I figured that would shut her up.I guess in a way I sort of wanted to kiss her too.I'd never met a girl who was so full of rage and irritation
like that.I wanted to believe she wanted to kiss me too.For reality's sake,I decided she was just too dumbfounded to pull away.Within
this moment I wondered what she would do after the kiss.Not being able to do anything else, I slowly removed my lips from hers and
waited for a reaction.Any reaction.She stared at me for a moment.No,wait..She glared for a moment then pulled back her shoulder to
make me let her go.She glared at me then slapped me-hard,not to mention.I slowly turned my head back to look at her and she
slapped me again.This time I just kept it where it was from being struck,but watched her from the corner of my eye.She just glared at
me for a moment longer then stomped off,managing to make her way through the crowd of the boys watching.I crammed my hands in
my pockets and dropped my head. "That was a nice display." Jack said as he neared me with the rest of them. "You're not one of the
smarter of us,eh?"
"Eh,blow it out yer ear." I said,taking a cigar and a match from my pocket.I looked over at Natalie and watcher her leave,noting the ink
that was dripping off her papers.I put the cigar and match back.No point in trying to light it in rain like this. "C'mon,bums.Let's get back
inside.." I started to walk off,in the opposite direction as Natalie, and heading for the lodging house.None of the boys followed.
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
-Let's look thru Natalie's eyes to see what she thinks about all this...-
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
I couldn't believe that kid!What the hell was he doing?!I paced back and forth like a tiger in a cage.I threw my papers in the
water furiously,getting quite splashed.I tried to make the kid my enemy and what does he do?He kisses me!Ever since the day I
saw him I didn't like him.I'm not sure why,but I didn't!I sat down the curb,glaring at the ground or anyone who passed by.There was
no reason for him to do that!I groaned and held my head in my hands.Why was I making such a big deal of it anyway?I'd been
kissed lots of times and had never gotten as mad as I was now.I just sat there,thinking.I really had no reason to hate him.Not being
able to stand my own thoughts,I stood and started to head for the boarding house.I made my trip as slow as possible,so as not to
see any of the newsies on the way.By the time I got there all of them (except RaceTrack) were sitting in a circle in the middle of the
floor playing poker.I wish kid Blink hadn't noticed me enter, but aparantly he had been looking out for me ever since he got back.
"Natalie!You're back!" He exclaimed.All of the boys looked up. "You're drenched.Wanna borrow some dry clothes?" He
asked,standing.I walked over the sink.God,was I sick of boys.Pretty soon all but Racetrack were up and
offering to help me.Mush was first to hold out some dry clothes to me.I just grabbed them and went off to another room to get
dressed.
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
-Going back to Racetrack..-
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
I looked over at the boys,puffing at a cigar.Mush was absoloutley beaming while all the others glared at him.A moment later Natalie
came back out.If we hadn't known it was her, we would've mistaked her for a boy.Even I was decieved for a brief moment.She fiddled
with the suspender strpas for a moment, then just pushed them off her shoulders irritably and let them hang. "You wanna join in da
game?" Boots offered.She started to roll her eyes before Boots said, "There'll be lots of winnings tonight." Her eyes gleamed and
she sat down with the boys.I watched them,my lip curled in disgust. "I don't feel like playin' no more." Snipeshooter said,backing
out of the circle to watch.None of them really noticed,keeping their attention on Natalie and the game.I furrowed my brow.Snipe
never passed up an opportunity to play poker.I stuck my cigar in my mouth and crammed my hands in my pockets,watching him as
he slowly approached me.
like that.I wanted to believe she wanted to kiss me too.For reality's sake,I decided she was just too dumbfounded to pull away.Within
this moment I wondered what she would do after the kiss.Not being able to do anything else, I slowly removed my lips from hers and
waited for a reaction.Any reaction.She stared at me for a moment.No,wait..She glared for a moment then pulled back her shoulder to
make me let her go.She glared at me then slapped me-hard,not to mention.I slowly turned my head back to look at her and she
slapped me again.This time I just kept it where it was from being struck,but watched her from the corner of my eye.She just glared at
me for a moment longer then stomped off,managing to make her way through the crowd of the boys watching.I crammed my hands in
my pockets and dropped my head. "That was a nice display." Jack said as he neared me with the rest of them. "You're not one of the
smarter of us,eh?"
"Eh,blow it out yer ear." I said,taking a cigar and a match from my pocket.I looked over at Natalie and watcher her leave,noting the ink
that was dripping off her papers.I put the cigar and match back.No point in trying to light it in rain like this. "C'mon,bums.Let's get back
inside.." I started to walk off,in the opposite direction as Natalie, and heading for the lodging house.None of the boys followed.
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
-Let's look thru Natalie's eyes to see what she thinks about all this...-
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
I couldn't believe that kid!What the hell was he doing?!I paced back and forth like a tiger in a cage.I threw my papers in the
water furiously,getting quite splashed.I tried to make the kid my enemy and what does he do?He kisses me!Ever since the day I
saw him I didn't like him.I'm not sure why,but I didn't!I sat down the curb,glaring at the ground or anyone who passed by.There was
no reason for him to do that!I groaned and held my head in my hands.Why was I making such a big deal of it anyway?I'd been
kissed lots of times and had never gotten as mad as I was now.I just sat there,thinking.I really had no reason to hate him.Not being
able to stand my own thoughts,I stood and started to head for the boarding house.I made my trip as slow as possible,so as not to
see any of the newsies on the way.By the time I got there all of them (except RaceTrack) were sitting in a circle in the middle of the
floor playing poker.I wish kid Blink hadn't noticed me enter, but aparantly he had been looking out for me ever since he got back.
"Natalie!You're back!" He exclaimed.All of the boys looked up. "You're drenched.Wanna borrow some dry clothes?" He
asked,standing.I walked over the sink.God,was I sick of boys.Pretty soon all but Racetrack were up and
offering to help me.Mush was first to hold out some dry clothes to me.I just grabbed them and went off to another room to get
dressed.
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
-Going back to Racetrack..-
*~~~~*|*~~~~*|^|*~~~~*|*~~~~*
I looked over at the boys,puffing at a cigar.Mush was absoloutley beaming while all the others glared at him.A moment later Natalie
came back out.If we hadn't known it was her, we would've mistaked her for a boy.Even I was decieved for a brief moment.She fiddled
with the suspender strpas for a moment, then just pushed them off her shoulders irritably and let them hang. "You wanna join in da
game?" Boots offered.She started to roll her eyes before Boots said, "There'll be lots of winnings tonight." Her eyes gleamed and
she sat down with the boys.I watched them,my lip curled in disgust. "I don't feel like playin' no more." Snipeshooter said,backing
out of the circle to watch.None of them really noticed,keeping their attention on Natalie and the game.I furrowed my brow.Snipe
never passed up an opportunity to play poker.I stuck my cigar in my mouth and crammed my hands in my pockets,watching him as
he slowly approached me.