Racetrack started selling papers, and I watched him interested. Sure,
I'd seen newsboys selling before, but I never realized how much effort it
took, from making up headlines to convincing people to buy from you, not
your friend a few streets over. I watched them, amazed at the headlines
they were creating.
"You make those up?" I asked and he nodded. "You mean you lie to sell your papers?"
"Well." he started then shook his head as if changing his mind. "Yeah, its lyin'. Jack always has dis thing dat it ain't lyin', its just improvin' da truth a little, but mainly its lyin'. We only do it ta sell though, most of da 'Hattan boys are da most trustworthy boys I evah met. 'Cept when dey gotta sell or go to da Refuge."
"What's the Refuge?" I asked. I could tell from his tone that it was something bad, but I still didn't know quite what.
"It's a jail for kids. Snyder was da warden a few yeahs back when we had da strike. He toook da money for us and spent it on his own stuff, leavin' us ta nearly starve. We tried ouah hardest not ta get stuck dere, but da bulls don't really listen ta street-rats like us, ya know?"
"I see. Well, if its any consolation, I believe you," I told him honestly. "I really do."
"I know ya do. And ya don't know how much it means ta me either. Da boys don't like just anyone, but you'se ain't a hoity-toity like some of da goils we seen walkin' around. For one, none of dem are da sistah of da great Spot Conlon, or, at least, the once great Spot Conlon. I won't take ta anyone treatin' ya like dat."
I leaned over to him and whispered a quick "Thank you" in his ear. I looked and realized that throughout our conversation he had sold the rest of the papers he was holding before.
"Ya wanna bet on da races?" he asked since we were, of course, at his favorite selling spot.
"Jack said I'm supposed to keep you from betting tonight. We're supposed to go back to the lodging house straight away anyway to talk to Jack about what you all are going to do to me."
He grinned mischievously in my direction. "Do 'to' you, Alex?" he asked suggestively. "I know just what I want to do 'to' you."
"With me," I corrected myself quickly. "Now, lets go."
"Yes, mother dearest," he mocked.
"Oh shut up, Higgins." I said, hitting him again.
"All right already. There is now a "No Hitting Anthony 'Racetrack' Higgins rule!" he exclaimed and I couldn't help but laugh.
We reached the lodging house, and Racetrack pulled me quickly upstairs. "So, Jack, what we gonna do wit' her? She can't stay heah and Spot don' want her."
"I already talked ta Kloppman, Race. He wants me ta take her to da newsgoils lodging house a few blocks down. I'll make sure Sli takes care of her," Jack answered. Race must have looked upset because Jack added, "She can still sell with us, don' look so upset." Race sighed in relief which of course Jack couldn't help but comment on, "Dere somethin' goin' on heah I don't know about?"
"We're just friends," I told him quickly. "Now what about this 'newsgoils' lodging house?"
"I'll show ya," Jack said. "Race, you stay behind and hold down the fort. Sorry, but you'se second in command." Race trudged towards the back of the room, where I noticed a poker game was going on.
Jack led me out the door and into the streets, down a few blocks and up to a building with a big sign on it that read, "Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House" The paint was peeling from the sides, and the shutters were sagging slightly on their hinges. I wasn't exactly optimistic on what the inside would be, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was practically disintegrating, but every square inch around me was clean, and nothing was lying on the floor. It was evident that the person who owned this place made a big deal about respectability and cleanliness.
That person popped out through a doorway a moment later, "Oh, Kelly, nice ta see you. Ya got somethin' for me? Or ya just visiting the goils?"
"I got a new one for ya, ma'am, her name's Alex." Then he turned and whispered -or at least he thought he whispered, but I still overheard him saying-to her, "Spot's sistah, but he won't take her back. I think he's feelin' guilty, an' I'm gonna go talk ta him, but she needs a place for the meanwhile."
The woman looked at me and smiled sweetly. In a motherly tone she told me, "Hello, I'm Miss Huntred. I'm the owner of this boarding house, where you'll apparently be staying, at least for a little while. There aren't that many rules, but here are the ones that do exist. No boys in the rooms after eleven, and sign in every night. You'll get free board tonight, but every night after that its two cents a night. You got that?"
I stared at her in awe as she rattled of her speech so much that I barely heard her ask the last question. I nodded, "Yeah, I got it."
