AUTHORS NOTE:
KtStar: Thanx for your review!! Here's the next chapter. It's shorter, but
the good stuff's comin' up now that I'm past the introductions!! Thanx
again!!
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Chapter 5- An Unwelcome Visitor
***Three weeks later***
Slick had only been with the Manhattan Newsies three weeks and it already felt like three years. The boys treated her like one of their own, she figured that had something to do with the fact that they all thought she was a boy, but she didn't correct them, liking the way she was easily accepted. Aside from Jack and Spot, Blink had become her closest friend, the two usually sold together and hung out when ever they both had nothing better to do. Blink in return had accepted Slick as one of his closest friends, he felt he could tell 'him' anything, and often did, Slick had amazing insight when it came to his girl problems. It didn't bother Slick that she was the only girl in a house full of teenage hormonal boys, she was used to it, but out of tact, she made sure she was conveniently not around when they were doing their business and what not. Mainly, to avoid such confrontations Slick made sure she was the first one up and dressed each morning.
After a particularly easy day of selling, due mainly to the recent murder headline, the entire Manhattan Newsie force, accompanied by a Mr. Spot Conlon, were enjoying an early lunch in their usual restaurant, Tibby's.
"So Slick, I ain't seen ya in Brooklyn lately, Blink 'ere 'elpin' ya stay outta trouble?" Spot asked with fake casualness with a smart-ass grin on his face.
Slick grinned and threw a french fry across the table at him. "Yeah, I guess Blink's been a good influence." Blink grinned his patented grin, "Why? Ya been missin' me? What about Shiner? 'Ows 'e holdin' up?"
"As a matta a fact, Shinah asked me ta inform ya if I saw ya taday, that 'e would like 'is deck a cards back." Slick smirked, New York had been informed the hard way of Slick's excellent pick pocketing and theft abilities soon after she'd arrived.
"Ya can tell 'im 'e'll get it back eventually, right now, I'm usin' 'em for good purposes."
"Yeah ta cheat when we play poker." Race grumbled, referring to one of Slick's other capabilities, being a fairly good poker player.
"Cheat? Me? Why Race, I's hurt, I'd neva think a cheatin' while I's playin' ya." Slick feigned hurt in her voice, while the rest of the table cracked up laughing, not even noticing the appearance of a tall stranger behind her.
"Still being a hotshot I see." A fairly large, strong hand clamped down on Slick's left shoulder. The entire table was silenced as they looked from Slick's terrified face to the menacing one standing behind her.
Slick couldn't move, she was too terrified, every muscle in her body frozen, she knew her terror read out easily on her face, and she hated it, but she couldn't hide it. Her breath started coming in ragged, and unregular. 'NO! Not here! What is he doing here?!?!' Slick cursed herself for staying in one place so long, especially a place he'd be sure to come to look for her.
"So, Brooklyn, ya seem to be doing nicely. These your friends?" The hand slid from her shoulder down to her upper left arm, her being on the edge of the booth with her left side facing out it was an easy task.
If at all possible, Slick stiffened even more as the stranger ran his fingers up and down her upper left arm, knowing and feeling the scars that lay beneath the light shirt. Her fear increased slightly too, he now knew who her friends were, that was not good.
Jack looked between the two, and started to stand up, being her leader, he felt it necessary to protect his friend. "Who are ya an' what the hell are ya doin' 'ere?"
"I would inform your friend to sit back down Brooklyn, if you know what's good for him, you and the rest of 'em."
"Sit down Jack." Slick said quietly, he obeyed, eyes shooting daggers at the other guy. She suddenly cleared her throat and her thoughts as she wrenched her arm away from the hand that had been steadily running up and down it, and stood up, turning to face the stranger, who was not so strange to her. "What do you want Slider?" Her voice was cold and hard as iced over stone. The rest of the table looked in shock at Slick, then at Slider.
"How about, we go towards the door, an' have a lil' chat, jus' you an' me Brooklyn, what da ya say?" Slider asked, once again reaching for Slick's left arm, which did not go unnoticed by the table's other occupants.
"Fine." Slick gave a warning look for the rest of the table to stay put as she followed Slider towards the door.
