************************************************************************
"Are we ready?" Jack called out as the boys filtered out of the Lodging House.
"YEAH!!" The collective scream rose above the crowds of boys.
Bright Eyes stuck close to Racetrack and Blue stuck close to her. She didn't want to be with Kid Blink, who was all the way up in the front. She wanted to observe what happened first when they got inside the Distribution Office. This was the day. Jack hadn't been able to get Crutchy to come out, so he had left him. But today, they were going to show everyone that they didn't like the prices of the papes. Everyone, no exceptions. Pulitzer, Weasel, the Delancys, and all of New York were going to see that they wouldn't take this lightly. They marched to the gates of the Distribution Office and stopped, eyeing the boys standing at the gates. Their expressions were all that of fear, but there was still a glimmer of something in their faces that Blue couldn't recognize.
"Sometin' ain't right Bright." She whispered to Bright Eyes.
"I know. I feel it too. Dey're hidin' sometin'." Bright Eyes whispered back.
"All right! Everyone, remain calm!" David called out cheerily.
Blue and all the other boys looked at him with looks of pure disgust on their faces. Jack shrugged.
"Let's soak 'em fer Crutchy!" He yelled as the boys began to stampede into the office.
To Blue's surprise, the boys ran to the very back of the office and began pounding on the doors where the papers were usually delivered. The large doors opened and out stepped several men and boys alike, chains in their hands, ready to use them on the Newsies. Blue's eyes widened in horror and she began to backtrack as she heard Racetrack yell,
"Jack! Jack it's a trick!" She ran towards the gates, but just as she reached them, they slammed shut, locking her in.
There was a police officer standing right outside the door watching her. She stared at him pleadingly and he stared right back. Finally after a long while, she glared at him, took aim, and spit on him. The police officer stared at her as she ran back into the fray, looking for Jack. Jack was cornered in a circle of boys, men were swinging their iron chains, missing him slimly. Once they managed to strike his arm and Jack's face winced in pain. For the first time, Blue felt as though she would faint, but when a collective yell caught her ear.
"Brooklyn!" Her eyes scanned the rooftops and they clapped onto a short skinny boy, with a huge grin on his face and a key around his neck.
"Neva fear! Brooklyn is here!" He called out over the crowd.
He then drew his slingshot as did the others from Brooklyn and they fired on all those trying to hurt the Newsies. Blue sprang into action, punching out the first man near her. She dove through the crowd, searching for unfamiliar, leering faces.
"Hey goilie!" A taunting call came from behind her.
She whirled around and fell to the ground as the boy's fist connected with her cheek hard. She held her arms up over her face, trying to shield herself from the stampede of boys above her. The boy who had punched her stood above her, glaring leeringly and reached down to punch her again. But before he could, Blue saw a fist snap out around his neck. The boy tried to turn around, but his neck was caught in the person's vise-like grip. Finally the person threw him to the ground as he was gasping for air.
Blue uncovered her eyes and looked up for her protector. Her breath caught in her throat. Spot Conlon stood above her, one hand leaning on his cane, the other stretched out to her. She hesitated for only a moment before taking it. Spot pulled her up and smiled.
"Nice woik kid. Ya punched out more dan some of my guys." Blue stared at his smiling eyes in astonishment.
"Ya got dat guy offa me. Why?" Spot was taken aback temporarily.
"He was gonna moida ya. I couldn't let him take out a good fighta like you. Now cut back da chatta. We's got a war ta wage don't we?" He asked, turning around and punching another man in the face.
Blue stared at him only a moment more before she turned around and defended herself once more.
In no time at all, the fight was over. With the help of Brooklyn, Manhattan was victorious. After Denton insisted upon taking a picture of the glorious victors, Blue wandered about between the Newsies, talking to them. Then a familiar face came out of the crowd.
"Fox! It's you! How'd ya do? We did wondaful!" Blue yelled, running towards her friend.
He grinned, and touched his swelling eye.
