"So, you're saying that Spot Conlon. the Spot Conlon, asked you to
lunch and you turned him down? Are you crazy?" Kit screeched, as she
brushed out Hope's hair.
"Yes. I'm absolutely insane." Hope snorted, passing a ribbon back to Kit.
"Well, I'm just saying. Oh come on Hope. You know deep down inside you like him."
"You mean way, way, way down deep?" Hope asked, her eyes serious.
"Yes, exactly."
"Oh, well in that case. nope. Still don't like him. I like Race. He likes me back and well. I don't want to mess that up, Kit. You know that. If you like Spot so much why don't you just ask him out?"
"Me? Oh no. I couldn't. I mean I'm in a relationship too." Kit blushed, tying off the braid she had made in Hope's hair.
"Exactly my point. I somehow don't imagine Blink being very happy with you, if you started going with Spot. Now do you see where I'm coming from?"
"Yeah. but I mean. you and Race aren't really a couple. You even told me you weren't sure if you wanted to move past friendship. that was before this whole thing with Spot and now you're obsessed with having a relationship with Racetrack. I think you're fooling yourself."
"Well, fooling myself or not, if we don't go now we'll be too late to get our spots. no pun intended."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go."
The two walked ran down the stair and out of the boarding house to the street, their skirts swirling around their ankles. They turned right at the street corner, heading for the distribution office. The distribution office was run by Mr. Jenkins, an old man from New Jersey. The girls both loved him like a father.
"Well, hello girls! The regular?" Mr. Jenkins smiled as the girls approached the counter. "Yep. the regular. How are you Mr. Jenkins?" Hope grinned, leaning against the bars that separated her and the old man.
"As good as an old man can be." He smiled back, taking the coin she handed him and sliding her papers under the bars. "You have a good day now girls."
"You too Mr. Jenkins." Kit said, as she handed over her money and shouldered her papes.
"Hey, Hope!" Kit yelled after her friend, who had already started walking away. "You selling by the factories today?" Hope stopped and waited for her to catch up before shaking her head.
"Race and I are selling together today. I'm taking the cable down to Manhattan."
"You're selling together? How will you manage to make any money?" Kit asked, trying her best to keep up with Hopes quick pace.
"We take turns selling, first he sells a pape and the next customer is mine. It's very simple."
"Oh, well, do you want me to wait with you?" Kit asked as they reached the car stop. Hope was about to reply when the cable car bell interrupted her thoughts.
"I guess you won't have to. I'll see you tonight."
"Give Blink a kiss for me would you?" Kit joked. Hope made a face as she jumped on to the moving car. They both laughed and Hope waved before finding a seat. She had only been on the car a few minutes when a person moved into the seat next to hers.
"Hey there Hope." A familiar voice whispered in her ear.
"Oh God! Conlon go away." Hope hissed, refusing to look over at Spot, afraid he'd see the blush of her cheeks.
"Hey, this is public transportation. I can ride if I want and I can sit where I want. It's a free country."
"I'm sure it is. I think I feel like walking to Manhattan." Hope said angrily, starting to stand. Spot grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. "Let me go." She growled, trying vainly to pull her hand away. She looked out of the car. two more stops only two more stops.
"No. Tell me what I did! God damn it! Hope you tell me what I did to make you hate me."
"You really want to know?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Well, I'll tell you. everything and nothing. All in all. the fact that you exist gives the planet a bad name." One more stop.
"What is that supposed to mean Hope?"
"The way you act, the way you treat people. the way you treat women."
"Oh, so just because I've gone with a lot of girls means that I can't be serious."
"No. but it's a damn good indicator." A moment of silence. "Oop. here's my stop. You'd better let me go before every Newsie in Manhattan decides to make you let me go." Hope felt his hand loosen and she tore her wrist away. She hurried to the edge of the car and jumped off, careful not to look back.
"Hey Hope." Race called, breaking away from a circle of News Boys. He threw his cigar on the ground, knowing how much Hope hated him smoking around her. He saw her face, twisted up as she fought tears. "What is it?" He asked, his eyes worried. He hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She had begun to sob, her arms wrapping tightly about his neck. "What is it, Hope? Tell me what's wrong."
"Make him leave me alone."
"Who?"
"Him. Make him leave me alone."
Race stared helplessly at the boys who had surrounded them. No one knew what she was talking about and she refused to say out right. Finally she sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"Sorry. I just. it isn't important. Let's go." She took Race's hand and started to drag him away before he or anyone else could ask any more questions.
