"C'mon Race, you know I'm not supposed to be here this late!" I informed him, but I think the fact that I was giggling as I said it didn't make it very forceful. I was drinking the hot chocolate we had gotten from Tibby's and pulled under his coat from the freezing cold. The streets were empty with the exception of a few late night stragglers. It was one o'clock, two hours past both of our curfews. I was staying in Manhattan that night though, so I knew that most likely Michael would never find out.
"Well, neither am I, but we are. An' don' tell me ya ain't enjoyin' yaself." He had me there; I hadn't had this much fun in forever. The rush of being somewhere forbidden with the man of my dreams was amazing.
Though I didn't want to spoil the moment, I knew I would have to voice my opinions. "I just don't know what Spot would say."
"Forget ya bruddah for a while. Live for yaself. If ya not havin' fun I'll take ya home, but I know ya are."
"Can't fight you on that one."
He grinned. "I know." We walked through the alleys and towards the lodging house I was supposed to have been sleeping in for the past few hours. "I'll pick ya up tomorrow, but I guess we got ta get some sleep tanight."
I grinned. I kissed his cheek, knowing I was ready to make my big confession. Before I got a chance however I was interrupted.
Slider was leaning out the window. "Come dis way or we'll all get in trouble. Up da fire escape. Hurry!"
"G'night," Race said, tipping his hat.
"Night," I answered back as I began my ascent on the ladder and through the window.
My feet slid onto the floor as Slider grinned, her eyes gleaming in a teasing manner. "Sorry, did I interrupt something down there?"
I grinned mischievously. "Maybe you did," I said mysteriously and suggestively. That got me hounded by the girls. Every one of them pulled themselves off their bunks and came to the center of the room, begging to know what happened. "Nothing," I confessed when one of them pinned me to the bunk until I admitted it.
"That's no fun," Mouth said sighing in disappointment.
"Except of course for this," I said, holding up a necklace. Even I realized the significance of the petit crystal dangling from the strap that looked to have once been meant to be a shoelace. A few girls gasped.
Slider walked over, examining it. "Definitely ain't seen him give somethin' like dis away before. He genuinely likes ya, goil. Don' screw it up."
I smiled. "I don't plan on it," I said truthfully. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep."
Everyone turned back to their respective bed and started to sleep. It came easy for me that night, as I was so happy. I simply turned on my side and was out like a light.
Oddly enough, I must have been adjusting to newsie time as I woke only a few moments after the sun. "Ya up early goil," Slider, who was already completely ready for the day, commented. "Ya think ya becomin' a newsie."
"Only if being a newsie means selling under ten papers a day." I saw her opening her mouth to speak and I cut in. "And don't you dare tell that story again!"
"I was jus' gonna give ya a tip. If ya want ta sell good, ya might want ta woik on havin' a native accent. Dey like da ones wit' New Yawk blood more," Sli offered.
"Like dis? I don' know that I'll get it right away," I said, trying the accent unsuccessfully.
"More like dis heah. Try it again."
"What ya want me ta say? I don' know what I should be tryin' ta do heah. Help!" I said, once again attempting to match her accent.
"Ya getting' closah. Keep woikin' on it," she said before standing and waking the rest of the girls that hadn't woken up yet.
"Dat I will do," I promised. "But now we'se got ta meet da guys."
"Ya tryin' a New Yawk accent?" Mouth questioned as she stood up from her deep slumber.
"Ya think its workin'?"
"Well, ya ain't sayin' ya woikin' right, dat's for sure. I think ya got everythin' else pretty well though."
"Workin'," I said, completely missing the accent.
"Nevah mind, worry 'bout it latah."
"All right. Ya think they'll notice I'se pretendin'?" I said concerned.
"Probably. But it don' mattah. Dey won' recognize ya da next day when ya got it right. Dey don' look at us enough ta know," Fingers reassured. Or, at least I think that's how she meant it. You never know. Or, to say it in newsie speak, 'ya nevah know'.
"Lets get a move on!" I heard Slider yelling from the stairwell and hustled to catch up to her. The other girls followed my example. "Excited about goin' ta see lovahboy?" she joked.
"Why ya say dat?"
"Ya grinnin' like a maniac," she informed me. I quickly closed the lopsided smile that had appeared on my face. "Dat's bettah."
"Shut up. Ya know ya just as excited 'bout seein' my bruddah," I taunted.
