Hey guys! Thank you so much for 50 reviews! You guys keep me inspired to write:) Okay, so I need more ideas for new chapters. Please leave a review of what you would like to see:) I have the main points of the plot planned out, but I need fillers so the story won't be rushed. Thanks!

Review and Read On!

~Emily

Braid soon learned that keeping up the façade would be more complicated than she first thought. Her ribs felt like they would engulf in flames at any moment, her back hurt to keep straight, and her arm would hardly move. She was now thankful to be lucky enough to have a bag to carry her papers in, so Braid made sure to limit the use of her right arm as much as possible.

Braid also soon learned that Crutchie was not one to keep quiet. The whole walk to the Distribution Center was full of random comments and wise cracks. The situation was a nearly a win-win for Braid. Talking with Crutchie kept her mind occupied and off of her physical well-being. He wasn't one to impose and didn't ask to many questions, so if he thought something was up, he never let on.

They both settled on twenty papers for the morning and set off into the dirty streets of Manhattan.

"So, where are we selling today?" Braid asked.

"Where do you usually sell?" Crutchie asked.

"Near the harbor or right by the Brooklyn Bridge, but I want to try someplace else." Cructhie gave her a large, toothy smile.

"Follow me, I have the perfect place!" The boy took off limping deeper into the city, making a turn here or a turn there.

"Here we are, Central Park! Have you ever been here?" Crutchie asked, obviously finding this area his own palace. Braid, slightly blushing, shook her head.

"What? This is the best park in all of New York! And the best selling spot, too." Crutchie exclaimed.

"It really is pretty here." Braid said, taking in the scenery around her.

"Yeah, well go sell your papes, and then we can stop and smell the roses." Braid rolled her eyes at his lame joke, and turned around. She scanned the crowd for a target and planned her character in her head. Spotting a teenage girl of around six-teen years of age, and obviously on the wealthier side of the city, she smirked.

This should be a piece of cake, thought Braid. Tears quickly formed in her eyes as she started to slowly walk over to the girl.

"Excuse me, would you like a paper?" She said, her voice cracking and her nose sniffling for effect.

"Oh, sweetie! What happened? Are you okay?" The girl asked, concern on her face as she laid a hand on Braid's shoulder.

"I'm okay. My boyfriend moved to Santa fe a year ago to look for a new life. He said he would send for me, but he can't afford a train ticket for the both of us yet. I've been selling these papers to try to save up some money, and today is our two year anniversary." Braid lied.

"Boyfriend? How old are you, honey?"

"I'm six-teen, I look younger than I actually am." Braid, once again, lied.

"Here, I'll take a paper. I have a special someone in my life, also. He's a sweetheart, not to mention handsom," the girl laughed, "-but the best of luck to you! Go ahead and keep the change." The girl pressed a nickel in Braids hand and walked away. Braid quickly dried the tears without letting any of them fall and chuckled.

That's a new one...I'll have to remember that skit.

As it turned out, it was one of her better selling acts. She sold all of her papers in a decent amount of time, which turned out to be good for her. She felt as if her body would collapse at any second. When she and Crutchie finally sat down in a booth at Tibby's it took all of her self control to not sigh in relief.

"So, who were you today, Braid?" Mush asked, picking up a French fry and turning it in his fingers.

"I was a young lover whose boyfriend moved to Santa Fe, and she needed money to buy a train ticket to join him." Braid said. Mush laughed, but Braid couldn't help but notice a small flash of pain in his eyes.

"Lucky for you. The headlines were lousy today. I could write better stories!" Race exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"Yeah, sure Race. You keep thinking that." Crutchie joked.

"Hey, I see a lot of things down at the Sheapshead.'

'Race, the drunk men fighting isn't a great headline." Mush argued.

"It is if someone dies!"

"Did someone die?"

"No," Race sulked.

"Told you," Mush said, crossing his arms over his chest. Braid chuckled and took a fry Mush.

"Hey, that was mine!" He said.

"To bad." Braid responded, smiling. Mush smiled back.

Suddenly, Race stood up.

"Well, I'm going to head back to the Lodging House." He said.

"I'll come with you. Braid, Mush?" Crutchie asked, standing up as well.

"No, I think I'll stay here for a little while." Braid told him. Mush nodded, agreeing with her.

"Okay, see you two later then." Race called back as he walked out of the building. Mush cleared his throat.

"Um, would you like to go for a walk with me?"

"Sure." Mush stood up and offered braid his hand to help her up, which she took. The pair walked slowly down the street in a comfortable silence. Well, at least Braid thought it was comfortable. Mush seemed like a nervous wreck.

"Hey, Braid? After you left me at the bar at Medda's yesterday where did you go? I waited for you, but you never even came back to the lodging house."

"Oh, sorry about that. Medda, um, had a few things she needed me to oversee. Then she wanted to talk to me about the vocal lessons she has been giving me. It took longer than expected, so I came back late."

"Oh, okay," Mush said, dropping the subject.

Thank goodness he bought that, Braid thought to herself.

"Jack should be heading back from Brooklyn soon. Should we turn around?" Mush asked.

"Yeah, probably. He'd probably freak if he knew we were wondering around New York." She said, making a lame attempt at a joke. Mush, who usually laughed to make her feel better, only gave a small smile.

"Mush? Are you okay?" Braid asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He blushed.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine."

Okay, not the best...but I won't bother with a new excuse. I had no idea what to do with this chapter. PLEASE READ AHEAD!

1.) I know I have asked this before, but I need to know who to pair Braid up with (yes, I decided to pair her up). I can't decide between

a,) Mush/Braid or b.) Fly/Braid

You vote:)

2.) I mentioned this above. Please leave idea's for future chapters that I could use as fillers! Thanks!

Thank you for the great reviews!

~ Emily