A/N: Okay, this FanFic was written by Gem and typed by me. Most of my (maybe our...) future stories will be based off of this. Um...Gem has all of these chapters written in Spiral Notebooks so it's taking us longer to get the chapters posted because we only see each other at school. We're hoping to get at least 3 posted a week, but that might vary with our schedules. Other thing: Rix, Meg and Max don't come in until later chapters. I gonna try and get some profiles and include them the Authors Notes, but you won't meet the characters until they're written about in the story. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Neither Gem nor I own Newsies. Sadly, our favorite boys belong to Disney. But if we did...chances are that we would be making a sequel!...hehe ; )

Introduction

"Hey, leave dat poa' boy alone!" commanded Gem. Her brown eyes were flashing, her hands balled into fists.

But the bully, Tom, wouldn't let go of the boy. "Who's gonna make me?" he sneered at her.

"I will," Gem told him with as much conviction as she could muster- considering she was a short 5'2".

Tom merely laughed at her. But Jake, one of his cronies, advised him, "Ya betta listen ta 'er, Tom. She's pretty mad."

Tom paid him no mind. "What's she gonna do, slap me?" Tom laughed bitterly.

Quietly, Gem said, "Oh, I'll do moa den dat." Then punched him, throwing all her weigh behind it.

She connected with his nose. There was a sickening "crunch" and then blood poured down Tom's face.

Tom fell to his knees, cupping his hands around his nose, yelling, "She broke my nose! Dat bitch broke my nose!" Jake looked at Gem with shock splayed across his face. He took of for the orphanage, yelling for Mister Horran, the headmaster.

Gem knew she was in trouble. Big trouble. She had gotten in fights before. The last time she punched a boy, Mister Horran had given her one final warning; If she got into another fight, she's have to leave the orphanage. And she had just blown it.

"Val, Kit!" Gem yelled, turning from Tom. Her two best friends ran over, eyes going wide at the sight of Tom.

"Oh, no! Ya didn't! Tell me ya didn't!" Val exclaimed.

Gem could only nod slowly. "Dat was my last chance, goils. Mista Horran ain't goin' ta let me stay hea no moa. Ya mind helpin' me pack?" she asked with a false air of indifference.

"Gem, ya now we'll help. An'…an'…" Kit drifted off, looking at Val, then back at Gem, "And we'se goin' wit ya."

"What!" Gem exclaimed. "No! I'se can't let ya do dat!" she protested.

"An' why not?" Val countered, crossing her arms. Kit followed her example and they stared at Gem. They knew she couldn't resist the stare-down.

Gem shifted uncomfortably. "Goils. It's- it's too dangerous. I'se can't let ya come."

"Dangerous? All the moa reason ta come with' ya's. We can't let ya go by yoa'self," Kit said slyly.

"We'se comin' Gem. Ain't nothing' ya'se can say ta change oua minds."

Gem broke. "Fine. But ya gotta promise ta be ca'eful. I couldn't live wit' meself if eitha o' ya got hoit."

"Lydia Miller! You get in here this instant!" Mister Horran bellowed from the the orphanage door. Gem flinched at the use of her real name.

"We'll go pack foa ya," Kit said softly.

"T'anks," Gem replied just as quietly.

"Lydia, now!"

Gem winced again. "Wish me luck." Turing on her heel, Gem walked calmly up o Mister Horran, and with her head held high she walked through it.

Kit

We were just finishing up with the packing when Gem came in. "Yep, we'se leavin' goils. He wants me out," she confirmed. A grin spread across her face. "Oh an' I foa'got ta mention dat you'se two are comin' wit' me. He may be surprised ta see ya's gone."

Val laughed and then threw Gem a bundle of clothing to change into, consisting of a pair of trousers, suspenders, a shirt, a vest and a hat. Val and I had already changed into a similar outfits.

Gem stared at her bundle and moment with a faraway look in her eyes. "I miss 'im," she whispered.

She was talking about Jeff, the one who gave us the clothes. He was going to adopt Gem but he got sick and died this last winter. He brought Gem to the races every day he could. He brought Val and I along too, sometimes.

Snapping out of her reverie, Gem changing quickly. She slipped her dress into her bag and then pulled out the gold pocket watch that had been Jeff's. In calligraphy-like handwriting, a 'J' carved into the front. Gem clipped the chain to he vest and put the watch into her pocket, unconsciously giving it a pat

"All set?" I asked. Both nodded at me.

We walked in silence down the hallway and out to the street. Setting foot on the cobblestones, we all turned to stare at the orphanage that had been our home for so many years.

Turning to look at me and Val with a grin plastered to her face, Gem winked. "We'se free, goils!" she whooped, spinning to race down the street. Laughing, Val and I followed.