A/N -- *mutters* Save as a Web document and the Italics and Bold should work…*makes a face* Not for me I bet! *snickers* -- A/N
PS- Honestly tell me if this chapter sucks because I feel like it does.
"Get up!" The scream that rang in Kid's ear was shrill enough to wake the dead. He jerked up and fell off of his bunk. Mush, on the bottom bunk giggled insanely. Blink was ready to swing at the person irritating him when he saw that it was Nora, her red hair stuffed up underneath a cabby hat and her clothing dirty and ripped and well…not girlie.
His one good eye shot open when he saw her wearing boy's clothes and he muttered something about 'girls not being smart' before falling back down onto his pillow. A sharp pain in his side made him yell out and open his one good eye, squinting it at Nora in a glare.
"Whaddya doin' in here, Nora?" She frantically made a 'shushing' motion with one hand and stole a glance at the bunk where Flick was rousing himself out of a sound sleep. Kloppman had already done his rounds and would be back for a second one any minute now.
"Call me Pistol," she hissed at him as Flick rolled over and opened his eyes in an accusatory manner at the two.
"Who the fuck are you?" he rasped out, pointing a dirty finger in her direction. Blink saw Nora pale and then just as quickly she leapt off of Blink's bed and darted towards Flick, holding out a tiny white hand.
"Pistol McGovern's the name, how's it shakin'?" Flick looked slightly taken aback at what he thought to be a tiny boy pumping his hand up and down, and obviously at home with getting up rather early in the morning. Nodding in a befuddled state, he slid off of his bunk and stumbled towards the washroom, telling a pair of singing newsies to 'shut their traps'.
Blink let out a sigh of relief and shook his head at Nora. She blithely smiled at him and shifted from foot to foot impatiently as he threw on a shirt and trousers. Stopping long enough to grab his boots and socks, he threw on a vest and his cabby hat and followed Nora down the stairs blearily.
Thanking the nuns outside who stood about with a cart to hand out breakfast to the homeless children, Blink gnawed on his roll and slurped a tin cup of water before handing it back to the nuns with heartfelt thanks. One of the nuns gave him a long; sad look her brown eyes large and tender. He always forgot that he was really young, a fact that brought pause to many people who saw him hawking newspapers all day long.
Nora stopped when he sat down to pull on his socks and boots. Flopping down onto the stoop beside him, she let out a sigh and stretched her arms high over her head. It was the first sign she gave that made him aware that she WASN'T used to waking up so early. Handing over a chunk of the roll, she gave him a wide grin.
"So what the HELL are you doing?" Nora shrugged and nudged him
"I'm spending the day with you, just like I promised." Blink shook his head in exasperation and gave her a look that one would give a bumbling puppy. He had thought she had forgotten about her promise since it had been a month or two, but she had apparently just been biding her time until HE had forgotten.
"Nora, ya can't hang out with me today. Ya just can't, girls don't do that." Nora's eyes narrowed into two fiery green slits. Blink swallowed jerkily, realizing he had made a mistake. Raising a tiny fist she shook it in his face.
"I AM hanging out with you today, and I'm Pistol now, not Nora."
"Pistol?" The little girl nodded, a satisfied smirk reaching her narrow face.
"Yep, because I can shoot my mouth off like a pistol." Blink looked at her.
"Who told you that?"
"My Uncle Nathan." Blink nodded and hid a smile with a dirty hand. Nora looked at him suspiciously before baring her teeth at him.
"Why is that funny?" Blink instantly sobered.
"No reason, it's just because it's your UNCLE and well he's no quiet guy either." Nora looked pleased at that statement and they sat in silence, both chewing on the crusty rolls before Blink stood up at the sound of boys voices.
"Are you sure about this N—Pistol?" When "Pistol" nodded, he sighed and waited for the rest of his gang to meet up with them. Jack, Racetrack, Crutchy, Mush, Bumlets, Skittery and a few other boys came strolling along, talking excitedly or dragging their feet sleepily as was the case with Skittery. They all paused and look on in interest at this new 'boy'.
"Fellas this is Pistol, Pistol this is…" Blink went on to name all the boys who nodded, smiled, shook hands, or looked on with their heads askance, eyes challenging. Mush winked secretly at Pistol. Bumlets smacked Skittery upside the head when he openly sneered at Pistol.
"That's no way to treat the new boys, Skittery we won't GET anymore new boys if you keep it up." Skittery mumbled a 'so' before taking off ahead on his own. Blink and Pistol joined the rest of the crowd as they walked to the Distribution Center where the older boys were already in position in line. Weisel was there handing out papers, his two sullen nephews Oscar and Morris helping out. Both little boys had disgruntled looks on their swarthy faces and they growled in reply to any witty offerings the newsies had for them.
