A/N: This is a revised edition of an older story. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: If it isnt from the Disney movie "Newsies" its mine. I obviously do not own anything in or from the movie, script, or plot.
New York City 1893:
"Heya fellas lookit what Ise found," Racetrack Higgins shouted into the open doorway of the News Boys Lodging House on Dwayne Street.
" Race if all youse 'found' is anudda box a cigahs Ise gunna hafta," Skittery left off as he came down the stairs and saw what Race had found.
"She was sittin nexta my spot down by da tracks," Race explained dragging a small human in behind him.
"What is it?" Skittery asked in awe.
"It's a… a…. a GOIL," Mush exclaimed from a broken chair across the room.
"Glad ya can tell," the little girl snapped. Skittery and Mush jumped; Race just laughed.
"Whadda ya thinks so funny?" she demanded.
"Dese two bummers are scared of a little goil," Race told her taken aback by her tone, "Ise mean we're ten, ten yeah old boys aint supposed ta be afraid of little goils, specially newsies," he added grinning at Mush and Skittery.
"Dey should be," she replied haughtily clenching her tiny fists, "I aint gunna hurt youse ya know," she added to Skittery and Mush, "just him," she pointed back to Race who took his turn jumping.
The boys looked at her warily but slowly untangled themselves from each other, "Ya know Race I don't think Spade's gunna like dis too much," Skittery said.
"Wat am I not gunna like?" An older tall dark haired boy asked walking down the stairs. "Oh I see. Wats ya name?" he said crossing to the tiny girl.
"Don't got one Ise like," she said.
"How old are ya?" he tried again.
"Eight," she said simply.
"I woulda said six," Race interjected sarcastically, and the girl hit him.
"How ya gunna let a little eight yeah old goil beat up on youse Race, youse ten you should be able ta defend yaself," Spade joked. Race flushed.
"Hey Ise aint dat little, ya know," the girl stated indignantly.
"Sure thing doll," Spades stood up straight and put his hand on top of her head, the girl stood on her tip toes to be level with his waist. The boys laughed at her and she punched each one of them.
"Ow dat hurt," Mush complained.
"She can stay," Spades said laughing. He walked halfway up the stairs and called "Ay fellas Ise got someone down heah Ise want ya ta meet."
The rest of the boys stampeded down the stairs prepared to meet another boy to be added to their ranks and found the girl.
"Wat gives Spades?" a handsome blonde boy asked.
"Boys dis is," Spades started, he looked at the girl again.
"Ise already told ya Ise aint got no name," she said stubbornly.
"Well den fellas wese gunna hafta fix dat," Spades addressed his boys.
"Wese name newsies not little goils," an older boy said angrily.
"Im not little ya scabber," she flashed starting to run at him.
"Pipe down, let Spades handle it doll," Race whispered to her grabbing the back of her shirt.
"No, Im not little Ive lived wit boys long enough, no ones gunna get away with calling me dat."
While Race and the girl were arguing Spades had quietly ushered the rest of the boys into the bunkroom.
"Look fellas, do youse really want ta leave a goil her size to her own devices? She aint gunna last a minute out dere." Spades said.
"Yeah but she aint gunna be able to keep up wit any of us," the boy who had argued against her early complained.
"How bout wese give her a trial? Ya know see if she can keep up, if not we'll take her ta Medda or sumthin?" a young boy with a red bandana and a cowboy hat suggested reasonably.
"Youse gunna explain ta Medda why wese abandoning her, Jacky boy?" the other boy challenged.
"Yeah," Jack replied defiantely.
"Fine den its settled she gets a trial period and if it don't work Jack gets ta tell Medda and wese let Medda deal wit it," Spades said clearly meaning that it was final. Some of the boys groaned but no more was said.
As the boys shuffled out Spades called Race over to him, "she eva tell ya her name?" he asked kneeling down to Race's level.
"Nah, alls she said was dat she didn't have a name she likes and didn't have a home."
"Kay well da boys say dat she can stay fah a trial period and if she can keep up she can stay," Spades said pleadingly.
"Ise keep track of her Ise promise," Racetrack said earnestly.
"Race listen she aint no puppy or anything shes a little goil, and she only two yeahs youngah dan you and the odda boys, remebah dat, shes da same age as Sinpeshooter treat 'er like it," Spades told him sternly.
