DISCLAIMER: These characters do NOT belong to me unfortunately. I tried to kidnap
them from Disney and was unsuccessful. Go figure. However, Runner and Mallory are
MINE, and so is Josephine, Aunt Patricia, and Daisy! Muahahaha! So take that, Mickey!!
OoOogles! I almost forgot Becca and Snap. They's mine too!! BleH! : ) Ah, the list just
goes on, there's Mr. Carter too of course.
A.N. GUESS WHAT, EveryBODY!!!! Today, I met the guy I have a super big crush on!!! Ya
see, he's not in any of my classes so I just admire him from afar, but my best friend
has third period with him and she talked to him today. So later ay lunch when she's
with me, he was coming from behind me and waved at her and then she says, "Oh, this is
my friend, lily!" And I turn around completely HORRIFIED because I had no idea he
REALLY WAS there!!!
Ya know, My friend is always playing pranks on me saying the guy I like is right
behind me when he really isn't. Sadly enough, he really was behind me
this time and I've must've looked so STUPID!! mUahahaha! But we said our hi's and we
even shook hands. And then he said "it was nice meeting you." And of course, I just nod
and all. I could barely speak. *shakes head* It was a tragedy. I was so unprepared.
So he's just standing there and as much as I try to think of something to talk about
with him, I CAN'T!!! So a few seconds later, he says bye and leaves. *growl* Too bad
I saw him afterschool and passed right by him without saying hi because I was soooo
HOrrIFIeD!! My guy friends, Ernesto and Frank, were threatening to drag me to him or
even drag him to ME!! I was like AHHHHH!!!! I looked back and there he was sitting on
the steps staring at me and later Ernesto is like, "he's still staring at you, ya know."
But alas, I didn't talk to him. Fear is an evil thing!! I'll make an attempt to start
a conversation tomorrow though!!! Alrite, enough about me, onto the story!!!
*Snuggles: Nooo, Jack was in love with your looong reviews, youse don't have to shorten
them up! They newsies just thought it neccessary to point it out to you in appreciation!
Yaaay! *giggles* Spot didn't appreciate you finding humor in him getting blown off, by
the way, lol. But don't worry, Jack will protect you from his high and mighty!! OMG, I
have to email you later about what happened between me and Andre!!!
*Shortie: WoWzeRz, someone certainly has it bad for a certain Brooklyn leader's cousin!
LoL! I'm beginning to think you love him more than I do! *Runner reads the review and
counts how many times his name was written* "How many was it, Runnah?" "Ten!" he
shouts back cheerfully. He especially appreciates you thinking his evil quotes are
"cute". Only you, Shortie. Only you. LoL! Your computer growled at youse?! Oh My! Now
that is scary!!! You should have broke out a whip and started circus training it. : )
I think you're going to loooove Runner in this chapter, my dear. Some of that supposed
'sensitivity' you lasted pointed out comes out again. Although, the ending is best
because he shows Manhattan who the real King of New York is when it comes to winning over
the ladies. Dun get jealous now, Shortie! : ) EK, FlamERs are quite the
pessimist sometimes. That really sucks that your story was taken off, though! What
exactly did you say in your reply to them!? LoL! *sigh* Now as I think of it, Runner
seems like the type who would go around insulting people's work. Hahaha!!! By the way,
he IS feeling better, he especially brightened up when your review came in. *dashes
away as Runner chases her around the house with Spot's cane* OoOogles, he doesn't like
me revealing things like that. : ) *shrugs*
*Trek: WOW! Heya, it's your famous word but it's better than other comments I could get!
Thanks for reading my other stories, that's so cool! I'm super happy you're enjoying them
so far. I completely forgot about "When Brooklyn Needed A Rosary" until I read your
review for it. LoL! Runner was just so cruel in it though, and so I had to take up
another story in which he was playful. : ) Thanks again for the support! Hope youse
like this chapter just as mucho as the others!! *the newsies give Trek the award for
the most times "WOW" has been said by a reviewer* w00t w00t! Go Trek!! YaaaaY!
*bl33ding p03t: FIddlestix!! Muahaha, I like that!! Hmmm, if it helps, Snap isn't really
anybody you already know. Just a new character to turn the tides of the story. : )
Thanks for the reviews! Have fun with this chapter, lol. Snap is in it!
*Drama-Queen: The majority of your friends are guys? That's so cool. My guy/girl division
is about equal, though when it comes to "best friends", only 3 or 4 of them are guys.
I remember in 9th grade though, I always used to hang out with the guys and I know
what you mean about having to be tough. Youcan't let them have their wat with some things!
: ) Thanks so much for reviewing!!
*SportyChik425: YaaaY! You saved Jack from that terrible disease we all suffer from at
times!! w00t w00t! Thanks for the help! Ah, Snaps is one of the few that actually
have rejected Spot. w00t w00t! Major blow to his high and mighty, but he will get over
it soon enough. Hopefully. Awww, Becca and Race, how cute! *pinches their cheeks* Enjoy
Chapter 6!
*Candi Kane: Ah, my dear impatient one, here's an update coming right at ya! Runner
graciously thanks you, by the way, for helping him recover from that illness! tsk tsk
tsk, poor kid. He was so worried he wouldn't get to be in this chapter. It's one of
his favorites because he gets to show Manhattan who the REAL king of New York is. : )
Just A Little Bet
~*~*~*~*~ Race didn't buy papers the next day. He was hypnotized by the memory of that
girl...Becca. She looked so kindhearted, so gentle and friendly. The kind of girl who
did not complain about an overload of work, the kind of girl who had a heart of gold.