Blink made it so that he was directly in front of Nora and Mush was right behind her. He had seen Mush wink at Nora when they had joined up with the rest of the boys so he knew that Mush recognized her. When Blink bought his papers off of Weisel he waited for Pistol to do the same. She searched through her pockets before coming up with only a dime. Putting it down on the counter she held her chin up in the air when Weisel scoffed at her.
"A dime?" he shifted the stub of a cigar he had clamped between yellowed teeth and looked down at her. A leer crossed his fat face before he nodded at Oscar who laughing slammed a handful of papers down onto the counter in front of Pistol.
"Tell you what, street rat you sell all twenty of those papes you only have to pay me for half of the extra ten, deal?" Pistol opened her mouth to say something smart to him, but Mush jostled her from behind, muttering something about wanting his own papers while shooting Pistol a warning look. A scarred hand suddenly dropped another dime onto the counter. Pistol followed the dimes decent to see Flick standing at her side, his face angry as he glared at Weisel.
"Nobody needs your charity, Weasel. Get bent. C'mon kid take the papers and get moving we have work to do." Pistol shot Flick such a look of hero worship that it almost made Blink jealous before she bounced over to his side, jabbering at him.
"Didja see that, didja? Huh?" Blink swatted at her and she scowled at him, before sticking her tongue out at him which caused Mush to laugh as he joined them. Blink slung an arm around Pistol's shoulders and led her down the street.
"That was our fearless leader Flick. Hopefully he doesn't figure out you're a broad, I don't think he'd like it too much." Pistol made a face, but her cheeks paled slightly and Blink felt bad. He knew it was tough to be a kid on the streets, tougher if you were a girl. You were either made fun of, or treated like one of the boys. He imagined it was rough to be treated like one of the boys if you were a girl, but all the little girls he had known had grown used to it, Nora…Pistol he corrected himself mentally being one of them.
They spent the rest of the day hawking headlines, searching for food, dodging the cops who would have hauled them off to an orphanage, and nursing sore feet. Blink spent the latter part of the day holding Pistol up who had never actually walked all day. Sure she played and ran away from her governess, but she had never had to stand on her feet all day to earn a living. Both Blink and Mush admired her strength for she continually pushed Blink away when he tried to help her. In the end, she conceded and let him gather her up onto his back for a piggy-back ride which killed his own aching feet, but he didn't complain.
By the time they made it back to the lodging house, most of the boys were already there, some drinking flasks of hooch and playing cards while the others lounged on their bunks. Blink grabbed Pistol's hand and they warily made their way out a nearby window onto the fire escape where they flopped down, legs hanging over the edge, heads leaning against the cool metal.
"When are you going home?" Pistol looked over at Blink, a serious expression on her elfin face.
"Never," she said softly. Blink's eyes shifted from the sky that had erupted into glorious hues of oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows to Pistol's blue eyes. The sky's colors were mirrored in their depths and he swallowed at the tears that suddenly leaked from the corners of her eyes.
"What's the matter?" She shook her head and angrily dashed away the wetness with a dirty hand. He put a small hand on her shoulder and she jerked away before softening slightly.
"I overheard Aunt Catherine saying that I need 'discipline'," here she stumbled over the large word, but continued on, "and Uncle Nathan agreed so they said I was going away to a special school, upstate." Blink's heart constricted. Nora bit her lower lip and gave him a determined look.
"I'm going, Blink. I can't leave here, and I don't wanna leave you, you're my only friend."
"I don't know if Flick will let ya stay I mean, he doesn't know that you're a…"
"A girl?" Both children leapt at the rough voice that butted into their conversation. Two pairs of fearful eyes looked up at the tough demeanor of Flick who lit a cigarette and looked at them with humor shining in his eyes.
"You're too cute to be a boy and your hair gives it away." When Pistol looked at him in confusion, he tugged at a lock of her long hair that had escaped from underneath her cap. When it pulled down all the way past her shoulder she couldn't help but giggle in helplessness.
"I should just kick you out, I don't hold with letting girls stay here, but the times are changing and God only knows what the next leader will let live under this roof. I figure, you proved yourself today Pistol, and that shows me that you can stay. But I don't want none of your girlie friends joining ranks just because I let you."
"I don't have any girlie friends," Pistol said quietly. Flick just nodded and turned around to announce to the rest of the boys that they had a new kid staying with them and her name was Pistol. The shouts that rang out after that bomb were loud and Pistol laughed into her hand when most of the small boys she had played with all day stuck their heads outside.
