The rest of the evening was spent getting to know the various boys
and girls who
called the lodging house home. I was particularly drawn to Bourbon, Racetrack, and a
little boy who called himself Rags. Rags couldn't have been more than seven, and the
reason for his name was apparently the outfit he had been wearing when he arrived on the
doorstep his first day. He was now more appropriately clothed in trousers, a shirt, and a
vest that were all too big for him. He ran around the boy's bunkroom with a bowler hat
cocked crazily over one eye, an older boy named Specs chasing him.
Catching Rags under one arm and holding him like a sack of flour, Specs jammed
his hat back onto his head and winked merrily at Bourbon, Racetrack, and I before
tweaking Rags' nose and throwing him onto the nearest bunk. I winced waiting for the
sickening crack of head hitting headboard, but it seemed to be a common routine for
Specs threw him safely into the center of the bed. Snitch was limping around muttering
darkly to himself his cheeks rosy from getting slapped, and shins throbbing from
Ladybug's retaliation.
I met a few of the other girls, a little firecracker of a redhead named Pistol so
named for her sharp wisecracks. She was my age, sixteen but looked younger because of
her height and slender build. There was Flinch, a timid pale mouse of a girl with fading
bruises on her arms and neck. I shuddered inwardly not wanting to know how such a little
thing got those marks. Most of the girls were teenagers, except for Flinch and Ladybug. I
met another girl named Peppermint who was licking her fingers steadily and sucking on a
piece of the red and white striped candy she was named after. She was a young teenager,
perhaps around thirteen or so. Her ginger colored hair was cropped to her shoulders and
she looked at me blankly through hazel eyes. Nell was a tall girl with honey colored hair
that fell past her shoulders in riots of curls. She looked to be Bourbon's age, around
seventeen. She greeted me civilly enough, her violet eyes curious yet cautious. She was
one of the few who were clothed in a stout skirt, blouse and shawl. The rest of the girls
were comfortable to run around in boys clothing myself included. I was informed by
Bourbon that the last girl who slept here was only a temporary. She apparently moved
between Brooklyn and Manhattan regularly when anyone was hurt or sick and needed
tending to.
"Meesh is in Brooklyn right now. On account of those bums that are messing with
Spot's boys. They got Loon today, almost right outside of the lodging house! Can you
imagine that?" Bourbon's voice was thick with emotion. I saw more than one of the other
boys clench their fists and mutter darkly. Loon was obviously well known and well liked.
I felt something stick in my throat and swallowed with difficulty. This wasn't good if my
brother's were out beating up Spot's boys for no reason.
"Once we figure out a plan, those boys will get it." Jack's voice was strong with
conviction and I felt a shiver trip down my spine. I had no doubt that Brooklyn and
Manhattan combined would be more than enough to take my brother's out of business. I
also knew suddenly why they must have gone after one of Spot's boys. When I had run
away I had promised my brother Jamie that I would get even. He had laughed, but I had
looked him in the eye and then turned to go. I knew that he understood what I meant. If I
went to the cops and told them where the gang was living and when they pulled their
heists, they would all get locked up for good. There were also a few murders that still
hadn't been solved in the area. I knew where those bodies were and who had put them
there.
I was fairly certain that my brothers were choosing to look for me amongst the
newspaper kids and also just releasing pent up aggression about the situation. Who better
to beat on then younger smaller kids? I cursed myself silently for being so foolish. Here I
thought I had freedom, but now I was going to be getting a lot of kids hurt if I stayed for
my bold words and actions. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked up from the
chair where I was sitting. Racetrack was looking at me curiously, his dark brows drawn
down in confusion.
"Hey are you okay? You look like you're thinking so hard it hurts." I chuckled
weakly, a sound that was drowned out in the sudden thunderous pounding of boots on the
stairs. Looking over, I saw Spot Conlon standing in the doorway a smirk lighting his lean
face.
