Chapter 11:

I thought back through everything that had happened in New York. Not much before I'd found myself now. There was a bunch to sift through since then, though. It hit me and Baby at the same moment where we'd seen her.

"Tibby's!" I said. Tibby's right before I met Spot.

"Just before I time hopped, on da street!" Baby said, her words overlapping mine. We'd both seen her just before the 'times had changed'.

"Ya saw her jus' before you wound up here?" we said at the same moment.

"This is startin' ta make sense," I said, this time without Baby's echo. "Really, we both came inta contact wit you," I pointed at Tuck, "Jus' before we came to 1900." That means that she has something to do with it. This is all HER fault. It has nothing to do with us.

"Okay, dis still has sometin' missin'. Why do I time-hop?" Tuck asked. Good question. I wish I knew. "No, forget it, we cin figure dat out later. The boinin' subject of da moment is why you came here after seein' me."

"Maybe we should try ta figua out why you's here," Ink said, making his presence known.

"I said 'no'! When I says no, I mean it." Tuck sounded like she really didn't want to talk about the matter.

"Okay, okay. It was jus' a sympol sudgestion. You don't need ta jump down da poor guy's t'roat," Spot chimed in, defending his pal. His arm was still around Tuck's shoulders. She didn't look too happy about it.

"You know, maybe this woud be a bit easia if we's wasn't so tired," Baby said with a yawn. I nodded in agreement, and hugged myself. Ink came up beside me and held me close as we walked.

The rest of the walk was silent. After a while, Tuck did shrug Spot off her, but nothing was said. Poor Spot, getting rejected left and right. I already knew that there were no empty beds in the Brooklyn LH, so I had no Idea how we were gonna arrange the beds.

We walked through the door and towards the stairs before anyone asked about the bed situations.

"Spot, there ain't no empty beds," Ink said in a whisper.

"Dey cin sleep in da empty rooms," Spot replied simply. Just then I heard a faint squeaking sound, a giggle, and a thump. The giggle was a girl's.

"Somehow I don't tink dat da rooms is open." Ink smiled a little as he said that. We were at the top now. Spot checked the knobs on the doors to the 'empty' rooms. They were all locked, except one. But that one wasn't empty. "Well, Tuck cin sleep in me room, Baby cin sleep," he stopped to think, "No, bad idea. But Mandy cin sleep wid you, right Ink?"

Ink and I blushed.

"I ain't got a problem wit dat. How bout you, babe?" Babe? What the heck does he think this is? The 80's/90's? I nodded anyway. My throat still hurt from earlier. I think Ink has enough respect for me, he wouldn't try nothing.

"So what about me?" Baby piped up. I'd suggest the floor, but that wouldn't be smart. "What about da beds dat are made empty by da boys in da rooms?"

"Sweetie, that's what wouldn't be too smart. Ya see, dese boys heah, dey git restless, if you knows what I mean." The hint was clear as day. Spot can't trust his boys to not 'mess' with a girl alone in a bed. "You could share da bed wit me an' Tuck here, if ya wanna."

"Got extra blankets?" Baby wants to sleep on the floor. Spot nodded. "Den I'll sleep on da floor." See, toldya.

"Uh, sure." Poor Spot again. I guess he won't be getting the threesome he'd been hoping for (a/n, excuse the reference).

They went off into Spot's room. I heard a slap and Spot came out muttering something about sleeping on a temporarily empty bed. He had a bright red hand mark on the left side of his face.

Ink and I got into the bed being very awkward about it. He got in first, then lifted the sheet for me. I put my back to him and he slipped his arms around my waist. It took me a while to fall asleep, but Ink was out almost instantly. This leads me to wonder how many other girls he'd had in that same position, after other tiring events (a/n, excuse the comment)

I woke up having forgotten where I was. Ink was already up, as were all the other boys. I screamed before I remembered everything. Everyone turned to stare at me. Ink stepped over to see what was wrong.

"Wassa matta?" He asked. He sat down and stroked my hair.

"Oh, uh, nothing. I jus' fergot where I was." The answer satisfied him and he stood up to go put his pants on. *gulp* His pants weren't on a moment ago. I buried my head under the blankets to wait out the half naked boys image. It didn't work too well.

Ink tapped me and I poked my head out. "It's safe ta come out a dere now."

We got up and walked to the distribution center deep in conversation. Baby and Tuck had left with Spot already. Somehow our conversation let to mush and the fact that so many girls like him, but he's single.

"Why would 'e be single, e's so cute," I said, earning an odd look from Ink. "Do ya know if e's," I paused a minute, "That way?"

"Watcha mean by 'that' way?" Ink said, oblivious to 'that's meaning.

"I mean, do you know if he likes guys?"

"Why would a guy. OH! Now I git it. You should ask 'im sometime."

We were approaching a pair of huge iron gates in a wall. It was open, reveiling a large open area, filled with newsies. I must say, it was nothing like the movie.

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This chapter was bad and boring. I just couldn't get the words to go where they should have gone. I know how I want to end the story, and that I need to add more characters (friends who want in), and I know Tuck's secret. I just don't know if I'm gonna change anything.

PLEASE review. I am begging you. All of you. I NEED to know if where this story is going is obvious or if it sounds like it's going somewhere else. Feel free to e-mail me, too. I lead a rather lonely life, and I can maybe answer questions about the characters.