Chapter 12: The Party Date

The next morning I woke up early with a very stiff neck and realized why when I sat up from the floor. I had given Clover my bed for the night after some boy had passed out in hers. Sadly, this was a common occurrence after Brooklyn parties.

I slowly made my way to the wash room, stepping over a dozen newsies in the process, and looked at myself in the mirror. There was a dark circle under my right eye and a scratch along my jaw but that was really it. I searched for other injuries but only found a couple bruises here and there. Sighing, I brought my hand to my eye again. The euphoria from the night before had long ago worn off and I was left with a sense of weariness.

There was a soft thud heard which made me look back into the other room. When I saw the source of the sound, I bit on my lower lip to keep back a laugh. There on the floor, sprawled out like a bird splat against a window, was Dreads. She grunted as she brought herself back up to her feet and kicked the sleeping newsie which had caused her to fall.

"Stupid boys. We really need ta get a lock foah dat door." I nodded in agreement and turned back to the mirror. She stood next to me and scrutinized my face. "Youse look good wit da shinah, Remy. It gives ya a bit a character."

"Great. It'll help me get a date to the party this weekend," I stated sarcastically.

"Since when do youse care 'bout gettin a date?" Dreads leaned against the counter and eyed me with an eyebrow raised.

"Since last night when I saw how cozy Ace and Boomer were. Whenever I'm the only one without a date it always happens that I'm left alone at a table while you all go and suck on your date in the corner." I turned around just in time to catch her roll her eyes at me but continued anyways, "I might as well stay here."

"Oh cry me a rivah Rem. Der are plenty 'a guys who would kill ta have youse foah a date. Yoah just too damn picky. Besides, ya always got Switch. Dat goil nevah has a date."

"Right." I sighed, remembering what Switch had told me the night before and leaned forward to evaluate my face one last time. "Who's big idea was it to have a party right after the fight anyways?"

Dreads laughed, "Spot's."

"Alright, dat's it! Get outtah heah ya bums! Dis is da goils room!"

Dreads and I looked over to see Switch standing over the boys with her hands on her hips, sending them each an intense glare. There was quite a commotion as the boys all got up and stumbled about, trying to gather their stuff and get out of the room before Switch could act.

"And stay out ya scums!" She yelled after them then slammed the door.

--

I spent the morning selling with Blue so that we could catch up. It was a rarity for us to see much of each other and I wanted to take full advantage of him being in Brooklyn. We got along perfectly well so selling always went faster when I was with him.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbing their way ta New Yawk!" I held out a paper to a young man who quickly came up to buy a pape. It was great when the headline actually sold itself for a change.

"Ya done yet?" Blue sauntered over to me with his hands in his pockets. "I'm starvin."

I counted the papes I had left in my hand. "I only got about...seven left. I'll be done in a minute."

I shouted out another headline as Blue kicked a pebble. It was obvious that he was struggling with himself about something but I didn't ask. He was a leader just like Spot was so there was always something going on and it wasn't my place to interfere. At least, that's what I had to remind myself over and over again.

"Spot told me bout da run in youse two had wit Jimmy da othah day."

Using a pape to block the sun, I was able to look at Blue and see the concern he held in his face.

He continued, "I don't want youse wanderin 'round Brooklyn alone, Remy. It ain't safe."

I sold another pape before turning back to him. "Do you really think that with Spot Conlon watching over my shoulder, I'm going to be looking for trouble?"

Blue let out a soft chuckle. "It ain't youse looking foah trouble dat I'm worried bout. It's trouble dat seems ta find youse." Then, grabbing my last papes he sighed. "I know youse got people lookin out foah youse and youse can take care a' yoahself; but for my sake, will youse promise me youse'll be carefull?"

"I promise."

He put his arm around my shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "Good. Now, let's finish off dese papes."

We eventually sold all my papes and managed to make it to Gideon's not long after everyone else. There was a chorus of hellos as we sat down at a table with Hawk, Dreads, Flash, and Spot.

"...so I told the kid, 'hey hand ovah da papes kid' but he refuses." Flash gave Spot a jab in the shoulder and laughed. "I showed him what was what...damn chicken."

Spot smirked while Dreads shook her head in disapproval.

