Well here goes another one. his one is a sort of companion fic to 'Not the best Idea' (A.K.A Brooklyn's got a temper) so go read that one first. This one goes to Avalonsnow15 whom does not belong to me but is mentioned in the story. Again I shall forever be a sad newsie fan whom will never own more than a copy of the DVD and my imagination to keep me in the fandom. Disney you own the Newsies (and Broadway too.) ow on to the story...
Well everything started normally that very eventful day. Who would have thunk that the king of Brooklyn would have a day like this. I do believe that this is the worst day of my life and is saying a lot considering the fact that I am Spot Conlon, leader of Brooklyn. I am the toughest guy in New York. How could this happen to me?
Well I will tell you about my bad day. It all started when I got up this morning. I just knew it was going to be another busy day. Well every day is a busy day for me so it was nothing too bad. Every day it was my job to wake up the others and make sure that they got ready for the day as quickly and orderly as a bunch of rowdy boys could. After that it was my job to lead them to the distribution centre and make sure everyone got their papes. Then I had to sell before making sure my boys all ate at least once that day before they headed to the docks for a swim. The docks were the place where the worst of the fights took place and as king it was my job to keep order. So yeah busy day.
Well if it was a normal day then it would be fine, but no it just had to be a bad day. To start it all I got up with a headache and that made me grumpy to begin with. Them three of my boys got up with coughs and that meant they weren't selling or swimming. I was very strict about that. They would not be going anywhere. The last thing we need was for them to get any sicker. It was going to be a hard day selling for me since I was going to have to cover for them all day. The needed to eat too and they needed rent.
So for the most part it was business as usual. The boys were rowdy and my patience was thin. Still I was the stoic one. The one whom needed to be strong. I was the one whom never got sick. The one whom didn't get a day off from selling because of a throbbing head. I was the one that sold despite a cough that left my chest burning and my throat on fire. I was the leader and that meant taking care of everyone. (Just to remind you. I AM SPOT CONLON!)
Well we arrived early at the distribution place and everyone got in line. Well everyone but me that is. I had Fire get my papes for me since I had my hands full parading up and down like a general keeping my troops in order. Yeah that's more like it. I am a general in charge of the most feared newsies in all of New York.
Now the worst of it came later in the day when we were mostly done selling. I had gotten food for the sick kids and now here I was keeping an eye on the majority of my boys as they played games in the water and with cards. Almost all my boys were there except for Fire and Crazy. They were still selling since they had volunteered to help me sell for the boys that were not selling. (Okay so I volunteered them,big deal, they do what I say or they don't walk right for a week. Besides I needed the help but I won't admit it.) I should know who was nit there and where they were. They are my boys and I need to look after them like any good kind should. That was why they call me 'the King of the Brooklyn newsies'. I care about my boys and I make sure they gots what they need but I punish them when they need it. Just like a king in the books Smarts is always talking about to the little kids. (Yeah, it was a little kid called Snoozer who first referred to me as the king and it stuck. He said I was a good person hiding behind a great poker face and a glare that sends kids jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge.)
So there I was sitting on my crates trying not to snap at everyone (yeah right more like telling them to shut the hell up when they go too loud) when Fire comes back and tells me that there was a girl whom was looking for me. Nothing knew to me. Girls are practically tripping over their feet to get a date with me. I am irresistible to them. Smalls from The Bronx said it was because I am what they consider a challenge and apparently that attracts girls. I still say they are after my good looks and power. Not to mention the fact that I can and will soak anyone whom annoys me. So looking after their safety comes as a guarantee since my fists are practically itching even as I write this. (Yeah I am writing. I aint stupid ya bum. Think it again and I'll fix ya so ya can't walk for a month.)
Anyway I tell him to bring her over then since I was in no mood to actually talk to anyone. If she was willing to walk past the Brooklyn boys whom are going to catcall and be rude in general. Trust me I taught them well. They have intimidation down to an art but no one will ever compete with me.
So in walks this girl, about my age, and she looks like she is not sure whether she should run or follow Fire. It was hilarious to watch despite my throbbing head and bad mood. I know that I am intimidating but it is always fun to see the reactions of some people. Squirm like this.
The kid was dressed like a newsie but she sure don't talk like one. She even called me Mistah Conlon. I had to laugh. No one ever called me Mistah Conlon. It didn't sound right even if she was being respectful.
Then she does the weirdest thing. She snaps at me! SHE snaps at ME, the Spot Conlon who ait afraid of soakin no one. No one snaps at me, no one that wants to live that is.
Okay so I aint soakin the girl yet. I make a habit of giving a girl a chance even if I would rather soak 'em (yeah I do that. I send the girls into the water soaking them to the bone then watch them walk away with their tales tucked. I don't use my fists against a girl it just aint right.) and be done with it.