"Poker gentlemen?" Racetrack leapt to his feet and hollered his agreement before
making me pull my chair next to his at the table.
"You sit by me; I don't want Brooklyn giving you any trouble." Indeed another
glance in Spot's direction saw his gaze resting on me, a wicked look in his icy eyes. He
strode towards the table and flopped loosely into the seat on my other side before
Bourbon could slide into it. Giving him a look, she leaned up against the wall next to us,
crossing her arms over her chest. A few of Spot's goons joined us, one being the boy who
that very morning had held me by my ankles over the East River. He raked his eyes over
me, a malicious smile on his lips. I coldly clenched my hand into a fist and flicked a
finger at him in an obscene gesture that made his eyes widen in anger. Jerking towards
me, he found himself nose to nose with an irate Racetrack.
"Lay off Knuckles, she's a Manhattan kid now." Racetrack's accent was thick and
he sounded like he originally came from Long Island. I saw the tension in his fingers as
he rested his hands flat on the table in front of him in an effort to restrain himself. The
rest of the room hadn't noticed the situation at the table yet. I looked at Spot, furious that
he wasn't doing anything to keep his boy in check. I was met with raised eyebrows and
an innocent look that was anything but. Finally sighing in irritation, Spot slapped his gold
topped black cane in-between the two boys and stood up. He wasn't an overly tall boy,
nor was he as thick with muscles as Knuckles was. But his manner was in- your-face
intimidating. Cocking his head at an angle he shoved Knuckles away from Race with a
hand.
"Enough with the bullshit Knuckles. You've both made your point. Any more
trouble out of either of you and I'll soak ya myself." He included me in his hostile
glower which I tried to meet without faltering. I looked away too quickly however and I
heard his low chuckle. Reseating himself beside me he looked up at Racetrack
impatiently.
"Are you going to deal this game or what?" Muttering to himself Racetrack sat
down and started to shuffle a very worn and dog-eared deck of playing cards.
"I thought you weren't coming till tomorrow," Jack appeared then a bottle of
something alcoholic in one of his hands which he passed to Spot. Spot took a healthy
swallow, sighing in satisfaction once he finished before handing it to Bourbon. I watched
Bourbon drain a good sized portion of the liquid and knew with a slight twinge that her
name not only came from her eyes but also her liking for the liquor. Jack and Spot shot
her disapproving looks which she waved at with one hand.
"Yeah well, tomorrow looks like we're going to be busy. I sent out Fog and
Runner tonight to get a handle on where those bastards are that feel the need to beat up
my boys. Once I can figure out where they are and scout their territory then I can come
up with a plan." Jack nodded and I almost opened my mouth before I realized it to tell
him that I knew where my brothers were. Spot looked at me queerly and I saw that I had
indeed opened my mouth as if to speak. Blushing foolishly I held out a hand for the
brown bottle that Bourbon held. She handed it over and I took a long drink. Raw, strong
whiskey flooded my mouth and throat. I licked my lips when I was done and enjoyed the
warm fuzzy feeling it made as it sank into my stomach. Raising my eyes I saw Racetrack
grinning at me and Spot looking at me in a way I couldn't define.
"Good stuff," I croaked out finally when my vocal chords decided to work.
Bourbon laughed and slapped me on the back before capturing the bottle in her ink-
stained hand once more. Sauntering off towards the boys playing craps, Jack and Spot
watched her go.
"I won't be seeing that bottle again," Jack said ruefully. Spot shook his head and
quirked an eyebrow at the departing girl's back.
"She getting bad?" Jack nodded and Spot exhaled a deep breath. I actually
thought I saw regret flash across his face before he caught me looking and the tough
mask was instantly replaced. The arrogant light returned to his blue eyes and I finally
made myself look away. Three other boys had joined us at the table, all Manhattan kids. I
had just met them myself but they interacted with everyone at the table warmly. Except
for Spot, I noticed. The only one who seemed easy with his company was Jack and
Racetrack. The boy with the eye-patch was one of the newcomers. He gave Spot a wide
berth sitting on the other side of the table. Flashing me a cocky grin, I remembered his
name was Kid Blink.
