Author's note: ok, I do not own Newsies. That's out of the way. Hehe. so here is the next chapter! Thank you to all my readers and reviewers!
Jinx's POV
"Jack!" I called. "Jack! I'm in here!" I heard his footsteps come closer to the door.
"Sarah? You'se in there?" he called. "Davey," he said. "Help me." I guessed he found him in the madness. Then Davey's sister came rushing into my mind and I remembered why I was in this mess in the first place.
"It's Jinx, Jack!" I snapped, scowling. "Jinx! Now you and Davey help me get out of here!" I knocked the door angrily.
"Ok, Jinx." Jack sounded hurt, but I could worry about his bruised ego a little later. Definitely not when I was stuck in the Delancey's house. He muttered something to David. "Ok, stand back. We'se gonna knock down the door."
'Bad idea,' I thought, looking at the big oak door, and stepped back anyway. But clearly I was mistaken, because the door burst open a few seconds later. Jack looked tired and David had few bruises forming on his face.
"Jinx!" Jack exclaimed, relieved, and hugged me. He pulled back and we looked at each other. I stared into his brown eyes. He looked at me with the weirdest expression on his face. I pushed some stray hairs off of his face.
Suddenly, he leaned forward. He kissed me, briefly. His lips were soft and careful. But he pulled back too soon. I just stared at him, and full realization hit me. 'I love Jack.' He was cute, funny, and by far one of the best guys I ever met. I saw him stare back at me and I flushed a little. I saw Davey standing awkwardly in the doorway. He looked confused, and so was I. Jack liked Sarah. He loved her! What was I doing kissing him? Even though it felt like I ran away from a piece of myself, that's what I did. I pulled away from his grasp, pushed aside David and tore through the house and the fighting, to the front door. On the way out of the room, it was hard to miss the hurt and disappointment written on Jack's face.
Right when I was almost out, a hand grabbed my wounded arm, and I winced. The owner of said arm was Oscar's brother, Morris. He sneered at me and I swung my fist back and punched him with all the anger and sadness that was welled up inside of me. My knuckles stung, but I pulled my arm away from him and ran out of the house.
Alone.
I didn't want to go back to the Lodge, but I had nowhere else to go. I wondered through the streets, keeping my back towards that awful house. I didn't know where I was going until I ended up at the spot Jack and I usually sold papers together.
I stood there, remembering my first day here. How Jack taught me how to sell papers and my amazing skill. We always joked together and there was never anything romantic about it, but I guess this happens to everyone. A little bird landed in front of me on the cobblestones. It was black and a tiny thing. It was trying to fly, but I guess it didn't make it. I slowly approached the little bird.
"Hey," I whispered. I slid my hand under its belly and it chirped happily. I climbed up the tree it fell from and spotted its nest. Its brothers and sisters were squawking away until I settled the bird happily in its nest. I laughed a little and jumped down. I headed toward the Lodge, and thought about the dream I was having. It was when all the family I ever knew died, just like that. They left me with nothing but a few coins and some memories. We were rich once, from all my prize money, but I had to sell my horses to keep me going.
Soon, the authorities found out that a 15-year-old girl was living by herself in an empty horse stable and that just didn't seem decent to them for some reason. So I got taken into custody and was held for about a week. They weren't planning on letting me go and were going to "use me for work", which I found out from the veterans who apparently weren't good anywhere they were put. There was no way I was going to work in a sweatshop or in the brothel, so I ran. I got on a train and hitched a ride to New York. And when I arrived, I thought I had finally found a home, and I was safe.
But it looks like I was going to run again. I don't know where I was headed. I didn't have a lot of money and there were no horsed to sell this time. I got angry. Not at Jack, but at myself. All I did was run! I ran from home, from the prison, and now I was going to run from Jack and the Newsies, my second family. Who took me in and cared for me. 'That's not going to happen.' I promised myself. 'The young ones still need you and you are not going to abandon what you have going here.' I decided to stay, and see how things worked out.
I arrived at the Lodge and walked in. The front counter was deserted, as was the rest of the house. I staggered up the stairs, and looked into the boy's room. They little ones, Tumbler, Clicker, and Sky were all awake, sitting by the window. "Go to sleep," I told them and walked in. They started. I embraced them all.
"We'se thought you'se was gonna die!" Sky, the youngest, said. Clicker elbowed him in the side.
"No, we didn't." he insisted.
"Will you tell us a story?" Tumbler asked. He looked at me huge puppy-dog eyes. I shook my head. I was too sad and tired for a good story.
"Just go to sleep," I told them. They agreed and grudgingly made it to their beds. Satisfied, I walked into my closet of a room, slid off the yellow dress, and collapsed in my bed.