Polly's Story

Morning came only too quickly for the boys in the Lodging House, especially for the two who had been up for a lot of the night, their curiosity piqued to the point that they could not fall back asleep. Kid Blink was up for far longer than Racetrack, worried about what he would say to his friend that morning. He had nearly planned out exactly what he would say, but sleep came, and then morning and he was out of time. He inched out of his bunk as Kloppman yelled at the group, insisting that even though they wouldn't sell papers they would still get up at a proper time. After performing his usual morning routine of shaving and getting dressed, he went back to his bunk, sitting on Racetrack's bed. Racetrack gave him a raised eyebrow, and then understood. Blink was waiting for Mush.

Finally, the boys began to leave the bunk room, some of them giving Blink curious looks. When most of them had left, Blink called Mush over. Mush obeyed, not quite knowing what would come next.

"We're going to get left behind," he told Blink, confused.

"Yeah, I know."

"Alright."

There was a moment of silence as Mush waiting for Blink to say something, but nothing came. It seemed as if Blink had frozen up, not wanting to say what he knew he would have to. Finally, he raised his head, and looked his friend in the eye.

"Racetrack told me."

Mush's shoulder's twitched. "Racetrack told you what?" he asked, trying to sound clueless. Blink sighed.

"I can understand it, you know," he shrugged. "I mean, she's nice looking. I wouldn't say she's great looking, but she's better than most of the girls off of the street."

"Who are you talking about?" Mush now looked nervous.

"So…do you like her?"

"Like who?"

"You know who." Blink snapped his last. Mush blinked, surprised at his anger.

"We should go catch up," he decided, and stood up. Blink didn't know whether or not to follow him, but decided on the latter. In fact, he chased Mush, who was running to catch up with the rest of the boys. They slowed for the two boys, thinking that they were simply racing. But when Blink caught Mush, they knew it wasn't just a friendly competition.

"You can't just go around touching her like that!" Blink yelled, his voice cracking a little bit.

"You were the last person I ever thought would be so mad about this," Mush hissed at him. Blink stopped speaking, and probably would have stopped for good, if Jack hadn't stepped in between the two newsies.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked, a little distracted. David and Les were approaching the group, both looking slightly worried about the fighting that appeared to be going on. Blink wiped his mouth with the back of his hand angrily. Racetrack moved a little closer and spoke, barely interrupting Blink's next statement.

"It's alright, Kid, just let it go."

"You know what's going on here?" Jack asked Racetrack, who gave him an important look. Jack backed off.

"Yeah, he does," Blink got Jack's attention, nodding. Mush flipped his head over to Racetrack, who looked particularly guilty.

"What's going on?" It was Les who asked this, somehow finding his way to the front of the group. David touched his shoulder, forcing him to inch back, but his face still had a very frightened look on it.

"Nothing. Nothing's going on," Mush insisted, and began to turn around. However, Jack decided that he shouldn't yet, and pulled him back around.

"No…something's up, and you guys are going to tell us."

"Jack-" Racetrack started.

"You're going to tell all of us why you two are so mad at each other." At this point, Mush looked especially worried. He looked through the other newsies, watching the way that they looked back at him. Finally, he found Skittery's face, and caught his eye. Skittery stared back at him, wondering what was going on. Mush licked his lips nervously and gave a small nod. Skittery didn't know exactly what was going on, but at that moment, he understood what it could have been connected to.

"Jack," he said, pushing through the crowd. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else, without the rest of the guys here."

"No!" Jack insisted. "I want to know what's going on, and I want to know right now." Mush looked like he was about to run away, but Jack kept his hold on his elbow. His voice calmed. "What happened, Mush?"

Mush's voice was very soft as he spoke, looking a little angrily at Blink. "Racetrack saw me doing something yesterday, after Tibby's. He told Blink - last night, I guess. Blink was asking me about it, and I didn't want to talk to him. That's it." This did not satisfy Jack.

"What did Racetrack see you doing?" Mush hung his head, refusing to answer. "Blink?" Jack turned to the other boy, who suddenly had a very proud look on his face.

"Race said he was touching Polly." This didn't seem to affect Jack. Blink continued. "I don't mean in any accidental way or something like that…I mean in a loving sort of way." Mush's face became a deep, dark red.

"That true, Race?" Jack asked, his grip on Mush's arm become noticeably tighter. Racetrack nodded. He turned to Mush. "Were you?"

"Not in the way he says I did," Mush mumbled, glaring at Blink. Skittery got a little closer. "Not like that."

"Then how, Mush?" Jack questioned.

"I just put my arm around her."

"But…how did you do it?" Jack's eyes got a little wider. "You don't- ?"

"No!" Mush suddenly yelled, his voice surprising even himself. "I just want to- to…I don't know what I want to do." That was the wrong thing to say.

"What do you want to do?" Even Jack looked as if he was a bit angry. "What do you want to do with her?"

"Not what you think I want to do! I just want to…protect her, I guess." The group shuffled uncomfortably.

"What does Polly need protection from?" Jack asked, now simply seeming curious.

"Nothing…" Mush shook his head, refusing to say anything else. "She doesn't need any protecting."

"No," Jack prodded. "You brought it up, now you have to say what you were going to say."

"But- Jack, look-"

"Just tell us!"

"It's not for me to tell you!" Mush cried. Jack's brow furrowed.

"So you do like her?"

"No, Jack, no…"

"Then tell us why she needs any protection, or we'll all think you do."

"And what if I did?" Mush looked up at Jack, staring him in the face. Suddenly, even Jack looked terrified.

"You know you're not allowed. Why would you-"

"I'm not saying I do." Mush rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying…what if I did? Then what would happen?"

"I…Mush?"

"No…you tell me what would happen if I liked her- in a friendly way. You know what I mean."

