DISCLAIMER: The Newsies do not belong to me save for Honey and Flame. So
puh-lease don't sue me because you won't get very much. Muah ha ha!
Switching Spots
"Ya did what?" Spot sat up in his bed with his back leaned against the headboard, as he looked at his twin sister incredously.
"They's were fightin like junkyard dogs and it was so terrible! I mean, how could Flame let them do sumthin like that, ya know what I'se sayin? So I had tah stop it. They's would only listen tah someone as respected as youse so I took my chances." Honey sat on the corner of Spot's bed, trying to avoid his angry glare. Running out of the Bronx lodging house in tears might have not been the best thing to do at the moment, but she had not known what to say to that rude newsie!
"Personally, I thinks what they's were doing is healthy. I mean, ya rather they take their fights tah the streets wheah the bulls will be watchin fer them?" The Brooklyn leader crossed his arms and sighed. Honey was completely destroying a reputation he had worked so hard to build up. Maybe he should call the whole thing off. "This really aint doing me no good, goil. I'se gots people thinking I'se on drugs and all. It's terrible! So I'se gunna let ya go."
Honey gasped. "Yer puttin me out on the streets?!"
"What? No! I didn't mean lettin ya go like that. I mean youse aint got tah pretend tah be me anymore. If Staten Island's gunna take me borough, let 'em take it. I'se don't care. Honey, I can barely walk! What am I gunna do when they's come heah? Throw me cane at their heads?"
"But yer newsies will fight fer ya! And Manhattan and the Bronx gots our backs. Don't give in now, Spot!" She was on the verge of tears. From all the stories she had heard about her brother, none of them ever spoke of him giving up. Spot Conlon was not a quitter! What was he thinking? It must be the illness, she thought. He knows he's nearin his end and he's too sick tah do sumthin about it. She opened her mouth to say something but realized that Spot had fallen asleep in all his weakness.
"I'se aint givin up on youse just yet, Spot!" she declared as she rose to her feet. "I love ya way too much tah be separated from youse again."
* * * * *
When Honey arrived at the halfway point of the Brooklyn Bridge where she and Jack met nowadays, she noticed that the Manhattan leader did not appear to be in his usual upbeat mood.
"Jacky, what's wrong? Ya look like someone did ya wrong"
Jack pulled back his cowboy hat and leaned against one of the bridge rails with a frown. He did not know how to break the news to the girl. "Well, I'se gots good news and bad news. It'll only make sense if I'se tell ya the good news foist this time. Race and me convinced this one doctor tah see Spot wid the small amount of money we'se had. Bad news is, when I went tah get the money outta the small bow we'se had collected it in, it was gone."
"What!?!?!?"
"I kept it under me bed just fer safety reasons, not because I thought one of me own newsies would steal it though. We'se had a few visitors the past few months and I wanted tah keep the money in a secret place just in case they came back since I'se don't know them real well."
Honey took Spot's hat off her head and let her long, golden hair jumble past her shoulders. "I'se don't understand. If the visitors didn't know wheah the money was, how could they have stolen it?"
"There's a problem though," Jack said, facing her. "We'se haven't had any visitors fer a week now, so it had tah be someone who's a permanent resident at the lodging house. I jist don't get why someone would steal Spot's money! If they needed some extra cash, they's could've asked me to spot them a bit, ya know? I'se always lettin people borrow money!"
"If I'se ever finds the person who did it, I'd soak 'em so bad!" Honey noticed some newsies far off selling papers and decided she had better return to impersonating Spot before word got out that the Brooklyn leader was sick in bed. She crunched her hair under the hat and pulled it down atop her head. "Well, bawlin about it aint gunna get us anywhere. We'se need tah think how we'se can get three more dollars by Friday night."
"Why Friday night?"
Honey looked down at her shoes and then returned her gaze to Jack. Her eyes were full of tears. "He aint gunna make it, Jacky. I'se was at me mother's side when she was dyin and she didn't even look as bad as Spot does now. Every morning when I wake up, I'se run tah his bedside worriedly, expectin him tah be gone. Any day now, we'se is gunna lose him if we don't get that doctor."
* * * * *
Flame only had three more papers to sell when he saw who he though to be Spot Conlon sitting on a crate with a blank expression on his face.
"Uh, Spot? Youse okay?"
