I would like to thank the wonderful Christina Conlon for agreeing to Beta my story!
Someone's shakin' me.
I groan and push the offending hand while muttering curses under my breath. I fall back into my deep sleep mode.
The hand was back.
"C'mon Pittie, its time to wake up. Papes don't sell themselves!" a voice to match the hand. In my still 2/3 asleep state I could only handle one thought at a time. The voice sounds familiar.
"I got it Kloppman; she ain't easy to get up."
Kloppman was trying to wake me up? Kloppman was the superintendant at the Newsboy Lodging House. He offered us cheap meals and never turned someone out to the cold. It got crowded during the winter, but he would rather see them here than outside in the cold. He's the one who let me stay here after my landlady kicked me out of her lodging house because of my clothing choice.
Now I feel bad for cursin' at him.
A different hand was shaking me now. He was shaking me lightly, like I might break or something.
"Oh Pittie… Pittie…PITTIE!" The last one was in my ear but I just snapped my jaws in the general direction of the voice and rolled over.
That's when a pillow hit me in face. I bolted straight up and smacked my head on the bunk above me.
"What the hell? What'd ya do dat for?" I mumbled rubbing my head.
I looked at the blushing face of Mush.
Mush was half black or something. He had tan skin, too dark to be white but too light to be black, not that it matters what race he is. His hair was thick and curly and he had brown eyes like a puppy. Mush was one of those people who was so sweet and always smiling, and you couldn't help but smile with him.
He was shirtless and the days of hard labor really paid off for the kid. He looked like he was twenty instead of fifteen. He is built like one of them workers down by the harbor.
"It wasn't me! It was Kid! He trew a pillow at ya and kept walkin to da wash room!" Rat Bastard!
Kid Blink was a sixteen year old boy with blonde hair and blue green eyes. His most defining feature is his eye patch covering his bad eye. But he was easy to get along with and always had a joke on his tongue to brighten your day.
Except when he wakes me up; he always does it in a way that it hurts me!
Racetrack passed by my bunk then doubled back.
Racetrack Higgins was a short boy of fourteen. His Italian roots gave him pure black hair and a handsome face. He was the gambler and the guy with the most charisma in the 'Hattan newsies. He and Blink together were a riot!
He had that sly smile that all the guys got when they were about to make a boob joke. I've been living with the guys for 2 years and they never fail to make a reference to my "Selling Partners" daily.
"Hey Pittie, your selling partners are poppin' out!" He grinned and Mush's blush deepened. Oh…That was the problem. My chest was big, and annoying as hell. They kept popping buttons off of shirts and it made it difficult getting shirts that fit. My butt was just as big of a problem but pants are easier to come by than shirts.
"At least I got a pair of somethin'!" I said as I buttoned up Skittery's old under shirt. Way too tight, but he was the only one who had a spare he was willing to part with.
The grin vanished from Race's face and Mush made this half choke sound of amusement. I smirked and made my way to the washroom more awake than usual. I dodged under elbows of blind Newsies and found a place in between Skittery and Crutchy.
Skittery was a tall weed. He was 6'2" and thin! His hair was always messed up and his brown eyes rarely showed what he really felt. Everyone called him "Glum and Dumb". He wasn't glum, just a realist. He's seen a lot in his seventeen years of life. He usually puts on a happy face when we eat at Tibby's.
Crutchy was a cripple with a crutch. He, like me, had pale skin and dark freckles. His bushy red hair and thin frame gave him a goofy look, but he was a sweet kid. His brown eyes always shone with happiness no matter what.
I looked in the mirror and saw brown eyes that didn't get enough sleep. My freckles were prominent on my pale skin. I splashed some water on my face and grabbed a towel that Crutchy just put down. I blinked to get the water out of my eyes then turned my attention to the daily struggle that was my hair.
The style today was a brown rats nest in place of my hair. My hair went to just below my shoulder blades and got tangled every night. I scowled at it and wondered if I should just stick a hat on and be done with it. But that's what I did yesterday that got me in this mess in the first place.
"Hey, Race. Can I borrow your comb?"
He threw the object and it hit me in the head.
"Thanks!"
I yanked the comb through my hair. GOD! Good lord! Jesus! I was pretty sure I just ripped off my entire scalp. I braced myself to start the next section of knots.
"Need a little help dere Pittie?" I turned to see Kid Blink. He had a little sister at his old house; I could've asked him to French braid my hair blind folded, and he could do it perfectly without a stray hair. Any other day I would've given him the comb, and been a little mad that he hadn't offered sooner.
Today however, he hit me with a pillow and caused me to get a bruise. Besides, I was a girl damn it! I will comb my own hair like all big girls do!
"Imma be a big girl taday Kid!" I went back to slowly killing my scalp. I inhaled sharply as a ripped through a particularly nasty snarl.
Kid just sighed and took the comb and started gently brushing through my hair. Oh sure, the knots don't give him any trouble, but they would rather take my skin with them as they go for me!
