Heya. Thanks for all of your reviews! I must say, they are the only thing keeping my plot bunny alive. Thanks for sticking with me, and let see where this goes.
Also, someone wrote me a review cheering on "Hammy" a few chapters back, and I couldn't figure out if it was for me or the character. Which made me realize, "Hambone" and "HamAndCheese" are reeeeaallly close. Oops.
Disclaimer: No. I still don't own them. *sigh*
As sore as I was when I woke up the morning after my beating, I still had to be thankful for it. Especially since Dove had figure out who I was, and Jack had walked in on my midnight toilet. The beating was one more thing to help strengthen my quickly crumbling identity. My poor beaten face held no traces of anything feminine anymore, and since Jack had told the others I gave as good as I got, that cleared the rest of the boys' minds about me being, well, not a boy. Because girls just don't fight back. And the ones that did, certainly never won. I swore under my breath as I tried to stretch my knotted muscles. I did enjoy being able to swear freely around the boys, though, and I even picked up some new curses.
"Dat's charmin'." Jack mumbled as he buried his face in the pillow.
"Yeah, yeah." I groused, slipping out of the bunk and setting my feet on the freezing floor. Geez, I hope spring comes soon. I thought.
I let myself be carried along in the flood of noisy boys to the washroom, where I snagged a wet rag to wash my eye with. I thought I was looking better, since I could open it now, until I caught a glance of my reflection in the looking glass. I yelled in surprise.
Mush laughed at my horrified expression. "You'se lookin' as pretty as Blink, dere!"
"Least he ain't as dumb as you'se!" Blink shot back, hurling a towel at Mush. I ducked so it wouldn't hit me. A bar of soap was tossed the other way, followed by and handful of freezing water, which drenched me instead of its target. I turned to glare at Mush, who was looking innocently the other way. I shook my soaking wet hair all over him as the other boys hooted. I never took part in the morning battle.
Mush caught me in a headlock and knuckled the top of my head. I gagged. He apparently hadn't washed this morning. My fingers scrabbled around as I reached for something I had seen earlier. My fingers caught the edge of the bucket, and I tipped it over Mush's head, drenching him in water. I let the bucket settle on his head like a helmet. He let go of me to get it off, laughing the entire time.
"Good one, Hambone." He chuckled shaking the water out of his eyes.
"Least you'se clean now, Mush!"
We swept out to the street in our usual pack, bouncing off everything while we caroused down the street to the distribution center.
After the rest of our morning antics, I got my usual fifty papers, and started to head out. Jack noticed though,
"Skittery! Sell wid Hambone taday. I'se wants him home in one piece."
Skittery grumbled at his bum luck, and I fumed. I could take care of myself. I'd already proven that. Jack just didn't want anything to happen to me because I was now a girl to him. And since I was a girl, he had gotten very cuddly last night. I needed to find a new bunk for tonight.
Once we were out of Jack's sight, I turned to Skittery.
"You'se don' hafta sell wid me. I'se c'n watch meself."
"Nah. Cowboy'd soak me for leavin' you." Skittery said in his lightly accented, but gloomy voice.
"You'se just arguin' for da sake o' arguin'." I said, slightly miffed. Skittery shrugged and continued to follow me. I stopped at my normal corner. Skittery took one side of the corner, and I took the other, selling our papers at a good pace.
The headlines were especially good today. Martha Place had just been executed in Sing Sing prison, the first woman to die by electric chair. I felt horrible to be so callous about her death, but if she sold papers for me, she sold papers. And I would be able to eat.
Skittery and I ended up not only selling out our morning editions, but also the afternoon and evening ones, too. As we were making our way back to the lodging house, Jack joined us.
"'ey, danks, Skitts, for watchin' him. I gotta talk ta him, so's you'se c'n go on home."
Skittery just shrugged and continued walking. Jack motioned for me to follow him. I did, unhappily.
"Listen, Charley, I'se dink maybe you'se should tell da uddah boys 'bout you'se being a goil." Jack stated calmly, stopping at a street corner to lean against the lamp post there.
"What? No, Jack. I'se can't!"
"Why not?"
"D'ya know what life is like for goils? I'se can' do dat, Jack."
Jack looked nonchalantly away, which made me even angrier. Why didn't he understand? I couldn't work in the sweatshops—not after the freedom of being a newsie.
"You'se a goil. You'se shouldn' be runnin' out on da streets, dressed like a boy."
"Dis is about da fight, isn' it? You'se mad because I'se won, 'nd I di'n't need no boy ta save me. Or is it dat I nevah told you I'se was a goil? Jack, all you'se dink 'bout is yoahself! What 'bout me? You'se want me ta die of ovahwoik? You'se wan' me ta get caught in a bobbin machine and lose part o' me?" I growled, getting really steamed. Jack just smiled.
I stormed off, seeing red. Somehow, I made it back to the lodging house, but it was well after dark. I came into the bunkroom to find Jack on the bed, smoking a cigarette while he read. I turned on my heel and stalked back out. Blink caught me on the way out of the lodging house.
"'ey. Whatsamattah?" He asked, grabbing my arm. I jerked it away and snarled,
"Nothin'."
"Dat's bull, Charley." He said, using my real name. "Sit down 'nd tell me."
I sat heavily on the stairs, not looking at Blink.
"I'se jist a little upset 'bout dat Martha Place lady. Papes was sellin' so good tahday because o' her, but it seems wrong."
"Jack told me somedin' when I'se was foist stahtin' out. See, a family had jist been moidah'd. Eight kids, da oldest only ten. see, Jack told me dat it was okay to be sad for da headlines, but bein' sad wouldn' change nuddin'. I'se could be sad on me own time, he said, but when I'se was sellin', I'se had ta make da moidah sound good. Uddahwise, I'd nevah eat. Sad dings happ'n eahry day, Charley. All we'se c'n do is mouahn 'nd move on." Blink said, striking a match on the step and lighting a cigarette. I looked at him in surprise. He offered me the cigarette. I took it and let the poisonous smoke fill my lungs. I didn't care. I didn't bother to answer his rather deep speech, either.
"I'se knows you 'nd Cowboy was fightin'. I'se saw it. You'se wanna tell me what dat was 'bout?" He prodded me in the side with his elbow. I swatted him away and inhaled more of the cigarette.
"No." I crossed my arms stubbornly.
"You'se need anuddah place ta sleep?" He asked,
"Yeah, but I'se not easy ta sleep wid."
"I'se knows." Blink said quietly. "Me little bruddah used ta get da night terrahs real bad, too. I'se used to it."
I could see the memories in Blink's eye. A lot of the newsies had younger or older siblings, all dead and all gone. I did something that I was sure I would regret. I hugged him. Blink started, but then relaxed, ruffling my hair.
"Danks for bein' such a good friend, Blink." I murmured, letting him go. He smiled.
"No problem, kid. Le's go ta bed."
As I curled up next to Blink in his bunk, I reflected on how nice it was to have real friends… even if they thought you were a boy.
Yay, morning fun and games! She's becomin' one o' da boys.
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