I could see Fire frantically gesturing for her to 'cut it out' ,as he put it, but it was too late. She had said it and my boys heard it. Lucky for me they know I tend to keep my temper in check when it comes to the few ladies whom are brave enough (more like stupid enough) to come and talk to me on the docks.
I nod for her to continue and I patiently ( okay not so much) wait for her to explain just how I am supposed to help her. Not to mention what this would do to improve my power or likeability to my boys and let me tell you this dumb girl belongs in an asylum. She keeps going on about being from the future. She even hands me a copy of something I am not going to read no matter how much she begs. So to keep it short she wants me to go with her to some person's place and kidnap and intimidate them. (What kind of name is AvalonSnow15, its the weirdest name I have ever heard. This kid clearly aint from New York let alone Brooklyn) I could do that no problem. The question is if I wanted to do it.
While I was debating and joking around a little she called me a coward! And what was worse is the fact that she said the the 'Hattan boys were braver. That did it all right. I jumped up and charged her with every intention if sending her to a watery grave. Then the worst thing happened, she took a step to the side and I took a dive I was hoping to avoid! The water weren't bad but I was not in the habit of being humiliated in front of my boys.
So obviously I told my boys to get the little pest while shouting threats of pain and everything unpleasant I normally only used on my boys. She was going to pay for that. I didn't know how just yet, but trust me it was not going to be pleasant. Something that will keep her out of Brooklyn for good and I knew just what it would be. We just had to catch her first. Then she was going to choose between cleaning up after the slobs I call my boy for a month (a month where I was going to allow them to be as messy and obnoxious as they like, and trust me that is plenty. No one knows just how much us leaders have to put up with.) Or she could meet a friend of mine one that was going to talk her ear off. Trust me Ramble is the most obnoxious kid in existence. I will take any one of the boys from Jackie-boy's group any day even though they aint tuff as us Brooklyn boys. (Trust me I have been negotiating with Kelly for one of his boys to come live here as part of a 'show of alliance, like one of them ambassadors in the dime novels but he's still thinking about it. And yeah I can read ya bum!)
Oh thus was going to be good! Still that girl is fast. Well she had to be if annoying and humiliating leaders are in her list of favourite pass times like I think it is. Seriously she has it down to an art. Oh and did I mention I was having a worse day than usual and I am in a bad mood? Yeah well just reminding.
So my boys are chasing that dumb broad all over Brooklyn. How hard can it be for thirty boys who know Brooklyn to fond one girl that was not from here?! My patience was even less than non existent by then and I decided to check on my boys whom were guarding the bridge.
Good thing too because they were stuffing their faces. Where did they even get the money for ice-cream in the first place? Seriously by the look of it the vendor wasn't going to stop handing out the delicious desert any time soon. Normally I would be fine with it but I was not in the mood for painful stomachs and disobedience right now. Not to mention that the dumb broad just crossed into Kelly's turf.
In the end I just tell them to get back to the docks for their fare shake (by that I mean a damn good good soakin', one that involves plenty of bruises and a limp for a week. I still wanted them to sell so I was going to be generous.) and plenty of practise with their slingshots. I was going to teach them a lesson in stupidity.
When I get to the docks I get right to business and teach my boys a lesson. When I was done I settled myself back on my crate and massaged my still throbbing head. It was getting worse by the minute. The dive I took was not helping in the slightest.
Just as I think I was going to be able to relax one of my birdies, Lark, runs up to me as pale as our sheets after we decide to wash them. He held out this weird thing to me wanting to know what it was and if he could sell it. He warned me that it was a scary thing but I, Spot Conlon, was not afraid of anything.
So I took it and looked it over. The thing was strange and it did have pictures of seashells on the back so maybe it belonged on a boat. I was still trying to figure out what it was when the stupid thing started vibrating. That did make me a little nervous (only a little nervous) but I was not going to show that to anyone.
"It's just a piece a junk kid." I told him and tossed it into the water.
About an hour later I tell my boys to get back and as I started to walk I could feel the tell tale tickle in my throat that spelled a good deal of coughing for the next week. This was definitely the worst day I have had in a long time. Right now I am ready to go to bed and sleep for the next century but if I didn't get up tomorrow who was going to look after my boys? Yeah, you guessed it. No one. The things us leaders do for our boys and one would think they would be grateful but no they just complain and think they can do better. Trust me being a leader is never easy. We are the ones to starve so our boys can eat. We are the ones who soak others to keep the boys safe. We are the ones to make sure the kids too sick to sell still have food and a bed. We are the ones who steal to give the boys what they need (yeah Jackie-boy aint the only one to do that. I am a good person too I just had it behind a poker face and a glare. I just don't get caught stealing like he did.). We are the ones to suffer when things get tough. We are the ones who sell when we feel like we've been hit by a train and most importantly we are the ones who have the worst days and still gotta deal with everyone and their problems. So yeah us leaders have it hard just remember that the next time you have a bad days. Us leaders get them too and then we still have to manage you bunch and today was the worst bad day ever.