Something More Than Temporary
Disclaimer: Alright, this is the usual disclaimer I guess, lol. I don't own Newsies, but I guess I own Fleck. Okay? Okay…and thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! It definitely makes my day! My thanks especially go out to Gypsy, Bittah, Olive, Candi Kane, Blinks-Tiger, Dragon, Sab, Script, and Draco's Secret Lover! You guys just plain rock!
Chapter 11: Confrontation
Strangely enough, Fleck woke up in her own bed that morning, something that had rarely happened in the last few months. She awoke to the sound of Kloppman yelling for everyone to get up, start moving, and sell papers. She thought back to last night and faintly remembered being carried back down from the roof by Jack in the state of half-sleep that occurs just before a deep slumber. She reached up to feel her cheek and instantly recalled the day's events at the pain brought about by the slightest touch. She sighed and opened her eyes, finally giving in to the bustling noises of boys getting ready for the day. She nearly fell out of her bunk when she saw Blink standing over her, grinning at her expense. "Geez Blink, ya scared da shit outta me," she said, pushing him to the side so she could stand up.
"Nice ta see you too, Fleck. We was startin' ta think ya'd taken up a poimanent residence up on da roof."
She rolled her eyes. "An' I wish dat you'd take a poimanent residence up your ass."
He gasped dramatically. "Such language fer such a lil goil."
"Blink, leave me alone," she said, pushing past him and heading towards the washroom, though a smile was tugging at her lips through the whole exchange.
"Ah, good idea. Head ta da washroom ta check out dat gargantuan shinah on ya face."
She spun around and put a hand to her cheek. "Are ya serious? Is it really dat obvious?" she asked, her face showing rarely seen, but genuine girlish terror.
Blink nodded, smiling. "It's fuckin' huge, Fleck."
She dashed into the bathroom and pushed her way to a mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, she sighed irritatedly. Her cheekbone was tinted a purplish color which was extremely noticeable, but not as 'huge' as Blink had suggested. He had followed her into the bathroom and as she examined herself in the mirror, he put a hand on her shoulder in mock sympathy. "Don't worry, Fleck. Nothin' a lil makeup won't fix, right?" he said in an overly sweet voice.
Fleck answered him in the same tone. "Too bad da same can't be said fer you."
He smiled at her, grabbed his hat and said, "See ya at da D.O."
"Hopefully not," she said, pushing him out the door. She turned back to her reflection, sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that week, and got back to getting ready, figuring there was nothing to be done.
Back at her bunk she found Mush waiting for her. She smiled when she walked up to him, forgetting about Jack for a moment. "Mornin' Mush."
"Heya Fleck. How's da face feelin'?"
"Been bettah."
"It's looked bettah too," he said with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"Gee, thank Mush," she answered, hitting him playfully.
"No problem. So, uh…I was wonderin'…"
"You was wonderin' what?"
"I was wonderin' if ya wanna sell with me taday? Maybe?"
She smiled at him and was about to agree when Jack stepped up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She jumped a bit at his sudden touch, then mumbled, "Shit, ya sacred me, Jack."
"Whatcha tawkin' 'bout?" he asked.
"Uh…just papes. Me an' Mush was gonna sell tageddah taday."
"You two? Fleck, I thought maybe we'd sell tageddah taday, on our foist day as a couple an' all…"
"You'se tageddah now?" Mush asked, his face dropping.
"Yep."
"Since when?"
"Since yestahday."
"An' Sarah?"
"We broke up."
"Oh."
"So," Jack said, turning his attention back to Fleck. "Will ya sell with me taday?"
Fleck looked to Mush, "Well…do ya mind?"
"No, not at all, go ahead," Mush consented, though his body language and hurt tone of voice suggested otherwise. "Maybe some oddah time."
"Yeah, thanks Mush. See ya latah," Jack said, pulling Fleck towards the door. "Let's go."
Fleck looked back to Mush, mouthed 'Sorry', then turned around and followed Jack out the door.
