Disclaimer:  I don't own Newsies or Redwing.  If you want to know who they're owned by, read it from another of my many chapters.  *sticks tongue out in general direction of ff.net readers*

A/N: My story is suddenly so serious… I don't know why.  I suppose it will get funny again later.  Just letting all of you know, I have taken to fixing each chapter and moving the reviews to the bottom of each chapter as soon as I post another new chapter.  You probably don't really care that much, but I thought that I'd tell you all. 

Chapter 14: Boys Gossip Too, You Know…

Tuesday Afternoon, Part Two

            Jack sat on the edge of the Amp. once again.   Practice had gone well for the night's performance.  They would start with the introduction of the famous Spot Conlon.  It would be tough to shut the girls up long enough to get out any of their lines.  They were going to run through Seize the Day, the first time and the second time.  The boys were to end with the big strike scene where Brooklyn shows up and Crutchy gets taken by the Delancy brothers.  The problem was that the Newsies did not have quite enough people to make such an uproar onstage. 

            "Sos what are we gonna do about dis?" he asked.  "I dunno how we'se gonna pull it off."

            "We got a whole camp fulla people here, Jack!" Snitch said, waving his arm aimlessly at the empty bleachers in front of them. 

            "That's not a bad idea," Davey seconded.  "I'm sure that there are some staff members that would be willing to help.  Even some campers if we asked.  But since it is for the 'social enrichment' of the kids, I don't think we should ask them to help in it.  Just grab some random staff members."

            Jack played with the bandanna around his neck.  "Alright.  Dat solves dat problem."  He lapsed into silence for a moment.  The younger boys behind him were still playing and dancing.  They had a lot of moves to practice for Seize the Day.  "Guys, are any a da rest of you'se havin' problems wid goirls?"

            "Waddya mean, Jack?" Itey asked him.

            "Ya know, kinda like ya like 'em sometimes an' ya wants dem to be aroun' but den oddah times dey jus' annoy da hell outta yas an' ya almos' wish dat you nevah met dem before?"

            "Not really.  I jus' wish dat I could get a goirl to pay attention to me.  None of dem seem too keen on da idea."

            "Don't worry Itey," Snitch said, sitting down.  "You don't want a goirl.  As soon as you finally get 'er an' you tink dat you'se gonna be happy, sometin' else happens an' all your plans get shot ta Hell anyway."

            "Wadda you know?" Skittery said, pushing Snitch's head to the side as he sat down.  Snitch let his hang there, not turning to face his friend.  "'E's jus' mad dat his goirl took so long ta come aroun'.  Dere ain't nothin' wrong wid da goirls.  Dey can be right friendly if you knows how ta talk ta dem."  A smile broke across Skittery's face.  He seemed to be the only one who was having any luck with his female counterpart.  Mush blushed slightly.  The boys who knew why he was blushing were kind enough not to say anything, though it took every ounce of Race's resolution.  He bit down on the end of his cigar, almost biting it in half just to keep his mouth shut.  Blink rolled a cigarette and passed it around the little circle. 

            "Yeah, well some a dem ain't quite so receptive ta talkin' as your girl is," Blink said around the cigarette.

            "You'se one to talk!" Pie Eater exclaimed.  "You an' dat Gryffin goirl walkin' 'round heah tagether all da time.  Makes me sick!"

            "Yeah, an' dey was "sleepin'" in da hay room dis mornin'.  Nobody went in dere… dey coulda been doin' anythin'."  Blink glared at the last speaker, Boots.

            "Shaddup you.  You'se not even old enough ta get a goirl.  Who asked your opinion?"

            "At least all of you have prospective girls, weather they really pay much attention to you or not right now, they don't absolutely hate you." Davey sighed as he resigned to gossiping with the rest of the boys.  "The only girl that I think anything of is nothing but rude, cold and sarcastic."

            "What?  You gotta crush on Willow?" Race asked, smirking.  A few of the guys laughed.  Dave turned up his nose.

            "No, Nike if it's any of your business."  The boys behind him cracked the silent air with peals of laughter.  "And just what's wrong with Nike?" he asked indignantly.  Crutchy stopped laughing long enough to answer.

            "It ain't really dat dere's anytin' wrong wid her, but da fact dat she don' like nobody.  Where da you figure dat she's gonna like you for any reason?"  David's nostrils flared and he sank into silence.  'Let them laugh,' he thought.  'They'll see.  I'll make Nike like me.'

            "Why can't you guys ever just be friends with a goirl?" Snipeshooter asked.  The older boys turned to look at him, eyebrows raised on every face.  "What?  I mean, really.  Some a dem ain't bad ta hang out wid.  Kristan, she's alright.  We talked taday.  I like ta talk ta her.  She's bettah conversation dan some of you'se."  A few hats flew toward Snipeshooter.  Most of them did not have much force, and barely reached him.

