Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, but I got Kid Blink on a leash! ^_^ I don't own Redwing, but I could control most of what goes on there too, if I wanted. And I have my two souls. hehe… Christine and Luthien… what should I make them do today???
Chapter 19: Blink Redeemed
Wednesday Dinner
Gryffin stood at the head of the dining hall, her arm raised for silence. She was still in no mood to be the hopper councilor, although Race had made her feel a bit better. She feigned a smile and listed the menu for the night. At least the meal was good… steak or chicken salad, according to your choice.
"Steak or chicken salad, french fries, or freedom fries, or whatever you'd like to call them, and for desert we will have…"
Gryffin stopped speaking. A crash came from the unused side doors to the hall. They opened noisily, allowing Mush and Kid Blink to stroll into the hall. Mush disappeared into the kitchen, and Blink approached Gryffin. She was lost in his gaze, and did not notice that Mush had returned.
"Scuse me, miss," Blink said, with obvious intentions of continuing the sentence. Mush stepped between Gryffin and Blink, facing her as he spoke.
"Sorry about dat, m'am. I'll take carea him for yas." Mush turned to Blink. Gryffin was ready to continue listing the menu when two things happened at once. Music started playing from somewhere just behind her right shoulder. Mush ducked, and Blink looked over the other boy's shoulder at Gryffin, holding an imaginary microphone.
"You never close your eyes, anymore, when I kiss, your lips."
Gryffin turned bright red, immideately as she watched the boys. Mush stood up and stood behind Blink, like half of some strange barber shop quartet. Blink held the imaginary microphone to Mush so he could sing the next line. Blink smiled at Gryffin, that award winning, toothpaste commercial smile.
"There's no tenderness, anymore, in your fingertips."
Blink looked over to Gryffin again. Others who had seen the movie and remembered enough of it started to get up and walk toward the boys. Surprisingly, Jack, Race, Spot, Snitch and Skittery joined them. Gryffin was very much aware of every boy who got up. Though, she could have smacked Artemis for joining them, that 'oh I'm lovin' torturing you' smile of hers on her face.
"You're tryin' hard not to show it," Blink sang, grabbing Gryffin's hand. She pulled it away.
"Baby," the staff sang.
"But baby, I know it!" he sang, with such power and emotion that he sounded better than the real song playing behind him.
"You've lost, that lovin' feelin'," Mush and Blink sang together.
The others joined for the chorus. The staff and the few guys closed in around Gryffin and Blink, each of them smiling as Gryffin went down the line of faces, just so she knew who to try and kill in their sleep tonight. Artemis reached to put a hand on Gryffin's shoulder as she sang, but Gryffin snapped at the girl's fingers. Arty pulled back her hand. PB, being the insane child that she is, slid right over the kitchen counter, singing loudly.
"Whoah that lovin' feelin! You've lost, that lovin' feelin' now it's gone, gone, gone. Woah oh oh oh oao!"
Blink made a show of offering his hand to Gryffin again. She took it. This was simply too incredibly cute to turn down, even if she did want to be mad at him. She chewed her lip and watched Blink as he moved to stand next to her. He let go of her hand as well, being as they were standing in front of the whole camp. As if on cue, the people who had been singing the chorus with Mush and Blink faded into singing the background part. Mush continued the lead of the song.
"Baby baby, I get down on my knees, for you."
Mush spun around and down to his knees, one hand on his chest, the other extended to Gryffin, still mocking his friend. Gryffin considered taking Mush's hand and walking away without Blink, but she thought that doing that would cause too many problems both with Blink and Christine. Blink looked as if he wanted to hit Mush. Mush was acting so dramatically now that the Newsies could not help but laugh at him. The contagious sound filled the dining hall, and soon the song had fallen apart.
"So can I sit with you for dinner?" Blink whispered out of the side of his mouth while the others were busy laughing.
"I had plans to eat with Artemis, but somehow, I think she'll understand." Gryffin smiled back at him. She felt calm and confident in her heart, and this time, she was not going to let him get away again.
