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: Thanks to everyone for reading and to Morning Dew and Sureshot Higgins for their reviews. Please continue!
"If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;"
* Takes place on the same evening as Spot's dream. *
Kid Blink walked down the block to the Manhattan Newsgirls' Lodging House. With all the worries about Leprechaun and Racetrack recently, he hadn't had much time for his girlfriend, Sweetheart, so he had decided to visit her.
Switchblade greeted him in the lodging house lobby. "Hey, Blink," she said. "I heard that you and Pepper brought Leprechaun home with you today."
"Yeah," Blink replied. "She was talking to Demon in Brooklyn. I still think Spot had something to do with her being there, though. I can't believe they're doing that to Race!"
"I know what you mean," Switchblade agreed. "Is he at the boys' lodging house?" Blink nodded. "Maybe I'll go talk to him," she said.
"Try to cheer him up," Blink suggested. "None of us have been able to. Do you know where Sweetheart is?"
"I think she's up in the attic," Switchblade said. "The girls found some dresses up there that the lodging house's first owner must have left. Sweetheart and Sketch have been trying them on."
Kid Blink thanked Switchblade and walked up the steps, past the door to the main bunkroom, and up the narrow staircase that led to the attic door. The door was closed, and Blink was about to knock when he heard a voice from inside the attic.
"Leprechaun, Spot told me what happened that day at the docks." It was Pepper's voice, serious but concerned. "He said that you kissed him."
"That's not true!" Leprechaun exclaimed.
"Be quiet, Lep, do you want the whole lodging house to hear?" At this question, Blink blushed. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but this conversation sounded pretty interesting... "Spot said that you kissed him," Pepper repeated, "but I know that he could have pulled away whenever he wanted to. Still, you've been lying to the Manhattan newsies. They all think that Spot was kissing you, and that you and Spot have been dating. They're not only blaming you; they're blaming Spot for something he didn't do! It's not like he's innocent, but you're a lot more guilty than him."
'Wait,' Blink though. 'Spot and Lep aren't dating?'
"Plus," Pepper continued. "Everyone thinks you're dating Spot, and nobody likes that. If you'd just tell the truth, everyone could get over it and move on. The way it is now, nobody knows what happened."
"Yeah, but everyone will hate me if I tell them what I did," Lep said. "It was so stupid!" At this statement, she burst into tears, and Blink couldn't stand it any longer. He opened the door, rushed into the attic, and enveloped Leprechaun in a hug.
"Lep, I don't hate you," he said. "Pepper's right. If you tell everyone the truth, they'll get over it eventually. I already have."
"All right," Leprechaun murmured through her tears, burying her head on Blink's shoulder. "I'll tell them tomorrow at the distribution center."
* Early the Next Morning *
"Good job, Jacky-boy, you beat 'em again," Mush said, congratulating Jack on his most recent victory against the Delancey brothers, who had managed to get their jobs back after the strike.
"So wise guy, how many papes d'ya want today?" Weasel asked Jack, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"I'll take the usual---" Jack's request was cut off by a loud whistle from Pepper.
"Everyone, listen up!" she shouted. "Leprechaun has something she wants to say!"
Shuddering, Leprechaun climbed up to the platform in front of the newspaper office. "I...I've lied. To all of you. I ran away and I pretended that I was dating Spot, and I'm not. I kissed him a few days ago to make Racetrack mad, but it wasn't Spot's fault, or Racetrack's. It was my fault. And tomorrow, I'm going to go to Brooklyn and apologize to Spot."
"And I'm going along," Blink said, stepping up and placing a comforting arm around Leprechaun's shoulder.
"So will I," Jack decided, moving closer to Leprechaun. "What you did was wrong, Lep," he whispered so that only she could hear, "but at least you owned up to it."
Leprechaun nodded, and raised her head slightly to look at the crowd of newsies. She could see one near the back, running toward the lodging house. "Racetrack," she murmured, and took off after him.
"Leprechaun, wait!" Kid Blink yelled, trying to reach her, but Jack held him back.
"She has to talk to Race," he said. "And she can't have you there to baby-sit her while she does it. She's fourteen. She has to start growing up sometime." Kid Blink nodded reluctantly and watched as Leprechaun followed Racetrack to the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House.
* At the Lodging House *
Racetrack ran up the stairs and into the main bunkroom, where he climbed up to his bunk and stared at the ceiling above him.
"Race!" Leprechaun exclaimed breathlessly, following him up to the bunk.
"Get down," he shouted. "What makes you think you can sit on my bed?"
"Oh...sorry," Leprechaun apologized, embarrassed. She climbed back down and stood on the floor, facing up toward Race. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for lying to you. And for kissing Spot, even though I did already break up with you."
"That's not enough, Lep," Racetrack said harshly. "Thanks to you, I lied to the Manhattan newsies about you and Spot, because I though it was true! Now my best friend and half of Brooklyn hate me. 'Sorry' just isn't going to cut it."
Leprechaun stared at Racetrack in shock. She knew what she had done was wrong, but she had thought... "Well, never mind then," she said. "Sorry to disturb you." Wearily, she left the lodging house and walked back to the distribution center.
A/N: I may not update for a couple weeks because I have dance rehearsals and recitals from Monday through Saturday of next week.
