Jess hurried down the empty street, looking around cautiously. I
could be walking with Mush, she thought wistfully. A small smile played
across her lips. Just the though of Mush banished away her worries and
turned her to, well. mush. He was her savior, her soul mate, her other
half. Whenever she was away from him, it almost hurt.
I can't believe all of this is happening so fast. I just came to New York a month ago! If anyone ever told me then that I would be head-over- heels in love with a newsie, I'd have slapped them for even suggesting it! Her smile grew wider as she thought back to the day they first met.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"S'cuse me, miss?" Jess felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a boy, about her age, dressed in brown shorts, a dirty white shirt, and a brown vest, holding a brown cap in one hand. "Ya look lost. Can I help ya find somethin'?"
Actually, she was desperately lost. She had only moved to New York two days ago, and she still couldn't find her way around the big city. She smiled and opened her mouth to say as much when she spotted the stack of newspapers the boy held in his hand.
He's a newsie! she realized, shocked. Her smile was instantly replaced by a frown. Her brothers had told her about newsies. They said that they roamed the streets, tricking people into buying their newspapers. The newsies lied and cheated, and no respectable person should have anything to do with them. Her brothers were always telling her stories about newsies, how some were disfigured, others gambled all their money away, and some pretended to be crippled so they could sell more papers. They were almost all criminals, but according to her brothers, their leader was the worst. He had spent two years in the House of Refuge, a jail for kids. He was only out now because some big shot had taken pity on the street rat.
Jess knew better to associate herself with him. "I am not lost, and even if I was, I wouldn't be asking for help from you!" she said curtly, turning up her nose at him.
The boy's jaw dropped. He had obviously not gotten the answer he was expecting. Jess saw that his face go from hopeful to stunned, and (she had thought) a little hurt. "I- I'se sorry for disturbin' ya miss. I didn't mean no disrespect." He stammered. He quietly put his hat back on his head and walked off, looking at the ground.
No, Jess reminded herself. He's a newsie. They don't even have feelings. Not like normal people. Now, where can I find a nice, respectable person to ask directions from? Jess scanned the crowd of people.
There! Jess spotted a well-dressed man who looked to be in his mid- thirties leaning against a lamppost. She smoothed her skirt and ran her hands through her hair before approaching. "Excuse me, sir?" she asked politely.
The man turned around. When he saw who was talking to him, a smile played across his lips. "Well hello there, little missy," he said in a deep southern accent. His eyes danced across her, looking her over from head to toe, and everywhere in-between. "What do we have here?"
Something about the way he spoke gave Jess the creeps. "Well, sir," she began. "I'm afraid I'm lost, and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get where I'm going."
"Why my dear," he drawled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think you need to be going anywhere but here."
Jess suddenly had a bad feeling about this man and forced herself to resist the urge to run. "Actually, I do." She nervously replied. "Could you please tell me how to get to Perry Street?" she could hear a hint of panic in her voice. The man gave a big sigh, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
"Now, you see, I could tell you how to get there. But if I did, what would be in it for me? No profit, you see? I'm a business man, and I always have to have a profit." His eyes stopped looking at her body and focused on her face. "But, if you were to make it worth my while.that would change things, wouldn't it?"
It took Jess a second to realize what he was talking about. When it finally hit her, she felt scummy all over. She took a step back, jerking her shoulder out from beneath his hand. She didn't want him touching her. She gave him one final disgusting look and turned to leave.
"Where do you think you're going, little missy?" he growled, grabbing her roughly by her shoulders. "You can't just leave, now that we got a.a special relationship, you see?"
Jess was frozen with fear. She looked into his eyes and saw a menacing glint in them. How could I have thought he looked safe? She wondered.
Before she could fight back, or even scream, the man shoved her into a near by alley. "This doesn't have to be hard, little missy. Why don't you just relax and make it nice and easy for me?" he tossed back his head and gave a loud, sinister laugh.
