I woke to voices shouting and groaning. I tried to sit upright, and noticed
a face peering over the edge of my bed. I'd always loved children, so I
pulled her up onto my bed and started talking to her. "What's your name?"
She smiled at me and then buried her head in the blanket. Another girl looked at me and answered, "Dat's Apple. She's Slidah's kid. She must be nearin' three yeahs now."
"I don't know you either, what are you called?" I asked the dark haired girl sitting on the bed next to mine.
"I'se Patch. Sorry I didn't meet ya earlier, but I was out with me boy. Ya know him? Kid Blink? Yeah, well, it was our two month anniversary last night, so he took me out ta dinnah," she answered. "I'se already hoid 'bout you I think. You'se Alex, right?"
"That's me," I told her. "You always wake up this early?"
"Ya think dis is early? Da sun's out, dat's amazin' we slept this late. When do you wake up?" she asked somewhat shocked.
"Around seven-thirty. I had to be at school by eight o'clock. And I always found that that was too early for me."
"Ya just gonna have ta get used to it," Slider said as she walked by. "Now get yaself ready. We's gotta show ya how ta sell ya papes."
I groaned and dragged myself out of the bed. I buttoned the shirt I had taken off the night before and walked to the washroom. I splashed some water on my face, not even bothering to ask for soap since I knew they wouldn't have any. "You have to do this every day?" I asked Mouth.
"Pretty much. You'll get used ta it though. You'se adjustin' quickah den some of da goils Jack brings in heah, actually. He always manages ta find some interestin' goils. Where'd he pick you up?" she asked.
"It's a long story," I told her, not wanting to have to explain my connections. "But I'm not Jack's girl if that's what you're thinking."
"Dat's what dey all say." She changed the subject, "Ya evah sell before?"
"I watched Racetrack yesterday, but I've never tried my hand at it. He was really good though, I don't know that I can do it as well as he did."
"Racetrack, eh? Interested in him?" Fingers asked as she walked up.
"He's just a friend! Everyone always asks me that, what is it with you?" I asked. "I'm supposed to sell with him today though."
The girls raised their eyebrows. Firecracker, who had joined us a few minutes beforehand, spoke first. "'S just dat Race don't normally take to da goils Jack brings heah. He tries ta stay as far away as he can, mostly. He claims he can't stand da "hoity-toity's". But he don't seem ta think dat with you." The girls nodded in agreement.
"Are you calling me hoity-toity?" I asked, somewhat offended. Sure, I hadn't been brought up on the streets, but I never thought myself as bratty as the other girls at my station.
"Nah, ya ain't. I'se just sayin' dat Race gave ya da time of day ta find dat out. And dat in itself is amazin'," Firecracker answered.
"Enough of gossip time, let's go sell!" Slider shouted and the girls barreled through the door, me following close behind. We ran down the stairs and back to the building I'd been at the afternoon before. I looked around and saw the Manhattan boys approaching the distribution office as well.
"Lookie dere, Alex. Its ya boy Higgins. He's smilin' at ya," Sprite teased with a laugh. Despite the mocking tones of the girls behind me, I self-consciously pushed my hair behind my ear. I caught his glance and smiled back. "Ya such a flirt, goil."
"I resent that," I told her and the girls started laughing harder.
Jack walked over. "What's so funny ovah heah?" he asked.
"Alex and Race," Slider told him before I could quiet her.
Jack turned towards me and feigned hurt, "Ya mean dere is somethin' goin' on? And ya lied ta me? I thought I could trust ya, Conlon, I really did."
The girls around me gasped and Jack caught his mistake, but it was too late. Mouth asked amazed, "Ya name's Conlon? Ya related ta Spot?"
"Yeah, Michael, --er, I mean Spot-- is my brother. Sorry, I was trying to hide it, but apparently Jack here isn't too good at keeping secrets."
"No, dat he isn't. But if Spot's ya bruddah, why ya stayin' in 'Hattan with us?" Fingers asked confused. After the words parted form her mouth she realized that she probably hadn't said the best thing that she could have.