Honey looked up at the familiar voice and instantly wiped the tearstains from her face as she jumped up to spit-shake with the Bronx leader. "Yea, I'se jist thinkin about some things."
"Were ya cryin? Not tah sound harsh or anything, I knows youse in touch wid yer sensitive side, but ya might not wanna do stuff like that in public. Yer rep is already crumblin' as we know it."
Honey nodded. "It's just that I'se been havin financial problems lately."
Flame laughed and patted Spot on the back. "Yea, who hasn't been havin financial problems?"
"But this is serious! My.uh, sistah is really sick and needs tah see a doctor. So Jack and I collected some money from our newsies tah pay fer one. Then, some scab goes and steals Manhattan's money!"
"Oh, that's cold," Flame replied. "Me boys are more broke than youse can imagine. We'se aint gots no money tah spare. Ya know that if we did, we'se would give it tah yer sistah in a heartbeat. By the way, I didn't know ya had a sistah."
Honey smiled. "Yah, I'se always talkin to her about youse. She really wants tah meet ya; I think she may have a crush."
Flame laughed again. "I'se flattered. If she's anything like yer sorry behind, I'd kill myself. New Yawk has enough self-absorbed brats on the streets, no offense. But on a more serious note, ya do remember that tomorrow is the poker game at my place? Maybe luck will be wid ya and youse can win some money fer the goil."
"Oh gosh!" Honey exclaimed. "I'se almost forgot about that! Queens is gunna be there too, right? They's always got some mad cash! I'se pretty shoah me and Jacky can take home some of it!" She started giggling as if she had gone mad. "This is great! All me problems are solved. Thanks so much, Flame! Youse a life saver!" She threw her arms around the boy's neck and squeezed him tight before skipping off towards Brooklyn, singing a lively tune all the while.
Flame ran his fingers through his hair and took countless deep breaths to relax himself. Had Spot Conlon just given him a hug? "That bum has gots some serious problems." He swore the next time the Brooklyn leader tried something like that, he would have to give Spot a shiner.
More to Come!!! Please Review! You do not understand how much I enjoy reading reviews. I think I'm addicted to them. So if you click that nice, pretty button below, you can really make my day! WOOHOO! C'mon kids! Submit Submit Submit!!! That's the Spirit! Love ya All!!!
Switching Spots
"Ya did what?" Spot sat up in his bed with his back leaned against the headboard, as he looked at his twin sister incredously.
"They's were fightin like junkyard dogs and it was so terrible! I mean, how could Flame let them do sumthin like that, ya know what I'se sayin? So I had tah stop it. They's would only listen tah someone as respected as youse so I took my chances." Honey sat on the corner of Spot's bed, trying to avoid his angry glare. Running out of the Bronx lodging house in tears might have not been the best thing to do at the moment, but she had not known what to say to that rude newsie!
"Personally, I thinks what they's were doing is healthy. I mean, ya rather they take their fights tah the streets wheah the bulls will be watchin fer them?" The Brooklyn leader crossed his arms and sighed. Honey was completely destroying a reputation he had worked so hard to build up. Maybe he should call the whole thing off. "This really aint doing me no good, goil. I'se gots people thinking I'se on drugs and all. It's terrible! So I'se gunna let ya go."
Honey gasped. "Yer puttin me out on the streets?!"
"What? No! I didn't mean lettin ya go like that. I mean youse aint got tah pretend tah be me anymore. If Staten Island's gunna take me borough, let 'em take it. I'se don't care. Honey, I can barely walk! What am I gunna do when they's come heah? Throw me cane at their heads?"
"But yer newsies will fight fer ya! And Manhattan and the Bronx gots our backs. Don't give in now, Spot!" She was on the verge of tears. From all the stories she had heard about her brother, none of them ever spoke of him giving up. Spot Conlon was not a quitter! What was he thinking? It must be the illness, she thought. He knows he's nearin his end and he's too sick tah do sumthin about it. She opened her mouth to say something but realized that Spot had fallen asleep in all his weakness.
"I'se aint givin up on youse just yet, Spot!" she declared as she rose to her feet. "I love ya way too much tah be separated from youse again."
* * * * *
When Honey arrived at the halfway point of the Brooklyn Bridge where she and Jack met nowadays, she noticed that the Manhattan leader did not appear to be in his usual upbeat mood.
