Chapter Six

Author's Note: Two chapters in one day for the same story! Woo hoo! Yeah! So, here is, well, um... I guess I should find another way to say this. And now for ...Chapter Six! Alright, enough of that. Onto the chapter!

"Whadda ya mean?" said Blink, eyeing Tom.

"First I'm gonna beat you up. Then I'm gonna hurt him more." growled Tom. I looked desperately at Blink, who looked defiant.

The two of them started fighting. Not long after, Tom hit Kid Blink in the stomach and the bad eye, and Blink screamed and fell backwards. He couldn't get up because two boys grabbed him and held him there. Blink watched, horrified.

Tom picked up Crutchy's crutch and started beating him with it on the back. Crutchy screamed. Blink tried to yell but one boy put his hand on Blink's mouth. I was ready to cry. Crutchy was in a ball, and Tom moved from his back to his ribs. Now Blink was in tears, his eye crying, which was strange looking, but I couldn't care less. Crutchy cried out and I heard something that almost sounded like sobs. He tried to punch Tom, but to no avail. I couldn't get my body off the ground, so I was no help at all. Tome was yelling at him.

"This will teach you! Don't mess with us!" he yelled.

When Crutchy straightened out, Tom hit him in the legs, and Blink finally was able to yell.

"Stop it! Stop, jus', jus' stop!" he yelled through tears. Tom did, and Crutchy let go of all tension, and laid there, gasping and terribly close to crying.

Tom looked at Blink's face, half of it tear streaked, and looked astonished to find Blink crying. Blink looked at him and stood up. I looked up at them.

"Youse ain't doin' no good. Look at whatcha done. Youse are gonna kill 'im." Blink said, and stumbled over to Crutchy.

"Sure. The police will be after you soon, you just watch." Tom replied.

"Go on, tell youse mommy, youse probably beggin' fer her now." said Kid Blink. Tom looked angered.

Crutchy cried out and Blink looked at him. Tom looked at Crutchy as well, and I saw almost pain in his eyes, a sadness that I wanted to believe would make him change his mind. But he turned back on Blink.

"Alright, stop it or I'll beat you up." he said. Then somebody spoke.

"Dear me, who said anythin' 'bout Blink bein' beaten up? Eh? I's heah ya. Back off, move!" said a voice.

The voice's owner appeared in a second. Racetrack popped out of the group of guys who were either close to his height or taller than him. He had a cigar in his mouth, and he looked extremely angry. When he saw Crutchy on the ground, he looked really, really mad, and I wouldn't have wanted to speak at that moment. Tom snorted.

"Who's this shorty?" he said. Race faced him and punched him in the face. Tom wasn't chuckling anymore.

"I ain't no shorty, jus' undersized for a 16 year old. Now get away from dem or I'll hurt youse bad." he said.

"But there's only one of you." said Tom.

A noise from behind Race proved Tom wrong more than ever. Out stepped Spot Conlon and his gang of Brooklyn newsies. I looked at him in awe. Nobody messes with Spot.

"Whatcha doin' on da ground, Blink? What happened, Crutchy? An' Micky? What's been goin' on heah?" he asked. Tom shrank.

Spot Conlon was known as the Brooklyn king, and although he wasn't very tall or thick, he was mean. I knew he really didn't like cripples all of the time, and that he had a strange love/hate relationship with Crutchy more or less, but I couldn't blame him for being angry. Tom looked purely terrified now. Isabella and Lisa had backed up against the wall as far as they could.

"Spot, dese people 'ave hurt us. Tom's dere leader." said Blink. Tom shook his head.

"No, see, it was a misunderstanding..." Tom trailed off.

"Eh, really? Youse ain't got da guts of a duck. How'se youse be gettin' a group like dis? Dey mus' be bastids." Spot shook his head.

"Fight me, fight me, come on!" said Tom, his mind obviously recovering. Spot grinned wickedly, and the next thing we knew, a full out fight had begun.

The Brooklyn newsies were shooting numerous marbles from their sling-shots, and punching and kicking. Spot was beating up Tom fast, and soon Tom had surrendered. I knew he had been an idiot to fight Spot Conlon, and now he had felt the full blows of the Brooklyn King, so I guess he was done.

"Now, go home ta youse mudder, an' tell her all ya wan'. Go!" yelled Spot, and the whole group was out of there in seconds.

Spot turned to us.

"Race was jus' visitin'. Den we decided ta get youse but ya weren't at ya sellin' spot, an' so we came heah. Good ting, too." Spot said. "Is gotta go. Jus' came ta tell youse dat we got new newsies at my place and need one ta come heah. See ya later."

And with that, Brooklyn was gone. Racetrack came over. He looked worried when he sat down next to Blink, who was trying to comfort Crutchy. He had turned him over onto his back and now Crutchy was looking up at Blink.

"Blink...youse didn't hafta ... go and ... and do dat." Crutchy gasped out in pain. Blink shook his head.

"Nah, youse are worth it. Hang on, Crutchy, hang on, please." whispered Blink.

"Dat's...nothing. Youse are ...gonna have trouble." replied Crutchy. Blink once again shook his head.

"Is don't care. All I care 'bout right now is youse." he said. Crutchy looked at me and then back at Blink.

"No, don't...do...it." Crutchy answered.

"Crutchy, I ain't gonna leave youse ta die! I'm gonna do more 'bout youse dan dat!" Blink practically yelled through tears. Race and I looked at each other, and I knew Race was ready to cry as well. I was too.

Crutchy looked bad. He was suffering greatly, and none of us knew what to do. Blink tried to stand up but fell slightly.

"Youse okay, Blink?" Race asked, worriedly.

"Yes." Blink said, nodding. Crutchy moaned and looked like he was getting ready to faint.

Then Blink stood up and told Race to help him with Crutchy, who went unconscious all of sudden. The two of them carried him and I took his crutch and hobbled in. They got Crutchy into the same bunk as before. I put myself in the bunk next to his. Blink and Race sat down in chairs next to Crutchy's bunk. Blink observed the newly beaten back of Crutchy, and then turned him over and we just sat there.

"We'se need Kloppman." Race said suddenly.

"We's need a doc and Kloppman." replied Blink. Race nodded and stood up. Then he left, running.