"It's all about going trew slowly and not jerkin' and rippin'. Ya should really start tying up ya hair while you'se sleep." He was preaching to the choir, he tells me this every day. I still don't do it.
"How do ya want it taday?"
"Howevah ya want it mistah barbah!" I always teased him and told him he should grow out his hair so he can style different every day. To which he responds, "Bite me!"
He smirked and started pulling back the hair from my face and left two thin strands out. Then he tied back the top part of my hair with a piece of twine. The result was a nice half-up half-down style with two strands on either side framing my face.
I smiled at him.
"Thanks Blink!"
I pulled my suspenders on my shoulders and went back to my bunk to get dressed. I pulled my brown vest and buttoned it. While tight on my chest, it was loose on my stomach. I really need to eat more and stop giving Ink my bread from the nuns. I couldn't help it, he reminded me so much of Teddy.
I laced up my scuffed up work boots and put on my brown hat.
The vest and the hat were from my older brother Jackson. He gave them to me when I went to his house in Brooklyn to ask for some guy's clothes to be a newsie. Sadly, he needed his work clothes and that was the only stuff he could give me.
I remember he was so worried when I went to his apartment in Brooklyn. He asked if mom and papa were alright, if papa had hit me or something. I just told him I couldn't take living there anymore. He understood. He was there for the worst of the fights. He had begged that I stay with him, or in Brooklyn in general so he could keep an eye on me. I told him I was thirteen and a big girl. I needed to go as far away from here as possible. He nodded and told me to come see him on holidays and when I get a chance.
That was two years ago and I still kept that promise.
While I turned into a street rat hellion, he turned out great. He married a beautiful woman who's dad had his own business and had cute little Teddy.
Now I just gotta do the same thing.
Everyone started heading out to the distribution center. I heard running from behind me and turned to see Ink slide on the floor, hop up, and pull up his pants and suspenders.
I laughed and said, "C'mon Ink!"
We ran down the staircase and Ink slid down the banister to catch up with the guys. I ran and caught up with them as they were jumpin' off some poor guy's cart. If nothing, we Newsies are classy!
I fell in step with Skittery and Racetrack.
"I jus' don' see how she coulda possibly lost! She was the best mare at Sheepshead! She won da last tree races!" Racetrack had a gift with gambling. But when he lost, whew! I felt sorry for the soul he decides to complain to.
"Race, she lost, get ovah it!" Skittery had no patience with people who complained about stuff they couldn't change. But being intimidating and tall lets you have more control of your life than one would think.
"Aww c'mon Skitts, he lost five cents. Let the kid get it off his chest." I said sticking up for Race. He was my poker buddy. Beat me every time. Fun to play with though.
Skittery just grumbled something about women and their empathy. I punched him on the shoulder and we kept walking in comfortable silence.
Soon, the nun cart came up and we all got some bread and coffee. I downed my coffee and was about to bite into my bread when I noticed Ink looking at it hungrily. He blinked those big green eyes at me and pouted.
I looked away from him and took a small bite of my bread. Ink had gone up to the nun cart and asked in his cute little voice, "May I have some bread?"
Poor kid, he must have been too nervous to ask for some bread. The nun shook her head and told him they had run out. Ink frowned and looked like he was holding back tears. He shook his blonde curls to try and stop crying.
I sighed I went up to Ink and gave him the rest of my bread. He looked up at me. Then he gobbled up the rest of the bread and followed Tumbler and Crutchy to the distribution center. I gripped my own growling stomach. I was good on rent until next week; maybe I could get some food with my tips today.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. The youngest nun smiled at me and pressed a nickel in my hand.
"Oh, I can't! Please, use it for someone else." I don't like accepting charity.
"Don't be stubborn child, you're practically skin and bones. Take it and buy some food for yourself!" she said more harshly than I've ever heard a nun talk. She pressed it harder into my hand and pushed me so I could catch up with the guys.
She was right, I thought while I ran with the guys, I need food for myself. I'll get a sack of apples and give everyone one. I'll use my tips today to get some food at Tibby's. With my prospect of getting food, my mood lightened considerably!
I was even one of the first people at the Distribution Center!
The distribution center is where all the newsies get their newspapers. Each newspaper had their own set of newsies and its own distribution center. This was The World's center. In front it had a big green gated that's paint was chipping and falling off. The rest of the place was solid brick. You went up a ramp, went to the barred window and told Weasel how many papes you wanted. He'd give them to you and you go down the steps and wait for your selling partner or for the rest of the newsies.
The mood was light and excited. Everyone was joking and laughing and Cowboy was telling me a story about the time he had tried to sell a pape to a dog because some guy bet him when he was eleven that he couldn't drink an entire beer.
Cowboy, or Jack Kelly, whatever suits your fancy, was tall 6'1" and the leader of the 'Hattan newsies. He had a handsome face and was quick with a joke. His light brown hair was always pushed back from his face and his eyes were like open doors. He wore a bandanna around his neck and a cowboy hat in place of a newsie cap. He always kept rope in his pocket, too; I asked him about it once and he said that you never know when it could come in handy. His dream was to leave New York and go live in Santa Fe.