"He doesn't want me," I told her, looking away. Racetrack walked up and put a comforting arm around my shoulder. Despite the seriousness of the moment before, no one could help but raise their eyebrows at this. Jack even went as far as to whistle before I yelled at him to shut up.
I buried my head slightly in Racetrack's comforting arm and tried to hide the tears welling up in my eyes from talking about Michael. He whispered soothingly in my ear, "'S okay. I'll take care of ya."
Jack overheard and shocked me with the news that, "Ya don' have ta, Race. Spot says he wants ta see her, wants her dere. He wants ta apologize for what he said before, and he wants ya ta know dat he's sorry for runnin' off. He told me dat's why he didn't want ta see ya at first, 'cause he regretted not lettin' ya know. I'll take ya dere meself if ya want."
I smiled in tacit agreement and Jack took my hand, leading me off in the direction which I could only assume was Brooklyn. In the background I heard the girls questioning Racetrack on whether there was a relationship between us or not, but I was too far away to hear the answer.
"So, does this mean I won't get to come back to Manhattan?" I asked conversationally on the long walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Of course not. You'll see us more den ya evah wanted ta. I bet ya you'll be sick of us and wish ya didn't see us aftah a little while." Suddenly, Jack turned and faced the edge of the bridge. He beckoned me over. "Check dis out," he told me before leaning over the edge and yelling. I hesitated, but joined him a second later. The proper ladies and gents around us stared, but it was worth it. I was having fun, and that was something I couldn't say of the past few weeks of my life.
You see, my father had been in trouble with the government for not paying his taxes. Then all the stores came wanting to collection their bills. My father couldn't pay, so we had to cower in fear when anyone knocked on the door. I had to leave when the police started looking for him, and that was what got me here.
"Heah we are," Jack announced when we got to the docks. I saw Spot sitting on his post, but when he noticed us he started his way down and walked towards us.
"Ya brought her?" he shouted to Jack, obviously not having seen me standing behind the tall boy. "She still mad?"
"Yeah, she's heah, and no, she ain't mad. I don' think," Jack told him.
"I am mad, but I'm willing to forgive you over time," I cut in as I stepped out from behind Jack to face Michael.
"I'm willing to wait, but we's got some talkin' ta do. If ya don' mind, Jack?" he asked and Jack walked over to another Brooklyn newsie and started talking about some great show at Irving Hall, wherever that was. Michael took my hand and dragged me away from the rest of the boys into a room that was evidently his. "So, what brings ya heah?" he asked.
I told him the full story of Father and that I'd been sent of with directions to find him. The story spilled out while Michael listening patiently.
Finally he spoke. "I'll make sure you're alright. I'll take care of ya. You'se me family aftah all," he promised.
A/N: All right, well here's some more. Hope you liked it!
Shoutouts:
Priscilla- Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take them into consideration. I'm really not good with titles and those are good but as of now I'm not too sure what direction this will take, so I'm still a little hesitant. Thanks!
Firecracker- You're saying I don't update enough? LOL. I update almost once a day! I hope you're writer's block goes away, 'cause it sucks to have writer's block, I would know.
Sprite- No problem putting you in. I figure this time you can have Mush. ( Happy (slightly late) birthday!!
Apologies to anyone that reviewed my story that didn't get a shout-out. I had to use the fanfiction.net list of my reviews because I couldn't get to my email, and they update really slowly.
A/N: Okay, so apparently someone thinks that this story is a plagiarism is Raeghann's work as well. Well, just to clear that up, this one really isn't. It wasn't even inspired by Raeghann's other work (no offense meant to Raeghann, who has inspired me to write, but just not this particular plot line.) instead it is based on a fan-fiction by my friend Mouth da Incredible (check out her story, its good). She put me as Spot's sister in her story and I decided to run with it - with her complete and total permission of course. Just wanting to let you know that despite the fact that Raeghann's work is amazing, that is not where this story came from. Its been formulating itself in my head for over a month, since I first read my friends story (way back before it was posted).