"Sorry about the tirade, I just find I forget somethin' from da introduction if it isn't in a structured form like dat. I promise dat that's da only lecture you'll hear from me for as long as you lodge here. Unless, of course, I find Kelly or any of his boys over heah after eleven," she said warmly.
"You have no need to worry about that," I told her.
"I never really did," she told me and then looked around the room we were in. "You want to meet the rest of the goils?" she offered. I nodded and she called up the stairs, "Goils! We got a new one heah!"
I heard a noise equivalent to an avalanche as a group of girls stormed down the stairs to my left. I turned around to look at them. I saw an average height dirty blonde surveying me with dark brown eyes. Beside her stood a girl with a mane of curly red hair and next to her was a taller girl with short blonde hair. She smiled at me, and I returned the gesture. Another girl came barreling out of the doorway a moment later, her wet red hair soaking the back of her shirt.
The first gave me a nod of approval, which the others shared. Apparently she was the leader. She confirmed my belief when a moment later she said, "Hey. I'se Slider. I'se da leadah heah."
"Yeah, she's da leadah. But I'se second in command. Mouth, at ya service," the first red haired girl bragged.
Beside her the shorter haired blonde announced her name as well, "And I'se Sprite."
The last girl to arrive looked up, "I'se Firecracker, but unlike da others, I gotta know: What's ya name, goil?"
I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I'm Alexandra," I told them.
"Still got ya real name? Ya got a surname?" Mouth asked.
"Not of any consequence," I lied, not wanting to have to deal with the girls either celebrating or cowering in fear when they realized they were bunking with Spot Conlon's sister.
"I see. Ya runnin'?" she continued.
"No. Not from what you're thinking of, anyway." All the girls seemed to accept this answer, and I assume its because most of them had a similar situation. Miss Huntred told the girls to take me upstairs, so they did. They guided me to a bed where I collapsed. "Wait, why do you get real beds while the boys have double-deckers?"
"Dere's less of us," Firecracker answered simply. I couldn't help but laugh, and Firecracker turned to the girls and added, "I told ya she could laugh. She ain't all ice."
"I can hear you, you know," I told her, earning laughs from the rest of the girls. My stomach roared a moment later, which prompted my next question, "So, do we eat here?"
Slider looked me dead on with honesty, and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "Not unless you buy it yourself."
"Its not that she wants us to starve," Sprite cut in, "but no one can afford to feed us. The lodging costs barely pay the true rent on this place."
"I understand," I said. And, I did. I never would have thought of going hungry when I lived with my father, but I knew I would have to. Complaining wouldn't feed me any better than not and it would lose me friendships. "I know Miss Huntred's a nice lady, you don't have to try to prove it to me."
"Most goils wouldn't take this that well. I'se glad you could. So, you want to play a game of pokah?"
I nodded and she dealed me in. I lost miserably, but by the end I understood why we played. I was no longer craving food, In fact, I felt I could survive for weeks without it. I knew then that I would learn more from the newsies around me than I ever had from my school.
My mind was made up. Whether Spot wanted me or not, I was staying.
A/N: This is sadly the longest chapter I've written and its still only two and a half pages in size ten Times New Roman. I'm not good at the whole long chapter thing, but I update frequently. That should sort of work together, right? LOL.
Sprite- I worked you in! I know you already realized that I did though. LOL, well, here you are. I actually got you in sooner than I thought I would, but I'm guessing you have no complaints. I love "The Guardian" so keep updating! Yeah, well, I wanted to write what I felt, and if I gave her perfect manners I would be totally lying. My mom told me I have the manners of a teenage boy. LOL.
Sli- I swear he won't be an ass forever. And you already promised the dignity thing. So no going back or I will tell Audrey and all them about you kissing Funk. And you can bet I will. And I'll tell Royal about Gray. By the way, I was at that T Bar M tennis place today, didn't I go with you to pick your brother up there once? Or am I making that up? Who knows?
Firecracker- Ya gotta update, cuz, well, ya just gotta! LOL. I find it sad that I can quote "Newsies" in any situation. But ya gotta. Cuz I have nothing to read, because none of you update. And that makes me have to update, but I have writer's block on WUAS. Pathetic, I know. I'm not supposed to get writer's block! It doesn't work that way! Haha, don't beat Spot, he's an ass, but a hot ass.
REVIEW OR YOU GET NO MORE OF THIS OR OF "WISH UPON A STAR"!!! HOW WOULD YA LIKE THAT? NO? I DIDN'T THINK SO. SO REVIEW, MY MINIONS, REVIEW!!