"Yeah, we did good! We make a good team huh? Aldough I got a little beat up. But danks ta Spot, I didn't get it too bad." Fox said proudly, eyeing the Brooklyn leader, who was talking to Jack.
Blue looked over at him and shrugged.
"Yeah. He saved my neck too." Fox raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Whaddya tink of Conlon now?" He asked cautiously.
"I dunno. I should be grateful huh?" Fox grinned.
"No kiddin'. Ya tink?" Fox said reprimandingly.
Blue sighed.
"I guess. I suppose I should do da necessaries now huh?" She asked, a tinge of resentment in her voice.
Fox nodded with a knowing smile on his jubilant face. Blue sighed again and shuffled over to the Brooklyn leader. When Spot saw her coming, he finished talking with Jack and met her halfway. He stood still, leaning on his cane and watching her with a sparkle in his eye.
"You know what I came ta say Conlon, so I won't waste any time sayin' it." Blue said regretfully.
Spot nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea of what yer gonna say." He said, a smirk coming over his features.
"Thank ya again fer savin' me neck. Now dats ova, so now I should leave before you sic yer bulldogs on me." Blue said quickly, turning around.
"Blue." Blue stopped and turned back to Spot.
He was smiling, not a smile of contentment or mean spite, but just a normal smile.
"Its okay. I tink dat you kin hold yer own in a fight, an' ya got respect in spite of yer feelin's."
Blue sniffed.
"So?" Spot leaned closer to her.
"Ya also got guts. Ya got my respect Blue. Dis is sometin' dat don't come often, so take it or leave it." He said, sticking out his dirty palm.
Blue looked at it, then back at him. She saw no signs of deceit in the depths of his gray-green eyes.
"I'll take it Conlon." She said suddenly, sticking out her hand and shaking his heartily. Spot's smile grew wider as he shook her hand.
"Well now ya got my respect, an' my protection. Consider Brooklyn a safe place if ya need it." He said, trying not to reveal the pleased expression on his face over the occasion.
"Who knows Conlon. I jest might take ya up on dat." Blue said with a smile.
"Are we ready?" Jack called out as the boys filtered out of the Lodging House.
"YEAH!!" The collective scream rose above the crowds of boys.
Bright Eyes stuck close to Racetrack and Blue stuck close to her. She didn't want to be with Kid Blink, who was all the way up in the front. She wanted to observe what happened first when they got inside the Distribution Office. This was the day. Jack hadn't been able to get Crutchy to come out, so he had left him. But today, they were going to show everyone that they didn't like the prices of the papes. Everyone, no exceptions. Pulitzer, Weasel, the Delancys, and all of New York were going to see that they wouldn't take this lightly. They marched to the gates of the Distribution Office and stopped, eyeing the boys standing at the gates. Their expressions were all that of fear, but there was still a glimmer of something in their faces that Blue couldn't recognize.
"Sometin' ain't right Bright." She whispered to Bright Eyes.
"I know. I feel it too. Dey're hidin' sometin'." Bright Eyes whispered back.
"All right! Everyone, remain calm!" David called out cheerily.
Blue and all the other boys looked at him with looks of pure disgust on their faces. Jack shrugged.
"Let's soak 'em fer Crutchy!" He yelled as the boys began to stampede into the office.
To Blue's surprise, the boys ran to the very back of the office and began pounding on the doors where the papers were usually delivered. The large doors opened and out stepped several men and boys alike, chains in their hands, ready to use them on the Newsies. Blue's eyes widened in horror and she began to backtrack as she heard Racetrack yell,
"Jack! Jack it's a trick!" She ran towards the gates, but just as she reached them, they slammed shut, locking her in.
There was a police officer standing right outside the door watching her. She stared at him pleadingly and he stared right back. Finally after a long while, she glared at him, took aim, and spit on him. The police officer stared at her as she ran back into the fray, looking for Jack. Jack was cornered in a circle of boys, men were swinging their iron chains, missing him slimly. Once they managed to strike his arm and Jack's face winced in pain. For the first time, Blue felt as though she would faint, but when a collective yell caught her ear.
