Author's Note: First of all…thanks for the reviews. Since people enjoy my
author's notes maybe I should make this fic one long author's note and
forget the story…j/k no one could withstand that much of my incessant
babblings and ravings…btw fair warning…this fic and any others that I post
before Easter are written during chocolate deprivation…I gave chocolate up
for Lent…please pray for me…anyway here is the next installment of my
craziness.
Chapter 3
David watched as the girl ran straight into his selling partner, Jack Kelly. She fell to the ground, her head slamming into the sidewalk.
"Hey, girl, are you okay?" Jack asked her, but he got no response. He bent over her and determined that she had been knocked out by her fall. At that moment David came to a stop beside him.
"What were you doing? Why were you chasing this little girl down the street, Dave?" Jack asked in an accusing tone.
"She picked my pocket. I was just trying to get my money back," David said defending himself. "Is she alright?"
"I think she hit her head when she fell. Let's take her back to the lodging house so Kloppman can have a look at her," Jack suggested.
"But, Jack, she's a thief," David protested.
"So what? Most newsies have stolen stuff before. I have. Look at the kid, she probably only doing it to buy food," Jack said. He picked her up and carried her to the lodging house, while David trailed along behind. When he got there Kloppman was standing behind the front desk.
"Hey, Jack what you got there?" he asked.
"This girl hit her head on the sidewalk and she ain't woke up since. Do you think you could check her out?" he asked.
"Sure, Jack, take her up to the sick room. I'll be right there," he told him. He ducked into the office to grab his medical supplies.
Jack laid the girl on the bed and watched while Kloppman checked the bump on the back of the girl's head. Before long the girl stirred and began to open her eyes. As soon as her eyes were fully opened she began to scream. It was a blood-curdling, ear-piercing shriek.
Jack clapped his hand over her mouth and said, "No one's going to hurt you. Now just stop screaming and I'll lift my hand, understand?"
Dodger nodded. She tried to remember how she got here. It didn't look like the Refuge. She was in a small bare room with six cots lining the wall. She had no idea where she was or why she was there, until she looked to doorway of the room. It was the newsie whose pocket she had picked earlier. Then everything came rushing back to her.
"I'm sorry! I had to do it! I have to eat!" she exclaimed.
"What's she talking about, Jack?" the old man crouching next to her asked.
"Well, Kloppman, I do believe this little girl picked Dave's pocket," the boy on her other side told the man.
"I didn't mean nothing by it! I've gotta eat!" she protested, her eyes once again filling with tears. "I ain't got any other way of getting money."
"Kid, you do the poor, innocent me act pretty good. You'd make a good newsie. In fact since you say that you don't have any other way of making money, that's what you can do. You can stay here at the lodging house and sell papes for me," Jack decreed. "You can't spend the rest of your life as a pickpocket. Before long you'll get picked up by the bulls."
Dodger looked at him with a considering look on her face. "I'll think about it."
"So, kid you got a name?" he asked.
"Yeah I got one," she told him, defiantly.
"Well, what is it?"
"Dodger. What's yours?"
"I'm Jack and he's David. How did you get a name like Dodger?" Jack asked continuing his inquisition.
"My friend named me that after someone in a book," she told him.
"What book?" he asked.
"Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens," David told him.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Dodger asked turning toward him.
"I read it once," David said with a shrug.
"So did, Smarts!" she exclaimed.
"Who is Smarts?" Jack asked.
"He's my best friend. He's really smart; he went to school for four whole years," Dodger bragged.
"Well, where is he?" Jack asked.
"Probably at home waiting on me. When I go off to get money he waits there. He doesn't know much about stealing but he does all the counting and stuff for us," she told them. "Can he be a newsie, too?"
"Sure he can. Where is home?" Jack asked, surprised that she had one.
"We're not supposed to tell," she said, looking at him suspiciously. "Jim said if we tell people then they'll know how to find us and they might tell the bulls."
"Who's Jim?" David asked.
"He's the man who taught me how to pickpockets," she told them. "He was like the leader of all the pickpockets in our neighborhood. We were like a gang. He died last year and the gang broke up. I lived by myself for, um, well I don't remember how long. Then, one day I found Smarts sitting on a bench crying. We been friends ever since."
"What was he crying for?"
"Because he was lost." She stopped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Uh oh. I promised Smarts that I wouldn't tell anyone about that! You can't tell him I told you!"
Jack laughed. "We won't tell. Now why don't we go get your friend and the two of you can spend the night here with us and then go selling with us tomorrow."
"Okay!" she said hopping off the bed. "I can't take you to where we live, but I'll bring Smarts back here with me tomorrow and if we like being newsies then maybe we'll stay."
"It's a deal," Jack told her. He spit in his palm and held it out. Dodger returned the gesture. "Meet us at the World Distribution Center in the morning."