Living in the bitter realms of New York, it was virtually impossible to find such a
person, but there she had been all that time, in the very place Race would visit day
by day!
And so, he could not bear to wait any longer to see her face again. Knowing that the
horses at Sheepshead would be getting groomed and fed and prepped up for the races
that awaited them hours from now, the Italian newsie snuck out of the lodging house just
before dawn. He wore what he deemed his best outfit, plaid pants with a white shirt and
mismatching plaid vest, and jogged off to his destination.
The crowds were not as large as they had been the previous day. On the contrary, there
was barely anyone present just yet! Only custodians and other members of the staff,
readying themselves for another hellacious day of mayhem. Race casually walked through
the makeshift lobby and tried to remember where it was that Mallory had slipped into
to find the stables.
"Race? What are you doing here so early?"
The newsie turned in the direction of the voice and saw Becca sitting on a bench a few
feet away from him with a program in her hands. "Becca!"
"Yep, it's me," she smiled back as she walked up to him. "Where's your papers? You didn't
quit your day job, did you?" She laughed then, and Race thought it was the most precious
sound.
"Uhm...I'se wasn't in the mood tah sell."
Becca didn't believe the story. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Uh..." Race was caught off guard. She obviously knew the tracks were his selling spot,
but if he hadn't bought papers and was still here...? "Well, actually, I'se came heah
tah sees youse." Embarassed by the confession, he looked down and waited for her response.
"Really? Aww, how sweet!" No one ever came to see her! People were more awed by the
jockeys and horses than by the one who cared for the horses. She didn't even receive
a word of appreciation from the managers, or a nod of thanks. They took her for granted;
she supposed they believed they could find another caretaker just as easily. But she
didn't mind. She wasn't at Sheepshead for money or honor, she was there because she loved
the animals. So humble and gracious, they taught her many things about life. It turned
out they were the only individuals whom she trusted in life. "Would you like a tour of
the stables? You left so quickly the other day!"
Race's face brightened. "Shoah! I'd like that!"
She took his hand in hers and then led him away to introduce him to her world.
* * * * *
"Shit!" For the life of him Runner could not find the Hebrew scrolls by which he was
to translate the Book of Luke for some foreign guests who would be visiting the church
that day. Rambling on in the old tongue, he threw his arms in the air and craned his
neck to stare at the ceiling of his room. "Eloi, eloi, lima sabachthani!"
"If I'se didn't know any better, I'd say youse were possessed!"
Runner snapped out of his daze and groaned at the sight of Spot entering his room. He
certainly was not in the mood for guests now! "It's Hebrew. Don't let them burn me at
the stake." He managed a slight smirk and then returned to his search.
"Hebrew, huh?" Spot nodded in approval. "I'se impressed, kid."
"Andrew, I attend a school where I am taught five languages, taught so that I can imply
them as a native speaker. Considering Hebrew is one of the first languages the Bible was
written in, there's nothing to be 'impressed' about."
Spot crossed his arms. "I know youse is in a pissy mood when ya start talkin' like that."
"It's not my fault you dropped out of school, Andrew!" The younger spoke condescendingly
but kept his distance, knowing full well the temper he was provoking. "You didn't have
the patience for the work and so threw in the towel. How gracious of you. After my family
had taken you in and provided for you, you just suddenly decide to quit and become a
streetrat!"
"Ya lil' mother fu..." His fist was pulled back ready to strike and his mouth ready to
scream obscenities, but something stopped him. Runner was trembling.
"Go ahead!!" Runner shouted. "Soak the religous prodigy! Soak him 'til he's DEAD!!"
And the Brooklyn leader realized that his cousin actually did long to be put out of his
misery. "Runnah, what'sa mattah?"
Runner pointed all around him. "This! Everything! My father expects me to prepare a trial
sermon to be delivered in front of a congregation in less than a month! Spot, I'se aint
ready fer that! Everytime I'se gets comfortable wid what he throws at me, he only ends
up overloadin' me even more! He's drivin' me insane!"
"Tell 'im that."
"Hell no! The moment I'se admits that I can't handle the crap he assigns me, he'll
suddenly lose pride in me; I aint nuthin' tah brag about no more."
Spot sat on a desk in thought and actually pitied the boy. Though he seemed a carefree
and playful jerk, Runner had much to live up to. His parents had high expectations that
Runner felt he could never fulfill. "Ya know what, kid? Youse in desperate need of a
goil! Come hit the streets wid me tonight so we'se can find ya one!"
"What, youse takin' me tah a whorehouse?"
"Nah, better than that!" Spot smiled. "I'se takin' ya tah the goils' room of the
Manhattan lodgin' house!"
Runner had to laugh. "Do them goils like youse sayin' shit like that?"
Spot shrugged. "What they's don't know can't hoit 'em."
* * * * *
Mallory walked into Tibby's with a scarf adorning her hair, though she did not sport
it for fashionable reasons. Her father was running a fever and had requested that she
fix him a hot bowl of chicken broth, but upon realizing that she hadn't the ingredients
to make the soup, she decided to stop at the closest restaurant to her home to purchase
it already made instead. Just her luck, though. If she remembered correctly, Jack had
once said something about Tibby's being the divine palace for tired newsies, as it was
the secret 'hideout' where they had planned countless schemes for their 1899 strike.
"Good day, m'am. What can I get for ya today?"
The girl skimmed over the menu and pursed her lips. "Some chicken broth please, and a
cup of Clam Chowder."