It wasn't until she saw him fumbling with his belt that she found her voice and began to scream. "Help me! Somebody please! He-" She was cut off by a hand across her face.
"You little bitch!" The man seethed. "Shut your mouth!" Jess flinched and looked down as he raised his and to hit her again. She prepared herself for the blow, but it never came.
" Didn't ya motha eva tell you dat its not polite to hassle goils?" Jess looked up. It was the boy. He stood there, grasping the man's raised hand. There was a fierce look in his eyes, and Jess immediately forgot why she had ever thought him to be a street rat.
The man sneered. "Who do you think you a-"he began, but he was cut off by the boy's fist smashing in his face. The force of the blow sent the man sprawling across the alley. The boy knelt down and looked Jess in the eye.
"Are you alright?" he asked, and Jess was surprised at the amount of concern in his eyes. She only nodded, still a little stunned. The boy nodded back and stood, turning to look at where the man lay. "Is dat enough for ya, or do ya want some more?" he asked defiantly.
The man staggered to his feet. From the amount of blood on his face and hands, Jess would say that the boy had broken his nose. He looked to the boy, then to Jess, and back at the boy. He must have decided that she wasn't worth another beating, because he ran out of the alley like the devil was at his heels.
The boy watched the man go, then turned back to Jess and offered a hand to help her up. Jess hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. For a moment she was speechless. When she finally found her voice, she quietly asked, "Why did you do that? Help me, I mean. After I was so terrible-" Jess blushed and fell silent.
"Didja jist think I'd ignore ya, leave ya here?" he asked with a smile. "I couldn't resist a cry for help."
"Well, thank you. Mr.-?" she looked at him inquiringly.
"Me names Mush. No mistah." He stuck out his hand.
Jess looked at his hand, and this time there was no hesitation. "My name's Jess. Nice to meet you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess turned onto her street, still savoring the memory. She had spent the rest of the day with Mush, letting him show her around the city, and she was surprised that when the time came to leave him and go home, she was disappointed. They had made plans to meet the next day, and had spent almost every day together since.
Just goes to show you, you can't judge a book by its cover, she thought. Mush had shown her that newsies weren't as bad as her brothers had originally described. In fact, they weren't anything like what her brothers had made them out to be. All of the newsies were as kind as Mush was. Now that she had gotten to know them, she realized that they were some of the kindest people you could find in New York City (if you didn't count the nuns). Jess couldn't believe that she was lucky enough to be going steady with Mush. It still seemed as surreal as the day he first asked her to be his girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She could remember it like it was yesterday. They were sitting on the rooftop, just watching the sunset and enjoying each other's company. At least, she thought he was watching the sunset, but when she looked over at him, he was staring at her, not the horizon. She smiled slightly and leaned in to him.
"This is a great view," she said, trying to avoid the fact that he didn't care about the view.
"Uh, yeah, its great" he said. Obviously he didn't expect her to ignore him like that. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he just didn't know the right words. He finally got up the nerve, and before he could even plan what he was going to say, he blurted everything out.
"Jess, I adore ya. You'se da most beautiful goil I'se eva met. I don't know what I'd do if ya jist got up 'n walked away right now. I need ya. I never wanna let ya outta my sight again. I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, will ya be my goil?"
Jess was speechless. She had had a lot of boyfriends, but none of them had been this romantic. She was pretty sure that she felt the same way about him, but she wasn't sure that would be enough.
He was a newsie. She couldn't believe that she had even let herself get this close to him. What would her brothers do if they found out? She couldn't keep it a secret; anyone could tell when she was in love, which wasn't often. She looked over at him, her eyes taking in his curly brown hair and his dream's eyes. Those eyes that she loved so much.they were full of sadness. He looked defeated and crushed, as though she had already said no. But she hadn't, and she wasn't planning to. To hell with her brothers. She would do whatever she wanted.
