Disclaimer: Josh really owns himself but Harvard is mine. Same goes for the other characters from New Hampshire. The rest of the boys are Disney's, except Ruin who is briefly mentioned and belongs to Keza.
Ivy League
Chapter 3
By Hotshot
"Harvard?" The boy in front of him raised an eyebrow skeptically. It was quite obvious that he didn't know what to make of the boy in front of him. He had after all chased a thief through the streets of New York and into an unknown lodging house. No sane New York newsie would do that outside their own territory and Harvard definitely wasn't one of his.
Meanwhile Josh was standing and watching the newsie look him up and down. He was getting worried, as the other two remained silent. What would this boy do to him? The silence tempted him to just turn and leave. As he was about to bolt the newsie spit in his hand and stuck it out, "The name's Jack Kelly."
Ignoring any logic that his parents had tried to drill into him over the years Josh found himself spitting in his own palm and shaking hands with the leader, "Nice to meet you Jack."
"Harvard?" one of the boys by the stairs spoke. He was short, and obviously Italian. "What kind of a name is that? Ain't Harvard some big school up north?"
Josh shrugged, playing it off like he didn't know much, "I guess, my parents just commented a while ago that I'd never be able to go there."
"Where are your parents?" Jack asked.
"Died a few months back in a fire." Josh was surprised at the lies that were flowing quite freely from, his mouth.
Jack smiled, "Where ya from kid, I ain't never seen you before?"
"New Jersey."
"Well, Harvard," Jack slung an arm around the boys shoulder, "This here is Racetrack," he pointed to the Italian, "And you already met Snitch."
"Seems appropriate," Josh scowled at the young thief.
Snitch managed a grin and then bolted for the stairs. Racetrack was faster however, and grabbed him by the suspenders. He gave a pull that sent Snitch flying backward onto the floor. He grinned innocently up at the short Italian.
"Well," Racetrack prodded him in the side with a heavy boot, "weren't you saying you was gonna give it back if you ever saw him again?"
Snitch quickly jumped too his feet and yanked the watch out of his pocket. He tossed it agilely to Josh. "Sorry," he apologized hastily.
"Forget it," Josh shrugged. He turned to Jack, "Listen, I know it's a rarity 'round here, but are there any open beds?"
"Could be," Jack nodded, "Every night there's a guy or two that don't show up. If they do you're welcome to share a bed. I wouldn't, but you're welcome to. You got payment?"
"How much?"
"Two cents a night, Saturday and Sunday are a penny."
Josh dug the money out of his pocket. As he did so Jack yelled loudly, "Kloppman, we got a new kid. He's got money for you."
A man so old he looked as though he was going to keel over any second stumbled out of a small office. "Can I help you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Josh handed him twelve cents, "That's my lodging for the week, sir. What else do I need to do?"
Kloppman, as it seemed the old man was called pushed a small, beaten looking logbook in front of him. "Put in your nickname every night when you come in, and only your nickname. I don't ever want to know your real name. If I don't know it I can't say nothing about you. And just 'cause you pay now doesn't guarantee you a bed."
"I understand, sir."
"And will you stop with that damn, sir business, it's Kloppman." Before he could answer the man had turned and retreated to his solitary room.
Josh watched him retreat and smirked, "Grouchy old man." He signed his name into the book using a beaten old pencil. He felt a breath on his neck and turned as he finished. The boy called Racetrack was standing directly behind him. Jack and Snitch it seemed had disappeared upstairs.
"You got really neat handwriting," He commented.
Josh shrugged, "Nothing a public school education wouldn't get you." He watched as Racetrack pulled the stub of a cigar out of his pocket and raised it to his lips in what seemed to be a nervous habit.
"Right," He didn't seem sincere, "Listen, call me Race, not Racetrack."
"Alright, Race. By the way thanks for that help wi-"
"Forget it, really. Forget I helped you. Now listen, I don't care where you come from and how things get run there. When you go out selling with the rest of the boys tomorrow, I'll warn you now, Sheepshead is mine. I catch you within sight of that and you're a dead man. You play cards?"
Josh nodded mutely.
"You're playing me tonight. Poker, Blackjack, whatever; I don't care. Just a warning, keep some back up cash for tomorrow. Whatever you pick I'm gonna win." He turned away and began up the stairs toward the noise Jack and Snitch had made upon what he guessed was a half full bunkroom. Josh just watched after him.
He heard laughing from the other side of the room and jumped. A lanky boy with a mess of brown hair stood from a chair in the corner. "What are you laughing at?" he growled.
"Just Race," the boy said, "Don't pay any attention to his tough guy act. He's just really protective of his selling spot. Had it since he was eight or nine, I think. And he's supposedly the best card player in New York. Just lose to him at poker and you'll be fine. Even if you try you'll lose, trust me. But don't accuse him of cheating."
