Chapter 4
Amanda and I were so tired we slept through the morning rush to the washroom. Darn! We didn't seem to wake up until around 11. That was when Mush and Sniffles came bounding into the room wondering if we would like to join everyone for lunch at Tibby's.
"Have you seen Melanie?" I asked.
"Not since she disappeared to the roof last night," Sniffles replied.
"Yeah, we'll join you guys as soon as we are ready and have found Melanie," I said.
"Alright, that's fine, we'll see you there then."
It wasn't until after they had left that we realized we hadn't the vaguest clue where Tibby's was.
"Don't worry too much. I'm sure Mel knows where it is," Amanda comforted.
"That's only if we find her first," I pointed out.
We climbed up to the roof because we had to get our stuff anyway and found Melanie asleep in the back seat of the jeep.
"RISE AND SHINE!!!" Amanda yelled.
"Shut up Amanda!!!" Melanie yelled back.
"Well at least she's awake," Amanda said.
"Alright guys lets just get our stuff and go take showers. They want us to meet them at Tibby's for lunch." I voiced.
"But I haven't even had breakfast yet!" Melanie whined sarcastically getting out of the jeep and tossing the keys to me so I could open the trunk. We managed to lug our suitcases into the lodging house and get ourselves ready for what was left of the day.
Melanie somehow got us to Tibby's. With the stares from strangers for the short blue jean shorts and bright colored tank tops we were wearing, we just smiled back as if we were oblivious to how badly we stood out. We were at Tibby's by noon; good timing since it took us forever to figure out how to use the showers and for the hot water to work.
We walked in and said, "hi," to Lily and Sniffles. Amanda meandered over to me. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" She looked over at Spot.
"I think so. Have fun."
Amanda grinned. "Help me out here, will, you?"
I sauntered over to Mel. "Walk with me. I got to go pick up my lunch." She nodded and we went over to the counter. As we walked back Amanda moved into position and elbowed Mel. Mel fell into Spot's lap with a surprised, yet happy look on her face. Taking advantage of a good time, I pushed Amanda into Jack's lap.
"Hey," but Amanda liked it, I could tell. Sarah was not happy. Oh yeah, she was back again. I took my lunch and walked over to where Bumlets was sitting.
He looked up at me. "I'm gonna sit here, ok?" I told him, "but I'll be right back." I set my lunch tray down and went back over to the other table. Amanda had moved off of Jack's lap, but was sitting next to him. Sarah shot her a dirty look, but Amanda just smiled back sweetly. I was pleased to note that Spot was trying to strike up a conversation with Melanie and that she hadn't moved.
The conversation at the table was interesting. Sarah began with, "I have news on the sweat shop."
"Oh good," said Spot, "let's hear it."
"It's not necessarily good," Sarah warned.
Racetrack was anxious, "spit it out already!"
"Apparently five more girls got injured today and two were killed in an accident. The ones who were hurt got fired, like normal, and they buried the two girls in the cemetery behind the factory."
"Well that's just loverly," Melanie said sarcastically.
Amanda interrupted, "I hate to break the bad news portion of our lunch period, but I thought it would be nice if you all introduced yourselves."
Melanie remembered, "Oh yeah."
"Alright then, " said Jack. Sarah leaned on him and glared at Amanda. Maybe she had heard about last night. Jack continued, "well you know me, Sarah, Lily, Sniffles, and Mush. This is Kid Blink, Racetrack, Dutchy, Snoddy,……, Itey, Skittery, Boots, Crutchy, and last, but definitely not least, Spot Conlon, famous leader of the Brooklyn Newsies." He pointed to each as he said their names.
"Hey, I didn't get to learn you ladies' names last night, well except Melanie's," Spot said as he winked at her.
Amanda spoke up. "I'm Amanda, call me Curly." She gestured to me, "This is Robyn, but call her Raven she likes that much better."
"Now that everybody knows everybody," Racetrack said annoyed, "could we please finish the 'bad news portion of our lunch period?"
"Sure," said Amanda.
"Anyways," Sarah said glaring even more at Amanda, "what do we need to do about this, Jack?" She batted her eyelashes at him. Amanda rolled her eyes and looked away disgusted. Melanie pretended to gag; Spot looked up at her, but she just smiled. I think he understood the reasons for their reactions.
"How about we help them in a strike?" asked Kid Blink.
"Do they even want to strike?" I asked.
"Maybe we could get Sniffles and Lily to sneak down there and find out," piped up Mush. The group started planning what they would do. Lily and Sniffles joined them when they heard their names.
By this point I was really hungry so I returned to my lunch and sat down next to Bumlets. We talked for a while and then he had to leave with the rest of the newsies to finish selling his papers.
