Mush sat down on his favorite bench in Central park for a short rest. The day was half over and he needed a chance to breathe.
What was he going to do about Roselia? She was such a handful. Rosie wouldn't take any of the help he and the boys offered her and it really bothered him. Well, he thought, she's taken care of herself this long. He probably shouldn't be so worried, she was a strong girl.
Just as Mush thought of her, he saw Roselia standing on the corner. She crossed and entered the park, calling "Extra, extra!" the whole way. She stopped when she saw Mush.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," Mush smiled. "You wanna sit down?"
"Sure," Rosie slipped off her newspaper bag and dropped it on the ground as she sat down. "I am so tired!"
"I can tell." Mush put his arm around her and she layed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"What have you been up to?" she asked.
Mush sighed. "Ah... Same old, same old. Sellin' papes, thinkin' about Spark, worryin' about you..."
Chase sat up straight. "You've been worrying about me?"
"'Course," Mush nodded. "You've been goin' through a lot and I always hope you're ok."
"When have I ever not been ok?"
"I-"
"Never, that's when." A small smile crept upon her lips. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
Mush nodded but he still wasn't sure.
"Question," said Rosie. "When was the last time you took Spark out?"
Mush blew out a breath. "I don't know," He thought. "It's been a while."
Rosie shook her head. "Unbelievable. And I bet it's because you been spending all of your time worrying about me."
"Well-"
"You're taking her out tonight. I'll pay for the date myself. There's a great place near Medda's, I'll give you the directions."
"You don't have to-"
"Well I'm going to whether you like it or not."
"Fine."
December 15, 1899
"Do we have a show tonight?" Spark asked Chase as the two of them stood on a street corner and sold papes.
"No, Medda is giving us the weekend off because she and Mark are visiting family in Jersey." The girls had performed at Irving Hall every weekend since Medda employed them. They actually missed selling in Brooklyn Saturday and Sunday mornings.
"Good!" Story exclaimed. "I need a break. Those dance shoes hurt!"
Chase scoffed, smirking just like Spot. "Pansy."
"Hey!" Story gave her friend a shove. "I'm a girl. I'm allowed to be a pansy."
Chase was about to respond when a teenage boy approached her. "I'd like a paper, Miss."
"Here you go, sir." She smiled politely as she handed him the paper, even calling him 'sir' when they were probably the same age. The only difference was he was rich and she was no longer.
He handed her a whole dollar. "Keep the change."
She looked up. "Are- are you sure?" The boy's eyes were dark. He reminded her of the boy who had beaten up Boots so many weeks ago, he had the unusually black hair and dark eyes. But this boy had a different face and he looked like he came from wealth.
His smile was strangely insincere. "I insist."
Chase stared at the spot where he had just been long after he walked away.
Feeling arms wrap around her, Chase let out a little scream, blushing when she saw it was Spot. The other girls smiled nervously after what just happened with the last customer.
"A little jumpy today, are ya?" Spot said raising his eyebrow. "Wasn't that the same guy that bought a paper from you on 42nd?"
Chase shoved the dollar in her boot before Spot could see. "Have you been stalking us?"
Spot blushed a little. "I missed ya, since you're all independent now."
"Get used to it." she said, but she linked arms with him. Her leg was getting tired of all this walking.
"But seriously," Spot said. "I think you sold that guy a paper earlier. Why would he buy another one?"
"I don't know, I can't remember." And she didn't want to remember.
"Maybe he lost the first one." said Story.
"Yeah, it's really windy today." Spark added, buttoning up her coat. It was mid December. The newsies were waiting for the first snow to happen. They would enjoy it for about five minutes and then they would trudge along and nearly freeze to death for the rest of the excruciatingly cold winter.
"I guess that's possible." Spot said pensively.
"It's almost Christmas." Les said, excited. All the newsies crowded into the Manhattan lodging house after selling their papes, all sharing small cups of coffee. Helena was there too. Denton had promised to take her out of school during the weekends because it was so horrible for her.
"Les," David smacked him on the back of the head.
"No, it's alright, Davey." Story said, ruffling Les's hair. "Christmas is our favorite time of year."
"Ours too." Kid Blink added.
David was surprised. He expected the newsies didn't get presents or decorations since they were so poor. Not that that was the only reason for Christmas, but David thought most of his friends weren't familiar with the Christmas story and everything else.
"The nuns are real sweet and they bring over a Christmas dinner every year. Way better than what we get on Thanksgiving." Said Racetrack.
"And Medda does a special show for us." Blink said, smiling. He loved the theatre almost as much as Chase, but he preferred to be in the audience.
"I read the little ones the Christmas story from my Bible." said Mush. Apparently David was wrong again.
"We get a Christmas tree," Boots said.
"Yeah," said Jack as he leaned against the wall next to where David and Story were sitting. "Kloppman takes us older boys out to get one."
"And Santa Clause even gets us presents! Last year I got five new marbles." All of the newsies smiled at this. It was nice to see someone so happy when they had every reason not to be.
"Mr. and Ms. Casella always make sure we each get a new dress. or at least, it's sorta new." Spark added, she had her head on Mush's chest and he was stroking her hair.
"Me and Chase and Spark usually help fix them up to look just like new." Story said, looking at Mush and Spark a little envious. She liked David and David liked her, but he wanted to take things slow. She knew he was secretly a romantic and she'd wait for him to make the first real move.
Skittery watched as David stroked Story's cheek, touching her scar: a long white mark that went from the inner corner of her right eye and curved down to her cheekbone. She got it at the rally when a police officer hit her with his baton. Skittery didn't know why David wouldn't just kiss her already. He knew if Story was his girl he would have kissed her a long time ago. Wasn't that the point of having a girl?
