Chapter Five: The Truth Comes Out and Body Heat is Shared
Ellie had been at the lodging house just a few weeks, and most of the newsies who hadn't really liked her at first – the majority, in fact – were finally warming up to her. Jack and Ellie still hadn't gotten together, which had been a major disappointment to everyone that had betted. Ellie was making much more money than the newsies now, working for Medda, so she would treat random newsies to lunch at Tibby's from day to day, most of the time including Jack.
"Hey, Ells, d'ya know when you're gonna be performin' next?" Camden Romano asked. Camden, the daughter of an Irish immigrant and an Italian immigrant, was one of the few girl newsies, and had becoming one of Ellie's close friends in the time since Ellie had arrived in Manhattan. Camden had bright, pure blue eyes and contrasting, bright red hair. She was as thin as a pole, even compared to Ellie, who was slim.
"Uh…" Ellie paused as she thought. "I think tomorrow. Why, Cam?" The brunette watched unhappily as Camden picked at the lunch she had bought for her.
Camden seemed surprised. "Well, I thought you might want to tell everyone… Jack especially," she explained.
"Why would I want to invite Jack 'especially'?" Ellie asked, completely lost in the world of her friend's imagination. "What makes him different from everyone else? Aside from the fact that he's probably my best friend?"
"Oh, c'mon, Ells, everyone knows." Camden grinned.
"About what? What exactly does everyone know about, Camden?" Ellie asked, glaring at her friend.
The smile seemed to practically wipe off Camden's face. "You seriously don't know?" Ellie raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Honestly, of all people, you should know what I'm talking about… especially because it involves Cowboy."
"Camden, just tell me what the hell you're talkin' about!" Ellie snapped, slamming her fist down on the table. "No, I don't know what you're talking about! Why do people always say stuff like this to me? We should invite Jack. Do you wanna invite Jack, Ellie? Jack's gonna be there! I don't know what people are talking about!"
"Okay, first of all, let me point out one fact," Camden began.
Ellie stared at her expectantly. "And… what would that be?"
"Don't kill the messenger." Ellie opened her mouth to protest, but Camden cut her off. "Just let me talk." She took a deep breath. "Okay. You know how you and Jack always joke around with each other? How you guys get a long so well?"
Ellie nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. But I still don't really get where you're goin' with this."
"Okay, just let me finish!" the redhead exclaimed. She thought for a moment, and then turned to the booth next to them. "Hey, Race, I need your help!"
Racetrack appeared around the corner of the booth. "How may I help youse, fai' lady?" Camden leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
Race nodded after a few seconds and turned to Ellie. "See, Ellie, when a man and a woman love each other very much-"
The redhead smacked him on the back of his head. "Not that, you moron!" She leaned over and whispered something else in his ear.
Racetrack grinned. "This'll be fun. Okay, Ellie, youse knows hows when youse around Jack, ya get real happy an' energetic, an' ya get dis weid feelin' like da woild's spinnin' 'round?" Racetrack asked.
"But I'm always happy and energetic…" Ellie protested.
Race glared at her. "Jus' answer da question!"
The brunette rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Well… yeah, I guess. Jack's just fun to be around, that's all." She shrugged.
"Nah. Ellie, you're in love wit' Jack."
It was like the ground had opened up beneath her and swallowed her up. She felt like someone had ripped out her intestines and reinserted them in her throat.
"I am not!" she exclaimed, slapping Racetrack squarely on the jaw and stormed out of the restaurant. Everyone in the place, including Jack, looked up from their meal as the normally happy girl looked like she was about to murder the entire population of Manhattan. Jack looked over at Racetrack and Camden and followed Ellie out.
"Dat hoit!" Race shouted, falling into the booth beside Camden.
"Aw, you poor baby…" Camden whimpered sympathetically. She frowned suddenly and smacked him lightly herself. "Get over yourself."
-x-x-
"Hey, hey, Ellie, wait up…" Jack shouted, running after her.
"I don't want to talk to you!" Ellie shouted, kicking the curb.
Jack quickly overtook her – she couldn't run very fast – and grabbed her arm. "What'd dose two Italian yuppies say ta ya? I'm gonna soak Race, den I'm gunna… I'm gunna make funna Camden!" [AN1]
Ellie realized suddenly that she did see him in a different light than she'd seen him the day they met. She'd already know a little about him from the papers, but it was another thing to meet him in person. And, sure, she was drawn to him the very first moment he spoke to her, but as she'd gotten to know him… well, they'd become close.