"Ise will Ise promise!" Race exclaimed.
Spades motioned him back out to the common room, when Race was gone Spades sat back on his heels with his head in his hands, what did he get himself into?
"Hey Spades, wat are wese supposed ta call her?" one of the boys called out.
"Ise am right heah ya know," the girl yelled.
Racetrack rolled his eyes but grinned, "Pipe down would ya."
"Dere ya go. Piper." Spades said simply.
"Ise like it," the girl grinned.
"So Piper wats ya story?" Mush asked.
"Don't have one, Ise was in da orphanage, but da lady kicked me out cause Ise was ta much ta handle," Piper said in that typical fast eight year manner.
"But youse only eight, how much trouble could ya be?" Race said incredulously.
"She said it was wrong fah me ta climb trees, fight 'er bout wearin skirts an dresses, an play cards wit da boys," Piper said carelessly.
"Dat is my kinda goil," Race said smiling, "Ise think wese gunna get along just fine," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder. She smiled then stepped on his toes.
"Wheres Piper gunna sleep Spades?" Skittery asked.
"In da bunkroom wit us, we can hang a sheet round her bunk if anyone's uncomfortable."
"Ise don't care, if nun a youse care," Piper said.
There was a chorus of no's and it's fine. "So its settled shes stayin wit us," Race said happily.
"For da trial, foirst," the blonde boy corrected.
"Yeah yeah yeah, wat eva Knicks," Mush, Skittery, and Race said rolling their eyes.
"Ise guess Ise just gunna hafta show dem," Piper smiled smugly at Knicks, then grinned at Mush, Skittery, and Racetrack.
The boys grinned back, and that was when the trouble started.
--
"Wheah do youse foah think ya goin?" Spades called to the small retreating backs of Racetrack Higgins, Mush Meyers, Skittery Jones, and the new girl Piper.
"Damn," Skittery cursed under his breath, Race elbowed him in the ribs.
"Wese jus goin ta show Pipah, her bunk," Race covered smoothly, they had been trying to ease out of the living room without being noticed, and things had been going just fine until Spades had to go and ruin it.
"Watevah Race, if anythin happens Im holdin it to ya," Spades winked knowing them all too well.
"Why would ya evah say dat?" Piper asked in all pretenses of being an innocent little girl.
"Youse bettah watch her Race, she's gunna be bettah at bullshitin dan youse soon," Spades smirked, then waved them ahead shaking his head, those four were already causing trouble and the first day wasn't even over.
"Which ones are yours?" Piper asked, "I don't wanta sleep anywhere neah dat one blonde fella."
"Dat one in da cornah is his, his names Cans," Mush explained.
"Yeah you don't gotta worry bout him, he's getting old bet he's gunna leave soon," Skittery smirked and Mush and Race laughed.
"Ise sleep heah," Mush patted his bottom bunk, " Dat one ova dere is open," he added indicating the top bunk in the set next to his.
"And Ise sleep dere," Race said pointing to the bottom bunk across the isle from Mush's, "da one next ta it is empty too," he said.
"Ill sleep dere den," she said, "Youse found me, I'll let youse have ta deal wit me."
Mush and Skittery laughed loudly as Race cursed her, Piper just smiled sweetly.
"Maybe I shoulda jus left ya at da track," Race grumbled.
"Ah naw youse know youse jus love havin a goil around," she smiled cheekily and looking up at him.
"Wese wouldn't know, wese don't have many goils, most of da goil newsies live at home, cuz most families wont let goils live on dere own," Skittery said.
'Oh well da lady at da orphanage didn't have no problem wit it," she said quietly.
"Yeah well youse must worked a good one ova her," Race said smirking lightly, his bad moods never lasting too long.
The other boys laughed, "So wats da real reason fah sneakin up heah?" Mush asked.
"Wese gunna thank Cans fah his warm welcome fah Pipah," Race said with a mischevious grin.
"How we gunna do dat?" Skittery asked.
"Does he have a goil?" Pipah asked.
"Yeah why?" Race asked cautiously.
"Cuz most of da olda boys at da orphanage act real brave an stupid when pretty goils are around," she said simply.
"Yeah dey do dat heah too," Mush said.
"So why don we get one of da olda boys who don't like him to much ta dress up like a goil and have him pretend ta be his goil or sumthin," she explained.
