"Strykah....C'mon Stryk, you have ta git up!" She could feel someone
shaking her. "Whatsa mattah whicha? You'se been moanin' in ya sleep.
Didja have a bad dream?" She could hear the familiar sounds of the
newsgirls rushing to get out the door.
"Leave her alone, Chesapeake." Stripes swatted Chesa's arm away from Stryker.
"It's ok...I'm up." She muttered into her pillow. By the time Stryker dragged herself out of bed, all the girls except Chesapeake, Hades, Revolution, and her best friend Stripes had left for the day.
"Go ahead Chesa, Hades, Rev...We'se comin'." Chesapeake nodded at Stripes, and flipped her long wavy black hair over her shoulder. Hades and Revolution turned, and followed Chesapeake out of the room.
"Ok...see ya out there." Stripes waited until she was sure they were alone in the lodging house.
"Strykah...did ya have a nightmare?" She asked her best friend, her questioning aqua eyes showed her concern.
"Yeah." Stryker whispered, stopping mid-button from buttoning her shirt.
"I heard ya moanin'...but I don't think many of the others did." She put her arms around her friend, and brushed the long blonde hair out of Stryker's face.
"Dontcha gotta meet Spot dis mornin'?" Stryker asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"Yeah...he's comin' up from Brooklyn today...you don't want me ta stay?" Stripes asked,running a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair.
"Nah...I'll be okay...go meet yer boyfriend." Stryker nodded toward the door, and watched Stripes leave. She finished dressing, grabbed her newsie cap and headed for the distribution center.
"Heya Strykah!" Kid Blink greeted her as she came up the steps.
"How's rollin' kid?" Itey asked, his arm around his girlfriend, Revolution.
"Heya boys" She answered.
"Say...you don't look so good, Strykah." Jack remarked, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "Didja have a bad dream or somethin'?" He asked laughing.
"Shuddup Cowboy...'for I soak ya." Stryker replied, smirking. She wasn't about to admit the she still had nightmares about her past. "Hows da headline taday, Cowboy?" She asked, nodding at his stack of papers.
"Eh...it don't mattah. I'se da best newsie in dis hear city. I can sell 'em no mattah da headline." Jack swung his papers over his shoulder and headed uptown.
"Dat boy's got too much confidence fer his own good." Blink remarked and Jack swaggered off. The crowd of newsies grew smaller until just Stryker, Spot and Stripes were left in line. Stryker was getting her papers and hassling Weasel like usual.
"Spot...you go on without me okay?" Stripes asked quietly, putting a hand on his arm. "I'll catch up wit ya. I wanna talk to Strykah bout somethin' real quick."
"Yeah...I'se think you bettah." Spot glanced at Stryker, a concerned look flashing across his face. "Jacky Boy was right. She don't look good."
"I know...she hasn't felt well since last night. I jist wanna make sure she'll be okay selling on her own." Stripes lied, avoiding Spot's eyes. She knew that Stryker was physically fine. But the events of the night before hadn't been easy on her friend. She was good at covering up her emotions, but Stripes could tell that she was truly shaken, and it made her nervous.
"Awright...your turn, kids." Stryker, papers in hand announced, as she started down the steps.
"Strykah...wait!" Stripes called. "Wait a sec...I wanna talk to ya." She blew Spot a kiss before heading down.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Stripes asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can sell wit me an Spot if ya want."
Stryker rolled her eyes and sighed. "And watch da two o you make eyes at eachoddah all day?" She laughed "I think I'll pass."
"Ok...if your sure..."
"Stripes." Stryker looked her friend straight in the eyes. "I sweah to ya on me mudda's grave dat I ain't lying to ya. It was jist a bad dream. I'll be ok."
Stripes was relieved. Stryker was also an expert when it came to decieving people, but she would never swear over her mother if she was lying. "Ok...if you'se sure. Hey...we'se all meetin' at Tibby's later ta divvy up. Why doncha come?"
"Hey...for you? Anyting." Stryker smile a genuinly at her closest friend. "And Stripes?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell Spot nuttin' about lat night. K?"
"I won't." Stripes knew Stryker didn't like to talk about her past. Like a lot of the newsies, she chose to keep her more unpleasent exprieinces to herself. But Stripes could read her friend well, and she knew there was more than a little something bothering her. Stripes would never betray her best friend's trust. But it was getting harder for her to make excuses and lie to her boyfriend when he asked about Stryker.
