Heya. Okay, so does anyone else get an email every time they update their story? It keeps happening, and I'm going a little crazy. It's sorta like, "Ooh! New story update!... for my own… story." Also, did anyone else notice that Jack has him mouth open the entire movie? I noticed a couple times throughout the first time I watched, and then I started looking for times when his mouth was actually closed the next time through… they're few and far between.
WARNING: More suggestion of adult themes, but they're so scattered and minor, that I'm not going to mark them. Skip out on this chapter if it bothers you, and I'll catch you up in the next one.
Disclaimer: I know we've been over this, but I still don't own the Newsies.
My head spun as Dove entered the restaurant while I held the door, and I followed her in numbly. She knew. She had to. Why else would she say that? I sat in dumb silence at the booth. I didn't hear Jack repeating my name until he gave me a push.
"Hambone!"
"Huh?"
"I'se was askin if you'se weah okay. You'se don' look so good."
"Nah, nah, I'se fine. Jist tiahd." I lied. Jack wasn't buying it. Neither was Spot.
"Jacky boy, you'se should take da kid home. We'se c'n talk anuddah time." I noticed Spot was being unusually pleasant. He must have been trying to show off for Dove.
"Awright Spot. Heah, Ham. We'se goin' home." Jack tried to get me to stand, but I just couldn't. Everything was fading rapidly as my mind continued to scream in panic about Dove's remark. The last thing I remember is Jack slinging me over a shoulder just like he had all those months ago.
When I awoke again, I was back in the familiar bunkroom. I squinted at the bright light and stretched.
"'bout time you'se woke up. Ya know, dat carryin' ding gets old." Jack said. I looked towards the sound. He was sitting on the bunk next to mine, reading.
"Da whole faintin' dings gettin' old." I agreed.
"You'se shoah you'se not sick?"
"Yeah, I'se shoah." I rubbed my forehead, and Jack turned back to his reading. Real concerned, there.
I got up and left the bunkroom, determined to get dinner tonight, since I had come home late from selling the past two nights, and I had missed it. The boys were just sitting down when I came in. I took a seat between Racetrack and Skittery. Racetrack was animatedly telling Blink about his day at the races, and Blink was rolling his one eye. Skittery was, as usual, disagreeing with Snitch. At least they both were busy, so I could eat in peace. I had just put my first spoonful of soup in my mouth when Snipeshooter piped up.
"Hey Hambone?"
"Hmm?"
"What does 'in-ter-cour-se' mean?" Snipe asked sounding out the word carefully. He was holding up one of the papers I had been using to teach and pointing to a word. I spat my soup out all over Mush, who gave me a nasty glare.
"Snipe, I'se don' think you'se old enough to undahstand dat woid." I gasped, passing Mush my napkin to clean himself off.
"Well, whassit mean?"
Thankfully, Kloppman took over before one of the boys could.
"It means, Snipe, when a man and a woman are in love, that's what they do."
"Like kissin'?"
"Like kissing." Kloppman agreed. Snipeshooter seemed satisfied with his answer, and continued to read and eat.
The rest of the meal was uneventful, even when Itey and Swifty started flicking peas at each other, causing Jake to pour gravy over both of their heads, compared to that little incident. After dinner, Pie Eater stayed back to help Kloppman and I clean, while the rest headed upstairs, Mush, Itey, and Swifty to the washroom, and the rest to bed.
Jack was already in bed by the time I got up to the bunkroom. He was in the middle of the bed, with one arm across his face to block the light. I crawled up and perched on the tiny bit of bed that was next to him.
"Jack. Move ovah." I muttered as I poked him in the side.
He reached over with the hand that wasn't over his face and felt around for me. He felt my face, and then set his palm on my forehead and pushed. I landed with a heavy thump on the floor. As I stood and dusted myself off, I growled. Then, reaching back up to the bunk, I yanked his pillow from under his head, and his blanket off, leaving him with the thin sheet. He glared at me over the side as I made up a bed on the floor.
"Well, if you'se gonna push me off, I'se gonna be comfahtable on da floah." I explained. He just sighed and scooted over to make room for me. I smirked.