The man nodded, scribbled an order on a slip of paper, and disappeard into the kitchen.
Mallory rested her elbows on the marble counter and buried her face in her hands. She
was so tired! She wouldn't allow herself to get a single moment of sleep last night as
she sat at her father's bedside, monitoring his breathing and temperature. She hated
seeing him like this, her strong and courageous father now bedridden in sickness. It made
the tears fall endlessly.
"Hurry, Madeline! Finish your sandwich. Here comes those dreadful newsboys!" Mallory
looked up and saw an elderly woman urging her grandaughter to consumer her lunch with
more speed than she currently was. "Madeline, I do say! You will be the deaths of us!
Do you want your precious doll to be stolen by one of those hooligans? Worse yet, do
you want to catch their fleas! Come now, dear. Take the food with you. We're leaving!"
Mallory glared at the insult. Had she sounded that repugnant when first she met Spot?
She turned in her seat and watched as the Manhattan newsies began to filter into the
restaurant in cheerful spirits, telling jokes and laughing, teasing each other and
running around like five-year-olds. The girl could not help but smile, even when she
knew the boys would delay her on her return home. Taking the scarf from her head, she
did away with the disguise and waited.
Jack entered just then and grinned at her. "Mallory! It's been a while! How's youse been
doing?!" He wrapped his arms around her for a hug and then sat on the empty stool to
her right.
"Have you raised any money for my father yet? I don't mean to sound demanding, but I
know you said you would and I trust you. So I was merely musing over the matter. My
father...he isn't doing too well, Jack. I need all the help I can obtain."
The Manhattan leader froze. He had completely forgotten about his promise to Mallory!
"Uh...yea!" He lied. "We'se been gettin' a few dollars, in no time, we'll raise enough
fer ya dad."
"Thank you so much, Jack!" She hugged him again and wiped her eyes. "I will be forever
indebted to you!"
"Ah, don't worry about it!"
* * * * *
Runner smirked when a girl called Princess shyly approached him and between giggles
asked if he were really related to Spot Conlon. When the boy nodded, she gasped in
excitement and pressed her lips against his before he could object. Taking advantage
of the situation, Runner leaned her over the bed beside them and turned the innocent
kiss into quite a bit more.
Princess could not find the words to speak and simply sat motionless as the boy
abruptly ended the expressions of lust, smiled at her, and then returned to the group
of boys who waited for him in a corner of the main room of the Manhattan lodging
house.
Jack was the first to congratulate him. "Well, well, well. What was that all about?"
"See?" Race exclaimed. "I knew she's would be into youse!"
Blink patted the kid on the back. "Ya good, Runnah. Youse is good!!"
"Ah, guys," Runner said, shaking his head. "C'mon, it was nuthin'. She only did it
'cause one of ya bums told 'er I was Spot's cousin."
"So?!"
The young Conlon rolled his eyes at their ignorance. "So she didn't kiss me 'cause she
liked me. She kissed me 'cause of me connections."
Spot leaned forward in his chair. "Ya want a real challenge, Runnah? Ya see that goil
over there, wid black hair, readin' a book? The anti-social? Her name's Snap; how
'bout youse give 'er a try, huh?"
"She borrowed that book from Kloppmann," said Jack. "I think it was called somethin'
like 'A Midnight Summer's Dream'."
"Ya mean A Midsummer Night's Dream, cowboy?" Runner laughed at the fact that the
Manhattan leader wasn't familiar with Shakespeare and accepted Spot's challenge. "All
right, I'll do it. But what's in it fer me?"
Race slapped down two dollars. "I says youse won't even be able tah get three sentences
outta ya mouth 'fore she gives ya a nice shinah."
"I second that," Blink agreed, throwing a dollar onto the table. "Ya charm aint gunna woik
on her."
Then, Pie Eater, Snoddy, Specs, Snitch, and Mush risked some pocket change on the bet
aginst Runner, believing he wouldn't stand a chance against the wrath of Snap. The sum
of the money steadily accumulating on the table just surpassed eight dollars and sixty
two cents and Spot smirked at the odds against his cousin. "Well, seein' how this aint
favorin' youse too much, kid, I'se gunna bet the five dollars I won today in a boxin'
match." He took the bill out of his pocket, unfolded it for all to behold its glory, and
gently layed it atop the pile of coins and paper.
"Ya know, fellahs," Jack said then. "I'se feel it me moral obligation tah remind youse
that Runnah has many times in the past stolen Spot's goils when..."
"WHAT!?" Spot's rising anger quieted the room and he shot his cousin a meaningful look,
waiting for an explanation.
Runner's eyes widened and he took a step back, laughing hesitantly. "Uhm...Jack...uh,
what the hell is youse talkin' about. I aint never...'stole' a goil from Spot, only..."
and in all the most inopportune times to do so, he chose this moment to give them a
cocky smirk. "I'se only showed 'em Spot weren't the only one that could stick his tongue
down a goil's throat."
Spot was about to jump to his feet but Jack put his hands on the Brooklyn leader's
shoulders and held him down. He wasn't about to let a fight break out in his lodging
house again. Last that had happened, Kloppmann had thrown all the boys involved into
the streets for two nights; it had been one of the worse winters too! "Ah, c'mon, Spot.
It's not like any of them goils ever meant anything tah youse anyways."
