A/N: This is my first story. It's short and sweet, but I'll probably be working on the next chapter soon. So any criticism and comments are welcome.
Patrick groaned as he awoke, closing his eyes to the bright morning sun turning to his side, blinking rapidly against the bright light. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, squeezing his eyes together twice then pushing himself to his feet. He dusted himself off, leaning his back against the wall of a shop. Through the window the owner of the shop could be seen sweeping behind the counter, clearing his shop of such dust that may have collected over the night. The owner swept the front of his store, tidying up the few merchandise available; readying it for his daily stream of customers. He made his way to the sidewalk just outside his shop, realizing Patrick leaning against the wall of his shop, he inhaled deeply not hiding the look of disgust towards the boy
"Off with you now, boy! Filthy boy, off with you now! Move along!"
Patrick sneered at the shopkeeper while walking to the corner a shop over, crossing the street. All the shops doing like the first: completing their daily opening routines. One shop, a bakery, catches his sense of smell and sight. Patrick's stomach growls, as he steps up to the shop, pressing his hands and face against the shop's window. Above his head reads: Jacob's Bakery: in gold lettering, lined with black. A few seconds pass before he realizes the shopkeeper is not in front of the shop. He pushes the door hoping it'll open to his relief it does. The bell above it rings, he swiftly grabs a fresh loaf of bread from a cooling rack, just behind the counter. He bolts from the shop, again the bell rings, this time louder quicker sounding. The baker rushes from the back and sees Patrick leaving his shop. Angered, Jacob the Baker, bolts after Patrick.
"Thief! Thief!"
Patrick looks behind him keeping an eye on Jacob, just as he looks forward he has no time to react cutting the corner of a shop too short, smashing his left knee into the cement wall. Patrick cries in pain, falling to the ground, the bread flies in the air a couple hundred feet, sliding further, as it hits the ground; pieces breaking off on impact. He immediately grabs his left knee with both his hands, quietly whimpering in pain.
"Serves you roight! Serves youse roight, child! You stole from my shop! Serves youse roight!" Jacob screams, as he runs ahead of Patrick to gather up his goods. The baker heads back toward Patrick, holding the stolen goods, "Now I can't sell this! I can't sell this, youse ratty kid!" He waves the bread in Patrick's face "You ruined a sale of mine, child." The baker kicks Patrick in the right side of the ribs hard, as he storms back down to his bakery. Patrick whimpers and stifles back tears. He attempts to sit up, but a sharp pain shoots through his chest he grunts, on the second attempt he sits up. Taking a deep breath, although a painful one, has him believing his ribs are only deeply bruised. His knee is in worse shape already swelling up even through his thin tattered pants. The attempt to stand up fails immediately, as he offers most of the weight on his left leg. An instant loud whimper escapes him as he falls back down to the ground.
"Bad idea" he says to himself "stupid, stupid, stupid." The second attempt using his right leg gives better results, he slowly stands favoring most of his weight on his right. Finally he's up, hopping to the nearest building, putting out his right hand to stabilize himself. He hops and limps alongside the shop into an alley in between this shop and its' neighbor. He follows the building of the shop roughly five hundred feet into the alley and sets himself down.
"Smashed your knee up pretty bad. Didn't youse?" Patrick jumps at the sudden sound of a voice. "I saws it alls; that man chasing youse and youse running into that shop and he kicked youse in the ribs. Smashed up youse knee pretty bad. Hows youse ribs?" Patrick looks to his right to see a girl as dirty as him. "You're a girl?"
"Damn roight I am." She wore a newsboy cap, she took it off and tucked her hair, down below her shoulders, underneath her cap. "So hows youse ribs?" she repeats just as she finishes tucking her hair into her cap. "Because youse knee is in bad shape; I can definitely see that."
"My ribs are fine, just bruised real bad that's all. So where did youse come from?"
"Atop the buildings got up there and down on the fire escapes."
"Well, my name is Patrick. It's nice to meet youse"
"Casey. But my gang calls me Suitcase. It's our cover up names so nobodies recognize us, like the bulls. I just got done selling my papes. I was headed back to the Lodge House. Come with me? I'll help you there. They'll actually give us something to eat, but it's two cents. I can cover youse for now though."
Casey "Suitcase" helps up Patrick putting his arm around her shoulders. "Youse gonna hafta help me here a little, though." They walk down to the Lodge House "Just a few blocks away" she tells him.
They walk in silence for the next fifteen minutes, before Patrick's curiosity gets the best of him, "So why do they calls youse Suitcase?" She ignores this, as the Lodge House is in sight. As they enter the Lodge House; everyone looks up. Seeing a new guest to their home, a boy comes up and helps Casey with Patrick. "Thanks Snack. Just sets him down on the couch" The two set him down on a tattered and dusty couch.
"They says you should elevate youse knee if hurt." Snack says directing it towards Casey. There is a girl sitting on the couch next to Patrick, she gets up and helps elevate Patrick's knee by putting his leg on the length of the couch. "Smash his leg up pretty bad. That Jacob character chased him outs his shop. Hes dropped his fresh bread too. Jacob just picked it up and yelled at him. Something about can't sell it no more. Took it roight away and probablys threw it away." A sound of irritated grunts flooded the Lodge House's Gather Room. Patrick assumed this Jacob the Baker character has been trouble in the past. "Tomorrows you going to hafta sell some papes to earn your keep here and everywhere else. Even with your bum knee, Smash." Patrick perked up to the sound of his nickname
"Wows!" exclaimed someone amongst the crowd. "She gave youse name quickly." Everyone agreed with Arrow "Pretty neat"
"Alroight, shall we get some food? Don't worries I'll explain everything in a little, after we alls eat." Casey said. It's obvious Casey is the leader of the pack, Patrick thinks to himself. He watches her as she takes off her hat letting her matted hair fall. She hangs up her bag and hat on an old beat up wooden hat rack. " Come on Snack. Help me take him to the Kitchen so we cans eat." The entire Gather Room proceeds to the Kitchen. Casey, Patrick, and Snack are behind the group; they set Patrick on an uneven wooden chair and go get their soup, bread and cheese for dinner. Snack and Casey finally come over with their own and Patrick's food setting themselves up on the table. "It's all we's got" explains Snack. "It looks delicious" Patrick says "Thank you" "No, thank Suitcase. She has it all in order." Snack smiles at Casey and then at Patrick. Casey smiles at them both, lingering on their newest newsie. "Thank youse, Suitcase." Patrick "Smash" says and he proceeds to eat his grub.