"Just answer one question for me. Why did you leave?" I asked Michael
later that night while we were talking.
"I jus' didn' belong wit' all da hoity-toity gents, ya know?" he answered.
I looked him straight in the eyes with a look that he later told me burned his skin, and said, "You're lying. I stayed as long as it was safe to stay and I didn't belong in that crowd either. You would have been fine."
Michael leaned over and whispered softly in my ear, "He didn' want me. He wanted some goil he could dress up like a doll, he nevah wanted a son. Do ya have any idea what its like ta know dat da person dat close to ya don't want ya dere?"
I looked him dead on again. "Yes, yes I do."
I could tell from the look in his eyes that what I said had hurt him, and he stood up from the bed that we were sitting on. "I'm goin' ta bed," he announced.
I flopped back onto the pillow of what was now my bunk in the Brooklyn lodging house. I turned over on my back and sleep came in a matter of minutes. The next thing I knew, I was being woken up by Michael's shouts.
"Up, lazy cods! Alexandra! Get ya lazy self outta bed. You'se me sistah, ya should be able ta get up early!" he was yelling out.
The voices made me sit up quickly, banging my head on the bunk above me. "Darn it, Michael!" I yelled at my brother. I wasn't one to swear, because, despite what my not-too-great manners led people to believe, I was in no way a vulgar girl, and only vulgar young women swore.
I heard a chuckle coming from the left side of my bed, but I couldn't see who it was talking. Then I heard the voice that was somewhat recognizable after only two days. It was saying, "Foist of all, its damn it. Learn ta swear if ya gonna get anywheah heah. Damn it. Ya got dat? And secondly, don' evah let Spot heah ya callin' him Michael, 'less ya want ta get ta know his fist bettah. Jus' a warnin'."
I laughed. "Hey Race! How'd you get here this early?"
"Easy," he told me, "Slept heah las' night. Wanted ta be heah in case ya needed ta come back ta 'Hattan for whatevah reason. Ya know?"
"Thanks," I said in response. He smiled, at least until Spot approached.
"And why would she want ta go back?" he demanded. "She's me sistah, ya think she wouldn' want ta stay wit' me? Ya think I ain't good enough for her? Ya want her all ta yaself?"
"It ain't like dat Spot. It's jus', what if ya didn' have a place for her and she needed ta stay in 'Hattan 'till ya could make one for her? Somethin' like dat," Race said before turning to speak to me. "Alex, ya ready ta go sell?"
Before I could even answer, Michael cut in defensively, "She ain't sellin' wit' ya. She's gonna go get some woik clothes wit' Slidah and Mouth."
Race laughed. "What do Slidah an' Mouth know 'bout women's clothin'? I think ya know more just from takin' it off. Or, at least when it comes ta Sli," Race told Mike with raised eyebrows.
"Let's just not talk 'bout Devy right now, all right?" Spot said, trying to change the subject.
I looked at Racetrack questioningly and he explained, "Devy is Apple's real name. Short for devil. Everyone calls her Devy 'cept Patch 'cause she don' think its right ta name a child Devil."
"Can we just leave Dev outta dis please? She's goin' ta buy clothes wit' Mouth and Sli and dat's final. Higgins, you can take her ta da goils lodgin' house."
"Woiks for me," Race said before dragging me out the door and into the street. I was too tired to really talk about anything, so I just listened to Race tell stories about the strike all the newsies were in the year before. I laughed when he told me about Brooklyn running in with slingshots, and how one of the boys hit a fat man in the rear.
"Finally, what took ya so long? One of Spot's boys already told us you'se was comin' twenty minutes ago. Brooklyn ain't more den fifteen minutes away!" Slider yelled out the window as we approached the girls lodging house.
Mouth leaned out the other window and shouted, "Did ya stop in an alleyway or somethin'?" She raised her eyebrows and winked at Race. After she and Slider had a good laugh at my expense she said, "All right, well, scat Race. We's 'bout ta make Alex heah inta a beautiful princess," and then promptly started laughing, and again I was paying the price.