"Yeah but da only fella who would do dat would be Jack, and everyone knows Jack. Good thinking though," Race said thinking that idea through.
"How bout we get im da mornin," Mush suggested.
"By dumping somethin on him? Real original Mush," Skittery said rolling his eyes.
"I don't see youse coming up wit any clevah ideas," Mush defended.
"Ahh shut it!" Race and Pipah said at the same time.
Unbeknownst to the younger kids, Spades was listening from behind the door. Dose kids are gunna be da enda me...but Cans does deserve it, he reasoned with himself. Wat am I doin? He asked himself as he opened the door and the younger kids scattered out of their huddle.
"Hiya Spades," Piper smiled sweetly skipping over to him.
"Hey dere Pipah, wat were youse kids doin?" He asked disarmingly.
"Da boys were teachin me ta play marbles properly, cuz at da orphanage da boys wasnt allowed ta." She said holding out a hand full of marbles for him to see, she had gone back into innocent little girl again. She's good, real good was the thought running through everyone's head.
"Oh well then Ise guess Ill just have ta leave ya ta yoah marbles," he said grinning pointedly at Race and nodding his head at her. Race got the point, Spades was giving his silent consent, just so long as Piper didnt get any of the blame.
Spades turned to leave, but Piper caught his sleeve and tugged on it. She turned her big green eyes on him, shes goin ta be a knock out, he thought to himself.
"Spades will ya give me a piggy back ride?" she asked with the most innocent and adorable face possible.
"Sure, come on," he said smiling and bending down to letting her climb on to his back. As she did so Spades mouthed "Me, you talk later," to Race.
Piper knew how to play innocent little girl, and when to play it. She squealed and kept urging Spades to go faster.
When she was satisfied with her ride she slid down and grinned at him, "Thank ya Spades," she smiled at him with the utmost charm and the very idea of sweetness.
"Yoah welcome doll, but Race Ise need ta talk ta ya outside," he said smiling and tugging on Piper's thick dark brown hair gently.
"Shoah," Race said winking at the others before following Spades out of the room.
Out in the hall Spades busted out laughing, "She's bettah dan Medda."
Race laughed, "Don't let Medda heah youse say dat."
"So youse foah plannin on getting Cans back?" Spades asked knowingly.
"Yeah but we don't know how," Race admitted.
"Ise have an idea fah ya," Spades said.
Race leaned into hear Spades' idea his grin growing the farther into the explanation, by the time Spades finished Race was howling with laughter. Spades smiled and shooed Race back into the room to share the plan, and headed back down stairs so no one got suspicious.
Race went back in to the bunkroom and told the rest of them Spades plan, he got reactions similar to his from Skittery and Mush, but Piper wasn't smiling.
"Wats da mattah Pipah?" Race asked.
"How do youse know Spades aint gunna tell Can our plan?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because everybody hates Cans, just not as much as we do," Skittery said smirking.
"If yoah shoah itll work, I'm in," she said feigning resignation. The boys grinned this was going to be good.
Soon after their plans were set the rest of the boys stampeded up the stairs for bed.
"Dat goil bettah not be sleepin anywheah neah me," Cans told Race nastily.
"Oh darn, Ise really wanted ta sleep wit youse," Piper replied sarcastically.
Her reply earned a couple of snickers from the older boys.
Spades slapped the nearest one in the back of the head, "She's eight, get ya head outta ya pants." The younger boys took their turn at laughing.
"Hey Jack shes sleepin in da bunk unda youse okay?" Race told Jack once they were out of everybody's earshot, particularly Piper's.
Jack shrugged "Ise don't have no problem wit dat I think she's hilarious."
"Thanks Jack youse a good guy," Race replied relieved to hear Jack's positive opinion in the matter of Piper.
"G'night fellas," Spades said meaning it was time for them to hit the sack before another early morning of carrying the banner.
--
"Get up, up, up, WAKE UP," Spades yelled at the peacefully sleeping newsies. His shout was rewarded with a bunch of sleepy grumbles.
"Ya noisy bummah," one of the older boys groaned slinging his ratty sheet off of himself.
"Good morning to you too Marks," Spades replied shaking his head.
"Race! Race wake up... Pipah's gone," Spades said walking over to Race's bunk grinning evilly. Race sat up too quickly and overbalanced causing him to roll off the bunk and hit his head off the corner of the bedside table.
