A Change in Brooklyn Chapter 11: Friendly Advice, a newsies fanfic

Chapter Eleven: Friendly Advice

When the Manhattan guys arrived home that night, Kloppman, the lodging house manager, caught Racetrack before he went upstairs and told him he had a visitor waiting for him on the roof. Race had a pretty good idea of who it was, and as soon as his head popped above the roofline his suspicions were confirmed. Brigid sat in the corner, head down, and hand stroking Mudpie, who was devotedly sprawled out next to her. He climbed onto the roof, stuck his hands in his pockets, and strolled over to her, saying, "We missed ya today."

Brigid looked up athim and gave him a sad smile. "Sorry."

As soon as he saw tears well up in her eyes, he got down and hugged her tightly. He let her cry on his shoulder until she was ready to talk. He listened to the whole story like a true friend, and gave his advice after. "Brig, you aw da only poisen in da woild dat has evuh backtawked ta Spot, an' I's kind of glad ya did. Da scoundrel desoived it aftuh all he's done ta ya; ya should nevuh be treated like dat, nevuh." He paused and let Mudpie lick his hand. "Da truth is, I's had t'ree mo' years of experience an' life dan ya, an' I believe dat if ya don't apologize ta Spot, you'll regret it da rest of youse life. If ya let dis friendship go, ya ain't nevuh gunna git it back."

"Oh, Race," Brigid sniffed. "Some of da t'ings he said… I jus' can't; not now, anyways."

"Ya jus' told me dat ya nevuh wanted ta be like Spot," Race pointed out, "but heah ya aw letting' pride git in da way."

Brigid was speechless. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Suddenly, they both heard someone on the fire escape and then Tower appeared. "Hey, kid," he greeted Brigid. "I's been lookin' fa ya."

"Help me out heah, Towuh," Race pleaded. "Brigid's dead set on hatin' Spot fuhevuh."

"I dids not say dat!" Brigid argued vehemently.

Race elbowed her gently. "Take it easy! Jus' playin' wid ya."

She had to grin at that.

Tower came and sat Indian-style by them. "So what happened?" Brigid repeated the story, and then he gave his opinion. "I's seen ya two toggeduh; ya have an amazing friendship, Brigid. Don't ruin it; jus' give dis a little time an' den come back."

"I can't," she whimpered. "Spot kicked me out of Brooklyn."

"No way. Not you!" Race voiced incredulously.

"Did he actually say dat he was kickin' ya out?" Tower implored.

Brigid froze. "No…"

"Den ya not!"

"But he meant it!"

"Sumtimes what Spot says an' what he means aw two very different t'ings," Tower calmly told her. Racetrack nodded his approval.

The girl newsie contemplated this in her head before standing up. "T'anks, guys."

"Wheh ya goin', Sketch?" Tower asked.

"I don'ts know," she truthfully replied, picking up Mudpie and putting her in her bag which she hung over her shoulder. "I jus' have ta t'ink."