Chapter 3
Mel, awake, told the story, for the most part. I think they understood it all. I took the opportunity to look around and figure out who was in the room. We had Jack and Sarah, Racetrack, and the little kid must be Les. Kid Blink was next to Racetrack with Boots next to him. Mel's table was in the middle of the room and everyone was gathered around it on various beds. Amanda and I were next to the window in the corner. Sitting near me was Crutchy, Snoddy, Dutchy, and goodness I couldn't remember his name, but he was cute. But they were all concentrating on Melanie's story, I think, or possibly the amount of leg she was showing. I couldn't tell.
"They're staring at her legs," Amanda clarified.
"I thought so. Perverts."
"Chauvinistic Pigs."
By this time Melanie was finished, and yawning. Two people had come in the door in the interim, a curly brown haired muscular guy with his arm around a petite blonde haired blue eyed girl's waist.
Melanie looked toward the door. "TINA!"
The girl stepped back. The guy was Mush, and I had to admit the girl did look a lot like Tina. "That's my name, but how did you know?" Tina asked.
"Psychic."
Amanda looked at me. "Really?" Mel was laughing, still perched on the table.
"My name is Mush and her name's Sniffles," interjected Mush.
I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. "Sniffles?"
"I always have a cold," she responded indignantly. The couple moved away from the doorway.
Racetrack took this opportunity to push Mel off the table into the guy coming in. It would've been funny except she turned bright red, and I saw that it was the infamous Spot Conlon. Man, this was getting better and better, but he still had that hat on!
"Hi," he said with a concerned look on his face as he helped her up.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. See it's all Racetrack's fault. He pushed me off and and…" Mel rambled on.
I asked Laura, I mean, Lily, to give us background information. She told Amanda and I, "well basically Pulitzer, owner of the papes we sell, decided to raise the distribution price of the papers from 50 to 60 cents. The Newsies didn't like that so they went on strike, ended up getting support from the Newsies all over New York and lots of the sweat shop kids. The Newsies won. Now we are trying to help the kids at Sniffles' and I's old factory."
"So is that how you two got here?" I asked trying to clarify the situation.
"Yes. Sniffles broke her arm and was no use to the factory anymore so they booted her. I decided to quit the factory job and help her since neither of us have any family to help support, so we became Newsies," she answered.
Amanda yawned as she moved towards the beds. "Can we go sleep? Are there any beds we can use?"
Spot had left again with Jack, Sarah, Les, and Bumlets, oh yeah, that's his name. Melanie was talking to Mush and Sniffles about something, probably filling them in on what they had missed, for the most part, I mean considering the fact that she was unconscious for part of it.
I was feeling tired too. "Yeah we can get our stuff later. We'll just climb back up tomorrow and get our clothes and stuff. I know that Melanie will want to stay here a while."
"You'll have to start selling papes to make a living. Not tomorrow necessarily, but the day after. Room and board ain't free you know," Lily informed us.
Tina, I mean Sniffles, appeared on Lily's left. "She's right. But until then, you can rest in the next room. Just pick a bed and get some sleep."
"Thanks. We appreciate it." Amanda and I made our way over to Melanie. "We're going to lay down because we weren't unconscious for a while there."
Mel glared at us. "Look hun, I'm not the one with the "supreme" driving skills that got us on a roof."
"You're right. I got you here." It was funny, I laughed.
"I think I'll go to bed too. Thanks. Goodnight everybody!" But everyone was playing poker and not paying attention to us.
Melanie made a face at them. Kid Blink happened to look up, but only saw Melanie whistling innocently. Amanda and I were already asleep in beds. I assume Melanie followed.
*****
Three hours later, I heard a scream from Amanda's bed. Then I heard a male voice yelling. Then I heard another female scream; and then the lights blasted on.
"$*** Lester, what the F*** is going on?!?!?!?!?!" Amanda yelled. That got my eyes open because I was laughing so hard.
Melanie was laughing too, but there were three guys that weren't happy and didn't quite get it.
I sat up and looked around. Jack was sitting on the bed with an angry look on his face. Amanda was on the floor with the sheets. Melanie was whacking Spot with her pillow. And Bumlets was by the light switch giving me a quizzical look. The lights went on in the other room too. Lily and Sniffles came running in, saw the situation and started laughing.
"Sorry guys, we just told them to grab beds." Sniffles told the guys.
"Not my bed! I'm quite fond of my bed," cried Jack.
"Well I don't mind if Melanie's in my bed…," replied Spot.
Melanie quickly moved off the bed. "I'm sure you don't, but I do! I'm so sorry. I didn't know this was your bed. You can have it back. I'll sleep on the floor or something." Amanda and I looked at her in disbelief.
Amanda told Jack, "I was here first. You're not getting it back." She was still on the floor.
"Oh yeah?" Jack eyed the bed.
"Yeah."
And the pillows started flying.
Bumlets came over to me in the midst of feathers and told me that I was lying in his bed.
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to move? Whatever you want," I looked at him. He shrugged.
There were shouts of "Pillow Fight!" from the other room. Feathers filled the air. Kloppman came upstairs to figure out what the ruckus was. "You have to sell papes in the morning. Get to bed!" Quickly, everyone situated themselves.
Bumlets let me have his bed. Mel had disappeared with the car keys. Amanda and Jack were still fighting over the bed, but they were being quieter about it. I think they were fighting over the sheet, but then it ripped and all was silent. Bumlets was on the floor with extra sheets and a pillow, and I felt so bad, but he wouldn't let me argue with him. I eventually fell asleep.
