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Chapter Three"Where didja loin howda do dat?" Jack asked after observing the girls buy their papers.
"Do what?" Clatter and Windy asked simultaneously, both very confused.
Jack laughed "By yer papes witout gettin no trouble."
Clatter sighed in relief "We's used ta live in Chicago buddy, ta get whacha want ya godda be firm an look 'um in da eyes. It's no different here in New Yawk."
"Um..ok." Jack stated looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck feeling rather stupid.
"So where to now?" Windy asked Race and Jack as the others dispersed to their different selling spots.
"Depends, where do ya wanna sell? We's could go ta Central Park, it would pro'ly be easiest dere fer ya" Race said as he held his papes on top of his shoulder.
"Sounds good to me. I always wanted to see Central Park." Windy said.
"Yeah, same heah!" Clatter piped in as they started to walk towards the park.
"So I's gotta ask, why 'er ya in New Yawk, I mean, commin' awl da way out heah frum Chicago an awl…" Jack asked trying to find out about the two mysterious girls.
"Umm....well..." Windy started. She raced through her mind, trying to think of some excuse.
"Well Chicago isn't what it's all cracked up to be, ya know?" Clatter responded as she shielded her eyes from the hot summer sun.
"Yeah, we's know whacha mean, but why didja come awl da way out ta New Yawk?" Race asked, now a little curious himself at how she had avoided the question.
"Well why not? Is there something wrong with New York?" Windy challenged.
"No, well I's guess not, but it's not really a place fer goyls ta live on da streets." jack stated.
Clatter automatically shot up her shields and snapped at him "Wadaya tink, we's ain't tough enough?! I's cin handle meself an don't any a yous tink dat I's can't!" She said as she sped up her walk. She hated being treated like she was fragile. All her life her parents had treated her like a porcelain doll and she couldn't, no, she wouldn't take it anymore. It bugged the hell out of her and she was going to put an end to it.
"Now look what you did!" Windy exclaimed. "You know, you may think New York is tough and all that but you have never been to Chicago. So don't try an understand." Windy said as she ran to catch up with her friend
Clatter kept up her pace as her friend came up behind her "Who do dey tink we's are? We's not porcelain dolls, we's don't need deir protection er nuttin!" She said loud enough for them to hear.
"And you have to remember that girl's here are different then us." Windy whispered. "Here, they're a bunch of Sarahs."
"I don't care if deir a bunch a Sarahs!!" Clatter said exasperated throwing her hands up in the air and dropping her papes to the ground "I's not gonna be treated like a Sarah if I can help it, and believe me I'sll NEVAH be dat desperate!" she yelled at her friend, her eyes flashing in anger. Clatter, feeling a lot better after her outburst, picked her papers off the ground and placed them over her shoulder, waiting for the boys to catch up.
"Okay drama queen." Windy laughed rolling her eyes. "No one said you had to be a Sarah. What I meant was that they may treat us like one at first. But then again, after that outburst, I highly doubt it."
Clatter laughed at her "Yer right, I's don't tink dey're gonna wanna make me mad anytime soon, and I's don't want dem treatin' me like a Sarah" she hollered at the incoming Jack and Race.
Windy stifled a laugh at the look on the boys' faces as they approached the two girls. "You better be careful, Clatter. You may never get Jack by the way you're yelling at him."
Clatter laughed again at seeing their even more confused faces "I don't want him if he's gonna treat me like an angel the whole time, cause we both know that I's far from bein an angel!"
The two boys approached with a quizzical took on their faces "Who ya screamin' about ovah heah?" Race asked completely confused. His question was ignored as Clatter rolled her eyes in frustration.
Windy turned from her friend to the boys "Okay, listen here. We're not any of those weak and petty girls that you're probably used to hanging around with. We want to be treated with some respect and dignity. You don't cross us, we don't cross you. Got it? Cause you definitely don't want a taste of Chicago."
Jack and Race both looked at each other "Wow, ok, easy there dollface…" Jack said as he stood closer to Clatter, eyeing her up and down 'god she's beautiful when she's angry...wow..where did dat come frum!?' he thought to himself.
Windy caught the look in Jack's eye as he gazed at her friend. She gave a smirk, laughing to herself.
Clatter gave a growl from deep in her throat as her eyes flashed. "I's not an' I's ain't nevah gonna be nobody's 'dollface!'" Almost whispered in a low tone through her anger. She turned on her heal "men!" she breathed under her breath as she sold a paper in her huff, not knowing what else to do.
Windy sighed and brought her papers down from her shoulder, resting them on her hip. "Listen guys, we's ain't da kinda goyls yer used ta hangin around wit, we's don't appreciate da chic names ya cawl us. I's Windy an she's Clatter, nuttin else plain an simple. I know dat's she's blowin it outa proportion, but ya gotta take it easy on 'er. She hasn't had da best past wit da men in her life…" she glanced over at Clatter who was busy selling more papers to a couple of business men who were walking by "I guess dat ovah da yeahs, she jist lost trust in dem…"
Race stared at the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly "We's didn't mean ta offend ya er nuttin, really we's didn't. But yer right, yous nuttin like da goyls dat we's hang wit…right Jack?"