The other boy who sat by Blink's side was his opposite in looks. While Blink had blonde hair and blue eyes with pale skin, this boy had curly dark brown hair, a dusky
olive complexion and warm brown eyes. I knew his name was Mush and the two boys
were rarely separated. Watching their boyish antics with amusement I took a cigarette
offered to me by Jack who had taken Bourbon's position leaning up against the wall near
me and Spot. The third boy sat quietly near Blink and Mush, his crutch leaning up against
a chair. I hadn't noticed him in the early shuffle of greetings. He had brown eyes that
were both intelligent and naïve and a nose that was a trifle too large for his pale face. His
hair was curly like Mush's but lighter in color. If his nose was too big it at least matched
his ears which were a little on the large side as well. When he spoke it was usually
followed by a laugh. In truth he was the happiest looking cripple I had ever seen.
"That's Crutchy," I heard Jack say into my ear blowing a cloud of smoke past my
face. I struck a match on the table and lit a cigarette much to the dismay of Spot, who
muttered something about 'dames shouldn't smoke' before giving me a disgusted look I
was beginning to become very familiar with. Rolling my eyes and exhaling loudly, I
caught Jack's amused smirk and Racetrack murmuring a prayer under his breath.
"Something wrong.....Misery?" I met Spot's cool gaze with my irritated
green eyes and pointed my smoking cigarette at him.
"Yeah what's your problem with me?" Lighting a cigarette of his own he inhaled
sharply and then exhaled just as pointedly. Taking his cap off he set it onto the table and
placed his cane next to it. Shuffling through the hand of cards that Racetrack had just
dealt, I realized that he was stalling on purpose to annoy me.
"An answer would be nice." Slowly and steadily he set his cards down onto the
scarred, rough wooden surface of the table and lifted his eyes once more to mine.
"I have problems to deal with Misery, which don't include a snippity new girl
with a death wish. You remind me of someone and it's pissing me off that I can't
remember who." My heart lurched and I looked away quickly.
"Too bad for you then Conlon," was all I managed furious at the lack of heat in
my voice. Better to let Spot forget I existed. If that meant not standing up for myself, so
be it. At least for the time being. The rest of the night passed without incident except for
another run in with Spot that occurred when he was entering the washroom as I was
leaving it. I'm not a very tall girl, and neither am I a horribly skinny thing. I felt
threatened by Spot as he backed me against the wall his nose an inch away from mine. I
could smell the whiskey on his breath and see the cold fire in his eyes that fueled his
infamous temper. He informed me that he was going to figure out who I was and what I
was doing at his docks that morning if it was the last thing he did.
Lifting my chin I glared right back at him. His eyes held mine and couldn't
breathe in fear, or anticipation I couldn't figure out which.
"Don't...toy...with me Misery. I WILL find out if you mean any harm to any
of us newsies. Mark my words, I'll stick to you like glue if that's what it takes." I must
have made a face because he snickered and pulled away from me. Watching him
swagger into the washroom, I made my way back to the bunkroom with unseemly haste.
WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll - How could anyone not love rock and roll? I'll never know. And since I love your reviews I double or at least spaced this out a bit for ya. Race is definitely going to get a girl but I haven't decided who yet. He deserves some female lovin' after getting put in slash's so much.
KatFightOnSkis - Is this quick enough? Hehe...I'm caught up in this story so I had to write more and update it. Yeah Ladybug is definitely a cutie. Thanks for your review!