Mel, awake, told the story, for the most part. I think they understood it all. I took the opportunity to look around and figure out who was in the room. We had Jack and Sarah, Racetrack, and the little kid must be Les. Kid Blink was next to Racetrack with Boots next to him. Mel's table was in the middle of the room and everyone was gathered around it on various beds. Amanda and I were next to the window in the corner. Sitting near me was Crutchy, Snoddy, Dutchy, and goodness I couldn't remember his name, but he was cute. But they were all concentrating on Melanie's story, I think, or possibly the amount of leg she was showing. I couldn't tell.
"They're staring at her legs," Amanda clarified.
"I thought so. Perverts."
"Chauvinistic Pigs."
By this time Melanie was finished, and yawning. Two people had come in the door in the interim, a curly brown haired muscular guy with his arm around a petite blonde haired blue eyed girl's waist.
Melanie looked toward the door. "TINA!"
The girl stepped back. The guy was Mush, and I had to admit the girl did look a lot like Tina. "That's my name, but how did you know?" Tina asked.
"Psychic."
Amanda looked at me. "Really?" Mel was laughing, still perched on the table.
"My name is Mush and her name's Sniffles," interjected Mush.
I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. "Sniffles?"
"I always have a cold," she responded indignantly. The couple moved away from the doorway.
Racetrack took this opportunity to push Mel off the table into the guy coming in. It would've been funny except she turned bright red, and I saw that it was the infamous Spot Conlon. Man, this was getting better and better, but he still had that hat on!
"Hi," he said with a concerned look on his face as he helped her up.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. See it's all Racetrack's fault. He pushed me off and and…" Mel rambled on.
I asked Laura, I mean, Lily, to give us background information. She told Amanda and I, "well basically Pulitzer, owner of the papes we sell, decided to raise the distribution price of the papers from 50 to 60 cents. The Newsies didn't like that so they went on strike, ended up getting support from the Newsies all over New York and lots of the sweat shop kids. The Newsies won. Now we are trying to help the kids at Sniffles' and I's old factory."
"So is that how you two got here?" I asked trying to clarify the situation.
"Yes. Sniffles broke her arm and was no use to the factory anymore so they booted her. I decided to quit the factory job and help her since neither of us have any family to help support, so we became Newsies," she answered.
Amanda yawned as she moved towards the beds. "Can we go sleep? Are there any beds we can use?"
Spot had left again with Jack, Sarah, Les, and Bumlets, oh yeah, that's his name. Melanie was talking to Mush and Sniffles about something, probably filling them in on what they had missed, for the most part, I mean considering the fact that she was unconscious for part of it.
I was feeling tired too. "Yeah we can get our stuff later. We'll just climb back up tomorrow and get our clothes and stuff. I know that Melanie will want to stay here a while."
"You'll have to start selling papes to make a living. Not tomorrow necessarily, but the day after. Room and board ain't free you know," Lily informed us.
Tina, I mean Sniffles, appeared on Lily's left. "She's right. But until then, you can rest in the next room. Just pick a bed and get some sleep."
"Thanks. We appreciate it." Amanda and I made our way over to Melanie. "We're going to lay down because we weren't unconscious for a while there."
Mel glared at us. "Look hun, I'm not the one with the "supreme" driving skills that got us on a roof."
"You're right. I got you here." It was funny, I laughed.
"I think I'll go to bed too. Thanks. Goodnight everybody!" But everyone was playing poker and not paying attention to us.
Melanie made a face at them. Kid Blink happened to look up, but only saw Melanie whistling innocently. Amanda and I were already asleep in beds. I assume Melanie followed.
*****
Three hours later, I heard a scream from Amanda's bed. Then I heard a male voice yelling. Then I heard another female scream; and then the lights blasted on.
"$*** Lester, what the F*** is going on?!?!?!?!?!" Amanda yelled. That got my eyes open because I was laughing so hard.
Melanie was laughing too, but there were three guys that weren't happy and didn't quite get it.
I sat up and looked around. Jack was sitting on the bed with an angry look on his face. Amanda was on the floor with the sheets. Melanie was whacking Spot with her pillow. And Bumlets was by the light switch giving me a quizzical look. The lights went on in the other room too. Lily and Sniffles came running in, saw the situation and started laughing.
"Sorry guys, we just told them to grab beds." Sniffles told the guys.
"Not my bed! I'm quite fond of my bed," cried Jack.
"Well I don't mind if Melanie's in my bed…," replied Spot.
Melanie quickly moved off the bed. "I'm sure you don't, but I do! I'm so sorry. I didn't know this was your bed. You can have it back. I'll sleep on the floor or something." Amanda and I looked at her in disbelief.
Amanda told Jack, "I was here first. You're not getting it back." She was still on the floor.
"Oh yeah?" Jack eyed the bed.
"Yeah."
And the pillows started flying.
Bumlets came over to me in the midst of feathers and told me that I was lying in his bed.
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to move? Whatever you want," I looked at him. He shrugged.
There were shouts of "Pillow Fight!" from the other room. Feathers filled the air. Kloppman came upstairs to figure out what the ruckus was. "You have to sell papes in the morning. Get to bed!" Quickly, everyone situated themselves.
Bumlets let me have his bed. Mel had disappeared with the car keys. Amanda and Jack were still fighting over the bed, but they were being quieter about it. I think they were fighting over the sheet, but then it ripped and all was silent. Bumlets was on the floor with extra sheets and a pillow, and I felt so bad, but he wouldn't let me argue with him. I eventually fell asleep.