"Okay, I'd better go now," she said heading for the door. As she neared David she remember how she had gotten there in the first place. "Here's your money back. I can't steal from someone I know."
"Thanks," David said. Then he paused, "Wait, if you give this to me how will you eat tonight?"
"Oh, I'll figure something out," she told him with a grin. She ran down the stairs and out of the building.
***
Dodger skipped down the street and into her alley. She couldn't wait to tell Smarts the good news.
"Smmmmmmmmarts!" she called out. "I got great news."
"What is it?" he asked hopping down from the stack of crates he was sitting on. "And what took you so long?"
"First I'll tell you the news and then I'll tell you where I've been. The news is that I got a fifty cents today," she said with a triumphant grin.
"You stole that much from a newsie?" he asked incredulously.
"No, I got from a man walking back from the lodging house. He was dressed nice, very fancy," she explained.
"Walking back from the lodging house? Which lodging house and why were you there?" he asked.
"The newsies' lodging house. I was there because I bumped my head and Jack took me to the lodging house," she told him.
"Who is Jack? The newsie you stole from?" he asked.
"No, that was David. Jack was the other newsie," she told him.
"Which other newsie?" he asked completely confused.
"The other newsie that invited us to be newsies," she said as if that explained everything.
"Stop, Dodge, start over at the beginning," Smarts told her.
"Ok, I was going after the newsie, David, and he caught me and chased me down the street. I ran into to Jack and fell down and hit my head. I woke up in the newsies' lodging house and Jack asked me if I wanted to be a newsie. I told him that we would try it tomorrow and see if we like it. Then I left and on the way back I got fifty cents from a rich man on the street." Dodger told him all of this in one long continuous stream. "So do you want to?"
"Do I want to, what?" he asked.
"Be a newsie, of course!" she said with a roll of her eyes.
"I guess so," he said with a shrug. "How do you do it?"
"Jack's gonna teach us," she said. "We're supposed to meet them at the distribution center tomorrow morning."
Another Author's Note: Well this has nothing to do with my fic but I had to share this tid-bit. While trying to avoid reading for class tomorrow I watched my Newsies DVD with the audio setting on SPANISH!!! It is hilarious…rotflmao…unfortunately, they do not sing in Spanish…just has Spanish sub-titles for the songs.
Okay here's a little side note…I want your opinion on this Smarts: lose him or keep him? Personally I'm tired of him…he's really the weaker member of the duo…in a later chapter I will have an opportunity to get rid of him and I can't decide…so, you tell me what do you think of him?
Chapter 3
David watched as the girl ran straight into his selling partner, Jack Kelly. She fell to the ground, her head slamming into the sidewalk.
"Hey, girl, are you okay?" Jack asked her, but he got no response. He bent over her and determined that she had been knocked out by her fall. At that moment David came to a stop beside him.
"What were you doing? Why were you chasing this little girl down the street, Dave?" Jack asked in an accusing tone.
"She picked my pocket. I was just trying to get my money back," David said defending himself. "Is she alright?"
"I think she hit her head when she fell. Let's take her back to the lodging house so Kloppman can have a look at her," Jack suggested.
"But, Jack, she's a thief," David protested.
"So what? Most newsies have stolen stuff before. I have. Look at the kid, she probably only doing it to buy food," Jack said. He picked her up and carried her to the lodging house, while David trailed along behind. When he got there Kloppman was standing behind the front desk.
"Hey, Jack what you got there?" he asked.
"This girl hit her head on the sidewalk and she ain't woke up since. Do you think you could check her out?" he asked.
"Sure, Jack, take her up to the sick room. I'll be right there," he told him. He ducked into the office to grab his medical supplies.
Jack laid the girl on the bed and watched while Kloppman checked the bump on the back of the girl's head. Before long the girl stirred and began to open her eyes. As soon as her eyes were fully opened she began to scream. It was a blood-curdling, ear-piercing shriek.
Jack clapped his hand over her mouth and said, "No one's going to hurt you. Now just stop screaming and I'll lift my hand, understand?"
Dodger nodded. She tried to remember how she got here. It didn't look like the Refuge. She was in a small bare room with six cots lining the wall. She had no idea where she was or why she was there, until she looked to doorway of the room. It was the newsie whose pocket she had picked earlier. Then everything came rushing back to her.
"I'm sorry! I had to do it! I have to eat!" she exclaimed.
"What's she talking about, Jack?" the old man crouching next to her asked.
"Well, Kloppman, I do believe this little girl picked Dave's pocket," the boy on her other side told the man.
"I didn't mean nothing by it! I've gotta eat!" she protested, her eyes once again filling with tears. "I ain't got any other way of getting money."
