Late that night, Crutchy sat with Elise in front of the fireplace, listening to the story of how she ended up in New York and in her current... condition. The tale was sad, brutal, something that should never happen to a human being, especially someone as sweet and perfect as Elise. He blinked back tears he wouldn't allow her to see, wanted to take her hand, to hold her, but had a strange, sinking feeling that she belonged to Jack now.
"What's his name?" Crutchy asked, his voice void of any emotion now. He was numb after hearing her story, after realizing how much he liked her, and not being able to do a damn thing about it.
"McKenna, McKennon, something like that. I don't know." She sighed, buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Jack says he can get me a job at that cafe, and I guess that'll help, but once this... progresses... unwed girls don't have babies."
"You got Jack. He'll take care of you. I bet he'd marry ya, if it came down to it." Brooding brown eyes turned to the fire, hoping the reflection of the flames would hide the disappointment. I know I'd step up if you needed me.
"Jack... he's a good boy. I bet he would. But he wouldn't want me, and I don't want pity. No one will want me once... you know... I'm, what'dya call it... damaged goods."
"That's bullshit, Elise. You're a catch."
The morning sun brought with it a ruthless summer heat. It was barely an hour the newsies were out selling, and already they could feel the sweat rolling slowly down their backs. It'd be nearly unbearable by the end of the day, but such was a working boy's life in New York.
Well, a working girl's too now, but not in the way most people would think.
Penny was out selling with Skittery, learning the tricks of the trade. Most girls would find themselves disgusted by the thought of spending a day in the sun with a sweating, swearing, shouting boy, but she found it exciting. The way the boys could twist the most mundane headline into something readable was utterly fascinating. She loved watching the little crowds gather around the upheld pape, the wink Skittery would shoot her when he hooked someone. The wink was the best part; it gave her butterflies in her stomach, which she found she didn't mind at all.
Skittery let her try her hand at selling papers, which definitely could have gone better: a headline about two drunks brawling in a bar over the other kind of working girl turned into one about a love triangle resulting in a bloody, brutal beatdown – alliteration and all. People felt so bad for her that two actually gave her nickels for her papers just to shut her up. She glared as Skittery doubled over laughing.
"At least I made ten cents," she grumbled indignantly, handing the chortling newsboy his papers. All he did was smile. That smile could make your knees go out under you. Completely destroyed the nerves.
Penny grinned as he stepped to her, arms open as if for a hug, then yelped as he hoisted her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "SKITTERY!" she shrieked, failing terribly at hiding her glee. "What are you doing!"
"'Find a penny, pick it up; all day long you'll have good luck!'" He recited the verse in falsetto, laughing as he walked down the street. "We're going to lunch."
Penny was prepared to kick and protest until she realized that behind the butterflies, there was some serious hunger stirring up. She'd been too tired to eat anything for breakfast, so this would be the first time she'd eaten all day.
"Find yourself a prize, Skitts?" A joking voice joined them on their journey to Tibby's, talking in good humor with Skittery for a few seconds then falling back a couple steps to whisper. "Don't think I can't see you staring, Penny."
Busted. Penny lifted her eyes from where they were inconspicuously (or, at least, so she thought) examining Skittery's derriere, and landed on a smirking face with glasses and a beat-up bowler. "Hi, Specs," she said with a sheepishgrin and a rather deep blush.
Inside the cafe, it wasn't quite as hot as it was outside, but one certainly could not call it cool. The fans spinning overhead created a small breeze, but the heat from the kitchen permeated the whole place and mixed with the summer heat; one didn't even need to mention the fact that it smelled like onions as well.
That last part made it especially difficult for Elise. But since the owner had given her a job right off, she knew she had to brave the odor and the heat whether she liked it or not. Hell, she could handle seasickness, why not morning sickness? She was tough. She was Irish.
"You gonna eat?" Jack poked her in the shoulder, breaking her train of thought, then pointed to the plate of food in front of her.
"Huh?" Elise looked down at the plate, her stomach doing some sort of flip between nausea and hunger. "Oh, I..."
"Don't even try to tell us you're not hungry," a curly-haired boy named Mush piped up. "You ain't eaten all day."
"Yeah, but..."
"You ain't starvin' ya'self on our watch," added a boy with an eye patch. Elise couldn't really remember his name. Boy Wink? Something like that. Whatever. She opened her mouth to protest, when Crutchy came up and shoved a biscuit in her mouth.
"Eat." He smiled as she grumbled around the bread... she was just so cute. He must have kept his eyes on her a little too long, because Jack's elbow found its way to his ribs.
He likes her, Jack thought, arching an eyebrow at his friend, but she don't need this right now.
Possessive bastard, Crutchy thought, plopping down into a chair and sulking. She's my friend too, ya know.
As Skittery and Penny joined them at the table, the Tibby herself shuffled over. "She staying with you boys, too?" The plump, gray-haired woman smiled sweetly at Penny when nods answered her question. "I am a little short-handed, if you'd be wanting a job as well, my dear."
Penny grinned and nodded. "That would be wonderful, ma'am, I'd love to."
"Very well then, I'll be seeing you girls tomorrow morning. The usual, Skittery?" Skittery nodded his affirmation, and looked at Penny.
"Same for her, too."
Penny looked at him quizzically, wondering if she'd want to eat the same things a teenage boy did. "Fish and chips," he reassured her, and she smiled gratefully.
The next morning, the girls were up, scrubbed, and listening to Jack lecture them like some sort of drill sargeant. They were not to walk to work by themselves, not to walk home by themselves, and steer as clear as they could of any suspicious persons. They nodded, and were escorted to the cafe by Pie Eater and What's-His-Face-with-the-Eyepatch, as Elise had affectionately dubbed him.
"Kid Blink," Penny muttered in her cousin's ear as they walked to the restaurant. "That's his name." Elise smirked and nodded, then when the boys turned around, greeted them with a bat of her lashes and sweet little giggle.
Pie Eater reddened a little and smiled back at her, and Blink rolled his eyes. Eye? Eyes? Ah, well.
"Girls," Blink muttered, shaking his head. When Pie Eater continued with his stupid grin, his friend punched him in the arm, probably a little harder than necessary. "She's Jack's. You know that." The taller boy nodded and suddenly became very interested in his boots.
As they reached the restaurant, the boys bid them goodbye and told them to wait after they got off work for someone to come get them. Penny and Elise nodded, already a little bit tired of the routine, and headed into the cafe, ready to start earning their keep.