AN: Yeah! New chapter! Sorry, it's been a little hectic, what with exams
and me desperately trying to finish a short story for English. So I've
been pretty busy, but thanx for waiting, ya'll! Sorry if my sense of humor
has seriously decayed since the first chappie. I think it'll get better
soon. I hope it will, at least. Anyhoo, read and relax!
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. Disney owns newsies.
Kid Blink glanced between the Racetrack and Maria. Then, with a sigh, he asked, "Do you two know each other or something?"
"Maybe," Racetrack said, glaring at the girl.
"He's my brother," Maria said, ever anxious to appear level-headed and polite in front of a possible future husband. Then, shooting Race a glare so that she also showed some of her flaming spirit, she added, "I thought he was dead."
"I ran away!" he answered, indignation radiating from every self-righteous pour in his body, "It said so in the note and everything."
"Yeah, but it also said in the note that mama had died and papa was hard- hearted and you couldn't stand living in that fancy house that was like a cage anymore."
"It's true!"
"Mama never died! And just the day before you ran away I remember Papa taking us to the park and buying you a puppy from a box there and then we went home and he said, before we got out of the carriage, 'Just remember I'll always love you.'"
Racetrack folded his arms over his chest and pouted. "Well, it still felt like a cage."
"You were allowed to go anywhere you wanted!"
"With bodyguards! Besides, if it was so easy to live there then just tell me why you left, why don't you?" When Maria did not answer, Racetrack gave a cry of triumph. "Hah! I knew it!"
Actually, Maria did not want to say anything because she thought it might be a major turn-off if the boys knew she was desperate to secretly elope with one of them behind her father's back. But if it made her brother happy to feel like he had won, fine with her. It kept her cover just that much longer.
"Ah, so wait a sec," Jack said, sauntering into the dialogue with a smirk on his face. He have pointed, half motioned from Race to Maria. "So you two are what, like, brother and sister?"
Racetrack stared at Jack in amazement. Did he just hear any of their conversation? "Yeah, yeah, were brother and sister, Jacky-boy," he said, shifting from one foot to the other and glaring at Maria. "Unfortunately."
"But ain't she Italian or somethin'?" Kid Blink asked.
"Yeah? So?" Racetrack looked around at the other boys. He didn't like where this conversation seemed to be heading.
"And that would make you Italian?"
"Yeah, of course I'm Italian! What'd you think I was, Irish?"
"Well," Kid Blink said defensively, "Your last name is Higgins."
"Do I look Irish?"
"Hey, hey, calm down Race. These kids never catch on. I mean look at them! They're still calling me Jacky-boy even after it was all over the papes and everything that my name is Francis Sullivan!" Jack smirked at his friends.
"Your name is Francis?" Kid Blink asked, trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, what's it to you, Elwood?" Kid Blink stopped in half-gasp and gave Jack (aka Francis) a murderous look.
"Never. Ever. Call me that."
Mush leaned over and whispered into Kid Blink's ear, all the while gazing warily at Racetrack and Maria.
"Okay, so wait a minute. Racetrack is. not Irish? He's Italian?"
"Yep, you finally caught on, slick." Kid Blink muttered back.
Mush puzzled this for a second, and then laughed. Shrugging, he said, "Well, that's that then. Racetrack's Italian. Officially." Taking Maria's hand, he gazed deep into her eyes. "And so is she." He stared at Maria for a few more seconds, and her heart jumped. "Now scram, you guys. This lady's got resting to do!"
"But she doesn't even have a scratch!" Racetrack protested.
Maria sent her brother a look that would freeze Antarctica. Very proud of herself, she snuggled deep into the covers and said, "It's all right boys. I can move if you want me to."
Jack, as leader of the Manhattan newsies, felt that he must act like a gentleman in this time of need. Sacrificing his pride, he said, "Oh, no, don't bother. Race can sleep on the floor. Right, Racetrack?"
Jack elbowed the Italian into responding. Angry because Maria was getting all the attention, because he was getting walked on, because his disguise had been ruined, and most of all because there was no way he could be the lover-boy of this particular Mary Sue, he responded sulkily, "Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Then it's settled! Everyone, grab a cigar and we'll all have a celebration chew!"
"I don't like cigars," Maria said, innocently.
Jack looked up from where he was ferociously gnawing on the end of a smoke, and slowly drew the offensive object from his mouth. Hiding it behind his back, he responded, "What a coincidence! Neither do I!"
