Chapter Seventeen

He couldn't believe it. After all these years, becoming and being the street rats that they were, who would've thought that they were all able to do that? To shout their voices to them and demand what they wanted. It wasn't that that struck them; it was the fact that they had succeeded and won. It was a triumph for everyone, actually. Especially for the Manhattan newsies who had started it all. The thought occurred to him once again. They really did it.

One week… it has been exactly one week since they had started the strike. Anthony thought it was all a bunch of crap, they weren't going to win. Pulitzer and Hearst had the upper hand, they had tricks up their sleeves that could bring them down and make them suffer just like any general to an army would do. But David and Jack's words and dreams gave them the security and passion that they needed to win. After seeing their picture in the paper, it was noted that they could do anything. That he was the king of New York. And you know what? They all were.

Though people gave them more recognition that they needed, giving them much more respect than before, everything went on with its course. Spot continued to visit Manhattan with his birds trailing after him, a smirk on his face, and cane in hand. Mush and Blink continued to smile and attract girls about them like a light would attract flies. David and Les continued to sell papes with them as much as they can, dropping by a visit just to get a glimpse of their friends from the strike. Crutchy was still there with his air of goodness, laughing and joking about the time Jack hung from a rope just to talk to him. Jack continued to sell papes everyday, offering scabs Everything remained the same. Or so he thought.

Selling the papers everyday was their thing, no doubt about that, and they knew how fast news could spread. It didn't take long for almost everyone in New York to know about it. Sure, they only stayed in the newspapers for a while… but it was sure that they were somewhere on the paper, even though it was a small box that said newsie.

Anthony didn't think that he was going to get a glimpse again. A glimpse of his friend. He thought he was just hallucinating, but he hoped that it would be more. It was mid-morning, when most of the hustle and the bustle of the city came out. That was the time when the streets were crowded, the vendors were shouting, kids were running, and the newsies were selling papes. The smell of sweat and cigars were mixed about him, his papers in hand, as he pushed through the crowd and looked for any potential customers.

It was then he saw that flash. The sun hit it, causing the strawberry-blonde hair to shine even more. There was only one person. One. That he knew had that color. It was uncanny. He squinted, still keeping an eye on his papers and the people about him, but by the time he turned around, she was gone. Disappeared. But Anthony was determined… and he wouldn't just let her run away like that. Though his thoughts contradicted his feelings, he still pushed on. Maybe it wasn't her. Maybe he was just making it up. But after years of pushing it aside, growing up, and realizing things, he couldn't just fathom how he could've thought of it. Especially in the middle of this. Right after the strike.

His memory flooded back towards him, remembering that night at Medda's. It was a miracle that Spot didn't beat him to a pulp. Commotion rang out throughout the place right after Sapphy's exit, but to Anthony's knowledge, no one knew about their argument. The sky was dark and the streets were deserted. Nobody was there.

They thought that she was at Brooklyn, visiting Spot just for a while just like she always did, but that wasn't how it was. Spot gave no answer about her, she wasn't there. They really didn't know. Strider, however, ended up joining the choir. With singing and practicing most of her time, even her face was hardly seen. The girls were slowly disappearing until they were gone. It didn't take long for Strider to find a job at one of the various music halls around Manhattan. As for Sapphy? They never really knew.

She came back, though. That's all that they were left with. An afternoon after selling papes, they found her bunk clean and folded, as if nobody was there. They knew that she couldn't just leave. Why would she? Though no one really knew the answer, Anthony held the burden. They searched for her. It was becoming such a habit that it slowly became a hobby for them. It finally took a voice from Blink to tell them that she was alright. They were all as confused as him, but his words were somewhat reassuring. For some unknown reason, they believed his words and stopped searching, thinking that everything was alright.

But Anthony's feelings suddenly dawned on him as he saw another glimpse of the strawberry-blonde hair weave in and out through the crowd. He could feel his senses suddenly alert as he passed through people, keeping his eye on his target. He squinted as he saw the small dot of the strawberry-blonde colored hair became less and less insignificant through the crowd.

Anthony pushed the ends of his blouse up to his arms as he laid down his papers on the ground, safe from prying eyes and hungry hands, as he took a step up from a nearby fire escape and climbed to towards the roof. He didn't care what building it was, whose it was, and what was going on inside… he just wanted to see if it was her again. Grunting as he pulled himself up, he walked over to the ledge and scoured the crowd for her once again.

His breath was caught in his throat and his heart did a small jump as he saw it once again. Strawberry-blonde hair. But that wasn't all. After minutes of chasing and being sneaky, her face came into full view. Although he had known her for only a while, he knew the edges of her face and the freckles that dotted her cheeks. She grew, he admitted to that. The strawberry-blonde hair that he was eyeing grew down past her shoulders, her big blue eyes held more maturity and knowledge than before as she looked out at the crowd, and her skin glowed with radiance. She had changed.

They had all changed, he knew that. He used to be Italy. The new boy that joined them to fight the Lurkers. He remembered Spike, Roach, and Boxer. He was the one that Boxer lost his temper on that night he was supposed to teach him how to fight. He was the boy that slowly grew to Racetrack. Slowly and eventually, he came out of his shell, along with his personality and comebacks. He learned how to play poker and keep a straight face. He knew which horse to pick at the tracks when making a bet, most of the time. He was the one that was always chasing Snipeshooter for his cigars. He was the short Italian newsie. It didn't take him long to change. Being a newsie on the streets made you grow up fast… and made your outlook on life different. That's what being a newsie does to you.

But Sapphy was a newsie. He had never thought or heard from her since that night at Medda's. He knew that she was going to be different, but he wasn't expecting to see her again, to see her all changed. Of course, he didn't know what happened to her; nobody did, but here was, standing on a rooftop, looking back down at her. It was just… too much. He squinted, his eyes slowly forming into two slits as he leaned forward to make sure what he was looking at. But just as he was about to take a closer look, her head tilted up and her blue eyes shone back at him, causing him to jump and put his hand on his hat.

Their eyes locked together as sudden reminiscence and remembrance came back at the two. His lips slowly curved into a smile, as he cupped both of his hands around his mouth, opening his mouth to start shouting, but his actions were interrupted when he suddenly heard footsteps on the roof and a commanding and older voice beside him.

"Boy, what are you doing up here? Newsies aren't allowed here."

Anthony turned around to face a man, his jet-black hair neatly combed into place, two pools of dark brown eyes staring back at him, and a stocky and tall build that gave him an air of authority.

Anthony smirked and answered, "Just admiring the scenery, mister."

He turned around to get a quick glance back at the crowd, but to his disappointment, she was gone once again.

~*~

whoot! i know its shorter than what i usually write, but i felt like giving you all another cliffhanger. lol. well, its not exactly one... but hey! :P no shoutouts for today... i just want to get this up as quickly as possible. *whisper* is anybody still reading this? besides sapphy and evenstar, of course. ^^