Trouble
The next Morning Kloppman woke the boys all up with his usual screaming of "Get Up" and "Carrying the banner".
Marisa amazingly stayed asleep through out this morning ordeal. Mush Jumped down from his bed; "Hey where's Marisa" he said kind of worried.
Blink then slid off his bed "Found her she is hear on the floor" he bent down and started shaking her; "rise and shine sleepin beauty time to go sell da papes an it's ur first day don't want to be late."
Marisa sat up rubbing her eyes "Good Morning Blink."
"Why you'se sleepin on the floor, did you fall out of bed or something?" Mush asked her concerned.
She smiled at him "I'm just not used to sleepin in a bed and I couldn't fall asleep so I laid down on the floor and I was able to fall asleep, I guess I'm just used to sleepin on the street."
"Well what eva floats your boat princess" Race said
She just smiled at him, got off the floor, made her bed and got ready for her first day of work. The wash room was crowded with boys she grabbed her clothes of the door and went into a stall and changed. She folded blinks shirt and snipe shooters borrowed clothes and put them under her pillow and then followed all the boys down the stairs and out of the lodging house. She walked with Mush, Jack, Race, and Blink all the way to the distribution office. The gates weren't open yet so they just waited in front of them. A boy about her age and a boy of about ten walked up to jack and he spit shook with Jack.
"Hay Marisa come heah" she came over to Jack and the two new boys. "Marisa this is David and his little bruddah Les, Davis Les this heah is Marisa she is me newest Newsie"
David spit in his hand and held it out for Marisa she again looked disgusted at the gesture but again she did the same and shook the boy's hand; "Nice to meet you" he said smiling at her.
"Nice to meet you too" she said trying to smile and not look grossed out. Jack just smiled and slapped Marisa on the back. Jack and most of the boys around Marisa's age were a lot bigger then her. She was five foot and Blink, Jack, and Mush all stood six foot or close to six foot. Race was about five foot six five foot seven when he stood tall. Marisa had a feminine figure so it was obvious she was a girl even though she wore boy's clothes. She had curves in all the right places but she was small boned and slim. She also had beautiful green eyes that sparkled with mischief. Her mane of curls still made her hair look to big for her body. Her hair went all the way down to the small of her back, It was very long since she hasn't had a hair cut since she was in the orphanage when she was ten.
A boy with a crutch came up to her and held out his hand to Marisa "Hi a I'm Crutchy. I'se already know who you'se are but I thought I'd introduce myself"
Marisa smiled up at Crutchy "It is a pleasure to meet you Crutchy"
The rowdy boys around Marisa all became silent; "Oh look who decided to come and annoy us, dumb and dumber" Race said as the other boys burst out laughing. They walked up and stood in front of the Newsies. Crutchy protectively stood in front of Marisa and she smiled at the boy's selfless act but was still curious about these two mean looking boys. One of them noticed Crutchy's actions and pushed him to the ground. Jack went over to Crutchy and lifted him up off the ground and handed him his crutch.
"Well what do we have here, look Oscar fresh meet. So I sees you'se letting goils be Newsies now, you sure have gone soft Jacky boy."
"She's me Newsie and if you try anything funny I'll soak ya."
Oscar then walked over to Marisa staring into her eyes. Jack went to move protectively over to her but she looked at him with mischief in her eyes and held out her hand telling him to stop. He stopped but still looked like a lion ready to pounce on his prey.
"Hi a sweet face, why don't you come with us for a while we'll show you a good time"
She smiled at him and walked closer to him. Every Newsie stood behind her ready to attack. "It's Oscar right" she asked with a seductive smile on her face and fire in her eyes.
"yeah that's my name."
"Well Oscar you see I am only interested in human beings not apes like you and your brother, what's his name oh yeah Moron" the Newsies all burst out laughing, she continued; " But you see I feel sorry for you'se so come here and I'll give you a kiss"
Oscar looked at his brother and then walked up to Marisa so he was only about three inches from her. "Now bend down cause I'm a little on the short side" the Newsies all watched in shock as they watched Marisa put both her hands on Oscars shoulders and get real close to him then she did something that surprised everyone she kneed him in the crotch and then punched him in the face. The Newsies all started to cheer and roar as Oscar was curled up on the ground holding himself as his face got all red and he moaned in pain. Then Morris started to run after Marisa and she started to run away from him. She ran behind Bink and Mush. Morris stood in front of them as the two other Newsies completely blocked her. She ran behind all of the Newsies and came up behind Morris.
"Let me at her" he growled at the Newsies, then he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. There standing in front of him was the girl he was chasing. She quickly grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the groin and then punched him in the face. The Newsies all roared and cheered as they watched this one little girl single handedly beat these two big brutes up. She then stood in front of the crowd of boys with her fist raised and she screamed;
"That'll teach em to mess with the Newsies"
The Newsies all crowded around her and were cheering.
