Author's Note: Hello all my loyal followers (if there are any out there)! I
am once again skipping a long period of time… I don't think you really care
about the boring 6 years that I'm skipping anyway. If you actually did
care, deal, cause I ain't writin' em.
Chapter Twenty-six
It had been six years since Maire's birth that anything of great wonderment or danger happened to the newsies of New York. Maire had grown; Half-Pint and Racetrack had married two years after her birth; Rae and Snitch had gotten married when she was five, with her as ring bearer. Half-Pint had turned out to not be pregnant, causing much relief, but she was now four months up the flue for real. Jack and Fastdancer were expecting a baby soon as well.
Maire had been selling papers for two years now. Kieran had taught her, and she took to it immediately, outselling even the best newsies. He had also taught her to fight and use a slingshot. Singah had taught her to sing and fight with a knife, and failed to teach her to sew and cook. Trolley was teaching her to swim, a necessary skill for all Brooklyn newsies, and Race had been trying to teach her to gamble, but he kept getting caught. He didn't understand why Maire's parents didn't want her learning to gamble. Kieran didn't mind, but he wanted to appease Singah, so he taught her himself- after all, he was a much better poker player than Race.
Assorted newsies taught her other things, out of the reach of Singah's heavy wooden spoon. Things like swearing, smoking, and drinking. Meanwhile, Singah was trying to get through the newsies heads that they were NOT allowed in her kitchen, stealing food and bothering her. She was especially irritable as of late- she was pregnant with what she hoped would be Kieran, Jr.
Kieran had also been moody lately. He was ecstatic that Singah was having another baby, and he hoped it was a son, but he was still moody. All his best newsies had been leaving- marrying, moving on, just vanishing in the night. Finally, his moodiness ended, thanks to Rae Kelly. She had been getting more and more annoyed at Kieran, and she decided to publicly humiliate him until he stopped being an ass.
Standing behind where he sat in his throne, Rae loaded her slingshot and shot him in the back. Yelping, he turned around, fists at the ready. Seeing it was Rae, he settled for grumbling at her. "Dammit, Rae, why da hell you do dat?"
"Cause yer bein' an ass, that's why! Jesus, Kieran! Whassamattah? You'se been actin' funny fer weeks, and if ya don' stop, some other districts gonna try and take over again!"
"Jus' go away Rae! It's none of yer business." Kieran turned around and glumly surveyed the scene before him. The newsies, who had briefly looked up during Rae's tirade, tried to look as though they hadn't agreed with everything she said.
Suddenly there was another, harder hit to his back. "Why I oughta!"
"Ya oughta snap out of it, Kieran! Or we're all gonna be in trouble! Knives is lookin' at us like we're ripe for the pickin'!" Knives was the leader of the Bronx, and was always looking for a territory to get weak so he could snap it up. "So deal wid whatever is makin' you like this, and we'll all be a lot better off!"
"Just leave me alone, Rae, or I'll…"
"Or you'll what, oh fearless leader? You'll soak me? I'd like ta see you try." He glared. "Kieran, you ain't been in a fight for a year. And when was da last time you soaked a girl? It ain't easy!" Kieran leapt down from his makeshift throne and landed in front of Rae. "You don't scare me, Kieran Conlon."
"Oh yeah?" He smirked. Suddenly his fist flew at her face. Blithely she stepped aside and caught his arms, throwing him to the ground.
"Yeah. Now get up and try again." Angered, he sprang to his feet and threw himself at her. Using his own weight to bowl him over, Rae lightly smacked the back of his head. "Tsk tsk, Kieran! Keep yer guard up. Knives could have had you there! And den where would we be? No more Kieran!" She smirked in a perfect copy of his famous expression. "And think of how sad Singah would feel! No more daddy Kieran for Maire and the new one. Now actually try to hit me. I know you can do it!" Kieran stood up calmly, and brushed off his clothes. His anger had gotten the better of him; now he would actually end this.
Rae, however, was still in charge of the fight. She waited for him to get ready, all the while inching backwards towards the edge of the dock. He calmly walked toward her. She bounced on the balls of her feet, the way he had taught Maire. When he reached her, she feinted to the left, while striking out simultaneously with both fists, hitting him in the face and gut. He grunted, letting the air out while she hit him to prevent being winded, while he doubled over. She shoved him backwards, right into a support sticking out of the pier.
The rest of the newsies had formed up around the combatants, waiting to see what Kieran did. They had never seen him like this before, and if a girl could knock him out of it… then they were unwilling to break it up. The nearest boys pushed Kieran back towards Rae, where she waited. She allowed him to swing futilely, then socked him in the back, causing him to stumble forwards and nearly into the harbor. She grabbed the back of his shirt. "Uh- huh, not time for that yet!" She pulled him backwards, and threw him to the ground. "Come on, Conlon! Where's that reputation I heard so much about before I got here? Are you gonna let a girl beat you?" She shook her head. "Ya know, if you don't start fighting soon I'm gonna go find a real opponent. Maybe Knives would be willing ta fight if you ain't." Sighing, she bent over and grabbed his collar, forcibly pulling him to his feet. "I'm bored now. You snapped out of it enough? You gonna be a real leader again? Cause if you ain't yer goin' in that harbor. Hell, yer goin' in anyway. Bye now." She pulled him, trying to hit her, over to the edge of the pier. As she let go of his shirt, Kieran tried to catch his balance. Once his arms stopped wind milling, he smirked. "Ya missed the edge, Rae."
Smirking back, she pushed him lightly. As he fell into the harbor, she calmly stated, "No I didn't." Spluttering, he began climbing back up the pier. "You snapped out of it yet?" Rae asked.
"Yeah. Now go away! Lemme dry off! And da rest of you can stop laughin' now. I'd like ta see you fight her!" Shaking his head to dry it, he grinned at the faces his newsies were making. "Thought so."