"Sure, she won't be a princess, but she'll always be beautiful," Race said, more in a protective brotherly way than in a lover sense, but of course Mouth and Slider didn't think that at all. He walked off to multiple catcalls and hoots.
"Ah, can it!" I shouted before starting up the stairs to the room where they were standing. When I reached them I said, "Are we going shopping or what? I'm anxious to get into some more comfortable clothes.
With that, we set off, the girls passing bits of gossip back and forth between each other as we walked. I managed to pick up a few bits of gossip, including that Sprite and Mush had recently hooked up at a party, but nothing of consequence to me. Race was, as always, single and not necessarily desired. The girls felt a great need to keep pointing that fact out to me. Finally, we reached a stretch of street covered in clothing stores. Quickly the girls picked a store that had a simple sign saying, "Working Women's Apparel."
"Why do I have to dress as a woman when the rest of you get to wear men's clothing?" I asked them as we walked inside.
"Well, when we sell, we pretend ta be men. Most of da time people believe us. It would be challengin' ta conceal ya gender, even wit' a loose shoit. You'se very, um, developed," Slider explained.
Mouth added, "An', Spot wants ya ta stay ladylike. Don' know why, I always figured he'd want anyone related ta him ta be tough, but it seems he wants ya ta stay somewhat feminine."
"Who understands Spot anyway," Slider muttered, half to herself.
Mouth responded, "I used to figure that you did, Sli, but it seems ya don't. Dev might when she gets oldah. Aftah all, she's half his."
"Can we please not talk 'bout Devy right now?" Slider asked, reminding me of Michael saying the exact same thing about the child earlier that day. "I also don' think Alex ovah dere wants ta heah 'bout her bruddah's child. I know I wouldn' want ta heah 'bout Karth's babies, dat is if he could get a goil ta have his." She smirked, then explained, "Karth's me bruddah. He's a Harlem boy, but Harlem don' have a goils lodgin' house so I stay heah in 'Hattan. If ya came a day earlier ya could've met 'em, big party wit' all da boroughs two nights ago."
"May I help you?" a young woman cut in. "May I ask what you're here for? Which one of you?"
"Dat'd be her," Mouth said, pointing to me. "She needs some clothes appropriate for a woikin' goil, what she got's a little much, ya know?"
"Another of Jack's crazy goils he brings in from da streets?" she asked, slipping into her more native tongue.
"Nope, Blink found her. And dis gets bettah, she's Spot's sistah," Slider told the lady who laughed.
"I am right here you know," I told them. My main pet peeve is when people talk about you as if you aren't there and you're standing right in front of them. I just plain can't stand that.
"Sorry," the woman that worked there said, "Me name's Hailie, by the way. I woik heah, if ya couldn't tell. Let's get ya fitted for some clothin'."
She pulled out a measuring tape and started measuring my body crudely. I knew already that it wouldn't be a custom made silk dress, or anything remotely close, but a practical working class dress that was altered to fit me.
"I have some things dat might fit ya without many altercations. Lemme go get 'em," she said before walking off. She returned a minute later with three skirts in blue, black and red as well as three tops of the same colors. "Ya like 'em?" she asked, seeing the smile that lit up my face when I saw the fabric.
"Those of my favorite colors," I stated. "And not in bad condition," I commented while I stepped into the dress and she pinned it at the right measurements. She took the dress to a sewing machine and turned to Slider. "Sli, I'd take dat goil ta get new shoes, wintah ain't ovah yet, and dose fancy shoes'll die in less than a week with wear. I'll be done with dese in an hour or so."
We all called out thanks to Hailie and walked out of the store. We went into a store and bought me shoes as well, with the money in the small pouch I had brought with me. I stopped in front of a man selling ice cream.
"Come here girls, this is my treat," I said to Slider and Mouth as I bought three ice creams from the vendor. I handed one to each of them and started eating mine. "Wish I had money for one for Hailie," I murmured out loud, and the vendor looked at me.