AN (again): Actually, not to offend anybody about the names or anything, I actually really like Francis. And Elwood's not that bad, either, although I'm not particularly fond of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. Disney owns newsies.
Kid Blink glanced between the Racetrack and Maria. Then, with a sigh, he asked, "Do you two know each other or something?"
"Maybe," Racetrack said, glaring at the girl.
"He's my brother," Maria said, ever anxious to appear level-headed and polite in front of a possible future husband. Then, shooting Race a glare so that she also showed some of her flaming spirit, she added, "I thought he was dead."
"I ran away!" he answered, indignation radiating from every self-righteous pour in his body, "It said so in the note and everything."
"Yeah, but it also said in the note that mama had died and papa was hard- hearted and you couldn't stand living in that fancy house that was like a cage anymore."
"It's true!"
"Mama never died! And just the day before you ran away I remember Papa taking us to the park and buying you a puppy from a box there and then we went home and he said, before we got out of the carriage, 'Just remember I'll always love you.'"
Racetrack folded his arms over his chest and pouted. "Well, it still felt like a cage."
"You were allowed to go anywhere you wanted!"
"With bodyguards! Besides, if it was so easy to live there then just tell me why you left, why don't you?" When Maria did not answer, Racetrack gave a cry of triumph. "Hah! I knew it!"
Actually, Maria did not want to say anything because she thought it might be a major turn-off if the boys knew she was desperate to secretly elope with one of them behind her father's back. But if it made her brother happy to feel like he had won, fine with her. It kept her cover just that much longer.
"Ah, so wait a sec," Jack said, sauntering into the dialogue with a smirk on his face. He have pointed, half motioned from Race to Maria. "So you two are what, like, brother and sister?"
Racetrack stared at Jack in amazement. Did he just hear any of their conversation? "Yeah, yeah, were brother and sister, Jacky-boy," he said, shifting from one foot to the other and glaring at Maria. "Unfortunately."
"But ain't she Italian or somethin'?" Kid Blink asked.
"Yeah? So?" Racetrack looked around at the other boys. He didn't like where this conversation seemed to be heading.
"And that would make you Italian?"
"Yeah, of course I'm Italian! What'd you think I was, Irish?"
"Well," Kid Blink said defensively, "Your last name is Higgins."
"Do I look Irish?"
"Hey, hey, calm down Race. These kids never catch on. I mean look at them! They're still calling me Jacky-boy even after it was all over the papes and everything that my name is Francis Sullivan!" Jack smirked at his friends.
"Your name is Francis?" Kid Blink asked, trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, what's it to you, Elwood?" Kid Blink stopped in half-gasp and gave Jack (aka Francis) a murderous look.
"Never. Ever. Call me that."
Mush leaned over and whispered into Kid Blink's ear, all the while gazing warily at Racetrack and Maria.
"Okay, so wait a minute. Racetrack is. not Irish? He's Italian?"
"Yep, you finally caught on, slick." Kid Blink muttered back.
Mush puzzled this for a second, and then laughed. Shrugging, he said, "Well, that's that then. Racetrack's Italian. Officially." Taking Maria's hand, he gazed deep into her eyes. "And so is she." He stared at Maria for a few more seconds, and her heart jumped. "Now scram, you guys. This lady's got resting to do!"
"But she doesn't even have a scratch!" Racetrack protested.
Maria sent her brother a look that would freeze Antarctica. Very proud of herself, she snuggled deep into the covers and said, "It's all right boys. I can move if you want me to."
Jack, as leader of the Manhattan newsies, felt that he must act like a gentleman in this time of need. Sacrificing his pride, he said, "Oh, no, don't bother. Race can sleep on the floor. Right, Racetrack?"
Jack elbowed the Italian into responding. Angry because Maria was getting all the attention, because he was getting walked on, because his disguise had been ruined, and most of all because there was no way he could be the lover-boy of this particular Mary Sue, he responded sulkily, "Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Then it's settled! Everyone, grab a cigar and we'll all have a celebration chew!"
"I don't like cigars," Maria said, innocently.
Jack looked up from where he was ferociously gnawing on the end of a smoke, and slowly drew the offensive object from his mouth. Hiding it behind his back, he responded, "What a coincidence! Neither do I!"
AN (again): Actually, not to offend anybody about the names or anything, I actually really like Francis. And Elwood's not that bad, either, although I'm not particularly fond of it.