****Mwah! I love all who review… so you want some lovin'? review! Um… yeah… you know the drill… but, now back to our scheduled programming:*****
Half an hour later, after much deliberation of where to go next the girls found themselves passing a large theater. A sign of a lady in a purple dress posing slightly suggestively with a feather and red hair was in the front reading Irving Hall across it. Lights around the sign flashed on and off as they stared at it from across the street. A few people milled in and out but it didn't look too filled.
"Whoa…" Celia stopped as she stared up at the flashing lights in front of her.
"Whoa…" both Rose and Jo echoed as they slowed to a stop behind their friend. They had never seen anything so flashy and bright.
"Lets go in." The ever so smiley Jo started forward but was stopped when her friends grabbed her from both sides. "What?" she demanded.
"We are NOT going in there." Celia stated.
"Yeah! Think of what could happen." Rose pointed out. "What if someone sees up."
"I'm sorry to break it to you Rose, but… we aren't invisible." Jo patted her friend on the shoulder her glared.
"No, seriously Jo. What if we get caught?" Rose replied.
"What? You think Ms. Carson comes here after dark and sees shows?" Jo placed her hands carefully on her hips. Neither of her friends seemed to be able to muster an answer. "Well?" she questioned simply to place emphasis on that fact.
"Well I'm not going in there." Celia shifted her nose in the air and flicked a bit of her long locks over her shoulder in disgust. "It looks filthy."
Rose was the opposite almost in reaction. "I don't think it looks safe." She clasped her hands low in front of her as she stared at the ground.
Jo looked between the two. "Fine, you two stay here, I've got one life of which I intend to live until I'm dead." She turned away hesitantly only to look back again with a crooked half smile dashed across her face. "Or at least until dawn." She finally strutted away from her friends and headed for the entrance.
"She has a point…" Rose stated quietly.
Celia stared wide-eyed at her normally exceedingly cautious friend right before she patted Celia on the arm and trotted to follow Jo. Celia stood in the street, arms crossed, looking disgusted as she glanced around her. Finally as Rose started to disappear inside she frowned and hurriedly rushed towards the doors, worried she'd never find them again.
"Nice of you to join us." Jo said as Celia entered.
The brunette glared as she realized they had been waiting just inside the door for her. "Yeah, yeah." She grumbled, "but this wasn't my idea."
"No one said it was." Jo replied with a bright smile.
The three stood in an opening lobby with a red oriental carpet across the floor. To their right was a tall marble staircase and pillars on the balcony above. Boys lingered in every corner, ranging from the ages five to twenty. A loud murmur of voices came from behind the wall of the balcony and the air was slightly musty but remarkably clean all at the same time. The theater looked classy, but the grungy inhabitants lowered that standard, they all seemed rugged and street smart.
"C'mon." Jo said with a perky quirk when both her comrades looked skeptical about the scene unfolding in front of them. "We'll only stay for a little bit." She comforted as they walked nonchalantly through a pair of arched doorways into a theater packed to the rim with the same type of boys who were outside.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Celia said, sticking close behind the confident Jo as they pushed their way through the crowd slowly.
Rose bit her lip as someone cat called at the three and then tripped over someone, crashing to the ground.
"Rose? ROSE!" Celia turned as she heard the bang. The two standing girls rushed to her side and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
Rose nodded, getting to her feet with the help of her friends. "Uh, yeah." She said, brushing her dress off. She looked for what she tripped over and saw a curly haired boy with a bowler cap on apparently searching the ground for his glasses. "Are you okay?" she asked, bending over and picking up the spectacles that were just out of the reach of the boy's hand. She tapped him on the shoulder and handed him his glasses.
"I'se fine." He replied, fixing his glasses onto his head, "sorry you got tripped, lost my glasses." He stood. He was a tall boy, about nineteen perhaps, with dark hair and eyes to match. He had a square face and was wearing a white shirt and dark vest. His pants were a dark brown color and he seemed about two inches taller than Celia. "Come to support the Newsies?" He asked of her, "Haven't seen ya before."
"Um…" Rose stammered, "Hey Jo?"
"Yeah?"
The girl leaned over and whispered, "Have we come to support newsies?"
"Beats me." Jo replied with a shrug, "Haven't got a clue what one is!"
The boy quirked an eyebrow, "Newsies? We're on strike?" he moved his hands in small circles in front of him to try and conjure an image in their heads.
"Sure, why not?" Rose said tilting her head to the side.
"M'friends call me Specs." He said, holding out his hand to Rose.
"I'm Rose, That's Jo, and That's Celia." The girl pointed out her friends who were standing behind her listening to the conversation. She reached out to shake his hand.
Just as this was happening the same Blonde from before (yes, the one Jo bumped into) walked up behind Specs and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'…" He trailed off. "Hey I know you!" He exclaimed looking Jo. "You'se dat goil!"
"Huh?" Jo stared at him, blanking. She could barely read through his accent.
"Goil?" Celia asked, twisting a lock of hair in her fingers obviously disgusted with the whole situation yet seeming ditzy at the same situation. "Oh! I get it! Goil!"
Both Jo and Rose turned and stared at their friend with blank stares. "No, Celia… No." Jo said, shaking her head at the girl, "just… no." was all she could say. This prompted a slight chortle from the boys.
"Do ya need seats?" Specs asked, lifting his bowler slightly and tucking some hair underneath it as he spoke.
"Yeah!" Rose replied, all too eagerly.
Jo leaned over when both Specs and the blonde turned away and elbowed her friend. "And who was it that didn't want to come?" She quirked an eyebrow with a twisted smile.