"Jack, stop threatening to beat up your friends! It…" Ellie sighed. "They didn't insult me. Something they said just… surprised me. But… I don't know." She shook her head. "Life's confusing, y'know? You spend your whole life trying to figure stuff out, and the minute you've got it figured out the rules change." She thumped down clumsily on the sidewalk
"So do I gotta soak Race, or are ya okay?" Jack asked, sitting down beside her.
Ellie gave one of her patented unladylike snorts. "It's not always about beating people up, Jack. You'd learn that, if you thought before you did stuff." She patted his arm and gave him her best "I'm okay!" smile. "Just, forget the whole thing ever happened, okay?"
"Yeah…" He gave her an uncertain nod. "Yeah. Okay." She went to stand up, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "If anyone evah talks ta ya bad, ya jus' come ta me, okay?" Ellie stared at him. "Okay?"
"Okay! Fine Jack! I'll tell you when someone mocks me, because I'm a silly little damsel in distress and I can't take care of myself!" she shouted. "For God's sake, Jack, I'm seventeen, not seven! I can take care of myself, alright? I don't need you doing it for me!" She jumped up and stormed off in the direction of Irving Hall.
-x-x-
"What'd ya stoopit idiots say ta her?" Jack shouted, bursting into Tibby's and storming over to Race and Camden. "What's ya say ta make her so mad?" He slammed his fists down on the table.
"We didn' do nuthin'!" Race exclaimed. "We didn' do nuthin to 'er!"
"Well, we might have said something…" Camden began. Jack slammed the table again, and Camden sank down in her seat, crossing her arms angrily. "Men. Meh."
"Shut up, Cam!" Race growled.
"What'd ya say ta her ta make her run off like dat?" Jack growled. "Dammit, Race, tell me!"
"What we said to Ellie is between the three of us," Camden explained calmly. "You'll know what we said when Ellie wants you to. But for now, don't blame us for anything she does. We just gave her something to think about." Jack became frustrated with their cryptic messages and stormed out of the restaurant.
"Where ya goin', Jack?" Race shouted after him.
"Why da you care?" The door slammed behind him
"Maybe that wasn't the best way to approach the situation, Race," Camden stated thoughtfully.
"Gee, ya think?" the Italian boy exclaimed sarcastically. "Why'd ya have ta tell me ta do dat? There's a coitain way ya does dese tings, Camden. An' you didn' do it good!"
Camden sighed. "Maybe so, but I don't think the 'When a man and a woman love each other very much' speech was very helpful on your part." [AN2]
-x-x-
"Ya tink wes should talk wit 'im?" Mush asked quietly, peering through the crack in the door. He, Crutchy, and Racetrack were spying on Jack, who was sitting broodingly on his bunk and looking sorry for himself.
"No way!" Race replied, staring at Jack. "I talked wit him at lunch, an' 'e was less than… nice. Or sane, foi dat mattah."
"Whaddya do ta him, Race?" Crutchy asked, turning on his friend. "Jack don' jus' get mad foi no reason!" Crutchy paused thoughtfully. "Most a da time!"
"Well, me and Camden, we had a little talk wit Ellie, if ya know what I means." Crutchy and Mush nodded knowingly. Everyone had been trying to talk to one of the two about it; it only made sense that Camden, the sweet redhead with no common sense, would do it. "Wes jus' gave 'er a couple a' tings ta tink abou', y'know?"
"I can hear ya three in da room," Jack stated, bursting through the door and stomping past them.
"Hey, Jackie, where're ya goin'?" Crutchy called after him as he paused for a moment at Ellie's room, and then continued down the stairs.
"I gots some important business at take care a', Crutchy," was Jack's last replied as he charged out the door.
"He's goin' a see her," Race stated blatantly, taking a drag on his cigar.
"Yep." The other two boys nodded in agreement.
-x-x-
Ellie hadn't really been up to practicing that day. Not after lunch, at least. Medda had to practically bribe her to practice with the promise of free chocolate afterwards. That girl had such a sweet tooth.
But she wasn't going back to the lodging house. Not as long as Jack was there. She had virtually come to grips with the fact that, yes, she was in love with her best friend, but it was hard to forgive him for the argument. She wasn't a child, and she wouldn't be treated like one! Just because she was a girl, he thought she couldn't stand up for herself. Male chauvinistic pig. She rested her chin in her hand and sighed.
A pair of strong arms roughly grabbed her from her seat and flung her over a pair of broad shoulders. She automatically knew who it was, without seeing his face or hearing his voice. She just knew. And the cowboy hate would've tipped a lot of other people off, too.
