Chapter 4
The next day I woke up to the sound of boys yelling and Clips saying, "Shut up! Ise wanna sleep! Now leave me be!" She pulled her blanket over her head exposing her bare feet.
"Git Up!" yelled Knifes a newsboy that stayed there, as he tickled her feet.
"Stop that Knifey!" she laughed as she uncovered her head to reveal a mass of brown hair all tangled from her struggle to stay in bed.
All around the room there were boys fixing their hair, talking, playing cards, and others were flirting with Zippy and Sage. Now that there was better light I could tell what everyone looked like. Nova had short black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was a lot taller than I was, he looked mean, but at the same time kind, at least I knew he was kind he showed me that last night. Clips had longer brown hair, and was not that much taller than me she had freckles across her nose and a friendly personality. Zippy had bushy brown hair that was kept in a pony-tale, and gray eyes. Sage was taller than me, she had curly auburn hair, and green eyes. Knifes was 6'2" had dirty blond hair that came down to his cheek and was always slicked back and in a hat, ice blue eyes, and tan skin. They called him Knifes because he fought with them and always had one.
"G'mornin, Cards!" said Nova, still half-asleep.
"Good mornin." I yawned sitting up rubbing my eyes.
"How ya doin dis mornin'?" he asked.
"Ise a'right, bit tired." I answered standing up. "Heah dese are for you." He handed me a white shirt, black suspenders, brown vest, black pants and black shoes. "Dey used ta be mine, so there a bit worn in, and probably too big." He smirked.
I thanked him and walked into the wash room and changed. I had to cuff the pant legs, and I rolled up the shirtsleeves. The shoes fit fine though. I went back into the now empty bunkroom, I lifted up my mattress and grabbed my cap.
"Wat ya doin'?" Nova asked while he put on his brown cap.
"Jist grabbin' me cap." I replied as I tucked my hair under the cap.
"I don't t'ink dat it fits ya too good." he commented as my hat fell over my eyes.
"Yeah but Ise like it, so it woiks." I pushed it up.
"Ok… oh yeah me and da other newsies always go to breakfast at Shardners a diner a few blocks away, wanna come? My treat." He asked as we walked out of the lodging house.
"Yeah, sure." I answered with a smile.
OK dis way, its quicker to go through da back alleys." He said pulling me by the arm into a dark alley.
A'right." I mumbled as we started running. "Whoa!" I yelled as I jumped over a crate.
"Oh yeah, watch out fer Boxes and junk." He gestured to the box I just about tripped over.
"T'anks, but Ise t'ink yer a bit late on dat one." I laughed.
We ran all the way to Shardners and when we got there a boy came out and yelled "Heya Nova! How's it goin? We've been waitin for ya!"
"Sorry I took da alley way!" he yelled back. We went inside and sat down. More boys came in and sat around us.
"What would you like this morning Nova?" asked a waitress.
"Da usual Kate."
"And what would you like?" she now turned to me.
"Uh…whatever he jist got…" I answered giving her a smile.
"Ok." She whispered Confused, walking to tell the cook.
I sat there in silence as newsies started walking in and sitting with their friends. I was looking around the room with an empty look in my eyes; newsies would stare at me with a confused look.
I could hear murmurs of "Wat she doin' wit da leadah?" and "Who's dat?"
Finally da silence broke when a taller boy walked in and Nova got up, spit in his hand and held it out saying, "Hiya Tweak hows it rollin?"
The boy spit in his hand and shook Nova's saying, "Heya Nova, nottin much, hows da gang?"
"Dere doin great… we gots a new goil heah, 'er name is Cards." Nova replied, walking over to our table with Tweak. "Cards, dis is Tweak, He's me best boy." Nova introduced.
I spit in my hand and held it out, "Hiya Tweak." He did likewise and shook my hand.
"Heya Cards, how long ya been heah?" He asked sitting down.
"Since yestah day." I replied, taking my cards out of my pocket and shuffling them, it was a black faded maverick style deck.
"Is dat why dey call ya Cards?" Tweak asked, pointing at my cards.
"No she got da name by beaten me outta a hand of pokah." Nova answered for me.
"Oh wanna play den Cards?" Tweak challenged. "Shoah." I simply stated dealing out five cards each. When Tweak looked at his hand he smirked and da boys behind him looked happy. When I looked at my hand and saw just a pair of aces I wasn't too happy, I usually get better. He gave two cards away and I gave him his two, I gave away three and took my trade wit the other cards. I now had a full house, three aces and two kings.
"I call!" yelled Tweak, with a proud look on his face similar to the boys behind him. When I put down my cards the glare faded away from the boys and a look of shock replaced it. "Damit." was the only word that came from Tweak's mouth as he put his cards down on the table.
The other boys cheered "Good job Cards! You beat da unbeatable." I started picking up the cards because Kate was coming with the food.
"Here you go guys, enjoy!" she smiled putting the food on the table, it was one piece of toast and one egg.
"Thanks Kate." Nova and I stated in unison.
"Anytime, anytime." She replied and walked away
All the boys ate in silence, this surprised me because they had been so loud and active before. When we were finished, we walked out side and Nova replaced his cap and asked me "You gonna sell?"
"Wat do you mean 'sell'?" I asked.
"You know, sell newspapers, youse a newsie now, I cant pay fer ya all da time." He laughed.
"I know… and t'anks. I tink I may sell." I started walking behind him so I could figure out a good spot to sell.
