Chapter Nine
Game Night
It had been three days since Rhythm had been "grounded", if you could call it that. She was stuck with Jack 24-7. The only place where he let her go alone was the bathroom.
After the first hour with only Jack to talk to Rhythm began to miss Race. She only saw Race at mealtimes and when they had finished selling. Jack was nothing like Race. Jack was always done with selling his 150 papers before Rhythm sold her 75 papers. He would offer to help her but she always said no, so he just sat there watching her.
Race would always be collecting money or making bets so he would finish last and Rhythm would wonder around the tracks (if it got boring) or help him. And Race was funny all the time and would laugh at everything, Jack laughed only when it was needed. Rhythm looked at Race as a big brother, and Jack was just... Jack.
"Rhythm hello youse in der?" Jack asked her.
"Uh? What?!"
"Nuttin, it was just dat youse was all spaced out and stuff." Said Jack stepping away from her as if he was afraid that she would blow up in his face any second. She did this every so often (like once a month, PMS!) at people who would talk to her or bother her, except Race. Jack had an idea why she did this but he still wasn't sure.
'Jesus, I's hate when she gets like this, can't woman take pills for dis ting? And boiy I's glad I's a guy!' Thought Jack.
"Oh sorry" she said but not apologetically.
"So youse gonna play tonight?" Jack asked her changing the subject.
"What?"
"In the Games"
"What the fuck are youse tawlkin about?" Rhythm asked starting to get annoyed.
"Tonoight's Game Noight. Oh dat's right youse neva been ta Game Noight"
"No I haven't. What hell is it?!"
"Well once every half a year all da newsies in New Yourk get ta gether and have a kinda fair. We play games, gamble, dance, drink and do other stuff. Every time it's at a different territory, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan The Bronx, Downtown (a territory is where one leader owns the area). Tonoight's games are gonna be in Brooklyn and they start at sundown, and end at sunrise."
"Is dat why we's headin back so early taday?"
"Yeah"
When they got back to the LH everyone was there. Rhythm went over to talk with Race and get really for the night also. Then she went to take a shower.
We's leavin in twenty minutes so get ready." Jack yelled as he walked in to the bedroom.
Rhythm took of her shirt and bandages; the gash had almost completely healed. She quickly took a hot shower. The she pulled on a black shirt over her bra. Then she put on a pair of tight black pants. She slipped a pair of black boots onto her feet; the boots stopped just below her knees. . The shirt had very thin straps and was very low-cut and also stopped above her bellybutton, which aloud her tattoo and scar/gash to be seen clearly. She started to work on her hair. She pinned it up and let small strands fall around her face. Then she put her makeup on.
When she was done all the guys were waiting for her. She walked out of the bathroom and every mouth in the room dropped. Rhythm walked past all of the guys with a smirk. She stopped at the door and turned around and said, "Well are we's gonna go."
All the boys just sat there and stared.
"Fine den I'm leaving, she said and walked out of the room and down the stairs. It took a couple of seconds for them to notice that she had left and when they did they ran after her.
**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**
The Manhattan newsies were half way to Brooklyn when Race noticed something on Rhythm's back.
"Yo Rhythm, what's dat on youse back?"
"Where?"
"Der on da right side a youse shoulder."
"Oh dat's a scar."
"From what?"
"A bullet."
"WHAT?!" All of the newsies asked. They had been paying attention to Race's conversation.
"Yeah some asshole tried ta shoot something, but got me instead. But the bullet only grazed da skin so I's wasn't seriously hurt." Rhythm answer like it was nothing to get shot at.
The rest of the way Rhythm walked in silence. She had about two dollars in her purse (that's a lot to a newsie in 1900). About a half a mile away from the Brooklyn Bridge the Manhattan newsies started to meet boys from other territories. They were half way on the Bridge and the music was already loud enough so that they were all singing to the songs they new.
Once they got there the sun was beginning to set. They all went off in different directions. The stage and the dance floor were near the water. The band was playing a very fast song. There were card tables on the other side of the stage and the games that you need to pay to play were in front of the dining area. The boxing ring was next to the Dunking booth and the pie booth was next to the ring.