Jack snapped his gaze away from Clatter at hearing his name and rubbed his eye with the back of his hand "Whaja say race?"
Race chuckled inwardly knowing Jack already had his eye on Clatter "I's was sayin dat Windy's right, dey's nuttin like da goyls dat we's hang wit…"
"Oh, yeah, yer right, yous chi-…goyls are definitely not like da uddah goyls dat we's hang wit…" now if dat's a good or a bad ting I's don't know yet… he added in his head "Listen, I's gonna go apologize…" he yelled over his shoulder as he started to walk towards Clatter.
Windy laughed as she saw Clatter bullying what looked to be a 20 year old man into buying a paper. She turned her attention back to Race, linking arms with him as she dragged him off in the other direction "So what's da deal, how doya sell dese papes?" she asked patting the bundle of papers she carried under her arm.
Race sighed as he went into the automatic spiel on the ups and downs of being a newsie. "Well, da foist ting ya gotta loin is dat headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes. Da second ting is dat ya gotta 'improve' da headlines er else yous not gonna make enough money ta survive, damn headline writahs nevah give us nuttin good…" He pulled her over to a crowded part of the street and looked down at the bundle of papers he carried.
"So how doya 'improve' da headlines?" Windy asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.
"Hold on a sec…" Race looked down at a paper intently, thumbing through the pages and scratching the back of his head. "Got it…BOAT WRECK NEAR STATUE OF LIBERTY, MANY LIVES AT STAKE!" he screamed out and smiled as a couple of people walked over and pushed pennies in his hand while taking a paper out of his other "Tank ya mam, dat's very kinda ya." He smiled at his customers as he tipped his hat.
Windy smiled and waited for the customers to disperse before she spoke "So where did ya get that headline from?"
"Page 6, da cleanin crew of da Statue of Liberty tipped over deir motor boat and fell inta da water wit awl deir cleanin products, which was soap and rags. Da water got a liddle sudsy but uddah dan dat it poses no thre't ta nobody. And dat my friend is improving da truth." He smirked as he looked over at her confused face as she tried to figure out what to improve. "Come on, I'sll help ya…" He continued showing her the art of hawking the headlines.
Jack watched Clatter as he slowly approached her. He chuckled at her unusual selling techniques as she forced a paper into the poor man's hand and pried the penny out of the other. She then moved on to her next victim. "I's wouldn't sell dat way if I's was yous…"
"Well yer not me, so I's guess yous got nuttin ta worry about…" she snapped as she sold another paper to an unsuspecting woman "Just outa curiosity, why shouldn't I's sell like dis?"
Jack followed her, weaving in and out of the crowd "Well fer one ting someone's gonna get mad an come aftah ya…"
"I's strong an I's fast so I's got nuttin ta worry about."
"Anuddah ting is dat yous gonna lose business. People will see ya bein mean ta yer custamahs an dey's gonna steer clear a ya, not ta mention da bulls'll be on yer tail fer disturbin da peace."
Clatter stopped and sighed as she turned around and put her hands on her hips exasperated "Well den wadaya propose I do?"
"Try bein nice ta dem, ask dem nicely if dey wanna buy a pape an smile. If dey buy it den say tanks, show dat yer grateful." He said shrugging, astounded that she hadn't thought of it herself.
Clatter shrugged and agreed to try his method, handing her other papers to Jack and keeping one for herself, she turned around and gazed at the crowd, trying to find who she would sell to next. She spotted a man in his 40's sitting on a bench and walked over to him shyly, going into her acting mode. "E..excuse me sir. W..would yous like ta buy me last pape?" She asked shyly, pleading with her eyes.
The man looked at her, eyeing her up and down and shook his head "no thanks chicky."
Clatter resisted punching the man out and continued "P..please sir, it's only a penny, I..I need it sir. Me bruddah's sick an he's gonna die if we's don't get him help. Please sir, he's only t'ree…" Her eyes started to water as she made her lip tremble.
The man's eyes softened as he looked up at her. He stood up and wiped a tear from her cheek "I'm sorry about yer bruddah, sure, I'll buy yer last pape…" he pushed a penny into her hand as she handed the paper to him with her other.
"Thank you sir, thank you so much, little Timmy will be oh so very pleased…" She smiled as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes "Have a nice day…" she turned but then stopped as she heard the man calling her back "yes sir?"
"Here…" he pushed a quarter into her hand "get your brother some help."
"Oh sir, no, I couldn't possibly take this much, please…" she tried to push it back into his hand but he refused.
"Keep it, you need it for your family more than I need it for myself…" he smiled and then turned, walking away as he opened the paper to read the day's headlines.
Clatter smirked and walked back over to Jack.
"Dat, dat was amazing!" He said speechless at how she had manipulated the man into giving her more money.
"Nah, it was nuttin…" She pocketed the money "Come on, lets sell da rest of our papes an den we's can go ta Tibby's an meet da fellahs…" She mingled into the crowd shouting headlines on her way.
Jack sold his papers and watched Clatter work the crowd she is a very strange goyl…wait a minute…he observed her closely how did she know dat me an da fellahs meet at Tibby's every day? He decided to ask her later and shrugged it off as he sold his last paper "Tank ya sir…"