"Yea, yea," was all Spot cared to say, but he still held Runner in check and warned him
with his eyes that this matter had definitely not been resolved yet. Meanwhile, some of the
other boys took back their money and instead made bets among themselves, taking this new
bit of information to heart. They all had already known that Runner was Spot's protege
when it came to playing with girl's hearts, but actually sneaking around with one of
Spot's girls!? That's something no one dared do, fearing the Brooklyn leader would
rearrange their faces, dislocate their limbs, and then throw them into some freezing
river. But it often seemed as if Runner got away with such things, whether it was Spot's
choice or not.
"So, I'se talk tah the goil and if I convince her tah let me kiss her, then all that money
right there is gunna have a new home in me pocket." Runner fixed his bowler hat sideways,
as he was not too fond of wearing it the traditional way, and cracked his knuckles.
"Fellahs, allow me tah demonstrate the intricacies of courting." Waving at a few girls who
called his name as he passed them by, he took a deep breath and focused his eyes on
his target. What was her name...ah, Snap! He thought he remembered someone telling
him about Snap having publicly rejected Spot the other day, and then began to
question his own chances. If she was rambunctious enough to play with fire, wouldn't
she extinguish a single flame just as easily?
Finally he arrived at her bunk and with a loud sigh said, "Lovers and madman have such
seething brains, such shaping fantasies that apprehend, more than cool reason ever
comprehends, the Lover the Madman and the Poet are of imagination all compact."
Snap looked up unimpressed, for she assumed he had simply read the words off the back
of her book, but upon turning over the book and seeing those lines nowhere, she raised
an eyebrow and slightly smiled. "So youse a Shakespeare fan or sumthin'?"
"I'se more a fan of Oscar Wilde meself, but Shakespeare's okay."
"Okay!? He's the father of classical literature! All his works is masterpieces!"
"Well I wouldn't go so far as tah say that," Runner smiled. "But he's pretty good at the
craft." He started to sit down on her bed but when she scowled at him, he remained on
his feet. "Youse ever wonder how good writers is in a relationship? I mean, they's
write about lust and passion and desire, but they rarely experience it themselves. They's
tend tah be loners...yet when it comes tah love, they's probably the experts."
The girl laughed at the thought. "I'se aint never thought of that."
"I'se shoah youse been kissed before, right?"
Snap's smile dropped. "Excuse me?"
"Don't take it the wrong way," he replied. "I'se just askin' youse if ya ever been kissed
before. I didn't mean tah offend ya."
Still skeptical, she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the play she was reading. Of
course she had been kissed in her past. Kissed by boys she adored, kissed by ones she
loathed. It was all the same to her, though. They never meant anything. "Yea, what about
it?"
Runner's eyes were sparkling. "Have youse ever been kissed by a writer?"
"Oh, please don't tell me ya a writer! Bullshit!"
"It's true!" he exclaimed. "And if ya don't believe me, stop by the cathedral in
Morningside Heights one day and I'll personally show youse me collection of published
woiks!" He made an attempt to sit on her bed and this time she didn't object. "Poetries,
critiques, parodies, and short stories. I even wrote the play we'se puttin' on
tomorrow. But don't avoid the question, Snap. Youse ever kissed a writer?"
She shook her head. "Can't say that I'se have."
He scooted closer to her. "Heah's ya chance."
"Oh yea, whaddya expect me tah do? Pass out into ya arms just 'cause ya know William
Shakespeare aint no factory woiker? Ya think youse can win me over with poetry? Shit,
ya woise than Spot Conlon! At least that joik got right tah the point! But youse really
think.."
"Hey, hey!!" He cupped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
"Get ya hand off'a me!" She grabbed his fingers and twisted them, cracking the bones
with an unnatural pop and laughing at Runner's obvious pain.
"Snap! Would ya stop beatin' up the kid!" Snap watched as Jack and crew stormed over
her way meaning to put her in her place. Thinking fast, she threw an arm around Runner's
shoulders, whispered a plead into his ear, and grinned up at the Manhattan leader.
"Jack, couldn't youse at least leave us in peace? We'se was just havin' fun!"
Runner gave her a confused look, but nodded nonetheless. "Yea, Jack. Can't ya see
we'se gettin' somewhere over heah? I mean, I'se was just about tah take Snap upstairs
into one of the private rooms!" He felt her pinch him and nearly yelped.
Spot crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Snap, cut the shit, ya know youse don't even like
the kid."
"Ah, shaddup, Conlon, what do youse knows?!" And to prove her point, she grabbed Runner's
face in her hands and kissed him hard and long, putting on quite a show for her spectators.
Everyone but the Brooklyn leader started making catcalls, urging Runner to take control
of the situation. Snap broke the kiss and smiled up at Spot with hate-filled eyes and the
latter muttered something in reply and walked away, followed by the newsies involved in
the bet. Runner rose off the bed with a foolish grin and as he swung his feet over its
side, he felt Snap pull him back and whisper yet another comment into his ear.
"Youse a damn good kissah!"
* * * * *
Hmmmm, that seemed rather short, eh? More reviews=longer chapters, with the character
of your choice!!!! *hint hint* LoL!!! Seriously, though, you goils is doing great with
these reviews!!! I'se so proud and happy! Best OF ALL, everyone here has been cured of
REVIEW-INGITIS!!!!!!!!!!! *throws confetti on all the newsies as they practice their
pelvic thrust* Mmmm, yum yum!! : ) So anywho, how's it going so far? Like? No Like?
Tralalalalala. I'm still open for suggestions! Feel free to pour them in those reviews!
I love reading all your REVIEWS!!!!!!! So c'mon!!! REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!!
