Chapter 6 Watch Your Back

"What the-" Feister shot up, seeing a bunch of pillows in and around her bed, then she also noticed that the other bunks just so happened to be missing almost the same amount of pillows.

"Huh...what's going on?" a sleepy Mush asked as he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. That's when he noticed a bunch of pillows in his bed.

"It's bout time ya woke up," she snapped while looking over at him. "We's just got pillowed!" Then she grabbed one that had landed on her lap.

"Run for it!" Race yelled, sending all the boys scattering in different directions. Feister jumped down from her bunk and started chasing the boys around. Mush laughed and shook his head before getting in on the action. This ended up in a full blown pillow fight, along with blankets, towels, and even some clothes that were sprawled on the floor.

"Alright, boys, an' goil, quit fooling around, we's got work ta do," Jack yelled. After quickly getting dressed all the Newsies piled down the stairs and onto the streets of New York for another day's work.


"Hey, you ok?" Mush asked. Though he already knew what was bothering her. During the night he heard her mumble all kinds of things that made him worried beyond belief.

Feister shrugged, she really didn't know what to tell him. "I guess...I dunno…" she dropped her shoulders. Then she felt Mush pull into a hug, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't worry, nothin' is gonna happen ta you'es, not on my, or any of the boys' watches," he reassured, but in all truths he was scared that something would happen to her. "C'mon, we's better get back ta work." Mush kissed the top of her head and it was back to work.

As she was yelling out the headlines Feister felt a tap on her shoulder. At first she thought it was Mush. but as soon as she turned around it was her 'brother'. "Whaddya want?!" she snapped while taking a small step back.

"Can't a guy see his sister at work?" he teased.

But there was something a little off that she didn't like. "I's told ya, you ain't my brudda. Now get lost before I's soak ya."

Will rolled his eyes. "What? You think those Newsies are more your brothers than I am?"

"Yes, they's may not be bruddas by blood, but they's my bruddas by heart," she replied. Feister tried to keep temper in check, but truth be told she really wanted to give Will a nice shiner that'll wipe his smile right off his face. "Now if ya don't mind I's have a job ta do." She tried to walk off but Will grabbed her hand, which she pulled away and yelled, "Don't ever think bout doing that again or you'll be sorry."

Just then Mush came up and stood in front of Feister. He glared at Will then said, "Leave 'er alone or you'es will have a whole army of 'er bruddas after yer head, an' you trust me, you'es don't want that happening." after that he took her hand and they started to walk off.

"You better watch your back, or you'll be sorry," Will yelled. He stood there at his sister's selling spot, he looked around and made sure he remembered where it was before walking off.

"Thanks for what ya did back there," Feister said once they were far away enough. She didn't know how in the heck Will found her in such a big city. Which got her thinking. Has Will been stalking her? Must be if he was able to find her. Out of all the selling spots in New York, hers and Mush's is a little smaller and a bit harder to find than most. But it does get a lot of customers during the day, plus there's a grocery and a bakery shop right across the street, so it works out for them.

"Yer my sistah, I's wasn't bout ta let 'im hurt ya," Mush replied. Feister went up on her toes and quickly kissed his cheek, making him blush a bit. And she may have been blushing as well. But this wasn't out of the ordinary. Feister would usually give and receive kisses on the cheek almost everyday. There was also kisses she got on the top of her head. But Mush was the one who would usually do that. It was almost like their little thing.

When they got to Jacobi's all eyes were on them, though they didn't know why. Until Sniper asked, "Why are ya holdin' hands?" The two Newsies in question looked down before quickly letting go. They both didn't realized they were still holding hands until they were asked about it.

"So, how was sellin'?" Jack asked changing the subject. Feister glanced over at Mush, then Jack before looking down at the ground. She didn't really want to talk about what happened since she knew for a sure fire fact that all the boys would have a huge freak out.

"It was good, till that idiot brudda of 'ers came," Mush explained. He thought it was best to keep it short and simple since he guessed that Feister didn't want anyone to know what happened. This was one of the few times Mush could read Feister's mind.

Feister glanced at Mush sideways and smiled softly at him. Even though there are times Mush drives her up the walls and makes her want to pull her hair out, but there are the other times he always has her back, and she couldn't be happier that he's her best friend. All of the boys looked at one another, they all glanced at Feister, and then Mush before smiling at each other. They knew there was probably more to the story, but they let it slide since when it comes to Mush and Feister plus some sort of secret they're both quieter then a mouse.

While that was going on Jack took off his cap and ran his hand through his hair. "What'd he want?" he finally asked after what seemed like forever.

Mush shrugged. "Dunno. Probably wanted ta get under 'er skin or somethin'," he explained. "But he did say ta watch our backs."

