A NEWSIES LIFE
DISCLAIMER: I own none of the newsies.
"Wake up, little sister!" James shook his sixteen-year-old sister, Lizzy. Lizzy rolled over, cracked an eye, then closed it again. "Come on, it's time to make breakfast" he said cheerfully, as he shook her awake.
"All right, all right. I'm up" Lizzy said. James grinned and left the room where Lizzy and her ten-year-old sister Kathy slept. Lizzy climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed. She heard lots of noise outside and moved towards the flat's window. She saw the newsboys making a ton of racket as they came out of their lodging house that was located across the street. She sighed and glanced at Kathy, hoping she wouldn't be woken. Thankfully, the noise died down and Kathy was still sleeping peacefully.
Lizzy walked out of her bedroom, dressed with her hair braided, and walked into the kitchen, where James had just begun breakfast. "I'll take over here," Lizzy told him.
"Thanks" James replied. "I'll set the table and then wake up Will, Kathy and Frank."
A few minutes later Will, who was twelve, Kathy, and Frank, who was seven, were up and dressed. "What's for breakfast?" Frank asked.
"What we always have for breakfast on the weekdays!" Lizzy told him. "Oatmeal! And can one of you go see if Papa's awake? If he is, ask him if he wants some breakfast."
"I'll go" Will volunteered. He ran down the hall and disappeared into his father's room.
He returned just as Lizzy was dolling out the oatmeal. "He said thank you, but he'll have some in a little bit" Will reported.
"Then let's eat!" Frank exclaimed. "I'm starving!"
They all sat down at the table, James at the head and Lizzy across from him. They talked pleasantly about what was happening at the three smaller children's school.
Pretty soon, breakfast was over. Lizzy plaited Kathy's hair into two braids, while the boys made three lunches. "Go say goodbye to Papa, then you guys should leave for school. You don't want to be late," Lizzy told them after she finished Kathy's hair. Lizzy and James smiled as they watched their younger siblings scramble to go kiss their father good morning. "And you" Lizzy said to James in mock severity, "had better get right to your books after they leave. That competition is only two months away."
James smiled. "Yes, mother" he sighed, playing along. Then he said in a more serious tone "I'll get plenty of studying done today, don't you worry. But I have to talk to you about something first."
Lizzy looked at him questioningly, but didn't get a chance to speak because Will, Kathy and Frank ran out of their father's room. They were grabbing their school things when Kathy suddenly exclaimed, "Where's my history book? I can't find it!"
"What's new about that?" Will muttered under his breath. They were often late to school because of Kathy's forgetfulness.
"It's right here on the desk where you left it" James said, handing her the book.
"Thank you, James!" Kathy said. "We'll see you after school."
"Have a good day" Lizzy called, as they grabbed their lunch pails and ran out of the house.
The flat became quiet, and Lizzy told James "I'll take Papa his breakfast, you start cleaning up in here. Then we can talk." James nodded, and Lizzy made a tray of oatmeal and a glass of water. She knocked on Papa's door, and entered after she heard him say, "Come in."
Inside sat Mr. Thompson, Lizzy's father, on the bed. His hair was still brown, but he looked older than he was because he was so pale – both because of the illness that had left him unable to use his legs, and because he couldn't leave the flat easily. In spite of this, his brown eyes twinkled as he watched, from his bed that was pushed up next to the window, his three younger children walk down the street towards school.
He smiled at his eldest daughter. "Good morning Lizzy" he said as she set the tray on his lap. "Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, very well Papa. And you?"
"The same thank you. This looks delicious, as always" he said, looking at his breakfast.
"Thank you Papa" Lizzy replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"I would like a newspaper my dear."
"I'll run and get one then. It won't hurt James to do the dishes for once." She grinned at Papa, because they both knew that she loathed doing the dishes. "I'll be back soon," she said over her shoulder as she ran out of the room.
"James, Papa wants a paper, so I'm going to run out and get one." Lizzy grabbed a nickel from the tin in the pantry and headed out of the flat.
When she reached the street, she took a deep breath. It was nice to get outside, and the air had not yet gotten as hot as it would grow in about an hour. She looked up and saw Papa looking out his window. She waved, then ran off down the street.