Mush sighed dejectedly and leaned back against the bunk. He had missed what may have been his only chance to make Fleck his girl. Now Jack had swept her up, and there was nothing he could do.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jack and Fleck made their way down to the distribution office, Jack leading and Fleck trailing behind aimlessly. She kept silently hoping that Mush would come jogging up from behind so they could sell together after all, but it didn't happen. Jack kept urging her to go faster, that they were going to be too late to get papers, but she never changed her speed. "Fleck, come on, we'se gonna be late!"
"Aw, quit whinin', wouldja? Ya sound like a lil kid."
"An' you walk like an ol' lady! Let's go," he said, all but dragging her down the street.
"Ya know Jack, dere's more ta life den sellin' newspapahs."
"Not dat I know of. Gotta sell ta eat, gotta eat to live. Ain't nothin' more to it."
She sighed as he continued to pull her along until they finally reached their destination. Only a handful of newsies were left scattered around the office, waiting for selling partners or searching for useable headlines. Among them were Blink, Race, Davey, Les, and Sarah. "Sarah?! What da fuck is she doin' heah?" Fleck whispered, more out of confusion than anything else.
"I have no idea…" Jack said. "Just…let's just get our papes an' go, just ignore her."
He avoided eye contact and led Fleck to the window. Sarah had seen them as soon as they had come in, but she stayed with Davey and Les and watched them get their papers. David was still in the dark about the breakup, and figured Sarah had just wanted to come to the distribution office to see Jack. So when Jack entered holding Fleck's hand, he knew there was going to be trouble. "Well? Go talk to him," he said, nudging Sarah forward a bit. "Me and Les have to go sell. So does Jack, so hurry up."
Sarah rolled her eyes at her brother. "Just stop, Davey. I'll go when I see fit," she said and, waiting only a few seconds, she headed towards Jack and Fleck, who had just walked down the stairs from the window.
"Ah, fuck, heah she comes," Jack said, searching his mind frantically for a plan of action. "Quick, kiss me."
"What?"
"Kiss me. An' hard."
"Now?"
Jack answered her question by pulling her against his body and initiating the kiss before she had time to think about the request. Fleck's eyes widened momentarily then quickly shut when she realized what was happening, and why it was happening. She kissed him back for a moment and broke away, for decency's sake. They were in public after all. Sarah's eyes narrowed and anger simmered through her body. David was caught completely by surprise, and walked to where Sarah was standing to check if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. And indeed, he had. Sarah walked right up to the couple and furiously pulled them apart. "What in God's name do you think you're doing, Jack Kelly?! Why are you kissing this tramp?!" she yelled. At the sound of her yell, all uninvolved newsies left the area quickly, not wanting to be around to witness the oncoming fight. Les, who had also wandered up to Davey's side so he wouldn't be left out of the action, made a face when Jack kissed Fleck. Davey pushed him into Race, motioning for Race to take him away to sell papers. Race obliged, always up for a new selling tactic, of which a little kid like Les was one. This left Jack, Fleck, Davey, and Sarah standing alone in the unnaturally empty D.O.
"Dis tramp happens to be me goilfriend!"
"So you think I'se a tramp too?" Fleck said, looking at him, her eyes smiling, but her face set in seriousness. She loved putting him on the spot like this.
"Of course he does, everyone in this city knows you're a tramp!" Sarah said snottily.
Fleck laughed and with a look of mock confusion on her face, said, "I'se sorry, was I tawkin' ta you? I coulda sworn I was tawkin' ta Jack."
"Stupid bitch."
"Takes one ta know one," Fleck said with a shrug. Everyone knew she could be a bitch when she chose to be, and this was definitely one of those times. She didn't really have anything against Sarah; it wasn't her fault that they had both loved the same boy at one point. But even if she was less than thrilled about being Jack's girlfriend now, she was in fact, his girlfriend. And as his girlfriend, she felt it was almost her duty to protect that now. It was the closest thing to a reputation she had anyway. And she was certainly not going to sacrifice that for Sarah's sake. "So Jack, is that what ya think? Dat I'se just a tramp?"
"No, no a course not. If you two would shut da hell up fer a second, I'd be able ta explain! Sarah, what da fuck are you doin' heah? It's ovah, we broke up, an' now I'se with Fleck, so just deal with it an' leave me da fuck alone!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, since when did you guys break up?" David asked.
