AN: Please leave me a quick review if you are reading! I would really appreciate it! You guys are wonderful!

One evening in mid October, Alley was playing marbles with Boots and Snipeshooter on the floor of the lobby when she saw Snoddy sneaking down the stairs and toward the front door. "Where are you going," she asked without even looking up at him.

"Out," he replied shortly.

"Out? You got an errand to run," she asked. Snoddy always took her everywhere. He never left her side so it didn't make sense for him to being doing something without her now. Still, she realized five weeks was a long time without time to be alone or with the boys, so she figured she better let him go.

"Yes."

"Okay. Pick me up a loaf of bread, if you have time," she requested, flipping him a nickel from her pocket.

"Got it," he said, taking the nickel and leaving her with one last smile.

She turned back to her game with Boots and Snipeshooter and continued to let them beat her round and after round. The older boys began coming into the lobby from the streets and each took a moment to touch her shoulder or kiss the top of her head in greeting. Alley was used to Race, David, and Blink doing this but...every newsie? She shrugged it off and decided to just appreciate the attention.

About an hour later, Kloppman came into the lobby and began looking over some paperwork at his desk. "Kloppman," she said sweetly, hoisting herself up on his desk.

"Alley," he said in response.

"What would you say, if I told I could give haircuts? Real barbershop haircuts," she asked.

"I'd ask where you learned to do that," he said curiously, looking up at her.

She smiled smugly. "The orphanage I grew up in in Harlem. The barber there had a soft spot for me, said I looked like his kid. He wanted me to be employable so he taught me how."

"What do you need to do it?"

"A good pair of scissors, a straight razor... and some shaving cream because I can do a real close shave too."

"And what are you...what are you asking for in exchange for your services, huh," Kloppman asked.

"Well, a cheaper rent, of course," she exclaimed.

"You're gonna have to prove it to me first," Kloppman challenged.

"Get me the stuff then," she demanded boldly. As Kloppman went into his backroom to get her the things she needed, Alley approached Boots and
Snipeshooter. "Hey, Snipes," she asked sweetly, running her fingers through his untamed curls.

"Yes, Alley," he said, standing up and facing her like a gentlemen.

"Could you do me a favor? It'd mean alot to me," she cooed. She knew Snipeshooter had a crush on her because every morning as she and Snoddy left her room, he would be waiting outside the door. She would give him a kiss on the forehead and he would run off to tell Boots about it. Alley planned to use this to her advantage.

"Sure, what is it," he asked eagerly.

"Could I play barbershop on you? I need to prove to Kloppman that I can cut hair. It'll get my rent down...you think you can help me?"

Snipeshooter opened and closed his mouth, clearly panicking and not knowing what to do. "It's just hair! It'll grow back," Boots hissed at him and Snipeshooter hesitantly nodded his agreement.

Alley giggled and took both boys by the hands up to the washroom where Kloppman had all of the things set up for her. She dunked Snipeshooter hair under the sink to wet it, then lifted him onto the counter and began to trim his long curls. She started by first getting them out of his eyes and then away from his ears and neck. After trimming all round his head to the length she liked, she trimmed the top to match. As she worked, she could see Boots' eyes getting wider and wider with surprise. When she finished, he took off into the bunk room, shouting, "You gotta see Snipes hair! Ya gotta see it!" A minute later, as Alley was removing the towel from around Snipeshooter's shoulders, boys began piling into the washroom to see his hair. They all mumbled their approval and, speaking over each other like always, began asking for their own cut.

Alley lifted Boots onto the counter and swatted at Mush's chest with a towel. "Y'all are crowded the place up! Go on! I'll call ya in when I'm ready for you," she exclaimed. Chuckling, the boys filed out.

Before Alley could dunk Boot's head in the sink, he whispered, "I have different hair than Snipeshooter, you know."

"I know," she said, with a shrug. "Everyone's hair is different."

The next two or three hours passed quickly with each newsboy coming in shyly to get their hair cut by Alley and emerging handsome and well groomed. Although it took a little prodding, Alley gave the older boys close shaves. In the bunk room, the boys teased each other and fought over whose new haircut was best. Even Les and David came over to get their haircuts.

"Now, you make sure to tell Sarah and your mother that I can cut and style female hair too," Alley exclaimed to David as worked through his tangled curls. "You know, you might want to try a comb everyone once in awhile."

As she worked, Alley counted off every boy whose hair she cut. Finally, she realized that she had cut 40 heads of hair but not Snoddy's. She frowned at this and wondered if he'd returned from his errands. As she finished cutting Les' hair, she told him, "Go into the bunkroom and send Snoddy out to me, would ya?"

Les nodded and, as soon as she finished, ran off, eager to complete her request. However, he returned a moment later with wide eyes and a confused frown. He was followed closely by Blink.

"Heya, Alley," Blink said loudly. "Thanks for cutting our hair today. You sure did great work!"

"You're welcome! It was fun," she said with a wide smile. "Where's Snoddy? I didn't cut his hair."

Blink hesitated, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

"Just tell her," Les hissed before Blink could clapped his hand around his mouth.

"Tell me what," Alley asked, stepping toward them to enter the bunkroom.

"Boys only, Alley," Blink said lamely, blocking her path.

"MOVE, BLINK," she shrieked loudly at an ear-splitting frequency. Blink winced and was caught off guard when Alley used her bony elbows to push past him into the bunk room. She kept pushing her way into the room, past David and Bumlets and Itey, until she made eye contact with Snoddy.