1 Chapter 3

When all the girls sat in the dinning room for breakfast Lina came in singing.

"Morning Sweethearts! I thought I give you your Christmas presents today, because tomorrow half of you will be very tired or have headaches and the other half won't even be here in the house." She winked at the girls and a few of them blushed. Everyone got a bag of Lina's self-made cookies and she gave them all a week without paying rent.

"And now,... go to work!" She sent the girls out of the house laughing.

*

"Hey Fighter, I wanted to ask you …"

"A moment please Boots, I gotta get my papes first."

"So, What you'd wanted to ask me?" Fighter and Boots were ready with selling their papes and on their way home.

"oh, I, well, I just thought, if we "

"Boots?" She looked concerned at him. Boots took a deep breath and let the question out in one sentence.

"Would you go to Medda's party with me?" Fighter looked at him confused and finally blushed.

"You mean as in a DATE?" Boots nodded even as red as Fighter. He slowly raised his head and looked in her darkbrown eyes.

"Yeah! I'd love to!" Fighter looked down and Boots grinned.

"I come to you at nine?" Fighter nodded and they headed in the different directions.

*

At the evening, the Lodging house for girls seemed like a battle field. All girls were making themselves ready for the party.

"So Boots and you have a real date tonight?" Daisy asked as she jumped up and down on Butterfly's bed.

"Yep!"

"Boys are silly! I don't understand how you could all be so crazy about this whole date-thing. I hope I'll never become like this when I'm sixteen!" Shortie sat there and looked at Fighter, Butterfly and Snowflake while they were getting ready.

"Oh I can understand them fully! I can hardly wait till somebody will ask me to go out. Sometime the prince of my dreams will come along and rescue me! Such a guy like Spot!" Daisy looked dreamy at the ceiling and fell on the bed. Fighter Butterfly and Snowflake smiled at the two twelve year old girls.

The prince which rescue's his princess only exist in fairytales! They thought at the same time.

*

"Hello Boots. Here to get Fighter?" Spain grinned at him. Boots nodded and blushed lightly. Fighter came down the stairs.

"Heya Boots ready to go?" They left the lodging house and headed to Irving hall.

*

The party was the highlight of the year and Butterfly was the highlight at the bar. She drank as if there wasn't any morning!

"Hey Butterfly, don't you think you've had enough by now?" Snowflake looked at Butterfly worried.

"Leave me alone! I'm no lil girly girly girl!" Butterfly mumbled. Snowflake shook her head and went away.

"Hey Sweetface. Never saw a girl that could drink like that!" A guy behind Butterfly said impressed. She turned around and looked him up and down. He was around eighteen, tall and handsome. He had ash-blond hair which almost reached his gray eyes.

"Well sometimes has to be the first time!" Butterfly said dryly and her next drink was drank.

"Are you always so a fast worker?" He grinned.

"It all depends!"

*

Snowflake stood with Raven and Speed away from the party tumult. She avoided to be seen by any of the guys. Out of all Skittery shouldn't see her like this. She didn't want him to worry about her. She touched her lower lip. You could still see the place where it was split.

*

Boots and Fighter were coming back from the dance floor as Gangster came to them.

"Heya you lovebirds!" he grinned and slapped his brother on the shoulder.

"What you mean with 'Lovebirds'?!" both asked at the same time.

"Okay, okay! Hey have you seen Butterfly?"

"Yeah she was over at the bar with Snow."

"Okay, have fun, but, not too much..." He winked and left for Butterfly.

*

When Gangster arrived the bar he saw Butterfly kissing this guy. But this guy was

"ASH! Shit what is he doing here?" Gangster walked up to them and pulled Butterfly away.

"Leave her alone!" he hissed.

"Gangsta, good to see you again!" Ash looked at him with fury. He had never forgiven Gangster that he had left the gang to be one of these newsie-rats.

"How's your live on the boring side of street?"

"Piss of Ash!"

"You can't tell me when I have to leave. And this girl can talk for herself." He nodded in Butterfly's direction. She slowly felt the alcohol and leaned on gangsters shoulder for support.

"Not in this moment! So leave it!"

"Ah, that's it. You want her for yourself. Searching a little fun for tonight, ha?" Gangster's eyes narrowed before he punched Ash in the stomach.

"Don't dare you to talk like that about her again!" He left with Butterfly in his arms.