Chapter Three

Tell 'Em I'm On My Way

A/N: Holy reviewers, Batman! 'Even The Score' got 68 hits yesterday alone :O And the first chapter's had 115 visitors…I feel like…like a teabag steeped in gratitude. Gratitude tea. [Yes, yes I am British]

'Kelly, even for you, even for you, this is madness.'

'But why, Kloppman?'

'These here lodgings are for newsboys, not girls. To mix the sexes, it…it just ain't the done thing. The idea a' you sleeping so close together, it just sets my bones on edge.'

'Well it shouldn't,' argued Jack. The others nodded and voiced their protests to back him up.

'Yeah Klopp, it ain't like we'se just bringin' some goils off a' the streets,' said Blink. 'You know them.'

'Sure I do,' said Kloppman. 'An' they're delightful. But we only got so many beds upstairs. How can I be guaranteed that you'll behave like respectful gentlemen, huh?'

''Cause I'm tellin' ya, Kloppman,' said Jack.

'We wouldn't be askin' if the goils didn't have nowhere else,' said Mush. 'Their shack's way too cold for them to live in.'

'It's that bad, huh?'

'Aw, you shoulda seen 'em this mornin',' said Jack, leaning against the front desk. 'If Ace an' the goils sleep there again tonight, they might not make it outta bed tomorrow.' He shook his head. 'She's too stubborn, wants to put on a brave face, as usual.'

'Sounds like somebody else we know,' grinned Crutchy, patting Jack on the shoulder. He grinned back, but looked again at Kloppman with beseeching eyes.

'Please Kloppman? Just until the winter's out. An' they'll pay rent like the rest of us.'

'They'd better,' he said firmly, before twitching his mouth into a smile. 'An' I'm trustin' all a' youse to be sensible about the arrangement, so don't disappoint me.'

'We won't,' beamed Jack.

'Thanks Klopp,' cheered the boys. A cold breeze swept through the front door. The eight Riverside girls in question filed into the lobby, each carrying a small bundle. They exhaled, red-nosed and relieved to be somewhere warm. Ace looked at Jack and waited.

'So…what's the answer?'

'Let me put it this way,' he replied. 'You got five cents?'

Her eyes lit up. She looked at the girls, who were outwardly more thrilled, and back at Kloppman.

'Really? We're welcome here?'

'As long as things round here stay reasonably respectable…then yes,' said the old man warmly.

'We're much indebted to ya, Kloppman, and I don't just mean financially. Although speakin' of which…' she said, digging in her pockets. '…Let's pay up before we forget.'

Kloppman gladly took their first rent payments, although Streets looked sad to part with hers.

'Guess I won't be buyin' hot chestnuts for a while.'

'Ya do know we have meals here, right?' said Racetrack from the stairs. All eight girls' ears perked up:

'Seriously?'

'Shoah,' said Kloppman. 'The nuns from the local convent prepare little dishes an' bring 'em over here every day, breakfast an' dinner.'

'Wow,' said Frames, in quiet awe. 'How good of them.'

'The stews are real warmin' this time a' year,' said Crutchy. 'Should be here in an hour or so.'

'This just gets better an' better,' said Madison, slinging an arm around Mush's waist.

'Sure does,' said Darlin', greeting Blink with a hug. Ace and Jack just smiled at each other, but it was enough. Crutchy sighed to himself again.

The nuns dropped off the portions of stew a while later, content to provide extra to the new arrivals. Frames lingered by the door when the last newsie had claimed their cup.

'Which convent do you belong to, sister?'

'St Agnes, young man,' replied the elderly woman, tucking her shivering hands into her sleeves.

'St Agnes,' repeated Frames to herself. She waved goodbye and closed the door. Everyone was tucking into their cups of stew, although Rich initially hesitated.

'This ain't pork, is it?'

'Nah,' said Skittery in between chews. 'Beef.'

'Oh, that's fine then,' she said, taking a large bite.

'Why, ya don't like pork?'

'Just tryin' ta' keep kosher, is all.'

'You're Jewish?' said Specs. Rich nodded. 'Why didn't ya say so before?'

'I didn't think it particularly newsworthy,' she shrugged.

