CHAPTER EIGHT
Luckily, Anna, following Jack closely, was one of the few who got out of the door before the others, in their rush, were trying to go through three or four at a time and getting stuck and angry at each other. Kid Blink and Skittery were tangled together now, and as soon as they wedged out of the door started yelling at each other. Skittery shoved Blink hard. Blink pushed back then threw a punch at Skittery. A ring of newsies immediately formed around the two, and Race's yells could be heard over the crowd, trying to get some gambling going (rather unsuccessfully) on the fight.
"Oh no. Jack they're going to get hurt!!" Anna said, watching the pair with wide eyes as she stood safely away near an anxious-looking Mush, Crutchy, and Jack. Cowboy didn't stay for long; he made an annoyed growling sound in his throat and headed over towards the circle, muttering something that sounded like, 'Every day.'. Pushing his way through the crowd, he pushed Blink back slightly, then pulled Skittery away and started chewing him out for starting fights. Blink tried to escape the lecture, but Jack caught his shirt and pulled him back in; something could be heard about 'setting a bad example foah da little kids'.
Annalise, relieved that Jack broke up the scuffle quickly, looked to the two beside her. She studied Crutchy for a moment, then asked, "Crutchy, how did you get hurt?"
Mush's eyes quickly moved from the fight to her, looking surprised and though she had been quite sure she had asked politely enough, Mush looked... offended, maybe? Crutchy, however, wasn't. he grins and shrugs, answering, "I don't even remembah. Been dis way long's I can remembah!"
"Oh..." she nodded slightly. "Does it bother you much?"
"Hardly any!! An' it's a great way to sell papes!!" Was the enthusiastic reply. Jack was approaching now, the others following behind in a big crowd. Mush dropped back to talk with Blink, whom he was apparently very good friends with. Skittery, eternally sullen, was towards the back of the group with a gang of boys she couldn't put names to yet.
"Should'a let them finish, Jack... I had money on dat fight..."
"Aww don' encourage them, Race. We got enough fights ta worry about wid da Delanceys."
"Yeah well can't get any offa dat anymoah. Everyone knows you c'n soak tha Delanceys widout even tryin'..." Race was complaining as him and Jack joined back with Annalise and Crutchy, and Jack started leading the way through a confusing series of streets Annalise could not even hope to remember.
Jack glanced over towards her several times towards the trip, and finally said, "Yoah gonna need a sellin' pahtner tomorrow..."
Annalise looked around at the group of boys around them nervously. She didn't know any of them! How could she go around New York with someone she didn't even know? Green eyes look to Jack a bit desperately, she badly hoped he would say she could sell with him. But she was disappointed.
"I can't sell wid youse." Her eyes widen. "...y'see, usually I'm da one who teaches new newsies how ta sell, but yesterday we had two new boys come in, Les and David, so I've already thrown in wid dem foah a while." He explains, but she doesn't look reassured any by the information. Jack suddenly gets an idea. "Race!"
"Yeah?"
"Could ya?"
"Shoah, I could..." Racetrack gives Annalise a side glance, then looks towards Jack in the same manner. "...but cutting' it a bit close ta Brooklyn, ain't'cha Cowboy?"
Alarmed, Annalise protests, "I'm not going back there! Everyone was mean! Especially that Spot kid!!"
Jack raises his hands in a 'don't-shoot-me' gesture, trying to quiet her. "Whoa whoa whoa.. listen, dey know Race in Brooklyn, dey ain't gonna mess wid yas if yoah wid him, awright?"
Race chuckles a bit. "Me'n Spot got a bit've an agreement you could say..."
"I don't care! I'm not going!" she protested loudly, getting a few curious glances and whispers from the surrounding mob.
Jack sighed, stopping for a moment and looking at her, she stopped as well, glaring indignantly up at him. "Look, awright, I gotta go wid Dave. An' I figured you didn' wanna go with someone you didn't know, and Blink'n Mush already sell together, so I picked Race, okay?" She stayed quiet. He had, at least, considered her feelings. But she still didn't want to go back to Brooklyn after what had happened to her there. Seeing this, Jack sighed and continued, "Look, when Davey'n Les are okay to go out on their own, you c'n sell wid me. How's that?"
It wasn't great, but she didn't see anything better for her to do but agree. "Okay, I'll go with Racetrack for now..." she said a bit reluctantly.
"Great." Jack answered, starting to walk down the street again. After a moment, Anna follows.
"Dis's gonna be great, Anna. I c'n teach ya everything' you needta know ta be a newsie... jus' think, foist goil newsie, trained by me!" Race boasts, and she couldn't help but grin at him. "Hey Anna- yoah gonna need a bunk, too, at tha lodgin' howse. Nobody's sleepin' in tha one ovah mine if you wanna-"
Race was cut off by a firm interjection from Jack. "The bunk under mine's open, too, an' she WILL be stayin' there..."
Annalise was looking confused by his sudden argument, but Race seemed to understand perfectly, and protested, "Aww Jack c'mon... I didn' mean nuttin' by dat..."
Annalise finally gets what Jack thought Race had meant by his offer, and she blushes slightly as they come to the door of an old building, dropping her eyes as Cowboy answers, his hand on the doorknob, "We'll see, Race; we'll see..."
