Shout ins:
Lil Rain Angel: Is that a song? "Love is in the air...?" Hmm... yeah, PMS is dumb. DUMB DUMB DUMB. Here's more...
snipah higgins: Thank you...I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Lol. I'm glad to know I've increased your affection for Racetrack. OH I LOVE NEWSIE COOKIES!
Legs: (picks up cookie and starts to shove it in mouth)
Racetrack: (grabs her hand) Whoa, whoa, whoa...I t'ought you had swown off dessoit foah a month, Legs.
Legs: (whimpers) But...but...I just...
Racetrack: (takes cookie away from her) I'm afraid I'm gonna have to apprehend dis heah cookie and eat it myself just ta keep ya from givin' in ta da temptation.
Spot: (claps Race on the back) Yoah a good man, Race. (Takes a newsie cookie) Hey, dese ah good.
Shorty Carter: Thank you for the review!
Yes, Higgins is an Irish name but Racetrack still looks Italian and his first name is REALLY (and historically) Anthony so...his father is Irish (hence the last name) and his mother is Italian (hence the first name, the dark gorgeousness, and the knowledge of the Romantic language).
There are plenty more kisses to be written. RACETRACK kisses...WHAT could POSSIBLY be better?
That's it. I dub you the OFFICIAL NEWSIES BROWNIE BAKERESS!!!!!! We will all agree as an assembly, won't we, boys?
Racetrack: Agree to what?
Spot: Can I have anothah brownie?
Jack: We'ah an assembly?
Les: What's an assembly?
Snipeshooter: "A body of persons gathered together for a specific purpose."
Spot: I t'ought I told ya ta stop readin' dat book! (snatches dictionary)
goldstranger: Newsies is wonderful, isn't it?
Hidden agenda? Heheh. I'm not sure.
Tanya and Race...they grow cuter as we speak.
Racetrack: (swats Legs) I ain't cute!
Legs: (whispers to goldstranger) Yes, he is.
Sureshot Higgins: Hey, give the other newsies fans hugs for me!
Kristen's return is at hand! :D
Thanks...And keep breaking a leg with West Side Story!
CiCi: PMS is NOT funny. Lol. Okay, maybe it is. Glad you liked the kiss. More to come! Hee hee...thanks, my darling!
PsYcHoJo: Racetrack seems to bicker with everyone at some point! ;) Thanks and here's what Racetrack said...
(During poker game)
Racetrack: Skittery.
Skittery: (looks up from staring at his hand) Yeah?
Racetrack: Dere's dis goil...
Skittery: What about 'er?
Racetrack: She was wonderin'...
Skittery: No.
Racetrack: Aw, c'mon, Skits! Ya don't even know what she was wonderin'!
Skittery: Da ansah's NO! I ain't gonna fix no roof foah any moah helpless women!
Racetrack: Roof? (Looks around at other newsies, adorable mouth scrunching up) Who said anyt'ing 'bout a ROOF?
Skittery: She doesn't want me to fix 'er roof?
Racetrack: She was wonderin'...
Skittery: (holds up hand) I don't fix sinks, eidda!
Racetrack: (stands up, shouting) Wouldja SHUT UP and LISTEN ta me?
Skittery: (waiting)
Racetrack: Ya feel like bein' fixed up wid a goil tanight, Skits?
And you'll just have to review again to find out what Skittery said!
I'm so bad.
Chicago: Thanks...YAY FOR LONG ASSEMBLIES!
Racetrack: WHAT assembly?
Yes, Race gets crazier...
Les: Hey, I'm available! I think...David, what's "available" mean?
David: (rolls eyes) Never mind. You're not.
Les: Oh. I'm sorry, Chicago. My brother says I'm not available.
David: Wait. (grabs Les's vest) Who's Chicago?
Les: Oh, this girl on Legs' review page. She's looking for an available newsie and I said that-
David: (cuts Les off) No, Les isn't available. He's eleven. But I however-
Jack: He howevah needs to get off his lazy bum and stawt sellin' papes befoah I'se soaks 'im!
David: But...(gets yanked off by Jack)
Kate Lawrence: HEY, THANK YOU! Computers are so wonderful and aggravating at the same time!