"How do you know all this?" Josh asked the boy.
"I'm pretty good friends with Race. He's like that to all the new kids. He's really a nice guy though. Being short, he makes up for it with having an attitude. Just hang around for a while and you'll get to like him, he's hysterical."
"Thanks," Josh mumbled, "So who're you?"
"Skittery," the boy introduced himself.
"Harvard."
"I know," Skittery said as they shook hands. He looked over Josh's shoulder at the logbook, "And you know you're wrong?"
"About what?"
"Not too many of the guys here have a public school education, but those of them who have, myself included can't even write that neatly." He pointed to Josh's signature. "Well, except Specs but he's a special case."
"What are you getting at?" Josh asked, for the first time since Jack had greeted him he felt nervous.
Skittery held up his hands in a peace offering, "I ain't saying nothing. Personally I don't care where the hell you came from and why the fuck you showed up here, but some of the guys might care that you ain't as poor as you pretend to be." He shrugged, "but like I said, I don't care."
Josh watched the boy as he started up the stairs. He could leave now and they wouldn't miss him. He could find somewhere else to stay and not make the same mistake there. He looked out at the darkened city and immediately changed his mind. He'd heard about cities at nights.
"Harvard!" Skittery's voice brought him back to reality. The tall boy was leaning over the railing looking down at him, "you gonna come up and meet some of the fellas or what?"
Josh quickly started up the stairs after him. This was, after all, his time to make mistakes and live life day by day. If he made a mistake, no matter how drastic, his parents were not there to get after him for it for the next month. He was really his own person.
He followed Skittery into a large room filled with old, wooden bunk beds. Each held a mattress and very few held a thin blanket or pillows. Clothes, hats, papers and a few personal items littered the room. The floor was coarse wood and the walls remained undecorated. There were doors leading to what he guessed was a washroom and a few windows leading out to fire escapes.
As for the people in the room, other than Jack, Snitch, Race, and Skittery there were very few. Snitch introduced him to two boys. Itey looked similar to Snitch except for his dark hair. His skin as well was different, being darker like that of Race and any other Italian. Jake was pudgy boy with a simple bowl haircut. He was pale and extremely quiet.
Jack introduced him to Mush. Josh couldn't decide if he was Latino or partly black, but then he didn't particularly care. He was reasonably tall, and built well for sports, if he'd known what they were. He had curly hair was cut short.
Along with him there was Kid Blink, his name usually shortened to one or the other, a tall, lanky blonde boy with an eye patch over his left eye. He had a lit cigarette between his lips. Josh couldn't quite decide if the patch was there for a reason or if it was just a ploy to sell more papers.
As time went on more boys began to flood into the room, sometimes in groups, but more often than not by themselves. In the period of an hour he met Snipeshooter, Boots, Specs, Crutchy, Dutchy, Snoddy, Swifty, and Bumlets. There were plenty of others that came in and would undoubtedly be many more at the distribution center the next morning. He knew already that it would take him a while to get names straight.
His things had been thrown onto an empty cot once he'd come upstairs. Other boys changed or threw extra layers of clothes onto what he guessed were their usual bunks. He just sat on his bunk observing them as card games started between older boys, marbles between the kids. He was trying to pick up on things they did and ways he could act to seem more like them.
"Harvard."
The name was called three times before he realized it was him they were talking to. He looked into a corner of the room.
Race held up a deck of cards, "Come play."
Josh stood and stumbled over to the group. He took a seat across from Race, between Skittery and a boy named Dutchy. Race dealt the cards before asking, "You know how to play?"
"I ain't stupid," Josh snapped, he'd known how to play poker for years.
A grin crept across Racetrack's face and he lifted a cigar stub to his lips, "okay then, let's play."
Just as Skittery had said, Race was very good. Josh managed to win a few hands but Race was the overall winner. Josh backed out respectfully after several rounds.
"I can't lose all my money, gotta sell tomorrow," was his excuse. Race accepted it with a smirk. Josh bit his lip, thinking of his friends. Madison would have slapped him for something like that.
The thin mattress was uncomfortable to say the least and he tossed and turned on it until he landed in a comfortable position. He watched the younger, and some would say smarter, boys climb into bed early. He was amazed that they could fall asleep so easily despite the noise.
He became deeply engrossed in a conversation with Skittery, a Latino boy named Bumlets, and two bespectacled newsies named Specs and Dutchy. Not really about anything in particular, but talking, avoiding going to sleep.
"It's past curfew," Specs said as he returned to the room checking his watch, "Pie isn't back yet."
"He'll get in, doesn't he always?" Bumlets asked.
A banging on the door made Harvard jump, but the others seemed to be used to it. The old man, Kloppman, stood in the doorway with a broom.