When they were through, another hour was spent on the usual leisure activities: card games, clap games, and conversations about everything and nothing.

'Heya fellas,' came a voice from the door. In walked Snaps, officially a resident of the lodging house, but something of an elsewhere-wanderer for most of the day. In fact, even a month after they first began hanging out with the Manhattan newsies, Snaps had yet to figure out who the Riverside newsies really were.

Hence his stunned skid in the middle of the lobby as he caught sight of them, hair down and cozied up to the boys.

'What the -'

'Snaps, it's alright,' said Jack, both hands directing him to a place of calm. 'You know these guys. It's just…they ain't guys as such.'

'O-k-a-y…' said the newsie, clutching his black bowler hat uneasily. Ace swiftly zigzagged her way through the boys to greet him personally.

'We'll be stayin' here until spring. I hope we don't get in your way, an' if we do, then I apologize in advance. Also, keep this to yourself. We clear?'

Snaps watched her spit into her hand and offer it to him. Despite being overwhelmed by so much new information, he did the same.

'I'm Snaps.'

'Nice name.'

'It's 'cause he's got this frankly extraordinary habit a' snapping in his sleep,' said Racetrack. 'But don't worry, ya stop noticin' after a while.'

'Huh.'

'Speakin' a sleeping,' said Kloppman, just beginning to extinguish some of the lobby candles. 'Youse better sort out suitable arrangements an' get to bed. Early start tomorrow.'

'Ain't it always,' said Skittery, putting out his cigarette in an ashtray.

'You got your stuff?' Ace asked her friends. They nodded, and she picked up her own dirty cotton satchel.

'That all ya brought wit' ya?' said Jack.

'Well when I split from home I thought I'd better travel light,' she replied.

'Fair enough,' he said, putting an arm around her as they climbed the stairs. 'Night Kloppman.'

'Night Kloppman,' the others called into the darkening lobby.

'Sleep soundly, you crazy kids.'

'Alright, now,' declared Jack, surveying the bunkroom like a town planner. 'There are more of us than there are beds, so…' He turned to face the huddle of newsies. '…We'se gonna have to get creative and share.'

Blink and Mush made no attempt whatsoever to hide their grins.

'Well you four are an easy start,' said Ace, noticing immediately.

'C'mon, we'll show ya where the bunks are,' said Mush, taking Madison by the hand. She and Darlin' looked surprised, but not intimidated, by the fact that they would be sleeping on top bunks.

'Ain't never slept off the ground before,' said Darlin'. 'Should be fun.'

'An' I take it you two...' said Snoddy, indicating to Ace and Jack.

'If that's alright,' said Ace. Jack kissed his thumb and brushed it over her cheek.

''Course it is.'

'What about us?' said Vi, glancing at the boys and the empty bunks. Frames looked skittish, before putting up a hand like a shy schoolgirl.

'Uh, if it's all the same to you, I can sleep on the floor.'

'What?' said half the room in protest.

'No, really, it's fine,' she was quick to say. 'I just…sleepin' next to a boy would feel a little strange, y'know?'

'Likewise for me,' said Rich. 'Nothin' personal.'

'Well,' said Jack, casting his eyes over the newsboys. 'Does anybody feel charitable enough to, I dunno, give up a bed an' share wit' someone else?'

Everyone tried not to meet his gaze, opting for the floor or a random patch of wall instead. Snitch rolled his eyes.

'Oh c'mon, me an' Itey get along wit' it just fine.'

'Just,' said Itey, knowing the sight and odor of Snitch's feet better than any human being should. Eventually a small voice piped up from the back.

'You goils can have my bed if ya want.'

'See?' said Jack, gesturing proudly to Tumbler as he emerged from the group. 'There's generosity for ya.'

'Are you sure, hun?' said Frames, basking in his adorableness.

'Yeah.'

'Thank you,' she and Rich said together. Boots raised a hand.

'Wanna share wit' me?'

'Thanks Boots.'

'How about you three?' Jack asked Vi, Skates and Streets.

'I don't mind, actually,' said Vi. Streets and Skates shrugged in agreement. Another awkward silence ensued, eventually broken by Dutchy:

'Hey Race.'

