All the boys became super excited as soon as Jack agreed. When I heard the multiple "Can I show her this?"'s and "Can I show her that?"'s I smiled even bigger. I guess the Newsies haven't had a new member in a while.
Jack extended his arms and tried to quiet down the other boys, "Alright! Alright! Alright... I'll show 'er most of the house.. Uhh Specs!" Specs pushed through the crowd of Newsies and came to Jack and I in the middle.
"You and Penny seem to be pretty close, you can show 'er the bunk room...uhh..and Crutchie! You can show 'er the rest of upstaiwers, kay?"
"Sure thing Jackie!" I turned and smiled at Crutchie. He smiled back but, quickly looked towards Jack to see what he would say next.
"Okay Penny...So, dis is the main room where da Newsies just kinda hang out and dat's da car table...uhh... The coat closet, which you are familiar with," many of us laughed a little and Jack continued showing me the rest of the bottom floor. There was Mr. Kloppman's desk/window where the boys signed in and out. Jack mentioned that I would have to sign in as Ryan and I should probably stay in my Newsie clothes downstairs. There was a worn out couch in the main room, one bathroom on the main floor, and the kitchen. In the kitchen there was a long counter that ran along the walls of the room with a fridge and a dishwasher. A large wooden table sat in the right area of the room with almost 20 chairs sitting around it.
The main town's carpenter was a good friend of Mr. Kloppman, and made a new chair for each Newsie the day after they arrive," Albert said with certainty.
"Das right! So tomorrow before we starts selling papes, we'll stop by Mr. Blade's shop and getchoo a new chair," Jack explained. I was very excited to be sitting at the large table every night and spending time with the boys. Family dinners with my "family" were never very pleasent. I can clearly remember the last time all our chairs were full. The night my dad left. The night my mother cried herself to sleep.
I shook the past out of my head and tried to tune in on the "tour." When we came to the stairs back in the front room, Jack said he'd stay downstairs and wait for Mr. Kloppman to come back and then if we weren't done, he would help him with dinner. Specs proceeded a stampede up the stairs were the hallway led straight to the bunk room. We stepped through the door and I was automatically surrounded by bunk beds. They were all over the place! Most of the boys ran and either jumped or climbed up into their bed, messing up the sheets even more announcing that it was their bed or that's where they slept.
"So, this is where we sleep...and dress and, basically get ready for a normal day...but we should probably work something out since you're stayin' here too..."
"Where do you sleep?" I asked Specs, looking around the room.
"Right here!" He said walking over to one of the bottom bunks on the left side of the room.
"There's no one above me so you could sleep up there if ya wanted.." he said casually. I smiled and climbed up into the open bed and looked out across the dirty but friendly room. Crutchie hobbled over to Specs and I and looked up at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back.
"So ya found a bunk!" He said excitedly and stretched his arm up to give me a high five.
"Ya!" I said, too happy to express anything else.
"You ready to see the rest of the house?" he said eagerly. I nodded and began down the wooden ladder and joined the rest of the Newsies on the floor. We all gathered in the middle of the room and Crutchie lead the way through the back of the room into the rest of the upper floor.
"So dees are the bathrooms upstaiwers. We have one to da left and one to da right. They're a little bigger than the one downstaiwers but, you know... they're still small." I peeked in the bathrooms and nodded. I knew every single boy was greatful for everything in this house no matter what the size so, I vowed to be as well. I mean, not that I already was.
We continued upstairs and Crutchie showed me the main room upstairs. It was similar to the one downstairs but the couch was slightly smaller and there were two tables.
We all went back downstairs after "the tour" and Jack had us all sit in a circle on the floor of the main room and sat in a spot the boys obviously saved for him.
"So Penny," he started. "Every time we gets a new Newsie, we do dis thing called...well, it's not really called anything but, you sit down in between Les and I. The newest kid ta come sits in between me and the last one who came and we make a circle." I looked around, now knowing the pattern, and saw all the Newsies together in order of their seniority. I sat down next to Les and Jack.
"So," Jack said once I joined them. "We all go around the circle and tell something to the Newsies that we haven't told anyone else. And ya can't say ya don't have anything cause we all know ya do." Some of the boys laughed and I smiled feeling the relationship of all these boys and how comfortable they are with each other. I just hope I can fit in as much as everyone else.
All the boys joined their hands and Jack continued explaining, "This tradition brings the Newsies closer together and, it's a great black-mail weapon." The boys laughed again and I knew Jack was kidding. I'm sure the boys wouldn't do that to each other anyway.
"And, over the years, your 'secret' might change and it's always great to tell yer friends new things." I took a deep breath and tried to think of something I could tell the boys. I listened to Jack wrap up his introduction and the secret telling began.
A/N Hey sorry this was pretty late, again blame school... But anyways.. Thanks for your reviews and story following! It really means a lot to me! As for the actual story, it will pick up more of a storyline so you just kinda have to be patient :)
~GTHN