I remembered the short walk to the ever-familiar distribution center only
too well as the three of us walked through the crowded streets. I was
nervous but my resolve was solid as we approached the gates, the noise and
the newsies I had run from a year before.
Spot, Race and I walked into the middle of it all and as the old faces recognized me the noise quieted considerably.
"Well if it ain't de bastard goil back again. I was beginnin te think ye gone an died," the shout rang out over the silence, I didn't have to look to see who it was, I already knew and had even been expecting it. Knuckles made his way through the silent crowd towards me and his old stare that would have made me back away was on his face though I was not going to back away this time. I could see his eyes land on Spot and Race and recognition dawn in his eyes. Spot and Race saw this as well. Spot grinned, eyes hard, Race just glared a muscle in his cheek pulsing as though he was longing to plant one right in Knuckles's face. I felt the same.
"Whudd de ye wan?" Knuckles said a little more wary now that he knew I wasn't alone.
"It's got nuthin te do wid ye so ye can jus back off," I spat in his face. He wasn't to happy with my new found defiance and he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me on my toes. "Ye don talk te me dat way," he snarled at me.
I heard what I guessed was Race attempting to beat the shit out of him as Spot held him back. But I now knew I could handle him myself. I grabbed his hands that were grabbing my shirt pushed one away and twisted the other behind his back painfully. He yelped and I smiled then let him go.
"Not so smart now eh?" I said to him scathingly.
He backed away from me a few paces and I scanned the crowd that had gathered around us for familiar faces. I caught sight of a face I recognized, a boy whose age wasn't known with huge bicepts and threatening eyes. His name was Bull because he had quite a history with the bulls according to the stories told all over.
"Hey Bull," I called to him. "Ye guys got anodda leada 'round hea? I don see Blitz no wheres." Blitz had been the leader of the Harlem newsies when I had been a newsie myself.
"Yea," he said then turned and called over his tall shoulder, "Hey Trixy!" I wondered for a brief moment who Trixy was before Trixy came into view. She was a tall lanky girl with dark blond hair and dark eyes. She eyed me curiously then stuck out a hand.
"Hey, me names Trixy, newfound leada o de Harlem newsies. Who're ye?"
I shook the offered hand and opened my mouth to reply. But before I could Knuckles spoke.
"Dat bitch's Brin," he said to Trixy.
I glared at him daring him to give me an excuse to punch him out.
"Actually," I said taking my eyes off Knuckles and looking back at the girl named Trixy, "I go by Doodles...not Brin."
"Nice te meet ye," she said then turned her own glare at Knuckles. "I think ye should jus shut up now."
"I think I like ye already," I said with a grin.
"Uh who're ye?" Trixy asked Spot and Race. I had forgotten they where there for a second.
"Me names Spot Conlon, leada o de Brooklyn newsies," he said looking a little put out that she didn't know who he was. "Hey ye new in New Yawk?"
"Actually jus new in Harlem, I useta live fartha north. But I have hoid o ye." She replied a little smirk on her face as she took grasp of his overly healthy ego. She then looked over at Race questioningly.
"Me names Racetrack," he told her.
"Ye from Brooklyn too?" she asked him.
"Naw," he said. "My ego's not big enough. I'm from Manhattan."
Trixy laughed and nodded.
"I take it ye used te sell hea?" she then asked me.
I nodded remembering then that a crowd that was avidly listening in surrounded us. When Trixy noticed that I was looking a little wary of the newises around us she said, "Whudd ye all starin at? Don ye got some sellin te do?" This cleared them up as they got into line again to buy their papes.
"So whudd did ye come fer, a visit?" she asked me.
I nodded at Spot to go ahead and explain why we were there. "Well I guess ye haven't hoid 'bout any o de trouble we've been havin wid de Crypts in Manhattan an Brooklyn den," he began and Trixy shook her head. "Te make a long story short," he went on, "De problem starts wid Doodles hea, an pretty much we need some way te get de Crypts te realize dey shouldn't bodda us no mora so we're organizin a rally wid newsies from all ova New Yawk. All de newsies hate de Crypts an we figure dey'd wanna try an get em when de can. Dis is yer, dey're chance," he finished.