"Me bruddah," she corrected, trying to get off the current topic.
"Oh no, no way ya gettin' of like dat. Spill, goil. Ya like me bruddah or not. Ya can' leave 'im hangin' like dat."
"Can we please talk 'bout dis latah?" she said, motioning towards the girls surrounding us.
"If ya promise we really will," I told her.
She spat in her hand and took mine into hers. "Dat's a promise," she said, shaking my hand in a closing manner.
"Ya seal all deals like dat?" I asked, wiping my hand on my skirt.
"Pretty much, yeah." The people around us nodded in agreement. "Don' worry though, you'll get used ta it. David found it appallin' at foist too, but he got used ta it eventually."
"I don' blame him," I muttered under my breath. Louder I added, "Sure seems dat dere is a lot to dis job. I think ya deserve more pay, but maybe dat's jus' me."
"Don' think ya da only person dat thinks dat, but we happy jus' ta get what we get," Firecracker explained.
"Guess I see wheah ya comin' from. Yet I still think ya should do somethin' 'bout it. I mean, wit' all da factories goin' on strike all da time. . ." I drifted off.
"We can't really afford to strike, ya know? Been dere, done dat," Patch said. "Shuh, ya heah 'bout da high points of da strike, but it wasn't dat easy. All of us spent time in da Refuge."
"I thought Denton got you off," I said, recalling a conversation I'd had with Spot about their getting arrested.
"Didn' keep 'em from holdin' grudges," she grouched. Then, visibly happier, she continued, "Good t'ings come from da bad though. Dat's wheah I met Blink."
This drew a chorus of "Oohs" and "Awws" from the group around us.
"What's all da excitement about?" Racetrack asked as he walked up, wrapping his arms around my waist. I clasped his hands and turned to kiss his neck.
"Girl stuff," I joked. "What's da deal for taday? Wheah we sellin'?" I asked, trying out my new accent.
"Ya gettin' more like us every day," he said, laughing.
Taking this as a good thing I smiled. "Thank ya."
In response he kissed my cheek, causing the girls to sigh and tease once again. Jack walked up to this sight, chuckling himself. "How's a surprise meetin' in Queens sound ta ya?"
"What's da mattah?" Racetrack asked concerned. Everyone, myself included, leaned closer to hear the leader's response.
"Spot's been worried 'bout dat Chant he was tellin' us about. We thinkin' we'll need ta enlist da uddah boroughs." Lowering his voice noticeably, but not enough to block out my very sensitive hearing, "Dat's why he's been lettin' his sistah say wit' us. Don' want her in trouble."
Hearing that, Racetrack tightened his possessive grip around my abdomen. "Ya think she's safe heah?"
Jack figured by then that I already knew what was going on and raised his voice back to normal. "I don' t'ink so," he said.
A/N: The plot thickens, dun dun dun . . . Anyway, Sorry that took me so long, I was busy finishing off WUAS (which is completed at 22 chapters!) and I had multiple tests today. Either way, it's updated now. Enjoy!
Shoutouts:
Soaker- Sorry this SO is a chapter late. I know, Race is such a cute romantic. I love writing the scenes with him. It's fun. Anyway, really glad you like this! Hope I keep your interest and you keep reading!
Sli- Promise you and Spot will get it all sorted out. At least he talks about how much he loves you! And you got to have his child. BTW: You tell Gray (who I've never even met) that I love him, and I'll tell Royal that you love him (Gray not Royal. Wait, maybe Royal. That's even better.) Hehe. Later!
Firecracker- ^_^ There ya go. But for the record, that is not as fun as XD. Use XD. It's cooler looking. LOL. Yes, yes, you get Pie. Pie is yummy. Whoa, that sounded wrong. The dentist? I think he survived. Maybe. I have to show you my "Get Well" card that the surgery ppl sent me! Its so cool. I'll bring it to school tomorrow.
Sprite- Haha. Yes, I cannot sell papes. But then again (as we all know by now) only four people could. Haha. You obviously know by now that I'm all good from the surgery, so I won't go into that. I know ff.net wouldn't let you update this weekend, but try to update soon! I'll be watching!
Birdy- I'll work you into my story at the earliest convenience. LOL I just sounded like a dentist's office answering machine. But I will, I'm already thinking about putting you in. I love adding my reviewers into my stories, 'cause I love being in them myself. And Boidy is a fun word. Haha. Later!