I woke while it was still dark. I lay there in the darkness, listening for any sounds of consciousness from the others. Not sensing any, I slipped out of bed and padded out to the hall. The lamp in the washroom was turned down low, illuminating the room in a dull glow. I shut the door and turned up the wick in the lamp, brightening the room. I pulled off my shirts and unfastened the bandage, letting it unwrap itself and slide down my body, while I undid my trousers. Like I did every few days, I was going to try and get clean as best as I could with a rag and cold water. I missed showers so badly. I was reaching for a rag when I heard the door creak behind me. Footsteps. Soft humming. The person didn't notice me. Maybe they wouldn't if I could just get behind something…
The other person and I turned around at the same time. I'm not sure which one of us screamed louder. We both cut off our screams when we realized who the other person was.
"What da hell!" Jack exclaimed in a whisper. "Charley? Is dat you?"
I nodded while desperately trying to get at least my trousers back on.
"You'se… you'se a goil?" Jack asked, dumbfounded, as I finished doing up my fly. I crossed my arms over my bare chest, since my shirt was hanging on a hook by the door, on the other side of Jack. Not that I had much to see…
Jack's eyes traced my bare waist and stomach, lingering on my shoulders. I turned red and cleared my throat uncomfortably. He looked down at the floor.
"Whatta you'se doin' in heah now?" He mumbled.
"Same dings all you'se boys do in da mornin'." I answered. Now it was Jack's turn to blush.
"You'se saw ev'ryding, di'n't ya." He said slowly. I gave a soft chuckle.
"Not dat I'se was lookin', Jacky boy, but yeah, I'se did." We stood in silence, him looking at the floor and me looking at him, still topless. I sighed and uncrossed my arms. No need to be shy now, he'd already seen everything.
"How—how old are ya? Really, I'se mean." Jack asked looking up at my face. "Don' tell me 'leven. You'se not dat young, even I'se c'n tell." I snorted and muttered something about him knowing what an older girl looks like under my breath. Jack's gaze stayed steady on my face, waiting for an answer.
"Fifteen. I'se fifteen."
"Does anyone else know… dat you'se a goil, I'se means."
"Dove guessed."
"Who are you'se, Charley?"
"Jack, it's eahly. Da udder boys…" As I started to protest, a clock in the distance rung out. One, two, twelve bells. Midnight.
"I'se got da time." Jack said, sitting cross legged on the floor and cradling his chin in his hand. I stepped around him and snatched my shirt off the hook and pulled it on.
I sat opposite of Jack on the cold washroom floor. I was glad to be able to tell someone everything that had happened. I hoped it would help me understand. But first I had a question for him.
"Jack… d'ya believe in… dings?"
"Like what sorta dings?"
"Odd dings… dings dat shouldn' happen." I tried to explain, not really sure of myself. Jack nodded yes.
"No mattah how crazy dis sounds, I'se swear it's true." I stated, before pausing and gathering my thoughts.
"I'se did fall down dat manhole, but not dat manhole. Well, I'se guess it was da same manhole, but it was oldah. Much oldah. See, I fell down dat manhole on January foith, two dousand 'nd nine." Jack's brow wrinkled, but he didn't interrupt.
"When I'se climbed out, I'se didn' know what happened. I dought dat nuddin' happened. Den you'se found me. I'se still dunno what happened."
"Why was you'se dressed like a boy?"
"Um… I'se an actress, in my time. I'se was playin' a 'leven year old boy in a play 'bout newsboys. So's I'se was still in me costume."
"Foah munds… you'se hid dat for foah munds. Dat's a long, long time, kid."
"I'se knows, trust me."
Jack looked out the window. The moonlight fell through the window, playing across his features with its soft glow. All I could see was his profile, outlined by the moon's light.
"You'se won' tell anyone, will you'se?" I asked quietly. He shook his head.
"Nada soul." He gazed out the window a little longer. "We'se should go back to bed."
Kloppman woke us up with his usual banging and hollering, which he only did to disguise his affection for each of the boys. We went about our normal morning routine or trying to get clean, shaving, getting dressed, all while yelling, hassling, and shoving. No one seemed to notice that Jack seemed extremely uncomfortable. I couldn't help but smirk.
After getting my papers, I headed out. When I had first started selling papers, Jack had showed me a trick to make it easy to carry the large stacks of papers. I wore a short loop of rope across my chest, and then folded my papers across it so they hung at my side, like my messenger bag for school had done. Would do. In a hundred and ten years. It also left both hands free.
