She sat
silently in the window, staring blindly at the crowded street below her. She pulled a cigarette from the pocket of
her worn vest and toyed with it between her fingers. The people in the street below her took no notice of the small
girl curled in the window. She sighed
and lit the cigarette. She shivered as
a cool spring breeze rolled across her body, blowing strands of thin blond hair
into her eyes. She dropped her hand
down to touch the brick below her, hoping it was still holding enough of the
day's earlier heat to warm her. She had
often sat out this same window in the past two years, but never with such
sorrow. She blinked back tears as she
realized that this would probably be the last time she sat here.
"Hey," she
had no reaction to the soft voice behind her.
"Look, it's gonna be okay… You
and me, kid, we're gonna be foine." She
said nothing back. "Will ya at least
look at me?" She remained
motionless. He was the one taking her
away from this place. Her home. She loved him, was even in love with him,
but she wasn't sure if this was the best thing for them. He had decided it was time for them to grow
up. She wasn't sure if she was ready
yet.
"I'm
scared, Race," she said in a barely audible whisper. He put his hand on her shoulder.
"Why are ya
scared? I'll always be dere for ya, you
know dat!" he tried to comfort her, unsuccessfully. She nodded.
"I don't
wanna leave heah. It's my home. It's where we foist met. All our friends are heah." She fought her tears. "I don't wanna have ta rememba a new
address, or meet new neighbors."
"We're too
old for dis place, Dash, ya know dat," he reasoned with her. She just lowered her head. "We gotta grow up! We can't be newsies foreva!
You and me, we're both near twenty!"
"Dat's all
well and good for you, but what 'bout me?
You and Blink got a place t'getha.
Who do I have? You don't want us
to live heah anymore, but you don't want us to live t'getha eitha!" Dash was growing more upset with each word.
"I set ya
up wit does goils I know! What's wrong
wid dem? You know I ain't ready ta live
t'getha," He asked.
"Maybe I
ain't ready ta leave dis place!
Besides, dey ain't my friends, dey's your friends," she said coldly. She thought of Scatter, her best friend and bunkmate since they
both moved into the lodging house two years ago. "I don't wanna leave Scatta…" she added softly.
"Scatta?"
he said with a snort. "You'll be betta
off widout her."
"She's me
best friend, Race. Just because you
don't like her, doesn't mean I'd be betta off widout her. She's like me sista."
"She's
gonna bring you down wid her, Dash.
Like I said, you're betta off widout her." Race said condescendingly.
"Please go,
Race." Dash could no longer fight her tears, as they started streaming down her
cheeks.
"Foine."
Race left. She could tell by his tone
that he was annoyed, but she didn't care.
She was terrified to live with these new girls. What if they didn't like her? Dash knew that Race would be there for her,
no matter what, but she wasn't sure if that was what she really needed. She didn't want to be away from the security
of Scatter, but she knew that Race was right.
She had to let go, at least for now.
In another year, Scatter would be old enough to move out of the lodging
house and find a proper job. Dash and
Scatter had already made secret plans to find a small place together. Dash took a deep breath. It's only for a year, she thought, and then
I'll have Scatter. She tore her damp
eyes away from the street and looked up toward the sky. The sun was beginning to break through the
clouds.