I've been a bad person. I forgot my disclaimer in the previous chapter. Wow terrible me.
Thanks 1monster2 for your review. I am so glad that someone is reading it. I promise I will try to keep it interesting for you. Pls be patient with me it is my first story in 3rd person which also happens to have more than one chapter.
Okay so there is this author Emeraldmoongreen who lost her friend to suicide because of cyber bullying. Pls PM this reader or go to her profile to to find out more and join the campaign against this terrible thing.
Anyway onto the story
Chapter one: Snipeshooter.
It was a usual morning in Kloppman's lodging house as the temporary caretaker headed up the stairs and started to wake the boys. Snipeshooter was one of the first boys to be awake, as always. He tried to be friendly towards Race but the older boy ignored him. He grumbled under his breath and grabbed the cigar Race would be looking for in about ten seconds. That always got him the attention he wanted so that he could talk to the teen he looked up to the most.
Like every other morning Race was furious and nearly soaked him but Blink stopped him. He grumbled slightly since he had not been able to actually say what he had wanted to. Still he got up and finished getting ready for another hard day's selling. While he got ready he tried to talk to Jack and even Mush but he was practically ignored.
He pouted slightly as he headed past the front desk which was again missing Kloppman. Sometimes he felt as though Kloppman was the only one whom noticed him. Well other than Bumlets and Itey, they were actually nice to him. That was more than he could say for the supposedly always friendly Mush Myers.
He quickly headed to the distribution center with the others and got into the front of the line with the rest of the lodging house boys. No one ever disputed their right to buy first since they sold the best and therefore always bought the most papes. It was their right to be in line first. They had earned it the hard way.
He quickly paid for his eighty papes and left the distribution center with a heavy sigh. Old Weasel seemed to be the only one whom seemed to even know his name around here, other than good old Kloppman that is. He just wanted to be noticed by Racetrack. He could really sell papes and he was the best at poker, dice and well just about any form of gambling you could get. Snipeshooter could only hope to be like him one day.
That was when the small smile he had vanished entirely. Racetrack would never take notice of him unless he was stealing his cigar and that was not the best for his health. He always got slapped and once he had even gotten soaked for it until Swifty was awake enough to notice the fight and break it up. That had been the day that Kloppman had told Blink to make sure that they weren't fighting.
As soon as Snipeshooter got to his selling spot he started shouting the headlines. They were actually good that morning. It was a nice change from having to make something up on the spot or to keep up the 'lost boy' look all morning. It was something he had picked up from watching Race when he sold in Central park, before he had been told to get lost.
Snipeshooter's selling spot put him right next to a dark alley in which a pair of goons were hiding. A pair of goons who had no trouble wrestling the eleven year old into the alley and knock him out with a small rag with a nice little sedative for him to breathe in.
That night only one newsie noticed the absence of Snipeshooter and that was Racetrack Higgins whom always had to keep a sharp eye on the boy. He'll never admit it but he was a little worried about the cigar thief that had never missed one night in the Lodging house.