Chapter Four: Wake Up, Mouth! and Slapping Jack With a Broom Handle
Jack stopped at Ellie's doorway on the way out. Everyone else seemed to pass it without looking twice, but Jack couldn't ignore it. Ellie was curled up at the foot of the bed, drooling slightly on the blankets.
"Hey, Mouth, wake up!" he shouted suddenly. The girl groaned and rolled over too far, falling to the hard wood floor. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and blinked a few times. She was wearing a nightdress, which, considering her habits in clothing herself, wasn't very surprising. It was a little odd to see her in so few clothes, however.
"What time is it?" she groaned, standing up and rifling through her clothes to find something to wear. "Medda said I can wear my clothes to work, but I gotta wear the dresses when I get there." She sighed and pulled out a shirt and pants. "Could you leave, Jack? I'm not dressing in front of you!"
"Sorry…" He closed the door and stood just outside, watching the other boys rush by. A few of them muttered sleepy hellos, and some even stopped to talk for a little while with him.
"Why'd you wait for me?"
Jack was surprised to find Ellie right behind him, standing in the open doorway.
"I didn' wait foi ya. I was just standin' heah," Jack lied quickly.
Ellie gave him the utmost look of disbelief. "Yeah, well, next time, how about I wake you up and make you change in front of me?" she asked exasperatedly. "Maybe beat you a few times with broom handle, just to make sure you're awake! How'd you like that, Cowboy?"
"Ya gots a big mouth… ya bettah watch what ya do wit it," Jack stated, shoving her down the hallway. "It'll get ya inta more trouble then ya want."
"I dunno…" She shook her head. "I want an awful lot of trouble." She trotted down the hall and muttered a few lines of a song, twirling around and nearly running into Kid Blinks. "I'm performing tonight, Jackie-Boy!"
"That's great, Ellie. I'm real happy for youse." Jack grinned, following her down the corridor. "Can I come see ya tanight?"
"Yeah! Medda says all the newsies can get in for free, if they want." Ellie trotted down the stairs as quickly as possible, stopping in front of Kloppman. "General!" She saluted him again and bounded away, leaving an amused-looking Kloppman and a confused-looking Jack in her midst.
-x-x-
"Blessed children,
Though you wander lost, and depraved.
Jesus loves you.
You shall be saved."
"Amen," Ellie muttered, taking her bread and walking away from the nun's wagon quickly. "You seemed really bored. Don't those nuns creep you out?"
"Ah, they don' bothah me. As long's they give us food, they can do whatevah they wan'," Jack stated, looking over at her. "Why did you say 'amen'?"
"I'm a Methodist. Even though I don't go to church, I still practice my faith. I don't have to say amen, but I still do. What those nuns sing; it's like a prayer for us. Prayers aren't taken lightly. At least, they shouldn't be." The bell on the clock rang out, signifying that it was seven o'clock. "I have to be at Medda's by seven thirty." She jogged off down the street, in the direction of Medda's theater.
-x-x-
When Jack told the other newsies about Ellie, and how she was getting to perform tonight, very few were interested. Boots, Specs, and Crutchy agreed to come, Racetrack said he would come, but "Only to see Medda," and Les convinced David to go. Les seemed to have taken a liking to the teenage girl, who he described as "A seventeen year old who acted like she was ten". [AN1]
The crowd jostled them, and only by pure luck did they manage to find a place where they could all sit together. When Ellie was announced, Racetrack rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigar.
She was wearing a long, streamlined dress with no sleeves and a large flounce in the back. The lighter shade of green complimented her, all though in most greens she looked depressing and dark, with her dark hair and fair skin.
"I know a place,
Where dreams are born.
And time is never planned.
It's not on any chart you must find it with your heart.
Never, neverland…" [AN2]
-x-x-
As she finished her song, the crowd erupted in applause. Ellie smiled and her blushing was evident, even under the harsh theater light, with can make anyone pale. She curtsied, and hurried off the stage.
