heads. See this Hope got an idea. She threw her head into her hands and began to heave with sobs.
"Br-Bro-Bro-Brother! Why are you doing this to me. Why would you desert me for you lover. I can-can't possibly care for my-s-self. I sell these papers to buy my share of the food, and now when business is bad and no one buys you leave me out in the cold to starve!" Hope choked out.
Spot looked at her in confusion, and began to back away, dragging his girl with him. Hope saw him go and let out a heart-wrenching scream. Suddenly Spot noticed that a large crowd had gathered around Hope, comforting her and … buying papes…lots of papes. Some of them even buying two or three. The girl had style, Spot had to give her that, even he would have never thought of using that one… not in a million years.