I haven't done so in a while, so I'd like to thank anyone who recently followed or favorited this story. Your support means a lot! (And, reviewers, your support means a lot as well!)

Review Responses:

AndrewKeenanBolgerFan: I can't believe the phrase "chapter as usual" is being used to describe one of my stories. Seriously, I can't. I used to be awful at updating. I might write a bunch of stuff about Jojo and the coffee shop, just for you. (Maybe I'm serious, but probably not.) But I'm happy you like that!

JustVildaPotter: I don't know. You'll have to ask someone who stops reading. Les chapter! Woohoo! That chapter included on of my favorite Les moments: him yelling at the top of his lungs to get people to SHUT UP, then turning to Jack and acting completely calm five seconds later. OH YEAH, IT'S ACTION TIME! STRIIIIIIIIKE!

But, actually, it isn't strike time just yet. We've got a little break this chapter.

Have fun with it!

Chapter 21- Smalls

Thursday, September 16, 1999, 2:00 p.m.

Instead of going to lunch that day, Smalls hid out in the theater. Using lock-picking skills she had gained from an old friend and former foster sibling, she busted into the stairwell that led to the balcony seating. And there she sat- in the balcony, not in the stairwell- waiting for class to start. Since journalism class that morning, Smalls had been bothered. Davey's words "you can't accept the world being hard one freaking time" kept coming back to her. It reminded her of a conversation she'd had before before leaving her private school in The Bronx two years before.

"It's a hard world out there," the principal had told Smalls after delivering the news that she had been expelled. "Especially for people like you." The man could have been referring to a number of things with that phrase- unruly foster kids, students who were slackers, girls who liked girls- Smalls fell into every one of those categories, so it really hadn't mattered. "The sooner you accept that truth, the better off you'll be," had been the principal's warning.

Smalls' expulsion had been the result of another girl's actions. A fight had started between them, and Smalls got violent fast. It was a bad habit of hers. She hadn't tried to defend herself in the face of adults' accusations, even though her rival had been the major cause of the incident. Her foster parents at the time wouldn't have listened to her anyway, or at least, that's what Smalls had told herself when they blew up at her for getting expelled. Then, they had called her social worker, and she'd been sentenced to The Refuge for several months afterwards. It had been the worst few months of her life, though Smalls had gotten off easy compared to Jack and Race. The Refuge had been only a temporary placement while the state found a new home for her. She had wanted to speak up then as well, when they had removed her from Snyder's care, but forced her to leave everyone else behind. However, Jack had made her swear not to tell anyone about Snyder's abuses. He'd said it would only make things worse, and Smalls hadn't argued. So she had kept quiet while her friends were left to suffer at the hands of the Spider. She still regretted that.

As footsteps approached her from behind, Smalls shifted to face the mystery person. It turned out to be Sniper, without Finch for once. The other girl gave her a little wave. "Hey."

"This is a private box," Smalls blurted, trying to make a joke.

It didn't go over well, as Sniper made to leave. "Damn. Stay alone then."

"No, I was tryin' ta-" Smalls patted an empty seat next to her- "I dunno. That was stupid. I'm sorry."

Sniper laughed and dropped into the seat. "Why're ya hidin' up here?"

"I'm thinkin' 'bout some stuff."

"Davey?"

"How'd ya guess?"

"You looked pretty pissed earlier. He really upset ya, huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, he comes in 'ere one day an' thinks he knows everythin'. It's crap."

"Finch an' Albert decided ta call him 'The Walkin' Mouth'."

"I like that," Smalls smiled. "But seriously, how does a guy go from questionin' da system one day ta supportin' it da next?"

Sniper shook her head. "I got no idea."

"An' yellin' at Jack like that. It came outta nowhere."

"Ya neva' can tell what's goin' on wit people." Sniper looked out at the rows of empty seats below. "Hey, y'know how Jack an' some a' the guys have that 'penthouse' thing?"

"Sure, what about it?"

"Well, I been thinkin', we should get somethin' like that, fer jus' the two a' us."

"'S that so?"

"I know you got Jack an' Race, an' I got Finch, but we're basically the only girls in the group, an' I figure we should be able ta talk to each other."

"Ya mean physically?"

"Huh?"

"Instead a' textin' me constantly when ya should be payin' attention in class."

Sniper blushed. "You got me. God, we're all horrible students, aren't we?"

Smalls gave her a self-degrading smile. "I'm prob'ly gonna work at Jacobi's fer da rest a' my life."

"Maybe we should start actually tryin'."

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, before saying, in the same tone at the same time, "Nah."

Smalls checked her watch, noticing the theater was still empty. "That's weird. Class should be startin' an' Medda ain't in here yet."

