Blink Gets His Saturday Night
Chapter Eight
Racetrack's Dealer- Ahaha. Don't soak me! Don't soak me! The bad stuff is coming...in a while.
Dreamless-Mermaid- I know! I made Blink a real sweetie. Ahaha. Yay for that.
koodles4you- I shall try not to underestimate myself. Bahaha. Cough Thanks.
legallyred- HOMYGOSH! I totally love Will's little thought things too. They're so...funny. Sigh My mom hates About a Boy, I don't understand why! It's just so great! Self combusts
I don't own the Newsies. Blah. Yeah.
I thought I'd put one of those because I haven't in a while. Shifty glance
Alright and onto the next chapter. IT'S SO HAPPYYAY! Hugs random people Ahem.
The next day I was sent back to the finishing school. 'Lady Marie's School For Young Women.' I hated to go back, but my father had paid for a full term there and he hated wasting money. After all he had been so good to Blink, it was the least I could do for him I suppose. The good thing was that my father had also arranged for Blink to walk me. He would miss his morning edition of papers, but father said he'd give him five whole dollars to make up for the loss. Blink said he didn't want the money, but father insisted upon it.
To people walking by on the street they must thought us an odd site. A girl, dressed wealthy-like, and a boy dressed like a street rat walking hand in hand. A month or so ago I would never have dreamed I would be doing that.
"How long have you been a Newsie?" I asked breaking the silence that had settled.
"I'd say 'bout five years now." Blink said after a moment. He nodded then looked down at me.
"Oh." I said. "Why'd you become a Newsie?" I asked. Blink didn't answer right away. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I added.
"My dad left me and my mom when I'se was six. My mom, she worked at a factory. We'se got by on dat fine, just da two of us. But she, she wanted more for me. She met some guy. We'se moved in wit him when I'se was ten. He was real real rich, ya know? After awhile, he started hittin' me mom. I tried to fight back, but he was too strong. He stopped hitting my mom at night and started hittin' me instead." He paused for a moment. I gave his hand a small squeeze, but didn't say anything. "So one night, he came home real drunk. He was out of his mind. He dragged me outta bed and started punching me. He hit me for about ten minutes. My mom just sat and watched. She didn't try to stop him or anythin'. I was used to him hitting me on me my back, but then he punched me three times in my eye." He pointed to eye with the patch over it. "I'se was out cold. When I woke up my vision was all fuzzy. I couldn' see a thing. I'se figured out it was my left eye that was makin' everythin' fuzzy. My mom didn' care enough to take me to the doctor. She didn' care her husband beat the shit out of me every night." His voice was becoming stronger. "I left dat day and never came back. For a couple months I lived off da garbage, until I met someone 'round my age. He was holdin' papers and he saw how bad I looked. He brought me to Lodgin' House and told me his name was Mush. I been there ever since." He finished and looked down at me.
Poor Blink. I wanted to say something to him, but I couldn't manage. He had suffered so much, and I...hadn't. He seemed to be fine now though, and I decided I wouldn't mention his past anymore. Atleast I knew what had happened to his eye without asking rudely.
We continued walking for few minutes until we came across the building. It was made entirely of an old gray colored brick. At one time it must have look elegant, but now it was ugly and worn. There was a plaque by the door it read 'Lady Marie's School For Young Women' and under that it stated 'A Institute For The Betterment of Society's Finest Young Ladies.' I read it to Blink and he laughed and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled, gave him a hug and quickly said goodbye as I went up the stairs and opened the doors. He stood there awkwardly for a moment then walked slowly away. I walked into a room full of desks smiling broadly. I sat in the back in a desk that was not yet occupied. The girl in front of me turned around quickly. The girl was Rebecca Lancing and she had been my best friend for forever. Recently she had become rather rude and snotty. Or maybe it was just that I had become less rude and snotty.
"Was letting that boy walk you to school charity work?" She asked with a disgusted look on her face.
"No." I said icily. Class hadn't been started yet, but I wasn't too keen on being hit on the knuckles with Lady Marie's ruler.
"Then why was he walking you to school?" She asked with an even more disgusted look on her face. "Can't get a boy of your standards, so you go down to the streets and pick them up?" She said smirking.
"Rebecca, let's remember that my father doesn't pay Mr. Linden to make his son go out with me. That would be you." I said out of the side of my mouth.
"Well atleast Johnny has use of both his eyes." She said. I almost laughed at how arrogant she was.
"That's lovely, Rebecca. Atleast Blink has a full functioning heart, mind and soul, unlike Johnny who has a stick the size of his ego shoved up his ass." I said, quite proud of myself.
Rebecca was about to say something, but at that moment Lady Marie walked in and I promptly shut down my brain and allowed my mind to wander elsewhere. For four hours I managed to keep myself from dying a long and boring death. I couldn't believe how rude Rebecca was. I couldn't be too mad at her though, because I probably would have said the same to her a month ago.