"I ain't supposed ta do dis, but I think I should. Don' tell anyone, but heah's an extra bit of ice cream for ya friend. You'se a pretty goil, ya deserve it," he said and handed me more ice cream.
As we walked off Slider teased, "Oh, Race has some competition now doesn't he?"
"That vendor so wanted you. If we hadn't been wit' ya he would've taken ya into an alley somewheah," Mouth added as we reached the door to the clothing store again.
"Here's some ice cream," I said, handing the treat to Hailie.
Slider, unable to leave it at that, added, "Enjoy it, she nearly lost some innocence ta get it for ya."
"You didn't-" Hailie started.
Slider cut her off, "Nah, nah. But she would've if we weren't dere ta protect her. We's gonna have ta get her ta look less clean an' desirable. Dose men is all ovah her out dere."
I laughed. No man had ever desired me at all before. "I think you're mistaken, no man has ever wanted anything to do with me before in my life."
"Welcome to this side of life," Mouth said. "You'se obviously a woman and dey're all ovah ya. Don' mattah what ya look like. Aftah all, dey wanted Sli when I foist got her."
We laughed and joked the rest of the time Hailie finished her ice cream and the clothing. Eventually, she was done, and it was time for us to head back to Manhattan and me to Brooklyn.
"Ya wanna get tagether some othah time? I can talk ta Spot if ya want," Slider offered as we were walking.
"I'd like that," I answered. At that point, Race came and slipped his arm into mine, pretending to be a proper escort and walked me across the Brooklyn Bridge and back to Michael's place.
But Mouth's words kept echoing in my head, "Welcome to this side of life." I knew they held truth. This wasn't just a game I was playing, this was life, and it was about to make some serious changes.
A/N: Again, no time for shout-outs because I have to leave for school in five minutes, but I figure you're more interested in reading the story than the shout-outs, so here's some of the story.
Review!! Please!!
And those of you that write stories that you know I read, UPDATE!!
CTB, SparkHiggins
"I jus' didn' belong wit' all da hoity-toity gents, ya know?" he answered.
I looked him straight in the eyes with a look that he later told me burned his skin, and said, "You're lying. I stayed as long as it was safe to stay and I didn't belong in that crowd either. You would have been fine."
Michael leaned over and whispered softly in my ear, "He didn' want me. He wanted some goil he could dress up like a doll, he nevah wanted a son. Do ya have any idea what its like ta know dat da person dat close to ya don't want ya dere?"
I looked him dead on again. "Yes, yes I do."
I could tell from the look in his eyes that what I said had hurt him, and he stood up from the bed that we were sitting on. "I'm goin' ta bed," he announced.
I flopped back onto the pillow of what was now my bunk in the Brooklyn lodging house. I turned over on my back and sleep came in a matter of minutes. The next thing I knew, I was being woken up by Michael's shouts.
"Up, lazy cods! Alexandra! Get ya lazy self outta bed. You'se me sistah, ya should be able ta get up early!" he was yelling out.
The voices made me sit up quickly, banging my head on the bunk above me. "Darn it, Michael!" I yelled at my brother. I wasn't one to swear, because, despite what my not-too-great manners led people to believe, I was in no way a vulgar girl, and only vulgar young women swore.
I heard a chuckle coming from the left side of my bed, but I couldn't see who it was talking. Then I heard the voice that was somewhat recognizable after only two days. It was saying, "Foist of all, its damn it. Learn ta swear if ya gonna get anywheah heah. Damn it. Ya got dat? And secondly, don' evah let Spot heah ya callin' him Michael, 'less ya want ta get ta know his fist bettah. Jus' a warnin'."
I laughed. "Hey Race! How'd you get here this early?"
"Easy," he told me, "Slept heah las' night. Wanted ta be heah in case ya needed ta come back ta 'Hattan for whatevah reason. Ya know?"
"Thanks," I said in response. He smiled, at least until Spot approached.