In her seat, Sniper turned to the side, so she was facing Smalls. "Guess we're alone."

Small couldn't help noticing how far away their faces were, which was not very far at all. "I guess we are."

"Ya know what I've always wanted ta do?"

Smalls leaned a bit closer. "What?"

Sniper bolted up, ran down the aisle to the railing on the edge of the balcony. "Scream in the theater!" The sound bounced around the walls, filling all corners of the theater.

Surprised, but deciding to go with whatever had just happened, Smalls went down to stand alongside her companion. "What was that?"

"I've always thought it would be fun, ta jus' come up 'ere an' yell when the theater's completely empty. Don't you have a thing like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like somethin' you've always wanted ta do, an' thought about doin' foreva', but you're too much of a rule-follower ta actually do it."

"Ya think I'm a rule-follower?"

"No, no. But ya gotta have a thing you've told yerself you'd neva' do."

Smalls stared at Sniper's lips. "I can't think of anythin'," she lied.

"C'mon. Nothin' at all?"

"No. But I'll try yer screamin' thing."

"Okay," Sniper agreed. She leaned over the railing and yelled again. "Ahhhhhh!"

Smalls copied her movements. "Ahhhh." Her shout didn't quite achieve the anticipated echo.

Swatting her friend's shoulder playfully, Sniper challenged, "Ya can do betta' than that. Let's get ya somethin' ta yell." She thought for a second. "I know, Medda's song."

As a young woman, Miss Medda had become famous from a pop song she had written and released, called "That's Rich". All of her students knew it, particularly Jack, Race, and Smalls. But Smalls didn't feel like singing it now, nervous as she was in front of Sniper. "No..."

"Yes!" Sniper pushed her torso over the rail again, hands gripping the metal. "''Cause there's one thing you ain't, that I'll always be!'"

Smalls had no choice but to start mumbling the words. "'An' honey, yeah that's right,'" she raised her voice and half-sang, half-shouted, "'That's riiiiich!'" into the empty theater.

"'That's riiiiiiiiiich!'" Sniper sang, more loudly.

The two girls joined together for the last lyric, which they attempted to belt at the top of their lungs. "'That's riiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiich!'" They both fell back into seats, giggling at the absurdity of what they'd just done. "'That's rich!'"

"Aw..." said someone, causing the laughter to stop abruptly as the girls nearly jumped out of their skins.

Though Sniper still looked tense, Smalls relaxed when she saw it was only Sarah.

"You guys are so cute," Sarah said, holding up her camera. "Mind if I get a picture?"

In a way that sounded nervous to Smalls, Sniper laughed. "Whaddaya mean 'cute'?"

"I mean you look like you're having fun," Sarah reassured. Smalls was fairly certain that wasn't the entire meaning. "Can I get a picture or what?"

"Oh, you don't wanna picture a' me."

"I do, though," said Smalls. She threw an arm around Sniper's shoulder. "Go on, Sarah."

Raising her camera, Sarah instructed, "Say cheese!"

Both girls gave her the most awkward smiles they could muster as the photo was snapped. Afterwards, Sarah folded her body into a chair across the aisle from the other two.

"How'd ya find us in here?" Sniper wanted to know. She was blinking from the camera flash.

"Well, the door was propped open and I could hear you two making noise from downstairs."

Smalls exchanged a glance with her friend. "Oops."

"So this is what you girls do without the boys? You come scream in the theater?"

"I mean, I'm hopin' ta make this a regular thing," Sniper admitted, albeit quietly.

"Dunno when this place'll be completely empty again, though," added Smalls, taking note of the completely empty theater for a second time.

"Actually, sooner than you think." Katherine had come up to the balcony. "Sarah, I need you. There's commotion downstairs." Sarah hopped up and went to her friend's side.

"What's happenin'?" Sniper jumped up as well, in time with Smalls. But Katherine had left as quickly as she had come and Sarah had gone with her.

The other two girls chased after them. Years spent around boys in the rougher parts of New York City meant it took them mere seconds to catch up with Sarah and Katherine.

"Uh, hello?" Smalls skipped the last two steps and threw open the door at the bottom of the stairwell. Behind her, Sniper skidded to a stop. "We're here too, wantin' ta know what's goin' on."

As Katherine spun around, her long red hair went flying into her face. She brushed it away from her mouth. "Right, you haven't heard. You were upstairs."

"Yes, we know," Sniper snapped her fingers multiple times, trying to hurry this along. "What the hell's happenin'?"

Katherine sighed before breaking the news. "Mr. Pulitzer shut down the theatre program."

DUN DUN DUNNN!

Also, it's my girls! Smalls and Sniper! (a.k.a. Smallsper) I love them so much. Please appreciate them with me.

Please leave a review, and I'll see ya next time!