"Oh no! It's so late; I have to go. My parents are having a dinner with some family." Lizzie exclaimed. "I'll take your things too. See you tomorrow."

            "Fine. I'll go get some ice cream by myself." Summer said. She handed her bags over to Lizzie and waved goodbye. After Lizzie was out of sight, she turned and headed into Tibby's by herself.

            "I win!" an Italian looking boy with black hair said, standing up.

            "Yeah. Dat's like de foist time yous eva won." Another boy drawled.

            "Shuddup." The first boy replied. When they heard bell ring, all the boys in the store looked at Summer. Her cheeks turned pink, seeing all of those boys looking at her. There must have been at least 25. The Italian boy broke the silence.

            "Well, who's dis? What a pretty goil. Yous got a name?" he asked.

            "Summer" she replied.

            "Well, Summer. I's neva seen you in dis part of town. I'm Racetrack by de way. Or Race." The boy said.

            "Nice to meet you."

            "Oi! We've got ourselves a hoity-toity goil!" a boy piped up. Summer glared at him.

            "I am not hoity-toity." She replied angrily.

            "Okay. Well, lets me intwoduce (introduce) everybody to ya. This is Jack or Cowboy, Kid Blink or Blink, Mush, Specs, Skittery, Crutchy, Boots, Davey, and Les." Race said, introducing some of the boys.

            "Hi." Summer said again.

            "Here, yous can come by me." Race said, seating her down between him and one of the boys.

            "I'm Summer." She said.

            "Yea, sorta figured. I'm Mush." The boy replied. He had curly brown hair, brown eyes, and what looked like a well-developed chest. "So yous got a last name?"

            "Summer McClellan." She said and Race spit his drink all over the boy called Blink.

            "Hey, what's wrong wit you?" Blink cried in disgust.

            "McClellan? As in the McClellan, the mayor?" Race sputtered.

            "He's my daddy." Summer said.

            "How'd ya know who da mayor was?" one of the boys asked Race.

            "Cause I actually read the papes I sell, Specs." Race retorted.

            "Papes?" Summer interrupted, confused.

            "Yeah, papes, papers. We're da Manhattan Newsies. Jack here's our leada." Mush said. "So what ya doin here?"

            "Well, I had an argument with my parents and I ran to my friends, but she had to leave so I thought I'd get something to eat." Summer said.

            "What was dat agument (argument) bout?" Jack asked.

            "Um… My parents want me to marry this creep, Samuel Pulitzer, Joseph Pulitzer's grandson." Summer began, but she stopped as the whole room gasped.

            "Now I really feels sorry for ya." Race said.

            "Why? Do you know Samuel or Mr. Pulitzer?" Summer asked.

            "Know him? We fought 'im. And we won." Jack said. "We had a strike cause they was usin us. Now we're gettin fair pay." Jack said.

            "Wow. That's awesome." Summer replied. "Well I really have to go, but maybe I could meet you here some other time?"

            "Shoa. Any days round dis time." Mush replied

            "Is it alright if I bring my friend, Lizzie?"

            "Sure. Bye, Princess."

            "Princess?"

            "Well ya need a Newsie name. Princess suits ya." Jack replied.

            "Alright. Bye." She said, heading out. When she got home, she saw her parents waiting for her in the hallway.

            "Uh-oh." She said to herself.

~*~

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