"And why would she want ta go back?" he demanded. "She's me sistah, ya think she wouldn' want ta stay wit' me? Ya think I ain't good enough for her? Ya want her all ta yaself?"
"It ain't like dat Spot. It's jus', what if ya didn' have a place for her and she needed ta stay in 'Hattan 'till ya could make one for her? Somethin' like dat," Race said before turning to speak to me. "Alex, ya ready ta go sell?"
Before I could even answer, Michael cut in defensively, "She ain't sellin' wit' ya. She's gonna go get some woik clothes wit' Slidah and Mouth."
Race laughed. "What do Slidah an' Mouth know 'bout women's clothin'? I think ya know more just from takin' it off. Or, at least when it comes ta Sli," Race told Mike with raised eyebrows.
"Let's just not talk 'bout Devy right now, all right?" Spot said, trying to change the subject.
I looked at Racetrack questioningly and he explained, "Devy is Apple's real name. Short for devil. Everyone calls her Devy 'cept Patch 'cause she don' think its right ta name a child Devil."
"Can we just leave Dev outta dis please? She's goin' ta buy clothes wit' Mouth and Sli and dat's final. Higgins, you can take her ta da goils lodgin' house."
"Woiks for me," Race said before dragging me out the door and into the street. I was too tired to really talk about anything, so I just listened to Race tell stories about the strike all the newsies were in the year before. I laughed when he told me about Brooklyn running in with slingshots, and how one of the boys hit a fat man in the rear.
"Finally, what took ya so long? One of Spot's boys already told us you'se was comin' twenty minutes ago. Brooklyn ain't more den fifteen minutes away!" Slider yelled out the window as we approached the girls lodging house.
Mouth leaned out the other window and shouted, "Did ya stop in an alleyway or somethin'?" She raised her eyebrows and winked at Race. After she and Slider had a good laugh at my expense she said, "All right, well, scat Race. We's 'bout ta make Alex heah inta a beautiful princess," and then promptly started laughing, and again I was paying the price.
"Sure, she won't be a princess, but she'll always be beautiful," Race said, more in a protective brotherly way than in a lover sense, but of course Mouth and Slider didn't think that at all. He walked off to multiple catcalls and hoots.
"Ah, can it!" I shouted before starting up the stairs to the room where they were standing. When I reached them I said, "Are we going shopping or what? I'm anxious to get into some more comfortable clothes.
With that, we set off, the girls passing bits of gossip back and forth between each other as we walked. I managed to pick up a few bits of gossip, including that Sprite and Mush had recently hooked up at a party, but nothing of consequence to me. Race was, as always, single and not necessarily desired. The girls felt a great need to keep pointing that fact out to me. Finally, we reached a stretch of street covered in clothing stores. Quickly the girls picked a store that had a simple sign saying, "Working Women's Apparel."
"Why do I have to dress as a woman when the rest of you get to wear men's clothing?" I asked them as we walked inside.
"Well, when we sell, we pretend ta be men. Most of da time people believe us. It would be challengin' ta conceal ya gender, even wit' a loose shoit. You'se very, um, developed," Slider explained.
Mouth added, "An', Spot wants ya ta stay ladylike. Don' know why, I always figured he'd want anyone related ta him ta be tough, but it seems he wants ya ta stay somewhat feminine."
"Who understands Spot anyway," Slider muttered, half to herself.
Mouth responded, "I used to figure that you did, Sli, but it seems ya don't. Dev might when she gets oldah. Aftah all, she's half his."
"Can we please not talk 'bout Devy right now?" Slider asked, reminding me of Michael saying the exact same thing about the child earlier that day. "I also don' think Alex ovah dere wants ta heah 'bout her bruddah's child. I know I wouldn' want ta heah 'bout Karth's babies, dat is if he could get a goil ta have his." She smirked, then explained, "Karth's me bruddah. He's a Harlem boy, but Harlem don' have a goils lodgin' house so I stay heah in 'Hattan. If ya came a day earlier ya could've met 'em, big party wit' all da boroughs two nights ago."