"Mush. I feel da same way about you. I'd love ta be ya goil." Mush's head snapped up and he looked like he had just been awarded a million dollars. They sat there the rest of the night, just basking in the comfort of the other's presence.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess shook her head, bringing herself out of the memory. She looked around and realized that she was outside her apartment building. She quickly walked inside and ran up to stairs to her apartment.
Jess opened the door as carefully and quietly as she could and shut it behind her. It wasn't quiet enough though. As soon as the latch clicked, her oldest brother came out. He had the same serious look on his face that he always had, but he wasn't the one that she worried about. Jess did know however, that where one lead, the other was sure to follow.
"Heya Jess!" her second oldest brother came out from the doorway of the room her brothers shared. "Where were ya so late?" he asked in mock authority. He had never been one of compassion, but both of her brothers were extremely protective.
"Jist.out 'n about." she replied. They still didn't know that Jess spent her days with the newsies. If you asked them, they would still say that Jess was a newsie hater, same as them. Jess had only started living with her brothers a month ago. Before that she had been living with her grandmother. When she died, Jess sought out the only family she had left, and found her two brothers and uncle. Even though she liked the newsies more, she still cared for her family. They were her family, after all, no matter how bad she wished they weren't.
"'Jist out 'n about'?" her oldest brother repeated. "Doin' what?"
"Aww, lay off her, Morris, she's jist havin' some fun." Oscar scolded. He turned back to Jess. "So sis, what do ya say me 'n you'se and Morris spent some quality time togetha' tomorra? Jist the three of us, huh?" Jess hesitated. If she didn't, they might know that something was up. But if she didn't, they might get suspicious.
"Shoah, sounds great." She said weakly.
"Great. Meet us at da Brooklyn bridge at 8, alright? And don't be late." Oscar added darkly.
"What are we gonna do?" Jess asked nervously.
Morris laughed. "You'll see."
Jessica Delancey shivered. Even though she had only known her brothers for a month, she knew that tone of voice. Jess didn't want to know what he could do when he used that tone. She silently prayed that he would never find out about her and Mush, because she knew she would hear that voice - right before he killed her boyfriend.
I can't believe all of this is happening so fast. I just came to New York a month ago! If anyone ever told me then that I would be head-over- heels in love with a newsie, I'd have slapped them for even suggesting it! Her smile grew wider as she thought back to the day they first met.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"S'cuse me, miss?" Jess felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a boy, about her age, dressed in brown shorts, a dirty white shirt, and a brown vest, holding a brown cap in one hand. "Ya look lost. Can I help ya find somethin'?"
Actually, she was desperately lost. She had only moved to New York two days ago, and she still couldn't find her way around the big city. She smiled and opened her mouth to say as much when she spotted the stack of newspapers the boy held in his hand.
He's a newsie! she realized, shocked. Her smile was instantly replaced by a frown. Her brothers had told her about newsies. They said that they roamed the streets, tricking people into buying their newspapers. The newsies lied and cheated, and no respectable person should have anything to do with them. Her brothers were always telling her stories about newsies, how some were disfigured, others gambled all their money away, and some pretended to be crippled so they could sell more papers. They were almost all criminals, but according to her brothers, their leader was the worst. He had spent two years in the House of Refuge, a jail for kids. He was only out now because some big shot had taken pity on the street rat.
Jess knew better to associate herself with him. "I am not lost, and even if I was, I wouldn't be asking for help from you!" she said curtly, turning up her nose at him.
The boy's jaw dropped. He had obviously not gotten the answer he was expecting. Jess saw that his face go from hopeful to stunned, and (she had thought) a little hurt. "I- I'se sorry for disturbin' ya miss. I didn't mean no disrespect." He stammered. He quietly put his hat back on his head and walked off, looking at the ground.
No, Jess reminded herself. He's a newsie. They don't even have feelings. Not like normal people. Now, where can I find a nice, respectable person to ask directions from? Jess scanned the crowd of people.
