Disclaimer: I still don't own the Newsies. I still don't have any money,
so please, still don't sue me.
Everyone gave poor Blink the responsibility of waking me up. I'm am unquestionably not a morning person. Blink finally gave up and walked away. I smiled to myself thinking I had won, but boy was I wrong. Race came and poured ice cold water all over my head.
"RACE!" I screamed as I jumped up and began to chase him through the bunkroom.
"It's you'se own fault! You should've got up when Blink told ya ta!" He yelled back before dashing into a stall and locking the door.
I slammed my fist against the door, yelling about how bad I was going to soak Race. With one hand still pounding at the door, I used my other to signal Boots over. I held out a nickel whispered that it was his if he pounded on the door, like I was doing. Boots smiled, took the nickel and began rapidly banging the door. I began to get ready, randomly shouting curses at Race, who was still locked in the stall. No doubt dying from the stench the other boys had left.
I looked at my reflection in the poor excuse for a mirror. I took my dark brown hair that reached to my lower back and tied it into a knot. Mush said it got pretty hot midday and I didn't need my hair making the heat worse. My tan skin and dark hair made only made my piercing blue eyes stand out more. I finished washing my face and then walked over to another young newsie.
"Hey... um"
"Snipeshooter."
"Yea, Snipes. How much do ya usually make in a day sellin' papes?" I asked nonchalantly.
"'Bout forty cents, more when da headlines is good."
"If I give ya fifty cents, would ya bang on dat door and make noise and pretend ta be like me, so Race hides in der all day?" I asked, smiling sweetly.
A grin spread over Snipeshooter's face. "I'll do ya one bettah. You pay for tonight's dinnah and da lodgin' fee, and I'se gladly keep Race in dat stall all day."
I patted Snipes on the head and told him to let Boots know he could leave now. Only paying for the night's dinner and lodging fee? That was only a little more than half I had offered. I was going to give the kid fifty cents anyway though. It only seemed right.
I walked with Boots up to the distribution office. I got seventy-five papes and then proceeded to sell them on Race's usual corner. He of course was still occupying the stall back at the lodging house.
I finished selling my papes late afternoon, early evening, so I proceeded over to Tibby's for lunch.
"Heya Crystal, you'se seen Race today?" Jack asked as I sat down across from him.
"No, why?" I was trying real hard to sound innocent but I was failing terribly.
"I jist haven't seen 'im all day, dat's all."
"Don't worry, Jack. He's at da lodgin' house." I said laughing at the thought of Race still sitting in the stall.
"Why's he der?" Jack asked, confused as ever. How that boy led the strike is beyond me. Oh yea, he had David to put words in his mouth. I laughed again, Jack still staring at me, waiting for an explanation.
I told him about how Race was hiding from me and that he thought I was pounding at the door, not Snipes. Jack's face reddened with anger and his soft brown eyes went hard. He ran out of Tibby's towards the lodging house. I quickly followed, not understanding why he was so angry.
"Hey Jack! Where's da fire?" I yelled after him, trying to catch up.
I couldn't hear what he said. He was mumbling something under his breath, but I knew he was genuinely pissed off at me. I followed him up the stairs to the washroom. Snipes was lying on his back, half-asleep, kicking the stall. Jack pushed Snipes and opened the stall door. I laughed when I saw Race sitting on the floor playing cards with himself.
"Heya Crystal, Jack. Anything da mattah?" he said with a grin.
"What you'se doin' in der?" Jack asked. I don't know why, I had already told him the story.
"Crystal chased me in heah dis mornin'. I though she was mad but a couple hours after everyone left I found out it was Snipes heah and not 'er. He told me she paid 'im to stay der and pretend ta be 'er. It was too late to sell papes, so I just stayed heah and played cards. Dat way, Snipes still gets paid." I smiled at Race's courtesy to stay in the smelly stall for Snipe. He had a good heart, Race did.