THroW Me A BOne!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!! Love ya all!
them from Disney and was unsuccessful. Go figure. However, Runner and Mallory are
MINE, and so is Josephine, Aunt Patricia, and Daisy! Muahahaha! So take that, Mickey!!
OoOogles! I almost forgot Becca and Snap. They's mine too!! BleH! : ) Ah, the list just
goes on, there's Mr. Carter too of course.
A.N. GUESS WHAT, EveryBODY!!!! Today, I met the guy I have a super big crush on!!! Ya
see, he's not in any of my classes so I just admire him from afar, but my best friend
has third period with him and she talked to him today. So later ay lunch when she's
with me, he was coming from behind me and waved at her and then she says, "Oh, this is
my friend, lily!" And I turn around completely HORRIFIED because I had no idea he
REALLY WAS there!!!
Ya know, My friend is always playing pranks on me saying the guy I like is right
behind me when he really isn't. Sadly enough, he really was behind me
this time and I've must've looked so STUPID!! mUahahaha! But we said our hi's and we
even shook hands. And then he said "it was nice meeting you." And of course, I just nod
and all. I could barely speak. *shakes head* It was a tragedy. I was so unprepared.
So he's just standing there and as much as I try to think of something to talk about
with him, I CAN'T!!! So a few seconds later, he says bye and leaves. *growl* Too bad
I saw him afterschool and passed right by him without saying hi because I was soooo
HOrrIFIeD!! My guy friends, Ernesto and Frank, were threatening to drag me to him or
even drag him to ME!! I was like AHHHHH!!!! I looked back and there he was sitting on
the steps staring at me and later Ernesto is like, "he's still staring at you, ya know."
But alas, I didn't talk to him. Fear is an evil thing!! I'll make an attempt to start
a conversation tomorrow though!!! Alrite, enough about me, onto the story!!!
*Snuggles: Nooo, Jack was in love with your looong reviews, youse don't have to shorten
them up! They newsies just thought it neccessary to point it out to you in appreciation!
Yaaay! *giggles* Spot didn't appreciate you finding humor in him getting blown off, by
the way, lol. But don't worry, Jack will protect you from his high and mighty!! OMG, I
have to email you later about what happened between me and Andre!!!
*Shortie: WoWzeRz, someone certainly has it bad for a certain Brooklyn leader's cousin!
LoL! I'm beginning to think you love him more than I do! *Runner reads the review and
counts how many times his name was written* "How many was it, Runnah?" "Ten!" he
shouts back cheerfully. He especially appreciates you thinking his evil quotes are
"cute". Only you, Shortie. Only you. LoL! Your computer growled at youse?! Oh My! Now
that is scary!!! You should have broke out a whip and started circus training it. : )
I think you're going to loooove Runner in this chapter, my dear. Some of that supposed
'sensitivity' you lasted pointed out comes out again. Although, the ending is best
because he shows Manhattan who the real King of New York is when it comes to winning over
the ladies. Dun get jealous now, Shortie! : ) EK, FlamERs are quite the
pessimist sometimes. That really sucks that your story was taken off, though! What
exactly did you say in your reply to them!? LoL! *sigh* Now as I think of it, Runner
seems like the type who would go around insulting people's work. Hahaha!!! By the way,
he IS feeling better, he especially brightened up when your review came in. *dashes
away as Runner chases her around the house with Spot's cane* OoOogles, he doesn't like
me revealing things like that. : ) *shrugs*
*Trek: WOW! Heya, it's your famous word but it's better than other comments I could get!
Thanks for reading my other stories, that's so cool! I'm super happy you're enjoying them
so far. I completely forgot about "When Brooklyn Needed A Rosary" until I read your
review for it. LoL! Runner was just so cruel in it though, and so I had to take up
another story in which he was playful. : ) Thanks again for the support! Hope youse
like this chapter just as mucho as the others!! *the newsies give Trek the award for
the most times "WOW" has been said by a reviewer* w00t w00t! Go Trek!! YaaaaY!
*bl33ding p03t: FIddlestix!! Muahaha, I like that!! Hmmm, if it helps, Snap isn't really
anybody you already know. Just a new character to turn the tides of the story. : )
Thanks for the reviews! Have fun with this chapter, lol. Snap is in it!
*Drama-Queen: The majority of your friends are guys? That's so cool. My guy/girl division
is about equal, though when it comes to "best friends", only 3 or 4 of them are guys.
I remember in 9th grade though, I always used to hang out with the guys and I know
what you mean about having to be tough. Youcan't let them have their wat with some things!
: ) Thanks so much for reviewing!!
*SportyChik425: YaaaY! You saved Jack from that terrible disease we all suffer from at
times!! w00t w00t! Thanks for the help! Ah, Snaps is one of the few that actually
have rejected Spot. w00t w00t! Major blow to his high and mighty, but he will get over
it soon enough. Hopefully. Awww, Becca and Race, how cute! *pinches their cheeks* Enjoy
Chapter 6!
*Candi Kane: Ah, my dear impatient one, here's an update coming right at ya! Runner
graciously thanks you, by the way, for helping him recover from that illness! tsk tsk
tsk, poor kid. He was so worried he wouldn't get to be in this chapter. It's one of
his favorites because he gets to show Manhattan who the REAL king of New York is. : )
Just A Little Bet
~*~*~*~*~ Race didn't buy papers the next day. He was hypnotized by the memory of that
girl...Becca. She looked so kindhearted, so gentle and friendly. The kind of girl who
did not complain about an overload of work, the kind of girl who had a heart of gold.
