HE'D KILL IT
Boredom turns into an argument. The argument turns into a joke; a bet. The bet causes a little more havoc than they bargained for.
"Nah," Jack laughed, "Never."
"He would, wouldn't he, Race?" Skittery looked over at him, grinning.
Race, who hadn't been listening, looked up. "Yeah, he would."
Skittery sneered at Jack. "See? Even Race said so, and he knows you better than any of us, Jack!"
"He don't know what he's talking about," Jack answered casually, lighting a cigarette.
"Sure he does," Blink began.
"Sure, Blink, sure," Jack replied sarcastically.
"You know it," Blink added.
"Ask Mush," Race started, still oblivious to what they were talking about, "He'll know."
"Mush?" Jack let out a snort. "He'd never. Come on, Race, you know that!"
Race pursed his lips, looked to the left a second, and looked back to Jack. "Yeah, well, you're right."
"You know you would," Blink smiled coyly.
"I said I wouldn't," Jack held, cigarette in hand.
Race took Jack's cigarette and helped himself to a drag of it, without a complaint from Jack.
"Humor me, Jack," Skittery replied, "And say you would."
"I would," Blink teased, sending a ripple of laughter through the group.
"Course you would, stupid," Skittery narrowed his eyes, "That's why you're on my side!"
"All right, Jack, how long do you think you'd last then, huh?" Blink laughed, "You think you'd keep it ten years?"
"Ten years? He wouldn't last one week!" Skittery spat.
"Would too," Jack replied, still calm.
"Well we ain't so sure," Skittery responded.
"Race, what do you think?" Jack asked, nudging his friend.
"He already said you would!" Blink laughed, butting in.
Jack sighed and raised his eyebrows to Race. "Yeah?"
"I don't know," Race replied, not caring.
"Racetrack! Pick a side! You're either with Jack, or with us!" Blink said.
"Well, uh," Race started.
"Jack knows our side's better," Blink teased.
"That's no fair," Jack said, collected, "You're ganging up on me!"
"Are not," Blink's eyebrows furrowed, "Race is on your side!"
"Race doesn't know what we're talking about!" Jack replied loudly, the corners of his mouth turning up.
Three sets of eyes turned to Race. He looked at each boy, and sighed. "I don't."
"Well, good. If he knew, he would'a picked our side," Skittery muttered to Blink. He turned to Jack. "You do know him better than anyone else here."
"Who denied it?" Jack replied, raising his eyebrows. He smacked Race roughly. "We're chum."
"What were you guys talking about, huh?" Race looked to Jack, then to Skittery and Blink.
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but a look from Skittery shushed him. "Nothing of importance, Race. Stupid kid stuff."
"Why were you talking about kid stuff?"
"That's why it's nothing of importance," Skittery insisted, folding his arms across his chest.
"You should'a been listening, anyway," Blink threw in.
"You know what? Forget it," Race got up, brushed off his pants and walked toward the steps. "We gotta get to class anyway." He stomped down the steps to the third floor of the lodging house, where the school teacher had already begun instructing.
The three boys stared after him, listening to his noisy footsteps down the stairwell.
"He'd kill it," Jack muttered.
"We gotta get Race a dog," Skittery whispered, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Yay! I wrote for Newsies! No, I didn't fall out of the Newsies fandom, friends. I have just started writing for Jonas Brothers too. Odd mix, huh? I'm thinking of writing about Newsies meet JB. I think that would be beyond fun!
I really like this. It will be continued! I can't wait to see what you guys think of this. I'd love if you reviewed! And drop me a PM and say hi! I don't bite :D
Loves,
Dewy.