There! Jess spotted a well-dressed man who looked to be in his mid- thirties leaning against a lamppost. She smoothed her skirt and ran her hands through her hair before approaching. "Excuse me, sir?" she asked politely.
The man turned around. When he saw who was talking to him, a smile played across his lips. "Well hello there, little missy," he said in a deep southern accent. His eyes danced across her, looking her over from head to toe, and everywhere in-between. "What do we have here?"
Something about the way he spoke gave Jess the creeps. "Well, sir," she began. "I'm afraid I'm lost, and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get where I'm going."
"Why my dear," he drawled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think you need to be going anywhere but here."
Jess suddenly had a bad feeling about this man and forced herself to resist the urge to run. "Actually, I do." She nervously replied. "Could you please tell me how to get to Perry Street?" she could hear a hint of panic in her voice. The man gave a big sigh, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
"Now, you see, I could tell you how to get there. But if I did, what would be in it for me? No profit, you see? I'm a business man, and I always have to have a profit." His eyes stopped looking at her body and focused on her face. "But, if you were to make it worth my while.that would change things, wouldn't it?"
It took Jess a second to realize what he was talking about. When it finally hit her, she felt scummy all over. She took a step back, jerking her shoulder out from beneath his hand. She didn't want him touching her. She gave him one final disgusting look and turned to leave.
"Where do you think you're going, little missy?" he growled, grabbing her roughly by her shoulders. "You can't just leave, now that we got a.a special relationship, you see?"
Jess was frozen with fear. She looked into his eyes and saw a menacing glint in them. How could I have thought he looked safe? She wondered.
Before she could fight back, or even scream, the man shoved her into a near by alley. "This doesn't have to be hard, little missy. Why don't you just relax and make it nice and easy for me?" he tossed back his head and gave a loud, sinister laugh.
It wasn't until she saw him fumbling with his belt that she found her voice and began to scream. "Help me! Somebody please! He-" She was cut off by a hand across her face.
"You little bitch!" The man seethed. "Shut your mouth!" Jess flinched and looked down as he raised his and to hit her again. She prepared herself for the blow, but it never came.
" Didn't ya motha eva tell you dat its not polite to hassle goils?" Jess looked up. It was the boy. He stood there, grasping the man's raised hand. There was a fierce look in his eyes, and Jess immediately forgot why she had ever thought him to be a street rat.
The man sneered. "Who do you think you a-"he began, but he was cut off by the boy's fist smashing in his face. The force of the blow sent the man sprawling across the alley. The boy knelt down and looked Jess in the eye.
"Are you alright?" he asked, and Jess was surprised at the amount of concern in his eyes. She only nodded, still a little stunned. The boy nodded back and stood, turning to look at where the man lay. "Is dat enough for ya, or do ya want some more?" he asked defiantly.
The man staggered to his feet. From the amount of blood on his face and hands, Jess would say that the boy had broken his nose. He looked to the boy, then to Jess, and back at the boy. He must have decided that she wasn't worth another beating, because he ran out of the alley like the devil was at his heels.
The boy watched the man go, then turned back to Jess and offered a hand to help her up. Jess hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. For a moment she was speechless. When she finally found her voice, she quietly asked, "Why did you do that? Help me, I mean. After I was so terrible-" Jess blushed and fell silent.
"Didja jist think I'd ignore ya, leave ya here?" he asked with a smile. "I couldn't resist a cry for help."
"Well, thank you. Mr.-?" she looked at him inquiringly.
"Me names Mush. No mistah." He stuck out his hand.
Jess looked at his hand, and this time there was no hesitation. "My name's Jess. Nice to meet you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess turned onto her street, still savoring the memory. She had spent the rest of the day with Mush, letting him show her around the city, and she was surprised that when the time came to leave him and go home, she was disappointed. They had made plans to meet the next day, and had spent almost every day together since.
