Racetrack was trying to coerce the Midtown girls into a card game and Pips was sleeping on a makeshift bed by the wall. Spot and Marble were sitting on the floor with Harper and one of her newsies, a tall quiet girl with chocolate brown skin named Silk. They were getting the story of what was happening in Midtown.

"Coupla days ago dese two guys showed up at da Distribution Center, Skylar and Gavin, an' Sky starts makin' demands an' offerin' ta fight anybody dat don't like it. We woulda ignored da joik but 'e wouldn't let nobody git papes, so dere was fightin' an it turned inta a brawl. Somebody called da bulls an' dis guy suddenly changed sides an' kept dem from arrestin' anybody. Da guys started listenin' to 'im den and 'e didn't hafta fight nobody. Dey was scared cause dey saw 'im take on four cop'ers at once. He started givin' dem ideas 'bout desoivin' more space an' bein' da toughest borough. I couldn't believe it, but us goils ain't stupid an' we didn't trust da guy. He wants sumpthin' more an' jist Midtown but I don't how big 'es gonna try ta git. I didn't much wanna find out so I got me goils outta dere quick like an' we came heah fa a place ta hide out. Poisonally I say jist kill 'em roight off an' git it ovah wit, but dat ain't fair to da rest a us dat wanna piece of 'im. Whatevah yous decide ta do me an' Midtown is behind ya"

Marble flopped backwards, "Ya see Spot this is one of the reasons you run a borough and I don't."

"Damn, an' I t'ought it was all me natural charm an' good looks. Thanks for da tip Harper, we's bettah git goin' now, but Ace's gonna come talk ta ya soon 'bout whatevah's goin' on."

As he got up Harper thwomped Marble with a giant hug, "I can't believe yous got 'im ta grow a sense a humor. Thank you so much for turnin' 'im inta a normal person."

Marble grinned, "I guess my magnetic personality must be rubbin' off on 'im."

"Ah shuddup an' git outa heah."

Marble scampered to her feet laughing and went to shake Pips awake whilst (I love that word) Spot went to pry the cards out of Racetrack's poor penniless fingers, "Come on Race, ya know I hate ta see ya cheated by abunch a goils, lets go."

"But I's winnin'." The girls around him giggled and Spot just sighed and dragged him to his feet.

"Sorry ladies, but da boy's gotta eat an' he needs money for dat." They left to the sound or disappointed 'aw's' and laughing.

Halfway to the door Silk stopped Spot, "Watch your back around Skylar, only two things are on his mind, power and girls. You've got both and he's going to try to get them."

Spot just frowned and nodded to her then went out the door to where the others were waiting for him by the window.

* * *

The four newsies were alone a trolley car heading home. Spot was sitting by himself on one side and the others were together across from him talking quietly, "Wha' da ya t'inks gonna happen Marble?"

"I honestly haven't got a clue. I leave stuff like this up to Spot whenever I can, but if ya look at him, this can't be good." She paused and looked at him for a minute, "I think I'm gonna spend a few days in Brooklyn. I want to keep his mind off of all of this for as long as possible so he doesn't drive himself crazy."

"An' I guess da bedroom wit a lock ain't got nuthin' ta do wit it?" She smiled and shrugged at Race as she stood up.

"It doesn't hurt." Marble went to Spot and sat down almost in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She kissed him gently and rested her head on his shoulder. The stayed like that almost all the way back to Brooklyn. Race and Pips did their best to ignore the couple for the rest of the trip.

"It's really late."

"Yup."

A minute later, "I'm kinda cold."

"Yup."

Another minute, "I'm tired."

"Yup."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope."

"I want to have hot passionate sex right now."

"WHAT?!"

"I thought you weren't listening."

Race stared at her for a minute, "Yous scare me sometimes."

"Yup."

The trolley pulled to a stop a few blocks away from the docks. Marble and Spot got off, followed closely by Ashes, "See ya later kids, and Pips, I hope you get that request now that we're gone."

"Marble I didn't mean it!" She was already too far down the street to hear so Pips turned to Race, "This is all your fault."

"My fault? You're da one dat said it. Poisonally I wouldn't mind a little action now dat ya ain't a guy."

"That's disgusting." He just grinned suggestively so she got up and moved to the other side of the trolley.

For the res to the ride whenever Pips looked at Race he would give her suggestive looks and blow kisses. Each time her head would whip away and she would come closer to laughing.

Finally she just cracked up, "You are such a pervert."

"Dats harsh Pips, really harsh. I prefer ta t'ink a meself as........ forced to provide companionship wit me own two hands." He winked mischievously

"Eww!" The trolley car stopped and she hopped off, but refused to turn her back to him.

He followed her off, "Oh come on Pips, I was jist jokin'."

"That's still gross, I don't trust you behind me anymore."

"When didja evah?"

"Good point." She turned around and he ran a few steps to catch up to her.

"I t'ink I likes ya bettah as a goil. Yous funnah." She just laughed and shook her head.

* * *

Back as the lodging house Kloppman was still cleaning up from the night before. Snipeshooter, Tumbler and Boots were sitting in a corner shooting marbles and trying to stay awake longer than the other two. The only other person was a lump sleeping on one of the folding tables wrapped in an old blanket.

Kloppman looked up from his sweeping when they came in, "Yous back. Well git ta bed, it's late. An' you t'ree, I's said ta git an' hour ago, Now Git!"

The three boys shot to their feet and scampered up the steps without looking back. Racetrack just smiled, "G'nite Kloppman."

"Wait, afore ya go, git 'im." He pointed to the boy on the table, "Da oddahs forgot an' I ain't got da heart ta wake 'im up."

Race went to the table and tried to get the boy to his feet, "Pips can ya give me a hand?"

"Sure." She was about to take his other side when he started coughing hoarsely and she saw who it was, "No! I'm not touching him."

"Please Pips, he's too heavy ta git meself." She was about to protest again, "Come on, Blink's sick an' we can't leave 'im down heah in da cold."

She stared at him stubbornly for a minute but his pleading brown eyes just made her melt and she sullenly took Kid's other side, "Thank you."

They got him to his feet and he shuffled along, halfway conscience. Race had been right, he was heavy.

They were halfway up the steps when Race started talking hesitantly, "I was t'inkin' dat tommora de t'ree a us could go ta da track togethah."

"What!?"

"He's my friend an' I need ta watch out for 'im 'till 'es bettah, he can't do nuthin' alone yet an' we usually always sell togetha. Dis way da two a yous can git ta know each oddah bettah."

"No Race, I don't want to get to know him. I already know enough guys like him. I'll just go by myself."

"But you can't go off alone in dis city."

"Oh yes I can, and I will. I'm going to bed." She started up the steps without him.

"Wait a minute. Will ya at least help me git 'im up da steps?"

Pips turned around just in time to see his eyes fluttering open, "Look, he's awake, I'm going." She disappeared into the dark bunkroom at the top.

"Huh? Wha's goin' on?"

"Nuthin', lets jist go ta bed."



(I want to explain something really quick (hee hee quick) If you read the craptacular summary I wrote it has the word 'and' in it. Now 'and', if you didn't know, is used in a sentence to separate two complete ideas. With me two complete ideas are rarely related in any way shape or form so this story has two different plot lines (hee hee plot) with dozens of happy happy fun fun little 'subplots' coming off of them, mostly for comic relief. These 'plots' have almost nothing to do with each other in most cases so nothing will make any sense until almost the end, and even then, because I wrote it, it probably still won't make sense. I'm sorry you had to read this but I didn't want my insanity confusing people later.)