'What?'

'I only just remembered - I saw one a' your cigars in the washroom earlier, unlit.'

'You did?' said Race, suddenly animated. 'Where in the washroom?'

'Mm, can't recall where exactly, but it was definitely one a' yours somewhere in there. Go have a look.'

'Oh I will,' he replied, dashing through the glass doors.

'Speakin' of seein' things,' said Crutchy. 'Streets, I think you left yer hat downstairs.'

The girl's hands went to her head and pockets.

'Aw, rats. Be right back. Thanks Crutchy.'

'No problem.'

Approximately three minutes of searching the washroom stalls, sinks and bathtub later, Racetrack returned to the bunkroom with a peeved expression.

'Dutchy, why'd ya get my hopes up like that?'

'Oh, was it not there?'

'No,' he replied, before narrowing his eyes at Snipeshooter. The boy held up his hands.

'Don't look at me.'

'I just don't appreciate bein' sent on a wild goose chase, that's all.'

Dutchy shrugged, a handful of paper straws in his palm. Before Racetrack could ask where they'd come from, the stairs creaked.

'Oof, I walked right into a table or somethin' down there,' grumbled Streets as she emerged from the darkness. She was about to ask the room if anyone else had seen her hat, when her eyes landed on it, hanging casually from one of the bedposts.

'Huh?' Streets grabbed her hat and stared at it in disbelief.

'Why would ya put it there?' asked Vi.

'I…I don't know,' replied Streets, before blinking and deciding to dismiss the strangeness of the situation. 'Anyway, what were we talkin' about?'

'Well, we concluded it'd be fairest an' easiest to draw straws,' said Ace. 'To see who'll share a bed wit' whom.'

'Oh. Okay.'

'Pick a straw, any straw,' said Dutchy, offering the batch. Skittery, Swifty, Pie Eater, Jake, Snaps, Snipeshooter, Specs, Snoddy, Bumlets and Racetrack all drew a length.

'I would offer,' said Crutchy, looking shyly at the girls. 'But, uh, this leg of mine kinda needs the space. Sorry.'

'Oh, don't worry about it,' said Skates quickly. 'We understand.'

'Now I marked three of 'em with colors,' said Dutchy. 'Blue is Skates, Red is Vi, an' green is Streets. Now see what ya got.'

Most of the boys held up blank straws. Swifty looked at his and turned to Skates, unsure of what to say.

'You alright wit' that?'

'Um, sure, yeah,' said Skates honestly. He pointed to the top bunk adjacent to Jack's.

'You can hang yer stuff on the bedpost.'

Meanwhile, Skittery and Vi saw the red line on his straw at the same time, and exchanged the same awkward smile.

And then, rooted to the spot, Race stared at his own, feeling a mixture of he-didn't-quite-know-what.

'You are kidding, right?' he said to Dutchy. 'I mean…right?'

'That's democracy for ya,' replied the newsie, spreading his palms.

Ace and Jack watched from a distance, doing a spectacular job of staying neutral despite laughing hysterically on the inside. Darlin' muffled her giggles in Blink's shirt, while Madison and Mush alike bit down on their lips almost to the point of bleeding.

'Uh-uh. Nope. No way,' said Streets, shaking her head. 'I demand a re-draw.'

'Oh, pipe down Streets,' said Vi, pretending to be grouchier than she actually was. 'It's late, no one can be bothered. Just make it work.'

'But -!'

'You heard her, Streets,' said Ace. 'Deal.'

That was the end of the conversation, but hardly the beginning of Streets' and Race's shared horror.

'C'mon,' said Madison. 'We'll change in the washroom.'

'Good plan,' said Ace.

While they did that, the boys stripped down to their long johns as usual. This time, however, they couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

Similarly, as soon as they were on the other side of the frosted glass doors, Frames had a small anxiety attack.

'They're gonna see us in our nightgowns, ain't they?'

'I didn't even think…' mumbled Darlin', her cheeks firing up. Would Blink comment on her bare arms? How would the other boys see her once she stepped back out? It was all suddenly quite petrifying. Ace removed layer after layer in one of the washroom stalls, folding them as she went. A minute later she stepped out, dressed in her off-white nightgown with quarter-sleeves. Vi emerged at the same time, looking extremely nervous.

