12-22-02 – Chapter 5
Chapter Summary: the morning after
Disclaimers: Honestly, I don't own them, just between the two of us though… (If I DID own them, I would not be here writing stories!) (Don't you hate people who try to make up fun disclaimers?)
Rating: Right now? PG, later PG- 13 and even later probably R (I can't resist it!)
As the newsies peddled their papes, Kit and Kid walked around Manhattan, neither of them had the energy to go out to the tracks with Race. Kit endlessly asked questions about the other newsies she had seen the night before. Since it was her first night with the newsies, she hadn't even met most of the Manhattan guys (and the few girls) til that night and wanted to know all about them. Around 1 or so when they were almost done selling they ran into Kay another one of the girl newsies brave enough to room with boys of Manhattan.
"Kid! Kit! Wait up!" she breathlessly shouted from behind them.
"Hey squirt!" Kid grinned as he replied, "you looks way too hyper goil."
She glared up at him, everybody knew how sensitive she was about her height. She didn't actually mind anymore, but it was fun to pretend to be indignant about it. Her eyes were sharp and lively, although she had partied with the best of them the night before, her perkiness showed no signs of this. Her blue eyes peered out from under her eyelashes, surrounded by a face covered with a sprinkling of spots. Her fiery personality matched her curly red hair, which although seemed to give her endless amounts of grief, was not disheveled like Kit's, whose appearance definitely matched that of the other newsies more than Kay's.
After she lightly punched his arm she responded, "well, you looks like hell warmed ova Kid, so I really don't think yous one to be talkin." Turning to Kit she said, "Hi, I'm Kay, we never properly met last night, fraid you caught me on a night where I was, erm, less composed dan usual. You'd think dese boys would be more used to it though since dey usually get togetha bout once a week," she rolled her eyes back towards Kid, then grinned and stuck out her hand (the girls really didn't hold with the whole spitting thing like the guys did, though they would use it to scare away the occasional snobby girl who came their way).
Kit smiled back, "Hi, I guess you already know who I am."
"Oh yeah goil, news don't take long ta get around here, it's spreads like wildfire."
"Speakin of which, der appears to be one startin on your head right about now," Kid pointed at her hair and acting aloof for a moment, before he grinned and ducked slap that missed his face and brushed the top of his head.
The angry look on her face melted away as quickly as it had come and she smiled once again, Kit marveled at how everything seemed to roll right off her back. "Kid my boy, dat mouth a yours is goin ta get ya in some serious trouble," Kay haughtily replied.
He snorted and mumbled, "ya, yous is really one ta talk."
She pretended to ignore him and continued walking down the street, quickening her pace a little bit as she linked elbows with Kit, leaving Kid shaking his head. "Now goil, I don't think yous been introduced ta any of da goils around here. Most people don't even know we exist, if dey made a show about us newsies, I betcha we wouldn't even be in it! You came on sort of a bad night, as you mighta noticed, so we gots ta get ya properly introduced, you don't wants ta be hanging around with scum like Kid and Race all da time," Kay said, raising her voice at the end so that Kid could hear.
He looked at her incredulously, before he swooped in on the other side of Kit and said, "my dear lady, I do believe this silly bint is trying to poison your mind with utter falsities about my reputation. Surely you do not believe a trifle of what she is saying, besmirching my virtue with her lies." He held his head high and patted her hand that was now resting in the crook of his elbow and smiled down at her as if he were escorting her to a formal function.
Kay could not hold in her laughter anymore and burst out in loud guffaws sitting down on the curb to regain her composure. "If only the others coulda heard that 'Besmirch my virtue!'" she said as she burst out in another round of laughter, wiping the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Oh man!" She stood up and they continued walking like that, bantering back and forth between them, Kit just looking back and forth, cracking up at their good natured jabs at each other.
Meanwhilst (a/n: cool word, sorry, back to the fic, but I just had to use it!) in other parts of Manhattan: Race came back early from Sheepshead races, he sold pretty quickly, not having a whole lot of money to spare after last nights games, though he had actually won a little at the tracks. As he made his way towards Tibby's, Jack caught up to him. "Hey Race, how'd it go today?"
"Pretty good, somebody actually tipped da horse off dis time, he musta got some memo, thank goodness, I was runnin a little low after last night," Race replied while lighting a cigar he lifted off a man at the tracks.
