Disclaimer: Newsies still ain't mine, it's still Disney. I called the Girl Scout office today, and they said that I could only buy one square foot of Redwing for $1.50, so I have to head up there and decide which piece I want to own. The rest of it still belongs to the Girl Scouts. The people belong to themselves, and the idea belongs to me.


Chapter 5: A Chat by the Fireside and some Campers from Hell

Monday Evening

Dinner came and went without any major complications for Gryffin. Something loud and apparently very interesting happened at Snitch and Artemis's table, but she couldn't see through the campers. That night, the Newsies put on a bit more of the play and finished with "Pulitzer and Hurst." When they finally got back to Trails end, the campers went to change into their pajamas, and Gryffin headed over to start a fire.

"Hey," Blink said, standing behind her. He looked incredibly good with his hands jammed into his pockets, standing shyly (for the first time in his life) in the moonlight. "Could ja maybies, use some help?"

Ummm… yeah, sure."



Blink took off his vest and rolled up his sleeves before he started adding sticks to the fire.



"So, I's jus' waned t'appologize fer oirler. I didn' mean ta git anyone in trouble or nuttin. I ain't used ta anybody pain' 'tention taw had I do. Dis is all new fer me." Kid Blink looked up, expecting some kind of answer. He looked reminiscent of a lost puppy.

'I will not get a crush on Blink, I will not get a crush on Blink,' Gryffin told herself repeatedly. 'I just need to keep reminding myself that I hate him and maybe he'll stop looking so damn adorable.'

"Keep makin' dat face an' you'll make all da liddle goirls cry." Mush slapped Blink on the back as he joined the two at the fire circle. Blink loved his best friend dearly, but he had the worst sense of timing. He tried to shoot Mush a look that said quite clearly that he didn't want to be interrupted, but Mush was just too nice of a guy for anyone to be mad at. That, and Mush was too much of a little kid for looks like that to mean anything to him anyhow.

Sky and Skittery emerged from the Unit Shelter with a bag of marshmallows. They absolutely refused to stop looking at each other. Gryffin had the feeling that they had either just ended either a very interesting and very long conversation, or a very satisfying make out session.

Spot, Jack, Race, Snoddy, PB, Kristan and Snipeshooter joined the circle. For some reason, Trails End seemed to be the place to be. Even Taylor and Itey, who had the night off, sat with everyone else. Campers soon emerged from their tents and queued up for their marshmallows. Race, Jack and Spot were having a very hushed conversation, where Jack smacked Race sharply in the side of the head. Spot stood up instantly, his hand on his walking stick. Jack was only an instant behind. Spot was looking daggers at Jack, their faces barely inches apart. Race stood too, one hand on Spot's shoulder, trying to get him to just let it go.

"WOAH," PB interrupted. "Girl Scout camp guys, remember? No violence… kay, great thanks." Peebs gave them both the sarcastic thumbs up that only she can and took a place near Snoddy. Jack, Race and Spot returned to their seats, but Spot made sure that he sat between Race and Jack this time.

Gryffin looked up from the fire she was building. A camper who had been coming to Redwing for years was sitting next to Kid Blink. Maddie was a great camper, and one day she would be great staff. Gryffin let herself get lost in the flames, watching them dance in front of her eyes, not really paying much attention to what was going on. She looked up at Blink again and saw that instead of sitting next to Kid Blink, Maddie was practically sitting on top of him. Her head was on his shoulder. He had obviously tried to move away without making her feel bad, just because of that whole staff/camper relations thing, but he was barely sitting on the edge of the log, and Maddie kept pushing him further.

"Okay girls!" Gryffin shouted a little louder than she needed to. "Its time for bed!"

"Oh, do we have to go to bed?" a blonde haired camper named Cassie asked. "I want to stay up and talk to the cute boys too!"

"Sorry Cassie," Kristan said, smirking. "Staff only. Goodnight."

Cassie turned on her heel and walked to her tent muttering something about when she would be camp director and it not being fair. Nobody talked until the rest of the campers were gone.

"Sos, whadda yous do aroun' here for fun?" Mush asked.

"Most of the time we watch movies in the staff house, or we read, or we play cards, or we write stories, or we just hang out like this, without any campers." PB told them.

"Dat's all?" Blink asked.

"Well, there was that one time when Gryffin and Dave and Willow got caught…" her voice trailed away when she caught the look on Gryffin's face. Unfortunately, it was a very awkward point in the sentence. Hoots and whistles broke out of all of the boys mouths. Gryffin smacked Race up-side the head, simply because he was the one sitting closest to her. She was rather lucky that Spot completely missed it.

