A/N: yeah…another short chapter. I dunno what I'm gonna do with myself…every chapter could very well be the end, but that's not a good ending! Everything all, happy and lovey-dovey. Nope. Not my thing. Hope you're not too made at me for dragging this on so long with such short chapters…
Disclaimer: I don't think I ever put a disclaimer on this story…well here it is and it applies to this chapter, all previous chapters, and all following chapters. I don't own Newsies. In fact, I own very little. So please, no suing me!
Shout-outs!
Blue Boxer- yeah, I really hate Sarah. I love to tease my Ellie!muse and my Jack!muse.
CHAPTER 6- Nothing Can Stay Perfect
"Whoa, look who's finally a couple! Nevah thought dat would happen!" Race exclaimed sarcastically when Jack and I walked into the bunkroom holding hands.
"Ahhh, dey ain't gonna be makin' out all da time like Flare 'n' Race, are dey?" Snipeshooter complained while dodging the pillow thrown by Race. The days went by exceptionally well. I really loved being a newsie. I wanted to stay here, being independent from rules but still having my best friends along side of me. Flare and I had become good friends, being the only two girls that were at the lodging house regularly. I had become good friends with the guys as well. How could I not? I lived with them, sold with them, ate with them, did basically everything with them. Everything was going perfect, and everyone knows that nothing can stay perfect.
~*~
"Letter for Miss Eleanor Orlesworth." the messenger said to Kloppman.
"Oh, I'll take that. She's upstairs" Kloppman answered as the messenger nodded and handed him the piece of folded white paper.
"Ellie!" he called up the stairs. I heard him, and walked down the stairs. He held the paper out to me and walked back to his desk. I opened it up and stood there gawking as I read it. There, printed in black type-written ink, was this:
ELINOR ORLESWORTH IS TO TAKE THE S.S.HAWTON BACK TO ENGLAND. SHE WILL BE ESCORTED BY TWO OF MEREDETH BLAKELY'S PERSONAL GUARDS UNTIL SHE REACHES THE CARE OF MISS MEREDITH BLAKELY HERSELF. THE ESCORTS WILL BE ARRIVING ON FEBRUARY 12, 1900.
No. I loved it here. I couldn't leave. I was so shaken that I didn't even notice Jack was standing behind me.
"Ellie? Ellie what is it? Are you alright?" he asked concernedly. I turned around and collapsed into him in tears. He held me until I was able to speak, then he asked me what he was wondering.
"Ellie, who's da letter from? What does it say?" he placed his hand on my red, swollen cheek and gently stroked it.
"It was from my aunt. She is demanding that I go and live with her. In England." I choked out before I burst into tears again. Jack pressed my head against his chest and resting his head on mine.
"I don't want to go. She's all the way in England! How can she get me to go?" I sobbed, mainly to myself. When I finally got a hold of myself, (again) Jack held my face in his hands.
"Go wit 'er. It'll be bettah for ya. Even if you don't want it, it'll woik out." I wasn't expecting that. He was supposed to hatch a crazy scheme to keep me here. I looked at him with a look that was right between confused and hurt. I wriggled free of his arms and ran up the staircase he was not blocking. This staircase led up to the roof, and this way I didn't have to pass through the bunkroom. I sat on the edge of the roof, unsafely dangling my legs off the edge. A few minutes later, I heard the metal door open and shut and slow footsteps coming towards me. Jack sat down next to me, but I looked away from him.
"Ellie. I ain't tryin to hoit ya. I love you so much and I'm gonna die when you leave, but ya gotta leave. If you don't you'll regret it. I know I did." he added the last sentence quietly. I looked at him, puzzled, waiting for an explanation.
"My parents, well lets just say dey weren't exactly da parentin' type. But my uncle was. He owned a ranch out west. In Santa Fe. He invited me to go live wit 'im, but I said no. I had just become a newsie, and I was lovin' it. But after a while, it got old. I wished that I could go out west, but I was pretty sure my uncle didn't want me anymore. He had a family, money- no need fer a fifteen year-old boy wit no skills at all. So I stayed 'ere. I wished everyday dat I could go to Santa Fe, but then about, t'ree months before da strike, I got woid dat my uncle n his entire family had been killed. I nevah told anyone dat, and kept up da hope of goin' to Santa Fe. When I finally got da chance to go, I had nothing to go to." I was speechless. You could never tell by looking at him that he had been through so much trauma and tragedy.
"I'm…I…oh, Jack!" I embraced him in a tight hug. I just wanted all of our problems to go away. Just be taken away in the crisp fall chill.