"Yea dats de foist reason we're hea," Race then put in eyes hard with anger. "We also wanna kill some newsies by de names of Deuce and Knuckles."
"Why?" Trixy asked him curiously.
"De ye know em?" I asked her, though nobody had answered her question.
"Well I obviously know Knuckles, an yea, I know Deuce too," she replied.
"Right..." Spot said interuppting us. "So de ye think ye wanna help us?"
Trixy thought for a few moments thinking about it but then she nodded. "Sure why not?"
Spot grinned and spat into his hand then held it out for her, she spat in hers and they shook on it.
I had just thought of something though, "But de ye think dat all de newsies who hated me befora will come too?" I asked.
"Why do some o de newsies hate youse?" Trixy wanted to know.
"Well..." I wavered about telling her but then I decided that there was no point in not telling her because she'd just ask some Harlem newsie about it and they would tell her. So I told her the shortened version of my story and when I was finished she looked pretty astonished.
"I can't believe dat dey whudd do dat!" she exclaimed.
"Why are you good friends wid Deuce or sumthin?" I asked her wondering.
"Well...not anymore," she said to me and I knew that I liked her. "We kinda were at de point of goin out..." she said in a lowered voice looking a little sad now. "But now...if he did dat te ye I don want anythin te do wid him," she said this definatly.
"Oh..." I said feeling bad for her. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry bout it," Trixy said looking as though she was not showing what she really felt. "I'd rather know now dan lata like ye did."
There was an uncomfortable silence in which the four of us stood around akwardly.
"So when should we go?" she asked us, "to Manhattan for the rally I mean..."
"Well t'day," Spot answered, "or as soon as possible."
"Ok, if ye guys wanna head back ye can," Trixy said. "Cause I've got some stuff te take care of before all of us come te Manhattan. Such as bitchin someone out..." she trailed off grinning.
"Dat sounds good," Race said. "Its been great doin business wid ye."
"Bye, and thanks," she said to all of us as we began to walk away.
"See ya in Manhattan!" I then called to her as me, Spot, and Race headed away from the distriubution center and back to Manhattan.
Spot, Race and I walked into the middle of it all and as the old faces recognized me the noise quieted considerably.
"Well if it ain't de bastard goil back again. I was beginnin te think ye gone an died," the shout rang out over the silence, I didn't have to look to see who it was, I already knew and had even been expecting it. Knuckles made his way through the silent crowd towards me and his old stare that would have made me back away was on his face though I was not going to back away this time. I could see his eyes land on Spot and Race and recognition dawn in his eyes. Spot and Race saw this as well. Spot grinned, eyes hard, Race just glared a muscle in his cheek pulsing as though he was longing to plant one right in Knuckles's face. I felt the same.
"Whudd de ye wan?" Knuckles said a little more wary now that he knew I wasn't alone.
"It's got nuthin te do wid ye so ye can jus back off," I spat in his face. He wasn't to happy with my new found defiance and he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me on my toes. "Ye don talk te me dat way," he snarled at me.
I heard what I guessed was Race attempting to beat the shit out of him as Spot held him back. But I now knew I could handle him myself. I grabbed his hands that were grabbing my shirt pushed one away and twisted the other behind his back painfully. He yelped and I smiled then let him go.
"Not so smart now eh?" I said to him scathingly.
He backed away from me a few paces and I scanned the crowd that had gathered around us for familiar faces. I caught sight of a face I recognized, a boy whose age wasn't known with huge bicepts and threatening eyes. His name was Bull because he had quite a history with the bulls according to the stories told all over.
"Hey Bull," I called to him. "Ye guys got anodda leada 'round hea? I don see Blitz no wheres." Blitz had been the leader of the Harlem newsies when I had been a newsie myself.
"Yea," he said then turned and called over his tall shoulder, "Hey Trixy!" I wondered for a brief moment who Trixy was before Trixy came into view. She was a tall lanky girl with dark blond hair and dark eyes. She eyed me curiously then stuck out a hand.
"Hey, me names Trixy, newfound leada o de Harlem newsies. Who're ye?"