"Yeah, dat was a tough break," Jack winced as he remembered the previous night where despite Race's usual good fortune, lady luck had turned her back on him and he had lost miserably.
"Ah well, I made it up last time, and dat Ditch betta watch his cards next time, I'ma win dat money back, mark my words Jackie."
"Oh, I believe ya Race," Jack responded, hesitating for a moment, "So tell me, what's da deal with dis Kit goil?"
"She ain't nothin ta worry about, I found her at da tracks yesterday, you seen her brotha right? I sent him off with Mush today, he's gold dat boy is. He didn't get a whole lot a sleep last night on account of da racket, so I didn't wanna take him out to da races today," Race casually replied as he puffed at his cigar. Jack eyed him inquisitively, prompting Race to add, "no, we ain't anything. We all seen da way Kid looked at her, and you'd hafta be crazy to mess wit dat guy when he was lookin at her like dat!" He paused for a second. "Plus I gots my eye on anotha goil."
"Oh really?" Jack questioned with a knowing look on his face. "Kay?" Everybody knows she's had a thing for him foreva. Dat Race is so oblivious, she always flirts with him and he doesn't even know it, he's so clueless, but dis'll be fun.
"Yeah, dat goil is so fun, she's beautiful and did you see her dis morning? She didn't even look like she'd been partyin at all. She's got the energy of a freight train and I don't think she eva gets tired. And she just… wow, ya know?" As Race's eyes started to glaze over and he started thinking about her, Jack just laughed and pushed him inside the restaurant.
Later when Kay, Kit and Kid got back to Tibby's, Kay ran inside to join Mush, Race and Jack at a table while Kid and Kit went to another table by themselves. Kit smirked at him trying to look condescending, but with a little quiver to her voice, "So, what's da deal wit you and this Kay goil?"
Kid laughed before he leaned in suggestively and quietly replied, "Look at her right now."
Kit leaned out of the booth and watched her flirting relentlessly with Race. Her jaw dropped and she sat straight again and leaned in towards Kid. "Are dey togetha?"
"Nope, it's hilarious. Race doesn't have a clue what is goin on, I think he likes her too though, but he can't see da eyelashes battin right in front of his face."
They both laughed about it, Kit much more at ease than she had been moments before.
K folks- I NEED FEEDBACK!! Should the girl that doesn't fall for Spot be:
a total tease who intentionally leads him on and hurts him, then goes after another guyor
just a nice, innocent (or not necessarily TOO innocent) girl who doesn't like him, or likes another guyor should I just leave out the other guy all together? I'm having a horrible time deciding this, I have been going back and forth between them, I think I'm leaning towards the nice girl who just doesn't like him, but give me feedback!!
OK- so there's chapter 5, I've been pretty busy with Christmas stuff, we go to Texas each year, which means we have "christmas" tomorrow, so my last minute Christmas shopping is right now (instead of the 24th like normal people). I'll try and post more before I leave, but hopefully I'll be able to bring my laptop with me anyways and maybe do some writing while I'm there (hopefully). I keep trying to make my chapters longer, but alas, I start writing at 11 at night (I had family stuff tonight so I had a excuse!), so I haven't really got any long chappies up, but I'm getting there- right? (Yes)
Kaylee- I hope you didn't mind me making fun of you being short, but I figured if you gave me the nicknames I had to use them! I am 16 and I'm 5'2" (not sure how tall you are), but at my school that's VERY short! (I wear size 5 shoes and kid's mittens, so I get teased a lot too) BUT, I'm proud of being short, and I think you are too (I also have TONS of freckles, no worries), I'm gonna hafta age you a little too, cause I picture Race as being 17 or so, and I just can't pair him with you with a clean conscience if your 13!
Asia- as I said in the e- mail, just give me a little more information and I'll throw ya in there.
Broadway- Thanks for reviewing (again)- don't care if it's short, it still makes my day!
PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING- I don't care if it's short but I NEED FEEDBACK ON THE SPOT THING, cause I absolutely cannot decide!! Sorry there was no spot in this chapter, but this fic isn't going to entirely be about spot (sorry), but he'll be in there a lot more later, just gotta lay this groundwork first (I toldya it was gonna be long and I meant it!) So keep up the R/R and I'll post soon!! As much as it's total… something (extortion?), the more Reviews, the quicker the update. It's a cold world and that's just the way it works (hey, somethin's gotta inspire me).