'Um…Ace? Unforeseen problem.'

The girls stared at their friend's bare calves. This was a problem.

'…Right,' said their leader bluntly. She strode to the door, opened it wide enough to poke her head around, and called out:

'Hey, fellas?'

Fifteen or so heads looked her way. She smiled in an abnormally saccharine way.

'Don't suppose you'd mind just shieldin' your eyes for a minute or so, just until we get into our respective bunks?'

'Why, youse noivous or somethin'?'

Ace held up her fingers in a pinch: just a little. Jack nodded.

'Well you heard her,' he said to the room. The newsies, some of whom rolled their eyes, either lay down with their caps over their faces, or put both hands over their eyes.

'Okay, it's safe.'

Frames and Rich scanned the room like deer at the edge of an open meadow, before scurrying over to Tumbler's lower bunk and tucking themselves evenly under the duvet.

Vi put her upper body around the door to double-check the coast was clear, before letting her lower half walk quickly across to Skittery's bunk. She wished ten times in succession that her nightgown wouldn't rise above the knee as she hauled herself up onto the bed.

Mush sat with his legs hanging off the end of his top bunk, hands over his face. Without hearing her approach, he found Madison separating them. She kissed him on the nose.

'Fancy givin' me a hand?'

'Sure thing, doll,' he said, helping her up.

Skates actually managed to forget where Swifty's bunk was, until he spotted her through the gaps in his fingers and caught her by the shoulder. After jumping about a foot in the air from fright, she quietly laughed it off and clambered up to join him.

Ace hurried her bare feet over the cold floorboards until she reached Jack's bunk.

'Sorry Crutchy,' she muttered, using the edge of his bunk to boost herself up.

'No worries Ace,' he yawned.

Even in the flickering shadows, she could see Jack's earnest smile. He was propped up on his elbows, and swept aside part of the duvet so she could lie next to him. They lay facing each other, and he stroked her arm affectionately.

'Ya look even more beautiful than in the daytime,' he whispered.

'I was about to say the same thing of you.'

For the first time that day, Jack and Ace granted themselves a long, private kiss, before resting their heads on Jack's pillow.

One of the last ones out of the washroom, Darlin' flitted across the room to Blink's bunk. As she did, Snoddy stole a peek from under his cap - in the penumbra of the last lit candle in the room, she looked like a real-life ghost.

'Er, could ya help me up please?' she whispered.

'Ya mean I can look now?' replied Blink.

'Yeah.'

He leaned over the edge and extended a hand. Racetrack, lying on the bunk directly below, couldn't help but watch the girl's legs disappear from sight. He felt the bed frame shift as the couple above him negotiated spaces.

'Ahem.'

He turned and squinted in the dark to find a similarly ghostly silhouette standing by his bunk. As much as he still couldn't believe this was a reality, Race begrudgingly shuffled over to leave half the bed free.

'Go on then, get in.'

Streets slowly knelt on the edge of the mattress, accidentally banging the front of her head on the top bunk.

'Owch…it ain't funny,' she hissed as Race sniggered.

When she slid her legs beneath the duvet, Streets felt a palette of different feelings splash across her: the warmth and comfort underneath the covers was like a slice of Heaven, and yet lying arm to arm, leg to leg, next to Racetrack, was unmatched in its strangeness. On top of that, Streets was instantly irked by the absence of cover on the right side of her body. She tried to sneakily tug the blankets over to her side, but Race was having none of it.

'Don't even think about thinkin' about it,' he muttered. Streets exhaled noisily in frustration, and put her arms rigidly by her sides, as did he. Without discussion, the two of them agreed to endure the night with minimal interaction or movement.

'G'night guys,' said Jack into the darkness, as night took over from the dying candle.

'G'night,' came the various replies, coated in sandy sleep.

Disclaimer: I should probably specify here that while Snaps isn't technically a named member of the Newsies ensemble we know and love, he's also not mine either - he belongs to the newsie headcanon, as it were, theorized into existence by the bright young minds of the fanfic and blogging community. Speaking of whom…keep sending reviews please ;P