"Brooklyn!" Her eyes scanned the rooftops and they clapped onto a short skinny boy, with a huge grin on his face and a key around his neck.
"Neva fear! Brooklyn is here!" He called out over the crowd.
He then drew his slingshot as did the others from Brooklyn and they fired on all those trying to hurt the Newsies. Blue sprang into action, punching out the first man near her. She dove through the crowd, searching for unfamiliar, leering faces.
"Hey goilie!" A taunting call came from behind her.
She whirled around and fell to the ground as the boy's fist connected with her cheek hard. She held her arms up over her face, trying to shield herself from the stampede of boys above her. The boy who had punched her stood above her, glaring leeringly and reached down to punch her again. But before he could, Blue saw a fist snap out around his neck. The boy tried to turn around, but his neck was caught in the person's vise-like grip. Finally the person threw him to the ground as he was gasping for air.
Blue uncovered her eyes and looked up for her protector. Her breath caught in her throat. Spot Conlon stood above her, one hand leaning on his cane, the other stretched out to her. She hesitated for only a moment before taking it. Spot pulled her up and smiled.
"Nice woik kid. Ya punched out more dan some of my guys." Blue stared at his smiling eyes in astonishment.
"Ya got dat guy offa me. Why?" Spot was taken aback temporarily.
"He was gonna moida ya. I couldn't let him take out a good fighta like you. Now cut back da chatta. We's got a war ta wage don't we?" He asked, turning around and punching another man in the face.
Blue stared at him only a moment more before she turned around and defended herself once more.
In no time at all, the fight was over. With the help of Brooklyn, Manhattan was victorious. After Denton insisted upon taking a picture of the glorious victors, Blue wandered about between the Newsies, talking to them. Then a familiar face came out of the crowd.
"Fox! It's you! How'd ya do? We did wondaful!" Blue yelled, running towards her friend.
He grinned, and touched his swelling eye.
"Yeah, we did good! We make a good team huh? Aldough I got a little beat up. But danks ta Spot, I didn't get it too bad." Fox said proudly, eyeing the Brooklyn leader, who was talking to Jack.
Blue looked over at him and shrugged.
"Yeah. He saved my neck too." Fox raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Whaddya tink of Conlon now?" He asked cautiously.
"I dunno. I should be grateful huh?" Fox grinned.
"No kiddin'. Ya tink?" Fox said reprimandingly.
Blue sighed.
"I guess. I suppose I should do da necessaries now huh?" She asked, a tinge of resentment in her voice.
Fox nodded with a knowing smile on his jubilant face. Blue sighed again and shuffled over to the Brooklyn leader. When Spot saw her coming, he finished talking with Jack and met her halfway. He stood still, leaning on his cane and watching her with a sparkle in his eye.
"You know what I came ta say Conlon, so I won't waste any time sayin' it." Blue said regretfully.
Spot nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea of what yer gonna say." He said, a smirk coming over his features.
"Thank ya again fer savin' me neck. Now dats ova, so now I should leave before you sic yer bulldogs on me." Blue said quickly, turning around.
"Blue." Blue stopped and turned back to Spot.
He was smiling, not a smile of contentment or mean spite, but just a normal smile.
"Its okay. I tink dat you kin hold yer own in a fight, an' ya got respect in spite of yer feelin's."
Blue sniffed.
"So?" Spot leaned closer to her.
"Ya also got guts. Ya got my respect Blue. Dis is sometin' dat don't come often, so take it or leave it." He said, sticking out his dirty palm.
Blue looked at it, then back at him. She saw no signs of deceit in the depths of his gray-green eyes.
"I'll take it Conlon." She said suddenly, sticking out her hand and shaking his heartily. Spot's smile grew wider as he shook her hand.
"Well now ya got my respect, an' my protection. Consider Brooklyn a safe place if ya need it." He said, trying not to reveal the pleased expression on his face over the occasion.
"Who knows Conlon. I jest might take ya up on dat." Blue said with a smile.