"Jackie, heads up!"
Jacqueline (aka Jackie to the Newsies girls) Kelly's head shot up from her card game with Buttons and Jojo as a hat came flying her way. Jackie caught it with both hands, causing her to drop her cards and Buttons and Jojo to see them. "Wow, and I thought I had bad cards!" Jojo laughed.
Jackie huffed as Emmy came running towards her, trying to catch her hat. Jackie handed it to the younger girl and shouted, "Race, stop stealin' hats!" "Aye, aye, cowboy!" Race shouted, her blonde braids flying behind her as she chased Allie, who'd stolen Race's cigars.
"You say 'aye, aye' to pirates Race, not cowboys!" Juliet informed from the safety of her top bunk. Race finally caught Allie and tackled the girl, prying the cigars out her hand. "Yeah, yeah," Race said, waving it off as she stood, stuffing the cigars in her pocket.
Jackie picked the cards up and set them on the table, finding no point in continuing the game. The girls had lost interest anyway. "Anyone know if Crutchie has come back from sellin' yet?" Jackie asked, standing and looking around. The girls quieted and looked around.
"Haven't seen 'er," Specs said, moving out of the way as Henrietta lunged for her glasses. Jackie sighed and took her hat off, running her hand through her dark brown, short, curly hair. She looked out the window and said, "She's usually back by now. I'se gonna go look for her." "We'll help," Mush said, standing. Jackie hesitated before saying, "Racer, Mush, and Emmy can come. Specs you'se in charge."
The three girls followed Jackie and the four split up. "Crutchie!" Jackie shouted as she walked/ran around. She walked all the way to Brooklyn, hoping Spot would've seen her best friend somewhere. When the Queen of Brooklyn said she hadn't seen her, Jackie began getting even more worried.
She went through half of Manhatten, trying to find Crutchie. Where could she be? As the sun was coming up, Jackie trudged back to the Lodge, exhausted and worried.
"There you are, Jackie! The girls told me what's going on. Any luck?" Karter asked, running over to me. Jackie smiled tiredly as she hugged him. "No, not yet. Are Racer, Mush, or Emmy back yet?" she asked, letting go of her boyfriend and looking at the girls. They shook their heads.
"Dani and Lea dropped by. They was wonderin' why we weren't at the distribution center. We'se worried 'bout Crutch too, Jackie, but we need to get goin' or we ain't gonna have any money for food tonight," Finch said, running her hand through her jet black hair. Danielle and Lea Jacobs were sisters that the girls became friends with during the Strike.
Jackie sighed, nodding. "Alright, c'mon, Newsies. Maybe we'll find Crutchie while we'se out sellin'."
The Newsies grabbed their hats and bags and began heading out in groups to the distribution center. Jackie was keeping her eyes open as they walked. "Relax, Jackie, we'll find her," Allie said, putting her arm around Jackie's shoulders. Jackie gave the younger girl a fake smile and said, "I know."
As lunch came around, Race, Emmy, and Mush came into Jacobi's, looking tired and upset. "There ya three are! You ok? I was getting worried," Jackie asked, shooting up and walking over to the girls. "We'se fine. No luck findin' Crutch though," Emmy said, her short, light brown hair all tangled and in a huge mess. She tiredly walked over to Finch, Lea, and Juliet, sitting next to Juliet.
"We ran inta Moriah," Race said quietly. Jackie looked at Race. "What'd she want?" Jackie asked, crossing her arms. Moriah and Olivia Delancey were bullies, who often picked on the Newsies girls. "Just tauntin' us. Emmy kinda froze up a bit though, so you might make sure she's alright," Race said. Jackie nodded.
After finishing up lunch, the girls went back to selling.
As they headed home from working in the blazing heat all day, Juliet heard something. It was only her, Race, Finch, and Henrietta. The rest of the girls were heading home in different directions or groups.
"Help," the weak voice called again. "Fellas, ya hear that?" Juliet whispered, stopping. The other girls stopped as well. "Help. Please, anybody," the weak voice called.
"That sounded like Crutchie," Finch said, looking at the other girls. "Help," the voice called. "Crutchie?" Race called. "Racetrack?" the voice asked.
The realized the voice was coming from the alleyway, so the girl ran down it, finding their friend and sister beaten up and injured at the end of the alley. "Crutchie, what happened?" Henrietta asked. Race and Henrietta helped Crutchie up and put her arms around their shoulders. Juliet and Finch began searching for her crutch.
"O-Olivia and Moriah decided to remind me that I'se a crip and don't fight too well," Crutchie said. The other girls could hear the discouragement in her voice. "Crutch, you'se the strongest one of us there is," Henrietta said. Juliet found the crutch, then they went back to the Lodging House.
As soon as they walked in, all the girls' heads shot up. "Crutchie!" the girls shouted happily. "I was so worried 'bout ya. Where ya been?" Jackie said, helping the younger girl to a bed. Specs got what the girls liked to call 'the hurt box' that the nuns donated to them.
"The Delancey sisters got her," Henrietta explained. Specs came back with The Hurt Box and a wet cloth. Jackie began cleaning up Crutchie's injuries then wrapping them up.
Jojo began to say something when the door opened and Karter walked in. "Hey girls, any luck fin- Crutchie! Good to see you, I was worried," he said, smiling. "Seems like everyone was," Crutchie smiled. "Course we was worried! You'se our sister!" Juliet grinned. Crutchie smiled from ear to ear. So what if she had a gimp leg? She had a family and that's all that mattered.
A/N: So I decided to try a genderbent AU! What'd you guys think? Would you want some more of these? And yes, I know Moriah, Danielle, Jacqueline, Karter aren't 1900 names, but it's the best I could come up with for Morris, Davey, Jack, and Katherine. I'd love some suggestions for future oneshots! TTFN!