The next day Ice woke up in a cold sweat, she'd dreamed again, about them.
The brothers who had single handidly ruined her life. Ever since she was a
child, when she had lost her family she'd had nightmares about the DeFranco
brothers but over the years they'd become less frequent until they'd
stopped entirely. Now though with the reappearance they'd made in her life
the dreams were back in full swing and so were her sleepless nights and
waking up in terror because she just didn't know how to stop them or even
if they could be stopped at all. What she did know of course was that they
were the ones who had murdered her family and for that she would forever be
on the run. Because they had wanted to come after her too, her and her
brother but she'd outsmarted them.
The DeFranco's weren't exactly the smartest group of criminals out there and so they assumed that the twins would have just gone to find a relative and since they grew up in luxery they would find a way back to living like that, but the twins were on the street. Finally when the DeFranco's decided to check lodging houses, the twins were friends with everyone and knew that they would be protected.
Two years after the DeFranco's murdered her family, Ice and Temper were able to get them thrown in jail, but they must have had found some way to get out and now Ice would be on the run without her faithful other half. "Time to stop tinkin bout it and jist get ready." Ice mumbled to herself and climbed out of her bunk and went to the washroom to quickly wash up and then dressed and went out on the fire escape. Just as she sat down the window opened again and Skittery climbed out and sat beside her.
"What do you'se want?"
"I'se jist smokin."
They sat in silence for awhile before Ice turned to Skitt and looked him in the eye, "So what's you'se real name?"
He smirked, "Tell me yours and I'll tell you'se mine." ( A.N. I know it's overused but what the heck.)
She leaned back on one elbow and looked him in the eye, "Maybe some udder time." Then she stood, ruffled his hair and climbed back in the window and ran smack into Fighter.
"Tought you'se could avoid dis huh?"
Ice shrugged, "Nah jist wanted to avoid you'se cuz you'se tend ta bring dis awful aroma wit you'se."
Fighter smiled before pulling on Ice's arm and dragging her down the stairs and out the front door. "We'se got some tawkin to do."
On their way to the distribution center they caught up on old times and Fighter told her how exactly she came to be staying at the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House but then she wanted an explanation for why exactly Ice was there.
"I told you'se, I"se got inta a fight wit Tempah"
"Yeah but you'se didn't go inta details and if I hafta I'se will walk all da way to Brooklyn just ta get it out of you'se brudder."
Ice glared at her, but Fighter knew that she was going to tell her or else Ice would have remained as she always did, emotionless. When Ice finally began speaking, Fighter could hear the pain even though it was well masked. "I'se been getting inta dis routine of going to the bridge every night you know jist tinking and stuff but I didn't want none of Spots boirds folowin me so I stuck ta da shadows and da bad streets. Well one night one of his boirds caught a glimpse of me going down trough thoird and Park and dey suspected da woirst."
"Why didn't you'se tell Spot or Tempah you'se was jist going to da bridge."
"Well at first I jist wanted to be alone and I knew dat if they knew where I was den dey would have someone follow me to keep an eye on me. But den when I came back one night, Temp asked where I'd been and I told him jist around. And den he blew up da way well da way he usually does and went off sayin how he can't believe his sister is a whore and how he don't want nuttin to do wit me."
Ice never cried but Fighter could have sworn she saw a tear go down her cheek just then. "Well by da time he finally stopped yellin, Spot had come in and he was jist starin at me like I'se was suptin doirty and he points to my stuff den da door. Doesn't even say nuttin to me, jist points and I know dat dats it. It's da end of me having any family cuz even if Temp came crawlin back on his knees I'd nevah forgive him for dose tings he said to me and for da way dey made me feel."
Fighter sighed and they got their papes and sold together that day. When they finished and headed to Tibby's, the rest of the boys were already there and they looked disgusted but with who? That's when Fighter saw Temper and Spot and it was obvious that the rest of the newsies believed that Ice had been a prostitute. Fighter couldn't believe that this was the same boy who had so valiantly stuck up for Ice when the other kids called her names or that he was the boy who sat with her on the anniversary of her parents death just because he knew it frightened her to be alone.
Fighter walked up to him and poked him in the chest, "You Tempah Riley has got some noirve. Comin in here like dat and tellin all dese newsies a lie. You'se didn't even let Ice tell you'se what happened, you'se jist assumed dat walkin down a bad street meant dat you'se was a bad poirson. Well you'se got some noirve walkin in here and if you'se don't get some brains and leave I'se will poirsonally make you'se regret evah comin here."
Tempah knew bettah then to disagree with Fighter but still he had to say something and that something set her off, "So you'se actually believe da whore den?"
Fighter punched Tempah and then kicked him in the face, sending him flying back into the wall. "Yeah I'se do, now go away Temp. You'se know for someone who used to filled wit such love you coirtanly have changed and not for da bettah." Temper and Spot left walking right past Ice as if she were nothing more than air.