"Since yestahday-"
"No, we didn't break up. Jack is just having a momentary lapse in common sense. Why would anyone dump me for this trash?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Geez, Sarah, give it up! Get it through ya thick head! I dumped ya cuz you'se a prude bitch who does nothin' but trash me friends an' try ta control my life. Fleck ain't!"
Sarah stood in shock for several seconds, completely unaware that Jack could possibly say that to her. She turned her attention to Fleck, who looked like she was barely holding back laughter at Sarah, which was much more than she could take. She lunged forward, pushing Fleck to the ground and yelled, "Fine! You know what? Take her! Take the little whore and stay the hell away from me! In fact, I hope I never see you again for as long as I live. You…you…you bastard!"
Fleck absorbed the unexpected blow and stayed on the ground after being pushed. From there she watched Sarah stalk away angrily. She almost felt guilty for breaking the couple up. Almost. David shook his head and sighed. "You shouldn't have said those things, Jack. She's gonna be upset for days."
"Not my problem."
David rolled his eyes, but allowed a small smile to appear on his lips. "Well, it's my problem now. I better go console her before I sell, or there'll be trouble. Maybe I'll see you at lunch."
"Yeah, latah Davey," Jack said, watching him go off for a second. He turned back to Fleck and helped her up. "Well, dat was pleasant."
Fleck smiled. "Ya know, maybe we shouldn't a done dat. I mean, she ain't gonna tawk ta ya again evah."
"So?"
"Well, so what if ya change ya mind? You'se gonna be screwed."
Jack looked at her strangely. "Who says I'se gonna change my mind?"
She shrugged. "Ya nevah know. You should just always have a backup plan, dat's all."
"Fleck, what are ya tryin' ta say heah?"
"I ain't sayin' nothin'. Just ferget it, let's go," she said, beginning to walk away from him to sell.
He watched her for a second warily, then jogged to catch up with her. Something was going on inside of her. She was different. And he was determined to find out why.
Disclaimer: Alright, this is the usual disclaimer I guess, lol. I don't own Newsies, but I guess I own Fleck. Okay? Okay…and thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! It definitely makes my day! My thanks especially go out to Gypsy, Bittah, Olive, Candi Kane, Blinks-Tiger, Dragon, Sab, Script, and Draco's Secret Lover! You guys just plain rock!
Chapter 11: Confrontation
Strangely enough, Fleck woke up in her own bed that morning, something that had rarely happened in the last few months. She awoke to the sound of Kloppman yelling for everyone to get up, start moving, and sell papers. She thought back to last night and faintly remembered being carried back down from the roof by Jack in the state of half-sleep that occurs just before a deep slumber. She reached up to feel her cheek and instantly recalled the day's events at the pain brought about by the slightest touch. She sighed and opened her eyes, finally giving in to the bustling noises of boys getting ready for the day. She nearly fell out of her bunk when she saw Blink standing over her, grinning at her expense. "Geez Blink, ya scared da shit outta me," she said, pushing him to the side so she could stand up.
"Nice ta see you too, Fleck. We was startin' ta think ya'd taken up a poimanent residence up on da roof."
She rolled her eyes. "An' I wish dat you'd take a poimanent residence up your ass."
He gasped dramatically. "Such language fer such a lil goil."
"Blink, leave me alone," she said, pushing past him and heading towards the washroom, though a smile was tugging at her lips through the whole exchange.
"Ah, good idea. Head ta da washroom ta check out dat gargantuan shinah on ya face."
She spun around and put a hand to her cheek. "Are ya serious? Is it really dat obvious?" she asked, her face showing rarely seen, but genuine girlish terror.
Blink nodded, smiling. "It's fuckin' huge, Fleck."
She dashed into the bathroom and pushed her way to a mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, she sighed irritatedly. Her cheekbone was tinted a purplish color which was extremely noticeable, but not as 'huge' as Blink had suggested. He had followed her into the bathroom and as she examined herself in the mirror, he put a hand on her shoulder in mock sympathy. "Don't worry, Fleck. Nothin' a lil makeup won't fix, right?" he said in an overly sweet voice.
