My Girl ~Racetrack~

one

I wake up in the lodging house on my bunk. I hear Race's voice yell. "Hey, Albert, Elmer, Specs, Kat! You heard Jack. Get a move on!" I have had a crush on Race since we were 10, we are now 16. Well, I had a time where I forgot about my crush on him, but that was only for 2 months. No one knows about this little crush, except for Albert and JoJo.

I jump down the stairs and see Albert and Race. "I was having the most beautiful dream." Albert sighed. "My lips are still tingling!"

"Ooo, a pretty girl?" Race smirked. "A leg of lamb!" He said. Then, Albert stole Race's cigar and I stifled a laugh. "Hey! That's my cigar!" He shouted.

"You'll steal another" I laughed as JoJo came next to me and put an arm around my shoulder. "Morninnnn' He yawned. JoJo and I are bestfriends, along with Albert. We tell each other everything, hence why they know about my crush.

I run down the stairs and see Romeo flirting with a lady. How dumb can he be, she has a boy on the other side of her. "Well, hello, hello, hello beautiful!" He smiles. I swing around the post and push him away. "Good-bye, Romeo!" I laugh "Sorry about him" I apologize, But Jack pulls me back. "Step back. Nothin' what concerns you here. Morning Miss. Can I interest you in the latest news?" Jack flirts

Jack always flirts with lady's he sees on the streets and always gets turned down, it's quite funny. I'm always there to make sure he doesn't do anything he shouldn't, which I don't think he would, but just in case. "The paper isn't out yet." The girl remarked.

"I'd be delighted to bring it to you personally" Jack moves closer to the girl. God, can they not see her boyfriend is right next to her? The girl lets go of her boyfriend and turns away from Jack, talking to air. "I've got a headline for you: "Cheeky Boy Gets Nothing for His Troubles!"

Woah. She handled him! I didn't have to. I like this girl. I smile to myself as Jack drags back to the boys. "Sorry about both of them" I whisper to her. She smiles and they both leave and Romeo starts teasing Jack "Back to the bench slugger. You struck out."

"I'm crushed!" He dramatically sighed. That's my brother, as much as I'm younger, he's acts like he's the younger sibling. Crutchie appears next to me and gives me a nod as a good morning. "Hey, Crutchie. What's your leg say? Gonna rain?" Finch asked wheezing his way between Crutchie and I

The boy shakes his leg "Mmm. No rain. Oo! Partly cloudy. Clear by evening"  He smiles. "They oughta bottle this guy." Finch exclaims. "Ha! And the limp sells fifty papes a week all by itself" Race laughs

"I don't need the limp to sell papes. I got personality." Crutchie loosens his shirt and smiles. "Kat sure has personality, she flirts with the customers!" Albert commented

"Aye! It works, doesn't it! I once sold 130 papes with that stategy!" I boasted. It's not easy when you're a girl newsie. I've only found one way to sell, and this is it. "Gee. I wish I could do that!" Specs complained. I laughed " It's easy, Specs, just twirl your hair and look them up and down!" I Joke as I rest my elbow on his shoulder.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't be doing that! Some guy will do something!" Jack lectures as he makes sure all the guys are awake. "Says the one who was just flirting with a goil when her boyfriend was right next to her!" I remark. "Here we go!" The newsies say.

Jack and I get into little arguments often, they mean nothing, they are dumb, but we make up seconds later. "How was I supposed to know he was her boyfriend, he may not have been!" Jack defended. "Ok? What about the goil last week, who you saw holding hands with a guy and continued to flirt with her. I had to lie to the boy saying you were mentally insane, so he wouldn't kill you!" I protested. Jack stops in his tracks and stays silent. "I won this one, boys!" I rejoice as I flail my arms up.

The boys cheer. I don't win many of these little fights, because Jack has much leverage he can use against me. We all lean our bodies against the gate in front of The World to wait for the headline. "I hope it's really bloody. With a nice clear picture" Specs hopes

"It better not be that damn trolley strike!" I griped. "Please be murder, please be a murder!" Romeo manifests. Nope. Wrote on the board reads "Trolley Strike enters 3rd Week"

"What did I tell you!" I shout as I take off my newsie hat. I wear a white button up with a dark brown skirt, held up by black suspenders. "Three weeks of  the same story." Race says as he takes his cigar out of his mouth. Him and that damn cigar. I study his annoyed face, even annoyed he looks so cute.

I zone back in to the Delancey brothers opening the gate "Hey, Oscar, word, on the street says you and your brother took money to beat up striking trolley workers" Finch taunts. " So? It's honest work" He says not fazed

"But crackin' the heads of defenseless workers?" I add "I take care of the guy who takes care of me." Oscar gets closer to me with his hands balled in fists. Race comes and pulls him away from me. "Ain't your father one of the strikers?" Race distracts him from me. "Guess he didn't take care of me!" Oscar pushes Race and tries to shove him but I hold him back. Morris steals Crutchies crutch and hits him with it.

"You want some of that too? Ya lousy crip!" He yells. Jack helps Crutchie up and yells " Now that's not nice, Morris." I grab the crutch from him and hold it in front of his face. He tries to grab it but I yank it away, purposefully hitting him with the end of it. "Oopsies!" I fake the sympathy

" Five to one Jack and Kat skunk 'em!" Race appears next to me and nudges me, smiling. God, that smile is amazing. Oscar pulls Race out of the way to get to Morris. "Get off me!" Race growls.

"What if we were to pick on you, huh? Maybe you need to learn you lesson!" I taunt as I knee him where it hurts. Morris grunts and the rest of the Newsies "Oooo" or laugh. Jack takes the crutch from my hands and hit it on their shins. "Wait till I get my hands on you." Oscar threatens

"Ya gotta catch us first!" Jack provoked. Both brothers start to chase us but Jack and I were too fast. I could see Race's eyes on me. Those beautiful eyes!