Beta Readers: Fang, Idiosyncrasy, Biddy, Twister
This goes to all my reviewers because I still love reading them over and over again. Please continue reading and passing this story on to other Newsies fans so they can read it to! I would really appreciate it!
I'm no longer going to thank individual reviewers here because I reply to all my reviews. For those of you without an account or who don't sign in. Thank you very much for your inspiring (even thought you may not think they are) words! They really keep me going!
Beta Reader Award for Chapter Three:
This
award goes to Twister for her wonderful attitude towards that
difficult chapter! I really hated that chapter but she went through
and corrected it like crazy! Wow! Thank you Twister for your awesome
beta reading!
Disclaimer: Newsies belong to Disney, not me. Marguerite belongs to me because I created her for this purpose. Anything that seems like the movie, most likely belongs to Disney. I'm not making money off of this.
Chapter 4: Guttersnipe
Blink walked around the square selling his papers quickly. As he juggled the large stack of unsold papers and customers' change, he glanced around to see if he could spot Marguerite. No where in sight, he thought as he handed over four cents and a paper to a waiting customer.
Wearing a clean shirt, his vest buttoned up to look more professional, Blink selected a newspaper and folded it in half. He tucked it nicely in his vest for the mayor's daughter, just in case he ran out of papers, and continued selling the other ones. "Extra! Extra! Triplets born on Saint Patrick's Day!"
"I'll take one, young man," a gentleman said. Blink quickly took the penny and handed him a paper.
Now crowded with customers, Blink hurried with exchanging pennies and nickels for papers. He gave a few of the customers, the ones that had given him nickels, four cents back as well. Sometimes, they allowed him to keep the extra four cents.
Blink set his papers down on a nearby bench and removed his cap to smooth his hair. Normally, Blink didn't care too much about how his hair looked, but because he wanted Marguerite to notice him, he took extra care in everything he did. Where is she today? Blink thought to himself as he looked around the square. There she is! He picked his papers up and hurried toward the girl.
"Would you like a paper, miss?" Blink asked, quickly removing the paper from his vest. As the girl turned around and looked at him, she smirked, and Blink was horrified. It wasn't Marguerite.
"No, I don't need a paper," she said and stalked off.
"Damn it," Blink muttered under his breath and turned to look around the square once again. He couldn't find a single soul that looked remotely like Marguerite. Dissatisfied, Blink folded the paper and tucked it back into his vest as nicely as he could. He looked around for the biggest group in the square and headed straight for one outside of the periodicals shop.
"Extra! Extra! Flames below Fourteenth Street!" he yelled while approaching crowd. A few people held out pennies. Blink juggled his papers as he passed them out.
"I'll take one," a few more people echoed. Blink grabbed their coins and continued passing out papers. Once the last customer in the crowd was pleased, Blink looked for more potential buyers.
"Daily turmoil at the refuge!" Blink yelled into a group of passerby. Blink quickly grabbed pennies and handed out papers. Please, don't buy anymore, Blink thought to himself as a customer took a paper from him. It was his last one besides the one in his vest, which he was saving for Marguerite.
"I'd like one," a man said from behind him.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't have anymore."
"There's one right there," the man said, pointing at Blink's vest.
Blink looked down unnecessarily at the lone paper that was tucked neatly in his vest. Grudgingly, he removed it and took the nickel the man held out. Instead of handing over the paper, Blink made a run for it.
"You dirty street rat! Come back here with my money!" the man yelled after him.
Blink ran around a corner and into a passerby. "Watch it, filthy street rat!" said a man in a well tailored business suit.
"I'm sorry, sir." Blink hurried by the gentleman and into a small dress shop.
"Get out of here!" a woman yelled at him with a disgusted look on her face.
Blink hurried out of the shop and back into the street. He didn't want to cause anymore trouble than he already had. Blink started to turn, and he ran in the opposite direction and he hurdled straight into the arms of a policeman.
"What's your hurry, boy?" the officer asked.
"No hurry," Blink said as he straightened up.
"Watch where you're going next time, then," the policeman told him and strode past him.
Blink wiped the sweat from his brow and began to power walk across the street towards the lodging house on Duane Street. As he pushed through a crowd he thought he noticed the mayor's daughter. He was in pursuit. He didn't want this one to get away because he was sure it was her.
"Excuse me, miss?" Blink said as he put his hand on the girl's shoulder.
"What?" she snapped as she spun around. "Oh, it's you again. Do you have a problem with me or something, street rat?"
"Oh, no, no…I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." Blink spun on his heels and ran back across the street. He didn't care where, as long as he got away from her.
As Blink came around the next corner, he stopped and leaned up against a lamp post so he could search once more for Marguerite. "Got you," a man grabbed Blink by his vest.
"Hey! Let me go!" Blink squirmed as hard as he could. It was the man that he had run from earlier as he stole the nickel.
"Not until I get my paper and four cents," he said as he snatched the paper out of Blink's vest.
"I can't sell that one!" Blink tried to grab the paper, but the man held it out of his reach.
"Now the four cents," he told Blink as he held out his hand.
Blink mumbled under his breath as he jammed his hand in his pocket for the change. Handing over the four cents, Blink gave the man a little bow and watched as he walked off. "Guttersnipe," he grumbled inaudibly and made a rude gesture at the man's back.
Blink spun on his heel and headed across the new street and onto Duane Street. He couldn't sell a paper to Marguerite. Depressed, he dragged his feet back to the lodging house.