"Dammit," he cursed, "wait wat, Pipah's righ' dere." he added waving over towards her bunk where she was sleeping tangled in her sheet.
"Dammit Spades," he said throwing a shoe at him as the realization dawned on him.
"Youse wanna wake her up or should Ise do it?" Spades asked. Race glared at him.
"Okay fine Ill do it..." Spades answered his own question as he bent down to shake the girl gently," Pipah, Pipah, wake up."
Piper sat up head butting Spades and causing Spades to bounce his head off the top of her bunk, and waking Jack in the process. Race howled with laughter along with the other boys who saw it, and waking up those who didn't.
"Dat is goin ta give youse one hell of a headache," Race said grinning. Spades told him to shut up as he craddled his head in his hands gently.
"Since when do little goils have such hard heads?" he asked himself.
"Oww my head hurts," Piper said not realizing what had happened. This just caused the other boys to laugh harder. The ones who saw what happened had quickly filled in the others who had not which caused even more uproar.
"Just get ready," Spades told them waving towards the washroom.
Race quickly found Mush and Skittery, and told them to hurry and get ready so they could be the first ones at the distribution center to set their plan for revenge into action. After he told the other boys to hurry, he went back to Piper's bunk to address the problem of what she was going to wear, seeing as she only had the dress she was wearing.
"So wat are wese gunna do? All of da boys are bigger dan me, Ise cant fit inta any of dere clothes," Piper said once Race had come back to her bunk.
"Yeah but wese keep some of da clothes dat dont fit us no more foah da new boys dat come along," he told her.
"So dat means youse dont have any dresses opr skirts or nuna dat stuff?" she asked.
"Nope Ise hope dats alrigh," Race said reaching under one of the bunks for a bag of old clothes.
"Are youse kiddin me dats great! No more dresses," she shouted skipping around the room happily.
"Heah dese should work," Race said afta a minute or two of rifiling around in the bag. He handed her a faded old green shirt and a pair of old grey slacks.
"Go put dem on in one a da bathroom stalls," he told her pointing the way.
When she came out, the shirt looked about three sizes too big, and the slacks sagged low on her hips and covered her feet entirely.
"Poifect," Race said handing her a cap and telling her to keep her hair pulled up in it so no one would give her any trouble for being a girl.
Once they were ready he said, "Lets go."
"Arent we gunna wait foah everybody else?" she asked.
"No wese gotta beat everybody dere ta get da stuff foah our plan," he explained grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door and down the street to the distribtuion center where they met up with Mush and Skittery.
"Is he heah yet?" Race asked the two boys.
"Yeah," Skittery said grinning.
"Who,who is heah?" Piper asked.
"Charlie," Race answered.
"Who's Charlie," she asked.
"Da fella whos gunna help us, and youse keep sayin who like that Ise gunna start callin ya owl." Race told her shortly.
"Hows he," she started but Race silenced her with a glare.
"Im gunna go get da stuff from him, youse two watch her," Race told Mush and Skittery with a nod towards Piper. With that Race set off to find the person Charlie and get their supplies.
By the time Racetrack got back the bell had rung and the rest of the newsies had gotten in line for their papers.
"Got'em," he told them quietly indicating over to a pile of papers sitting behind a crate away from everyone's notice. The group grinned part one complete.
When it was finally their turn to buy their papers Spades came over to them and told Piper to get twenty papers for today and gave her the money for them. He nodded discreetly to Race who smiled and nodded, their plan was going to work.
Once they all had their papers they headed back over to the other stack Race had hidden and he switched out the stacks. He then wandered over to Cans and accidentally knocked into the older boy causing both of them to drop their papers.
"Watch it Racetrack," Cans growled as they both scrambled to pick up their papers, Race making sure that the papers were scrambled enough that Cans got the majority of Race's papers.
Once all the papers were picked up Racetrack apologized a couple of times then took off back to the others.
"Phase two complete, an' he shouldn't be able ta trace anythin back ta us," he told the others happily. Race set his stack of papers down and rooted around through them and with the help of the others sorted them out until he had only the papers he wanted left, and then added them to Piper's stack.
"Dere we go, now we wait...and sell," he told her leading the group out onto the street.
According to Spades' rules all of the newsies under ten had to sell in groups, they could sell on separate corners as long as they could all see each other so Piper was just another addition to Race, Mush , and Skittery's group.