"Let it go, Mush," Skittery jumped in solemnly, trying to prevent more conflict.

"Or…" Mush continued, ignoring Skittery's plea. "What if I was just trying to help her out, or protect her. Would that be so rotten?"

"You're not supposed to get so close to her," Jack told Mush, who nodded.

"I know. I'm not supposed to. But what if I did? What if I saved her from something really terrible?" He turned to the group. "You'd all just leave me? Forget about me? Call me awful names? Does it matter if I know that you already do? If not about me, but about people like me?"

Some of the boys' heads dropped. David looked like he was finally catching on, but Les didn't. Instead, he broke free from David's grip on his shoulder and walked up to Boots, who watched the conflict with a face that was near excitement.

"What's going on?" Les whispered to him. Boots shrugged, and some of the group looked at him.

"What about Boots?" Mush suddenly spoke again. Jack looked at him, almost daring him to continue speaking. Mush did so. "Who's going to tell Boots? He's not even part, like me. He'll have it even worse, won't he?"

"Shut up, Mush," Racetrack cut into the conversation. "That has nothing to do with this. Just forget about it." Mush shook his head, looking pensively at the young boy he had just spoken about. Boots looked entirely confused, but said nothing. Mush shrugged.

"Jack, let's just go back to the House, and I'll tell you everything…okay?" he begged. Jack shook his head.

"Just tell me what's wrong with Polly. Maybe we can help her."

"It's not something you can help, Jack."

"Does anybody else know?" Jack suddenly asked, eyeing Racetrack.

"No…none of us, anyways." Jack let go of Mush. He walked away for a moment, then swiftly turned back around. Some of the boys yelled their complaints as Jack pushed Mush against a nearby wall, holding him there tightly. The kids cried for him to stop, but he wouldn't.

"Tell me what's going on with Polly now, Mush," he muttered under his breath. Mush looked again around the group, hoping one of them would help him to be released. Blink looked as if he wanted to help, but would not approach him. He was too frightened to.

"I saw her…two nights ago," Mush panted nervously. Jack twitched his head, prodding him to continue. "I had gone back to the House, talked to Skittery, and then left for Brooklyn again…"

"What happened on the way to Brooklyn?" Jack loosened his grip a little, but still had Mush's arms firmly against the bricks.

"I…saw the DeLancey's…" Jack nodded.

"Oscar and Morris are after Polly?"

"No…" Mush twitched a bit, wishing he had simply agreed with Jack's assumption. His eyes found Dutchy's. "It wasn't Oscar or Morris…it was the Bowery DeLancey's, their cousins…"

"Are they after her?"

"No." Mush shook his head. "They…there was a girl with them." Mush looked entirely ashamed of himself.

"What does she have to do with it?" Mush considered his answer, and then decided on the vaguest one he could think of.

"We have to end the Strike, Jack. We have to start making money again."

"Why, Mush!?" The group leaned in to hear his answer, when a voice was heard from the back.

"So I don't have to go to McGurk's."

Polly pushed her way through the crowd of boys, each of them completely surprised to see her. She made her way to the front of the group, and stared at Jack boldly. Jack let go of Mush when he saw her, Mush still holding his stance against the wall. Instead of pants, Polly was wearing a skirt that hit her between her feet and her knees. Jack eyed the seemingly strange apparel.

"Snyder saw me last night…told me I should be wearing a skirt," she explained, but Jack did not seem to care.

"What're you talking about, McGurk's? That's a place for-" Jack stopped speaking when he saw the pained expression on Polly's face. "Polly…that's not you. You wouldn't do that to yourself."

"The DeLancey's would disagree with you," Polly stated, simply, her eyes watering. She would have run, but something kept her planted there, another part of the ever growing staring contest. Her face turned to Mush. "Go back to the House," she told him.

"Polly…" he begged, wishing to stay. She looked at him apologetically and he obeyed, running back towards the Lodging House. Jack watched him until he was sure he had gotten inside, and then turned back to Polly. It was at that moment that he noticed how frail she had become.

"You can't let them do that to you, Polly," he told her, moving closer with every word that he said. "Why do you let them do that to you?" Polly pursed her lips and wouldn't answer him. "Answer me," Jack insisted, but she did not follow her instruction. "You of all people should know to answer me," he told her, referring to her being female.

"Jack." Racetrack helped Polly as Jack backed off. She turned to leave, and sifted back through the group. However, just before she left, she turned back. She eyed Boots, and motioned for him to move closer to her. Kneeling, she held him, him not knowing why. She soon let him go, but not before speaking to him:

"Whatever they tell you, you're wonderful," she said, loudly enough for the entire group to hear. She then motioned for Snipeshooter to approach her, who also obeyed. "You take care of him." She gave Racetrack a meaningful glance and stood. She left, the group watching as her pace turned from a walk to a fast run. Jack broke the silence once she was out of hearing span.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he announced to the upset group. "We've got a rally to plan."

By the next day, everything was back to normal. Each boy acted as if nothing had happened the previous day. Mush and Blink were a little less talkative with each other, Racetrack watched the group carefully, worrying about another battle, and the kids lived in a world of perfect ignorance, not knowing what had happened in the first place. None of the older boys wanted to say what was truly on their minds, and what their biggest worry was:

When would Polly come back, and where had she gone in the first place? And, above all else, why was the last place she had been seen just outside of the Bowery?

This is probably the most dramatic thing I've ever written in my life. Trying to get all of the social cues in there while still catering to the plot (which is such a cheese ball) is a lot harder than it looks. But hey, what's life without a little angst, eh?

Please leave me a review…I must admit, I've been considering discontinuing this story. It's very difficult to write while still staying appropriate. Give me some re-encouragement to stick with it!