Fist Newsies Fanfic! So please be gentle!!!!
Who said Newsies can't be girls?
By: Ai Kumiko Amaya
Chapter 1: The Newbie Newsie
A girl around the age of 15 stared at the Newsboys Lodge House. Her hair was down and separated by a blue ribbon. She sighed and fixed her clothes, a skirt that went down to her knees and a white t-shirt.
'This is stupid!!!! They won't accept you! You're a girl! Newsies are supposed to be guys!'
Her mind was screaming at her to go back to the train station and get a train back to Santa Fe. She shook her head knowing it was too late to turn back, and she started walking toward the Newsboys lodge house. Stopping at the door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and thus opened the door. Once inside she was greeted by 10 boys staring at her in awe. She ignored them and walked to the front desk, and was greeted by an old man.
"Well, what brings a girl like you to this place?" asked the old man.
"Ummm, I'm looking for a job and a place to stay, since the building said 'Manhattan Lodge House' I figured I could stay here, and find a job" replied the girl
"Well, you came to the right place. So enough chit chat, and let's get you settled." Smiled the old man, and pulled out a book and a pen from underneath the desk. He jotted a few things down on the paper, and occasionally looked at her. "Alright, just right your name, or nickname, your age, and I'll show you to your bunk" he replied and turned the book so she could right in it. She looked down at the paper and wrote down all he told her to. She looked up and smiled at him when she was done, and he looked at what she wrote. "So, Ms. April, would you like us to call you by that name or your nickname….uhh let's see here…Riley??" he asked with a questioning look.
"Anything is fine Mr. Uhhh, I don't believe I caught your name" she replied shyly.
"Kloppman" the old one replied.
"Mr. Kloppman, do you mind if you could show me where I'm gonna be bunking?" April asked.
"Right this way" he smiled and led her up the stairs. They went down the hallway till they got to a big open door where there were tones of bunks. Each bunk had a fainted scratched out number on it, and most of them were already taken. Kloppman stopped right in front of a bottom bunk beside the window. On the night table beside the bed was a few belongings, like a pamphlet on Santa Fe, a toy horse, a half smoked cigarette, and many other things. "Hope this bed will be to your liking. Now here are the rules, we get up at 6 and we leave at 6:30 for work. You'll be a newsie and I'll get someone to show you how to do it, but for now relax and get to know the boys, they'll be the only ones who'll talk to you other than me" he replied and pulled out a pillow, and a blanket.
"Umm, not to be bothersome Mr. Kloppman-"
"Please, Kloppman is fine"
"Oh uhh, sorry. Not to be bothersome Kloppman but do you have any clothes that I could change into?"
"Hmmmm, boy clothing yes, as for girl clothing, I'm gonna go check. Make yourself comfy, cause you start tomorrow. The boys' be in maybe, 5 minutes? So enjoy the peace and quiet for now, for when they come, this place is like a bunch of cowboys watching some cabaret singer in her undergarments" he laughed and walked away. She smiled at what he said, but then growing sad as he reminded her of her grandfather. Knowing that Kloppman was right, she flopped down onto her bunk and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of a bed. It had been so long since she felt the comfort of a bed, besides wouldn't you miss it if you hadn't slept on it for a month? She was slowly drifting off into a light nap, when the howling of the newly arrive newsies entered the air. She got up and sat up straight on her bed.
"5…4…3…2…1…boom" she whispered to herself and the boys stopped in front of the room.
"man dem DeLancey Brodas aint' got nuttin on us! Uhhh Cowboy don't know if ya know, but dere's dis goil who is sitting undaneathe yer bed" announced one boy.
"shut it Race! Ya might scare her away!" whispered another.
"Ah boys! I see you met the new one around here" laughed Kloppman entering the room. "I managed to find you some skirts and a shirt, they probably won't fit you, so here are some scissors and thread. Make them to your liking!" smiled Kloppman walking away.
"so, what's a goil like you doin ere?" asked the boy called Race.
"umm well, I came into town looking for a job and stuff, so I could start over" she replied looking out the window.
"start ova?" asked a boy with an eye patch.
"bad story, don't want people to know about it" she answered turning to him.
"well, everyone ere has got a score ta settle in der lives, so why don't we go to Tibby's?" asked the one with the cowboy hat.
"umm I'm gonna change first" answered April.
"we don't ya fellas go, we'll meet ya dere" replied the boy with the cowboy hat.
The rest of the boys agreed and rushed down stairs laughing and jokin about how the guy would be getting lucky. She made a disgusted face and started walking towards the bathroom. April smiled at the boy and closed the door behind herself. After give or take 5 minutes she came out, in her new clothes.
"wow…." Jack sighed in awe.
"umm thanks!" she giggled. April was had the skirt on but instead of it being long she cut it up to her knees, and as for her shirt she managed to sew the shirt so it wouldn't be falling off her shoulders. She brushed her hair which was brown and blonde that reached her shoulders.
"uh, shall we go?" asked Cowboy. He walked over to her and looked at her intense green eyes. Somehow they made a strong connection. they moved closer and closer just until they-
"Jack! Have ya seen me cigar?" asked Race coming into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how close they were. "well, uh Jackie-o, neva knew youse was inta dat goil" smirked Racetrack.
"nah, uh we was just on our way out, right uh...ummm….uhh" Jack stuttered.
"April! Or riley, anything is fine! And uh y-yeah! Were we just on our way out!!" she smiled face turning pink.
"right and I own a racetrack" Racetrack laughed heading down stairs.
April shyly giggled and made her way downstairs.
"April…heh…just like me Mom…I guess I could get used ta a goil newsie" he smiled and walked over to his beside table, well his and April's beside table. He picked up a picture and smiled at it. "I guess youse was right Ma…someone is out dere for me…and I guess I just found her" he whispered, staring right at the picture of his mom. He sighed and put the picture back, and went downstairs to join April and the others.
My first Newsie fic so please be Gentle!!!!! R&R!!!