Cabby1 - I started using your character but she won't be more incorporated until the next chapter. Then hopefully I can relate her the way you described her! I really like Bourbon's character too. Thanks for letting me use your character. I'm not sure who Race and Spot are going to end up with yet so I'll think about it. ; )
called the lodging house home. I was particularly drawn to Bourbon, Racetrack, and a
little boy who called himself Rags. Rags couldn't have been more than seven, and the
reason for his name was apparently the outfit he had been wearing when he arrived on the
doorstep his first day. He was now more appropriately clothed in trousers, a shirt, and a
vest that were all too big for him. He ran around the boy's bunkroom with a bowler hat
cocked crazily over one eye, an older boy named Specs chasing him.
Catching Rags under one arm and holding him like a sack of flour, Specs jammed
his hat back onto his head and winked merrily at Bourbon, Racetrack, and I before
tweaking Rags' nose and throwing him onto the nearest bunk. I winced waiting for the
sickening crack of head hitting headboard, but it seemed to be a common routine for
Specs threw him safely into the center of the bed. Snitch was limping around muttering
darkly to himself his cheeks rosy from getting slapped, and shins throbbing from
Ladybug's retaliation.
I met a few of the other girls, a little firecracker of a redhead named Pistol so
named for her sharp wisecracks. She was my age, sixteen but looked younger because of
her height and slender build. There was Flinch, a timid pale mouse of a girl with fading
bruises on her arms and neck. I shuddered inwardly not wanting to know how such a little
thing got those marks. Most of the girls were teenagers, except for Flinch and Ladybug. I
met another girl named Peppermint who was licking her fingers steadily and sucking on a
piece of the red and white striped candy she was named after. She was a young teenager,
perhaps around thirteen or so. Her ginger colored hair was cropped to her shoulders and
she looked at me blankly through hazel eyes. Nell was a tall girl with honey colored hair
that fell past her shoulders in riots of curls. She looked to be Bourbon's age, around
seventeen. She greeted me civilly enough, her violet eyes curious yet cautious. She was
one of the few who were clothed in a stout skirt, blouse and shawl. The rest of the girls
were comfortable to run around in boys clothing myself included. I was informed by
Bourbon that the last girl who slept here was only a temporary. She apparently moved
between Brooklyn and Manhattan regularly when anyone was hurt or sick and needed
tending to.
"Meesh is in Brooklyn right now. On account of those bums that are messing with
Spot's boys. They got Loon today, almost right outside of the lodging house! Can you
imagine that?" Bourbon's voice was thick with emotion. I saw more than one of the other
boys clench their fists and mutter darkly. Loon was obviously well known and well liked.
I felt something stick in my throat and swallowed with difficulty. This wasn't good if my
brother's were out beating up Spot's boys for no reason.
"Once we figure out a plan, those boys will get it." Jack's voice was strong with
conviction and I felt a shiver trip down my spine. I had no doubt that Brooklyn and
Manhattan combined would be more than enough to take my brother's out of business. I
also knew suddenly why they must have gone after one of Spot's boys. When I had run
away I had promised my brother Jamie that I would get even. He had laughed, but I had
looked him in the eye and then turned to go. I knew that he understood what I meant. If I
went to the cops and told them where the gang was living and when they pulled their
heists, they would all get locked up for good. There were also a few murders that still
hadn't been solved in the area. I knew where those bodies were and who had put them
there.
I was fairly certain that my brothers were choosing to look for me amongst the
newspaper kids and also just releasing pent up aggression about the situation. Who better
to beat on then younger smaller kids? I cursed myself silently for being so foolish. Here I
thought I had freedom, but now I was going to be getting a lot of kids hurt if I stayed for
my bold words and actions. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked up from the
chair where I was sitting. Racetrack was looking at me curiously, his dark brows drawn
down in confusion.
"Hey are you okay? You look like you're thinking so hard it hurts." I chuckled
weakly, a sound that was drowned out in the sudden thunderous pounding of boots on the
stairs. Looking over, I saw Spot Conlon standing in the doorway a smirk lighting his lean
face.