"Alright, that's enough yapping out of the lot of you. Lights out, and I don't want to hear another peep out of this room tonight. You're up at five thirty tomorrow."
He blew out the two candles by the door and several boys blew out ones scattered around the room. After the pounding of his feet on the stairs was gone a few of the candles were relit. Conversations started up around the room where they had left off, but more quietly.
None of the boys around Josh had moved. Specs, Skittery and Bumlets remained one Specs' bunk and Dutchy sat on Josh's.
"Pie can take care of himself if he doesn't get back," Dutchy shrugged, rounding off their conversation.
"So Harvard," Specs played absentmindedly with the fedora in his hands as he spoke, "Where'd your name come from? After Harvard University?"
Josh laughed, "Unfortunately, my parents wanted me to go there. My grades aren't good enough though, and before they died they commented that there was no way I'd ever be able to raise them enough to go there."
"Sorry about your parents," Dutchy said.
Josh shrugged. He didn't like the pity they were giving him, especially since it was for a lie. "Not like I really knew them that well anyway. Stayed out of the house as much as I could."
There was a sudden knock on the window and they all turned. A boy stood outside waving at the group Josh was sitting with.
Bumlets laughed, "Pie's back."
"We can see that bonehead," Skittery interjected, "Why don't you go let him in?"
Bumlets got up from his seat and walked across the room. He slid the window open and put a finger to his lips to emphasis quiet. "If Kloppman catches you he'll kick you out."
"I'm well aware." The tall lanky, boy slid in the window. His pale, yellow shirt was unbuttoned halfway to show his undershirt. His hair was a mess and there was a hat in his hands.
"So where were you, Pie?" Race asked, "Out with Ruin again?"
"None a your business." He snapped back, but his cheeks turned bright red at the suggestion.
He came back and sat with Skittery and Bumlets, "Who's this?"
Skittery motioned with his hands as he spoke, "Pie this is Harvard, Harvard this here is Pie Eater. Snitch stole a watch offa him and Harvard chased him back here."
The groups were starting to disperse and got to bed, all except for Race's small poker game. Skittery and the other boys did so as well. Dutchy and Bumlets found their bunks empty and Skittery just climbed onto the one above Specs.
Pie wandered over to an empty bunk. "Hey Snitch," he said, "share a bunk with Itey tonight, huh?"
The response was less than polite but he didn't seem to hear it as he stretched out, making himself at home.
"Isn't Kloppman gonna catch him in the morning?" Josh asked.
Specs shrugged, "Depends, sometimes Kloppman doesn't remember who signed in and who didn't. If he does worse that'll happen is he'll have to pay a little extra."
All of the candles went out, except the lone one at the poker table. Josh rolled over to watch the group play. It was Race, Jack, Snoddy, and Swifty if he remembered correctly. One candle sat in the middle of the table and as the other boys began to snore they just went on with their game. One by one the boys all dropped out, claiming they needed the sleep. Race was the last one left sitting there, shuffling his cards, a cigar stump stuck between his lips. Josh wondered for a minute if this boy ever slept; even his eyelids were getting heavy by now.
Race carried the candle over to his bed after about ten minutes of sitting by his lonesome self. He threw his vest and outer shirt to the end of his bed and kicked off his shoes and socks before climbing under the thin sheet and blowing out the candle. The room plunged into darkness and Josh rolled over to fall asleep.
* * *
Morning came far too early. Josh was awoken at some ungodly hour by a hoarse old man yelling and banging a broom on the wooden bunk frames. It took him a moment to remember where he was and while his head told him to roll over and go back to sleep the rest of his body wasn't to fond of getting smacked with that broom. He forced himself into a sitting position and watched as Specs curled into a ball under his sheet.
"Specs!" Kloppman yelled as he past that particular bunk. He kicked Specs' mattress as he poked Skittery, who was in the top bunk, with the broom handle. "Both of you get you lazy asses out of bed!"
Skittery propped himself up on his elbows and mumbled something unintelligible, but surely aimed toward the old man as well. Specs also forced himself to sit up. He pulled on his glasses and looked at josh quickly.
"I think I could learn to hate that man," Josh said, which made him laugh. He quickly added, "Very soon too."
They were pulling on various articles of clothing when Kloppman had to use desperate measures again, only this time it wasn't to wake someone up.
"Pie Eater, what the hell are you doing in here?" The old man's yell was surprising. If you looked at him you would have thought him quiet. "You didn't come in before curfew last night. You sneaky little shit where's my rent."
Pie dodged the room as he fumbled in his pockets to produce a nickel. "Sorry Kloppman," he said, trying to keep a straight face.
Specs looked up form where he was tying his shoes, "Told you so."