Luckily, Anna, following Jack closely, was one of the few who got out of the door before the others, in their rush, were trying to go through three or four at a time and getting stuck and angry at each other. Kid Blink and Skittery were tangled together now, and as soon as they wedged out of the door started yelling at each other. Skittery shoved Blink hard. Blink pushed back then threw a punch at Skittery. A ring of newsies immediately formed around the two, and Race's yells could be heard over the crowd, trying to get some gambling going (rather unsuccessfully) on the fight.
"Oh no. Jack they're going to get hurt!!" Anna said, watching the pair with wide eyes as she stood safely away near an anxious-looking Mush, Crutchy, and Jack. Cowboy didn't stay for long; he made an annoyed growling sound in his throat and headed over towards the circle, muttering something that sounded like, 'Every day.'. Pushing his way through the crowd, he pushed Blink back slightly, then pulled Skittery away and started chewing him out for starting fights. Blink tried to escape the lecture, but Jack caught his shirt and pulled him back in; something could be heard about 'setting a bad example foah da little kids'.
Annalise, relieved that Jack broke up the scuffle quickly, looked to the two beside her. She studied Crutchy for a moment, then asked, "Crutchy, how did you get hurt?"
Mush's eyes quickly moved from the fight to her, looking surprised and though she had been quite sure she had asked politely enough, Mush looked... offended, maybe? Crutchy, however, wasn't. he grins and shrugs, answering, "I don't even remembah. Been dis way long's I can remembah!"
"Oh..." she nodded slightly. "Does it bother you much?"
"Hardly any!! An' it's a great way to sell papes!!" Was the enthusiastic reply. Jack was approaching now, the others following behind in a big crowd. Mush dropped back to talk with Blink, whom he was apparently very good friends with. Skittery, eternally sullen, was towards the back of the group with a gang of boys she couldn't put names to yet.
"Should'a let them finish, Jack... I had money on dat fight..."
"Aww don' encourage them, Race. We got enough fights ta worry about wid da Delanceys."
"Yeah well can't get any offa dat anymoah. Everyone knows you c'n soak tha Delanceys widout even tryin'..." Race was complaining as him and Jack joined back with Annalise and Crutchy, and Jack started leading the way through a confusing series of streets Annalise could not even hope to remember.
Jack glanced over towards her several times towards the trip, and finally said, "Yoah gonna need a sellin' pahtner tomorrow..."
Annalise looked around at the group of boys around them nervously. She didn't know any of them! How could she go around New York with someone she didn't even know? Green eyes look to Jack a bit desperately, she badly hoped he would say she could sell with him. But she was disappointed.
"I can't sell wid youse." Her eyes widen. "...y'see, usually I'm da one who teaches new newsies how ta sell, but yesterday we had two new boys come in, Les and David, so I've already thrown in wid dem foah a while." He explains, but she doesn't look reassured any by the information. Jack suddenly gets an idea. "Race!"
"Yeah?"
"Could ya?"
"Shoah, I could..." Racetrack gives Annalise a side glance, then looks towards Jack in the same manner. "...but cutting' it a bit close ta Brooklyn, ain't'cha Cowboy?"
Alarmed, Annalise protests, "I'm not going back there! Everyone was mean! Especially that Spot kid!!"
Jack raises his hands in a 'don't-shoot-me' gesture, trying to quiet her. "Whoa whoa whoa.. listen, dey know Race in Brooklyn, dey ain't gonna mess wid yas if yoah wid him, awright?"
Race chuckles a bit. "Me'n Spot got a bit've an agreement you could say..."
"I don't care! I'm not going!" she protested loudly, getting a few curious glances and whispers from the surrounding mob.
Jack sighed, stopping for a moment and looking at her, she stopped as well, glaring indignantly up at him. "Look, awright, I gotta go wid Dave. An' I figured you didn' wanna go with someone you didn't know, and Blink'n Mush already sell together, so I picked Race, okay?" She stayed quiet. He had, at least, considered her feelings. But she still didn't want to go back to Brooklyn after what had happened to her there. Seeing this, Jack sighed and continued, "Look, when Davey'n Les are okay to go out on their own, you c'n sell wid me. How's that?"
It wasn't great, but she didn't see anything better for her to do but agree. "Okay, I'll go with Racetrack for now..." she said a bit reluctantly.
"Great." Jack answered, starting to walk down the street again. After a moment, Anna follows.
"Dis's gonna be great, Anna. I c'n teach ya everything' you needta know ta be a newsie... jus' think, foist goil newsie, trained by me!" Race boasts, and she couldn't help but grin at him. "Hey Anna- yoah gonna need a bunk, too, at tha lodgin' howse. Nobody's sleepin' in tha one ovah mine if you wanna-"
Race was cut off by a firm interjection from Jack. "The bunk under mine's open, too, an' she WILL be stayin' there..."
Annalise was looking confused by his sudden argument, but Race seemed to understand perfectly, and protested, "Aww Jack c'mon... I didn' mean nuttin' by dat..."
Annalise finally gets what Jack thought Race had meant by his offer, and she blushes slightly as they come to the door of an old building, dropping her eyes as Cowboy answers, his hand on the doorknob, "We'll see, Race; we'll see..."