"Leave her alone, Chesapeake." Stripes swatted Chesa's arm away from Stryker.
"It's ok...I'm up." She muttered into her pillow. By the time Stryker dragged herself out of bed, all the girls except Chesapeake, Hades, Revolution, and her best friend Stripes had left for the day.
"Go ahead Chesa, Hades, Rev...We'se comin'." Chesapeake nodded at Stripes, and flipped her long wavy black hair over her shoulder. Hades and Revolution turned, and followed Chesapeake out of the room.
"Ok...see ya out there." Stripes waited until she was sure they were alone in the lodging house.
"Strykah...did ya have a nightmare?" She asked her best friend, her questioning aqua eyes showed her concern.
"Yeah." Stryker whispered, stopping mid-button from buttoning her shirt.
"I heard ya moanin'...but I don't think many of the others did." She put her arms around her friend, and brushed the long blonde hair out of Stryker's face.
"Dontcha gotta meet Spot dis mornin'?" Stryker asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"Yeah...he's comin' up from Brooklyn today...you don't want me ta stay?" Stripes asked,running a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair.
"Nah...I'll be okay...go meet yer boyfriend." Stryker nodded toward the door, and watched Stripes leave. She finished dressing, grabbed her newsie cap and headed for the distribution center.
"Heya Strykah!" Kid Blink greeted her as she came up the steps.
"How's rollin' kid?" Itey asked, his arm around his girlfriend, Revolution.
"Heya boys" She answered.
"Say...you don't look so good, Strykah." Jack remarked, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "Didja have a bad dream or somethin'?" He asked laughing.
"Shuddup Cowboy...'for I soak ya." Stryker replied, smirking. She wasn't about to admit the she still had nightmares about her past. "Hows da headline taday, Cowboy?" She asked, nodding at his stack of papers.
"Eh...it don't mattah. I'se da best newsie in dis hear city. I can sell 'em no mattah da headline." Jack swung his papers over his shoulder and headed uptown.
"Dat boy's got too much confidence fer his own good." Blink remarked and Jack swaggered off. The crowd of newsies grew smaller until just Stryker, Spot and Stripes were left in line. Stryker was getting her papers and hassling Weasel like usual.
"Spot...you go on without me okay?" Stripes asked quietly, putting a hand on his arm. "I'll catch up wit ya. I wanna talk to Strykah bout somethin' real quick."
"Yeah...I'se think you bettah." Spot glanced at Stryker, a concerned look flashing across his face. "Jacky Boy was right. She don't look good."
"I know...she hasn't felt well since last night. I jist wanna make sure she'll be okay selling on her own." Stripes lied, avoiding Spot's eyes. She knew that Stryker was physically fine. But the events of the night before hadn't been easy on her friend. She was good at covering up her emotions, but Stripes could tell that she was truly shaken, and it made her nervous.
"Awright...your turn, kids." Stryker, papers in hand announced, as she started down the steps.
"Strykah...wait!" Stripes called. "Wait a sec...I wanna talk to ya." She blew Spot a kiss before heading down.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Stripes asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can sell wit me an Spot if ya want."
Stryker rolled her eyes and sighed. "And watch da two o you make eyes at eachoddah all day?" She laughed "I think I'll pass."
"Ok...if your sure..."
"Stripes." Stryker looked her friend straight in the eyes. "I sweah to ya on me mudda's grave dat I ain't lying to ya. It was jist a bad dream. I'll be ok."
Stripes was relieved. Stryker was also an expert when it came to decieving people, but she would never swear over her mother if she was lying. "Ok...if you'se sure. Hey...we'se all meetin' at Tibby's later ta divvy up. Why doncha come?"
"Hey...for you? Anyting." Stryker smile a genuinly at her closest friend. "And Stripes?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell Spot nuttin' about lat night. K?"
"I won't." Stripes knew Stryker didn't like to talk about her past. Like a lot of the newsies, she chose to keep her more unpleasent exprieinces to herself. But Stripes could read her friend well, and she knew there was more than a little something bothering her. Stripes would never betray her best friend's trust. But it was getting harder for her to make excuses and lie to her boyfriend when he asked about Stryker.
