What Will Become of The Girl?
Ch. 4
I was startled by Spot's comment.
"Why?" I asked.
"Jacky-Boy and I have been friends for a long time. If Brooklyn doesn't go through with this, then it's not a big deal. But it is Kitty." He told me using the second nickname I despised. When I turned 15, Blood started calling me Kitty. I hate it so much.
I left Spot to drown in his thoughts as I walked back to the docks to grab my shirt. I pulled it over my head and walked to the bunkroom to see if I had enough money to live during the strike. As I looked in my carpetbag, I looked at my arms, and at all the scars that I had gotten from all the fights I had gotten in over the years. I smiled and found what I was looking for. It was my nest egg for when Jack would come back for me. After I was 13 I stopped believing he would come, but I still collected in case of emergencies. I glad I did or else I wouldn't survive during the strike.
"What are ya doning?" A voice behind me asked. I jerked up my head only to see Change, one of my good friends.
"Seeing if I had enough money so I could eat during da strike." I replied with a smile. Change was rather attractive. He had light blond hair and deep blue eyes. He stood at 5 feet, 5 inches. He always had a smile on his face and could make anyone laugh.
"Spot said we wasn't gonna go through it." He said with a look of confusion on his face.
"Jack said dat if we go through it, da other Newsies will go through it." I said before walking past him to go back outside. I breathed in the same air for 6 years and I still smell something different every time. It smelled of tobacco, alcohol and river water. I loved the smell of the water. It smells pure.
I laughed and walked to the street. I walked down the street to Martha's and grabbed a cup of coffee. I breathed in the aroma of the coffee as Spot walked in.
"Tomorrow, we go to Manhattan and we'll help out Jacky-Boy wit da strike." He told me as he took a sip of my coffee. I smacked him I the head and took my cup back and drank some of it. Spot and I chatted for a long time over several cups of coffee and went back to the Lodging House.
The Next Day…
I woke up and grabbed some clean clothes. As I walked to the bathroom, I pulled off my sleeping shirt and put on my faded blue shirt. I threw my sleeping shirt on my bed and finished my walk to the bathroom. I put on my pants and brushed my teeth. While I was brushing my teeth, the other boys came in and started to get ready. I laughed, as the other boys were play fighting and getting each other wet. Spot walked into the bathroom as I walked out.
"Are ya ready?" He asked me.
"For what?" I replied.
"Ta go ta Manhattan."
"Yeah." I said as I walked down the creaky old stairs and into the street. I sat against a wall and waited for the other boys to come outside. A few boys from another part of Brooklyn came by and laughed at me. I stood up ready to fight when they walked away realizing who I was. They thought I was just some stupid ass punk, but I was more that. I sat back down as Spot and the others came out so I had to get up again. I sighed and walked next to Spot as we walked to Manhattan.
When we reached Newsies Square, I herd yells from fights inside the area where you get the papes.
"Spot," I said as I pointed to the area. His eyes grew wide.
"Boys," He said as he turned to the boys in our group, "Today you will show da world what Brooklyn is made of." The boys cheered as half of them stayed at the square and the rest of us went to the rooftops around the fight. Spot handed me a slingshot as we hid. One by one, we popped out of our hiding spots.
"Never fear, Brooklyn is here." Spot said as he shot up with me next to him.
"It's Brooklyn!" A boy in the mix of the fight yelled as we aimed our slingshots and hit as many scabs as we could. Someone threw Spot a rope and he slid down it. He spit on his hand and held it out to Jack who also had a spit-laden hand. Spot looked my way and threw the rope. I caught it and slid down it. I wasn't very good with rope sliding and I landed in the lap of the boy who shouted "It's Brooklyn!" He smiled at me as I got up. I smiled back not knowing who the boy was. I started beating the crap out of the scabs. I searched the crowd for Spot and saw that he was opening the gates to let the boys in that were outside. I smiled as he pulled out his gold tipped cane like a sword. In no time at all, the scabs were defeated. When Spot let in the other boys, he also let in Denton, a reporter for the Sun.