She smiled at me and then buried her head in the blanket. Another girl looked at me and answered, "Dat's Apple. She's Slidah's kid. She must be nearin' three yeahs now."
"I don't know you either, what are you called?" I asked the dark haired girl sitting on the bed next to mine.
"I'se Patch. Sorry I didn't meet ya earlier, but I was out with me boy. Ya know him? Kid Blink? Yeah, well, it was our two month anniversary last night, so he took me out ta dinnah," she answered. "I'se already hoid 'bout you I think. You'se Alex, right?"
"That's me," I told her. "You always wake up this early?"
"Ya think dis is early? Da sun's out, dat's amazin' we slept this late. When do you wake up?" she asked somewhat shocked.
"Around seven-thirty. I had to be at school by eight o'clock. And I always found that that was too early for me."
"Ya just gonna have ta get used to it," Slider said as she walked by. "Now get yaself ready. We's gotta show ya how ta sell ya papes."
I groaned and dragged myself out of the bed. I buttoned the shirt I had taken off the night before and walked to the washroom. I splashed some water on my face, not even bothering to ask for soap since I knew they wouldn't have any. "You have to do this every day?" I asked Mouth.
"Pretty much. You'll get used ta it though. You'se adjustin' quickah den some of da goils Jack brings in heah, actually. He always manages ta find some interestin' goils. Where'd he pick you up?" she asked.
"It's a long story," I told her, not wanting to have to explain my connections. "But I'm not Jack's girl if that's what you're thinking."
"Dat's what dey all say." She changed the subject, "Ya evah sell before?"
"I watched Racetrack yesterday, but I've never tried my hand at it. He was really good though, I don't know that I can do it as well as he did."
"Racetrack, eh? Interested in him?" Fingers asked as she walked up.
"He's just a friend! Everyone always asks me that, what is it with you?" I asked. "I'm supposed to sell with him today though."
The girls raised their eyebrows. Firecracker, who had joined us a few minutes beforehand, spoke first. "'S just dat Race don't normally take to da goils Jack brings heah. He tries ta stay as far away as he can, mostly. He claims he can't stand da "hoity-toity's". But he don't seem ta think dat with you." The girls nodded in agreement.
"Are you calling me hoity-toity?" I asked, somewhat offended. Sure, I hadn't been brought up on the streets, but I never thought myself as bratty as the other girls at my station.
"Nah, ya ain't. I'se just sayin' dat Race gave ya da time of day ta find dat out. And dat in itself is amazin'," Firecracker answered.
"Enough of gossip time, let's go sell!" Slider shouted and the girls barreled through the door, me following close behind. We ran down the stairs and back to the building I'd been at the afternoon before. I looked around and saw the Manhattan boys approaching the distribution office as well.
"Lookie dere, Alex. Its ya boy Higgins. He's smilin' at ya," Sprite teased with a laugh. Despite the mocking tones of the girls behind me, I self-consciously pushed my hair behind my ear. I caught his glance and smiled back. "Ya such a flirt, goil."
"I resent that," I told her and the girls started laughing harder.
Jack walked over. "What's so funny ovah heah?" he asked.
"Alex and Race," Slider told him before I could quiet her.
Jack turned towards me and feigned hurt, "Ya mean dere is somethin' goin' on? And ya lied ta me? I thought I could trust ya, Conlon, I really did."
The girls around me gasped and Jack caught his mistake, but it was too late. Mouth asked amazed, "Ya name's Conlon? Ya related ta Spot?"
"Yeah, Michael, --er, I mean Spot-- is my brother. Sorry, I was trying to hide it, but apparently Jack here isn't too good at keeping secrets."
"No, dat he isn't. But if Spot's ya bruddah, why ya stayin' in 'Hattan with us?" Fingers asked confused. After the words parted form her mouth she realized that she probably hadn't said the best thing that she could have.