Jack still wasn't happy though. "What were you thinkin, Crystal? You lock 'im in der all day, and now what! Race ain't got no money ta stay heah tonight! He ain't got no money ta eat! What's he gonna do! All because you played some joke on 'im!"
Boy, do I hate Jack. I mean, he thought I was gonna leave Race on the streets. Sure, he didn't know me that well, but he could have given me the benefit of the doubt. I had thought about that before hand, I am one for thinking of the consequences before doing something. I had sold seventy- five papes, enough to get me, Snipes, and Race dinner and a night at the lodge. I couldn't believe Jack thought so little of me.
I gave Snipes a pat on the head and gave him the fifty cents I promised. He tried to give some of it back but I wouldn't let him. He gave me a hug and I whispered goodbye to him. Then I turned to Race. "Sorry Race, I didn't know I was so much of a hassle to you. I purposely sold enough to give Snipes the fifty cents and still have enough for both of us. I won't be staying for dinner so here's fifty cents. It should be enough to cover what you didn't sell today. It was nice meeting you. Tell everyone I said goodbye. I wish I could stay longer but I know when im not wanted." At that I grabbed my bag and left the lodging house.
I am not one to stay where I'm not wanted. I didn't have enough cash to go down to Arizona at the moment, so I figured that I would go to Brooklyn and be a newsie there. I had learned how to fight since the last time I was here. I was a water girl for a boxer in Oregon, and he taught me everything he knew. I wasn't even a block from the lodging house when I saw an abandoned warehouse. I figured, or maybe even hoped, that Race would come looking for me so I couldn't sleep in an alleyway. And Brooklyn was way too dangerous to sleep on the streets, so I slipped through a hole in the wall and headed up the stairs. I stared out the window of the second story. I didn't see Race, or any of the other newsies for that matter, out looking for me. I thought they were all nice boys, that liked me a lot, but I guess I was wrong. They didn't care if I was there; they probably didn't care if I was dead of alive. I sighed and went to my make- shift bed to lie down. It was going to be a long day tomorrow and I wasn't really looking forward to it. Brooklyn was not my favorite place, not at all. I closed my eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Everyone gave poor Blink the responsibility of waking me up. I'm am unquestionably not a morning person. Blink finally gave up and walked away. I smiled to myself thinking I had won, but boy was I wrong. Race came and poured ice cold water all over my head.
"RACE!" I screamed as I jumped up and began to chase him through the bunkroom.
"It's you'se own fault! You should've got up when Blink told ya ta!" He yelled back before dashing into a stall and locking the door.
I slammed my fist against the door, yelling about how bad I was going to soak Race. With one hand still pounding at the door, I used my other to signal Boots over. I held out a nickel whispered that it was his if he pounded on the door, like I was doing. Boots smiled, took the nickel and began rapidly banging the door. I began to get ready, randomly shouting curses at Race, who was still locked in the stall. No doubt dying from the stench the other boys had left.
I looked at my reflection in the poor excuse for a mirror. I took my dark brown hair that reached to my lower back and tied it into a knot. Mush said it got pretty hot midday and I didn't need my hair making the heat worse. My tan skin and dark hair made only made my piercing blue eyes stand out more. I finished washing my face and then walked over to another young newsie.
"Hey... um"
"Snipeshooter."
"Yea, Snipes. How much do ya usually make in a day sellin' papes?" I asked nonchalantly.
"'Bout forty cents, more when da headlines is good."
"If I give ya fifty cents, would ya bang on dat door and make noise and pretend ta be like me, so Race hides in der all day?" I asked, smiling sweetly.
A grin spread over Snipeshooter's face. "I'll do ya one bettah. You pay for tonight's dinnah and da lodgin' fee, and I'se gladly keep Race in dat stall all day."
I patted Snipes on the head and told him to let Boots know he could leave now. Only paying for the night's dinner and lodging fee? That was only a little more than half I had offered. I was going to give the kid fifty cents anyway though. It only seemed right.
I walked with Boots up to the distribution office. I got seventy-five papes and then proceeded to sell them on Race's usual corner. He of course was still occupying the stall back at the lodging house.