Jack looked over at Feister, who looked a little tense. He wasn't sure what to do since Will was now telling them to watch their backs. Either way something bad was going to happen. "When yer all done selling come straight back ta the Lodge, no dilly dallying, or stopping for anything, come straight back home so we can sort this out." A course of 'ok' and 'you got' rang through the air, with that they all headed out for the evening edition.


A million thoughts were running through her mind, and she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Jack came up with a plan that she should switch selling partners. She'd go with two boys in the morning and then two in the afternoon. Feister then sat up and looked around the dark bunk room, and it's only light was the moon that spilld through the windows. Not sure what else to do she looked over to her right and quietly whispered, "Mush." No answer. "Psst, Mush brains." still no answer. Then an idea popped into her mind. She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him.

"I didn't do it," Mush said as he sat up. He then noticed there was a pillow in his lap and he heard quiet giggles.

"Oh, good, yer awake," Feister said quietly with a small smile.

"An' now I'm asleep," Mush said as he grabbed Feister's pillow, hugged it and laid back down, before closing his eyes.

"Hey, that's my pillow," Feister said a bit loudly. But not too loud that it woke up the others; luckily all the boys were very heavy sleepers.

"My pillow now," Mush replied while trying to go back to sleep.

"Not so fast Mush brains." with that Feister jumped from her bunk to Mush's to get her pillow back. Which made them both fall onto the floor with a loud thud that woke up half of the boys.

"What's goin' on?"

"What was that?"

"Someone turn on the lights!"

Mike hopped out of his bed and went to turn on the lights since he was closer to the switch. When the lights were turned on the boys saw that Mush and Feister weren't in their bunks. But right by Kid Blink and Tommy boy's bunk they did see a...moving blanket? Tommy boy pulled off the blanket and saw Mush and Feister were tangled up and fighting over a...pillow?

"Really?" Tommy boy asked. "You'es woke us all up over a pillow?"

"She's the one who threw it at me," Mush replied like a five year old while standing up. Tommy boy raised an eyebrow. It was hard to believe that Mush was slightly older than him in those few moments.

"He's the one who wouldn't give it back," Feister added.

"Yer the one who sent us to the ground."

"Mush brains, Feisty: Jack grumbled. "I's too tired ta care bout this, so just go back ta bed an' we's can forget this happened." He wasn't all too that surprised that it was the Lovebirds who were making all the noise this late at night. With that everyone piled back to bed.

Feister got up and snatched her pillow back before walking back to her bunk. When she got there she threw her pillow into the bunk and was about to climb up when she heard Mush quietly ask, "So, I's guessing ya wanted ta-"

"Do yer tawkin' on the fire escape!" pretty much all the boys yelled. Laughing to themselves they then headed to the fire escape.

"Anyways, ya wanted ta tawk?"

"I'm scared," Feister replied quietly. She hated admitting that she was scared since it makes her look weak. But she was completely terrified about this whole thing. With living on the streets for eight years Feister had gotten thick skin, which means there were very rare times where she would get scared. And even if she did she would bury it deep down, but if it got to her she'd usually hide it and never tell any of the boys. But, in a time like this she couldn't bury it deep down or hide it from the boys. And the only one she trusted enough to admit she's scare to is Mush. Heck, Mush is the only one she trusts with something like this.

"Feister Johnson, admitting that she's scared. Now I's know I's dreamin'." Mush was shocked that Feister was saying she was scared. He didn't even think that "scared" was in her vocabulary. It was a little odd. Strange even.

"Mush, I's serious," she said a bit loudly. "I's scared that somethin' bad will happen an' it'll be all my fault. I's the whole reason that this is happening. If somethin' goes wrong it'll be on me. An' I-I dunno what I'll do if sometin' happened that you'es or one of the others."

"Feisty," Mush said as he pulled her into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, but not too tight that she couldn't breathe. "Nothin' bad is gonna happen," he whispered in her ear. She nodded and hugged him tighter.

Mush wasn't sure how he felt about the whole switching selling partners every shift was such a good idea. But that was probably because he wanted to keep tabs on her at all times. He already lost her once and he wasn't going to let that happen again. She looked up and smiled at him. The moonlight got caught in her braided dark locks. And it looked well...he didn't know.


Author's note

So not only do I love how protective Mush is of Feister, but I also I love the part where they wake up the other boys over a pillow. Shout out to Music on the Moon, thanks for the review. What did you think? Anyways thanks for reading.

AGN Fun Fact #4 Feister was originally twelve in the rough draft.

I got the fun fact order mixed up for the last chapter, so here's fun fact #4