When Swifty and Lizzy entered the lodging house the place was crawling with boys. Lizzy had to pinch her self to make sure she wasn't dead or dreaming or something, so many boys in one little space.
"Brooklyn's here," Swifty said as the two were greeted with hellos.
"Well that explains it," Lizzy said in awe. "I've never seen so many guys." Swifty gave her a funny look then laughed.
"Come on let's go find your friend," Swifty said as he lead Lizzy up the stairs to the bunkroom. The bunkroom was buzzing with action. There were people everywhere. They were all playing cards or doing something. Mush seemed to be busy with a girl who was perched in his lap and Kid Blink and Jane were getting very close. Lizzy smiled. This was the right place for her. No mothers, no fathers and no little brothers, yep, this was the high life. Lizzy looked around the room and noticed a newsies who was both surrounded by males and females.
"Who's that?" Lizzy asked Swifty. The two had joined Swifty's other friends who were busy playing poker.
"Dat's Spot Conlon, he runs Brooklyn," Swifty answered.
"Ah ok," Lizzy said absentmindedly as she went back to looking at everyone in the room. Swifty liked this girl, a lot. She was sweet and outgoing. At first he had found her intimidating but now he found that he liked having her around him. He began to consider taking Lizzy out to the theater. He loved it there.
"So how was your sellin' day?" Skittery asked Swifty.
"It was great, Lizzy here's really good at it. She's gonna sell wid me tomorrow," Swifty answered smiling. Skittery looked at his friend eyebrows arched.
"Oh really?" Skittery knew how Swifty was painfully shy and was slightly amazed that he was so comfortable around this girl.
"Yeah she needs a nick though," Swifty said as Specs dealt him into the next hand.
"Hey Liz," Specs said snapping the girl out of her daydream. "Wanna play?"
"Huh?" Lizzy said jumping a little. She looked at the cards and then up at Specs. "Nah, that's ok."
"Swifty tells us you'se don't have a nick yet," Itey said looking at his cards intently.
"No, I guess I don't. Do I need one?"
"Well, yeah, every newsie has a nick," Pie Eater said as he tried to look at Snoddy's cards but failed.
"What about Lizard?" Lizzy said with a shrug. "That's what everyone used to call me."
"Alright, Lizard you'se is den," Swifty said making it final. "Full house," He said grinning as he placed his cards down on the table. The others scowled and threw their cards down.
For the next couple of days Swifty and Lizzy, now more know as Lizard hung around town and sold papers while Jane, now known as Sweets, stayed with Kid Blink. The two new girls made fast friends with the other newsgirls, especially Mondie, Mush's girl. When the three weren't with the boys they were usually together raving havoc.
"Dat's da last pape," Swifty commented after the last customer was off walking away with the newspaper he just bought tucked under his arm.
"Great, so what are we'se gonna do now?" Lizzy asked grinning. Over the past days both Jane and Lizzy had developed accents like the newsies and both had begun to lose memory of their life before they met their new friends. Each day they remembered less and less. Now it was all a haze to Lizzy, she was having a hard time telling if what she remembered was real or if she had made it all up.
"Well, I'se wanna show you'se somthin'," Swifty said as he led Lizard through the streets of Manhattan. "I'se know how much you'se like da theater and I'se just been waitin' till dere was somethin' good here." Swifty stopped at a door that led into a side street. He held a finger up to his lips and opened the door carefully. He poked his head in the doorway to make sure everything was clear and then took Lizard by the wrist and entered the dark room.
Lizard then found out it wasn't a room it was backstage to a theater, a large one at that. Swifty led her up a staircase to the catwalk above the stage and sat down. Lizard looked down at the stage below her and saw that the play was Romeo and Juliet. She had been in that play once, she remembered with a smile, or maybe she hadn't…
"Wow, dis is great Swifty," Lizard whispered. "Thanks for bringin' me." She looked into Swifty's eyes and smiled. "Hey Swifty, kiss me."
Swifty smiled. He didn't have to be told twice. He leaned forward and kissed Lizard. He deepened the kiss and pulled the girl of his dreams into his arms. This was heaven, he was sure of it. When she kissed him back it sent shivers down his spine and filled him with warmth. They kissed for a while longer until he pulled back for breath.
"Wow," Lizard said softly. "Where'd you learn ta kiss like dat?"
"Here n' dere," Swifty answered smiling. For the rest of the play Lizard sat up against Swifty happily resting in his arms. She now remembered nothing of her home in the 21st century; she was perfectly happy right here, right now.
((AN:// It's not over yet! LOL ok thanks again to everyone who's reviewed. I'm not online right now so I can't do shout outs but thanks anyway! I'll add more soon. I know I'm kind-a going a bit fast but I don't want to drag this thing out so much that I get tired of writing it…anyway review and keep looking for the updates!!!))