Chapter6- hickeys
Complete and utter chaos was breaking out in the lodging house after dinner. Racetrack, who was just coming home from a spider fight with profit, heard the shouting even before he got through the door. His happy mood ( due to fact that he's actually WON betting on a spider with profit's keen eye and now had pockets filled with coins) was momentarily put to a halt as he dashed up the stairs two at a time. Reaching the top, he'd barely missed being hit squarely in the face with someone's shoe, which had flown from across the room. Ducking in time, he bumped into skittery, who like the other newsies, had assembled in one side of the room. "what the.." he said crossly. Skittery glanced down briefly at race and grimaced. He didn't have to tell him what was going on. The shouting had spoken for itself.
Pagan and jack were having an argument. A huge one, because things were flying everywhere- tin cups, clothes, shoes. whatever the newsies had carelessly left lying around, pagan was now picking up to throw at jack, who was alternately trying to dodge the projectiles and trying to explain something to his very angry girlfriend. Some of the newsies whose things have been used as accessories in the argument, had scampered to retrieve their belongings, grumbling, but not wishing to get involved themselves. Meanwhile, pagan was calling jack every name in the book.
"what did cowboy do?" race muttered to mush, who was sorting out from under a pile of old socks, looking for his. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but race didn't hear the rest of it because a chair had just smashed into a wall.
"take that yah two timin' cheat!" another shoe, boots' , sailed past jack's ear, merely grazing him.
"would youse," jack cried, in futile attempts to calm her down. "would youse just listen tah me?"
"youse expect ME to believe that half-assed story? Go tah hell, jack kelly!"
pagan looked around her for more things to throw, but she'd already thrown everything in sight ( which really wasn't much). Frustrated, she stormed off, with jack following behind her, past everyone's stares. As soon as they knew the quarreling couple were outside, they went back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
Jack would fix it, thought race. He clapped his hands, fuelled with his day's winnings. The sparkle was back in his eye. "anyone up fah pokah?"
"anyone know what the fight was all about?" race asked as the cards were being dealt.
Kid blink giggled maniacally before answering. " cowboy's got a hickey and it wasn't pagan dat gave it tah him," he said. "he's busted!"
"no kiddin'?" race said. no wonder pagan was pissed. " who gave it to him, den?"
"wouldja believe da bum doesn't know?" blink continued, finding the whole things very amusing. " he says dah t'ing just appeahed in his sleep. Tawk about lame-o. cowboy's getting' way too soft if yah ask me!"
racetrack snorted in disbelief. "whaddaya mean he don't know? Like her name?"
"ise saying he don't know how he got it!" blink said. " can you believe dat? Any sucka dat got a hickey as huge as dat and didn't feel it gotta be dead from the neck down! Sheesh! The guy's got some noive comin' up wit' a lame excuse like dat."
Racetrack shook his head and made a clucking sound. He was a bit disappointed in jack.
"well, what'chu know about it?" it was skittery. " truth can be stranger than fiction."
"wha?" race said, pulling his cigar out from his mouth. " okay, you wiseguy, how would you explain it? Let's heah yaw version."
Skittery hesitated. Then he pulled up his shirt. He had hickeys all over his chest.
Racetrack's eyes popped out of his head and choked on his cigar. "wheah yah been hangin' out lately, skitts-o? eitha yah got a nasty rash dere, or..." honestly he didn't know what to think.
"wheah'd youse get dose?" kid blink, asked, incredulous. He reached up to touch them, but skittery swatted his hand away.
"in me sleep," he said. The boys weren't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. "jack's tellin' da truth."
"they itchy?" blink persisted.
"naw!" skittery said, irritated. " dumb-ass. Of caws dey don't. I jus wish I coulda been awake to enjoy it." He said, rolling his shirt back down. " some goil's been sneakin' in dis heah lodgin' house when we's all asleep."
"oh yeah?" blink shot back. "how can yah be sure it's a goil?"
Racetrack rolled his eyes. Hoo boy, skittery is getting crazier by the day. "sure, sure, " he said. " we believe youse, skitts-o. we believe youse." He shot one last look at skittery before returning to his cards. Someone sneaking into the lodging house just to give skittery and jack hickeys? it was insane! It was ridiculous. How? Why would anyone want to do that?
Jack and pagan both went to bed without making up. Jack had stuck to his story- the offending kiss marks had appeared mysteriously when he'd woken up in the morning. pagan had retreated to a dead calm and simply refused to talk to him. Before going to bed, she shot all of the newsies an accusing look, which clearly stated, "all men are scum."