            "I like da goirls too.  Dey's nice ta look at."  Bumlets stopped spinning and walked toward the growing group of boys.  "Pixie, she knows a lot about bein' on stage.  She's givin' me some tips."

            "Yeah, an you'se real great at dat stage kissin' dat I saw ya at las' night behind her tent," Swifty announced, smirking.

            "What!?  How did you… We was jus'…Hey!  What were you doing behind Pixie's tent at one in da mornin' anyhow?"  Swifty looked up smiling and shrugged. 

            "I'se jus' takin' Rain home.  I didn' want her ta walk all da way back from me tent by herself."  Jack stood up quickly, almost sending Snipeshooter tumbling down the steps.  The boys quieted and looked at him.  He was obviously upset.

            "You'se guys ain't helpin' me at all."

            "What do you want us to do, Jack?" Blink asked, tilting his head to one side.

            "I jus' want ta understand dese goirls.  Is dat too much to ask?"

            "Yeah, Jack it is," Race removed the cigar from his mouth.  The other boys turned to look at him.  "Do you know why?"  Jack shook his head.  "Because men wasn't designed ta understand goirls.  Dat's why.  Men was made ta keep each oddah company an' ta make da woirld go on by helpin' da goirls have babies an' keep da society goin' wid deir families and deir cahs an' deir liddle white picket fences.  Dat's why.  It ain't possible for a guy ta understand a goirl."  The Newsies sat in shocked silence at Race's words.  They had never thought before that he would know much of anything at all except for ways to cheat at gambling, let alone girls, but Race knew more about girls than any of them would ever know.  It was more than he himself had wanted to know, and it was one of the reasons that he was with Spot today, but that is a story in itself. 

            The hopper bell rang in the distance, signaling for them to go help collect their units from whatever activity they may be attending.  The boys slowly got up and left in groups of two or three.  Snitch stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited around.  Skittery headed into one of the back rooms to grab his backpack.  Most of the other boys had already left, so Snitch stopped his friend in the hallway.

            "Skitts, I need to talk to you," Snitch said, leaning against one of the walls.

            "What's up, Snitch?"

            "I'se… I'se jus' wanted ta talk to you'se."  Skittery put one of his arms on the wall above Snitch's head.  Snitch trembled… something he had never done in the presence of his best friend before.  Luckily, he was already sweating from dancing to Seize the Day, and his face was still flushed from breathing so heavily. 

            "Whadda ya want, Snitch?" Skittery asked again.  "I'm here now, so talk."

            "Ya see, it's… it's…" Snitch sighed.  Skittery looked at him concerned.  Snitch was Skittery's best friend, and whatever was bothering him was really, really bothering him.  "It's las' night."

            "Wad about it?"

            "Dat Truth or Dare game?"

            "Yeah…" Skittery started to have some idea of where this conversation may be leading, and he did not like it at all.

            "I'se, I'se just… I jus' wondered if maybe… maybe you an' me… maybe we'se like Spot an' Race, only we don' know it yet."  Snitch looked up at Skittery's sweaty, dirty face with a hopefulness that was almost childlike in its innocence.  Skitts sighed and pulled his arm from the wall, putting his back against the hard wood instead.  He let his head drop back against the Amp.  It was the only thing that he could be sure was completely real at the moment.

            "Snitch…"  Snitch could tell by the tone of Skittery's voice that he did not want to hear any more of what his friend was going to say.  He started walking out onto the stage toward the flag field.

            "I'se sorry, I shouldn'ta brought it up.  It's stupid a me ta say anytin'." Snitch continued to ramble purposeless apologies under his breath.  Skittery sighed and pushed himself away from the wall to follow his friend.

            "No, Snitchy, it wasn't stupid.  It took guts, and honestly, I'se been thinkin' a lot about it too.  But it ain't right, Snitch.  I'se got a goirl heah dat cares 'bout me.  Maybe… Maybe in anoddah place or time, but not heah.  You'se my friend, Snitch.  Dat's all it can be… weather we like it or not.  Guys… guys jus' don' do dat.  We go ta woirk an' we find ourselves a nice goirl an' we settle down an' have a family wid a house an' two cars an' 2.4 kids.  You undahstan'?"  Snitch stopped and turned to look at Skittery again.  Skittery's face had an almost pleading look on it as Snitch examined him. 