"He doesn't want me," I told her, looking away. Racetrack walked up and put a comforting arm around my shoulder. Despite the seriousness of the moment before, no one could help but raise their eyebrows at this. Jack even went as far as to whistle before I yelled at him to shut up.
I buried my head slightly in Racetrack's comforting arm and tried to hide the tears welling up in my eyes from talking about Michael. He whispered soothingly in my ear, "'S okay. I'll take care of ya."
Jack overheard and shocked me with the news that, "Ya don' have ta, Race. Spot says he wants ta see her, wants her dere. He wants ta apologize for what he said before, and he wants ya ta know dat he's sorry for runnin' off. He told me dat's why he didn't want ta see ya at first, 'cause he regretted not lettin' ya know. I'll take ya dere meself if ya want."
I smiled in tacit agreement and Jack took my hand, leading me off in the direction which I could only assume was Brooklyn. In the background I heard the girls questioning Racetrack on whether there was a relationship between us or not, but I was too far away to hear the answer.
"So, does this mean I won't get to come back to Manhattan?" I asked conversationally on the long walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Of course not. You'll see us more den ya evah wanted ta. I bet ya you'll be sick of us and wish ya didn't see us aftah a little while." Suddenly, Jack turned and faced the edge of the bridge. He beckoned me over. "Check dis out," he told me before leaning over the edge and yelling. I hesitated, but joined him a second later. The proper ladies and gents around us stared, but it was worth it. I was having fun, and that was something I couldn't say of the past few weeks of my life.
You see, my father had been in trouble with the government for not paying his taxes. Then all the stores came wanting to collection their bills. My father couldn't pay, so we had to cower in fear when anyone knocked on the door. I had to leave when the police started looking for him, and that was what got me here.
"Heah we are," Jack announced when we got to the docks. I saw Spot sitting on his post, but when he noticed us he started his way down and walked towards us.
"Ya brought her?" he shouted to Jack, obviously not having seen me standing behind the tall boy. "She still mad?"
"Yeah, she's heah, and no, she ain't mad. I don' think," Jack told him.
"I am mad, but I'm willing to forgive you over time," I cut in as I stepped out from behind Jack to face Michael.
"I'm willing to wait, but we's got some talkin' ta do. If ya don' mind, Jack?" he asked and Jack walked over to another Brooklyn newsie and started talking about some great show at Irving Hall, wherever that was. Michael took my hand and dragged me away from the rest of the boys into a room that was evidently his. "So, what brings ya heah?" he asked.
I told him the full story of Father and that I'd been sent of with directions to find him. The story spilled out while Michael listening patiently.
Finally he spoke. "I'll make sure you're alright. I'll take care of ya. You'se me family aftah all," he promised.
A/N: All right, well here's some more. Hope you liked it!
Shoutouts:
Priscilla- Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take them into consideration. I'm really not good with titles and those are good but as of now I'm not too sure what direction this will take, so I'm still a little hesitant. Thanks!
Firecracker- You're saying I don't update enough? LOL. I update almost once a day! I hope you're writer's block goes away, 'cause it sucks to have writer's block, I would know.
Sprite- No problem putting you in. I figure this time you can have Mush. ( Happy (slightly late) birthday!!
Apologies to anyone that reviewed my story that didn't get a shout-out. I had to use the fanfiction.net list of my reviews because I couldn't get to my email, and they update really slowly.
A/N: Okay, so apparently someone thinks that this story is a plagiarism is Raeghann's work as well. Well, just to clear that up, this one really isn't. It wasn't even inspired by Raeghann's other work (no offense meant to Raeghann, who has inspired me to write, but just not this particular plot line.) instead it is based on a fan-fiction by my friend Mouth da Incredible (check out her story, its good). She put me as Spot's sister in her story and I decided to run with it - with her complete and total permission of course. Just wanting to let you know that despite the fact that Raeghann's work is amazing, that is not where this story came from. Its been formulating itself in my head for over a month, since I first read my friends story (way back before it was posted).