None of these characters in this chapter are mine except Bitsy. Please read and review!! Hope you enjoy it!! Ok, by the way, if you don't like descriptions, then just skim the first two chapters, because the plot doesn't get thick until the third chapter. But please give my story a chance!! And sorry about the random lines: I just reformatted A Little Bit of Luck, but the lines wouldn't go away. Just ignore them, they have no purpose.
Chapter 1:
They were just your average newsies. Rowdy, crude, noisy… just nuisances in general. But that was only to the people who didn't know them, the people who didn't see the other side of their lives: friendship, humor, sadness, anger, and- yes- romance. It was this side that most people didn't see and didn't realize existed, and it was this side that people weren't aware of as they saw these certain newsies walking through the street with their papers in hand, shouting "Extra! Extra!" hoping to make a profit of half a penny per paper and not have any leftovers that they would have to eat later. And it was this more intimate side of them that was about to be discovered by someone who needed it most…
"Hey, Jack!" shouted an Italian boy- probably about seventeen, dressed slightly better than the others- as he ran to join the group. This was Anthony Higgins, more commonly known as Racetrack. He had a gold watch chain that gleamed from under his plaid vest, clearly a precious possession of his (and probably the only valuable thing he owned).
"Hey Race! How's your day at the track?" replied Jack. He stood out from the other newsies as well, for instead of the more common newsie cap or bowler, he sported a cowboy hat, accompanied by a red bandana. This was Jack Kelly- nicknamed Cowboy- who had lead the newsie strike earlier that year. He had the evident charisma of a born leader, and that charisma was what had made the strike a success.
"Not bad, not bad… I got dis bet goin' and it's a sure thing… well, almost sure anyways." Betting was his weakness, but occasionally it got him an extra buck or two, which allowed him to get himself the nicer outfit. "Ya'll off ta see Medda? I ain't seen her in a while!"
"Course we are! Why else would we'se be in dis part of da neighborhood? Ya know dis ain't my sellin' spot," responded Jack in a joking tone.
"Medda sure's worth da trip, though… ya know, I thinks da last time I saws her was at da rally," interjected a new voice, which came from a blonde kid with an eye-patch. Kid Blink was his name, for obvious reasons. He was a sweet kid, but tended to be a little high strung. The rally he was referring to was the newsie rally during the strike when the police charged in and arrested half the newsies there, himself and the others here included. That experience had almost landed Jack imprisonment in the Refuge till he was twenty-one.
"Yea, and that is really much too long," added another of the newsies, though he was obviously more educated, as anyone could tell from his accent. Along with that educated voice came a brain too. During the strike he had earned the nickname the Walking Mouth, as he was the brain behind Jack's words. But right now his brilliant mind was on other things. "I still remember when I first heard her sing."
"Yea Davey, you sure was amazed by dat one… remember, right afta we 'scaped from Snyda… why, we'd just met den," Jack chuckled to himself at the memory of Davey's awe-struck face after his first meeting with Medda. Davey's real name was David Jacobs, and he, unlike the other newsies, had a family and a real home. But he was nonetheless one of the newsies, and was treated just like everyone else. It seemed as though he really was just like everyone else, and it was easy to forget how new to the newsie business he was too. It hadn't even been a year since he became one. But he fit right in, and, in fact, was one of the best newsies in Manhattan, second only to Jack. The four of them then continued on their way to Medda's, talking about the strike and paper headlines and girls.
A few blocks later, they arrived in front of a Theatre, but instead of going in the front, they automatically headed to the side door. They then found themselves the backstage of the theatre they had just stood in front of. They could hear an enchanting voice singing from onstage and they waited till the song was over. After it ended, a woman of about thirty entered from the stage. At the sight of the boys, her eyes lit up.
At the sight of her, all the boys started talking at once: "Medda!" "Heya Medda." "Hows you been?" "Its been a long time Medda." And other such phrases caught the ears of the stagehands who were observing the odd, yet all too common scene. They were all used to the newsies' visits and had been surprised at how long it had been since they were last there.
Finally, they newsies stopped talking and let Jack have his time to speak. "Hey Medda, miss me?" he asked.
"Kelly! Of course, kid." Medda responded in her usual, loving tone, as she proceeded to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Listen kids, I got…" Medda was about to say, but was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice that said, "Medda, do I look alright? I'm going on soon."
The newsies all looked up, and when they found its owner, they were all amazed to see it belonged to a pretty girl about their age, dressed in a emerald green dress that came down a little past her knees. Each of the newsies paused for a second, taking a second glance just to make sure that she was really there and they weren't imagining her.
Jack was only one not affected. Because he already had a girlfriend, Sarah- Davey's sister- he didn't look at other girls as potential romances. He loved Sarah and had no interest in letting go of such a good thing. Medda realized this and took the initiative. Hopefully the other boys would come back to their senses.
"Jack, this is Elizabeth, but we call her either Liz or Bitsy around here," Medda said as Bitsy offered her hand to Jack, who took it and bowed as he replied, "Jack Kelly at you service."
Davey was the first of the other three to react. "Nice to meet you Liz, I'm David Jacobs," he said, remembering his manners that his parents were so proud of. Liz gave a little curtsy in response.
"Kid Blink here. It's a pleasure Bitsy," said Kid as he offered his hand. Just as she took it, Jack noticed Race hadn't said anything yet. He glanced over at Race, and was amused to see that Race seemed to be at a loss for words. Though Race was a bit of a smart mouth, when it came to girls he was the most awkward of the four of them. The he gave Race a little nudge and he snapped out of it, just in time to say- in his usual slick manner- as she offered her hand and he kissed it, "My dear Bitsy, you'se brightened me day just by smiling. Racetrack Higgins here, but you'se can call me Race."
Please read and review!!! I hope you liked it.
-Racesgurl