Rhythm began to walk towards the dance floor. The fast song that the band was playing stopped and switched to a slow song. Rhythm also stopped she realized that she had no one to dance with and she began to walk to other way when some one pulled her onto the floor and they began to dance. That someone was SPOT!!
"I's see youse were in a bit a trouble," he said. He looked at her stomach. "I's see dat you stomach healed. I didn't know when I grabbed ya.
"Dat's ok I's shouldn't of punched youse" Rhythm said as she stared at the floor.
"Well thanks for da dance," said Spot and he kissed her hand and left.
Rhythm began to feel hungry so she went over to the food stands and bought a hot dog and began to watch the fights in the ring. A boy about eighteen walk into the ring.
"I's bet I can beat anyone in the ring!" the boy yelled. Rhythm hated people who did these things. She walked up to the ring and got in. The crowd went silent. The boy just looked at Rhythm as if she was crazy.
"What? Cat got you tongue?" She said to him.
"What are youse doin?"
"I's gonna fight ya, didn't youse just say dat youse could beat ANYONE?"
The boy knew that she was right so the ref came between them and spoke.
"Ok youse two now I's want a clean fight." He held out his hands and the boy took out his knife and gave to him. Rhythm put her purse into the old man's hands. The man stepped back and rang a bell to start the fight.
They were just standing there. Rhythm realized that she would have to throw some insults at the guy for him to start the fight.
"Hey kid ya know I met you mama da other day and boiy she's so fat that she couldn't get out da door," Rhythm said to the guy. All the people around the ring started to ooo and laugh.
"What did youse say?!" Said the boy while gritting his teeth.
"Youse heard me", said Rhythm, "She's like a meat Mac, filled with fat and only worth a buck. (A buck is slang for a cent and a Meat Mac is a hamburger type thing that they sell in the streets.)
"WHAT?!?!" Yelled the boy. He lunged at Rhythm and she dodged it. They began to fight.
Rhythm about ten minutes later they stopped both extremely exhausted. Rhythm was the only one that hit. The guy would just circle around her. They decided that they would never beat one another so they spit-shook and collected their things. Rhythm climbed out of the ring, and came face to face with Jack.
A/N: What did ya guys think? I thought that this would be a nice change from selling papers all that time!!
Game Night
It had been three days since Rhythm had been "grounded", if you could call it that. She was stuck with Jack 24-7. The only place where he let her go alone was the bathroom.
After the first hour with only Jack to talk to Rhythm began to miss Race. She only saw Race at mealtimes and when they had finished selling. Jack was nothing like Race. Jack was always done with selling his 150 papers before Rhythm sold her 75 papers. He would offer to help her but she always said no, so he just sat there watching her.
Race would always be collecting money or making bets so he would finish last and Rhythm would wonder around the tracks (if it got boring) or help him. And Race was funny all the time and would laugh at everything, Jack laughed only when it was needed. Rhythm looked at Race as a big brother, and Jack was just... Jack.
"Rhythm hello youse in der?" Jack asked her.
"Uh? What?!"
"Nuttin, it was just dat youse was all spaced out and stuff." Said Jack stepping away from her as if he was afraid that she would blow up in his face any second. She did this every so often (like once a month, PMS!) at people who would talk to her or bother her, except Race. Jack had an idea why she did this but he still wasn't sure.
'Jesus, I's hate when she gets like this, can't woman take pills for dis ting? And boiy I's glad I's a guy!' Thought Jack.
"Oh sorry" she said but not apologetically.
"So youse gonna play tonight?" Jack asked her changing the subject.
"What?"
"In the Games"
"What the fuck are youse tawlkin about?" Rhythm asked starting to get annoyed.
"Tonoight's Game Noight. Oh dat's right youse neva been ta Game Noight"
"No I haven't. What hell is it?!"
"Well once every half a year all da newsies in New Yourk get ta gether and have a kinda fair. We play games, gamble, dance, drink and do other stuff. Every time it's at a different territory, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan The Bronx, Downtown (a territory is where one leader owns the area). Tonoight's games are gonna be in Brooklyn and they start at sundown, and end at sunrise."
"Is dat why we's headin back so early taday?"
"Yeah"
When they got back to the LH everyone was there. Rhythm went over to talk with Race and get really for the night also. Then she went to take a shower.
We's leavin in twenty minutes so get ready." Jack yelled as he walked in to the bedroom.