"It was nothing like that. Sometimes, different groups of us would stay up at night and walk around camp and talk and play cards and stuff. It's just… different at night when you're the only ones in the whole world… Never mind, I'm just being stupid. That night, we were trying to move Phoenix out of her tent and into the tipi field, bed and all. We got caught because we couldn't lift her and we tried to get some other people to help us. Willow and I were the only ones who actually got caught, but an ex-staff member named Gizmo opened her mouth and got everyone else in trouble too." Gryffin shrugged. "It's really no big deal."

"Heya Christine," Mush said, making room fer her on the log. "What are yous doin' heah?"

"It's my night off, and I was coming to talk to Taylor, but when I saw everyone else here, I thought I'd just hang out instead."

"What do you guys do in New York?" Taylor asked. The clamor of voiced threatened to deafen her. "Hey! HEY!! One at a time. Itey, what do you like to do?"

"It's New York City! What can't you do? Alodda da time we jus' hangs out at da Lodging House or walks aroun' New York, dough. We ain't got much money ya see."

"Yeah," Race broke in. "But when ya do got cahs, da racetrack is always excitin'."



"Goin' ta da movies is always fun," Mush said quietly, looking up at Christine. She quickly got up and headed toward the bathroom. Taylor and Gryffin laughed. They both knew that Christine was in the bathroom, beet red, going, "omigod,omigod, omigod" to herself. Mush started poking the dirt with his toe.

"Dere ain't neva a lack a tings ta do in Brooklyn," Spot said, leaning back. "Everythin' from swimmin' ta snowball fights ta street brawls, Brooklyn's got it all. Dere ain't neva a dull moment."

"Or ya can always go ta see a show," Jack added. "I got dis frien', Medda, puts on a pretty good show. Real nice tad a Newsies too. Don' charge once in a while."

"It sounds like fun," Christine said, returning to her seat by Mush. She looked determinedly at Cowboy the whole time. Mush was starting to look as if he thought he'd done something wrong.

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "Once ya get used ta it, ya can't nevah leave, even if ya wan' ta. It's a part a you."

'Just like camp,' Gryffin thought, 'only without all of the bells and whistles.' She caught sight of her watch in the firelight. "Oh, wow guys, its time for bed," she said, standing up and stretching. "Would one of you want to volunteer to take Christine back to Orchard? She's still baby staff, and I don't want her to get scared walking all the way across the creek by herself."

Christine's head snapped sharply toward Gryffin.

"I'll go wid ya." Mush offered quietly.

"Okay."

The two headed off down the Sandy Path to Orchard, the other direction from where everyone else had to go. As the boys said good nights, Gryffin headed to her tent. She was in bed, ready to put on her headphones when Sky climbed in bed. For a moment, Sky stared silently at the canvas, then she started singing. Her voice was little more than a whisper, and she sounded like a little girl who just got a new kitten.

"Skittermarinky dinky dink,

Skittermarinky do….

I………. Love ……….. YOU!"

Gryffin groaned loudly and jammed her earphones into her ears. Sky and Skittery were really so perfect for each other that it was beginning to make her sick. She stared out across the unit, watching the beauty of the night as she slipped out of consciousness.

End Five

A/N: Yes, all of my characters are capable of breaking out in song anywhere and everywhere, so watch out!  I suppose it's a Girl Scout thing.  When we first got into Newsies this summer and I was learning all of their names, someone was singing that Skitamarinky-dinky-dink song, and it totally sent me cracking.  I don't know why… it was that time of day when the three A.M. jokes are funny for no apparent reason.  *shrug*  I hope you got a kick out of it too.

Shoutouts!

Storm: Is it Blink? Can he sing and dance and look hot? HELL YES!!

Artemis: Did any Newsies randomly fall out of the sky in your neighborhood yet? I hit Jack with my car yesterday. I didn't mean to, honest! I was pulling out from a stop sign and he landed on my hood. Mush arrived in a box the day before, and Davey just kinda walked into my house and started lounging around. Kristan and I both got three livin' in our houses now… you need some for your room, but you don't have to share with your sisters. You'll see what is to come, and Luna has nothing to fear. Enjoy hun. Luv ya Mushly!

Kristan: No, you are never getting Blink back. I left Mush at your house yesterday with very explicit instructions to never put on a shirt again. Davey and Spot in the same room after what happened in your story…yich, probably not. Besides, Davey is my *friend*, and I need him around to comfort him.

Cassie: Here's your big part, a whole whopping two lines!!

Maddie: I know you'll enjoy this, but HANDS OFF HE'S MINE.