The next day I woke up to the sound of boys yelling and Clips saying, "Shut up! Ise wanna sleep! Now leave me be!" She pulled her blanket over her head exposing her bare feet.
"Git Up!" yelled Knifes a newsboy that stayed there, as he tickled her feet.
"Stop that Knifey!" she laughed as she uncovered her head to reveal a mass of brown hair all tangled from her struggle to stay in bed.
All around the room there were boys fixing their hair, talking, playing cards, and others were flirting with Zippy and Sage. Now that there was better light I could tell what everyone looked like. Nova had short black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was a lot taller than I was, he looked mean, but at the same time kind, at least I knew he was kind he showed me that last night. Clips had longer brown hair, and was not that much taller than me she had freckles across her nose and a friendly personality. Zippy had bushy brown hair that was kept in a pony-tale, and gray eyes. Sage was taller than me, she had curly auburn hair, and green eyes. Knifes was 6'2" had dirty blond hair that came down to his cheek and was always slicked back and in a hat, ice blue eyes, and tan skin. They called him Knifes because he fought with them and always had one.
"G'mornin, Cards!" said Nova, still half-asleep.
"Good mornin." I yawned sitting up rubbing my eyes.
"How ya doin dis mornin'?" he asked.
"Ise a'right, bit tired." I answered standing up. "Heah dese are for you." He handed me a white shirt, black suspenders, brown vest, black pants and black shoes. "Dey used ta be mine, so there a bit worn in, and probably too big." He smirked.
I thanked him and walked into the wash room and changed. I had to cuff the pant legs, and I rolled up the shirtsleeves. The shoes fit fine though. I went back into the now empty bunkroom, I lifted up my mattress and grabbed my cap.
"Wat ya doin'?" Nova asked while he put on his brown cap.
"Jist grabbin' me cap." I replied as I tucked my hair under the cap.
"I don't t'ink dat it fits ya too good." he commented as my hat fell over my eyes.
"Yeah but Ise like it, so it woiks." I pushed it up.
"Ok… oh yeah me and da other newsies always go to breakfast at Shardners a diner a few blocks away, wanna come? My treat." He asked as we walked out of the lodging house.
"Yeah, sure." I answered with a smile.
OK dis way, its quicker to go through da back alleys." He said pulling me by the arm into a dark alley.
A'right." I mumbled as we started running. "Whoa!" I yelled as I jumped over a crate.
"Oh yeah, watch out fer Boxes and junk." He gestured to the box I just about tripped over.
"T'anks, but Ise t'ink yer a bit late on dat one." I laughed.
We ran all the way to Shardners and when we got there a boy came out and yelled "Heya Nova! How's it goin? We've been waitin for ya!"
"Sorry I took da alley way!" he yelled back. We went inside and sat down. More boys came in and sat around us.
"What would you like this morning Nova?" asked a waitress.
"Da usual Kate."
"And what would you like?" she now turned to me.
"Uh…whatever he jist got…" I answered giving her a smile.
"Ok." She whispered Confused, walking to tell the cook.
I sat there in silence as newsies started walking in and sitting with their friends. I was looking around the room with an empty look in my eyes; newsies would stare at me with a confused look.
I could hear murmurs of "Wat she doin' wit da leadah?" and "Who's dat?"
Finally da silence broke when a taller boy walked in and Nova got up, spit in his hand and held it out saying, "Hiya Tweak hows it rollin?"
The boy spit in his hand and shook Nova's saying, "Heya Nova, nottin much, hows da gang?"
"Dere doin great… we gots a new goil heah, 'er name is Cards." Nova replied, walking over to our table with Tweak. "Cards, dis is Tweak, He's me best boy." Nova introduced.
I spit in my hand and held it out, "Hiya Tweak." He did likewise and shook my hand.
"Heya Cards, how long ya been heah?" He asked sitting down.
"Since yestah day." I replied, taking my cards out of my pocket and shuffling them, it was a black faded maverick style deck.
"Is dat why dey call ya Cards?" Tweak asked, pointing at my cards.
"No she got da name by beaten me outta a hand of pokah." Nova answered for me.
"Oh wanna play den Cards?" Tweak challenged. "Shoah." I simply stated dealing out five cards each. When Tweak looked at his hand he smirked and da boys behind him looked happy. When I looked at my hand and saw just a pair of aces I wasn't too happy, I usually get better. He gave two cards away and I gave him his two, I gave away three and took my trade wit the other cards. I now had a full house, three aces and two kings.
"I call!" yelled Tweak, with a proud look on his face similar to the boys behind him. When I put down my cards the glare faded away from the boys and a look of shock replaced it. "Damit." was the only word that came from Tweak's mouth as he put his cards down on the table.
The other boys cheered "Good job Cards! You beat da unbeatable." I started picking up the cards because Kate was coming with the food.
"Here you go guys, enjoy!" she smiled putting the food on the table, it was one piece of toast and one egg.
"Thanks Kate." Nova and I stated in unison.
"Anytime, anytime." She replied and walked away
All the boys ate in silence, this surprised me because they had been so loud and active before. When we were finished, we walked out side and Nova replaced his cap and asked me "You gonna sell?"
"Wat do you mean 'sell'?" I asked.
"You know, sell newspapers, youse a newsie now, I cant pay fer ya all da time." He laughed.
"I know… and t'anks. I tink I may sell." I started walking behind him so I could figure out a good spot to sell.