Fleck answered him in the same tone. "Too bad da same can't be said fer you."
He smiled at her, grabbed his hat and said, "See ya at da D.O."
"Hopefully not," she said, pushing him out the door. She turned back to her reflection, sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that week, and got back to getting ready, figuring there was nothing to be done.
Back at her bunk she found Mush waiting for her. She smiled when she walked up to him, forgetting about Jack for a moment. "Mornin' Mush."
"Heya Fleck. How's da face feelin'?"
"Been bettah."
"It's looked bettah too," he said with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"Gee, thank Mush," she answered, hitting him playfully.
"No problem. So, uh…I was wonderin'…"
"You was wonderin' what?"
"I was wonderin' if ya wanna sell with me taday? Maybe?"
She smiled at him and was about to agree when Jack stepped up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She jumped a bit at his sudden touch, then mumbled, "Shit, ya sacred me, Jack."
"Whatcha tawkin' 'bout?" he asked.
"Uh…just papes. Me an' Mush was gonna sell tageddah taday."
"You two? Fleck, I thought maybe we'd sell tageddah taday, on our foist day as a couple an' all…"
"You'se tageddah now?" Mush asked, his face dropping.
"Yep."
"Since when?"
"Since yestahday."
"An' Sarah?"
"We broke up."
"Oh."
"So," Jack said, turning his attention back to Fleck. "Will ya sell with me taday?"
Fleck looked to Mush, "Well…do ya mind?"
"No, not at all, go ahead," Mush consented, though his body language and hurt tone of voice suggested otherwise. "Maybe some oddah time."
"Yeah, thanks Mush. See ya latah," Jack said, pulling Fleck towards the door. "Let's go."
Fleck looked back to Mush, mouthed 'Sorry', then turned around and followed Jack out the door.
Mush sighed dejectedly and leaned back against the bunk. He had missed what may have been his only chance to make Fleck his girl. Now Jack had swept her up, and there was nothing he could do.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jack and Fleck made their way down to the distribution office, Jack leading and Fleck trailing behind aimlessly. She kept silently hoping that Mush would come jogging up from behind so they could sell together after all, but it didn't happen. Jack kept urging her to go faster, that they were going to be too late to get papers, but she never changed her speed. "Fleck, come on, we'se gonna be late!"
"Aw, quit whinin', wouldja? Ya sound like a lil kid."
"An' you walk like an ol' lady! Let's go," he said, all but dragging her down the street.
"Ya know Jack, dere's more ta life den sellin' newspapahs."
"Not dat I know of. Gotta sell ta eat, gotta eat to live. Ain't nothin' more to it."
She sighed as he continued to pull her along until they finally reached their destination. Only a handful of newsies were left scattered around the office, waiting for selling partners or searching for useable headlines. Among them were Blink, Race, Davey, Les, and Sarah. "Sarah?! What da fuck is she doin' heah?" Fleck whispered, more out of confusion than anything else.
"I have no idea…" Jack said. "Just…let's just get our papes an' go, just ignore her."
He avoided eye contact and led Fleck to the window. Sarah had seen them as soon as they had come in, but she stayed with Davey and Les and watched them get their papers. David was still in the dark about the breakup, and figured Sarah had just wanted to come to the distribution office to see Jack. So when Jack entered holding Fleck's hand, he knew there was going to be trouble. "Well? Go talk to him," he said, nudging Sarah forward a bit. "Me and Les have to go sell. So does Jack, so hurry up."
Sarah rolled her eyes at her brother. "Just stop, Davey. I'll go when I see fit," she said and, waiting only a few seconds, she headed towards Jack and Fleck, who had just walked down the stairs from the window.
"Ah, fuck, heah she comes," Jack said, searching his mind frantically for a plan of action. "Quick, kiss me."
"What?"
"Kiss me. An' hard."
"Now?"