Oh yeah, I still need a title for this. * Sheepish Grin * Anyone have any ideas?
"You make those up?" I asked and he nodded. "You mean you lie to sell your papers?"
"Well." he started then shook his head as if changing his mind. "Yeah, its lyin'. Jack always has dis thing dat it ain't lyin', its just improvin' da truth a little, but mainly its lyin'. We only do it ta sell though, most of da 'Hattan boys are da most trustworthy boys I evah met. 'Cept when dey gotta sell or go to da Refuge."
"What's the Refuge?" I asked. I could tell from his tone that it was something bad, but I still didn't know quite what.
"It's a jail for kids. Snyder was da warden a few yeahs back when we had da strike. He toook da money for us and spent it on his own stuff, leavin' us ta nearly starve. We tried ouah hardest not ta get stuck dere, but da bulls don't really listen ta street-rats like us, ya know?"
"I see. Well, if its any consolation, I believe you," I told him honestly. "I really do."
"I know ya do. And ya don't know how much it means ta me either. Da boys don't like just anyone, but you'se ain't a hoity-toity like some of da goils we seen walkin' around. For one, none of dem are da sistah of da great Spot Conlon, or, at least, the once great Spot Conlon. I won't take ta anyone treatin' ya like dat."
I leaned over to him and whispered a quick "Thank you" in his ear. I looked and realized that throughout our conversation he had sold the rest of the papers he was holding before.
"Ya wanna bet on da races?" he asked since we were, of course, at his favorite selling spot.
"Jack said I'm supposed to keep you from betting tonight. We're supposed to go back to the lodging house straight away anyway to talk to Jack about what you all are going to do to me."
He grinned mischievously in my direction. "Do 'to' you, Alex?" he asked suggestively. "I know just what I want to do 'to' you."
"With me," I corrected myself quickly. "Now, lets go."
"Yes, mother dearest," he mocked.
"Oh shut up, Higgins." I said, hitting him again.
"All right already. There is now a "No Hitting Anthony 'Racetrack' Higgins rule!" he exclaimed and I couldn't help but laugh.
We reached the lodging house, and Racetrack pulled me quickly upstairs. "So, Jack, what we gonna do wit' her? She can't stay heah and Spot don' want her."
"I already talked ta Kloppman, Race. He wants me ta take her to da newsgoils lodging house a few blocks down. I'll make sure Sli takes care of her," Jack answered. Race must have looked upset because Jack added, "She can still sell with us, don' look so upset." Race sighed in relief which of course Jack couldn't help but comment on, "Dere somethin' goin' on heah I don't know about?"
"We're just friends," I told him quickly. "Now what about this 'newsgoils' lodging house?"
"I'll show ya," Jack said. "Race, you stay behind and hold down the fort. Sorry, but you'se second in command." Race trudged towards the back of the room, where I noticed a poker game was going on.
Jack led me out the door and into the streets, down a few blocks and up to a building with a big sign on it that read, "Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House" The paint was peeling from the sides, and the shutters were sagging slightly on their hinges. I wasn't exactly optimistic on what the inside would be, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was practically disintegrating, but every square inch around me was clean, and nothing was lying on the floor. It was evident that the person who owned this place made a big deal about respectability and cleanliness.
That person popped out through a doorway a moment later, "Oh, Kelly, nice ta see you. Ya got somethin' for me? Or ya just visiting the goils?"
"I got a new one for ya, ma'am, her name's Alex." Then he turned and whispered -or at least he thought he whispered, but I still overheard him saying-to her, "Spot's sistah, but he won't take her back. I think he's feelin' guilty, an' I'm gonna go talk ta him, but she needs a place for the meanwhile."
The woman looked at me and smiled sweetly. In a motherly tone she told me, "Hello, I'm Miss Huntred. I'm the owner of this boarding house, where you'll apparently be staying, at least for a little while. There aren't that many rules, but here are the ones that do exist. No boys in the rooms after eleven, and sign in every night. You'll get free board tonight, but every night after that its two cents a night. You got that?"
I stared at her in awe as she rattled of her speech so much that I barely heard her ask the last question. I nodded, "Yeah, I got it."
"Sorry about the tirade, I just find I forget somethin' from da introduction if it isn't in a structured form like dat. I promise dat that's da only lecture you'll hear from me for as long as you lodge here. Unless, of course, I find Kelly or any of his boys over heah after eleven," she said warmly.