Complete and utter chaos was breaking out in the lodging house after dinner. Racetrack, who was just coming home from a spider fight with profit, heard the shouting even before he got through the door. His happy mood ( due to fact that he's actually WON betting on a spider with profit's keen eye and now had pockets filled with coins) was momentarily put to a halt as he dashed up the stairs two at a time. Reaching the top, he'd barely missed being hit squarely in the face with someone's shoe, which had flown from across the room. Ducking in time, he bumped into skittery, who like the other newsies, had assembled in one side of the room. "what the.." he said crossly. Skittery glanced down briefly at race and grimaced. He didn't have to tell him what was going on. The shouting had spoken for itself.
Pagan and jack were having an argument. A huge one, because things were flying everywhere- tin cups, clothes, shoes. whatever the newsies had carelessly left lying around, pagan was now picking up to throw at jack, who was alternately trying to dodge the projectiles and trying to explain something to his very angry girlfriend. Some of the newsies whose things have been used as accessories in the argument, had scampered to retrieve their belongings, grumbling, but not wishing to get involved themselves. Meanwhile, pagan was calling jack every name in the book.
"what did cowboy do?" race muttered to mush, who was sorting out from under a pile of old socks, looking for his. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but race didn't hear the rest of it because a chair had just smashed into a wall.
"take that yah two timin' cheat!" another shoe, boots' , sailed past jack's ear, merely grazing him.
"would youse," jack cried, in futile attempts to calm her down. "would youse just listen tah me?"
"youse expect ME to believe that half-assed story? Go tah hell, jack kelly!"
pagan looked around her for more things to throw, but she'd already thrown everything in sight ( which really wasn't much). Frustrated, she stormed off, with jack following behind her, past everyone's stares. As soon as they knew the quarreling couple were outside, they went back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
Jack would fix it, thought race. He clapped his hands, fuelled with his day's winnings. The sparkle was back in his eye. "anyone up fah pokah?"
"anyone know what the fight was all about?" race asked as the cards were being dealt.
Kid blink giggled maniacally before answering. " cowboy's got a hickey and it wasn't pagan dat gave it tah him," he said. "he's busted!"
"no kiddin'?" race said. no wonder pagan was pissed. " who gave it to him, den?"
"wouldja believe da bum doesn't know?" blink continued, finding the whole things very amusing. " he says dah t'ing just appeahed in his sleep. Tawk about lame-o. cowboy's getting' way too soft if yah ask me!"
racetrack snorted in disbelief. "whaddaya mean he don't know? Like her name?"
"ise saying he don't know how he got it!" blink said. " can you believe dat? Any sucka dat got a hickey as huge as dat and didn't feel it gotta be dead from the neck down! Sheesh! The guy's got some noive comin' up wit' a lame excuse like dat."
Racetrack shook his head and made a clucking sound. He was a bit disappointed in jack.
"well, what'chu know about it?" it was skittery. " truth can be stranger than fiction."
"wha?" race said, pulling his cigar out from his mouth. " okay, you wiseguy, how would you explain it? Let's heah yaw version."
Skittery hesitated. Then he pulled up his shirt. He had hickeys all over his chest.
Racetrack's eyes popped out of his head and choked on his cigar. "wheah yah been hangin' out lately, skitts-o? eitha yah got a nasty rash dere, or..." honestly he didn't know what to think.
"wheah'd youse get dose?" kid blink, asked, incredulous. He reached up to touch them, but skittery swatted his hand away.
"in me sleep," he said. The boys weren't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. "jack's tellin' da truth."
"they itchy?" blink persisted.
"naw!" skittery said, irritated. " dumb-ass. Of caws dey don't. I jus wish I coulda been awake to enjoy it." He said, rolling his shirt back down. " some goil's been sneakin' in dis heah lodgin' house when we's all asleep."
"oh yeah?" blink shot back. "how can yah be sure it's a goil?"
Racetrack rolled his eyes. Hoo boy, skittery is getting crazier by the day. "sure, sure, " he said. " we believe youse, skitts-o. we believe youse." He shot one last look at skittery before returning to his cards. Someone sneaking into the lodging house just to give skittery and jack hickeys? it was insane! It was ridiculous. How? Why would anyone want to do that?
Jack and pagan both went to bed without making up. Jack had stuck to his story- the offending kiss marks had appeared mysteriously when he'd woken up in the morning. pagan had retreated to a dead calm and simply refused to talk to him. Before going to bed, she shot all of the newsies an accusing look, which clearly stated, "all men are scum."