Amanda and I were so tired we slept through the morning rush to the washroom. Darn! We didn't seem to wake up until around 11. That was when Mush and Sniffles came bounding into the room wondering if we would like to join everyone for lunch at Tibby's.
"Have you seen Melanie?" I asked.
"Not since she disappeared to the roof last night," Sniffles replied.
"Yeah, we'll join you guys as soon as we are ready and have found Melanie," I said.
"Alright, that's fine, we'll see you there then."
It wasn't until after they had left that we realized we hadn't the vaguest clue where Tibby's was.
"Don't worry too much. I'm sure Mel knows where it is," Amanda comforted.
"That's only if we find her first," I pointed out.
We climbed up to the roof because we had to get our stuff anyway and found Melanie asleep in the back seat of the jeep.
"RISE AND SHINE!!!" Amanda yelled.
"Shut up Amanda!!!" Melanie yelled back.
"Well at least she's awake," Amanda said.
"Alright guys lets just get our stuff and go take showers. They want us to meet them at Tibby's for lunch." I voiced.
"But I haven't even had breakfast yet!" Melanie whined sarcastically getting out of the jeep and tossing the keys to me so I could open the trunk. We managed to lug our suitcases into the lodging house and get ourselves ready for what was left of the day.
Melanie somehow got us to Tibby's. With the stares from strangers for the short blue jean shorts and bright colored tank tops we were wearing, we just smiled back as if we were oblivious to how badly we stood out. We were at Tibby's by noon; good timing since it took us forever to figure out how to use the showers and for the hot water to work.
We walked in and said, "hi," to Lily and Sniffles. Amanda meandered over to me. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" She looked over at Spot.
"I think so. Have fun."
Amanda grinned. "Help me out here, will, you?"
I sauntered over to Mel. "Walk with me. I got to go pick up my lunch." She nodded and we went over to the counter. As we walked back Amanda moved into position and elbowed Mel. Mel fell into Spot's lap with a surprised, yet happy look on her face. Taking advantage of a good time, I pushed Amanda into Jack's lap.
"Hey," but Amanda liked it, I could tell. Sarah was not happy. Oh yeah, she was back again. I took my lunch and walked over to where Bumlets was sitting.
He looked up at me. "I'm gonna sit here, ok?" I told him, "but I'll be right back." I set my lunch tray down and went back over to the other table. Amanda had moved off of Jack's lap, but was sitting next to him. Sarah shot her a dirty look, but Amanda just smiled back sweetly. I was pleased to note that Spot was trying to strike up a conversation with Melanie and that she hadn't moved.
The conversation at the table was interesting. Sarah began with, "I have news on the sweat shop."
"Oh good," said Spot, "let's hear it."
"It's not necessarily good," Sarah warned.
Racetrack was anxious, "spit it out already!"
"Apparently five more girls got injured today and two were killed in an accident. The ones who were hurt got fired, like normal, and they buried the two girls in the cemetery behind the factory."
"Well that's just loverly," Melanie said sarcastically.
Amanda interrupted, "I hate to break the bad news portion of our lunch period, but I thought it would be nice if you all introduced yourselves."
Melanie remembered, "Oh yeah."
"Alright then, " said Jack. Sarah leaned on him and glared at Amanda. Maybe she had heard about last night. Jack continued, "well you know me, Sarah, Lily, Sniffles, and Mush. This is Kid Blink, Racetrack, Dutchy, Snoddy,……, Itey, Skittery, Boots, Crutchy, and last, but definitely not least, Spot Conlon, famous leader of the Brooklyn Newsies." He pointed to each as he said their names.
"Hey, I didn't get to learn you ladies' names last night, well except Melanie's," Spot said as he winked at her.
Amanda spoke up. "I'm Amanda, call me Curly." She gestured to me, "This is Robyn, but call her Raven she likes that much better."
"Now that everybody knows everybody," Racetrack said annoyed, "could we please finish the 'bad news portion of our lunch period?"
"Sure," said Amanda.
"Anyways," Sarah said glaring even more at Amanda, "what do we need to do about this, Jack?" She batted her eyelashes at him. Amanda rolled her eyes and looked away disgusted. Melanie pretended to gag; Spot looked up at her, but she just smiled. I think he understood the reasons for their reactions.
"How about we help them in a strike?" asked Kid Blink.
"Do they even want to strike?" I asked.
"Maybe we could get Sniffles and Lily to sneak down there and find out," piped up Mush. The group started planning what they would do. Lily and Sniffles joined them when they heard their names.
By this point I was really hungry so I returned to my lunch and sat down next to Bumlets. We talked for a while and then he had to leave with the rest of the newsies to finish selling his papers.