"I don' like him." Blink said quietly once Slick and Slider had moved out of earshot.
"No kiddin, an' was it jus' me or did Slick looked terrified?"
"Brooklyn." Spot said
"Yeah what was up with that? Dat Slider guy callin' Slick Brooklyn?" Mush asked (A/N: I hate to break up the moment, but I realized I totally forgot to have Slick be introduced to Mush, but she has been k? Ok, good, all better...back to my typing and your reading)
"Uh, I's jus' gonna take a guess an' say dat that was 'er Chicago name." Jack answered, his gaze still fixed on his friend and Slider, who'd just pulled up Slick's left sleeve and was again running his fingers along something on her arm.
"Brooklyn? Dey couldn' come up with anythin' bettah than Brooklyn?" Race asked incredulously, earning a vicious glare from Spot. "Uh......"
******************
Slick wrenched her arm away from Slider again as he led her over towards the door, away from her friends. "Whaddya want Slider?" She asked coldly again, fully masking the fear coursing through her.
"Only been in New York a couple a weeks, an' you already got that horrid accent again." He sneered.
Slick swung at him, but her fist was stopped as it landed firmly in his palm. He dropped her right arm and picked up the one facing the door, her left one. Pulling up the loose sleeve, he traced his finger around the scared marks that ran up and down her arm. "Leave me alone Slider."
"Leave you alone?! Nah, I'll pass." Slider glanced around at all the newsies, her friends. "Nice friends Brooklyn."
"Don't you dare touch them."
Slider smirked at her, "They really mean that much to ya? Ah, that's right, you have a tendency to get a lil' too attached ta people, a handy weapon ta use against ya Brooklyn, an' I thank ya for it." Having the final word, one which he knew would sting her, Slider, turned and walked back out into the streets of New York. Leaving a very pissed and scared Slick/Brooklyn in his wake.
Slick took a couple deep breaths to steady her nerves, which felt as though they'd been stretched to their limit then rubbed with sandpaper, before turning and heading back to the table where a very confused and worried group of boys sat waiting for an explanation that would never come. She quickly paid her tab, ignoring all of her friends, and walked quickly out the door.
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Chapter 5- An Unwelcome Visitor
***Three weeks later***
Slick had only been with the Manhattan Newsies three weeks and it already felt like three years. The boys treated her like one of their own, she figured that had something to do with the fact that they all thought she was a boy, but she didn't correct them, liking the way she was easily accepted. Aside from Jack and Spot, Blink had become her closest friend, the two usually sold together and hung out when ever they both had nothing better to do. Blink in return had accepted Slick as one of his closest friends, he felt he could tell 'him' anything, and often did, Slick had amazing insight when it came to his girl problems. It didn't bother Slick that she was the only girl in a house full of teenage hormonal boys, she was used to it, but out of tact, she made sure she was conveniently not around when they were doing their business and what not. Mainly, to avoid such confrontations Slick made sure she was the first one up and dressed each morning.
After a particularly easy day of selling, due mainly to the recent murder headline, the entire Manhattan Newsie force, accompanied by a Mr. Spot Conlon, were enjoying an early lunch in their usual restaurant, Tibby's.
"So Slick, I ain't seen ya in Brooklyn lately, Blink 'ere 'elpin' ya stay outta trouble?" Spot asked with fake casualness with a smart-ass grin on his face.
Slick grinned and threw a french fry across the table at him. "Yeah, I guess Blink's been a good influence." Blink grinned his patented grin, "Why? Ya been missin' me? What about Shiner? 'Ows 'e holdin' up?"
"As a matta a fact, Shinah asked me ta inform ya if I saw ya taday, that 'e would like 'is deck a cards back." Slick smirked, New York had been informed the hard way of Slick's excellent pick pocketing and theft abilities soon after she'd arrived.
"Ya can tell 'im 'e'll get it back eventually, right now, I'm usin' 'em for good purposes."
"Yeah ta cheat when we play poker." Race grumbled, referring to one of Slick's other capabilities, being a fairly good poker player.