"Yes. I'm absolutely insane." Hope snorted, passing a ribbon back to Kit.
"Well, I'm just saying. Oh come on Hope. You know deep down inside you like him."
"You mean way, way, way down deep?" Hope asked, her eyes serious.
"Yes, exactly."
"Oh, well in that case. nope. Still don't like him. I like Race. He likes me back and well. I don't want to mess that up, Kit. You know that. If you like Spot so much why don't you just ask him out?"
"Me? Oh no. I couldn't. I mean I'm in a relationship too." Kit blushed, tying off the braid she had made in Hope's hair.
"Exactly my point. I somehow don't imagine Blink being very happy with you, if you started going with Spot. Now do you see where I'm coming from?"
"Yeah. but I mean. you and Race aren't really a couple. You even told me you weren't sure if you wanted to move past friendship. that was before this whole thing with Spot and now you're obsessed with having a relationship with Racetrack. I think you're fooling yourself."
"Well, fooling myself or not, if we don't go now we'll be too late to get our spots. no pun intended."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go."
The two walked ran down the stair and out of the boarding house to the street, their skirts swirling around their ankles. They turned right at the street corner, heading for the distribution office. The distribution office was run by Mr. Jenkins, an old man from New Jersey. The girls both loved him like a father.
"Well, hello girls! The regular?" Mr. Jenkins smiled as the girls approached the counter. "Yep. the regular. How are you Mr. Jenkins?" Hope grinned, leaning against the bars that separated her and the old man.
"As good as an old man can be." He smiled back, taking the coin she handed him and sliding her papers under the bars. "You have a good day now girls."
"You too Mr. Jenkins." Kit said, as she handed over her money and shouldered her papes.
"Hey, Hope!" Kit yelled after her friend, who had already started walking away. "You selling by the factories today?" Hope stopped and waited for her to catch up before shaking her head.
"Race and I are selling together today. I'm taking the cable down to Manhattan."
"You're selling together? How will you manage to make any money?" Kit asked, trying her best to keep up with Hopes quick pace.
"We take turns selling, first he sells a pape and the next customer is mine. It's very simple."
"Oh, well, do you want me to wait with you?" Kit asked as they reached the car stop. Hope was about to reply when the cable car bell interrupted her thoughts.
"I guess you won't have to. I'll see you tonight."
"Give Blink a kiss for me would you?" Kit joked. Hope made a face as she jumped on to the moving car. They both laughed and Hope waved before finding a seat. She had only been on the car a few minutes when a person moved into the seat next to hers.
"Hey there Hope." A familiar voice whispered in her ear.
"Oh God! Conlon go away." Hope hissed, refusing to look over at Spot, afraid he'd see the blush of her cheeks.
"Hey, this is public transportation. I can ride if I want and I can sit where I want. It's a free country."
"I'm sure it is. I think I feel like walking to Manhattan." Hope said angrily, starting to stand. Spot grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. "Let me go." She growled, trying vainly to pull her hand away. She looked out of the car. two more stops only two more stops.
"No. Tell me what I did! God damn it! Hope you tell me what I did to make you hate me."
"You really want to know?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Well, I'll tell you. everything and nothing. All in all. the fact that you exist gives the planet a bad name." One more stop.
"What is that supposed to mean Hope?"
"The way you act, the way you treat people. the way you treat women."
"Oh, so just because I've gone with a lot of girls means that I can't be serious."
"No. but it's a damn good indicator." A moment of silence. "Oop. here's my stop. You'd better let me go before every Newsie in Manhattan decides to make you let me go." Hope felt his hand loosen and she tore her wrist away. She hurried to the edge of the car and jumped off, careful not to look back.
"Hey Hope." Race called, breaking away from a circle of News Boys. He threw his cigar on the ground, knowing how much Hope hated him smoking around her. He saw her face, twisted up as she fought tears. "What is it?" He asked, his eyes worried. He hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She had begun to sob, her arms wrapping tightly about his neck. "What is it, Hope? Tell me what's wrong."
"Make him leave me alone."
"Who?"
"Him. Make him leave me alone."
Race stared helplessly at the boys who had surrounded them. No one knew what she was talking about and she refused to say out right. Finally she sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"Sorry. I just. it isn't important. Let's go." She took Race's hand and started to drag him away before he or anyone else could ask any more questions.