Author's Note: Pay up Rae!
Chapter Twenty-six
It had been six years since Maire's birth that anything of great wonderment or danger happened to the newsies of New York. Maire had grown; Half-Pint and Racetrack had married two years after her birth; Rae and Snitch had gotten married when she was five, with her as ring bearer. Half-Pint had turned out to not be pregnant, causing much relief, but she was now four months up the flue for real. Jack and Fastdancer were expecting a baby soon as well.
Maire had been selling papers for two years now. Kieran had taught her, and she took to it immediately, outselling even the best newsies. He had also taught her to fight and use a slingshot. Singah had taught her to sing and fight with a knife, and failed to teach her to sew and cook. Trolley was teaching her to swim, a necessary skill for all Brooklyn newsies, and Race had been trying to teach her to gamble, but he kept getting caught. He didn't understand why Maire's parents didn't want her learning to gamble. Kieran didn't mind, but he wanted to appease Singah, so he taught her himself- after all, he was a much better poker player than Race.
Assorted newsies taught her other things, out of the reach of Singah's heavy wooden spoon. Things like swearing, smoking, and drinking. Meanwhile, Singah was trying to get through the newsies heads that they were NOT allowed in her kitchen, stealing food and bothering her. She was especially irritable as of late- she was pregnant with what she hoped would be Kieran, Jr.
Kieran had also been moody lately. He was ecstatic that Singah was having another baby, and he hoped it was a son, but he was still moody. All his best newsies had been leaving- marrying, moving on, just vanishing in the night. Finally, his moodiness ended, thanks to Rae Kelly. She had been getting more and more annoyed at Kieran, and she decided to publicly humiliate him until he stopped being an ass.
Standing behind where he sat in his throne, Rae loaded her slingshot and shot him in the back. Yelping, he turned around, fists at the ready. Seeing it was Rae, he settled for grumbling at her. "Dammit, Rae, why da hell you do dat?"
"Cause yer bein' an ass, that's why! Jesus, Kieran! Whassamattah? You'se been actin' funny fer weeks, and if ya don' stop, some other districts gonna try and take over again!"
"Jus' go away Rae! It's none of yer business." Kieran turned around and glumly surveyed the scene before him. The newsies, who had briefly looked up during Rae's tirade, tried to look as though they hadn't agreed with everything she said.
Suddenly there was another, harder hit to his back. "Why I oughta!"
"Ya oughta snap out of it, Kieran! Or we're all gonna be in trouble! Knives is lookin' at us like we're ripe for the pickin'!" Knives was the leader of the Bronx, and was always looking for a territory to get weak so he could snap it up. "So deal wid whatever is makin' you like this, and we'll all be a lot better off!"
"Just leave me alone, Rae, or I'll…"
"Or you'll what, oh fearless leader? You'll soak me? I'd like ta see you try." He glared. "Kieran, you ain't been in a fight for a year. And when was da last time you soaked a girl? It ain't easy!" Kieran leapt down from his makeshift throne and landed in front of Rae. "You don't scare me, Kieran Conlon."
"Oh yeah?" He smirked. Suddenly his fist flew at her face. Blithely she stepped aside and caught his arms, throwing him to the ground.
"Yeah. Now get up and try again." Angered, he sprang to his feet and threw himself at her. Using his own weight to bowl him over, Rae lightly smacked the back of his head. "Tsk tsk, Kieran! Keep yer guard up. Knives could have had you there! And den where would we be? No more Kieran!" She smirked in a perfect copy of his famous expression. "And think of how sad Singah would feel! No more daddy Kieran for Maire and the new one. Now actually try to hit me. I know you can do it!" Kieran stood up calmly, and brushed off his clothes. His anger had gotten the better of him; now he would actually end this.
Rae, however, was still in charge of the fight. She waited for him to get ready, all the while inching backwards towards the edge of the dock. He calmly walked toward her. She bounced on the balls of her feet, the way he had taught Maire. When he reached her, she feinted to the left, while striking out simultaneously with both fists, hitting him in the face and gut. He grunted, letting the air out while she hit him to prevent being winded, while he doubled over. She shoved him backwards, right into a support sticking out of the pier.
The rest of the newsies had formed up around the combatants, waiting to see what Kieran did. They had never seen him like this before, and if a girl could knock him out of it… then they were unwilling to break it up. The nearest boys pushed Kieran back towards Rae, where she waited. She allowed him to swing futilely, then socked him in the back, causing him to stumble forwards and nearly into the harbor. She grabbed the back of his shirt. "Uh- huh, not time for that yet!" She pulled him backwards, and threw him to the ground. "Come on, Conlon! Where's that reputation I heard so much about before I got here? Are you gonna let a girl beat you?" She shook her head. "Ya know, if you don't start fighting soon I'm gonna go find a real opponent. Maybe Knives would be willing ta fight if you ain't." Sighing, she bent over and grabbed his collar, forcibly pulling him to his feet. "I'm bored now. You snapped out of it enough? You gonna be a real leader again? Cause if you ain't yer goin' in that harbor. Hell, yer goin' in anyway. Bye now." She pulled him, trying to hit her, over to the edge of the pier. As she let go of his shirt, Kieran tried to catch his balance. Once his arms stopped wind milling, he smirked. "Ya missed the edge, Rae."
Smirking back, she pushed him lightly. As he fell into the harbor, she calmly stated, "No I didn't." Spluttering, he began climbing back up the pier. "You snapped out of it yet?" Rae asked.
"Yeah. Now go away! Lemme dry off! And da rest of you can stop laughin' now. I'd like ta see you fight her!" Shaking his head to dry it, he grinned at the faces his newsies were making. "Thought so."
Author's Note: Pay up Rae!