I shook the offered hand and opened my mouth to reply. But before I could Knuckles spoke.
"Dat bitch's Brin," he said to Trixy.
I glared at him daring him to give me an excuse to punch him out.
"Actually," I said taking my eyes off Knuckles and looking back at the girl named Trixy, "I go by Doodles...not Brin."
"Nice te meet ye," she said then turned her own glare at Knuckles. "I think ye should jus shut up now."
"I think I like ye already," I said with a grin.
"Uh who're ye?" Trixy asked Spot and Race. I had forgotten they where there for a second.
"Me names Spot Conlon, leada o de Brooklyn newsies," he said looking a little put out that she didn't know who he was. "Hey ye new in New Yawk?"
"Actually jus new in Harlem, I useta live fartha north. But I have hoid o ye." She replied a little smirk on her face as she took grasp of his overly healthy ego. She then looked over at Race questioningly.
"Me names Racetrack," he told her.
"Ye from Brooklyn too?" she asked him.
"Naw," he said. "My ego's not big enough. I'm from Manhattan."
Trixy laughed and nodded.
"I take it ye used te sell hea?" she then asked me.
I nodded remembering then that a crowd that was avidly listening in surrounded us. When Trixy noticed that I was looking a little wary of the newises around us she said, "Whudd ye all starin at? Don ye got some sellin te do?" This cleared them up as they got into line again to buy their papes.
"So whudd did ye come fer, a visit?" she asked me.
I nodded at Spot to go ahead and explain why we were there. "Well I guess ye haven't hoid 'bout any o de trouble we've been havin wid de Crypts in Manhattan an Brooklyn den," he began and Trixy shook her head. "Te make a long story short," he went on, "De problem starts wid Doodles hea, an pretty much we need some way te get de Crypts te realize dey shouldn't bodda us no mora so we're organizin a rally wid newsies from all ova New Yawk. All de newsies hate de Crypts an we figure dey'd wanna try an get em when de can. Dis is yer, dey're chance," he finished.
"Yea dats de foist reason we're hea," Race then put in eyes hard with anger. "We also wanna kill some newsies by de names of Deuce and Knuckles."
"Why?" Trixy asked him curiously.
"De ye know em?" I asked her, though nobody had answered her question.
"Well I obviously know Knuckles, an yea, I know Deuce too," she replied.
"Right..." Spot said interuppting us. "So de ye think ye wanna help us?"
Trixy thought for a few moments thinking about it but then she nodded. "Sure why not?"
Spot grinned and spat into his hand then held it out for her, she spat in hers and they shook on it.
I had just thought of something though, "But de ye think dat all de newsies who hated me befora will come too?" I asked.
"Why do some o de newsies hate youse?" Trixy wanted to know.
"Well..." I wavered about telling her but then I decided that there was no point in not telling her because she'd just ask some Harlem newsie about it and they would tell her. So I told her the shortened version of my story and when I was finished she looked pretty astonished.
"I can't believe dat dey whudd do dat!" she exclaimed.
"Why are you good friends wid Deuce or sumthin?" I asked her wondering.
"Well...not anymore," she said to me and I knew that I liked her. "We kinda were at de point of goin out..." she said in a lowered voice looking a little sad now. "But now...if he did dat te ye I don want anythin te do wid him," she said this definatly.
"Oh..." I said feeling bad for her. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry bout it," Trixy said looking as though she was not showing what she really felt. "I'd rather know now dan lata like ye did."
There was an uncomfortable silence in which the four of us stood around akwardly.
"So when should we go?" she asked us, "to Manhattan for the rally I mean..."
"Well t'day," Spot answered, "or as soon as possible."
"Ok, if ye guys wanna head back ye can," Trixy said. "Cause I've got some stuff te take care of before all of us come te Manhattan. Such as bitchin someone out..." she trailed off grinning.
"Dat sounds good," Race said. "Its been great doin business wid ye."
"Bye, and thanks," she said to all of us as we began to walk away.
"See ya in Manhattan!" I then called to her as me, Spot, and Race headed away from the distriubution center and back to Manhattan.