Finally Lady Marie stopped talking and dismissed us for the day. If it had been any longer I might have considered suicide. As I gathered my bag from the floor another girl who used to be my friend stood by my desk. I looked up at her while I put a book back in my gray bag.
"Yes, Jenna?" I asked standing up ready to go outside and walk home with one of my father's guards.
"Are you being paid?" She asked randomly.
"Being paid, for what?" I asked tilting my head. "Being paid to hang out with that boy." Jenna said loudly.
"No." I said starting to walk away.
"Well," She said walking next to me. "Everyone thinks you've gone mad, you know."
"Good for them." I said walking out of the classroom and heading for the door to leave.
"Dacey, you're the mayor's daughter. You can't parade around with street trash." Jenna said stopping where she stood.
"He isn't street trash." I said simply and walked through the door.
I guessed Jenna was just trying to help, but she wasn't. She had no idea. She was oblivious, just as I had once been. In the upper class the daughters did what they were told without question. It was expected for them to be perfect, and to do everything perfect. We were trapped in a box. We were helplessly lost in an alternate reality until someone helped us cut our way out.
My father's guard nodded as I walked to him. He was easy to spot. They were all tall, big and wearing all black. He walked quickly and I occasionally had to jog to keep up with him. When we got to my house I was rather exhausted. I would have very much liked to take a nap on the couch but as soon as I opened the door and sat down my bag my mother pulled me back out of the house. We had to go shopping for a dress and a suit for Blink. My mother walked me into some fancy store filled with dresses and suits and a number of other things. She said Blink would stop by to be fitted after he was done selling. While we waited she pulled me around the different dresses. She found none to her liking.
"Looks like it will be a custom made one then." She said briskly as she started looking at fabric and silk. I sat in a chair and watched her run from one side of the room to the other.
At the other end of the store there was a commotion.
"Out with you." The store clerk was yelling.
"Oh, honestly." My mother said and rushed over to where the clerk stood shooing away a young man. It was Blink. Mother walked him over and sat him down in a chair next to me. He looked rather uncomfortable about being in the store. I laughed.
"How was you'se class?" He asked once he finally caught his breath.
"Boring." I said, sparing the details of the conversations I had had.
"Oh." He watched my mom. "Mush says hi."
"Next time you see him, give him my regards." I said watching my mother as well. She could win a marathon, I swear.
She waltzed over with a pleased look on her face. In one hand she held maroon, white and gold fabric and in the other she held up a suit for Blink.
"What do you think Blink?" She asked beckoning him to stand up.
"M'am, I'se don't know what to think. I'se don't normally find myself wearing suits." He looked over the suit with his eye.
"Quite alright. Bring that over to Mary," She pointed to an old lady standing in a corner. "So she can tailor it for you."
Blink walked over to Mary and glanced back over where I stood with a confused looking face. I smiled. I had done this so many times it was second nature. I stood on a stool as the fabric was draped around me in every which way and I was measured from every angle. An hour later Blink was sitting in a chair watching. He occasional made weird faces that caused me to laughed and also caused a pin to stab me in the arm. I shifted my weight from one foot to another. I hated to stand this long.
"You can step down now, Dacey." My mother said. I didn't need to be told twice. I hoped right off and sat next to Blink while my mother paid the seamstress and made sure she knew what she was doing.
Once she was done with that she waved us up and out of the store. Blink thanked my mother and I gave him a quick kiss on the check. My mother looked away and I laughed as I walked away with her and Blink walked away towards the Lodging House.
"You two don't talk much." My mother commented when we were half way home.
She was right. Blink and I didn't talk much. We were comfortable around each other, yet we didn't engage in conversation like most young 'couples' did. Perhaps it was because we didn't need to talk, or maybe it was just that we had nothing to talk about. I shrugged.
"I guess we don't." I said quietly agreeing. We didn't say anything else until we walked up the steps to our house.
"We're going to have to work on his speech habits before we leave." She said quickly.
"Mother!" I said loudly.
"Well, we can't have him talking where people can't understand him." She said quietly.
"I can understand him perfectly." I said. She had no right to insult Blink's speech.
"And I don't know how you can. You're father and I can't understand him in the slightest."
"You can very well!" I said sharply.
"Fine. I just want to make sure he doesn't embarrass himself." She muttered and walked off.
I laughed slightly as I walked up the stairs to my room. I was exhausted. The banquet was the day after tomorrow, I couldn't wait. For once I would be going with someone whom I enjoyed being around.
If I could have gone back in time to the moment when I collapsed into my bed I would have faked sick or faked death or something. Anything to keep Blink, my family, and myself from going to that banquet. Everything would still be perfect if we just would have stayed home.