Living in the bitter realms of New York, it was virtually impossible to find such a
person, but there she had been all that time, in the very place Race would visit day
by day!
And so, he could not bear to wait any longer to see her face again. Knowing that the
horses at Sheepshead would be getting groomed and fed and prepped up for the races
that awaited them hours from now, the Italian newsie snuck out of the lodging house just
before dawn. He wore what he deemed his best outfit, plaid pants with a white shirt and
mismatching plaid vest, and jogged off to his destination.
The crowds were not as large as they had been the previous day. On the contrary, there
was barely anyone present just yet! Only custodians and other members of the staff,
readying themselves for another hellacious day of mayhem. Race casually walked through
the makeshift lobby and tried to remember where it was that Mallory had slipped into
to find the stables.
"Race? What are you doing here so early?"
The newsie turned in the direction of the voice and saw Becca sitting on a bench a few
feet away from him with a program in her hands. "Becca!"
"Yep, it's me," she smiled back as she walked up to him. "Where's your papers? You didn't
quit your day job, did you?" She laughed then, and Race thought it was the most precious
sound.
"Uhm...I'se wasn't in the mood tah sell."
Becca didn't believe the story. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Uh..." Race was caught off guard. She obviously knew the tracks were his selling spot,
but if he hadn't bought papers and was still here...? "Well, actually, I'se came heah
tah sees youse." Embarassed by the confession, he looked down and waited for her response.
"Really? Aww, how sweet!" No one ever came to see her! People were more awed by the
jockeys and horses than by the one who cared for the horses. She didn't even receive
a word of appreciation from the managers, or a nod of thanks. They took her for granted;
she supposed they believed they could find another caretaker just as easily. But she
didn't mind. She wasn't at Sheepshead for money or honor, she was there because she loved
the animals. So humble and gracious, they taught her many things about life. It turned
out they were the only individuals whom she trusted in life. "Would you like a tour of
the stables? You left so quickly the other day!"
Race's face brightened. "Shoah! I'd like that!"
She took his hand in hers and then led him away to introduce him to her world.
* * * * *
"Shit!" For the life of him Runner could not find the Hebrew scrolls by which he was
to translate the Book of Luke for some foreign guests who would be visiting the church
that day. Rambling on in the old tongue, he threw his arms in the air and craned his
neck to stare at the ceiling of his room. "Eloi, eloi, lima sabachthani!"
"If I'se didn't know any better, I'd say youse were possessed!"
Runner snapped out of his daze and groaned at the sight of Spot entering his room. He
certainly was not in the mood for guests now! "It's Hebrew. Don't let them burn me at
the stake." He managed a slight smirk and then returned to his search.
"Hebrew, huh?" Spot nodded in approval. "I'se impressed, kid."
"Andrew, I attend a school where I am taught five languages, taught so that I can imply
them as a native speaker. Considering Hebrew is one of the first languages the Bible was
written in, there's nothing to be 'impressed' about."
Spot crossed his arms. "I know youse is in a pissy mood when ya start talkin' like that."
"It's not my fault you dropped out of school, Andrew!" The younger spoke condescendingly
but kept his distance, knowing full well the temper he was provoking. "You didn't have
the patience for the work and so threw in the towel. How gracious of you. After my family
had taken you in and provided for you, you just suddenly decide to quit and become a
streetrat!"
"Ya lil' mother fu..." His fist was pulled back ready to strike and his mouth ready to
scream obscenities, but something stopped him. Runner was trembling.
"Go ahead!!" Runner shouted. "Soak the religous prodigy! Soak him 'til he's DEAD!!"
And the Brooklyn leader realized that his cousin actually did long to be put out of his
misery. "Runnah, what'sa mattah?"
Runner pointed all around him. "This! Everything! My father expects me to prepare a trial
sermon to be delivered in front of a congregation in less than a month! Spot, I'se aint
ready fer that! Everytime I'se gets comfortable wid what he throws at me, he only ends
up overloadin' me even more! He's drivin' me insane!"
"Tell 'im that."
"Hell no! The moment I'se admits that I can't handle the crap he assigns me, he'll
suddenly lose pride in me; I aint nuthin' tah brag about no more."
Spot sat on a desk in thought and actually pitied the boy. Though he seemed a carefree
and playful jerk, Runner had much to live up to. His parents had high expectations that
Runner felt he could never fulfill. "Ya know what, kid? Youse in desperate need of a
goil! Come hit the streets wid me tonight so we'se can find ya one!"
"What, youse takin' me tah a whorehouse?"
"Nah, better than that!" Spot smiled. "I'se takin' ya tah the goils' room of the
Manhattan lodgin' house!"
Runner had to laugh. "Do them goils like youse sayin' shit like that?"
Spot shrugged. "What they's don't know can't hoit 'em."
* * * * *
Mallory walked into Tibby's with a scarf adorning her hair, though she did not sport
it for fashionable reasons. Her father was running a fever and had requested that she
fix him a hot bowl of chicken broth, but upon realizing that she hadn't the ingredients
to make the soup, she decided to stop at the closest restaurant to her home to purchase
it already made instead. Just her luck, though. If she remembered correctly, Jack had
once said something about Tibby's being the divine palace for tired newsies, as it was
the secret 'hideout' where they had planned countless schemes for their 1899 strike.
"Good day, m'am. What can I get for ya today?"
The girl skimmed over the menu and pursed her lips. "Some chicken broth please, and a
cup of Clam Chowder."
