Heya. Well, we've reached the big 1-0! Thanks to all who have stuck with me this long!
WARNING-minor swearing. Butterflywriter, you can slap me later.
Disclaimer- Though I've said it before, I'll say it again, I don't own the Newsies.
"So you'se really gonna make 'em wait til tahmahrrah?" Jack murmured to me as the flock of Manhattan newsboys made their way back to their home turf.
"Yup."
"You'se mean."
"Yup."
"But ya got a nice ass."
"Yu—huh?" I whipped around to face Jack. He had a huge smirk on his face. My eyes narrowed. I will not blow up. I will not blow up. I will not blow up…
"How would you know?" I snarled. I will not blow up. I will not blow up.
"Da watah's clearah dan you'se dought."
I will not blow up. I will not blow up. I will not blow up, because it's not May yet… Ah, screw it. May's tomorrow.
I slapped Jack. Hard. As hard as I could. He looked shocked and put a hand to his face. All the other boys turned at the sound. Eyes widened. Breaths were held. Mush and Racetrack's jaws hit the ground. The tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. You could almost hear the gears turning in the newsies heads. Boys didn't slap other boys. Boys didn't take being slapped by other boys. Something's wrong…
I stalked away from Jack, who growled, "Women."
"Huh?" All the other newsies chorused together in equal confusion. I had to work hard not to smile.
"Charley?" Blink asked.
"What? I'se a goil. You'se can' expect me ta not get mad 'bout him talkin' 'bout me like dat."
Blink made some incoherent noises.
"I'se don' dink it was da gettin' mad paht." Racetrack explained. Blink nodded rapidly.
"Oh, you'se mean it's da goil paht dat you'se don' undahstand?" I wrinkled up my nose in confusion. "Why?"
None of the boys answered me, they just stared. It wasn't getting through. Slowly, comprehension dawned across their faces, followed by some serious blushing.
"You'se was in da washroom wid us." One newsie piped up.
"You'se slept in me bed." Blink said slowly.
"Mine, too." Crutchy realized.
"'nd Jack's." Pie Eater growled. "'nd he knew. Bummah."
All of the older boys let out a frustrated groan at their poor luck.
"Aww like I'd go wid any o' you'se." I sneered.
"Hey, Jack?" Snoddy asked.
"Yeah?"
"Well, since Hambone's been treated like a boy for so lon', c'n we still treat her dat way?"
"I'se don' see why not." Jack shrugged. The boys looked at each other and grinned.
"Soak her!" They hollered. My eyes grew wide, and I took off, the pack of newsies hot on my heels. Jack watched and laughed. Spot had shown up to tell us that our time was up. He stopped beside Jack and watched our antics.
"What'd da rat do?"
"'e's a goil."
"Ouch. I'se knows ya 'hattan's c'n be mean wid da names, but dat's hahsh."
"No, Spot. Charley's not a 'Charles'. Charley's a 'Charlotte'."
"I'se not followin' ya, Jacky." Spot shook his head. Jack sighed, and pointed to me, before he used his hands to draw a curvy hourglass shape. Spot whistled.
"You'se don' say. Da rat's a goil?"
Jack nodded.
"How lon' have you'se had her?"
"Five munds."
"Daammnn." Spot dragged out the word in awe. "Why's she doin' dis, dough?"
"Ask her yaself." Jack whistled at us. We stopped running and he waved us over. We approached slowly, waiting for Jack's wrath.
"Hambone, Spot heah wan's a woid wid you'se." He announced. I looked nervously at Spot. "Go on." Jack said softly and gave me a push towards Spot.
I took a step and looked back at Jack. He rolled his eyes and sighed. I straightened my shoulders and took the last few steps towards Spot. Spot merely smirked and held out his arm to me. He led me to the end of a pier, where the other's couldn't hear our conversation. He sat on the end of the dock, feet dangling over the side, and patted the planks next to him. I sat carefully next to him.
Spot didn't speak at first. He looked out across the river. When he did speak, he said,
"So's you'se really is a goil?" I looked down at my chest.
"Uh, yeah."
"How much o' what you'se tol' me is true?"
"Most of it. I'se from Brooklyn. Jack did find me 'nd brin' me back ta 'hattan."
"How old?"
"Fifteen."
"How'd ya know me name?" Spot looked at me. I looked out across the river and leaned back on my hands. I took a deep breath and started my explanation.