I finished selling my papes late afternoon, early evening, so I proceeded over to Tibby's for lunch.
"Heya Crystal, you'se seen Race today?" Jack asked as I sat down across from him.
"No, why?" I was trying real hard to sound innocent but I was failing terribly.
"I jist haven't seen 'im all day, dat's all."
"Don't worry, Jack. He's at da lodgin' house." I said laughing at the thought of Race still sitting in the stall.
"Why's he der?" Jack asked, confused as ever. How that boy led the strike is beyond me. Oh yea, he had David to put words in his mouth. I laughed again, Jack still staring at me, waiting for an explanation.
I told him about how Race was hiding from me and that he thought I was pounding at the door, not Snipes. Jack's face reddened with anger and his soft brown eyes went hard. He ran out of Tibby's towards the lodging house. I quickly followed, not understanding why he was so angry.
"Hey Jack! Where's da fire?" I yelled after him, trying to catch up.
I couldn't hear what he said. He was mumbling something under his breath, but I knew he was genuinely pissed off at me. I followed him up the stairs to the washroom. Snipes was lying on his back, half-asleep, kicking the stall. Jack pushed Snipes and opened the stall door. I laughed when I saw Race sitting on the floor playing cards with himself.
"Heya Crystal, Jack. Anything da mattah?" he said with a grin.
"What you'se doin' in der?" Jack asked. I don't know why, I had already told him the story.
"Crystal chased me in heah dis mornin'. I though she was mad but a couple hours after everyone left I found out it was Snipes heah and not 'er. He told me she paid 'im to stay der and pretend ta be 'er. It was too late to sell papes, so I just stayed heah and played cards. Dat way, Snipes still gets paid." I smiled at Race's courtesy to stay in the smelly stall for Snipe. He had a good heart, Race did.
Jack still wasn't happy though. "What were you thinkin, Crystal? You lock 'im in der all day, and now what! Race ain't got no money ta stay heah tonight! He ain't got no money ta eat! What's he gonna do! All because you played some joke on 'im!"
Boy, do I hate Jack. I mean, he thought I was gonna leave Race on the streets. Sure, he didn't know me that well, but he could have given me the benefit of the doubt. I had thought about that before hand, I am one for thinking of the consequences before doing something. I had sold seventy- five papes, enough to get me, Snipes, and Race dinner and a night at the lodge. I couldn't believe Jack thought so little of me.
I gave Snipes a pat on the head and gave him the fifty cents I promised. He tried to give some of it back but I wouldn't let him. He gave me a hug and I whispered goodbye to him. Then I turned to Race. "Sorry Race, I didn't know I was so much of a hassle to you. I purposely sold enough to give Snipes the fifty cents and still have enough for both of us. I won't be staying for dinner so here's fifty cents. It should be enough to cover what you didn't sell today. It was nice meeting you. Tell everyone I said goodbye. I wish I could stay longer but I know when im not wanted." At that I grabbed my bag and left the lodging house.
I am not one to stay where I'm not wanted. I didn't have enough cash to go down to Arizona at the moment, so I figured that I would go to Brooklyn and be a newsie there. I had learned how to fight since the last time I was here. I was a water girl for a boxer in Oregon, and he taught me everything he knew. I wasn't even a block from the lodging house when I saw an abandoned warehouse. I figured, or maybe even hoped, that Race would come looking for me so I couldn't sleep in an alleyway. And Brooklyn was way too dangerous to sleep on the streets, so I slipped through a hole in the wall and headed up the stairs. I stared out the window of the second story. I didn't see Race, or any of the other newsies for that matter, out looking for me. I thought they were all nice boys, that liked me a lot, but I guess I was wrong. They didn't care if I was there; they probably didn't care if I was dead of alive. I sighed and went to my make- shift bed to lie down. It was going to be a long day tomorrow and I wasn't really looking forward to it. Brooklyn was not my favorite place, not at all. I closed my eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.