Just goes to show you, you can't judge a book by its cover, she thought. Mush had shown her that newsies weren't as bad as her brothers had originally described. In fact, they weren't anything like what her brothers had made them out to be. All of the newsies were as kind as Mush was. Now that she had gotten to know them, she realized that they were some of the kindest people you could find in New York City (if you didn't count the nuns). Jess couldn't believe that she was lucky enough to be going steady with Mush. It still seemed as surreal as the day he first asked her to be his girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She could remember it like it was yesterday. They were sitting on the rooftop, just watching the sunset and enjoying each other's company. At least, she thought he was watching the sunset, but when she looked over at him, he was staring at her, not the horizon. She smiled slightly and leaned in to him.
"This is a great view," she said, trying to avoid the fact that he didn't care about the view.
"Uh, yeah, its great" he said. Obviously he didn't expect her to ignore him like that. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he just didn't know the right words. He finally got up the nerve, and before he could even plan what he was going to say, he blurted everything out.
"Jess, I adore ya. You'se da most beautiful goil I'se eva met. I don't know what I'd do if ya jist got up 'n walked away right now. I need ya. I never wanna let ya outta my sight again. I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, will ya be my goil?"
Jess was speechless. She had had a lot of boyfriends, but none of them had been this romantic. She was pretty sure that she felt the same way about him, but she wasn't sure that would be enough.
He was a newsie. She couldn't believe that she had even let herself get this close to him. What would her brothers do if they found out? She couldn't keep it a secret; anyone could tell when she was in love, which wasn't often. She looked over at him, her eyes taking in his curly brown hair and his dream's eyes. Those eyes that she loved so much.they were full of sadness. He looked defeated and crushed, as though she had already said no. But she hadn't, and she wasn't planning to. To hell with her brothers. She would do whatever she wanted.
"Mush. I feel da same way about you. I'd love ta be ya goil." Mush's head snapped up and he looked like he had just been awarded a million dollars. They sat there the rest of the night, just basking in the comfort of the other's presence.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*wavy effect*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess shook her head, bringing herself out of the memory. She looked around and realized that she was outside her apartment building. She quickly walked inside and ran up to stairs to her apartment.
Jess opened the door as carefully and quietly as she could and shut it behind her. It wasn't quiet enough though. As soon as the latch clicked, her oldest brother came out. He had the same serious look on his face that he always had, but he wasn't the one that she worried about. Jess did know however, that where one lead, the other was sure to follow.
"Heya Jess!" her second oldest brother came out from the doorway of the room her brothers shared. "Where were ya so late?" he asked in mock authority. He had never been one of compassion, but both of her brothers were extremely protective.
"Jist.out 'n about." she replied. They still didn't know that Jess spent her days with the newsies. If you asked them, they would still say that Jess was a newsie hater, same as them. Jess had only started living with her brothers a month ago. Before that she had been living with her grandmother. When she died, Jess sought out the only family she had left, and found her two brothers and uncle. Even though she liked the newsies more, she still cared for her family. They were her family, after all, no matter how bad she wished they weren't.
"'Jist out 'n about'?" her oldest brother repeated. "Doin' what?"
"Aww, lay off her, Morris, she's jist havin' some fun." Oscar scolded. He turned back to Jess. "So sis, what do ya say me 'n you'se and Morris spent some quality time togetha' tomorra? Jist the three of us, huh?" Jess hesitated. If she didn't, they might know that something was up. But if she didn't, they might get suspicious.
"Shoah, sounds great." She said weakly.
"Great. Meet us at da Brooklyn bridge at 8, alright? And don't be late." Oscar added darkly.
"What are we gonna do?" Jess asked nervously.
Morris laughed. "You'll see."
Jessica Delancey shivered. Even though she had only known her brothers for a month, she knew that tone of voice. Jess didn't want to know what he could do when he used that tone. She silently prayed that he would never find out about her and Mush, because she knew she would hear that voice - right before he killed her boyfriend.