Don't worry. Your hair grows back...I promise. And in the mean time, maybe you'll start a new trend.
Spot: Okay, Legs, Kate said ta soak ya.
Legs: No, no, no, Spot! You misread her!
Spot: I did, huh?
Legs: Yeah...uh...she MEANT...well, she didn't mean...she didn't mean it, that's it! It was a...joke!
Spot: A joke.
Legs: Yeah.
Spot: (shakes head slowly) Women...ya can't live WID em, and ya SOITONLY can't...
Racetrack: You do realize dat is tha thoid time you said dat in dese heah shout ins?
Spot: So? Yous gotta a PROB'EM, wid dat, Higgins?
Racetrack: Yeah!
Spot: A'right, put 'em up, ya mangy Manhattan poicon!
And there they go again...Boys, go do that in the backyard...
Nevaeh: Thank you so much! Yeah, you missed lots of shout ins! Awww...oh well! We'll make up for it now! :D
You know those stupid email surveys that people send around that we all end up filling out even though we say they're dumb? The ones that have the question, "If you could have any super power, what would it be?" I would want to be able to go back in time.
Yesterday was my dad's birthday and we went to St. Elmo. It's a ghost town in the Rocky Mountains. (I live in Colorado) Anyway, we're walking through and there are all these buildings from the late 1800's and they're all boarded and locked up but sometimes you can see in the windows. There have been a lot of fires up there and in this one house you could see the old painted wall paper and the places where it had been burned away. And the wooden floor boards...and the outhouses...lol. There are only like five people that live up there and most of them don't live in the town itself. It was just so interesting to me. A ghost town is like...abandoned life. I stood in front of this one building for a long time and my heart was beating so fast because all I could think about was going back and seeing those houses freshly built in 1880 whatever. And the people that lived there. And the school house with children in it.
So. After that MAJOR digression, I love stories that deal with time travel. If they're done well. I strongly dislike time travel that happens for no apparent reason and I hate stories that immediately reveal the purpose and end of the story in the first chapter. Why bother reading on if you know what's going to happen? All that said, THANK YOU FOREVER for the high compliment you've paid actually reading my story! :)
Kate's pretty darn cool.
The voice in Tanya's head...I'm not sure, honestly! It's been a hole in my story, I think. DRAT me! I'll let you know when the hole gets fixed, lol.
And I DO have a place for you! I really, really do! But it won't be until the sequel-a few more chapters and we'll be on to that! Is that okay?
Your name is awesome. I told my mom about that and we both thought that was cool. Anyways, yes...if you could send me a description of yourself in your NEXT REVIEW (hint) then I can start writing you in! :D
And you just got the longest single-space shout in EVER, I think.
Artemis-chan: Thank you, as always.
Yes, I thought it was about time for their first kiss, myself.
That's not all Tanya is going to have explain to Racetrack.
I can't give anything away about what happens to Kate. You'll see. We will know eventually.
I don't know...Spot might have been odd. Odd in what way?
Racetrack was slightly on guard around Spot because everyone is slightly on guard around Spot.
That's very cool about being a triplet! I can see it getting annoying sometimes but still...
Yeah, I felt bad for Tanya when she got embarrassed, too.
Blink: HAHA! I GET ARTEMIS AND YOU DON'T!
Mush: But...but...
Blink: (does a little dance) hee hee Hee hee HEE hee!
Mush: But...but...
Dreamer: Thank you...Yeah FINALLY they kissed!
Racetrack: (hits Legs) Hey, I was takin' my time heah!
PMS is so stupid. (kicks PMS beetle) IS there a PMS beetle? Hmm...I need my roach poison...aHA!
Phoenix: Thank you...Yes, you got a cameo...you sweet thing, you!
LOL! Those conversations get funnier every time...
"Ya can't just go resentin' everyt'ing!" Hee hee.
Sorry this update wasn't as quick! Bad me. (Hits self)
Angelic One: The convos in the pre-chap are fun. I wasn't planning on writing those-they started appearing all of a sudden and those newsies just won't be ignored!
Yep, Kate's been found. Her hair...lol. Everyone's feeling bad about that. I WAS gonna have her go blind or something but I figured Kate would kill me and since I enjoy living most of the time...yeah, you get the photo. Picture, I mean.
