A girl of 17 comes barreling down Duane Street like a bat out of hell; she
looks around obviously looking for a place to hide. That's when she sees
the sign for the newsie lodging house; she looks over her shoulder once
more before assuming her game face and entering the building. From far away
she looked like your average newsie, but once you got up close you could
see the differences. She had blonde curly hair that was kept tucked under
the cap, but a few pieces escaped and framed her face. She also had a scar
above her left eyebrow and one across her top lip. She had green eyes which
many said were doors to her mind; that is before the tragedy, now they were
blank and cold, like ice.
When she walked in no one seemed to notice her and she took this opportunity to study all of them. Finally she decided to let them know she was there. "Who's da leadah round here?"
Most looked at her and finally one of them wearing a cowboy hat and a red bandanna around his neck stepped forward. I'se am, da names Kelly, Jack Kelly."
"Well Kelly, Jack Kelly you'se got an open bunk?"
Jack looked at her, trying to figure her out, "I dunno you'se got a name?"
"Coise I do dumb-" All of the sudden she heard a gasp.
"Ice?"
She didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to her, "Fightah." Slowly she turned to the girl she knew so well.
"What are you doin in Manhattan Riley? Where's Tempah?"
"I'se need a place to stay, like I was askin Jack bout." She turned back to Jack spit in her palm and held it out to Jack, "Da names Ice Riley." He did the same and then shook her hand and motioned for her to follow him up the stairs.
Once in the bunkroom he pointed out an empty bunk, "You'se a newsie ain't ya?"
"Yeah been a newsie for a long time."
"Really," He looked interested to find out exactly how long but Ice wasn't really forthcoming about her past and he must have realized that because he just went back downstairs, with the others. She settled down on the bunk and closed my eyes ready to sleep through the night. She hadn't been there long when she felt my bed shift, I opened my eyes and saw Fighter at the end of my bunk.
Fighter Mallory was the one person who knew she wasn't really ice that she did have feelings, she was the only one next to my brother who she had shown that to. Ice was to sick of being hurt and hurting others it was better to just hide what's really going on within you. Of course, there were a few times where she had let them get the better of her and she had paid for it in the end. That was the reason she was here and the reason she no longer was speaking with her brother.
"What happened Ice, why are you'se in Manhattan?" She started to answer but Fighter interrupted her, "Don't tell me you'se jist needed a change of scene eidah, cause I know you'se well enough to know dat ain't true."
Ice sighed, knowing Fighter wouldn't let her out of this very easily. She sat up and pulled on her braid which is the only thing that gave away her nervousness. "I'se got into a fight wit Tempah."
Fighter raised an eyebrow, "But you'se two nevah fight."
"Well dis time he made me really mad." She closed herself off like she could do so well, letting Fighter know that that was as much as she was going to say. Fighter stood up and stared at her for a minute before walking out of the room and back down the stairs where the rest of the newsies were. Ice laid back down and sleep immediately took over her body.
The next morning she awoke before the rest of the newsies and quickly dressed before ducking out onto the fire escape. She sat down and after a few minutes heard the owner of the lodging house waking the other newsies. She crawled back in the window and went downstairs and out onto the front porch and lit a cigarette and started smoking. Pretty soon the rest of the newsies flowed out of the lodging house and made their way to the distribution office, she followed not really remembering the way. Once she got to the window she slapped down my fifty cent piece, "'Undred papes."
Two sleazy guys behind the counter looked her up and down and one sneered, "Ain't dat a little much for a small ting like you'se."
She didn't even bat an eyelash at the guy she just gave him her hard, cold stare that no one seemed to be able to handle with the exception of three people, Fighter, Temper, and Spot Conlin. He wasn't unlike the many others who had backed down when confronted with the deadness of her eyes, he quickly handed her papers over and she made my way down the stairs and out of the D.O.
Jack walked up to Fighter, "'ey Fighter." She tilted the corner of the paper she was reading and stared at him. "How do you'se know Ice?"
She raised the paper back up, "We go back."
"Does she know how to sell?"
Fighter folded her paper up and put it back in the pile before turning her attention to Jack, "Course she does, she's been a newsie longah den me, sides she sells as many as you do Cowboy."
He looked surprised with her answer, "She sells a 'undred papes?"