The boy's perception of his friend had changed drastically again in hardly more than a moment.  He saw Skittery through the eyes of another teenage boy who had to live up to the same standards and the same troubles instead of the eyes of a fan-girl, idolizing his friend.  It had been a dare… nothing more.  And suddenly, Snitch realized what Skittery meant. They were perfect for each other.  They complimented each other.  They would be best friends until circumstances out of their control broke them apart.  But because of their gender, they would never be more, just because that was not the way things worked.  And truly, neither of them would have really wanted each other that badly as long as they were still friends. 

"Yeah," Snitch said truthfully.  "I undahstan'."  The boys took a moment, staring at each other in silence.  The meaning that was transmitted through that silence was deeper than the sea and farther away from understanding than the stars are from earth.  We can see it, but we will never be able to grasp the meaning and hold it in our hands.  It was the mark of a truly perfect friendship.

Snitch smiled and dropped his gaze to the ground as he and Skittery walked off of the stage.  Skittery put his arm around Snitch's shoulders, in a purely friendly fashion and they began the trek to the flag field. 

"OH FUCK!" Snitch shouted, stopping dead in his tracks.

"What?" Skittery asked, making a face at his apparently delusional friend.

"I jus' realized dat now I gotta explain all a dis ta Artemis."  It was Skittery's turn to smile. 

"Good luck, suckah."

End Fourteen

A/N:  Yes! Artemis got her Snitch back!  Sorta… if she decides to keep him.  ^_~  I'll let her figure that out for herself.  That scene will have to be written by Artemis.  In case anyone didn't know, Arty got chapter two of Newsies Meet Redwing: Artemis's Story put up.

And I apologize to everyone, but I am really ready to refuse to post any more chapters until Elrania Leatherleaf/Baggi updates her story Newsies and Capture the Bear.  I really, really, really want to know what happens at Kid Blink's birthday party, and frankly, I've waited a month and I'm sick of it.  I'm really debating doing it, since I have up until chapter 19 figured out in my head, and all I need is time to put it on paper.  So if I don't update for a while, go and yell at her to update, because the sooner she does it, the sooner I will too.  This will make me a much happier person, and move this story back to the hilarious pace it had been moving in before.  For some reason, I've gotten all serious now.  And I'm sure nobody's reading this anymore, so I'll shut up now. 

Shoutouts!

Shot Hunter:  Yay!  You get to be first, because I love to have new readers!  I'm glad that I made you re-live your Girl Scouting days. Yeah, we are all a bunch of big dorks and we still do this… but the best part is that we get paid for it.  ^_^  Life is good. 

Artemis:  Ah, first again.  Surprise Surprise!  hehe  I luv ya hon!  No, Happy did not ever confiscate American Pie or American Pie Two, because her sister was the one who brought them to camp in the first place.  I really rather wish she would have, I got awful sick of that movie.  I would have preferred to see Dogma, since I never did get to see it, but heh… life happens.  I did rather forget to say much about what you were doing during that time period, but then again, you are quite capable of writing it yourself.  I was going to totally ignore the no-dating rule, but then you went and brought it up in your story, so I had to say something.  Love and Newsie Cookies!  Oh, PS: We did clean up the watermelon, I just didn't mention it.  ^_^

Cassie:  Yes, you've got to love the Watermelon song, and Gabby and Luna with Jack.  It's all quite cute. 

Maddie:  I'm sorry hon, but since you are not staff yet, you cannot be in every chapter.  That's just the way it goes.  Next time I write about campers, you'll be there though.  Promise!!  Oh, and I'm re-doing all of the chapters with the shout-outs at the bottom as soon as I get a new chapter up, so that anyone who is reading it after the start doesn't have to sit through these things, but you get your message before you read through the next chapter.  I'll fix those typos, I was really trying to get the chapter up so that you guys could read it before you went to bed.  Cha… so… lata!

Christine:  This is what you get.  And get used to it if you're coming to camp next year.  Yeah. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyhow, and I hope you like this one.  ^_^

Storm: Yes, of course Duct Tape has to come into play sometime, the question is when.  I like the idea of doing the last candle light of the summer and the staff banquet… maybe I'll do it as a sort of an epilogue to the story.  That sounds good… really really good.  I likes it!

Oh, and I wonder if I'll get Reviewer #100 for this story.  RULES: You can only enter one review for the chapter, or I'll not count your review.  People (my campers mainly) who post two or three reviews/chapter, I love you dearly, but if one of your multiple reviews ends up being review # 100, you do not get the prize.  I'm actually going to dig around here and see what I can come up with as a prize and mail it to whoever wins.  Yeah, I'm a dork.  Alright…ttyl!

LOVE AND NEWSIE COOKIES TO ALL MY READERS!!

Gryffin