The man nodded, scribbled an order on a slip of paper, and disappeard into the kitchen.
Mallory rested her elbows on the marble counter and buried her face in her hands. She
was so tired! She wouldn't allow herself to get a single moment of sleep last night as
she sat at her father's bedside, monitoring his breathing and temperature. She hated
seeing him like this, her strong and courageous father now bedridden in sickness. It made
the tears fall endlessly.
"Hurry, Madeline! Finish your sandwich. Here comes those dreadful newsboys!" Mallory
looked up and saw an elderly woman urging her grandaughter to consumer her lunch with
more speed than she currently was. "Madeline, I do say! You will be the deaths of us!
Do you want your precious doll to be stolen by one of those hooligans? Worse yet, do
you want to catch their fleas! Come now, dear. Take the food with you. We're leaving!"
Mallory glared at the insult. Had she sounded that repugnant when first she met Spot?
She turned in her seat and watched as the Manhattan newsies began to filter into the
restaurant in cheerful spirits, telling jokes and laughing, teasing each other and
running around like five-year-olds. The girl could not help but smile, even when she
knew the boys would delay her on her return home. Taking the scarf from her head, she
did away with the disguise and waited.
Jack entered just then and grinned at her. "Mallory! It's been a while! How's youse been
doing?!" He wrapped his arms around her for a hug and then sat on the empty stool to
her right.
"Have you raised any money for my father yet? I don't mean to sound demanding, but I
know you said you would and I trust you. So I was merely musing over the matter. My
father...he isn't doing too well, Jack. I need all the help I can obtain."
The Manhattan leader froze. He had completely forgotten about his promise to Mallory!
"Uh...yea!" He lied. "We'se been gettin' a few dollars, in no time, we'll raise enough
fer ya dad."
"Thank you so much, Jack!" She hugged him again and wiped her eyes. "I will be forever
indebted to you!"
"Ah, don't worry about it!"
* * * * *
Runner smirked when a girl called Princess shyly approached him and between giggles
asked if he were really related to Spot Conlon. When the boy nodded, she gasped in
excitement and pressed her lips against his before he could object. Taking advantage
of the situation, Runner leaned her over the bed beside them and turned the innocent
kiss into quite a bit more.
Princess could not find the words to speak and simply sat motionless as the boy
abruptly ended the expressions of lust, smiled at her, and then returned to the group
of boys who waited for him in a corner of the main room of the Manhattan lodging
house.
Jack was the first to congratulate him. "Well, well, well. What was that all about?"
"See?" Race exclaimed. "I knew she's would be into youse!"
Blink patted the kid on the back. "Ya good, Runnah. Youse is good!!"
"Ah, guys," Runner said, shaking his head. "C'mon, it was nuthin'. She only did it
'cause one of ya bums told 'er I was Spot's cousin."
"So?!"
The young Conlon rolled his eyes at their ignorance. "So she didn't kiss me 'cause she
liked me. She kissed me 'cause of me connections."
Spot leaned forward in his chair. "Ya want a real challenge, Runnah? Ya see that goil
over there, wid black hair, readin' a book? The anti-social? Her name's Snap; how
'bout youse give 'er a try, huh?"
"She borrowed that book from Kloppmann," said Jack. "I think it was called somethin'
like 'A Midnight Summer's Dream'."
"Ya mean A Midsummer Night's Dream, cowboy?" Runner laughed at the fact that the
Manhattan leader wasn't familiar with Shakespeare and accepted Spot's challenge. "All
right, I'll do it. But what's in it fer me?"
Race slapped down two dollars. "I says youse won't even be able tah get three sentences
outta ya mouth 'fore she gives ya a nice shinah."
"I second that," Blink agreed, throwing a dollar onto the table. "Ya charm aint gunna woik
on her."
Then, Pie Eater, Snoddy, Specs, Snitch, and Mush risked some pocket change on the bet
aginst Runner, believing he wouldn't stand a chance against the wrath of Snap. The sum
of the money steadily accumulating on the table just surpassed eight dollars and sixty
two cents and Spot smirked at the odds against his cousin. "Well, seein' how this aint
favorin' youse too much, kid, I'se gunna bet the five dollars I won today in a boxin'
match." He took the bill out of his pocket, unfolded it for all to behold its glory, and
gently layed it atop the pile of coins and paper.
"Ya know, fellahs," Jack said then. "I'se feel it me moral obligation tah remind youse
that Runnah has many times in the past stolen Spot's goils when..."
"WHAT!?" Spot's rising anger quieted the room and he shot his cousin a meaningful look,
waiting for an explanation.
Runner's eyes widened and he took a step back, laughing hesitantly. "Uhm...Jack...uh,
what the hell is youse talkin' about. I aint never...'stole' a goil from Spot, only..."
and in all the most inopportune times to do so, he chose this moment to give them a
cocky smirk. "I'se only showed 'em Spot weren't the only one that could stick his tongue
down a goil's throat."
Spot was about to jump to his feet but Jack put his hands on the Brooklyn leader's
shoulders and held him down. He wasn't about to let a fight break out in his lodging
house again. Last that had happened, Kloppmann had thrown all the boys involved into
the streets for two nights; it had been one of the worse winters too! "Ah, c'mon, Spot.
It's not like any of them goils ever meant anything tah youse anyways."