"So den a bum, a bum comes up and asks me if I'm alright! I'se tells him that I'm fine and then he walks away and mutters, 'God be with this child as he loses his mind!' Da kicker Pittie, it was crazy Danny!" I laughed so hard tears started to fall! Crazy Danny is convinced he's the president of the United States and carries around a tree branch for when God chooses him to become the second prophet!
While I was laughing it got quiet quickly.I stopped laughing and looked to see Oscar and Morris Delancy pushing through the crowd to get to the front.
Oscar and Morris were brothers who worked at the barred window handing out papes. They counted out how many papes you wanted and then handed them to you. They were Class A pricks. They always thought they were better than us just because they worked in a building and not on the streets.
Oscar was a sixteen year old with short hair. He always squinted at you like he was trying to think about every word you said. He wasn't all that handsome, but compared to his brother, he looked like a god.
Morris looked like and ape. There's really no other way to describe him. It's like evolution hit everyone except Morris. He had a thin moustache above his lip. It looked more like a fuzzy caterpillar than a moustache.
Race took a big over exaggerated whiff of the air.
"Dear me! What is that unpleasant aroma? I fear da sewers may have backed up during da night!" he lightly slapped Blink in the face.
"Nah, it's too rotten ta be da sewers!" Blink said scrunching up his face like he smelled something awful.
"Yeah yeah, it must be da Delancy brudders!" Crutchy said with his funny voice. Everyone laughed and Oscar and Morris came up right in Racetrack's face. Racetrack wasn't phased.
"Hiya boys!" he exclaimed.
Oscar, seeing that he couldn't scare Racetrack, looked for someone else. His eyes landed on Ink who had managed to get in the front.
He grabbed Ink by the back of his neck.
"In da back ya lousy little shrimp!" He pushed Ink to the floor.
"S'not good ta do dat, not healthy." Racetrack warned.
Jack bent down and helped Ink up. He ran right to me and buried his face in my stomach. I glared at Oscar. Jack better handle this or I will.
"You shouldn't be callin' people lousy little shrimps Oscar. 'Less of course you'se referrin' to da family resemblance in your brudder here." Everyone made an 'ooo!' sound. Oscar looked mad. Morris just looked confused.
"That's right, that's an insult. And so's this." He tipped off Morris's hat and ran.
Morris and Oscar weren't far behind him.
Jack jumped on a cart of flour and went under the bakery's awning. By the time Morris and Oscar actually got on top of the flour, they had no idea where he was. Jack swooped out from under the awning and hit them square in the chest with his feet. They fell backwards off the cart and on to the street.
Ink laughed and smiled up at me. I picked him up and took him with me to join the crowd.
Jack accidently ran into this kid with curly brown hair and blue eyes, and a little kid with straight brown hair and big brown eyes. They both looked well fed and well taken care of.
"What do you think you're doin'?" the kid with the curly hair asked.
Oscar and Morris were trying to push their way through us to get at Jack again.
Jack looked back and saw them, then he turned to Curly.
"RUNNIN'!" and he took off again.
Oscar and Morris finally shoved their way through and chased after Jack. They shoved into Curly and pushed him to the side as they passed.
Every newsie surrounded Jack to congradulate him on beating the Delancies. That's when they jumped him from behind.
They always fight dirty! Skittery, Racetrack, Kid Blink and Mush were circling the fight so no one would jump in, and so they could jump in if need be.
I took Ink to the very front of the fight, just behind the circling crowd control. I put Ink down and he looked at Cowboy in awe.
Cowboy was dodging Morris. Where was Oscar? I looked around the circle. Oscar liked to fight dirty; he would try to sneak up on Cowboy.
There! He had brass knuckles and was about to hit Jack! I jumped through the circle and jumped on Oscar's back.
I bit down on Oscar's shoulder and wrapped my arms around his chest and my legs around his stomach and held on.
They call me Pitbull, Pittie for short, because when I fight, I jump on the persons back, I bite them, usually on the shoulder, and then hold on. I only fight guys, so when they're distracted, I use my feet to kick them where the sun don't shine.
Oscar screamed when I bit him. Jack whipped around and saw Oscar. He tripped Morris and turned to Oscar. I jumped off then joined the boys in circling the fight.
Jack grabbed Oscar and used him as a shield. Morris kept trying to punch Jack, but he would just jerk back his head. Morris swung hard and Jack moved Oscar in the line of fire.
The result was Morris punching Oscar square in the jaw. This was hilarious! Jack dropped Oscar and Morris stooped down to help his brother.
We all ran back to the Gate. Jack got there first and climbed up the gate and reveled in everyone cheering for him. At the front of the gate was me, Kid Blink, Skittery, and Mush. We were laughing at Jack, he always did love attention.
Ink pushed through the crowd and put his hand in mine. Still looking at Jack like he was a god. The gate swung open and we could finally start selling for the day.