Disclaimer—I don't own Newsies, nor any other Media references I may make. I am not profiting at all from this story.

A/n—at the beginning of each chapter it says what day of the week it is. If it says 'Still ______' that means the day of the week is the same as the day before it. (duh?) please R&R!

Shoutouts:

Almatari_of_Arda: that's my job. Make people have sympathy for Crutchy. Please don't hate me for it, it's a gift!

(Still Wednesday)

~Racetrack's PoV~

Bumlets and I got out of the car and I waved to Snoddy. I saw Bumlets' shoulders tense; I knew how he felt about Snoddy. Snoddy knew how Bumlets felt about Snoddy.

"Hey Snoddy." I greeted him through a cloud of smoke. Filthy habit, I know, but they're very addictive. I just hope my dad doesn't find out I took one, he'll have my head on a stake.

"What's up Higgins?" Snoddy flicked his lighter open and shut, like Pyro in X-Men, or that evil Digimon guy in Digimon. The one with the juggarnaught or whatever. "Bumlets?" he said with a sneer.

"I dun no, just a little hungry. Coming in for a good home cooked meal."

Snoddy laughed. Bumlets hadn't yet returned his greeting.

I pushed my way through the front door with Bumlets in tow. Behind the gritty counter was Snoddy's mom.

"Hi Mrs Martin." I sat down on a stool.

"Anthony!" she shrilled, grinning and lumbering over, "what can I get for you?"

I pretended that I didn't notice her ignore Bumlets.

"I'll have a burger and a chocolate milkshake, extra whipped cream."

She turned to go.

"What do you want Bumlets?" I asked him, hiding my grin as she paused reluctantly to take his order.

"Onion rings and a Coke please," he asked sheepishly and I really wanted to yell at him to stand up for himself, he must get tired of getting pushed around.

Mrs Martin wrote down his order and hobbled to the kitchen. Bumlets and I were in the diner.

"Are you OK Bums?"

He shrugged and looked away.

"Are you letting Miss Larkson get to you? You're not thinking of talking it easy are you?"

Bumlets shook his head meekly.

I honestly don't know what's wrong with Bumlets today. He even looks pathetic; he's just all sad looking and is scribbling on his napkin. In fact, I think his bandanna is on inside out. How do you put on a bandanna inside out?

Mrs Martin came back and set my food down.

"Anthony," she smiled affectionately, "put out that cigar. I don't want you catching something. That smoking causes all sorts of problems." She grabbed me cigar and stubbed it out in a nearby ashtray. I bit my tongue to stop myself from reminding her that Snoddy smoked a pack a day.

"Here." She thrust Bumlets' onion rings down in front of him. He lowered his head and nibbled at one. She turned a corner and I produced another cigar.

"Why do you let her treat her like that Bums?" I asked, holding the cigar into place with my teeth.

He shrugged. Bumlets is doing that a lot lately.

"What's wrong?" I hated this. We were sharing out feelings. I shivered slightly.

"Race?" Bumlets looked up at me, "do you know who Spring is?"

~Crutchy's PoV~

My next-door neighbour, William 'Skittery' Jones is weirded out by me. I don't know how it never came around before that I didn't have any parents, but I never told him. So I told him they were dead. Which is only half true, they're dead to me. Don't get me wrong; I love my uncle Kloppman.........like a kid loves his uncle, his favourite uncle, but his uncle nonetheless. My parents ran off to 'travel the world' for a while. They left me with my mom's brother—Uncle Kloppman—while they were gone. They never came back.

I don't think I've ever told anyone about this before so I don't know why Skittery thinks I'd tell him. I've had some good friends, better than Skittery, who I only see on the way to school every morning. I've never been to his house and I'm in none of his classes. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice enough guy, but he couldn't understand what it's like to have your parents abandon you. He was shocked when I told him they were dead, like he expected they couldn't be because people have an expirery-date or something. Skittery is too innocent, not at all jaded.

All I'm sure of is that I wouldn't want him to know about poor little abandoned Crutchy. Because that's what I am: poor, little and abandoned.

A/n: uh oh, I have to stop doing this! I can't keep ending all chapters with a poor angsty Crutchy (. AAAAHHH! Does anyone else's computer do that? Turn a : and a ( into an actual sad face? On Word? I knew it happened, I just never asked before. It's a little weird.