"Hey, Don't look at me!" The three had moved towards the table, "I'm just living my life till I'm dead." Rose hissed.
Celia followed, still twisting hair between her fingers and glancing around her. Her eyes scrutinized each person in the room. Her eyes wavered from each sign, frowning at the tattered wood and misspellings. A piece of lint fell from the balcony above and she watched it float to the ground in a peaceful manner among the entire ruckus. She followed it slowly to the ground where it was then stepped on and she found herself looking up towards the high arcing walls. She shuddered as she saw a boy hanging over the balcony.
"Celia?" Jo sat down in one of the seats. "Hey!" She prodded her friend who had zoned into oblivion. "Celia!"
"Huh? What?" Celia turned back to the real time world.
"You going stand there forever or sit?" Jo inquired cynically.
Celia rolled her eyes and sat, she opened her mouth to say something when everyone was suddenly hushed by three boys standing on the small platform from the bridge she shut it. The tallest boy was standing in the middle with a brown coat on and a red bandana hanging around his neck. He licked his lips and his mahogany brown hair was slicked back. To his right was a slightly shorter boy with tufts of curly brown hair hanging just slightly into his blue eyes. He had a square jaw and an apprehensive stance as he stood in his blue shirt and clean suit. To the left was an even shorter boy with a growling facial expression that could have torn paint off the walls. He had short pants on and high red suspenders with a blue shirt. His dirt blonde hair snuck out from under the brown cap he wore.
"CARRYIN' DA BANNAH!" the first yelled and everyone around the girls jumped up and cheered.
"So, we've come a long way, but we ain't there yet and maybe it's only gonna get tougher from now on. But that's fine; we'll just get tougher with it. But also, we gotta get smart and start listening to my pal David, who says 'stop soakin' the scabs'. " He was saying when the blonde leaned over to Jo.
"I never caught ya name." He whispered.
"That's because I never told you." She retorted with a friendly smile. "But if you must know, it's Jo."
"What are we supposed to do to the bums? Kiss 'em?" Someone in the front row said, getting chuckles from those who could hear it.
"M'friends call me Dutchy." He introduced himself with a tip of the hat.
"Hey any scab I see I soak 'em. Period." A principal in the speakers looked about ready to beat the living hell out of the closest person.
"And what do your enemies call you?" Jo coyly replied.
"No, that's what they want us to do. If we get violent, it's just playing into their hands!" The third curly haired leader rushed forward to cover the violent one's antics.
"Nothin' special." He said with a shrug and a bright smile.
"Hey, look. They're gonna be playing with my hands, alright. Cuz it ain't what they say; it's what we say. And nobody ain't gonna listen to us unless we make 'em." Spot growled, fighting with the air, fists raised. An eruption of argument raged through the hall and the conversers were forced to practically shout to hear each other.
Jo peered up at the stage, "What's with suspenders boy?"
Dutchy laughed, "Spot? He's the meanest guy I'se evah met." He shook his head with a sigh, "He don't take nuttin' from nobody."
"You got no brain's. Why we starting to fight each other? It's just what the big shot's wanna see. That we're street rats! Street rats with no brain's. No respect for nothing, including ourselves! So, here's how it's gonna be. If we don't act together, then we're nothing. If we don't stick together, then we're nothing. And if we can't even trust each other, then we're nothing." The boy in the middle pointed to his temple, attempting to be heard over the uproar.
"Dat's Jack. He's da leadah," Dutchy pointed at him. "He was the one who came up with it all." Jo simply nodded at it all, leaning toward Dutchy slightly so she could see past the tall boy sitting in front of her.
"Tell 'em Jack!" was heard from the balcony, Celia quivered as she stared at the boy hanging off the edge. She was afraid of heights and seeing other people defy the odds made her nervous.
"So, what's it gonna be?" Jack queried of the crowd. There was a sudden hushed silence over everyone.
"We're with you Jack." One replied and scattered clapping broke out but not the type of positive energy they were hoping for.
"So, what do you say, Spot?" He turned to the shorter boy and looked down at him, the air was thick with anticipation.
"I'se say, dat what you'se say… is what I say." The two spit-shook and a loud roar from every newsy in the room was received.
Rose glanced around her, suddenly feeling small and quaint in comparison. She tugged at the back of Spec's shirt and pulled him back into the chair, "Why'd they…." She seemed unable to get the right words, "That was repulsive." She stated.
Specs frowned at her and then a sudden burst of insight crossed his face. "Oh! Dey always do that… seals da deal." He replied.
Every boy in the crowd jumped from their seats, if they hadn't already, as a scantily clad woman by the name of Medda Larkson appeared on stage for a rendition of "High Times, Hard times". She danced along and caught the eye of everyone in the crowd.
"C'mon, let's get up there!" Specs grabbed Rose's hand and rushed toward the stage.
"ROSE!" Celia exclaimed, rushing after her friend, as did Jo suddenly. All three of them knew they couldn't loose each other or it'd be hell to pay when they got back. Dutchy followed as well in a rush.
"Jo," he started when they got there, standing in the crowd around Medda while boys took their time to dance with the woman. "When Can I…"
At that exact moment a loud whistle resounded through the hall causing mass panic of everyone at the sight of the police. The tall boy's question was cut off as Celia screamed in fright and everyone started to run…
****Sorry it took so long… but… y'know, I'm just not good at updating and plus I wasn't sure where to end the chapter… Hope this leaves you wondering and interested!!!****