"Jack, let go of me!" Ellie exclaimed, trying to wriggle from his grasp. He held on to her tightly.
"No. I'm not lettin' go a ya till wes talk dis ovah. Someplace private," he stated firmly, walking her out the door. Ellie suddenly wished that someone had been back stage to see what had happened, but they were all either taking a leak or out in the crowd.
"Betcha wish I hadn't had a steak for dinner, don't you?" she asked, smirking coldly.
"Betcha wish I couldn' lift a hundred and tirty pounds, doncha?" he returned smartly. She stayed silent the rest of the journey, until he set her down on a bench. He kneeled down in front of her. "Whassa mattah, Mouth? Why'd ya get do mad when I said dat ta youse taday?"
"Because…" Ellie sighed and rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to be my older brother." I want you to be my boyfriend, Ellie thought bitterly, but kept it to herself. "I know how to take care of myself, okay?"
"Look, alls I'd really meant was dat if ya needed help I'd help ya!" Jack explained, standing up. He looked even taller, since she was sitting and he was standing over her.
"Then why didn't so say that? I wouldn't have gotten mad if you'd said that!" Ellie retorted.
"Ya know, I think ya would've. You were jus' lookin' foi a reason ta yell at me, so, no mattah what I'd said, ya still would a gotten mad!"
"Well…" Ellie sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. "Maybe. And I'm sorry I yelled at you, Jack. I really had no right to do that." She rested her forehead on her knees. "I'm just so confused right now…" Her explanation was muffled by her pants.
"S'okay, Ellie," Jack consoled her, wrapping at arm around her. The girl was surprised. Jack rarely ever called her by her first name. Usually it was just Mouth. Or he didn't say her name at all.
"Y'know, Ellie's not my full first name," she pointed out.
"Yeah, what is it?" Jack asked, grinning.
"Eileen. Eileen Morgan Marshall. Isn't the whole Irish-ness of it sickening?" Ellie blanched.
"Hey! I'm Irish!" Jack protest.
"So am I. I'm pretty much half. My parents were both half, so that basically makes me half." Ellie shook her head. "I'm also German and Welsh, but my parents were very proud of being Irish."
Jack realized that this was the first time he'd ever heard Ellie talk about her parents, or any part of her family, for that matter. Normally she just skirted around the issue.
"Ya don' talk abou' yer parents a lot, do ya?" Jack asked.
"Not really. They died a few years ago, and, uh… can we not talk about this?" Ellie asked hesitantly. "I'd like to tell you about my family, Jack, but, uh… now's not really a great time." She stood up.
"Well, what is, den?" he asked, standing up as well.
"You're a little too curious, you know that, Cowboy." She shivered slightly as the cold started to get to her.
"Here's my coat." Something warm and heavy was draped across Ellie's shoulders, and she felt much better.
"Won't you be cold?" she asked. "We can share body heat…"
"How do we do dat?" Jack asked, getting a little more excited than Ellie would have thought he would. It was those stupid teenage hormones running rampant again.
"Just stand really close to each other," she explained simply, snorting. "You ain't to bright, are ya, Cowboy?" she asked mockingly, wrapping an arm around his waist so they could stand closer.
"Smarter den you, small fry," Jack retorted, laying his arm across her shoulders.
"Yeah, well, if I stand out here much longer, we're gonna have to worry about a lot more than sharing body heat. Like the fact that my side'll probably be frozen to yours."
"Ah, dat won't be too bad." Jack grinned.
"Why's that?" Ellie asked.
"'Cause I'll getta sleep in da same bed witcha!" he stated.
Ellie slapped his arm. "You pervert! Anyway, you snore. I've heard you from down the hall, and I heard you that day I woke you up." She giggled quietly. "Actually, when I poked you with the broom handle, you kinda went like this-" She gave a few random snorts. "Kind of like a pig being slopped. That's what happens when you eat, anyway, so I wouldn't really worry about it, if I were you."
AN1: Okay, I don't want any Italian people to be offended by this. That's just what Jack says. I actually think Italian people are really cool. All the ones I know are really nice to me.
AN2: Yay! Camden's finally in the story! I've been trying to put that character in for a while. I love Camden. She's the character that belongs to my best friend: spunky, dumb redhead, all-around clueless, and always gives semi-helpful advice to anyone who'll stand still long enough to listen.
Author's Note of the Chapter: I'll bet those of you with perverted minds thought this chapter was going to be about something other than what it was about; Jack and Ellie sharing body heat on their way home. That kind of makes me perverted, too, to realize that.