"You're a girl?" Jack looked at her incredulously while Race blinked at her and even Skittery looked taken aback. Inside there was a heated debate about whether or not girls should be allowed in the lodging house, but Flick had spoken as was made clear by him leaping up onto his bunk and turning his back to the rest of the boys. As that was the signal to go to bed, the rest of the kids quietly made their way to their bunks and turned in for the night.
Pistol, now sleeping in a corner piled high with coats and a few blankets was the happiest she'd ever been in her short life. She didn't mind the dirty, hard floor at all if it meant that she wasn't with her aunt and uncle and she was with her bestest friend in the whole world, Jacob.
A few days later found Pistol, Blink, and Mush now almost inseparable sitting on a pier down by the river. Pistol was throwing pieces of her hot dog bun to the gulls, laughing as they fought over the bread and earning dour looks from both boys.
"What's your problem?"
"Aren't you going to EAT that?" Pistol looked down at the crust in her hand and shook her head. Mush leapt for it, fending off an equally hungry Blink as he wolfed it down.
"Damnit!" Blink hollered loudly. A sudden 'tsk tsk' noise caused all three of them to whip their heads up. Three boys sat perched on crates their arms crossed, tough looks causing their small faces to twist into something unpleasant.
"D'you know where you are?" Pistol looked around at the water and the docks.
"New York City?" The head boy, a tiny thing who wore his cabby hat cocked to one side shot her an icy look that could have frozen water. Leaping down he swaggered into their midst, his clothing just as ragged as theirs, except for a pair of scarlet suspenders that kept his black trousers up. He had a slingshot sticking out of his back pocket, and ash blonde hair stuck out from underneath his cap. He was only a little taller than Pistol, but his attitude and lack of fear made up for his size.
"You're in Brooklyn, idiots. Who do you run with?" Pistol shrunk slightly behind Blink and Mush. She wasn't stupid, she knew when to pick her battles and this clearly wasn't a winning one for her at all. The boy didn't bat an eye at Mush, who was already a formidable size for an eight year old, nor the lack of Blink's eye something that gave even hardened boys pause.
"Flick of Manhattan." The boy cocked his head again and nodded, throwing a glance to his companions who took it as a dismissal. All three Manhattan kids were transfixed at this strange boy's behavior. He was older than them but by no more than a year or so, Pistol guessed.
"I'm Spot Conlon," he said spitting into his hand and holding it out to them. He didn't bother shaking with Pistol, he wrote her off with no more than a glance at her long red hair that she wore hanging loose underneath her own cap. She crossed her eyes at him and he smirked at her while she blushed and ducked her head.
"You're one Sneak's boys then. I've heard about you." Spot grinned at Mush, obviously pleased. They talked for a few more moments before Spot told them to tell Jack that he said 'hey' and to ask when Racetrack was coming for a game of marbles. As they walked off, Mush shook his head.
"Anybody who wonders who the next Brooklyn leader is gonna be is a jerk. Everyone knows it's going to be Spot Conlon." Pistol cast a glance back at the narrow shouldered, thin boy as he leapt up onto the pile of crates and then jumped down onto the other side, disappearing from view. She didn't doubt Mush's words for one moment.
Shout Outs!
Pokey7 – Yeah it is sad, but you're right like I said to someone else Blink is tough like I'd imagine most of those little boys would have had to be. Hehe..Yeah I want Blink and Nora to remind people of what it was like to be in kindergarten and like someone and just TORMENT them because you liked them. That's what their relationship is based on.
Just Duck – Nah Pistol isn't a wimp either, so she's not the type to be overly grossed out by something like that. Hehe..Hero worship is fun.
Nada Zimri – I'm glad you like my characters, I was afraid that I was too wrapped up in my last story to be able to write another one about newsies and make it different. Here's hopin'!. Of course you can be spastic m'dear that's what I like about ya :D .
JamieBell – I'm glad you like this story so far, I'm afraid it's turning boring. I'll have to go over the plot again to refresh my memory. Here's hopin' that I can make the bold and italics work. *crosses fingers*
My dog ate my penname – Yeppers you get to be in both, just not for a little while. I think I'll add you in soon, but it might not be for another chapter or two. Unless…I get another idea…*jots it down* ;D
Oh don't encourage Spot, he REALLY doesn't need it.
Spot: Like hell I don't! *winks at Spitball*
I hope this story is as good as 'Under My Thumb'. I shouldn't doubt it so early on, that's it.