Chapter Four
The ten newsies stepped outside into the bright morning sunlight, squinting and using their hands to block the light from their eyes. Well, at least, this was the reaction of the boys. The instant Kat felt the warm sunshine on her skin, she whipped off her cap, stuffed it in her back pocket and spreading her arms out wide, lifted her smiling face to the sun. After she had stood there for several minutes drinking in the sun's warmth, she turned back to her new friends to find them staring at her like she was crazy.
Planting her balled fists on her hips in annoyance, she mock glared at the boys, "What? Haven't y'all ever taken time to enjoy the sunshine before?"
From the looks on their faces, Kat knew she was with a sorry bunch of boys. With a sigh, she looked to the sky and muttered something along the lines of 'Why do I even bother?' Then she walked toward the group, hoping to get them to stop staring at her. It seemed to work because they all turned to move on down the street to their destination of the circulation yard.
As they walked, the boys started to tease each other and laugh at the stupid things that they had done recently or what new girls they had met. So, Kat started to feel a little left out. But Katlin James didn't mind. She was used to being left out of things or jokes between her brothers and cousins. She had to find other ways of entertaining herself when she was alone. Right now was no different. While the boys were too busy talking to pay attention to Kat, a cardboard box in front of one of the produce stores caught her eye.
Wondering at what was in it; Kat turned to have a look. Inside was a batch of the most adorable kittens she had ever seen! The one that caught her attention most was black one with a white dewdrop on his nose and a white tipped tail. He also noticed Kat's inquiring face and rushed toward the side of the box to greet her with his soft meows. She couldn't resist any longer. With soft, careful hands, Kat lifted the kitten to her face. In happiness, the puss purred and rubbed his head on her face.
Kat decided then and there that she had found a new friend. Making sure that the kitten was for the taking, she held him close to her chest before running to catch up with her friends. When she had reached the group, out of breath and excited, they didn't even seem to notice that she had been gone. She pouted a little at this but was soon distracted by the noise of the circulation yard. She could barely believe her eyes at the number of newsies waiting to buy their papes. She stopped beneath an awning, to nervous to follow her friends into the crowd.
As they neared the yard, Jack seemed to remember the new kid with them. He turned his head trying to see where she was in the group of his mates. He spotted her standing quietly out of sight under an awning holding something black close to her chest. He could see the worry and nervousness in her eyes. This was so different for her. He immediately felt bad for not including her in the conversation earlier. Stopping in the middle of the square, Jack motioned back to Kat when the fellas gave him weird looks. He could tell that they too were stuck with shame at the way they had ignored their new comrade.
Crutchy was the only one to make a move toward the frozen girl. The other boys could only stare as their rather clumsy friend made his way up to the girl. As they watched, Kat seemed to be in her own little world because when Crutchy touched her arm, she nearly jumped out of her skin. When she met reassuring Crutchy's gaze, Kat visibly relaxed. Then she showed him the black thing in her arms with a delighted look in her eyes that seemed to challenge the sun.
Kat smiled at Crutchy and was finally able to move her legs toward the crowd of laughing, yelling, and fighting boys. When they reached Jack and the others, she noticed that they seemed to be glum about something. Looking confused from one face to the next, Kat silently asked what happened.
Les was the first to speak up, " We is sorry, Kat." This brought even more confusion to her face. "We is sorry for ignorin' ya earlier."
Kat looked at the boys grouped around her. They all nodded with the same glum expressions as Les. When she started to chuckle, they looked at her as if she had gone mad.
"Is that all? No worries Mates! I was a bit put out at first, but then I remembered that I always get the same treatment around mah brothers and cousins. So, even though I don't like it, I'm sort of used to it."
This didn't make them feel any better, but her smile and giggles soon brought them around. It was then that Les and Boots brought attention to the kitten in her arms. There was a mad scramble of all the boys except Crutchy to get at least three feet from the animal. This made Kat almost double over with laughter. The tough newsies were nervous around cats!
But her laughter didn't last long. Because a girl's laugh is so much more different then a boy's, her laugh rushed through the assembly like a stream rushed through a dry valley. It didn't take long for her to notice that she now had the attention of every newsie in the square. Her laughter died on her lips as she tried to act nonchalant about the stares pointed at her.
Jack and the boys also noticed what the fresh laughter of girl had brought. The Delancy brothers were fighting their way through the crowd with only one purpose in mind: find the owner of the magical laugh. Their eyes hungrily surveyed Kat's stiff body as if it were candy or something much better. The boys were just about to step in when they saw the look on Kat's face.
She wasn't standing there frozen like she had on other occasions. Her face was set as in stone and her eyes flashed hot purple fire. She hated jerks like these two. She wasn't going to just let them stand there and look all they wanted. It was time to see if she could remember all her brothers had taught her about pride and her fiery temper.
Kat forcefully pushed her kitten into Crutchy's hands ignoring the silent warning he was trying to give her. When she didn't respond, Crutchy glanced pleadingly at Jack and the others. What were they to do? Oscar and Morris would eat her alive. The boys could only stand there rooted to the cobblestone like Kat had been earlier. They didn't move because they saw something in Kat's face that scared them. It was in the best interest to their health to stay out of the way.
With resolution and a set jaw, Kat stormed up to the brothers who just smirked at the fifteen-year-old. When she was toe to toe with the brothers, she stood there glaring for all she was worth.
"See something ya like, fellas?" The crowd drew a sharp breath at these words. The Delancys just grinned all the more. This seemed to add fuel to Kat's fury. "Good, cause I don't!"
With that, she brought her heel down on Oscar's foot causing him to howl, then when he bent to nurse his injured toes; her knee met his jaw with a loud crack. Oscar was down and out. Morris grabbed Kat from behind. With a hard jab backward, Kat plunged her elbow deep into his gut, making Morris loosen his grip. Then the whole square winced as she spun around and introduced her foot to Morris' most private area. To end the annoyance, Kat gave Morris a punch in the face that broke his nose and would be giving him a nice shiner.
Kat surveyed the two bodies on the cobblestone before her. As the adrenaline slowly flowed from her veins, she snorted, "Don't eva mess with a James! Especially their little fiery brat of a sister!" She then whirled back to her company; eyes still flashing and braid flying. Crutchy numbly surrendered the kitten that had been nearly squeezed to death during the fight. Jack and the others could only look at the girl before them. She certainly wasn't what she seemed.
