Chapter 12
The morning after the poker game, Dodger woke up in a strange bunk in a strange bunkroom. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The Brooklyn bunkroom was smaller than the Manhattan one and also much more crowded. Looking around she saw that she was the only one with a bunk to herself. At least two boys were in every bunk and dozens more were spread around on the floor. In fact there was barely any space left to walk in the bunkroom due to all the boys.
Feeling a little crowed she decided to find a place to be by herself. Rising from the bunk she carefully found her way over to the window and out on to the fire escape. She used it to climb to the roof of the lodging house. When she got up to the roof she saw two more sleeping figures lying in the corner of the roof.
She couldn't be alone anywhere. Turning around Dodger started to go back down the fire escape. She accidentally kicked a can; it rattled and crashed into a small collection of over cans and bottles. The two figures awoke instantly and turned toward the sound and towards her.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" one of them asked, defensively.
"I'm just looking for a place to be alone," she told them sullenly. Then she got a good look at the two of them. They were the girls from the square. "Hey, you're the girls Spot and Jack were talking about last night."
"They were talking about us?" the redhead asked with a heavy southern accent.
"Yeah, you guys are poaching on Spot's territory."
"Who's Spot?"
"He's the leader of the Brooklyn newsies."
"So, he's your boss?" the redhead asked while the other watched in silence.
"No, I'm a Manhattan newsie. Jack is the leader of the Manhattan newsies," Dodger explained.
"Well, then why are you here, if you don't live here?"
"Brooklyn hosted an all-night poker game. Everyone stays here afterwards and then gets up and goes selling in their own neighborhood. In fact I better go back down and see if the boys are ready to go. Do you guys want to come?"
"Uh, no, but can you do us a favor?"
"Sure, what?"
"Don't tell anyone you saw us, okay?"
"Okay, but why?"
"Well, we don't want anyone to know we're here. Now you better hurry before those boys leave you behind," the girl jumped in to stop any more questions.
"Yeah I better go, bye."
"Bye," she said with a sigh. Then turning to her silent friend she added. "That was close. We better get out of here, before anyone else finds us."
With that the two of them hopped onto the fire escape and climbed down. They disappeared into the city.
Author's Note: No one has reviewed the last two chapters and I'm a little sad ::sigh:: but that's okay. I'll be fine in a few years. I'll move on and one day after many sessions with my psychologist I may go on to lead a normal life. On the other hand if nice people were to review this chapter I might be able to recover and there would be no need for a psychologist.
The morning after the poker game, Dodger woke up in a strange bunk in a strange bunkroom. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The Brooklyn bunkroom was smaller than the Manhattan one and also much more crowded. Looking around she saw that she was the only one with a bunk to herself. At least two boys were in every bunk and dozens more were spread around on the floor. In fact there was barely any space left to walk in the bunkroom due to all the boys.
Feeling a little crowed she decided to find a place to be by herself. Rising from the bunk she carefully found her way over to the window and out on to the fire escape. She used it to climb to the roof of the lodging house. When she got up to the roof she saw two more sleeping figures lying in the corner of the roof.
She couldn't be alone anywhere. Turning around Dodger started to go back down the fire escape. She accidentally kicked a can; it rattled and crashed into a small collection of over cans and bottles. The two figures awoke instantly and turned toward the sound and towards her.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" one of them asked, defensively.
"I'm just looking for a place to be alone," she told them sullenly. Then she got a good look at the two of them. They were the girls from the square. "Hey, you're the girls Spot and Jack were talking about last night."
"They were talking about us?" the redhead asked with a heavy southern accent.
"Yeah, you guys are poaching on Spot's territory."
"Who's Spot?"
"He's the leader of the Brooklyn newsies."
"So, he's your boss?" the redhead asked while the other watched in silence.
"No, I'm a Manhattan newsie. Jack is the leader of the Manhattan newsies," Dodger explained.
"Well, then why are you here, if you don't live here?"
"Brooklyn hosted an all-night poker game. Everyone stays here afterwards and then gets up and goes selling in their own neighborhood. In fact I better go back down and see if the boys are ready to go. Do you guys want to come?"
"Uh, no, but can you do us a favor?"
"Sure, what?"
"Don't tell anyone you saw us, okay?"
"Okay, but why?"
"Well, we don't want anyone to know we're here. Now you better hurry before those boys leave you behind," the girl jumped in to stop any more questions.
"Yeah I better go, bye."
"Bye," she said with a sigh. Then turning to her silent friend she added. "That was close. We better get out of here, before anyone else finds us."
With that the two of them hopped onto the fire escape and climbed down. They disappeared into the city.
Author's Note: No one has reviewed the last two chapters and I'm a little sad ::sigh:: but that's okay. I'll be fine in a few years. I'll move on and one day after many sessions with my psychologist I may go on to lead a normal life. On the other hand if nice people were to review this chapter I might be able to recover and there would be no need for a psychologist.