"You have no need to worry about that," I told her.
"I never really did," she told me and then looked around the room we were in. "You want to meet the rest of the goils?" she offered. I nodded and she called up the stairs, "Goils! We got a new one heah!"
I heard a noise equivalent to an avalanche as a group of girls stormed down the stairs to my left. I turned around to look at them. I saw an average height dirty blonde surveying me with dark brown eyes. Beside her stood a girl with a mane of curly red hair and next to her was a taller girl with short blonde hair. She smiled at me, and I returned the gesture. Another girl came barreling out of the doorway a moment later, her wet red hair soaking the back of her shirt.
The first gave me a nod of approval, which the others shared. Apparently she was the leader. She confirmed my belief when a moment later she said, "Hey. I'se Slider. I'se da leadah heah."
"Yeah, she's da leadah. But I'se second in command. Mouth, at ya service," the first red haired girl bragged.
Beside her the shorter haired blonde announced her name as well, "And I'se Sprite."
The last girl to arrive looked up, "I'se Firecracker, but unlike da others, I gotta know: What's ya name, goil?"
I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I'm Alexandra," I told them.
"Still got ya real name? Ya got a surname?" Mouth asked.
"Not of any consequence," I lied, not wanting to have to deal with the girls either celebrating or cowering in fear when they realized they were bunking with Spot Conlon's sister.
"I see. Ya runnin'?" she continued.
"No. Not from what you're thinking of, anyway." All the girls seemed to accept this answer, and I assume its because most of them had a similar situation. Miss Huntred told the girls to take me upstairs, so they did. They guided me to a bed where I collapsed. "Wait, why do you get real beds while the boys have double-deckers?"
"Dere's less of us," Firecracker answered simply. I couldn't help but laugh, and Firecracker turned to the girls and added, "I told ya she could laugh. She ain't all ice."
"I can hear you, you know," I told her, earning laughs from the rest of the girls. My stomach roared a moment later, which prompted my next question, "So, do we eat here?"
Slider looked me dead on with honesty, and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "Not unless you buy it yourself."
"Its not that she wants us to starve," Sprite cut in, "but no one can afford to feed us. The lodging costs barely pay the true rent on this place."
"I understand," I said. And, I did. I never would have thought of going hungry when I lived with my father, but I knew I would have to. Complaining wouldn't feed me any better than not and it would lose me friendships. "I know Miss Huntred's a nice lady, you don't have to try to prove it to me."
"Most goils wouldn't take this that well. I'se glad you could. So, you want to play a game of pokah?"
I nodded and she dealed me in. I lost miserably, but by the end I understood why we played. I was no longer craving food, In fact, I felt I could survive for weeks without it. I knew then that I would learn more from the newsies around me than I ever had from my school.
My mind was made up. Whether Spot wanted me or not, I was staying.
A/N: This is sadly the longest chapter I've written and its still only two and a half pages in size ten Times New Roman. I'm not good at the whole long chapter thing, but I update frequently. That should sort of work together, right? LOL.
Sprite- I worked you in! I know you already realized that I did though. LOL, well, here you are. I actually got you in sooner than I thought I would, but I'm guessing you have no complaints. I love "The Guardian" so keep updating! Yeah, well, I wanted to write what I felt, and if I gave her perfect manners I would be totally lying. My mom told me I have the manners of a teenage boy. LOL.
Sli- I swear he won't be an ass forever. And you already promised the dignity thing. So no going back or I will tell Audrey and all them about you kissing Funk. And you can bet I will. And I'll tell Royal about Gray. By the way, I was at that T Bar M tennis place today, didn't I go with you to pick your brother up there once? Or am I making that up? Who knows?
Firecracker- Ya gotta update, cuz, well, ya just gotta! LOL. I find it sad that I can quote "Newsies" in any situation. But ya gotta. Cuz I have nothing to read, because none of you update. And that makes me have to update, but I have writer's block on WUAS. Pathetic, I know. I'm not supposed to get writer's block! It doesn't work that way! Haha, don't beat Spot, he's an ass, but a hot ass.
REVIEW OR YOU GET NO MORE OF THIS OR OF "WISH UPON A STAR"!!! HOW WOULD YA LIKE THAT? NO? I DIDN'T THINK SO. SO REVIEW, MY MINIONS, REVIEW!!
Oh yeah, I still need a title for this. * Sheepish Grin * Anyone have any ideas?