Tanya is the luckiest girl in 1900! (And maybe 2003...heheh...the sequel's comin'!)
Hey, is Sgt. Bilko a good movie? I haven't seen it but I want to!
Thank you...
newsietomboy: Race is adorable, isn't he? Thanks for your review! Hope you like the update. :D
Moonlight: Ya old familiah woids do me hawt good, Moonlight! The trip was interesting but emotionally taxing (my ex-boyfriend went with us) and I AM SO GLAD TO BE BACK WITH MY FAVORITEST PEOPLE EVER! You guys rock and roll! Lol. That was corny. Anyhow...here's more.
Bella: You know how dumb I am?
I'm like: Chapter ten is up.
Bella: Oh, no DUH, I reviewed it!
Legs: Uh...
I feel stuuuuuupid. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaasseeeeeee forgive me!
Jack says hi and sends his affection, as always.
And I borrowed the idea of illness from one your "Hidden" chapters.
I'm so glad you liked all this so far...more is coming...
Tabloid: I'm so glad Raven's happy. :D Thank you for the review AND the chocolate covered newsie!
Racetrack: (takes it away from Legs) tsk, tsk...
Legs: But...(sigh) Can I at least eat the shish-kabobs?
LilMAXIE: Um...I feel your pain. Lol. Yes, everyone's moderately safe. We'll see if it stays that way. Thank you always...and just for the record...MAX. IS. HOT. (swoons)
imaginelet: I am so sorry I missed your review! I looked at the review page and for some reason your review of chapter 9 isn't there. :( (holds out shish-kabob as present) Huh? Want one?
Yup, they really kissed. Hopefully, they will again, SOON.
Yeah, I don't want my hair to get burned off, either. That would be tragic. I'd probably cry or something.
Yes, ma'am! (salutes) One extra special chapter 11 coming right up! Thank you. (Hugs Let)
Raven: Your reviews are so much fun to read. The sequel is already in the works. I'll have it out immediately following the end of this story. It's basically just a continuation. Well...sort of...lol. Tanya and Racetrack's kiss has been highly applauded. Which is a good thing. Don't worry. Once the kissing starts it don't ever stop! Heheh.
Racetrack: I don't like dis mushy stuff. How many times do I gots ta tell ya, goily? LEAVE. DAT. CRAP. OUT. Undahstand? (reads Raven's review) Dere, see? Dat goil got it right. (reads rest of review) Wait. I ain't afraid a Raven! (glares)
And the world will know...
The morning had seemingly arrived earlier than normal as Racetrack pulled himself out of bed and reached for his pants. He followed the others down the stairs, passing Tanya sitting in the front room.
"Racetrack!" Tanya saw him and the day before came running back to her mind. She wondered if he'd kiss her again.
The newsie smiled weakly and walked stiffly towards the door. If only his head would quit pounding!
Turning, "See ya aftah I finish sellin', Tanya. If ya need anyt'ing, you come find me."
She felt her heart sink in confusion. Had she done something? Was he angry? Why did he look so tiredly at her?
****
"Extra, extra! Mayah Elects New Councilman!"
No one seemed to hear him.
Racetrack sighed and tried again, "Extra, extra! Phoney Election! Mayah Bribed!"
Interested, a man tapped Racetrack on the shoulder, handing him the required penny.
"T'ank you, suh." Racetrack took a deep breath and tried to clear his throat. He coughed slightly and then felt himself gag. He coughed again and a woman stopped to buy a paper.
Smiling but still coughing, he handed her exact change without argument.
He held a newspaper high and shouted hoarsely, "Ship Sunk in Bay! Hundreds Feahed Dead!" Okay, so he wasn't losing his touch...he thought, just his voice.
How many left? Twenty by his last count. He groaned inwardly. Everything in him wanted to lie down right there and sleep. He raised another paper over his head but his arms ached so much he let them fall again.
He should have saved a couple bits for breakfast. Coffee and a roll maybe. His stomach rolled at the thought of food. He shook his head and fought to stay on his feet. "Lunatic Seen Wanderin' Da Alleys a Manhattan!"