"Poker gentlemen?" Racetrack leapt to his feet and hollered his agreement before
making me pull my chair next to his at the table.
"You sit by me; I don't want Brooklyn giving you any trouble." Indeed another
glance in Spot's direction saw his gaze resting on me, a wicked look in his icy eyes. He
strode towards the table and flopped loosely into the seat on my other side before
Bourbon could slide into it. Giving him a look, she leaned up against the wall next to us,
crossing her arms over her chest. A few of Spot's goons joined us, one being the boy who
that very morning had held me by my ankles over the East River. He raked his eyes over
me, a malicious smile on his lips. I coldly clenched my hand into a fist and flicked a
finger at him in an obscene gesture that made his eyes widen in anger. Jerking towards
me, he found himself nose to nose with an irate Racetrack.
"Lay off Knuckles, she's a Manhattan kid now." Racetrack's accent was thick and
he sounded like he originally came from Long Island. I saw the tension in his fingers as
he rested his hands flat on the table in front of him in an effort to restrain himself. The
rest of the room hadn't noticed the situation at the table yet. I looked at Spot, furious that
he wasn't doing anything to keep his boy in check. I was met with raised eyebrows and
an innocent look that was anything but. Finally sighing in irritation, Spot slapped his gold
topped black cane in-between the two boys and stood up. He wasn't an overly tall boy,
nor was he as thick with muscles as Knuckles was. But his manner was in- your-face
intimidating. Cocking his head at an angle he shoved Knuckles away from Race with a
hand.
"Enough with the bullshit Knuckles. You've both made your point. Any more
trouble out of either of you and I'll soak ya myself." He included me in his hostile
glower which I tried to meet without faltering. I looked away too quickly however and I
heard his low chuckle. Reseating himself beside me he looked up at Racetrack
impatiently.
"Are you going to deal this game or what?" Muttering to himself Racetrack sat
down and started to shuffle a very worn and dog-eared deck of playing cards.
"I thought you weren't coming till tomorrow," Jack appeared then a bottle of
something alcoholic in one of his hands which he passed to Spot. Spot took a healthy
swallow, sighing in satisfaction once he finished before handing it to Bourbon. I watched
Bourbon drain a good sized portion of the liquid and knew with a slight twinge that her
name not only came from her eyes but also her liking for the liquor. Jack and Spot shot
her disapproving looks which she waved at with one hand.
"Yeah well, tomorrow looks like we're going to be busy. I sent out Fog and
Runner tonight to get a handle on where those bastards are that feel the need to beat up
my boys. Once I can figure out where they are and scout their territory then I can come
up with a plan." Jack nodded and I almost opened my mouth before I realized it to tell
him that I knew where my brothers were. Spot looked at me queerly and I saw that I had
indeed opened my mouth as if to speak. Blushing foolishly I held out a hand for the
brown bottle that Bourbon held. She handed it over and I took a long drink. Raw, strong
whiskey flooded my mouth and throat. I licked my lips when I was done and enjoyed the
warm fuzzy feeling it made as it sank into my stomach. Raising my eyes I saw Racetrack
grinning at me and Spot looking at me in a way I couldn't define.
"Good stuff," I croaked out finally when my vocal chords decided to work.
Bourbon laughed and slapped me on the back before capturing the bottle in her ink-
stained hand once more. Sauntering off towards the boys playing craps, Jack and Spot
watched her go.
"I won't be seeing that bottle again," Jack said ruefully. Spot shook his head and
quirked an eyebrow at the departing girl's back.
"She getting bad?" Jack nodded and Spot exhaled a deep breath. I actually
thought I saw regret flash across his face before he caught me looking and the tough
mask was instantly replaced. The arrogant light returned to his blue eyes and I finally
made myself look away. Three other boys had joined us at the table, all Manhattan kids. I
had just met them myself but they interacted with everyone at the table warmly. Except
for Spot, I noticed. The only one who seemed easy with his company was Jack and
Racetrack. The boy with the eye-patch was one of the newcomers. He gave Spot a wide
berth sitting on the other side of the table. Flashing me a cocky grin, I remembered his
name was Kid Blink.