"You'se trouble you know that" Jack said to her with a smile on his face;
"That's what we'se gonna call you Trouble"
Marisa smiled at her new nick name "I like it" she said as she spit in her hand and shook Jacks.
The gates to the distribution office opened and all the Newsies went flooding in to the distribution office. Marisa followed Jack into the distribution office. He bought himself a hundred papes and then bought her fifty papes.
"How am I supposed to sell fifty of them!"
"Well you'se got ta make money right lodgin is five cents a night then you need food and then you'se need money to buy your papes tomorrow so you'se need to sell fifty. Don't worry about it I have faiths in you'se and I'ma show you'se how to sell and you learn from me you learn from da best."
Trouble smiled at Jack "You're really cocky you know dat"
"You think I'm cocky wait to you meet Spot Conlon"
"Who is Spot Conlon?"
"The one and only King of Brooklyn, the most respected and feared Newsie in the whole world. He is the toughest kid I ever knew. You see Brooklyn is dangerous, very dangerous and he is the leada of Brooklyn so he has to be the most dangerous but between you and me he's just plain old crazy, Insane,"
Trouble looked at Jack with wide eyes taking in all of what he had just said. She followed him out of the Distribution Office and into the early morning streets of Manhattan. "Now the foist thing that you'se gotta know is that headlines don't sell papes, Newsies sell papes. So no matter how bad the headline is you is what makes it good and no matter how good a headline is you can always make it betta. You don't make any headline up, you just improve them you see what I'se sayin?"
"So basicslly I'm going to exaggerate the headline."
"You'se catch on quick you know that Trouble."
The two continued to walk to one of Jack's selling spots. "Some Newsies have just one selling spot and some have a couple a different ones that they go to, me I have a couple of different ones but you choose ya know depends on how well you does selling, if you have'nt sold a pape in a while it would be best to move on to anudda sellin spot."
Jack and Trouble stopped at one of his spots and they started selling their papes. Trouble just first watched Jack "improve" the first two head lines then she searched the paper found a headline that read "Boy escapes from refuge" she then improved it and screamed out " Mass brake out of prison, Criminals on the lose. All are in danger" she sold ten of her papes with that head line alone.
Jack looked at her surprised "You'se a natural you know that"
By lunch time Trouble only had ten papes left to sell. "You hungry, you'se been workin real hard and real good lets go get some lunch then we'll sell the rest of our papes" Jack lead Trouble to they Newsies eating spot. A little diner called Tibby's. The two walked in to the restaurant and sat down at a booth by the window. David and Les walked in a couple of minutes after Jack and Trouble sat down. Within minutes the restaurant was packed with Newsies. Trouble saw Blink ,Mush and Race and waved to them. They smiled and walked over to her.
"So how's the sellin goin" Mush asked.
"She is a natural, she didn't need any help "Improvin" the headlines, in fact she is really really good at it. She only has what ten more papes to sell." Jack said proudly pulling Trouble into a hug. "Excuse me" he said leaving the table with a huge smile on his face. He walked over to a tall pretty brown haired girl , kissed her on the check and then took her hand and lead her to an empty booth,
"Aww I didn't know he had a girl" Trouble said looking at the couple dreamily. Mush sat down wear Jack had been sitting and Blink and Race sat down on the opposite side of Mush and Trouble. The boys all ordered burgers but Trouble ordered a chicken sand which and water. She wanted to watch how she spent her money, she has never had money before and now that she did she liked it, and didn't want to spend it all. She only ate half of her sand which and wrapped up the other half for dinner. She paid the waiter five cents for her meal. She walked over to Jack.
"Hey Jack I'ma go finish sellin with the boys since your done and all, I don't want to stop you from hangin with you're girl" she said smiling at the girl in front of her. "Oh excuse me I'm Trouble." She said sticking her hand out to shake the girl in front of her.
"Sarah" the girl said taking Trouble's hand and shaking it. "I'm David and Les's sister".
"Oh yeah I met them they're real nice. I'll let you two continue. It was nice meetin you Sarah I guess I'll see you around, Bye"
"Bye Trouble" Sarah and Jack said in unison.
Trouble caught up with Mush, Blink, and Race. They finished selling within an hour.
"Wow you really are a natural Trouble" Mush said smiling at her.
"Aww thanks Mush"
"Aww thanks Mush" Blink mimicked Trouble in his highest pitched and girlish voice.
"You makin fun of me Blink" Trouble said moving towards him with her fists raised
"Yeah I is, what you gonna do about it." He said smiling at her. She charged towards him with her fists raised he just planted his feet and when she got close enough he lifted her unto his shoulder and started walking with her over his shoulder. Mush and Race just laughed.