Ice didn't want to fight with him though so she ran after him but as she headed towards the Brooklyn bridge, she saw Spot lying on the ground bleeding and Temper was nowhere in sight. She ran to Spot and half carried, half dragged him back to the lodging house where Kloppman set to fixing him up. "Where's Temper damn it?"
The DeFranco's weren't exactly the smartest group of criminals out there and so they assumed that the twins would have just gone to find a relative and since they grew up in luxery they would find a way back to living like that, but the twins were on the street. Finally when the DeFranco's decided to check lodging houses, the twins were friends with everyone and knew that they would be protected.
Two years after the DeFranco's murdered her family, Ice and Temper were able to get them thrown in jail, but they must have had found some way to get out and now Ice would be on the run without her faithful other half. "Time to stop tinkin bout it and jist get ready." Ice mumbled to herself and climbed out of her bunk and went to the washroom to quickly wash up and then dressed and went out on the fire escape. Just as she sat down the window opened again and Skittery climbed out and sat beside her.
"What do you'se want?"
"I'se jist smokin."
They sat in silence for awhile before Ice turned to Skitt and looked him in the eye, "So what's you'se real name?"
He smirked, "Tell me yours and I'll tell you'se mine." ( A.N. I know it's overused but what the heck.)
She leaned back on one elbow and looked him in the eye, "Maybe some udder time." Then she stood, ruffled his hair and climbed back in the window and ran smack into Fighter.
"Tought you'se could avoid dis huh?"
Ice shrugged, "Nah jist wanted to avoid you'se cuz you'se tend ta bring dis awful aroma wit you'se."
Fighter smiled before pulling on Ice's arm and dragging her down the stairs and out the front door. "We'se got some tawkin to do."
On their way to the distribution center they caught up on old times and Fighter told her how exactly she came to be staying at the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House but then she wanted an explanation for why exactly Ice was there.
"I told you'se, I"se got inta a fight wit Tempah"
"Yeah but you'se didn't go inta details and if I hafta I'se will walk all da way to Brooklyn just ta get it out of you'se brudder."
Ice glared at her, but Fighter knew that she was going to tell her or else Ice would have remained as she always did, emotionless. When Ice finally began speaking, Fighter could hear the pain even though it was well masked. "I'se been getting inta dis routine of going to the bridge every night you know jist tinking and stuff but I didn't want none of Spots boirds folowin me so I stuck ta da shadows and da bad streets. Well one night one of his boirds caught a glimpse of me going down trough thoird and Park and dey suspected da woirst."
"Why didn't you'se tell Spot or Tempah you'se was jist going to da bridge."
"Well at first I jist wanted to be alone and I knew dat if they knew where I was den dey would have someone follow me to keep an eye on me. But den when I came back one night, Temp asked where I'd been and I told him jist around. And den he blew up da way well da way he usually does and went off sayin how he can't believe his sister is a whore and how he don't want nuttin to do wit me."
Ice never cried but Fighter could have sworn she saw a tear go down her cheek just then. "Well by da time he finally stopped yellin, Spot had come in and he was jist starin at me like I'se was suptin doirty and he points to my stuff den da door. Doesn't even say nuttin to me, jist points and I know dat dats it. It's da end of me having any family cuz even if Temp came crawlin back on his knees I'd nevah forgive him for dose tings he said to me and for da way dey made me feel."
Fighter sighed and they got their papes and sold together that day. When they finished and headed to Tibby's, the rest of the boys were already there and they looked disgusted but with who? That's when Fighter saw Temper and Spot and it was obvious that the rest of the newsies believed that Ice had been a prostitute. Fighter couldn't believe that this was the same boy who had so valiantly stuck up for Ice when the other kids called her names or that he was the boy who sat with her on the anniversary of her parents death just because he knew it frightened her to be alone.
Fighter walked up to him and poked him in the chest, "You Tempah Riley has got some noirve. Comin in here like dat and tellin all dese newsies a lie. You'se didn't even let Ice tell you'se what happened, you'se jist assumed dat walkin down a bad street meant dat you'se was a bad poirson. Well you'se got some noirve walkin in here and if you'se don't get some brains and leave I'se will poirsonally make you'se regret evah comin here."
Tempah knew bettah then to disagree with Fighter but still he had to say something and that something set her off, "So you'se actually believe da whore den?"
Fighter punched Tempah and then kicked him in the face, sending him flying back into the wall. "Yeah I'se do, now go away Temp. You'se know for someone who used to filled wit such love you coirtanly have changed and not for da bettah." Temper and Spot left walking right past Ice as if she were nothing more than air.
Ice didn't want to fight with him though so she ran after him but as she headed towards the Brooklyn bridge, she saw Spot lying on the ground bleeding and Temper was nowhere in sight. She ran to Spot and half carried, half dragged him back to the lodging house where Kloppman set to fixing him up. "Where's Temper damn it?"