"So wese goin back ta da tracks' taday Race?" Mush asked.
"Nah Ise wanna stick around heah ta see Cans' reaction," Racetrack replied grinning mischievously.
"So da cornah by 8th?" Skittery asked.
"Yeah dat shud work," Race nodded.
"If wese hafta sell in groups, how come youse were sellin by yoahself at da tracks whe youse found me?" Piper asked suspiciously.
"Because sometimes wese dont sell in groups, wese jus don' tell Spades or any of da olda fellas," Race shrugged.
"But dont youse think dat Spades wudda guessed wen Mush and Skittery wasnt dere wen youse found me?" she asked pointedly.
"Spades knows, wese jus don' tell him, he dont care ta much if its us tree dat does it cuz wese da oldest of da younga kids and all, he dont like wen Snipeshootah, Pie-eatah, and da oddas do dat dough," Mush explained, and it seemed to quell Piper's questions.
"I'll sell wit Pipah on dis cornah, and youse two can take da odda ones," Race told Mush and skittery, and the small group split up.
"Kay da foist thing youse gotta," Race started to explain but Piper inturrupted him.
"Ise watched enough newsies ta know how ta sell," she told him annoyed that he was tryin to treat her like a baby.
"Fine den youse sell heah and Ise will go righ dere, Where Ise can still see youse," he replied indignantly.
"Im not a baby youse know," she told him defiantly.
"No but dis is New Yoak," he replied.
"Yeah an' Ise lived heah my whole life," she said angrily.
"Yeah in da orphanage," he grumbled to himself.
As the early morning went by it seemed as though Racetrack was right, Piper was having a little difficulty selling her papers, but her pride, even though only that of an eight year old, wouldn't let her ask for help. As time went by she finally got the hang of things and finished selling long before Racetrack did.
"Ise done," she said walking over to him.
"Yeah Ise can see dat, why don't youse go bother Mush or Skittery?" he told her and she did.
When they were finally done selling they went to Tibby's to meet everybody else for lunch and to see how their plan had worked.
Because the younger kids didnt have as many papers to sell they were always the first ones back to Tibby's, the neighborhood restruant on one side of Horace Greenly park also known as "Newsie's Square."
They only had to wait for a few minutes before Cans came thundering in followed by Spades who was listening to Cans rant and feigning disbelief as he was told about the terrible misfortune Cans had to endure. Almost all of Cans' papers were blank or misprinted or yesterdays papers. So every paper he sold got returned in a demand for a refund.
"I'm sorry Cans taday jus must not be yoah day," Spades said with false sympathy, Racetrack could tell that Spades was fighting a losing battle with his own laughter.
"What happened Cans?" Piper asked walking over to him, the picture of innocence and concern.
It took everything Spades had not to laugh as Piper stared up at Cans with the most innocent look she could muster, and let me tell you, she could have had you eating out of her hand.
"Go away youse bad luck," Cans said pushing Piper out of his way so he could go sit down.
Piper stuck her tongue out at his back muttering something about rotten meat being shoved down his throat. Race and Spades laughed at her and the three of them made their way back to their table.
"So Ise take it ouah little plan worked," Spades whispered across the table to Racetrack.
"No problems wit da plan, but dat last bit Pipah added was poifect if not dangerously close ta given herself away," Race replied glaring at Piper. Piper just smiled at him, much like Race would have done if someone had said that to him.
"I have a ting fah risks," Piper told Spades shrugging. The boys cracked up, this was coming from a eight year old, and a girl at that.
"Yeah, goily, well youse gunna have ta watch dat while Ise round, Racetrack heah aint big enough ta protect ya yet." Spades said cheerfully patting Piper on the head. She slapped his hand away while Racetrack kicked him from under the table.
That night Cans was still fuming from his bad fortune so everyone made it a point to avoid contact with him, particularly the four who caused the problem, even if Cans didn't know it.
Spades told the four to cool it for a while and let Cans blow some steam off. He also reminded them that if they did anything else and Piper got caught she was out. So the four decided to play it safe' although Race was seen walking around muttering something about getting Piper caught so he didnt have any competition in the wise crack arena.
A/N: I'm not sure how long it will take for me to update. If you like it let me know, if you have ideas for the story let me know, the more ideas and reviews the faster I will update!
-Mouse