I had sold a good bit of my stack of papers when I wandered into the wrong alley. There was two good for nothing street rats down it, both of whom decided that the little newsie needed a good soaking. They both were older street rats, and I knew I didn't want to have to fight both of them. Especially not when one came towards me with a knife.
"Uh, 'scuse me, sirs. I'se in da wrong alley. I'se goin' now." I said hopefully, backing towards the opening of the alley.
"Nah. You'se ain't goin' anywheres." The one with the knife grinned. I noticed he was missing more than a few teeth.
Suddenly, he lunged at me. I stepped out of the way, and the momentum carried him past me and into a pile of crates. He was out of my hair for a minute, so I turned to his buddy.
When Jack found me, the one with the knife lay unconscious on the cobbles of the alley, while I held the other one by the collar and punched his face, repeatedly. Jack had to pull me off of him.
"He's done! He's done! Let him go!" Jack shouted in my ear as he pulled me away. Once Jack had wrestled me off the guy, he took off running out of the alley. Jack finally stopped several blocks away.
"Is you'se mad? D'ya know what da bulls would do to ya if they found ya?"
"I'se was defendin' meself!" I protested, wiping the blood from under my nose.
"No. Defendin' is when you'se beat dem up, and run. Dat was soakin dem."
Jack looked at me, closer this time. His eyes widened. I know I wasn't looking to pretty after that, but really? I caught my reflection in a window and jumped.
"Is dat me?" I asked softly.
My nose was crooked, definitely broken, and I had the start of what looked to be two extraordinary shiners. The skin on one cheek was scraped raw, and I had a cut in front of one of my ears. I looked at my hands. My fingers were swollen and bruised, and my knuckles were dripping blood onto the pavement.
"I'se look as bad as dey'se do."
Jack started laughing as he took my hand to lead me home. He erupted in chuckles every few minutes the entire way home.
The look on the other boys faces as they came in later that night was priceless. By then, one eye had swollen completely shut, and the other one was solid purple the entire way around.
"Who did dat?" Racetrack asked, pounding his fist against his other hand.
"Eh, some street rats." Jack commented lazily. "You'se should see what he did to dem."
They boys laughed at this and there was a lot of back slapping and shoulder punching. Apparently, I was a full blown newsie, now. Dinner was a riotous affair, even if I couldn't eat because my jaw was so swollen. This time, it was Jack who stayed back to help clear the table. I figured out why when he stopped me on the stairs. He was smirking.
"I'se was dinking…" He started quietly.
"Always a dangerous ding." I snorted. He glared before continuing.
"I'se was dinking, and I'se realized… I'se gets ta sleep wid a goil evahy night." He smirked bigger.
I just looked at him out of the eye that wasn't swollen shut.
"Jack Kelly, if I'se feel anything of yours where it don' belong, I'se gonna make shoah ya sleep wid da fishes."
He certainly looked downcast at that. I felt bad. I didn't want to hurt him, because I still really, really liked him, but I had an image to maintain. The image of an eleven year old boy. Fooling around with Jack would not help that. As badly as I might want to. Aw geez. I might need to find another bunk mate. Maybe Blink would let me share with him.
"Bed, Cowboy." I pointed up the stairs.
"What about you'se?" He said stubbornly.
"I'se gonna put a wet rag on dis eye o' mine, 'nd see if I'se can' get da swelling down."
Jack reached out a hand like he was going to touch my cheek. I pulled away and shook my head. Just then, Itey walked out of the washroom.
"You'se comin' ta bed?" He yawned.
"Yeah, we'se comin'." Jack mumbled. I tey wandered into the bunkroom, already stripping off his shirt. I gave Jack a push up the stairs and I followed him up.
After I was done bathing my eye, I climbed into bed. Jack was softly snoring, with a soft smile on his face. What are you dreamin' 'bout, Jacky? I wondered. As I slid in next to him, he put an arm around my waist. I threw it off and elbowed him for his cheek. The last thing I heard before I drifted to sleep was,
"You'se shoah soaked dem, Charley. I'se proud."
Aww… that was kind of a cute chapter. And an awkward chapter.
Anyways, thanks for all your reviews and kind words. They got me through a bad day! :)