"Kid, you do the poor, innocent me act pretty good. You'd make a good newsie. In fact since you say that you don't have any other way of making money, that's what you can do. You can stay here at the lodging house and sell papes for me," Jack decreed. "You can't spend the rest of your life as a pickpocket. Before long you'll get picked up by the bulls."
Dodger looked at him with a considering look on her face. "I'll think about it."
"So, kid you got a name?" he asked.
"Yeah I got one," she told him, defiantly.
"Well, what is it?"
"Dodger. What's yours?"
"I'm Jack and he's David. How did you get a name like Dodger?" Jack asked continuing his inquisition.
"My friend named me that after someone in a book," she told him.
"What book?" he asked.
"Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens," David told him.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Dodger asked turning toward him.
"I read it once," David said with a shrug.
"So did, Smarts!" she exclaimed.
"Who is Smarts?" Jack asked.
"He's my best friend. He's really smart; he went to school for four whole years," Dodger bragged.
"Well, where is he?" Jack asked.
"Probably at home waiting on me. When I go off to get money he waits there. He doesn't know much about stealing but he does all the counting and stuff for us," she told them. "Can he be a newsie, too?"
"Sure he can. Where is home?" Jack asked, surprised that she had one.
"We're not supposed to tell," she said, looking at him suspiciously. "Jim said if we tell people then they'll know how to find us and they might tell the bulls."
"Who's Jim?" David asked.
"He's the man who taught me how to pickpockets," she told them. "He was like the leader of all the pickpockets in our neighborhood. We were like a gang. He died last year and the gang broke up. I lived by myself for, um, well I don't remember how long. Then, one day I found Smarts sitting on a bench crying. We been friends ever since."
"What was he crying for?"
"Because he was lost." She stopped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Uh oh. I promised Smarts that I wouldn't tell anyone about that! You can't tell him I told you!"
Jack laughed. "We won't tell. Now why don't we go get your friend and the two of you can spend the night here with us and then go selling with us tomorrow."
"Okay!" she said hopping off the bed. "I can't take you to where we live, but I'll bring Smarts back here with me tomorrow and if we like being newsies then maybe we'll stay."
"It's a deal," Jack told her. He spit in his palm and held it out. Dodger returned the gesture. "Meet us at the World Distribution Center in the morning."
"Okay, I'd better go now," she said heading for the door. As she neared David she remember how she had gotten there in the first place. "Here's your money back. I can't steal from someone I know."
"Thanks," David said. Then he paused, "Wait, if you give this to me how will you eat tonight?"
"Oh, I'll figure something out," she told him with a grin. She ran down the stairs and out of the building.
***
Dodger skipped down the street and into her alley. She couldn't wait to tell Smarts the good news.
"Smmmmmmmmarts!" she called out. "I got great news."
"What is it?" he asked hopping down from the stack of crates he was sitting on. "And what took you so long?"
"First I'll tell you the news and then I'll tell you where I've been. The news is that I got a fifty cents today," she said with a triumphant grin.
"You stole that much from a newsie?" he asked incredulously.
"No, I got from a man walking back from the lodging house. He was dressed nice, very fancy," she explained.
"Walking back from the lodging house? Which lodging house and why were you there?" he asked.
"The newsies' lodging house. I was there because I bumped my head and Jack took me to the lodging house," she told him.
"Who is Jack? The newsie you stole from?" he asked.
"No, that was David. Jack was the other newsie," she told him.
"Which other newsie?" he asked completely confused.
"The other newsie that invited us to be newsies," she said as if that explained everything.
"Stop, Dodge, start over at the beginning," Smarts told her.
"Ok, I was going after the newsie, David, and he caught me and chased me down the street. I ran into to Jack and fell down and hit my head. I woke up in the newsies' lodging house and Jack asked me if I wanted to be a newsie. I told him that we would try it tomorrow and see if we like it. Then I left and on the way back I got fifty cents from a rich man on the street." Dodger told him all of this in one long continuous stream. "So do you want to?"
"Do I want to, what?" he asked.
"Be a newsie, of course!" she said with a roll of her eyes.
"I guess so," he said with a shrug. "How do you do it?"
"Jack's gonna teach us," she said. "We're supposed to meet them at the distribution center tomorrow morning."
Another Author's Note: Well this has nothing to do with my fic but I had to share this tid-bit. While trying to avoid reading for class tomorrow I watched my Newsies DVD with the audio setting on SPANISH!!! It is hilarious…rotflmao…unfortunately, they do not sing in Spanish…just has Spanish sub-titles for the songs.
Okay here's a little side note…I want your opinion on this Smarts: lose him or keep him? Personally I'm tired of him…he's really the weaker member of the duo…in a later chapter I will have an opportunity to get rid of him and I can't decide…so, you tell me what do you think of him?