"Good," Blink said, smiling back at her. He looked around, and pulled Gryffin's arm violently. She did not notice where she was going, but suddenly she was in Blink's arms, his lips locked around hers. When he pulled away, she opened her eyes to see that the taller Newsies had conveniently made a semicircle that blocked them from the view of the campers. That, combined with the fact that the kitchen staff didn't care, made Gryffin smile even more. He was catching on.
She emerged from the circle, hand raised once again.
"As I was saying, we're having cake for desert. Grace tonight is Queba's Grace. Everyone please stand up."
"Good bread, Good meat, Good God, Let's Eat!"
With the overabundance of staff due to the Newsies' presence, there was enough room for Blink to sit at their table as well as Cinders, who had already taken her seat near Artemis. For once in her life, Artemis was being the foot of the table. Gryffin thought it was just to make her happy for once all day, but she wouldn't complain. Being the head was way easier. They were seated at the table farthest from the door in the left hand corner of the dining hall. Just as the meal actually started, a brilliant flash of lightening and a huge clap of thunder occurred almost simultaneously.
"Crap," Gryffin said, setting down her silverware. "Here, Blink, serve the munchkins. I've got to go to Trail's End and shut the tent flaps before this gets too bad."
Gryffin excused herself from the table and grabbed Sky on her way out of the dining hall. They ran the entire way down the path, and started to drop the tent flaps as quickly as they could. Gryffin grabbed her "waterproof" staff jacket from her tent and threw it on as light rain drops began to fall. Before she was even done with the first tent, the rain had tripled in size. It was now coming down in huge dollops, and it was coming down fast. The wind blew slightly, soaking her face as she tried to see to loosen the knots.
Within five minutes, the two were completely soaked and running back toward the dining hall. They all but burst through the doors, causing several odd looks from campers who found the half-drowned councilors amusing.
"Wow, Gryffin looks like a drowned rat."
Gryffin heard a camper's voice carry over the tables. She snapped her head quickly, and found that Katie, one of her Adventure Weasels from last year, was the one speaking. Gryffin ignored the comment, because it was meant in the spirit of fun, being from any Weasel. It did not make it any better though, as the comment was completely true.
Gryffin and Sky peeled off their jackets and set them on chairs to dry. Their shirts were not any drier than they would have been if they had been standing in a shower for ten minutes with the water on full blast.
The meal was almost over when Gryffin took her seat. She began to make a salad, her hair occasionally dripping into her food. Her table was just getting their deserts. The vanilla cake looked wonderful.
"Hey Arty, could I have some milk?" she asked the foot. Artemis, being herself, answered promptly and sarcastically.
"No."
"Please, Arty, can I have some milk?" Gryffin said with emphasis on the please.
"No." Artemis picked up her cake in one hand and began to eat it without using any silverware. At camp, silverware was vastly overrated unless you happened to be sitting at the camp director's table. Happy had a thing for manners… *shudder*
Cinders sighed. She stood up from the table
"Where're ya going, Cinders?" Artemis asked. Cinders ignored her and kept walking. "Cinders, sit down. I'm going to go get her milk." The spunky red head continued to ignore the little lifeguard. Artemis stood up and started to jog to the milk cooler. "Cinders! Sit down! I'm the foot, it's my job!"
When Artemis drew even with Cinders, they both broke into a sprint. As Artemis tried to stop at the metal cooler, she failed miserably. Instead of stopping on the floor that was soaking wet from the puddles that the unlucky staff members who had gone to close tent flaps brought back with them, Artemis slipped, her feet going up into the air. She landed on her back and her left elbow cracked on the floor. The cake in her right hand went all over the cooler, the floor, and Arty's shirt.
Cinders pulled her up. Artemis's elbow was hurting, it was obvious, but she was still laughing. She got the milk from the cooler and brought it back to Gryffin. Cinders went to get a mop from the kitchen to clean up the cake.
"Don't you ever, ever ask me for milk again." Gryffin smiled.
"Thank you Arty."