The other boy who sat by Blink's side was his opposite in looks. While Blink had blonde hair and blue eyes with pale skin, this boy had curly dark brown hair, a dusky
olive complexion and warm brown eyes. I knew his name was Mush and the two boys
were rarely separated. Watching their boyish antics with amusement I took a cigarette
offered to me by Jack who had taken Bourbon's position leaning up against the wall near
me and Spot. The third boy sat quietly near Blink and Mush, his crutch leaning up against
a chair. I hadn't noticed him in the early shuffle of greetings. He had brown eyes that
were both intelligent and naïve and a nose that was a trifle too large for his pale face. His
hair was curly like Mush's but lighter in color. If his nose was too big it at least matched
his ears which were a little on the large side as well. When he spoke it was usually
followed by a laugh. In truth he was the happiest looking cripple I had ever seen.
"That's Crutchy," I heard Jack say into my ear blowing a cloud of smoke past my
face. I struck a match on the table and lit a cigarette much to the dismay of Spot, who
muttered something about 'dames shouldn't smoke' before giving me a disgusted look I
was beginning to become very familiar with. Rolling my eyes and exhaling loudly, I
caught Jack's amused smirk and Racetrack murmuring a prayer under his breath.
"Something wrong.....Misery?" I met Spot's cool gaze with my irritated
green eyes and pointed my smoking cigarette at him.
"Yeah what's your problem with me?" Lighting a cigarette of his own he inhaled
sharply and then exhaled just as pointedly. Taking his cap off he set it onto the table and
placed his cane next to it. Shuffling through the hand of cards that Racetrack had just
dealt, I realized that he was stalling on purpose to annoy me.
"An answer would be nice." Slowly and steadily he set his cards down onto the
scarred, rough wooden surface of the table and lifted his eyes once more to mine.
"I have problems to deal with Misery, which don't include a snippity new girl
with a death wish. You remind me of someone and it's pissing me off that I can't
remember who." My heart lurched and I looked away quickly.
"Too bad for you then Conlon," was all I managed furious at the lack of heat in
my voice. Better to let Spot forget I existed. If that meant not standing up for myself, so
be it. At least for the time being. The rest of the night passed without incident except for
another run in with Spot that occurred when he was entering the washroom as I was
leaving it. I'm not a very tall girl, and neither am I a horribly skinny thing. I felt
threatened by Spot as he backed me against the wall his nose an inch away from mine. I
could smell the whiskey on his breath and see the cold fire in his eyes that fueled his
infamous temper. He informed me that he was going to figure out who I was and what I
was doing at his docks that morning if it was the last thing he did.
Lifting my chin I glared right back at him. His eyes held mine and couldn't
breathe in fear, or anticipation I couldn't figure out which.
"Don't...toy...with me Misery. I WILL find out if you mean any harm to any
of us newsies. Mark my words, I'll stick to you like glue if that's what it takes." I must
have made a face because he snickered and pulled away from me. Watching him
swagger into the washroom, I made my way back to the bunkroom with unseemly haste.
WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll - How could anyone not love rock and roll? I'll never know. And since I love your reviews I double or at least spaced this out a bit for ya. Race is definitely going to get a girl but I haven't decided who yet. He deserves some female lovin' after getting put in slash's so much.
KatFightOnSkis - Is this quick enough? Hehe...I'm caught up in this story so I had to write more and update it. Yeah Ladybug is definitely a cutie. Thanks for your review!
Cabby1 - I started using your character but she won't be more incorporated until the next chapter. Then hopefully I can relate her the way you described her! I really like Bourbon's character too. Thanks for letting me use your character. I'm not sure who Race and Spot are going to end up with yet so I'll think about it. ; )