Skittery blinked several times. He had to stop thinking about her constantly like this. Nothing was going to happen if he just thought about her all the time. He turned to Helena, talking to her usually got his mind off of things.
"How do you spend Christmas?" he asked.
"It's not as fun as it sounds, I promise." She said. "The staff decorates the house. I'm not even allowed to touch the ornaments for the tree. Christmas Eve, my parents go to a party, at the Rockerfellers', leaving me alone with just the staff to keep me company. They're gone until Christmas morning. Santa Claus brings me gifts," Helena smiled at Boots. "And my parents throw their own party with the most boring, pompous- snooty, as you say it, people in the entire world. I've been forced to dance with all of the eligible bachelors since I turned 12."
"Oh, the hardship!" Racetrack cried melodramatically, pretending to faint. "So ya gotta stay home one night and dance with a lot of bums."
"They're worse than just 'bums', much worse." Helena shivered. She decided to tell them her Neily Vanderbilt story so they would see what she meant.
"You won't have to worry about that now that you're here." said Skittery.
"Thank goodness!" She would be away from almost everything.
Spot froze, a little feeling of panic came over him. Chase had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Probably of exhaustion. She hadn't done this much walking in a while. Usually, when she was selling in Manhattan, she would find a spot in the middle of Central Park and stay there. Mush or Spot, if he was there, would come check on her and make sure she sold all her papes. She was still very independent when she was handicapped.
But it really was close to Christmas. Only a few weeks away. And Spot hadn't thought of anything to get Chase. They didn't exchange gifts in the past (except the red suspenders Chase got him on her first Christmas as a newsie) but it was different now. They were a couple, and Spot wanted to do something for her. It had been a difficult few months.
Spot carefully got up, leaning Chase on Mush's shoulder, and crossed the room.
"Hey, Jack." he whispered.
"Hey Spot." Jack whispered back, wondering what the heck Spot was up to.
"I wanna do somethin' for Chase this Christmas." Spot glanced over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't awake.
"Ok."
"What should I do?"
Jack stared at him for a second. "I don't know, Spot. You know better than I do, what she likes."
"Not really. You're one of her best friends."
"But you're her, how does Story put it? 'Gentleman friend'." Jack teased. None of the newsies could figure out why it took so long for Spot to make a move to court Chase. It was a love story 3 years in the making.
"That doesn't mean anything." Spot was frustrated. He helps Manhattan out with the strike and Jack won't give him any ideas on what to give Chase for Christmas.
Jack could see Spot's temper rising. The last thing he needed was a brawl over Christmas presents. "Ok, I'll help ya."
"Thank you!" Spot said, a little too loudly.
Jack gestured for him to come in the hallway so they wouldn't create another disturbance.
"First thing: you gotta stop treatin' her like she's some-" Jack couldn't think of the word.
"China doll?"
"Yeah, you're smothering her. Lighten up a bit, she'll thank you."
"Ok. But that doesn't help me with her Christmas present." Spot leaned his head on the wall. He had absolutely no idea what to get her. Girls were so complicated.
"Get her something that shows you respect her."
Good idea. Spot had acquired quite the collection of weapons, especially since he became leader of all the Brooklyn newsies. She might like something like that.
"And you gotta take her out somewhere." Jack added.
"I can't afford to do that-"
"You could take her to see Medda's show- Oh, speaking of Medda, she said she had some sort of surprise for the newsies. Something about a show at her friend's theatre."
"I could take her there." Spot's mind started racing, thinking of how she would react to seeing a show. She loved the theatre after all.
"And yous could get all dressed up. She'll love that. I can tell she misses bein' in the upper class sometimes."
Spot bit his lip (a habit that he'd gotten from Chase). He knew Jack was right, she missed the upper class. Unlike Mush, she'd only been a newsie for the past 3 years. She wasn't used to being a street rat like the rest of them. She never acted like she was better than them, but that was part of the reason Spot never asked her to court him. She seemed better than him. Spot thought she wouldn't want to be with a guy like him. She already (even now that Spot was courting her) had several guys, newsies and others, after her. And besides, she was from the upper class. She shouldn't have anything to do with him now. And he knew eventually she'd make it at the White Way like she dreamed, she was a fantastic dancer and an even more beautiful singer. And Spot would fade out of her life for good. He was just a minor character; not very important to her or anyone else, for that matter.
But, Spot thought, she chose me. He had to remember that.
When Spot and Jack returned to the main room, Chase was awake. Mush was teaching her how to play poker. Spot didn't want her to get into gambling like him, it wasn't fit for a lady like her. But would she listen? No. At least she didn't smoke or drink.
"Where did you go?" She asked.
Even though she didn't like to admit it out loud, Chase liked it better when Spot was around to be with her. She didn't want people to think she was weak, she got that a lot already just by being a girl. People treated her differently after her accident and she hated that. But she just felt safer when Spot was there. That night at the rally had really shaken her up. Just recently had she been able to buy papers from the Delanceys (when she was selling in Manhattan) and look them straight in the eye.
"I just had to talk to Jack about somethin'." Spot said.
"About what?" Chase narrowed her eyes suspiciously and looked from Spot to Jack. Neither of them would look her in the eye.
"It's nothin' you need to worry your pretty head about." Jack said, winking at her.
"Oh, ok." Chase smiled.
It bothered Spot a little that Jack and Chase had a connection like this. He was pretty sure Jack would never try to steal her away from him (Jack had his own girl and he knew full well that Spot would murder him if he did try to take her from him).But Spot had a feeling Chase kept secrets from him and he wanted to know how he could get her to open up and tell him.
A/N: This is a really short chapter*! Honestly I just should have put it with the previous chapter but then that would mess up the flow of my chapter numbering... I'm tired of figuring out the order of these stories...
(*Not anymore!)
