Disclaimer: me no own. disney no sue.
Chapter 1
"So he's really okay with leaving you alone in Manhattan?"
"Yeah right. Foist of all, Spot don't know nut'n 'bout me mov'n to Kelly's territory, and Ise expect'n ya ta keep me secret, Marion."
The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Like I would tell Spot. Geez, by now don't you think I'm reliable? I mean I came all the way up from Illinois for you."
Donna sighed. "Ise knows, Ise knows. T'anks foh com'n all dah way up here. Especially when t'ings have been bad foh youse lately. Ise appreciate youse help'n me move inta here. Ise t'ink dat guy would've jumped me in t'ree minutes if youse wasn't heah."
"Well, that's what I'm here for," Marion laughed. "'Sides, Aaron would've killed me if I let one man lay hand on you." At the mention of his name, both girls became silent. Finally, Donna spoke quietly, "Youse knows he loved ya so much. He kept on talkin' 'bout how he was gunna marry youse as soon as he got enough money." Marion just nodded, a single tear escaping her azure eyes.
After chatting a while Marion left an hour later to go back to her farm in the west, and Donna was left all alone in her new apartment.
"Well, Ise might as well sleep. Da sun is already down and Ise becom'n a newsie tomarrah."
***
Early the next morning, Donna examined herself in the mirror. "Ise coised wid dah body of ah goil." She sighed as she pondered what she could do to look male.
"Hmm. In baggy pants me hips won't show. An' me mane can be piled undah ah hat. Can't do much 'bout da shouldahs, but a lot ah guys me age ain't developed yet. All dat's left is me chest."
The 17-year-old groaned. God had been generous to her with curves. She wasn't disproportional or huge; she just had ample breasts. And they would be hell-of-a-lot hard to conceal. She finally decided to tie a long piece of cloth around her body and flatten herself as much as she could.
When she was done, she surveyed herself in a mirror. Overall, she looked like a boy, and it wouldn't be too hard to conceal her identity, especially to strangers.
Satisfied, Donna ran down the stairs of her apartment building excitedly and flew out the door, only to knock into a small boy. The boy was startled, to say the least, but he managed to lean down a pick up the newspapers that had fallen from his hands. He was a newsy! Donna stared at him with amazement. He looked do young and innocent, nothing like the newsboys of Brooklyn. She smiled and mumbled an apology. If she could become friends with this boy, she might have a ticket into becoming accepted.
She stuck her hand out to help him up once he had picked up all of his newspapers. He warily took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up by her. This whole time, the newsy didn't say a word, but only looked at her strangely.
Donna tried to shrug it off, but she couldn't. Finally she asked exasperated, "What's da mattah?"
The boy responded with a question of his own. "Why youse dressed like a boy?"
Donna panicked. He knew she was a girl! How did she think she could hide something like that? She would be found out for sure, and this little boy would tell Kelly, who would undoubtedly tell Spot and he wouldn't let her out of his sight again.
"Miss? Youse okay?"
She nodded and craoked out, "How did youse knows?"
"Dat youse a goil? Well, dat mane of youse is a dead giveaway."
Donna breathed a sigh of relief. "So, uddah dan dat, youse can't tell?" The boy nodded. "So, what's youse name? Youse a newsy, right?"
"Me name's Les. Les Jacobs. An', yeah, Ise a newsy. So, what wid da gettup?"
"Well, youse seems like a guy who can keep a secret. Youse can, can'tchya?" Les nodded. "Well, Ise new here an' Ise have no family an' no job, so Ise t'ought, 'Ise should become a newsie.' But Ise a goil, so Ise gunna act like a boy ta sell papes. Dat okay?"
Les smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Dat's poifect. It'll be fun mess'n wid dah guys like dat. An' don't sweat 'bout youse secret. Ise dah best at keep'n dem. An' Ise even gunna help ya out just in case somet'in happens wid one of dah guys. Youse can count on me."
"T'anks Les. Ise owe ya. Big time. Now help me wid my hat."
After they folded her hair back into the hat and secured it so it wouldn't accidentally fall again, they were on their way, Les in the lead. He talked non-stop the whole way there about everything she needed to know about being a newsy.
Donna smiled to herself. She was finally on her own!
