Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm sooooo sorry that it's been so long! But I had a nice long chat with one of my friends and she got me back on track! So I thank her and give her credit for a few ideas in the story! I also thank you guys for your reviews and for your patience, I know how frustrating it can be waiting for a dying story to revive itself! Well here is the second chapter (finally!) of Pulitzer's Sinker, I hope you like it! :D
Disclaimer: Sinker is mine :P
Sinker sighed to herself, shifting on the warm bed that she was snuggled in. It wasn't until the bed sighed as well that she remembered where she was. Her eyes shot open and her head snapped up. She was spread out across Blink's torso, his arm wrapped around her midsection comfortably.
Kloppman had entered, yelling for the newsies to wake up and begin their day. Blink stirred underneath her, "Mornin'," he grinned.
"'Ey Blink!" A pillow was launched in their direction, hitting Sinker. Mush loped over, "Ooo, sorry Sink, I meant ta hit Blinky boy."
"It's okay—" Sinker stopped mid-sentence. She had made the error of looking at Mush. Shirtless Mush. Wonderfully, amazingly, toned Mush. She shook her head to clear her mind, but it did no good.
Mush didn't seem to notice as he grabbed her by the hand, dragging her off of Blink and out of bed. He led the way towards the wash room, where all of the newsies got ready in the mornings. Skittery and Snitch stepped forward.
"Mush, uh, not ta be rude or nothin', but Sink kinda can't go in there right now," Snitch said.
"Ya know, some a the boys don' have no clothes on at the moment," Skittery warned, gesturing at his own body to make a point.
Mush's eyes suddenly sparked with realization. "Oh yeah! It's just been so long since we've had a goil newsie around that I wasn't really thinkin'," he explained, then looked back at Sinker apologetically.
Sinker shrugged. "I can just wait until you guys are done," she said, pushing Mush gently in the direction he had been leading her. He smiled over his shoulder before finally going to clean up.
Once every boy was ready and set to go, Sinker entered the foul smelling, grimy wash room. She gingerly picked up what looked to be the cleanest rag around and washed herself quickly, drying off on a used and dank towel. She pulled on her newsie attire and bolted down the stairs, where Blink and Mush were waiting patiently, talking about past headlines and girls they had previously met.
"Jack had ta be first in line, bein' the leadah 'n all," Blink informed her as they strolled through the streets, Sinker between the two boys.
Mush slung an arm over her shoulders like he had done yesterday. "So we volunteered ta stay back and help you'se find ya way." He smiled down at her and she found herself becoming increasingly fond of both newsies she was with.
Together the boys pointed out different landmarks, told Sinker where each newsie usually sold, and by the time they had arrived at the distribution center, Sinker knew where the hottest spots to sell were. Jack had already bought his papers for the day and was waiting outside the gates with Davey and Les, talking to Racetrack.
"There ya are!" Jack grinned as he saw the trio coming closer. "Took ya time, huh? Anyway, I'm thinkin' you'se can be Blink's sellin' partner, Sink, since you'se looked so cozy this mornin'." He laughed, winking at the blushing pair. Race and Mush chuckled, throwing playful punches at Blink while Sinker fiddled with her hat. Jack clapped her on the shoulder. "I'se just jokin' around. Now, Race, could ya spare some for Sinker here ta buy her first papes?"
"Sure thing," the cigar smoking newsie nodded, flipping her a coin.
She caught it, smiling gratefully, "Thanks."
Race shrugged, "Anytime doll. But I'se gotta get goin' ta the track, me regulahs will start ta wondah if I don' show."
"We're off too," Davey said, tipping his hat.
As he, Jack, and Les headed off Jack yelled back, "Blink'll take care a ya!"
Sinker looked back toward the gates. Blink, Mush, and she were among the last newsies to buy their papers that day. As they were waiting in line Mush informed her that the money Race had lent her was enough to buy twenty papers. He glanced over the headlines for the day, Blink leaning over both of their shoulders to catch a glimpse.
"Twenty." Mush ordered, handing over his change.
Sinker stepped up next, repeating Mush's steps. When she brought her eyes up to see who was handing her the papers, she lowered her head instinctively. Mr. Wiesel and the Delancey brothers! She didn't realize that this was the distribution center they ran. She had heard them complain continuously about the newsies, but it had never registered that they might possibly sell here. She pulled her hat down as low as she could while still being able to see and snatched her papers up, grunting out her thanks in a low voice that she hoped would allow her to slip past unnoticed. She bounded down the steps to where Mush stood, waiting for Blink to purchase his papers.
Sinker looked back fleetingly and found that Mr. Wiesel and the brothers hadn't even looked up. She breathed a sigh of relief. Life would be hell if Oscar and Morris found out she was selling papers with their mortal enemies. Ever since she was little she remembered having to be forced to play with the two brothers, and ever since they had started working with Wiesel they had done nothing but complain about the newsie scum.
Blink's feet thumping down the wooden steps shook her from her memories. "Well," Mush said in farewell, "I'm off ta Bottle Alley, see ya tonight!"
Blink nodded, and Sinker waved. "I think we'll sell over on Hinkley today, it's usually busy," Blink mused, leading Sinker in the opposite direction that Mush had dashed in. On the way, he opened up one of the papers, searching for a relatively good headline. "Now the trick ta sellin'," he began to explain, "is that you'se gotta know how ta embellish the headlines."
"Embellish?" Sinker looked up at him, surprised by his vocabulary. "I didn't know you'se used such fancy words."
