Disclaimer: Yes, I own Newsies! *wakes up from dream* Dang it!
Race sat on top of his usual table, sipping a glass of water, cigar resting between his fore and middle finger. He listened to Davey drone on, using words he didn't understand.
"Well? What do we do now?" Davey asked.
"Now we gotta spread the word. Tell the other newsies from the other cities." Jack said. Race sat up straighter.
"Oh! I'll take Flushings!" Albert exclaimed.
"I'll take Harlem!" Mush volunteered.
"I'll get the Bronx!" Henry called out. Race seized his chance.
"I got Midtown!" He said excitedly. He leapt off the table.
"Whoa, calm down Racer!" Romeo said.
"Specs, you take Queens." Jack ordered. Specs soluted. "Sniper, you take the East Side. Now, who wants Brooklyn?" Race suddenly got interested in his glass of water. "C'mon, Brooklyn. Spot Conlon's turf. Hey Finch, ya mean to tell me you'se is afraid of Brooklyn?" Finch stood up.
"Hey! I ain't afraid of no turf!" He sat back down nervously. "Just... Spot Conlon gets me a little jittery."
"Fine, Davey and I will take Brooklyn." Jack sighed. Davey's eyes grew wide.
"Wait, why me?" He protested.
"Why is everyone so afraid of Brooklyn?" A voice asked. Race turned to see a young woman, the one Jack had tried to make a move on.
"Whaddaya doin here?" Jack asked.
"Asking a question. Have you got an answer?"
"Okay, wake me up when we's are leavin." Race whispered to Albert. He pulled his red cap over his eyes, waiting for Mr. Jacobi to come and kick them out. He got lost in his daydreams, thinking of what he was planning on doing when he got to Midtown. The boys thought it was just to spread the word on the strike, but it was more than that. Much more.
"Shut down a paper like the World, and you're going to make the front page." The woman, Katherine, said before leaving.
"Okay, boys. Time to go. I got paying customers." Race sat back up, and hopped off the table.
"Whoa, whoa!" Race joked. "Ya won't be kickin us out when we's got our mugs in the papes!" The newsies cracked up at his little joke as they ran back to the lodging house.
Lydia paced back and forth behind her locked door, waiting for the suitor her father had brought in to leave. She didn't know this suitor, but if he was anything like the other 17 men her father had brought in for her to court, she was going to hate him. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was already courting someone. Someone she shouldn't even know, but a person she thanked God that she did.
"Lydia?" Her mother asked, knocking on Lydia's door. "Lydia, open the door. Your father wants you to come back downstairs." Lydia pretended she wasn't on the other side of the door, but her mother was smart enough to know she was really there. "Lydia Karlin! Mr. Patterson is a very nice man. Come downstairs to talk to him!" Lydia took a deep breath, pulled out the silver key from her pocket, and unlocked the door. Her mother was standing there, hands on her hips.
"Yes, Mother?" Lydia asked, plastering a fake smile on her face. Mrs. Karlin pursed her lips.
"Lydia, come back downstairs now. At least talk to Mr. Patterson."
"How old is he, Mother?" Lydia felt very uncomfortable at the idea of courting someone a lot older than her.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Mother, I'm barely sixteen. You know how I feel about this. Can't we put this off for a few years or something?"
"Darling, I know how you feel, but this is the age when you have to start looking for a boy to marry. You are no longer a child!" Lydia through her hands in the air, exasperated.
"I know, I know but-"
"No buts. Lets go." Lydia sighed, following her mother downstairs. Standing in her dining room was her father and a man in his late twenties. The man was smoking a cigar, laughing at something her father had said.
"Ah, good, you're back." Mr. Karlin said. "William, this is my daughter, Lydia. Lyd, I'd like you to meet Mr. William Patterson." William stuck his hand out for Lydia to shake.
"Pleasure to meet you." He said. Lydia smiled meekly. His hands are sweaty, so he's nervous. She thought. He is still wearing his hat inside, so he either forgot, or he's too impolite to take it off. And he's not looking me in the eye, so where is he looking? She followed his line of vision to her chest. Oh, thats what he's looking at. Her instincts took over. Not quite knowing what she was doing, Lydia slapped him, hard. She stared at William's shocked face, hearing her mother's shocked scream.
"Lydia!" She turned to face her steaming father, realizing what she had done. There was silence. Mr. Karlin straightened his back, at pointed at the stairs. Lydia opened her mouth to apologize, but no sound came out. She turned her back to the three adults, and bounded up the stairway.
"Ain't this gonna great, Race?" Romeo exclaimed, as excited as a schoolgirl talking about her crush.
"Yeah, yeah." Race replied, staring straight ahead, lost in his daydream. The younger newsy knocked on the older's head.
"Hey, I'm over here ya know!" Race gave him a look, but turned to face the boy. "Whatcha thinkin bout?"
"Nothin…"
"I know that look." Romeo said. "You'se is thinkin bout a goil, ain't ya?"
"How'd ya know?"
"Cause I give that look at least once a day." Race laughed, ruffling his little brother's dark hair. "So, whats she like?"
"She's… different than most goils. She's real smart, and she looks like she had fallen straight from heaven and-"
"Ya say she's different from most goils, but ya just described every goil I've ever seen."
"Ah, shut it." Race said, shoving Romeo off his creaking, unmade bed. That was pointless, because he leapt right back on.
"So, it that why ya wanna go to Midtown so badly."
"Wow, youse is super smart, ain't ya." Race said sarcastically. "Now, follow the others examples, and get ready for bed, will ya?" Romeo rolled his eyes, but got of his bed. Race unbuttoned his foul smelling plaid shirt, feeling a rush of cool air hit his chest through his deep red undershirt. Usually, the sound of crazy newsboys drowned out any other thoughts, but somehow Race was able to tune out the other boys. He climbed into his bed, thinking about the next day. Half an hour later, the noises died down as the boys went to bed.
"Race… Racer!" Race's eyes snapped open. A dark silhouette was standing over him. Race lit the oil lamp next to his bed to see Romeo next to his bed.
"God, Romeo! I'm tryin to sleep!" Romeo snickered. Race sat up in his bed. "Whaddaya want?"
"Ya didn't tell me her name."
"Huh?" Race rubbed his eyes.
"Ya didn't tell me the goil's name." Race raised his eyebrows.
"Really, that's why ya woke me up?"
"Yep. And I ain't gonna go back to sleep till ya tell me." Race sighed. He settled back into his bed, his back to Romeo.
"Lydia." He whispered. "Lydia Karlin." Race shut his eyes, and didn't see Romeo's scared face or hear his strangled gasp.
If you read Questions Worth Answering, there is a chapter that raises the question of why Race is always at Midtown. You might not have noticed this little tidbit in the actual show, but I did. And this is my answer.
Slight cliff hanger, but this will be a multi-chapter, so don't feral out too much. I realize I write a lot of stories with Race and Romeo, but I'm a fansie through and through, and they are my favorite newsies. I also realize I create a lot of OCs, but don't judge me for it! Anyways, please review. If you have ideas for one-shots, chapters for QWA, or for this thing, please let me know. Newsies forever, second to none!