Two more papes gone. Racetrack wished he hadn't bought so many. Surely, thirty papes was enough for one day. Or twenty...fifteen even...his head throbbed and he felt his vision blurring as he handed an older man a copy of the World.
He thought of Tanya, probably back at the lodging house, relaxing or playing marbles with Boots and somewhere, a little seed of anger flared up. He paid for her meals. He paid for her board. And here he was, selling papers alone. He knew he wasn't being fair. He hadn't even given Tanya the option of selling with him. But still! She ought to have known he needed her that morning! He felt his knees buckle and grabbed at the brick wall for support, scratching the back of his hand as he did so. Wincing, he let his fist fly against the wall, knocking his papers out of his grasp and bruising all four knuckles.
Sliding down, he sat wearily and watched a brown rat scurry past him into the alley. His mother had always been afraid of rats. He could hear her now, shrieking, "Anthony! Uccidalo! Non posso supportare guardalo!"
"Non si preoccupi, Mama," he murmured, closing his eyes, "I'll kill da rat."
****
David smiled, satisfied. Hundred papes sold and the day was young. He figured he and Jack would stop at Tibby's and then sell another hundred that afternoon. His smile faded as they passed an alley, "Jack!" Jack kept walking, looking back, "Yeah, Davey?"
His friend had stopped in front of a newsboy, slumped against the brick wall of the milliner's shop.
Jack didn't stop but merely changed his direction and running straight to them, knelt beside the boy. "Race, hey Race," he shook him. The boy shuddered but didn't open his eyes. "Racetrack, can ya heah me?" Without waiting for an answer, Jack Kelly grabbed an arm and a leg and slung him over a shoulder.
****
Tanya had sulked by the window for a full half hour after Racetrack had left. Men were fickle. And stupid. And...and she wished he'd come back and ask her to go with him, all the while, knowing he wouldn't.
The door opened suddenly and a familiar redhead appeared, dressed elegantly in a pale blue dress with ruffled sleeves.
"Tanya?"
"Kristen!" Tanya jumped from the window seat and attacked her friend. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! How are you?"
****
"Ya LEAVIN'?" Blink stared at his friend in disbelief.
Mush looked shocked, "Why?"
Bumlets' eyes looked sad, but he said determinedly, "I need ta."
"Why?" Mush repeated, obstinately.
"I'm almost twenty-yeahs old. I gotta find a job dat makes moah money."
"Why?" Mush was fast becoming annoying.
"Because I'm gonna need money soon!"
"Wh-..." Blink clapped a hand over his friend's mouth.
Bumlets sighed, "How am I supposed to support a family when I'm a newsie?"
"What family ya talkin' about, Bummah?"
****
"You're ENGAGED?" Tanya looked surprised.
Kristen's emerald eyes had never sparkled greener. She nodded and giggling, bit her lip.
****
"So dat's IT?" cried an enraged Kid Blink. "Ya just gonna run off and marry some goil? Just leave us like we don't mattah?"
"Yeah!" Mush agreed, "Like we don't mattah!"
Bumlets had seen this coming and he tried to remain patient, "You'll undahstand one a dese days, boys."
Mush frowned, "I still don't t'ink ya should go."
Skittery had been watching the three newsies from across the street. He sauntered over then. "What's goin' on?"
"Bumlets is gettin' 'imself hitched!"
"Can yous believe it, Skits? He's leavin' us!"
Skittery seemed to think for a moment then nodded, "Congrats, pal." The two spit shook.
Blink and Mush looked at each other than at the ultra cool Skittery, "WHAT? AH YOUS CRAZY? He's LEAVIN'! HE AIN'T NEVAH COMIN' BACK!"
The tall newsie nodded again quite calmly, "Yeah, I know. It had to happen soonah owah latah." He shoved Bumlets playfully, "You bettah name one a dose kids aftah me!"
"Skittery?" Mush wrinkled his nose, "Who'd name dere kid 'Skittery?'"
"Nah, not my..." he paused, kicking up dust with his worn boots, "Not my nickname. My real name." He shrugged, "Ya know..."
Bumlets smiled, "Shoa."
"Hey," Blink thought for a moment. "Hey, what is yoah real name, Skittery?"
Skittery groaned.
