"What?!? You can't kick me out Jack! I've got nowhere to go!" I said.

"I don't care. You know the rules. You get in a fight, you're out."

"But that's not fair! She's not even a newsie!"

"I know, but still. I can't have you givin' us 'hattan newsies a bad name!" Great he was yelling now. He means it.

"But Sarah started it! She-"

"I don't care who started it. You ended it. Now get out. You're not welcome here anymore." Jack said. This conversation was over.

I stomped up the rickety stairs to get my stuff. "Stupid cowboy with his no good, stuck up, pape kickin' girlfriend." I muttered under my breath. Where am I supposed to go now? The only other borough taking girl newsies is Brooklyn, and that's because Spot's a man wh-

"I can't believe he's kicking you out! That so unfair! I'm gonna miss ya like crazy Ace." Said Jitterbug. She's been my best friend since the day I came to the lodging house.

Six years ago

"I'm gonna run away from this stupid shelter! No one even cares about us here!" Yelled a young girl in a tattered pink dress.

"But Amber! You can't! You're only nine years old! You'll die out there alone!" Said Lee Ann.

"Then… come with me! It'll be an adventure! Come on Lee!" The girl said, one foot already out the window with peeling blue paint.

"You know I can't do that. I'm not brave like you…" Lee Ann said with a downcast look.

"But you can be! Come on! Every thing's better with a friend." She said, straddling the window sill.

"I… I can't. I'm sorry you're gonna have to go alone." The girl said, tears filling the corners of her eyes. Making them shine.

"Well, fine! Have fun alone." She said, defeated and angry, sliding out the first story window leaving the Manhattan homeless shelter. She didn't look back once.

And with that she ran. She ran until I couldn't run no more. The child fell asleep on a bench by a Horace Greely statue.

"Hello? You awake? Hey Jack! Come take a look at this!"

"Wuh? Hey! Leggo a me! What do ya think you're doing?" She said defiantly.

"Sorry, Sorry. Yeesh!" Said a boy around 11 in a cowboy hat.

"Nice ta meetcha! I'm Jitterbug!" Smiled a young girl of 10. "That's Jack. Or sometimes we call 'im Cowboy. His nickname doesn't stick as much as everyone elses."

"Err… hiya. I'm Amber." She stuttered out nervously.

"Well, If you're gonna be a newsie, you're gonna need a nickname. So-"

"A newsie? Wait, are you takin me in or something?" She did not need another shelter. All the broken souls living is that place… never again.

"Well, sorta. But it's not like ya think. You can leave whenever you want. We can't stop you."

"Really? Well… sounds good! When do I start?"Amber said with a smile.

"Come on then silly!" Said Jitterbug, linking arms with the young girl. "Now, see the little guy over there? That's Race. And the gloomy lookin one next to him? That's Skittery. But he's mine. You can have Blink or somethin." And thus a friendship was born.

Present Day

"So… where you gonna go now? Brooklyn?" She said with sad eyes.

"I don't want to… But I guess I'm gonna have to… I'm gonna miss ya Jitters. Promise you won't forget me?"

"How could I? I'll visit you whenever I can. You're my best friend Ace."

"You too, Jitterbug."

And with that, I was off.

So… whatcha think? Should I continue? This is my first in depth story. I'm gonna try to keep it as un-marysue ish as possible, though I'm sure I'll get accused of it at some point, it's inevitable xD Anyways Please please please review an tell me your thoughts. I'll love you forever if you do :D