"Cheat? Me? Why Race, I's hurt, I'd neva think a cheatin' while I's playin' ya." Slick feigned hurt in her voice, while the rest of the table cracked up laughing, not even noticing the appearance of a tall stranger behind her.
"Still being a hotshot I see." A fairly large, strong hand clamped down on Slick's left shoulder. The entire table was silenced as they looked from Slick's terrified face to the menacing one standing behind her.
Slick couldn't move, she was too terrified, every muscle in her body frozen, she knew her terror read out easily on her face, and she hated it, but she couldn't hide it. Her breath started coming in ragged, and unregular. 'NO! Not here! What is he doing here?!?!' Slick cursed herself for staying in one place so long, especially a place he'd be sure to come to look for her.
"So, Brooklyn, ya seem to be doing nicely. These your friends?" The hand slid from her shoulder down to her upper left arm, her being on the edge of the booth with her left side facing out it was an easy task.
If at all possible, Slick stiffened even more as the stranger ran his fingers up and down her upper left arm, knowing and feeling the scars that lay beneath the light shirt. Her fear increased slightly too, he now knew who her friends were, that was not good.
Jack looked between the two, and started to stand up, being her leader, he felt it necessary to protect his friend. "Who are ya an' what the hell are ya doin' 'ere?"
"I would inform your friend to sit back down Brooklyn, if you know what's good for him, you and the rest of 'em."
"Sit down Jack." Slick said quietly, he obeyed, eyes shooting daggers at the other guy. She suddenly cleared her throat and her thoughts as she wrenched her arm away from the hand that had been steadily running up and down it, and stood up, turning to face the stranger, who was not so strange to her. "What do you want Slider?" Her voice was cold and hard as iced over stone. The rest of the table looked in shock at Slick, then at Slider.
"How about, we go towards the door, an' have a lil' chat, jus' you an' me Brooklyn, what da ya say?" Slider asked, once again reaching for Slick's left arm, which did not go unnoticed by the table's other occupants.
"Fine." Slick gave a warning look for the rest of the table to stay put as she followed Slider towards the door.
"I don' like him." Blink said quietly once Slick and Slider had moved out of earshot.
"No kiddin, an' was it jus' me or did Slick looked terrified?"
"Brooklyn." Spot said
"Yeah what was up with that? Dat Slider guy callin' Slick Brooklyn?" Mush asked (A/N: I hate to break up the moment, but I realized I totally forgot to have Slick be introduced to Mush, but she has been k? Ok, good, all better...back to my typing and your reading)
"Uh, I's jus' gonna take a guess an' say dat that was 'er Chicago name." Jack answered, his gaze still fixed on his friend and Slider, who'd just pulled up Slick's left sleeve and was again running his fingers along something on her arm.
"Brooklyn? Dey couldn' come up with anythin' bettah than Brooklyn?" Race asked incredulously, earning a vicious glare from Spot. "Uh......"
******************
Slick wrenched her arm away from Slider again as he led her over towards the door, away from her friends. "Whaddya want Slider?" She asked coldly again, fully masking the fear coursing through her.
"Only been in New York a couple a weeks, an' you already got that horrid accent again." He sneered.
Slick swung at him, but her fist was stopped as it landed firmly in his palm. He dropped her right arm and picked up the one facing the door, her left one. Pulling up the loose sleeve, he traced his finger around the scared marks that ran up and down her arm. "Leave me alone Slider."
"Leave you alone?! Nah, I'll pass." Slider glanced around at all the newsies, her friends. "Nice friends Brooklyn."
"Don't you dare touch them."
Slider smirked at her, "They really mean that much to ya? Ah, that's right, you have a tendency to get a lil' too attached ta people, a handy weapon ta use against ya Brooklyn, an' I thank ya for it." Having the final word, one which he knew would sting her, Slider, turned and walked back out into the streets of New York. Leaving a very pissed and scared Slick/Brooklyn in his wake.
Slick took a couple deep breaths to steady her nerves, which felt as though they'd been stretched to their limit then rubbed with sandpaper, before turning and heading back to the table where a very confused and worried group of boys sat waiting for an explanation that would never come. She quickly paid her tab, ignoring all of her friends, and walked quickly out the door.