Fighter smiled sarcastically, "Yeah she does and she nevah sells wit a partner, she's like Conlin, only worse. You'll see, most of da time she don't show no emotion." Then Fighter jumped down from the crate she was sitting on, picked up her papes and threw them over her shoulder. "See ya at Tibby's Cowboy." With that she set off to her regular selling spot knowing that she shouldn't have said even what she did about Ice.
When she walked in no one seemed to notice her and she took this opportunity to study all of them. Finally she decided to let them know she was there. "Who's da leadah round here?"
Most looked at her and finally one of them wearing a cowboy hat and a red bandanna around his neck stepped forward. I'se am, da names Kelly, Jack Kelly."
"Well Kelly, Jack Kelly you'se got an open bunk?"
Jack looked at her, trying to figure her out, "I dunno you'se got a name?"
"Coise I do dumb-" All of the sudden she heard a gasp.
"Ice?"
She didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to her, "Fightah." Slowly she turned to the girl she knew so well.
"What are you doin in Manhattan Riley? Where's Tempah?"
"I'se need a place to stay, like I was askin Jack bout." She turned back to Jack spit in her palm and held it out to Jack, "Da names Ice Riley." He did the same and then shook her hand and motioned for her to follow him up the stairs.
Once in the bunkroom he pointed out an empty bunk, "You'se a newsie ain't ya?"
"Yeah been a newsie for a long time."
"Really," He looked interested to find out exactly how long but Ice wasn't really forthcoming about her past and he must have realized that because he just went back downstairs, with the others. She settled down on the bunk and closed my eyes ready to sleep through the night. She hadn't been there long when she felt my bed shift, I opened my eyes and saw Fighter at the end of my bunk.
Fighter Mallory was the one person who knew she wasn't really ice that she did have feelings, she was the only one next to my brother who she had shown that to. Ice was to sick of being hurt and hurting others it was better to just hide what's really going on within you. Of course, there were a few times where she had let them get the better of her and she had paid for it in the end. That was the reason she was here and the reason she no longer was speaking with her brother.
"What happened Ice, why are you'se in Manhattan?" She started to answer but Fighter interrupted her, "Don't tell me you'se jist needed a change of scene eidah, cause I know you'se well enough to know dat ain't true."
Ice sighed, knowing Fighter wouldn't let her out of this very easily. She sat up and pulled on her braid which is the only thing that gave away her nervousness. "I'se got into a fight wit Tempah."
Fighter raised an eyebrow, "But you'se two nevah fight."
"Well dis time he made me really mad." She closed herself off like she could do so well, letting Fighter know that that was as much as she was going to say. Fighter stood up and stared at her for a minute before walking out of the room and back down the stairs where the rest of the newsies were. Ice laid back down and sleep immediately took over her body.
The next morning she awoke before the rest of the newsies and quickly dressed before ducking out onto the fire escape. She sat down and after a few minutes heard the owner of the lodging house waking the other newsies. She crawled back in the window and went downstairs and out onto the front porch and lit a cigarette and started smoking. Pretty soon the rest of the newsies flowed out of the lodging house and made their way to the distribution office, she followed not really remembering the way. Once she got to the window she slapped down my fifty cent piece, "'Undred papes."
Two sleazy guys behind the counter looked her up and down and one sneered, "Ain't dat a little much for a small ting like you'se."
She didn't even bat an eyelash at the guy she just gave him her hard, cold stare that no one seemed to be able to handle with the exception of three people, Fighter, Temper, and Spot Conlin. He wasn't unlike the many others who had backed down when confronted with the deadness of her eyes, he quickly handed her papers over and she made my way down the stairs and out of the D.O.
Jack walked up to Fighter, "'ey Fighter." She tilted the corner of the paper she was reading and stared at him. "How do you'se know Ice?"
She raised the paper back up, "We go back."
"Does she know how to sell?"
Fighter folded her paper up and put it back in the pile before turning her attention to Jack, "Course she does, she's been a newsie longah den me, sides she sells as many as you do Cowboy."
He looked surprised with her answer, "She sells a 'undred papes?"
Fighter smiled sarcastically, "Yeah she does and she nevah sells wit a partner, she's like Conlin, only worse. You'll see, most of da time she don't show no emotion." Then Fighter jumped down from the crate she was sitting on, picked up her papes and threw them over her shoulder. "See ya at Tibby's Cowboy." With that she set off to her regular selling spot knowing that she shouldn't have said even what she did about Ice.