"Hey guys I have a great view of Blink's ass, you should see this." Trouble said
"No their to busy enjoyin the view of your's" Blink said slapping her behind
"OWW THAT HURT" she screamed rubbing her bum. The other two boys just laughed. After walking a couple of blocks Blink put Trouble down. They were by the Horace Greeley Statue. Trouble saw a couple of little boys playing stick ball, she ran up to them and asked to play. The three boys just watched her in amusement. Trouble took the bat and took the batters stance. The ball was thrown to her and she hit it over second base.
"Run Trouble! Run!" She heard the three boys cheering after her. She ran to first and then to second then straight to third the boy threw the ball to the third base man but he missed it and Trouble ran all the way home. She smiled as her three friends came up to her.
"You'se the craziest goil I've eva meet you no that Trouble" Race said to her putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Aww I like you too Race" she said smiling at him
The four Kids joined in on the game. They played for about an hour. Then got tired and sat down by the statue. Race took his pocket watch out of his vest pocket " Guys it's almost four I gotta start headin out to sheephead. See ya's all tonight." Bye Race they all called out.
"What's 'sheephead'" Trouble asked the two boys confused.
"There races were Race likes to Gamble, that's were he gets his name from." Mush said smiling down at Trouble.
"ooo I get it. I get how Blink got his name but I don't quite get how you got yours" Trouble asked Mush
"You see when Mush sees a giol he turns into Mush, he just falls in love. He's a hopeless romantic this kid" Blink said putting Mush into a head lock. The three of them continued to talk. They walked to the park and sat in the grass until about six then they decided to go back to the lodging house because it was about an hour walk.
When they got to the Lodging house they all put their five cents in the jar and walked up stairs. Trouble went into the wash room to take a bath because the boys all did their bathing in the morning before work so she had to bathe after work. After she got clean she changed into her night shirt well the extra shirt Blink had given her and Snipe shooter's extra underwear. She sat down on her bed and ate the other half of her Sand which. The boys had started to file into the lodging house. By eight o'clock every one was there except for jack and Race.
"Where's Jack" Trouble asked Blink who was sitting around playing cards with Mush and a few other boys.
"He usually eats dinner with Davey and his Family." Blink replied
"Why don't you play some cards with us get ta know the otha boys" Blink asked.
"Ok" Trouble said taking a seat between Blink and Mush. "I don't know how to play cards though."
"That's alright we'll teach ya" Mush said "But first lets introduce you ta every one. That ova there is Bumlets, Specs, and Itey." The boys all said hi to Trouble.
"I thought you'se was amazin in how you messed up the Delancy Bruddah's today, they will neva be able to live it down how they'se got beat by a giol. No offense or any thing." Specs told her.
"None takin, actually I don't know how to fight, I mean I can kick a guy in the groin and I can punch but other then that I don't really know how to fight, but I'm quick on my feet and a very fast thinker, so I guess that makes up for it."
"Don't worry about it you'se'll learn how to fight." Itey told her
"And we always heah to protect you" Bumlets added "We would neva let any one huit you or nothing."
"Thanks guys" Trouble said smiling. This is the first time in Troubles life that she has ever felt like she belonged. She felt cared for and for the first time in her life she actually cared for someone. It felt good and warm. After they finished talking Race came up the stairs looking very happy.
"Good night Race" Specs asked
"A very good night my friend I won Ten dollahs" Race said with a smile worth a million on his face. "You'se playin cards deal me in."
"Actually we was gonna teach Trouble heah how to play some polka" Itey said.
"Don't let these bums teach ya how to play polka, you wanna loin you loin from the best, Just like Jack taught you how to sell papes cause he's da best I'ma teach ya how to gamble cause I'm da best."
Race taught Trouble everything how to play poker and he even told her some of his secrets to successes. By the end of the game half of the boys were watching and Trouble was introduced to Pie eater, Snitch, Snoddy, Skittery, Dutchy, and she already knew boots and Snipe shooter. Jack came in about a half an hour after Race did.
"Heya Jackey boy, I saw Spot today at the tracks, He said he wants to plan a little get together, a polka night his place on Saturday night, cause there is no sellin on Sundays. He said he's gotta talk to you'se. The Bronx is given him Trouble and he said Harlem's talkin too which puts us in danga"
"Thanks Race" Cowboy stood up "Alright every body Saturday Spot is hostin polka night at his place." After Jack's announcement the group went back to playing cards for about another half an hour until Kloppman came up stairs and said it was time to go to sleep. Every one went into there beds.
Trouble went into her bed and lay down. She still was unable to sleep so she took her blanket wrapped it around her and crawled on the floor and she soon fell fast asleep.