Jack answered her question by pulling her against his body and initiating the kiss before she had time to think about the request. Fleck's eyes widened momentarily then quickly shut when she realized what was happening, and why it was happening. She kissed him back for a moment and broke away, for decency's sake. They were in public after all. Sarah's eyes narrowed and anger simmered through her body. David was caught completely by surprise, and walked to where Sarah was standing to check if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. And indeed, he had. Sarah walked right up to the couple and furiously pulled them apart. "What in God's name do you think you're doing, Jack Kelly?! Why are you kissing this tramp?!" she yelled. At the sound of her yell, all uninvolved newsies left the area quickly, not wanting to be around to witness the oncoming fight. Les, who had also wandered up to Davey's side so he wouldn't be left out of the action, made a face when Jack kissed Fleck. Davey pushed him into Race, motioning for Race to take him away to sell papers. Race obliged, always up for a new selling tactic, of which a little kid like Les was one. This left Jack, Fleck, Davey, and Sarah standing alone in the unnaturally empty D.O.
"Dis tramp happens to be me goilfriend!"
"So you think I'se a tramp too?" Fleck said, looking at him, her eyes smiling, but her face set in seriousness. She loved putting him on the spot like this.
"Of course he does, everyone in this city knows you're a tramp!" Sarah said snottily.
Fleck laughed and with a look of mock confusion on her face, said, "I'se sorry, was I tawkin' ta you? I coulda sworn I was tawkin' ta Jack."
"Stupid bitch."
"Takes one ta know one," Fleck said with a shrug. Everyone knew she could be a bitch when she chose to be, and this was definitely one of those times. She didn't really have anything against Sarah; it wasn't her fault that they had both loved the same boy at one point. But even if she was less than thrilled about being Jack's girlfriend now, she was in fact, his girlfriend. And as his girlfriend, she felt it was almost her duty to protect that now. It was the closest thing to a reputation she had anyway. And she was certainly not going to sacrifice that for Sarah's sake. "So Jack, is that what ya think? Dat I'se just a tramp?"
"No, no a course not. If you two would shut da hell up fer a second, I'd be able ta explain! Sarah, what da fuck are you doin' heah? It's ovah, we broke up, an' now I'se with Fleck, so just deal with it an' leave me da fuck alone!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, since when did you guys break up?" David asked.
"Since yestahday-"
"No, we didn't break up. Jack is just having a momentary lapse in common sense. Why would anyone dump me for this trash?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Geez, Sarah, give it up! Get it through ya thick head! I dumped ya cuz you'se a prude bitch who does nothin' but trash me friends an' try ta control my life. Fleck ain't!"
Sarah stood in shock for several seconds, completely unaware that Jack could possibly say that to her. She turned her attention to Fleck, who looked like she was barely holding back laughter at Sarah, which was much more than she could take. She lunged forward, pushing Fleck to the ground and yelled, "Fine! You know what? Take her! Take the little whore and stay the hell away from me! In fact, I hope I never see you again for as long as I live. You…you…you bastard!"
Fleck absorbed the unexpected blow and stayed on the ground after being pushed. From there she watched Sarah stalk away angrily. She almost felt guilty for breaking the couple up. Almost. David shook his head and sighed. "You shouldn't have said those things, Jack. She's gonna be upset for days."
"Not my problem."
David rolled his eyes, but allowed a small smile to appear on his lips. "Well, it's my problem now. I better go console her before I sell, or there'll be trouble. Maybe I'll see you at lunch."
"Yeah, latah Davey," Jack said, watching him go off for a second. He turned back to Fleck and helped her up. "Well, dat was pleasant."
Fleck smiled. "Ya know, maybe we shouldn't a done dat. I mean, she ain't gonna tawk ta ya again evah."
"So?"
"Well, so what if ya change ya mind? You'se gonna be screwed."
Jack looked at her strangely. "Who says I'se gonna change my mind?"
She shrugged. "Ya nevah know. You should just always have a backup plan, dat's all."
"Fleck, what are ya tryin' ta say heah?"
"I ain't sayin' nothin'. Just ferget it, let's go," she said, beginning to walk away from him to sell.
He watched her for a second warily, then jogged to catch up with her. Something was going on inside of her. She was different. And he was determined to find out why.