Every Breathing Moment From Now

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Unexpected Visit By Mr. Husley

Two O'clock in the morning, Jessie woke up hearing the sound of something taping against her window. She went over to it and opened it. "Hey Blink! You got my telegram?"

"Yeah...I'se got it." Kid Blink nodded.

"Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. I'se sorry it took me so long ta get heah."

Jessie picked up her bags, and put them over her shoulder. Blink looked her over.
"So, why ya runnin' away?"

"It's complicated. I'll explain it on the way. Come on let's go." Jessie said stepping out the window.

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Kid Blink and Jessie arrived at the Manhattan Lodging House around 3:30 in the morning. They quietly tip-toed up the stairs. After Blink showed her where her new bed was, she gratefully feel asleep.

She was going to need her rest. She had a busy day ahead of her!


The next morning when Jessie woke up, all the newsies were busily walking around singing their usual morning song, 'carrying the banner.'

Kid Blink came up to her first. "Hey Jessie, sleep good?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Yeah. Actually I did."
"I'se just wanted ta tell ya not ta worry 'bout needin' ta tell da guys why ya heah. I'se already explained 'bout ya faddah forcin' ya ta marry dat creep, and dat's why ya ran away. Dey all understand."

I nodded. "Thanks Blink."
I was a little relieved I didn't need to tell the whole story again.
Of course last night, when I told Blink what happened, I left out the details of me trying to get one of them to marry me for me to get out of marrying William. I'd bring that up later. Now wasn't the time.
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2 Weeks Later

Jessie stood on the corner of 42nd street, hawking out the headlines loudly.
"Huge roaches found in local restaurants causes them to close down!" She yelled. That headline got her 6 costumers.

Blink laughed. "Hey! Good one Jessie!"

"Thanks. I guess I am just a born natural at this stuff." She said grinning before turning back around to sell a pape to a gentleman.

Blink and Jessie took a quick brake and went over to the water fountain in Central Park for a drink. Selling papers out in this heat wasn't very good for someone, and they could become dehydrated quickly, so they had to make sure they drank plenty of water.

Jessie had been selling newspapers for the past few weeks. She needed to, in order to buy myself some food, and get a place to sleep at night. Meaning how she couldn't go back home yet, and there was no way she was giving up yet on trying to find someone to get me out of marrying William, so she just decided to work as a newsie.

Meaning how girls weren't aloud to be newsies in Manhattan, she had to tuck her wavy light brown hair into her hat. She only took it off when she was in the lodging house with all of her friends. Without the hat one, her hair came down to the middle of her spine. Her hair was a mixture between brown and blond.

When she first started to sell papes, she was a little worried that people would be able to tell she was a girl because even with her hair up in the hat, her face still looked like a girls. But thankfully, no one had noticed, or at least they hadn't said anything.

Of course she also wore pants like all the other guys.
Today she was wearing a pair of black pants, black boots, and a royal blue t-shirt, and brown suspenders.

She was 5"6' which was a pretty good average for a boy. Her eyes were a color between green and blue, and she had a few freckles on her cheeks. That's why everyone called her Freckles for her nickname, everyone except for Blink that is.

Blink and her had a relationship just like a sister and brother. Meaning how Jessie didn't have any siblings, it was easy for her to think of Blink as a older brother. He was very protective over her.

Meaning how they were like family members to each other, Jessie didn't even bother asking Blink to help her out and marry her because she just knew, that would be to strange. But Blink did know about her plan, and he always hoped it would work out for her.

"So Jessie, ya still haven't found anyone ta help ya out of marrying William?" Blink asked, shielding his eyes from the sun, as Jessie drank from the water fountain.

"Nope." Jessie said as she wiped her mouth off on her shirt sleeve after she stopped drinking. Her whole face was ink stained from selling papers all day, and of course, so were her hands.

"Who have ya asked?"

"Basically everyone in Manhattan that I am really close to. I'm not going to even think about asking someone who I dislike, because that would be just as bad as marrying William."

"What excuse did everyone else give ya, ta not wanna do it fer ya?" Blink wondered.

"Every single one of them said that, they only thought of me as a deer friend, and that they didn't think it would be right if we got married. Then they'd say they wished me luck. To tell you the truth, I don't blame them one tiny bit. If I were in there shoes, I know I'd say the same thing. I know it's wrong of me to be asking this burden of them. Most of them are still young, and I know they don't want to throw away there life to someone who they don't love in that way." I said before, bending down to get another drink out of the fountain.

Blink only nodded. "Yeah well, there is one guy who I know of who is your friend, who you haven't asked yet...." Blink said trailing off.

"Who?" I asked, sounding a little excited.

"Let's just say, he does have a bad temper, and ya probably won't wanna ask him....but I'se t'ink ya should at least try...."

"BLINK! Say it already! Who is it?!"

"Spot Conlon."

I busted out laughing. "Ha...good one Blink." When he didn't start laughing, a look of fright over came my face. "Oh my goodness, your not kidding?"

Blink shook his head no.

"I can't do that! I mean yeah, Spot's a lot nicer then William, but he doesn't like me! I'd probably die from nervousness before I'd even get the chance to asked him." I said this all at once.

"Jessie! Calm down!" Blink said grabbing me by the shoulders and sitting me down on a bench near the water fountain.
"Da least ya can do is ask him! I'se mean the worse ding he can do is say no!"

"NO BLINK! I refuse to lower myself to do that! And there is no reason why I should even waste my time to ask him. He has a new girlfriend every day. Girls are basically his life. There is no way that he'd give up his ego for me!"

"Fine. It's yer life. Do what ya want wid it."

We both stood up to go sell again.

'Me? Marry Spot? No way. It was ridiculous. I couldn't ask him. He'd say no. No doubt about it. He would say no if I did ask him. Wouldn't he?'

When Jessica got back to her selling spot, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and before she knew it, she was turned around and looking straight into William's face. She didn't even realize that she had gasped.

"Well Hello Miss. Foster." He said grinning shyly before looking her over. "My, my...I'd never thought I see the day when I'd see Jessica Foster dressed like a boy, and selling newspapers on the streets of new York! It's a shame really. I don't want my future wife...."

Jessie cut in quickly. "I told you once William, I'll tell you again, there will be a cold day in hell before I marry you..."

"Yeah, I know, that's what you keep saying. But let me tell you something Miss. Foster," He said, his hands tightening on her shoulders suddenly.

"Hell might be freezing sooner then you know." He whispered in Jessica's eye. Then he gently patted her on the cheek, mockingly. "Come home soon Jessica. You can't hide forever. If your not back on your own by the end of the week, I'll came find you and drag you back home if I need to." Then he walked off.

Blink had been watching Jessica and William the whole, and only after William walked away, did Kid Blink run up to her.

"Hey? Was dat William?"

Jessie only nodded.

"Did he hurt ya?"

She shook her head no.

"JESSIE! Will you say something!"

"So...where in Brooklyn does Spot live?" I asked, turning to look at Blink.

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