"Spot, do you'se believe in dings? Like dings dat shouldn' happen?"
Spot nodded, and I started on my very long story.
"So I'se ya great grandfaddah?" Spot asked when I had finished.
"Great great grandfaddah." I corrected.
"Huh." He reflected on what I had told him.
"You'se is handlin' dis pretty well."
"I'se has no idea what's happenin', but if it's whatcha say is happenin', den I guess you'se me family."
"'nd how's we'se gonna explain dat? I'se not supposed ta exist yet."
"You'se c'n be me… niece! Yeah, me niece." He said excitedly. I rolled my eyes. "What?" He asked. "It's not like it's gonna be dat big of a deal, but if we'se need an explanation, well, dere it is!"
"Okay, fine. Fine. But if I'se gonna be your 'niece', den I'se want's ta be able ta come ta Brooklyn, anytime."
"Shoah ding." He agreed, standing. He offered me a hand to help me up. "Best getcha back ta Jacky. Wouldn' wan' da lovah boy ta get jealous." Spot winked. I decked him and stalked off while he writhed on the planks holding his nose.
"What'd he say ta you'se?" Jack asked when I reached him. I continued past him, shaking out my hand. I swore under my breath. That kid had a hard head.
With my newly granted freedom in Brooklyn, I found myself spending a lot of my free time there, since it was as close as I could get to my real home. Even though it was pretty widely known throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan that I was a girl, I still dressed like a boy to keep the other boroughs from knowing. Sometimes Racetrack or Mush would tag along to "protect" me, but for the most part I was by myself over there. I was probably safer in Brooklyn then I was back in Manhattan. Here, no one could touch me, since no one lays a hand on one of Spot's girls and walks away unharmed. And even though I wasn't Spot's girl in that sense of the word, I was still "his", even if he and I were the only ones that knew the exact relationship.
Running with the Brooklyn newsies had it's good and bad parts. No one would mess with me, at least, not with them around. However, there was a lot of speculating about why Spot had chosen me to show special favor to. I finally had to explain,
"I'se his niece, ya bummahs!"
After that, they quickly lost interest in me, but they still allowed me to tag along. Another bright side of hanging with the Brookies was the fighting. They were always fighting. And I learned a lot just from watching them.
I watched as one of the Brooklyn newsies took on a Queens newsie that had wandered out of their territory and into ours. They wrestled and fought for a long time, neither of them getting any good hits in. Finally, the Queens boy caught the Brookie in a bear hug. It looked like Queens would be able to take down Brooklyn, and win the fight, when the Brookie's head shot forward, colliding with the Queens kid's nose. The fight was quickly finished, with Queens clearing out pretty fast. A group of boys gathered around the champion, slapping him on the back and teasing. I wriggled through the crowd.
The Brooklyn fighter looked down and spotted me. "'ey. You'se Spot's brat, ain'tcha?"
"I'se his niece. How'dya do dat?" I asked, all wide eyed and admiring.
"Do what?"
"Da headbutt. It was really neat!" I turned on my cute little girl charm. It worked wonders.
"Ah, da Belfast Kiss. Well, you'se take ya foahhead and smack it right against heah." He poked the bridge of my nose between my eyes. I crossed my eyes to look at it. He chuckled. "See's, dat breaks dere nose, 'nd sets dere eyes a watah'in'. Den dey'se don' wanna fight no moah."
"Teach me how ta fight."
"Nah. Spot would moidah me." He laughed, turning away.
I pouted and headed back towards Manhattan, since it was getting dark.
"Well you'se was out late." Jack's voice cut through the darkness of the bunkroom. I scrambled up into bed. An arm reached out and wrapped around my waist, pulling me up.
"I'se was in Brooklyn." I murmured as I curled up beside him.
"I'se knows." I felt him shift on the bed. "I'se don' like dat you'se ovah dere all da time. It worries me." He said after a moment.
"You'se don' trust me?"
"It's not dat… I'se just don' trust da Brookies."
"I'se one o' dem. And I'se Spot's family. It's safe for me dere."
Jack just sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this one. "Okay. Jist be careful. G'night, Charley."
"G'night, Jack." I whispered sleepily, closing my eyes. Jack put his arm over my waist and drew me closer to him.
"Off, Jack." I growled, and the pressure stopped.
Yay! It only took me ten chapters to reveal that she's a girl to everyone. And she almost made it to May! Awww… oh well. Anyways, let's see how much longer I can keep this up!
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