"Jack! Boys! Freeze! Freeze!" He called before we stopped celebrating to get our picture taken. I was behind Spot who was next to Blink.
The Next Day…Again
We were hanging out a Tibby's, a diner, when Denton walked in hold a pape.
"Hey fellas. Hey, hey! Big time." He said before handing the pape to Jack.
"What you got there Jack?" Boots asked looking over his shoulder.
"Where's me picture? Where's me picture?" Spot asked while he rushed over to see.
"What's that? That all about us?" Boots asked again.
"Look at that Jack. You look like a gentlemen," The boy who caught me asked while touching the picture.
"Will you get your fingers off me face?" Jack asked looking annoyed.
"Where does it say my name? Where's my name?" Spot asked again. I glared at him for thinking of only him.
"Will you quit thinking about yourself?"
"No,"
"You got us on the front page!" David told Denton excitedly.
"You got yourselves on the front page. I just got to make sure you stay there." Denton said before finishing off his drink.
"So what. You get your picture in the papes, so what's that get you, huh?" A boy who looked a little slow asked.
"What are you talkin' about?" The boy who caught me asked him.
"Shut up, boy. You been in a bad mood all day!" Jack said glaring at him. I smiled remembering they way he said that to me.
"I'm not in a bad mood!" The slow boy said.
"Glum and dumb. What's the matta with you? You get your picture in the papes, your famous. Your famous, you get anything you want. That's what so great about New York!" A small Italian boy said. I herd music playing and looked around to see where it was coming from.
"A pair of new shoes with matching laces" The boy who caught me said.
"A permanent box at Sheepshed Races." The small Italian boy sang.
"A porcelain tub with boiling water" Spot said and I laughed.
"A Saturday night with the mayor's daughter!" Blink said as he jumped on the table.
"Look at me I'm the King of New York! Suddenly I'm respectable staring right atcha lousy with stature," The small Italian boy said.
"Nubbin' with all the muckety-mucks I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe!" Jack sang while leaning back on the table
"And there I'll be ain't I pretty? It's my city I'm the king of New York!"
"A corduroy suit with fitted knickers" Boots said.
"A mezzanine seat to see the flickers" A little boy sang.
"Havana cigars that cost a quarter" A drug addict sang
"An editor's desk for our star reporter!" David said before kicking a chair out for Denton to sit in.
"Tip your hat He's the King of New York!" Everybody sang. I stood there horrified at the sight of seeing Spot sing and dance.
"How 'bout that? I'm the King of New York!" Denton sang.
"In nothing flat he'll be covering Brooklyn to Trenton our man Denton."
"Making a headline out of a hunch" Blink sang.
"Protecting the weak" Denton sang as he sat down.
"And paying for lunch" Italian boy said. I started to back into a corner because I couldn't take it anymore.
"When I'm at bat, strong men crumble"
"Proud yet humble. He's the King of New York"
"I gotta be either dead or dreaming Cuz look at that pape with my face beaming tomorrow the may wrap fishes in it but I was a star for one whole minute! Starting now I'm the King of New York!"
"Ain't you hear? I'm the King of New York!"
"Holy cow! It's a miracle Pulitzer's crying Weasel? He's dying! Flashpots are shooting bright as the sun I'm one hifalutin' sonuva gun! Don't ask me how fortune found me fate just crowned me, now I'm King of New York! Look and see once a piker now a striker I'm the King of New York! Victory! Front page story guts and glory I'm the King of New York!"
"So, let's have some ideas." Jack said after everyone was done singing and I came out of my corner.
"Well, we gotta show people where we stand" David said. I kinda zoned out and looked around to find Spot, who was somewhere, I just don't know where. I turned around and the guy who caught me was there. He smiled as Blink handed him a coke but he was still looking at me. I blushed and looked back at Jack.
"Our man Denton!" Everyone yelled before drinking their cokes.
madmbutterfly713: Make that chapter 8!
Libby: Thank you sooooooooooo much. You don't know how much that means to me.
Lainie-d: I just did. LOL.