Rhythm took of her shirt and bandages; the gash had almost completely healed. She quickly took a hot shower. The she pulled on a black shirt over her bra. Then she put on a pair of tight black pants. She slipped a pair of black boots onto her feet; the boots stopped just below her knees. . The shirt had very thin straps and was very low-cut and also stopped above her bellybutton, which aloud her tattoo and scar/gash to be seen clearly. She started to work on her hair. She pinned it up and let small strands fall around her face. Then she put her makeup on.
When she was done all the guys were waiting for her. She walked out of the bathroom and every mouth in the room dropped. Rhythm walked past all of the guys with a smirk. She stopped at the door and turned around and said, "Well are we's gonna go."
All the boys just sat there and stared.
"Fine den I'm leaving, she said and walked out of the room and down the stairs. It took a couple of seconds for them to notice that she had left and when they did they ran after her.
**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**
The Manhattan newsies were half way to Brooklyn when Race noticed something on Rhythm's back.
"Yo Rhythm, what's dat on youse back?"
"Where?"
"Der on da right side a youse shoulder."
"Oh dat's a scar."
"From what?"
"A bullet."
"WHAT?!" All of the newsies asked. They had been paying attention to Race's conversation.
"Yeah some asshole tried ta shoot something, but got me instead. But the bullet only grazed da skin so I's wasn't seriously hurt." Rhythm answer like it was nothing to get shot at.
The rest of the way Rhythm walked in silence. She had about two dollars in her purse (that's a lot to a newsie in 1900). About a half a mile away from the Brooklyn Bridge the Manhattan newsies started to meet boys from other territories. They were half way on the Bridge and the music was already loud enough so that they were all singing to the songs they new.
Once they got there the sun was beginning to set. They all went off in different directions. The stage and the dance floor were near the water. The band was playing a very fast song. There were card tables on the other side of the stage and the games that you need to pay to play were in front of the dining area. The boxing ring was next to the Dunking booth and the pie booth was next to the ring.
Rhythm began to walk towards the dance floor. The fast song that the band was playing stopped and switched to a slow song. Rhythm also stopped she realized that she had no one to dance with and she began to walk to other way when some one pulled her onto the floor and they began to dance. That someone was SPOT!!
"I's see youse were in a bit a trouble," he said. He looked at her stomach. "I's see dat you stomach healed. I didn't know when I grabbed ya.
"Dat's ok I's shouldn't of punched youse" Rhythm said as she stared at the floor.
"Well thanks for da dance," said Spot and he kissed her hand and left.
Rhythm began to feel hungry so she went over to the food stands and bought a hot dog and began to watch the fights in the ring. A boy about eighteen walk into the ring.
"I's bet I can beat anyone in the ring!" the boy yelled. Rhythm hated people who did these things. She walked up to the ring and got in. The crowd went silent. The boy just looked at Rhythm as if she was crazy.
"What? Cat got you tongue?" She said to him.
"What are youse doin?"
"I's gonna fight ya, didn't youse just say dat youse could beat ANYONE?"
The boy knew that she was right so the ref came between them and spoke.
"Ok youse two now I's want a clean fight." He held out his hands and the boy took out his knife and gave to him. Rhythm put her purse into the old man's hands. The man stepped back and rang a bell to start the fight.
They were just standing there. Rhythm realized that she would have to throw some insults at the guy for him to start the fight.
"Hey kid ya know I met you mama da other day and boiy she's so fat that she couldn't get out da door," Rhythm said to the guy. All the people around the ring started to ooo and laugh.
"What did youse say?!" Said the boy while gritting his teeth.
"Youse heard me", said Rhythm, "She's like a meat Mac, filled with fat and only worth a buck. (A buck is slang for a cent and a Meat Mac is a hamburger type thing that they sell in the streets.)
"WHAT?!?!" Yelled the boy. He lunged at Rhythm and she dodged it. They began to fight.
Rhythm about ten minutes later they stopped both extremely exhausted. Rhythm was the only one that hit. The guy would just circle around her. They decided that they would never beat one another so they spit-shook and collected their things. Rhythm climbed out of the ring, and came face to face with Jack.
A/N: What did ya guys think? I thought that this would be a nice change from selling papers all that time!!