"Yea, yea," was all Spot cared to say, but he still held Runner in check and warned him
with his eyes that this matter had definitely not been resolved yet. Meanwhile, some of the
other boys took back their money and instead made bets among themselves, taking this new
bit of information to heart. They all had already known that Runner was Spot's protege
when it came to playing with girl's hearts, but actually sneaking around with one of
Spot's girls!? That's something no one dared do, fearing the Brooklyn leader would
rearrange their faces, dislocate their limbs, and then throw them into some freezing
river. But it often seemed as if Runner got away with such things, whether it was Spot's
choice or not.
"So, I'se talk tah the goil and if I convince her tah let me kiss her, then all that money
right there is gunna have a new home in me pocket." Runner fixed his bowler hat sideways,
as he was not too fond of wearing it the traditional way, and cracked his knuckles.
"Fellahs, allow me tah demonstrate the intricacies of courting." Waving at a few girls who
called his name as he passed them by, he took a deep breath and focused his eyes on
his target. What was her name...ah, Snap! He thought he remembered someone telling
him about Snap having publicly rejected Spot the other day, and then began to
question his own chances. If she was rambunctious enough to play with fire, wouldn't
she extinguish a single flame just as easily?
Finally he arrived at her bunk and with a loud sigh said, "Lovers and madman have such
seething brains, such shaping fantasies that apprehend, more than cool reason ever
comprehends, the Lover the Madman and the Poet are of imagination all compact."
Snap looked up unimpressed, for she assumed he had simply read the words off the back
of her book, but upon turning over the book and seeing those lines nowhere, she raised
an eyebrow and slightly smiled. "So youse a Shakespeare fan or sumthin'?"
"I'se more a fan of Oscar Wilde meself, but Shakespeare's okay."
"Okay!? He's the father of classical literature! All his works is masterpieces!"
"Well I wouldn't go so far as tah say that," Runner smiled. "But he's pretty good at the
craft." He started to sit down on her bed but when she scowled at him, he remained on
his feet. "Youse ever wonder how good writers is in a relationship? I mean, they's
write about lust and passion and desire, but they rarely experience it themselves. They's
tend tah be loners...yet when it comes tah love, they's probably the experts."
The girl laughed at the thought. "I'se aint never thought of that."
"I'se shoah youse been kissed before, right?"
Snap's smile dropped. "Excuse me?"
"Don't take it the wrong way," he replied. "I'se just askin' youse if ya ever been kissed
before. I didn't mean tah offend ya."
Still skeptical, she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the play she was reading. Of
course she had been kissed in her past. Kissed by boys she adored, kissed by ones she
loathed. It was all the same to her, though. They never meant anything. "Yea, what about
it?"
Runner's eyes were sparkling. "Have youse ever been kissed by a writer?"
"Oh, please don't tell me ya a writer! Bullshit!"
"It's true!" he exclaimed. "And if ya don't believe me, stop by the cathedral in
Morningside Heights one day and I'll personally show youse me collection of published
woiks!" He made an attempt to sit on her bed and this time she didn't object. "Poetries,
critiques, parodies, and short stories. I even wrote the play we'se puttin' on
tomorrow. But don't avoid the question, Snap. Youse ever kissed a writer?"
She shook her head. "Can't say that I'se have."
He scooted closer to her. "Heah's ya chance."
"Oh yea, whaddya expect me tah do? Pass out into ya arms just 'cause ya know William
Shakespeare aint no factory woiker? Ya think youse can win me over with poetry? Shit,
ya woise than Spot Conlon! At least that joik got right tah the point! But youse really
think.."
"Hey, hey!!" He cupped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
"Get ya hand off'a me!" She grabbed his fingers and twisted them, cracking the bones
with an unnatural pop and laughing at Runner's obvious pain.
"Snap! Would ya stop beatin' up the kid!" Snap watched as Jack and crew stormed over
her way meaning to put her in her place. Thinking fast, she threw an arm around Runner's
shoulders, whispered a plead into his ear, and grinned up at the Manhattan leader.
"Jack, couldn't youse at least leave us in peace? We'se was just havin' fun!"
Runner gave her a confused look, but nodded nonetheless. "Yea, Jack. Can't ya see
we'se gettin' somewhere over heah? I mean, I'se was just about tah take Snap upstairs
into one of the private rooms!" He felt her pinch him and nearly yelped.
Spot crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Snap, cut the shit, ya know youse don't even like
the kid."
"Ah, shaddup, Conlon, what do youse knows?!" And to prove her point, she grabbed Runner's
face in her hands and kissed him hard and long, putting on quite a show for her spectators.
Everyone but the Brooklyn leader started making catcalls, urging Runner to take control
of the situation. Snap broke the kiss and smiled up at Spot with hate-filled eyes and the
latter muttered something in reply and walked away, followed by the newsies involved in
the bet. Runner rose off the bed with a foolish grin and as he swung his feet over its
side, he felt Snap pull him back and whisper yet another comment into his ear.
"Youse a damn good kissah!"
* * * * *
Hmmmm, that seemed rather short, eh? More reviews=longer chapters, with the character
of your choice!!!! *hint hint* LoL!!! Seriously, though, you goils is doing great with
these reviews!!! I'se so proud and happy! Best OF ALL, everyone here has been cured of
REVIEW-INGITIS!!!!!!!!!!! *throws confetti on all the newsies as they practice their
pelvic thrust* Mmmm, yum yum!! : ) So anywho, how's it going so far? Like? No Like?
Tralalalalala. I'm still open for suggestions! Feel free to pour them in those reviews!
I love reading all your REVIEWS!!!!!!! So c'mon!!! REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!!
THroW Me A BOne!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!! Love ya all!