"Jacky, what's wrong? Ya look like someone did ya wrong"
Jack pulled back his cowboy hat and leaned against one of the bridge rails with a frown. He did not know how to break the news to the girl. "Well, I'se gots good news and bad news. It'll only make sense if I'se tell ya the good news foist this time. Race and me convinced this one doctor tah see Spot wid the small amount of money we'se had. Bad news is, when I went tah get the money outta the small bow we'se had collected it in, it was gone."
"What!?!?!?"
"I kept it under me bed just fer safety reasons, not because I thought one of me own newsies would steal it though. We'se had a few visitors the past few months and I wanted tah keep the money in a secret place just in case they came back since I'se don't know them real well."
Honey took Spot's hat off her head and let her long, golden hair jumble past her shoulders. "I'se don't understand. If the visitors didn't know wheah the money was, how could they have stolen it?"
"There's a problem though," Jack said, facing her. "We'se haven't had any visitors fer a week now, so it had tah be someone who's a permanent resident at the lodging house. I jist don't get why someone would steal Spot's money! If they needed some extra cash, they's could've asked me to spot them a bit, ya know? I'se always lettin people borrow money!"
"If I'se ever finds the person who did it, I'd soak 'em so bad!" Honey noticed some newsies far off selling papers and decided she had better return to impersonating Spot before word got out that the Brooklyn leader was sick in bed. She crunched her hair under the hat and pulled it down atop her head. "Well, bawlin about it aint gunna get us anywhere. We'se need tah think how we'se can get three more dollars by Friday night."
"Why Friday night?"
Honey looked down at her shoes and then returned her gaze to Jack. Her eyes were full of tears. "He aint gunna make it, Jacky. I'se was at me mother's side when she was dyin and she didn't even look as bad as Spot does now. Every morning when I wake up, I'se run tah his bedside worriedly, expectin him tah be gone. Any day now, we'se is gunna lose him if we don't get that doctor."
* * * * *
Flame only had three more papers to sell when he saw who he though to be Spot Conlon sitting on a crate with a blank expression on his face.
"Uh, Spot? Youse okay?"
Honey looked up at the familiar voice and instantly wiped the tearstains from her face as she jumped up to spit-shake with the Bronx leader. "Yea, I'se jist thinkin about some things."
"Were ya cryin? Not tah sound harsh or anything, I knows youse in touch wid yer sensitive side, but ya might not wanna do stuff like that in public. Yer rep is already crumblin' as we know it."
Honey nodded. "It's just that I'se been havin financial problems lately."
Flame laughed and patted Spot on the back. "Yea, who hasn't been havin financial problems?"
"But this is serious! My.uh, sistah is really sick and needs tah see a doctor. So Jack and I collected some money from our newsies tah pay fer one. Then, some scab goes and steals Manhattan's money!"
"Oh, that's cold," Flame replied. "Me boys are more broke than youse can imagine. We'se aint gots no money tah spare. Ya know that if we did, we'se would give it tah yer sistah in a heartbeat. By the way, I didn't know ya had a sistah."
Honey smiled. "Yah, I'se always talkin to her about youse. She really wants tah meet ya; I think she may have a crush."
Flame laughed again. "I'se flattered. If she's anything like yer sorry behind, I'd kill myself. New Yawk has enough self-absorbed brats on the streets, no offense. But on a more serious note, ya do remember that tomorrow is the poker game at my place? Maybe luck will be wid ya and youse can win some money fer the goil."
"Oh gosh!" Honey exclaimed. "I'se almost forgot about that! Queens is gunna be there too, right? They's always got some mad cash! I'se pretty shoah me and Jacky can take home some of it!" She started giggling as if she had gone mad. "This is great! All me problems are solved. Thanks so much, Flame! Youse a life saver!" She threw her arms around the boy's neck and squeezed him tight before skipping off towards Brooklyn, singing a lively tune all the while.
Flame ran his fingers through his hair and took countless deep breaths to relax himself. Had Spot Conlon just given him a hug? "That bum has gots some serious problems." He swore the next time the Brooklyn leader tried something like that, he would have to give Spot a shiner.
More to Come!!! Please Review! You do not understand how much I enjoy reading reviews. I think I'm addicted to them. So if you click that nice, pretty button below, you can really make my day! WOOHOO! C'mon kids! Submit Submit Submit!!! That's the Spirit! Love ya All!!!