DISCLAIMER: I don't own Newsies. This is a fan fic.
I do own Bliss. She's MINE! And Tape.
NOTE: This is a shallower fan fic…an easy read, ya know. I loose touch with somethings along the way but... Enjoy. Review!
Chapter 1: Bumlets, Brooke, and Bliss
The girl took a deep breath. She was finally standing outside the lodge house- the same one Spot had claimed the boy she was looking for at was at.
She has running from her past, right into the arms of the boy who protected years ago.
She brought her closed fist to the surface of the door and knocked once-twice-three times.
"Bumlets," Kloppman called over the noise of the gambling newsies in the lobby. Bumlets raised his head in ackknowdgment. "Get the door, would ya?"
"Sure," Bumlets said simply, having no idea who was on the other side. He stood up and took two steps to towards the door. He put his fist around the knob, truned it, and pulled the door open.
He found a girl on the other side of the door.
She opened her eyes wide as a teenage boy opened the door.
The two teenagers simply stared at each other for a moment.
She found her voice first. "Ryan?" She asked shyly, timidly, unsurley.
He nodded, still short his gift of speech.
She swallowed hard, realize her worst fear of him forgetting about her had come true. She was ready to turn away and run straight back to the East Side, when Bumlets finally said, "Brooke?"
She smiled lightly. "Yeah," She said softly, relived that he hadn't forgotten of her.
He smiled at her. Her dark hair had grown past her waist and her blue eyes were even brighter than they had been so many years ago.
She studied him. It seemed like forever seen she had seen his face. His dark hair was longer than she had ever seen it, but his dark eyes still shone with comfort. He had lost that soft little boy build and had grown a hard, muscular, manly figure. He embraced her with a hug. "Brooke," he muttered softly. He suddenly realized she was shaking in the cold, breezy night air. He placed an arm around her shoulder, afraid to lose her again, and lead her into the lodge house.
"Took ya long enough, Bumlets," Racetrack Higgins said, collecting his winnings and not bothering to look up at Bumlets, or Brooke.
Mush Myers shoved Race in the side with his eblow. "Race," Mush whispered.
"What?" Race asked as he began to shuffle the cards.
"He's got a girl with him," Mush pointed out.
Race looked up.
Brooke stared at all the newsies, who were staring at her.
"These are the Mahnattan newsboys," Bumlets told Brooke.
"But, who's she?" Boots asked, his dice laying forgotten on the floor.
"This is Brooke," Bumlets said. The newsies continued to stare at him, wanting him to answer their unspoken questions. How did he know her? Cousin? Long-lost friend? Long-lost lover? Where is she from? Brooklyn? The East Side? Long Island? Why is she here now? Broke as a joke? Dumped by her lover?
"She's my sister. She's 15," Bumlets clairified. Crutchy cocked his head to the side. Sure, they both had dark hair, but Brooke's eyes were blue, not brown like Bumlets's.
"She don't look like a Brooke," Racetrack argued.
Brooke rolled her eyes. Who was this guy to tell her what- or who- she looked like?
"Then what does she look like?" Bumlets asked.
Racetrack didn't asnwer; it was Jack's job to name the new newsies. Jack stepped forward and studied the girl. He placed a gentle hand under her chin and tipped her face back to study her eyes. She was short, but lean. Her blue eyes were bright and gave the false impression of warmth. He could tell she was strong, and would stand up for herself and for others.
"Bliss," Jack said suddnely, softly.
"Bliss?" Bumlets asked, confused.
"Yes," Jack said with more confidence. He had a knack for doing things like this. How do you think named Kid Blink? Or Racetrack? Or Mush? "Bliss."
"Bliss," the newsies echoed. "Why Bliss?" "What's Bliss?"
"Okay?" Jack asked Broo- Bliss.
She nodded. "Sure." She knew bliss meant pleasure, heaven, happiness. Tape, the leader of the East Side, had told her that once.
Bumlets led Bliss to the bunk room a few minutes later.
"Ryan?" She asked, after her brother had led her to her new bunk.
"It's Bumlets," Bumlets corrected her.
"Bumlets," She corrected herself. "Why did you move to Mahnattan?"
"What do you mean?"
"The last time you wrote, you lived in Long Island." Bliss reminded him.
"Oh, that's right," Bumlets said. "I don't know why I moved. It was a long time ago."
"Okay," Bliss said, the answer was good enough for her.
Bumlets wanted to ask his sister why SHE had moved, but he knew it was to soon for that."The other's will be up in a minute," Bumlets informed her.
"Okay," Bliss said. "I'm gonna go to bed."
"All right," Bumlets said. He kissed her forehead. "It's great to see you."
Bliss nodded and smiled at her older brother. Bumlets left the room and Bliss took off her jacket and vest, then crawled into her bunk.
Bumlets walked down the stairs into the lobby and was greeted by Jack.
"You're sister seems nice," Cowboy said, making small talk- something he wasn't extermly good at.
"Yeah," Bumlets said, running his hands through his hair. "She's a sweet little girl."
"Little girl?" Jack echoed with an amused laugh. "She's no 'little girl', Bumlets, she's practically a woman.
"Not quite though," Bumlets argued. Jack nodded, allowing his friend to be in denail about his baby sister's maturity. "You think she'll be excpected?" Bumlets asked. Bliss had a 'rule-optional' rule.
Jack was tempted to say: 'Of course, she's more beautiful than Medda!' But he didn't. Instead he said, "Sure she will. Expectionally by David."
"What's THAT suppose to mean?" Bumlets asked.
"I know Davey's taste in women, that's all," Jack said simply.
"David won't like her like THAT!" Bumlets argued. Then, he dropped his confidence. "Will he?"
Jack smirked. "We'll see tomorrow." Then Cowboy left Bumlets to ponder the future of his little sister's love life.
Bliss used to like the night.
She used to love throwing her tired, sore body into a welcoming bunk after a long, hard day of selling papes.
But, recently, slepping was no longer…enjoyable for her. Ever since a few weeks ago.
There had been these two boys who had been bothering Bliss. It started out with them simply just following her for part of the day. Then they had began flirting with her.
It had been no big deal at first. She had brushed off the flirting and the following.
Then, they stared trying to put their arm around her and telling their friends that she was there girlfriend. She had yelled at them a couple of times. But, over all she ignored them.
Then, one day, they followed Bliss home. She was trying to shake them off the whole time. She had started running in the oppisite direction of the warehouse, but they followed. Eventaully night fell and Bliss decided she needed to go home some time. She ran to the warehouse, fully aware that they were following her from half a block back.
It took her ten minutes to sprit to the warehouse. When she got there, Tape was waiting for her. She quickly explained and he agreed to get rid of them.
Bliss never knew what happened that night. She just fugured Tape had soaked the boys.
One week later, the boys were found unconcious in a side alley. Their friends had claimed that their crazy-ex-girlfriend-who-always-yelled-at-them had done it. And the two boys sided with them.
But, it wasn't Bliss! Bliss did not hurt them! But, the cops wouldn't listen to her. Everyone but the newsies were against her.
The cops claimed that unless the true crime-commiter stepped forward, Bliss would be put in Jail. Not the Refugge, but the Jail. So, she fleed. What was she suppose to do!? She couldn't just stand there and let the cops send her to jail for a crime she didn't commit!
Bliss knew that the crime was not a wide-spread thing. She knew she didn't have to go any farther than Brooklyn to be safe, but she went to Manhattan- because Bumlets was there.
Bliss knew that if any of the Manhattan newsies found out- including Bumlets- they would think down to her. And, maybe even think she DID commit the crime.
There was NO way possible ANY of them could find out she was running from the law.