"I can't believe youse beat up some poor kid just foah sellin papes." She sent him a glare which he returned.

"He didn't ask permission Dreads. Youse don't sell papes in Brooklyn wit out Spot knowin. Right Spot?" Flash turned to his leader for support but Spot wasn't paying attention. He was looking over my shoulder at the door.

Ace ran in with a huge smile plastered across her lips.

"Remy, I gots youse a date!"

The bite that I had just taken from my sandwhich was spit across the table and onto Hawk. He wiped off the bits, disgusted, while I gaped at Ace.

"You what?"

"I got youse a date!" She jumped up and down then continued on excitedly, "Oh he's reeeaal nice Remy and cute too! I think he's absolutely poifect foah youse!"

I sat completely speechless as Ace watched me with her hands clasped together, waiting for a response.

"Wha...why...?" I couldn't get the words out to ask what I wanted to but apparently Ace didn't need to hear them.

"Well, Dreads told me youse were lookin foah a date foah da party dis weekend and we both decided I should set youse up."

I snapped my gaze over to Dreads who immediately looked down at her plate to avoid eye contact. After a moment of glaring, I turned back to Ace.

"Look, Ace...I appreciate you doing this for me..." She smiled again. "But I don't need you to set me up. I'll be fine finding a date on my own."

Her smile dropped. She put her hands on her hip and gave me a criticizing stare. "And whom, may I ask, do youse plan on bringin?"

I could not have been more uncomfortable at that moment. The truth was, I had no idea who to ask to the party. I just assumed that someone would ask me but maybe that wouldn't be the case. I did my best to keep from looking embarrassed and shrugged when I couldn't think of anything to say in response.

"Then what do youse gots ta loose? Give him a try, Remy and youse might actually have a good time at a party foah once." Ace crossed her arms as if daring me to say no.

I sighed, "Fine. But I want to meet him first."

She smiled, "Great! I'll bring him in."

Ace ran back out of the restaurant with me sitting there, totally dumbfounded. I looked around the table at everyone else and asked, "What is she doing?"

Was she seriously bringing him in to meet me now? And in front of all my friends? Dreads shrugged, Flash rolled his eyes, Hawk looked confused, Blue was laughing, and Spot gave me nothing.

I thought about slipping out of the back door but didn't have the chance to execute the plan before she came back in, pulling a boy behind her.

I shrank down in my chair and covered my eyes with my hand. "Oh. My. God." I bit my lip and closed my eyes in hopes that I would wake up from this terrible nightmare, but God was not so kind.

"Christopher, dis is Hawk, Flash, Spot, Dreads, Blue..." Ace waited as I removed my hand from my face and put a hand on my shoulder. "...and Remy. Remy, dis is Christopher."

I smiled weakly as he held out his hand to me, "Hello, Remy. Nice to meet you."

"Hi."

That was it. That was the best I could come up with. The table was in complete silence as I willed anyone to say anything to take away the awkwardness that was plaguing our conversation.

"Well sit down silly!" Ace pushed him down into a chair next to me. "Get ta know each oddah."

"Ace..." I was about to object when Spot got up and threw down some change on the table.

"Alrigh', dats enough slackin around," He said flatly as he planted his hat back on his head. "Let's get back ta woik."

When he saw that no one else had followed suit, he glared at the table. "All 'a youse!"

There was a scraping of chairs as everyone jumped up from the table as if there was fire under our seats. Ace sent a gloomy look to Spot that showed she was clearly disappointed with his sudden act of authority but he didn't see. He was already outside.

"Sorry." I gave Christopher an apologetic look even though I was secretly thankful. "I gotta go sell. But it was nice meeting you."

Christopher stood up and nodded his head. "I hope we can meet again."

I couldn't help but smile a little. After all, he was cute. Ace stood smiling and looking between the two of us.

"Bye." I gave a paltry wave, then followed Blue out of Gideon's, glancing over my shoulder on the way.

"Well, dat was coitainly interestin." Blue said once we were safely outside and walking away from the restaurant.

"Yeah," I looked back at Gideon's where I could see Ace talking excitedly with Christopher. "Yeah, it certainly was."

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Enter Christopher....

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