"I gotta go, fellas," Jack stated, standing up and winding his way through the crowd. The other boys exchanged dubiously glances, but decided that it was better to not question the choices of their unquestioned leader.
Ellie had already changed out of her dress and back into her regular outfit: boy's clothes. She was standing at the balcony, watching Medda with a dreamy face, as she flew across the stage.
"Hey, Mouth." Ellie turned her head, grinned, and Jack threw his arms around her. "You was great, Ellie. You couldn' a done bettah if you was Medda hoiself." [AN3]
Ellie rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the chest. "Aw, you're too kind…" Her grin widened. "I did trip during that one part though… but I covered it up pretty well."
"Ya must've, 'cause I didn' notice…" Jack clapped her on the shoulder.
"Oh wait!" Ellie pulled out something from behind her back. It was a pinwheel, painted blue and green. Jack snorted but grinned widely at her. "Did Les come with you?"
"Ellie!" A small blur knocked Ellie to the ground. Ellie giggled quietly and sat up, wrapping Les in a warm hug.
"Hey, Lessy! I made something for you!" the seventeen year old stated. "But first…" She pushed herself onto her feet. "There." She presented the pinwheel to Les.
"Wow…" He held the toy tenderly in his hands and stared at it. "My own pinwheel…" He grew pale, and stared to look like he would fall asleep.
"Les, are you okay?" David asked, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "You don't look very good."
"My… own… pinwheel…" Les watched as the toy spun around. "This is so great."
"Hope ya like it, Les." Ellie crouched down to his height. "I can make you another one. Blue and yellow… or green and yellow… or red and orange… any color you want!"
"Red and yellow!" Les exclaimed, jumping up into Ellie's arms. "You're so cool, Ellie! Will you stay forever?" Ellie threw her head back and laughed.
"As long as you stay with me, Les." She kissed the boys forehead in a motherly fashion. "Didja like my song? Was it good?"
Les nodded. "The best. You're my new favorite singer."
Ellie laughed again. "Don't start sayin' that until you've heard everyone else in the world. There's people a lot better than me out there." She stood up. "Hey, Boots." She shook the shorter boy's hand. "David. Specs" Ellie frowned. "No one else came?"
"Well, ah…" Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Race came, but he stayed out ta watch Medda."
"Oh…" Ellie pulled the smile back onto her face. "Okay. Maybe it was better that there weren't more people I knew in the audience. If I had messed up… that would've been embarrassing."
"Let's go home, Mouth," Jack stated, throwing his arm around Ellie's shoulders and heading for the door. "Race knows 'is way home. He'll stay as longs as 'e wants."
-x-x-
"Jackie-Boy! Wake up!"
Jack cracked an eye open. Sunlight was beginning to pour through the windows. None of the other newsies were awake, and Kloppman was nowhere to be seen. So who was trying to wake him up?
"Jack! Wake up!" He was hit in the side with something very hard. "Wake up, Jack!" Jack rolled over and immediately recognized the mass of brown curls over the edge of the bed. "Heya, Jack," Ellie greeted him, stepping on the bunk below her to see his face. There was a soft "Ow!" as she stepped on Racetrack.
"Are ya crazy, Mouth?" Jack exclaimed, swatting the girl out of the way. "No one else's up!"
"Yeah, well, what goes around comes around. I threatened to wake you up and hit you with a broom handle, which I did. Teach you not to mess with girls!" She poked him one last time in the side to emphasize her point. Literally. [AN4]
"Get outta heah, squirt!"
AN1: Betcha didn't think Ellie was seventeen, didja? Huh? Huh?
AN2: Chocolate-dipped cowboy hats for anyone who can figure out what play the song is from (if you have half a brain you can probably guess.) No, it's not about Michael Jackson. Wink, wink Another clue!
AN3: Yet again, hoi is pronounced hoy. Wow, it's amazing how much this is starting to sound like Spanish class.
AN4: I think everyone will get this, but, if you do, I'll give you a cuddly Les plushie.
Author's Note of The Chapter: None, because I already put in four side notes. . Meh.