"May I help you?" a young woman cut in. "May I ask what you're here for? Which one of you?"
"Dat'd be her," Mouth said, pointing to me. "She needs some clothes appropriate for a woikin' goil, what she got's a little much, ya know?"
"Another of Jack's crazy goils he brings in from da streets?" she asked, slipping into her more native tongue.
"Nope, Blink found her. And dis gets bettah, she's Spot's sistah," Slider told the lady who laughed.
"I am right here you know," I told them. My main pet peeve is when people talk about you as if you aren't there and you're standing right in front of them. I just plain can't stand that.
"Sorry," the woman that worked there said, "Me name's Hailie, by the way. I woik heah, if ya couldn't tell. Let's get ya fitted for some clothin'."
She pulled out a measuring tape and started measuring my body crudely. I knew already that it wouldn't be a custom made silk dress, or anything remotely close, but a practical working class dress that was altered to fit me.
"I have some things dat might fit ya without many altercations. Lemme go get 'em," she said before walking off. She returned a minute later with three skirts in blue, black and red as well as three tops of the same colors. "Ya like 'em?" she asked, seeing the smile that lit up my face when I saw the fabric.
"Those of my favorite colors," I stated. "And not in bad condition," I commented while I stepped into the dress and she pinned it at the right measurements. She took the dress to a sewing machine and turned to Slider. "Sli, I'd take dat goil ta get new shoes, wintah ain't ovah yet, and dose fancy shoes'll die in less than a week with wear. I'll be done with dese in an hour or so."
We all called out thanks to Hailie and walked out of the store. We went into a store and bought me shoes as well, with the money in the small pouch I had brought with me. I stopped in front of a man selling ice cream.
"Come here girls, this is my treat," I said to Slider and Mouth as I bought three ice creams from the vendor. I handed one to each of them and started eating mine. "Wish I had money for one for Hailie," I murmured out loud, and the vendor looked at me.
"I ain't supposed ta do dis, but I think I should. Don' tell anyone, but heah's an extra bit of ice cream for ya friend. You'se a pretty goil, ya deserve it," he said and handed me more ice cream.
As we walked off Slider teased, "Oh, Race has some competition now doesn't he?"
"That vendor so wanted you. If we hadn't been wit' ya he would've taken ya into an alley somewheah," Mouth added as we reached the door to the clothing store again.
"Here's some ice cream," I said, handing the treat to Hailie.
Slider, unable to leave it at that, added, "Enjoy it, she nearly lost some innocence ta get it for ya."
"You didn't-" Hailie started.
Slider cut her off, "Nah, nah. But she would've if we weren't dere ta protect her. We's gonna have ta get her ta look less clean an' desirable. Dose men is all ovah her out dere."
I laughed. No man had ever desired me at all before. "I think you're mistaken, no man has ever wanted anything to do with me before in my life."
"Welcome to this side of life," Mouth said. "You'se obviously a woman and dey're all ovah ya. Don' mattah what ya look like. Aftah all, dey wanted Sli when I foist got her."
We laughed and joked the rest of the time Hailie finished her ice cream and the clothing. Eventually, she was done, and it was time for us to head back to Manhattan and me to Brooklyn.
"Ya wanna get tagether some othah time? I can talk ta Spot if ya want," Slider offered as we were walking.
"I'd like that," I answered. At that point, Race came and slipped his arm into mine, pretending to be a proper escort and walked me across the Brooklyn Bridge and back to Michael's place.
But Mouth's words kept echoing in my head, "Welcome to this side of life." I knew they held truth. This wasn't just a game I was playing, this was life, and it was about to make some serious changes.
A/N: Again, no time for shout-outs because I have to leave for school in five minutes, but I figure you're more interested in reading the story than the shout-outs, so here's some of the story.
Review!! Please!!
And those of you that write stories that you know I read, UPDATE!!
CTB, SparkHiggins