****
David pushed open the door and Jack, still carrying Racetrack, fell inside.
Tanya and Kristen looked up from the couch.
"Jack...Race?" In another second, Tanya was beside them.
"He's sick," Jack said and pushing past her, carried his friend up the stairs.
Tanya hesitated but incapable of not following, she marched up after him.
Racetrack's bunk was a slightly disheveled bed in the center row of bunk beds. As Jack set him down, the boy muttered something and winced.
"What was dat, pal? I couldn't heah ya." Jack listened but his friend didn't reply.
Tanya was at the other side of his bunk, arranging pillows under his head and pulling the boots from his feet.
Jack watched her wordlessly. It wasn't like Racetrack to be sick.
She let her hand fall on his forehead and down across his cheeks. "Oh, you're so warm," she whispered, unbuttoning the top of his shirt.
He didn't respond but coughed suddenly, breaking the hot, heavy silence.
"Jack? Do you have any...um..."
He waited.
Tanya bit the inside of her cheek. This was 1900. Most people didn't have access to aspirin or ibuprofen. Well, how else did you bring down a fever?
"Can you get me some wet rags?"
"Yeah, shoa. Anyt'ing else?"
"No," she sighed, looking at the yellowish curtains over the high window. "No, I guess not."
****
Kristen felt herself growing restless. She vaguely recognized Jack Kelly as the strike leader from the previous year. And Katherine was staying with this David person and his family. Still, she barely knew them and had nothing whatsoever to talk about with either boy.
Making up her mind, she stood up and started for the stairs.
"Don't go up there!" Jack's voice made her halt in her steps.
"Why not?"
"One of da newsies is sick. Don't want ya catchin' whatevah it might be. Best you stay down heah out a da way."
Kristen felt hurt but she understood. She sat down again.
****
Tanya set the cloth on Racetrack's face and one over his thin shirt.
Another round of coughing made him lurch forward, his chest rumbling and congested. The sound made the girl wince. At least, he was sitting up. His eyes fluttered open for a moment and Tanya noted their bloodshot appearance with alarm. She pushed him back down against the cushions.
"Gimme t'irty papes. I can sell 'em, Jack," He shivered.
"Jack's downstairs. Do you want me to get 'em?"
"Non cry. Non cry mai. Lascilo solo." Racetrack twisted the sheets around him, murmuring feverishly in Italian.
Tanya wished she knew what he was saying.
Unsure of herself, she ran her fingers through his wavy brown hair. She was startled when he grabbed her hand from his head and brought it to his lips.
"Mama, perche lo avete lasciato?"
"I'm right here, Racetrack," she whispered, wishing he would look at her or say something she could understand.
As if knowing what she wanted, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Non lasci per andare di me...mia mama." His dark eyes pleaded but Tanya still didn't know what he had said. She stared back at him helplessly. The sense of hopelessness again crept around her. She was stuck here, trapped in a time before her time, and falling in love with a newsboy that would be dead before she was born...Her eyes filled with tears, "I don't understand you, Racetrack!"
His fingers shaking, he reached up and tugged at a curl that had landed in her face, "Ti amo."
****
Racetrack had finally drifted off into a troubled sleep and Tanya walked slowly down the stairs, eager to step into the night air for a moment. She didn't see the newsie in her path and ran full tilt into him. He let his long arms reach out to steady them both.
Tanya looked up at him, "Skittery."
"Is Race bettah?"
"I don't know." Another tear fell from her eyes. She wiped it quickly away. She wanted to cry alone.
"You gonna be a'right, Miss Tanya?" Skittery's sheer politeness made Tanya want to cry even more.
The torrent of pent up emotion let loose then and she sobbed out loud.
The newsboy awkwardly led her out of the door to sit on the steps. He patted her back, remembering the way his sisters had been.
She cried harder.
"What's wrong?"
What the heck. "I'm lost! I want to go home! Racetrack is really sick! And I don't know what 'ti amo' means!"
"Ti amo?" Skittery looked surprised. "Wheah'd ya heah dat?"
"Why? What does it mean?"
Skittery smiled wryly, "It means, 'I love you.'"
****
a/n: Guess I'll let that be it for now.
Legs comments on: storms...
Aren't they cool?
