Our Everlasting Friendship

Chapter 10: Jobs

Sage: broadway_crackers
Grace: meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Warning: fights/soaking and blood

"Wake up, Sage!"Grace yells a few feet away from her best friend. Sage sits up bolt straight, head butting Grace, with a small squeal.

"Jeez,"Sage says and rubs her ears slightly. "You know I've got sensitive ears,"she mumbles.

"Yeah that's why I was a few feet away."

"You realise when people say a few feet away it's not the distance of your literal foot right?"the younger girl questions.

"They don't?"

Sage sighs and shakes her head. "No. No they don't. Now where are we going?"she asks and stands up, stretching our.

"I'm off to the Sheepshead Races to find some work and you're going to find a better place to sleep and food,"Grace replies and starts to fold up their blankets. She places them in their bag and places the bag behind a few crates to avoid someone stealing it.

The taller girl hands Sage the map and Sage looks at her confused. "Photographic memory,"she explains. "See you here at twelve o'clock sharp?"

"Twelve o'clock sharp,"Sage repeats and heads out of the alleyway, staring at the map.

~~~~~~ time skip brought to you by a lost Sage ~~~~~~

Sage anxiously walks through the street and finds herself outside a large set of locked gates. She looks around to see if anybody was there to unlock them. She turns around when she hears a large set of yells from a group of teenage boys. One of them walks up to her and she notes that she has a crutch.

"Can I help you miss?"he asks with a grin.

"Yeah I'm trying to find somewhere I can stay with my friend,"she replies quietly.

"Well we've got the Lodging House. I'm sure we could find some extra space for you,"he grins happily. He looked familiar from somewhere in her travels alone. She just wasn't sure where but it wasn't in the past twenty years either.

"Right well you got just tell me where it is I'll talk it through with my friend. She's finding work at the Sheepshead Races,"Sage replies and smiles at the boy. "I'm Sage by the way."

"Crutchie,"the boys smiles as he spits into his hand. Sage draws her hand back and the boy laughs nervously and wipes it off. She shakes his hand but immediately wipes it again afterwards on her shirt.

Crutchie points out the Lodging House on the map and starts to head into the area behind the gates with the other boys. Sage quickly walks towards where Crutchie has pointed to and looks at the building. Not too far away from where they were currently living but too far from the Sheepshead Races for Grace.

She looks inside of the building and finds a clock. Grace. She runs back towards the diner and soon finds herself there.

Grace looks up from her table as she hears someone come in through the door. She gives her friend a blank look. "Took you long enough,"she says and kicks a chair out for Sage.

"Yeah yeah. You get a job?"

"Yep. I'm mucking out the stalls before the races and shining shoes after,"she replies. "You found a place to sleep?"

"If you don't mind sleeping with a bunch of other random boys then yes?"Sage asks nervously.

Grace chokes on her water slightly and then spits it back into her cup, receiving a few disgusted and questioning looks from the other customers and workers. "Excuse me?"

"Well the newsboys lodge?"

"Newsies?"she asks. "Are you serious?"

"They seemed friendly enough."

"And how many did you talk to?"

"One,"Sage replies sheepishly.

"Do you remember the newsboys in Treegap?"Grace hisses. "They were rats! They didn't have any respect for anybody and they were always in trouble with the law!"

"That was just them!"Sage replies. "This isn't Treegap."

"I'm aware this isn't Treegap but this is New York. Do you remember the stories my grandma used to tell about the New York Newsies!"

"Just let me try being a Newsie. You can supervise with me,"Sage compromises. Grace bites her lip and thinks for a few seconds.

"Fine,"she mumbles bitterly.

~~~~~~ time skipity skipity skip skip ~~~~~~

Grace and Sage finish their food and walk out of the door. Grace hops back onto the back of carriage and heads back to the Sheepshead Races at her stall.

She heads back to her post underneath the stands since the rain had started and the Races were cancelled. Grace starts to muck out the stalls and take care of the horses when she hears a voice come towards her.

"Oi!"He calls. "Who are you? Why you here?"

"I work here!"she replies and turns around.

"Who are you?"the boy repeats. Grace puts the the brush down and turns around to look at the boy. Poor and most likely native to New York.

"MacKay. Grace MacKay. What's it to you?!"she replies angrily.

"Well get out Grace this is our place!"

"Well I work here so scram!"she snaps and picks up the broom and starts to brush the floors. He pushes her down and picks her up roughly and pushes her out.

Grace spits out some blood and wipes it off of her cheek. She picks up the broom and hits him over the head with the broom, breaking it in the process.

"Get out!"she snaps.

"Why should I listen to a little girl?"

Grace raises and eye brow and hits another over the head, knocking him unconscious. "I'm a lot older than you think, Brooklyn Boy."

She proceeds to drag them out and into the air. She searches them quickly. Newsie. Great. Another reason her and Sage shouldn't be Newsies. She ties him up and heads to the Brooklyn Lodging House.

She arrives and bangs on the door bitterly. A young boy opens it and looks at her in shock.

"Where is the leader of the Brooklyn Newsies?!"she demands. The boy runs off and brings back a short muscular boy.

"What do you want?"he spits.

Grace drags the Newsie over by the ear as he yells in pain and follows her along. "He attacked me whilst I was just doing my job!"

The boy glares bitterly at the second.

"I recommend you get control of your Newsies because I could do so much worse than an injured ear, black eye and a bruise on the back of his head!"she threatens.

The short one nods. "Right well you've got a favour to Brooklyn Newsies and could you please give me back my Newsie?"

Grace shoves him inside and lets go. She turns on her heels and walks away.

"Brooklyn is a no to a borough then."