Attention ~A Newsies Story~

Old Friends // Bet He Did it Himself

Albert locked his phone and walked out of the coffee shop.

He walked past a flower shop admiring some of the flowers growing outside.

"Like what you see?"

Albert jumped, a young woman had come up behind him.

"Oh, ya. They's pretty."

The woman smiled, her red hair ended just past her shoulders and her dress looked vintage. She was very pretty but Albert felt his gaydar ringing.

"If you wanna buy some, my wife can help ya. She's inside, we own the shop. Unless your homophobic! Then get away from here."

Bingo! Gaydar right again.

Albert smiled and held his jacket open. The womans face softened and she smiled.

"Kathrine Plumber. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand.

"You too. I'm Albert." He shook her hand, "Your shop's really nice but Ise not looking to buy right now."

"Well, come back if you ever are!" She waved and walked back inside.

Albert smiled to himself and continued walking. He just walked around, enjoying the nice weather.

"Oi! DaSilva?" A young man walked up to Albert.

Albert studied him for a moment, "Hotshot?"

"Yeah. Long time no see!"

"Tell me about it. You livin' around here?"

Albert used to hangout with Hotshot when Mike and Ike lived in Manhattan. He didn't know Hotshot stuck around.

"Yeah, a few streets away. Y'know after the band broke off and I totally f-cked up my foot a few years back. No music or football. Now I just do side gigs at cafes and work in the tattoo parlor."

"Damn! Youse been busy these last few years."

Hotshot chuckled, "yeah, say ya know Spot Colon? Star football player, massive d!ckhead."

"Yeah, did you used to know him? He still plays football here."

"I was on the team the year before you enrolled. Then I lost my damn foot." He wriggled his left foot around.

Albert noticed the prosthetic foot peeking from beneath Hotshot's socks.

"Anyways, I was wondering if ya know if Colon still has his lil side hoe? The one who liked fashion and sh!t? Liked to wear skirts and eyeliner?"

"Uh I don't really know him but he isn't dating anyone like that. Why do ya ask?" Albert was confused, he wasn't expecting a conversation about the football team.

"Just wonderin'. Say, would you wanna hangout sometime? Y'know get to know each other again."

"Oh yeah sure! Wanna exchange phone numbers?"

They exchanged numbers and went about the rest of their days.

As Albert neared his dorms he couldn't help but reflect on what Hotshot said, 'massive d!ckhead', 'side hoe'?

Spot didn't seem like the nicest person but he also didn't seem horrible. Although he just marked it to not knowing him and brushed it aside.

Albert remembered the text from Race as he sat on the couch and looked at his phone. Who would have given him Alberts number?

Albert decided to ask Race,

Albert: what do you need? also who gave ya my number?

He scrolled through instagram and the photos of race appeared again, reposted by Smalls. Smalls was a cheerleader for the Bronx team.

[photos]

Stfu Colon. Dont blame the damn bronx for sh!t. Aint one of us gonna touch your lil boy toy.

Smalls also was dating the star football player for the Bronx team. They were notoriously crowned as 'Sass Master' and ruler of insults.

Later in the comments Albert saw:

"Ha the f!cking coward blocked me!"

An anonymous comment of:

"Colon cant say sh!t. Bet he did it himself."

Albert decided to mind his own business. Half the people in New York tell exaggerated stories.

The door lock clicked at Jojo entered.

"Next year I refused to take a class before 9am. And if I have to sit through another 2 hour lecture I am going to shoot someone, Jesus Christ!"

"Yikes, rough day."

Jojo's eyes looked dead inside, "yes."

Albert allowed him to disappear down the hallway and slam the door.

-time skip bc i'm out of ideas for filler-

"Albert! You should have gone to the game!" Jack burst into Alberts dorm. Davey shortly followed with Crutchie in tow.

"Jack we have talked about this: stop bursting into peoples homes."

Jack rolled his eyes at Davey, "anyways y'know Smalls? Yeah well they tried to throw hands at Spot Colon. Also there's rumor dat someone on the football team is an abuser!"

"Jack, don't play into rumors and gossip."

"Davey don't be a buzzkill!" pause, "I'm sorry Ise love you don't start correcting my grammar to be a b!tch."

Yep, the three boys' relationship was pretty summed up now, playful insults, jack bothering davey and crutchie usually just was affectionate or davey holding the two back.

"Wow, pretty exciting." Albert said.

"Yeah, who do youse thinks it is? Think its true?"

Albert shrugged, "I dunno, I mean is there any evidence?"

"Jack doesn't know, he just heard it from Smalls. Smalls mentioned someone by Antonio as well. Best to just stay out of it." Davey said.

"Ise wasn't getting involved. Don't kill the messenger."

"Aye, innit Race's real name Antonio?" Crutchie asked.

Jack shrugged, "Albert might know," he turned to Albert, "we all know youse got it hot for 'im."

Albert flipped him off, "Do not!"

"I mean you were kind of stalking him." Davey said.

"Why the hell are y'all even in my dorm anyways? I remember giving Crutchie a spare key for emergencies only.

"We were out of chips."

Albert sighed and went into the kitchen, he returned with a bag of unopened chips. He tossed them at Jack and pointed to the door.

"Off ya go out the way you came."

"Damn, Ise was hopin' to goes out the window." Crutchie joked.

After they left Albert got to thinking, he really shouldn't get involved with gossip and drama but he didn't have anything better to do. He started looking around the deep corners of his schoolmates' social media. Y'know like any totally sane person would do.