Brooklyn's View

By: Danielle Kenedy

Chapter One: The Loss and the Gain

Jack walked towards the bridge. He had something on his mind but it seemed greater than anything he had ever though about in his life. He got to Manhattan Square, and met up with his two friends Racetrack and Kid Blink. As they walked toward each other in the dark streets Racetrack asked Jack in a calm yet worried voice "So, hum Cowboy you Alright?"

Jack answered quickly, "yeah."

Kid Blink quickly asked, "Jack um you get it done?"

Jack answered again quickly, "yeah I did.

"Jack you sound upset are you sure everything went ok I mean look at yah your totally what's the word I'm looking for umm... help me here blink." Said Racetrack.

"Crushed." Kid Blink placed the word for race.

" Yeah Thanks Blink. Yah look totally crushed."

"Well Race why wouldn't I. I mean, I just left my sister in Brooklyn how would you feel? How would you feel if you Racetrack Higgins just left your little sister in Brooklyn with your friend?" Answered Jack in complete anger.

"Your right Jack I'm sorry I asked yah probably don't wanna talk about it." Racetrack answered.

"Hey guys lets go to the Lodging house. We needa sleep. Well I needa sleep." Said Kid Blink.

Jack sat down and told them "Yah guys go I'll just stay here. I wanna be along for a bit. I had rough day. I needa stay out for a bit to think yah know?"

"Yeah I get it, I'll see yah tomorrow Jack. Well we will see yah tomorrow Jack. Come on Blink we'll stop and get something to eat. Something small I don't have a lot of money on me at the moment." Race said grabbing Kid Blink.

"But I wanna stay with Jack." Kid Blink said as he was been dragged by Racetrack.

As jack sat down on the street curve he replayed the moments in his head "One day I'm gonna come back and when I do you better hope I won't run into you because when I see ya I'm gonna punch your in the face!" The words of a young teenaged girl played in his head over and over again. Then Jack saw him self in his mind yelling at a young girl.

"I'm leaving you with Spot so shut up, and deal with it I had to deal with dad going to jail and mom dying. So you deal with this ok!"

"I did too So what you think you're the only one with problems. But the thing is I also have to deal with losing my brother because he doesn't love me enough to care for me so f..."

Jack started to cry. "My own sister hates me how can I deal with that Race?" Jack said looking over his shoulder only to realize that Racetrack wasn't standing there but that he was alone. He looked back at the street and saw a young man in front of him.

"Hi ya what you doing sitting on the street that's what the benches are for." A tall young boy with one crutch was standing in front of him. "The name's Ronald but people call me Crutchy. What do they call you? And why ya sitting on the street?" Crutchy interrupted before Jack could answer the first question.

"The name is Jack and the reason why I am sitting on the street is because I think better like that." Jack told Crutchy as he got up from the ground. "Well that's stupid come on where you live I'll take ya home." Crutchy told jack as he started to walk.

"I live this way and its alright I don't want to bother you, you get home." Jack said as he walked in the other direction.

"Nah I needa walk it's good for me plus I have no where else to go." Crutchy replied as he walked quicker to catch up with jack.

As Jack and Crutchy reached the lodging house Jack looked at Crutchy and said "Um If you wanna place to stay since u got noes play to go you can stay here. Um I mean because people take kind to gimps and you could move a lot of papes you know?"

" Sure that would be great I'd love to I mean were do I sign up?" Crutchy said with such excitement that Jack smiled so much he almost broke his jaw from laughter. "Come on I'll tell Kloppman about ya" Jack said as he helped Crutchy in side.

Morning came and Crutchy was already downstairs getting ready when Jack was woken up by Kloppman. Jack made his way down stairs. "Hey yah Jacky-boy how'd yah sleep? And who's the new guy?" Race asked Jack as he was walking down the stairs and headed for the front door.

"Umm. That's Crutchy and just fine thanks." Jack replied still half asleep. "Hey yah you must be Race. I'm Ronald but call me Crutchy please. I hate my name Ronald it's so boring it's more of a gentleman's name. That's not for me the hole up tight act." Crutchy continued as he held out his hand. Race laughed and spit in his hand. As race went to shake Crutchy's hand he pulled away and spit in his own and went back to shake it. Race said wit such excitement

"He's born to be a newsie. Ha Ha I'll show him the ropes Jack you just make money. Oh by the way here's 2 bits. I owe yah from before." Race handed jack the money.

"I'm not gonna take your money. Give it to Brook she needs it." Jack said handing Race back the 2-bit coin.

"Alright Alright. I know I know you can never take money from anyone." Race said putting his arm around Crutchy.

"But I bet you do." Joking around Race started to laugh and jump in his normal manner to try to make things happier. "Come On we are gonna be late." He added. Kid blink walked down the stairs and had sort of the same meeting with Crutchy.

"Hey yah who's the new guy." "oh that's Crutchy." "Hey yah you must be Kid Blink"

"Yea. I'm Ronald but cal me Crutchy please. I personally hate the name Ronald"... And the same thing happened with the other newsies. Crutchy talking about how he hated the name Ronald and the other newsies just listening with enjoyment.

Kid blink and Race where joking around and making up rules trying to freak Crutchy out from being a newsie. But Jack always told him when they were making up stories and just to play along with it. Race was always trying to make money by betting strangers to play the "simple" game that was always ridged.

" Hey yah Jack. Did yah hear Brook died last night out of loneliness. If you only had stayed she won't be so dead." These two boys came up to the four of them. "Shut up Oscar" Jack said with such angry. Race told Crutchy who the two of them were. Oscar and Morris Delancey. Two scabs that work for Mr.Weisle. But the kids called him Mr. Weasel. The two of them hated newsies and didn't have to pay to get the papers, because they worked for the New York world. They got their pay from Mr. Pulitzer. The man of all men. Well not really the man who owns the New York World and controls pretty much everything in the city.

"No I'm not kidding she really is dead. That's what Spot told me when I was beating him up." Oscar added. "First thing you could never beat up Spot. Second if she was dead Spot would tell me. AND third you have a grudge against any newsie that ever walked this earth, and that includes me. So why would I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?" Jack told Oscar and walked off push the two to the ground as he walked away.

"He sure is angry." Crutchy told race as they walked off following jack.