Artemis tossed her the milk. Gryffin smirked.
"Hey Artemis, I know someone who could help you get that cake off your face." Artemis dropped her face to the floor, laughing.
"No, Gryff-child, I think I'll leave the face licking to you and Blink. My mother always taught me not to play with my food."
Artemis walked by Gryffin, playfully poking her in the side as she passed.
The symbolism of all of the books that Mrs. Mannack, had made Gryffin's class read and memorize in AP English was true. The rain came down, soaking the camp, and with it came change. The change was welcome, and Gryffin felt like she was back to normal.
End Nineteen
A/N: Okay, hope you liked it! Just so you know, there is more to this story! If you cannot wait for the next chapter, or you just cannot get enough Newsies, or you want to read an awesome story, please go and read Newsies Meet Redwing: Artemis' story, by Artemis-chan of Redwing. Luv ya all! If anyone is interested in playing in a Newsies RPG through Yahoo! Groups, let me know, being as one of my friends started one.
HEY! PAY ATTNETION! Okaies, now that you're all going to read this… I got a "+" on my English paper… the one with the interview with Race… I was excited; it is the highest grade I've ever gotten in that class. (for anyone who didn't know, our teacher does not give out letter grades, it is -, check -, check, check +, check ++ and apparently +) Just wanted to share. ^_^ *does happy dance around empty apartment*
Shoutouts!
Artemis: Shut up you. For the record, I hate you. Being as you read this review aloud to me as you wrote it, I don't have much to say to you. *sticks tongue out in your general direction*I'll work on ideas for Snitchy… but I don't know yet. Give me a day or so of classes in which to mull it over. ^_~
Storm: Okay, I have another scene for you to play with duct tape in later... two actually. ^_^ Hope ya like it!
Maddie: You really should watch Top Gun… watch it right now before you read this chapter, because this will make more sense if you watch the movie first. Sry about the typos, I was typing on my mom's computer, and the keyboard sucks. I don't like running spell check on these stories, because it takes too long to go through all of the boys' lines. Of course you wouldn't know about the duct tape… of course not. I'm trying to put more about Spot in there, but that is just the part that Gryffin sees of him most, because it is the loudest and most obvious. She doesn't really talk to Spot much. I'll try to put some other random scenes with him actually having fun later.
Shot: Yes, duct tape rocks. hehe Please don't get sick. I hate being sick, and it just sucks. My Uncle lives in New Jersey… near New York City. *shrug* anyway… glad I kept you laughin'!
Snipe: AKA, Christine: You cannot be Racetrack when you work at camp because nobody will call you Race. You don't act like Race. You act like Snipe. And I WILL call you Snipe this summer, no matter what. XD Just because I'm evil. I like Race too… he's my favorite character in Newsies. (though Blink is the hottest) But sometimes you just don't get what you want. Just remember, I love you and I'm doing this for your own good. ^_^ If you really don't like Snipe, then we'll find you something else… but do you really want to introduce yourself to parents using the name Racetrack? They'll feel real safe leaving their kids with us. Glad you liked the chappie… and thanks for the reminder. Hehe
Cassie: *sigh* I can't believe that Maddie read you the chapter over the phone. Wait… yes I can… it's you and Maddie. *insert eye rollage here* I'm glad that I made your day by stopping to visit you, and I'm glad that you liked the story. Luv and Newsies!
Chipper: You woke up around 4? That's what time I went to sleep last night. lol Whoo…I wish that I could have that little Italian Racey boy… ohhhhh he's hot. Spot and Race have to be in all of my chapters… otherwise it would just be a bunch of crack-head girls ogling the hot boys. Hehe… Yank should read the story and review herself, and then I'll give her cookies. ^_^ (incase you hadn't noticed, I am a review whore) I do that sometimes too… one word gets me started in the New York accent, and then I can't stop. hehe Glad you like, and here's some new fun!
Anyone else, sorry I didn't leave much time to review between chapters, but SOMEONE keeps hounding me about this so… here goes! Besides… it really is killing me to keep this waiting. ^_^