There was no telling where a newsie might be, so Lizzy had to slow down and watch the people in the already-crowded streets.
Suddenly she heard, "Explosion at local factory! Corpses litter the area!" Lizzy grinned to herself. That was definitely a newsie – they were very good at "interpreting" the headline. She turned towards the left where the voice had come from. She caught sight of two older boys and one younger one who were carrying papers.
"Excuse me" Lizzy said, running up behind the one with the red bandanna around his neck. He turned around, glanced at her and said, grinning "What can I do fer a pretty goil like youse?"
Lizzy rolled her eyes at this. She held up her nickel and told him "I need to buy a paper."
"Well, dat can be arranged" the boy replied.
"Just give me the paper" Lizzy replied impatiently.
She handed over the money and took her paper when the boy told her "I don't gots change, miss."
Lizzy glared at him. "What *exactly* do you take me for? I know perfectly well that you have change, so hand it over."
The two boys next to him glanced at each other. The older boy said quietly, "C'mon Jack, just give her her change so we can keep sellin'."
"Fine" Jack sighed. He handed Lizzy her four cents. "You win" he told her, "but only because Davey boy here has too big a heart."
"It really wouldn't have mattered" Lizzy told him. "I would've beaten you up if you hadn't." She smiled sweetly at him, then turned around and walked away.
She heard the little boy say in an awed tone "Did you hear that, Jack? She threatened to soak ya!"
Lizzy smiled to herself. She soon reached her building, and ran in. "Here you are Papa," she said, entering his room and handing him the paper. "Enjoy," she said, closing the door behind her. "When Papa wasn't spending time with his children, he was either observing the people in the street below or reading. James and Lizzy went to great lengths to get him something new to read as often as possible.
Lizzy walked to the kitchen table and sat next to James, who had been waiting for her. Lizzy grew very serious. "Is it something about your visit to Grandma's last night?" she asked apprehensively. James nodded. "Well, what is it?" she pushed.
"Grandma says she's going to reduce our food money."
Lizzy gasped. "What? We barely have enough food for three growing kids, and she's not going to give us enough money to buy all the food we need? Did you try to talk to her? I know how persuasive you can be."
"I tried my best, Lizzy, but Grandma was as stubborn as a mule."
"Why is she doing this?" Lizzy asked.
James sighed. "She says we're spending too much money as it is, and Papa's doctor prescribed him that new medicine that costs more than the old one did." James put his head in his hands. "I tried what I could, Lizzy, but I couldn't risk offending the woman who's paid for everything for us since Papa got sick. I just couldn't."
"It's all right, James. I understand." Lizzy told him, patting his shoulder.
"I'll get a job, and…"
"No you will not" Lizzy interrupted him. "You will continue studying. *I*will get a job."
"I can't let you do that," James told her. "I have to think of the family."
"Oh James, your studying will help the family much more in the long run" she pleaded. "If you keep studying, I know you can win that college scholarship competition. And if you graduate from college, you can get a well-paying job to support us on, and we won't have to rely on stingy old Grandma all the time."
James sighed. "But I can't let you get a job. You'd be stuck inside some dangerous factory all day, and I can't let you do that."
"But James, if it makes you feel any better, I won't work in a factory. I can make enough money selling newspapers to supply what Grandma won't."
"You want to sell papers?" James asked, surprised.
"Well, not really" Lizzy told him, "but it's a whole lot better than anything else out there for a girl to do. Come on, James, say it's all right."
James hesitated.
"You know how stubborn I can be," Lizzy reminded him.
James' shoulders dropped. "All right, you can do it. We really have no other choice. But are you sure you can do it?"
Lizzy grimaced. "Of course I can! If those dumb newsies can do it, than so can an educated female like myself."
James grinned. "Well then, tomorrow you start selling papers!"
Author's Note: Please review this! And things will get better in the next chapter – Lizzy's going to meet all the Manhattan newsies. And she's going to have a romance with one of them, but not Jack, so keep your eyes pealed for that. I'm also open to any suggestions and stuff. But I refuse to put depressing stuff in this – I hate stories where someone gets raped or beaten numerous times, or pregnant when they don't want to be. OK, rant over, so please review now!