A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and to Morning Dew and Sureshot Higgins for their reviews. Please continue!
"If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;"
* Takes place on the same evening as Spot's dream. *
Kid Blink walked down the block to the Manhattan Newsgirls' Lodging House. With all the worries about Leprechaun and Racetrack recently, he hadn't had much time for his girlfriend, Sweetheart, so he had decided to visit her.
Switchblade greeted him in the lodging house lobby. "Hey, Blink," she said. "I heard that you and Pepper brought Leprechaun home with you today."
"Yeah," Blink replied. "She was talking to Demon in Brooklyn. I still think Spot had something to do with her being there, though. I can't believe they're doing that to Race!"
"I know what you mean," Switchblade agreed. "Is he at the boys' lodging house?" Blink nodded. "Maybe I'll go talk to him," she said.
"Try to cheer him up," Blink suggested. "None of us have been able to. Do you know where Sweetheart is?"
"I think she's up in the attic," Switchblade said. "The girls found some dresses up there that the lodging house's first owner must have left. Sweetheart and Sketch have been trying them on."
Kid Blink thanked Switchblade and walked up the steps, past the door to the main bunkroom, and up the narrow staircase that led to the attic door. The door was closed, and Blink was about to knock when he heard a voice from inside the attic.
"Leprechaun, Spot told me what happened that day at the docks." It was Pepper's voice, serious but concerned. "He said that you kissed him."
"That's not true!" Leprechaun exclaimed.
"Be quiet, Lep, do you want the whole lodging house to hear?" At this question, Blink blushed. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but this conversation sounded pretty interesting... "Spot said that you kissed him," Pepper repeated, "but I know that he could have pulled away whenever he wanted to. Still, you've been lying to the Manhattan newsies. They all think that Spot was kissing you, and that you and Spot have been dating. They're not only blaming you; they're blaming Spot for something he didn't do! It's not like he's innocent, but you're a lot more guilty than him."
'Wait,' Blink though. 'Spot and Lep aren't dating?'
"Plus," Pepper continued. "Everyone thinks you're dating Spot, and nobody likes that. If you'd just tell the truth, everyone could get over it and move on. The way it is now, nobody knows what happened."
"Yeah, but everyone will hate me if I tell them what I did," Lep said. "It was so stupid!" At this statement, she burst into tears, and Blink couldn't stand it any longer. He opened the door, rushed into the attic, and enveloped Leprechaun in a hug.
"Lep, I don't hate you," he said. "Pepper's right. If you tell everyone the truth, they'll get over it eventually. I already have."
"All right," Leprechaun murmured through her tears, burying her head on Blink's shoulder. "I'll tell them tomorrow at the distribution center."
* Early the Next Morning *
"Good job, Jacky-boy, you beat 'em again," Mush said, congratulating Jack on his most recent victory against the Delancey brothers, who had managed to get their jobs back after the strike.
"So wise guy, how many papes d'ya want today?" Weasel asked Jack, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"I'll take the usual---" Jack's request was cut off by a loud whistle from Pepper.
"Everyone, listen up!" she shouted. "Leprechaun has something she wants to say!"
Shuddering, Leprechaun climbed up to the platform in front of the newspaper office. "I...I've lied. To all of you. I ran away and I pretended that I was dating Spot, and I'm not. I kissed him a few days ago to make Racetrack mad, but it wasn't Spot's fault, or Racetrack's. It was my fault. And tomorrow, I'm going to go to Brooklyn and apologize to Spot."
"And I'm going along," Blink said, stepping up and placing a comforting arm around Leprechaun's shoulder.
"So will I," Jack decided, moving closer to Leprechaun. "What you did was wrong, Lep," he whispered so that only she could hear, "but at least you owned up to it."
Leprechaun nodded, and raised her head slightly to look at the crowd of newsies. She could see one near the back, running toward the lodging house. "Racetrack," she murmured, and took off after him.
"Leprechaun, wait!" Kid Blink yelled, trying to reach her, but Jack held him back.
"She has to talk to Race," he said. "And she can't have you there to baby-sit her while she does it. She's fourteen. She has to start growing up sometime." Kid Blink nodded reluctantly and watched as Leprechaun followed Racetrack to the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House.
* At the Lodging House *
Racetrack ran up the stairs and into the main bunkroom, where he climbed up to his bunk and stared at the ceiling above him.
"Race!" Leprechaun exclaimed breathlessly, following him up to the bunk.
"Get down," he shouted. "What makes you think you can sit on my bed?"
"Oh...sorry," Leprechaun apologized, embarrassed. She climbed back down and stood on the floor, facing up toward Race. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for lying to you. And for kissing Spot, even though I did already break up with you."
"That's not enough, Lep," Racetrack said harshly. "Thanks to you, I lied to the Manhattan newsies about you and Spot, because I though it was true! Now my best friend and half of Brooklyn hate me. 'Sorry' just isn't going to cut it."
Leprechaun stared at Racetrack in shock. She knew what she had done was wrong, but she had thought... "Well, never mind then," she said. "Sorry to disturb you." Wearily, she left the lodging house and walked back to the distribution center.
A/N: I may not update for a couple weeks because I have dance rehearsals and recitals from Monday through Saturday of next week.