Chapter Two
Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.
A/N: This is my first fan fic, so please R/R!
"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowances for their doubting too;"
The next day, Spot was once again reclining on the docks, surrounded by his newsies.
"Hey, Spot, you seen Demon anywhere?" Refugee asked. Behind him was Leprechaun, a petite, redheaded Manhattan newsie with cinnamon-colored freckles and bright green eyes. She was known for her impulsiveness, honesty, and the fact that she could be easily annoyed.
"He's still out selling, Lep," Spot said, addressing the slightly younger girl. "But you can stay and wait for him if you want; he shouldn't take too long."
"All right," Leprechaun agreed. Refugee left, and Spot raised his slingshot and prepared to launch a marble at a wine bottle that had been left on the docks from the night before.
"I heard that you dumped Race," he said.
"I didn't dump him!" Leprechaun exclaimed, avoiding Spot's eyes. "I just told him I wasn't ready to commit, I need more space."
"And did Racetrack ask you to commit to anything?" Spot wondered.
Leprechaun hung her head. "No, but he would have eventually. I don't want guys in my life right now. In a few years I'll be done being a newsie. I can wait for boyfriends until then.
Spot looked Leprechaun in the eyes. She was only fourteen, like a little sister to him, and he had been a little surprised when Racetrack asked her out. "A few years could get to be a long time," he said finally. "I know Race is a bit older than you, but you're not going to find many guys as faithful as him."
"Stop trying to make me feel guilty, Spot." Leprechaun's voice turned cold as she stared at the water below the dock. "I came here to talk to my brother, not to get a lecture from you."
"I'm not lecturing, just pointing a few things out," Spot said, finding another bottle to shoot at. "So," he began casually, "there's not anyone else in your life, then?"
"What?" Leprechaun exclaimed. "You think I'd cheat on Race? You think I'd like someone else and not tell him?"
"No, no, no," Spot interrupted. "Calm down, Lep, it was just a question. You don't need to have a fit."
"I'm not having a fit!"
Spot hopped down from his perch and put his hands on Leprechaun's shoulders. "Yeah, but you're darn close to having one. Now settle down. We can find something else to talk about."
"All right," Leprechaun agreed, taking a deep breath and looking Spot in the eyes. "All right."
Same Time, In Manhattan
Racetrack Higgins was not in a good mood. Besides the fact that his girlfriend had dumped him the night before, he overslept this morning and had almost been too late to get his papers. Then he lost almost a dollar on a "hot tip" at the races before proceeding to sell only a lousy thirty papers and eating the loss of his other twenty. No, this was definitely not a good day.
"Heya, Race, you going to Tibby's with us?" It was only around four o'clock in the afternoon, but many of the newsies spent their evenings at Tibby's, drinking water and Cokes, telling tall tales about their adventures, and flirting with the female customers.
"Nah, I don't think I can afford to eat today," Race replied. "Maybe I'll go back to Brooklyn again. Talk to Spot or something."
"All right," Mush said, giving Racetrack a sympathetic look and hurrying to catch up with Jack and Kid Blink. In one day, news of the break-up had spread among the newsies like wildfire. Racetrack frowned at Mush's back-he hated pity, and he knew that there'd only be more sad smiles and pats on the back waiting for him at Tibby's.
"I am definitely going to Brooklyn," he said to himself and headed for the bridge, hawking headlines as he walked.
In Brooklyn, Racetrack was once again greeted (if you could call it that) by Refugee, after which he stomped toward the end of the docks. On the way to Brooklyn, a passing carriage had splashed mud all over his clothes and his bad mood had worsened considerably.
But if mud puddles, bad sales, and lost money had seemed bad before, it was nothing compared to what Race saw when he reached Spot's ledge.
"Leprechaun?" he exclaimed.
"Yeah?" she asked. She had joined Spot on his perch above the river.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why should I tell you?" Leprechaun asked. It was then that Racetrack noticed how close she was to Spot. The ledge wasn't THAT small!
"You're here to see Spot, aren't you?" Racetrack shouted. Spot stared back at his friend in astonishment for a few seconds, which gave Leprechaun a chance to retort,
"Maybe I am. Maybe he asked me to." With that, she grabbed Spot's partially buttoned collar and pulled him close, giving him a deep, rough kiss.
Race could only stare. He had thought that Leprechaun might be with someone else, but he had never suspected THIS. Moments later, his leg msucles kicked in and he turned and ran back toward Manhattan, almost knocking Refugee over on the way.
As soon as Racetrack left, Leprechaun pulled away from Spot. She stared at him for a second, her face a mixture of horror and dismay. Then, like Racetrack, she turned and ran from Brooklyn.
Spot, still overwhelmed by the kiss, climbed back to his perch, glaring at his newsies' questioning glances.
Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.
A/N: This is my first fan fic, so please R/R!
"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowances for their doubting too;"
The next day, Spot was once again reclining on the docks, surrounded by his newsies.
"Hey, Spot, you seen Demon anywhere?" Refugee asked. Behind him was Leprechaun, a petite, redheaded Manhattan newsie with cinnamon-colored freckles and bright green eyes. She was known for her impulsiveness, honesty, and the fact that she could be easily annoyed.
"He's still out selling, Lep," Spot said, addressing the slightly younger girl. "But you can stay and wait for him if you want; he shouldn't take too long."
"All right," Leprechaun agreed. Refugee left, and Spot raised his slingshot and prepared to launch a marble at a wine bottle that had been left on the docks from the night before.
"I heard that you dumped Race," he said.
"I didn't dump him!" Leprechaun exclaimed, avoiding Spot's eyes. "I just told him I wasn't ready to commit, I need more space."
"And did Racetrack ask you to commit to anything?" Spot wondered.
Leprechaun hung her head. "No, but he would have eventually. I don't want guys in my life right now. In a few years I'll be done being a newsie. I can wait for boyfriends until then.
Spot looked Leprechaun in the eyes. She was only fourteen, like a little sister to him, and he had been a little surprised when Racetrack asked her out. "A few years could get to be a long time," he said finally. "I know Race is a bit older than you, but you're not going to find many guys as faithful as him."
"Stop trying to make me feel guilty, Spot." Leprechaun's voice turned cold as she stared at the water below the dock. "I came here to talk to my brother, not to get a lecture from you."
"I'm not lecturing, just pointing a few things out," Spot said, finding another bottle to shoot at. "So," he began casually, "there's not anyone else in your life, then?"
"What?" Leprechaun exclaimed. "You think I'd cheat on Race? You think I'd like someone else and not tell him?"
"No, no, no," Spot interrupted. "Calm down, Lep, it was just a question. You don't need to have a fit."
"I'm not having a fit!"
Spot hopped down from his perch and put his hands on Leprechaun's shoulders. "Yeah, but you're darn close to having one. Now settle down. We can find something else to talk about."
"All right," Leprechaun agreed, taking a deep breath and looking Spot in the eyes. "All right."
Same Time, In Manhattan
Racetrack Higgins was not in a good mood. Besides the fact that his girlfriend had dumped him the night before, he overslept this morning and had almost been too late to get his papers. Then he lost almost a dollar on a "hot tip" at the races before proceeding to sell only a lousy thirty papers and eating the loss of his other twenty. No, this was definitely not a good day.
"Heya, Race, you going to Tibby's with us?" It was only around four o'clock in the afternoon, but many of the newsies spent their evenings at Tibby's, drinking water and Cokes, telling tall tales about their adventures, and flirting with the female customers.
"Nah, I don't think I can afford to eat today," Race replied. "Maybe I'll go back to Brooklyn again. Talk to Spot or something."
"All right," Mush said, giving Racetrack a sympathetic look and hurrying to catch up with Jack and Kid Blink. In one day, news of the break-up had spread among the newsies like wildfire. Racetrack frowned at Mush's back-he hated pity, and he knew that there'd only be more sad smiles and pats on the back waiting for him at Tibby's.
"I am definitely going to Brooklyn," he said to himself and headed for the bridge, hawking headlines as he walked.
In Brooklyn, Racetrack was once again greeted (if you could call it that) by Refugee, after which he stomped toward the end of the docks. On the way to Brooklyn, a passing carriage had splashed mud all over his clothes and his bad mood had worsened considerably.
But if mud puddles, bad sales, and lost money had seemed bad before, it was nothing compared to what Race saw when he reached Spot's ledge.
"Leprechaun?" he exclaimed.
"Yeah?" she asked. She had joined Spot on his perch above the river.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why should I tell you?" Leprechaun asked. It was then that Racetrack noticed how close she was to Spot. The ledge wasn't THAT small!
"You're here to see Spot, aren't you?" Racetrack shouted. Spot stared back at his friend in astonishment for a few seconds, which gave Leprechaun a chance to retort,
"Maybe I am. Maybe he asked me to." With that, she grabbed Spot's partially buttoned collar and pulled him close, giving him a deep, rough kiss.
Race could only stare. He had thought that Leprechaun might be with someone else, but he had never suspected THIS. Moments later, his leg msucles kicked in and he turned and ran back toward Manhattan, almost knocking Refugee over on the way.
As soon as Racetrack left, Leprechaun pulled away from Spot. She stared at him for a second, her face a mixture of horror and dismay. Then, like Racetrack, she turned and ran from Brooklyn.
Spot, still overwhelmed by the kiss, climbed back to his perch, glaring at his newsies' questioning glances.