Blink grinned. "I had some schoolin' 'fore I left home." He pointed to her papers. "Now try to work on those headlines while we go along," he instructed.
Sinker shifted her papers to the other arm so that she could peruse the news. Nothing that she deemed creative enough came to mind, and she blushed sheepishly up at Blink. He laughed, "Yeah, it ain't as easy as it seems, but with my patch, and your height, we'll get lucky."
"Hey! I'm average height," Sinker defended herself.
"For a girl," Blink somehow managed to wink. "Now tuck your hair into that cap and you'll look like a young fellah."
Sinker looked at him in bewilderment. "You want me to pretend I'm a boy?"
"Ya wanna sell those papes don't ya?" Blink asked rhetorically, extending his arm to hold her papers as she adjusted her hair. "Poifect."
They had reached Hinkley Lane by that time, and Sinker tried to take in everything that Blink did. He was a professional at the paper business. His headlines were genius and she couldn't even compare with her feeble attempts. Blink had sold his papers within the first hour. "Wow, today was bettah than I thought it would be," he exclaimed excitedly.
Sinker looked down at the dozen papers she had left. "Yeah…" she half-heartedly agreed.
Blink smiled. "Don't worry, there's a whole crowd of hoity-toities headin' this way, go sell ya socks off," and he shoved her into the street encouragingly. She looked back at him like a child peers back at their parents on the first day of kindergarten, eager yet unsure. Blink nodded and motioned for her to go forward.
Determined, she looked back around to face the oncoming crowd. "'Scuse me gents, but would you happen ta need a pape?" she asked politely. "Mighty facinatin' bit about a bloody murdah over in Trenton." The men took the bait, five of them buying individual papers.
She hurried off to a group of finely dressed women before the well-to-do business men realized there really wasn't an article about a murder, let alone a murder at all. Sinker found it was easier for her to completely invent a story rather then improve on an actual one. "'Ello ladies! Fancy readin' about the latest scandal with the mayor's daughter? She's apparently runnin' with a newsboy now." The women grabbed up four papers. Sinker smirked. She had thought that up thanks to Blink, who had gone on and on about how beautiful he thought the mayor's daughter was and how he wished he could take her out for just one Saturday night.
She returned to where Blink stood with three papers left. "Not bad," he complimented. He took the papers and practically gave them away, so easy he made it look. Sinker gawked at his talent as he handed her the pennies, then chuckled at her expression.
"C'mon, let's go ta Tibby's, that's where we newsies all go," he said.
As the duo made their way back to the newsies regular spot, Sinker's hair now free from under her cap, they joked around, Blink filling Sinker in on a few newsie tricks. Sinker was laughing when she looked up to see the Delancey's ahead. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and she searched in panic for some sort of get away. She noticed that Blink and she were approaching an alley, and as they passed, she grabbed Blink by the collar, pushing him into the alley and up against the wall. She didn't think about how odd it was of her to be pressed up against him until he warily said, "I didn't think ya wanted me like this…"
She had been staring at the area the Delancey's occupied and not paying much attention to Blink until he spoke, then she whipped her head around to look Blink in the face. She hadn't realized the proximity between them until their noses touched. She blushed, releasing him and taking a step back. "Sorry," she apologized, glancing back out, spotting the Delancey's moving away. "There, uh, there was a puddle…"
"And ya didn't wanna drown?" he smirked.
"No! I, er, didn't want ya ta get your feet wet?"
Blink chuckled, "Oh, okay."
"Yeah, well, it seems to have, um, evaporated…so we can go now," she told him, since she could no longer spy the brothers on the street.
They exited the alley in an awkward silence, neither one looking at the other, each with their hands in their pockets. From behind, a voice rang out, "Sasha?!"
"Oh, shit," Sinker swore under her breath, recognizing Morris's voice. It wasn't long before the Delancey's had caught up with her and Blink.
Blink immediately clenched his fists, preparing for the worst when the brothers stepped in front of him and Sinker, cutting off their way.
"Whaddaya doin' hangin' with this bum?" Oscar demanded, sneering at Blink, who frowned at the boy, since Blink was incapable of a sneer, such a kind hearted being he was.
"I'm selling papes," she glared at Oscar. "Ya gotta problem with that?"
Oscar returned his attention to Sinker. "You're with the wrong crowd Sasha," he warned.
Blink stepped closer, flexing his fingers. Sinker quickly got in between the boys, facing Blink, "Blink. Let it go. It's alright."
"Yeah, Blink," Oscar soothed mockingly, brushing past. "It's alright." He snaked an arm over Sinker's shoulder, who shrugged him off. "Well, Sasha, come crawlin' back to where you belong when you get sick of playin' newsie."
Morris snickered as the two slinked away from Blink and Sinker, both glaring at the brother's backs.
"How d'ya know those scabs?" Blink broke the silence.
Sinker never took her eyes off the brothers. "Old family friends, our parents run in the same circles," she replied quietly.
"Oh, tough luck," Blink shook his head. Then looking down at her coyly, "So…Sasha?" he teased.
Sinker punched him lightly in the arm. "Don't you call me that!" she laughed.
"Okay, okay!" Blink lifted his hands in surrender.
"And if you tell any a the boys," she warned jokingly, "I'll tan ya hide!"
They chuckled together as they continued on down the road, but what she had just said reminded her too much of her father, and of what her real job was…
Author's Note: Okay, so there it is. I also want to let you know that I have the next two chapters plotted out, I just have to find time to write them! Thanks for your waiting again, I realize this took forever to get up! Oh, and Spot also makes his first appearance in the next chapter ;) so thats good! yay!