I was rudely woke up the next morning when someone's foot connected with my stomach. I sat up surprised and noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise.
"Hey I was just coming to look for you," Said the person who owned the foot. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and squinted in the early morning light to see who it was.
"Oh, you'se Matt er somethin' right?" I sad standing up stiffly.
"Yeah, I'm Matt, and you're Kelly," The boy said. Well he wasn't really a boy, I noticed, as I looked him over. He was taller than me and looked to be about the same age.
"Kelly, yeah, don't ever use dat name when you'se see me on da streets got it?" I glared at Matt who nodded in agreement. When in trouble, when in doubt, be like Brooklyn and don't let your guard down. "So you'se was lookin' for me? Why?"
I began to climb back down the fire escape, I still had time to go pick up some papers and Eric was sure to be there since it was now his summer break. Matt followed me down but his descent was a little bit more labored than mine.
"Well I was wondering, I mean since I'll be here for a few week at least and the baby's no fun…umm…maybe you could teach me how to be a newsie?"
"You'se wanna be a newsie huh?" I jumped down onto the ground and offered a hand to Matt, who took it and jumped down beside me. "I'se guess I'se can teach you'se. I'se mean it won't kill me or nothin'." As we walked to the DO I told him everything he needed to know on how to be a newsie. Matt seemed to catch on real well, but I was still waiting to see how he did actually selling the papes before I gave him any praise. We got to the DO just as the others were arriving. Cards ran up to me and gave me a funny look when he saw Matt.
"Uhhh mornin' 'Fingers, where you'se been da past couple a nights? And what's wid the tag-along?" Cards asked as he gave Matt a look over.
"I'se been around," I answered shrugging. "And Matt wants ta be a newsie, so I'se gonna teach him. Where's Rusty?"
Cards wiggled his eyes brows at me and gave me a huge grin. "So you'se two finally hit it off huh?"
"Is Rusty that guy you were kissing at the races?" Matt asked. The poor kid was completely oblivious of when to not ask questions. I felt my cheeks burning and looked over at Cards whose goofy grin had doubled in size.
"Yes Matt, that would be Rusty," I sad rubbing my face with my hands, hoping somehow that would get rid of the stupid blush that painted my cheeks.
"He's not here yet," Cards answered. "Now if you'se don't mind, I'se think dat the guys should be informed." Cards ran off before I could stop him. I let out a frustrated cry.
"You'se really act like a little kids most of the time Cards!" I shouted even though I knew if he heard he didn't care. "Come on," I said to Matt as we made our way to the window.
"Mornin' 'Fingers, who's da tag-along?" Mr. Oscar asked. "Is dat Jack's step kid?"
"Yeah, I'se teaching him how ta sell papes." I looked over my shoulder at my new shadow. "Hey you'se got any money ta buy papes?"
"Sure." Matt dug into his pocket and pulled out fifty cents. He handed it over to me and I got us our papers. 50 for Matt and 50 for me, not my normal amount but I figured it would be easier this way.
Matt wanted to hang around the DO for a bit to met everyone, this was fine with me since I wanted to see Eric again. As I got to know Matt better I found out he wasn't evil or anything, he was a fine guy. The others were a bit nervous around him at first not knowing how to act but once they got past the whole 'Jack's step kid' thing they all seemed to like him. This relieved me, not that I was worried that Matt wouldn't fit in but it made things so much easier on my part. Just as the DO was about to close Eric walked in. He went up to the counter, got his papes, and sat down next to me as I was showing Matt how to improve headlines.
"Morning," Eric said smiling. Matt looked up from his paper and grinned. I could tell he thought that is was the high life. "What's with the tag-along?" Eric inquired as he opened up one of his newspapers.
"All right Matt, I'se got you'se a nick name," I said suddenly. "You'se gonna be Tag-along, you'se can be Tags or TA or somthin' like dat for short."
"Tag-along huh? I like it," Matt said grinning as he returned to his paper.
"Yeah Matt wanted ta sell papes, so I'se teachin' him."
Eric leaned over and said in a low voice, "And you're ok with this right?" I shrugged.
"I'se donno, I'se guess. He's not so bad."
"What about this…Brooklyn Bridge Nearly Burns Down During the Night…is that ok?" Matt asked his forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Where's da story?" I asked and opened my paper.
"Page nine."
I flipped through the paper till I can to page nine and Matt pointed to the story he had read. The article was a tiny little thing, hardly about the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Trash Fire next to Brooklyn Bridge Kills Unwanted Bugs," I read the real headline out loud and smiled at Matt. "Good job, let's hit da streets. See you'se later Rusty…at Tibby's?"
"Yeah sure, hey TA can I use that headline of yours?" Eric asked as he scanned his own paper.
"Go ahead, it's a free country," Matt said with a shrug and a smile.
The rest of the day Matt and I sold our papers together in record time. Matt was a natural at selling the papers and getting people to buy them. As we made our way towards Tibby's I finally got the nerve up to ask Matt about our parents.
"So uh…Matt," I began nervously. "Tell me about our parents will ya?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask about that." Matt gave me a little smile and took a deep breath. "Well our parents met a few years ago, I guess when your dad first come to town. Your Dad hung around the house and helped my mom out you know doing stuff like moving things around and all. He'd spend the night a lot since he couldn't afford to pay for his lodging and whatnot. Then about a year and a half ago mom told me she was gonna have the baby. I freaked out since they weren't married and all, but your dad's really great so I didn't mind too much. Then the whole marriage thing just kind-a sprung up. It was the day before your Dad was leaving to come here and they decided that they couldn't be apart. Kind-a romantic in a stomach churning kind-a way." Matt flashed me a smile.
"And you'se was ok wid it all?" I asked as I let everything sink in. Matt shrugged.
"I guess, my Dad dies when I was little and Frank ((LOL FRANK!!!! Sorry…)) kind-a took that role over. Besides my mom isn't so bad. Look I'm sorry about all of this, Frank was just so happy to be getting you a family that I guess he never really thought it through…or maybe when he did he just got scared."
"Oh dis is just great!" I exclaimed as we walked into Tibby's.
"What?" Matt asked following me in. WE sat down at the same table with Eric, Cards and some of the others who Matt had gotten along with.
"Now, you'se makin' it so much harder to be mad at him," I said as I plopped down next to Eric who gave me his million dollar smile.
"Well, you're the one who asked." Matt sat down next to Cards who had been watching the whole thing unfold before him.
"Asked what?" He said spraying us with breadcrumbs.
"Don't ask," Matt and I said together rolling our eyes and dusting the crumbs off. The other newsies began to laugh. We all began to talk and Matt fit in better and better every minute, I was glad to have someone who I could relate with me on the whole Dad thing, maybe Dad wasn't so horrible after all.
((AN….yeah hello! Well thanks to everyone whose reviewed! Ok well I'll post more soon!))