Kloppman snatched the nickel from Pie and began to stalk around the room looking for stragglers as he lectured Pie. "If you're ever late for curfew again I swear to God I'll throw you out to the streets, I swear I will. Let you see what it's like to have to spend a night out there. You won't be late again, no siree. That goes for the lot of you." He snapped his broom against a bed frame near a younger boy's head. The boy was out of bed and pushing himself of the floor a second later. Kloppman left the room mumbling about 'those goddamn lazy kids' under his breath.
Josh stared after him, wide eyed and slack jawed.
"Don't worry," Skittery said as he passed him, "Happens every morning. You'll get used to it. Now hurry or you'll be late."
Josh nearly jumped as he realized he was only half dressed. He jerked on his shirt and shoes and vaulted toward the bathroom. He found a comb that was being unused and quickly ran it through his hair, at least getting the 'just slept' look out of it. He cupped his hands under a running faucet and splashed the water on his face. He yelled in surprise and jumped back.
"What's the matter?" Race gave him an inquisitive look.
"That water's freezing!"
Race snorted, "Well, yeah, what'd you expect?"
Hoping not to embarrass himself further Josh shut up and dried his face on a nearby towel. He followed the hordes of boys out the door and out of the lodging house. Being completely unfamiliar with the area he followed them for several blocks. As they went they grabbed a quick and tiny breakfast from some nuns and Josh even found himself joining in their joking around. They finally came to a stop in front of a large set of gates. There were other groups, supposedly from different lodging houses and several girls gathered there as well.
There was no getting to the front of the line when they were let in but he wasn't exactly in the back either. He watched the newsies in front of him pay for their papers, a few making cracks about the man behind the barred window. Josh wondered why until he saw the man. He was short, fat and smelled something awful. A young, stocky boy stood next to him, bent over a cart of papers.
"Fifty," Josh requested, as it was the amount most had taken. He threw a quarter under the bar and once he received his papers commented, "And sir, when was the last time you bathed?"
The glare the man sent at him made him run down the ramp. Most of the boys form his lodging house were clustered around the gates chatting, not yet ready to begin selling. He joined them and took a seat on a nearby barrel as he scanned the headlines.
"Alright fellas," Jack said as he started off, "I'll see ya at Tibby's around lunch or tonight."
That began a chain reaction and the entire group began to walk onto the streets. They quickly began yelling headlines. Josh guessed that they were on their way to selling spots and figured he'd follow and find a place where no one was selling. He yelled the first headline that caught his eye.
By the time the crowd was thinning out he still had yet to sell a single paper. He continued to yell the headline though. "Ambassador visits white house!" No one even looked his way, well except for the only newsie still anywhere near him.
"What are you doing?" Race turned and asked him.
"Selling papers," Josh looked at him.
Race stopped walking all together, "You've never sold before have you?"
"Of course I…" He trailed off, "No."
Race sighed and looked around, "C'mon."
"What?"
"Come with me."
He followed Race uncertainly. Was this not the boy that had threatened him the past night? The two of them walked into a large arena of sorts. Josh quickly realized it to be a racetrack.
"Welcome to Sheepshead bay," Race said at him. "Now sell."
Josh yelled the same headline.
"Harvard, shut up," Race said after a minute, "You're embarrassing." He looked at his paper and found the headline Josh was using. "Ok, now try it like this." He took a deep breath and yelled, "Extra! Extra! White house affair wit' ambassador!" Immediately people flocked to him, and to Harvard as well once he caught on to what Race meant him to do.
Once the crowd was gone Race turned to him again. "I don't want you hanging around here with me too long," he said, "So today, we are going to teach you the finer points of selling."
A/N: I'm not sure if that was a short chapter or not. :: Shrug:: Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and I finally put in a bunch of newsies. I hope Keza doesn't mind em using Ruin. I know I said this story would be up sooner, and it took a bit so sorry, I had some other projects to work on and I still have summer reading to do. I'll try to get another chapter up soon but I have color guard camp next week and the Tuesday after that school starts. Ugh!
Plug: 'Above These Righteous Gods' by Keza: Queen of Procrastination. I seem to have an obsession with medieval times and people need to tell her to update this.
Shout outs:
Morning Dew: I think you noticed some stuff I didn't mean to be important but that's good. Strange how people can do that to other's writings. You got two of them right so good job.
Cards: ok, no more sugar for you.
B: Don't we all love Josh? I don't know why but you can't get mad at the kid. And Caleb is quickly going into a must-use-soon character.
Ginny: Oh hun, don't worry it grows on you. My early stuff is horrible.
Chicago: Yeah, that's gonna be a fun little beat-up-josh scene to write. ::snickers::
Miracle: I actually didn't really think of adding girls until I saw your review, but I think I'm set. Thanks for reading.
Also, I know I refer to him as Josh and the newsies call him Harvard. That'll change to all Harvard when he get acclimated and stuff. In other words once the real Josh is off at college. As always leave em some feedback dude!"
~Hotshot~~~