Humbling Spot Conlon (A Spot Conlon Love Story)

Ch. 22: Coming Full Circle

I strolled down the street. It was a nice day. The sun beamed down on my face. For once in my life I felt calm. Even the sound of the bustling city was almost peaceful. 

My attention was caught at the sight of a little girl running down the road. She swerved around me before taking a sharp turn into an alleyway and ducking behind a dumpster. 

A man came running down the street as well. I had no doubt that he was following her. I wondered what he was chasing her for. He turned into the alleyway. 

I heard a screech. I booked it, running into the alleyway I saw the man holding the girl up by her hair. She was punching and kicking, but couldn't get free. 

"What're ya doin'?" I asked. 

The man tossed her aside, approaching me. "What's it to you, boy?" 

"Girl," I corrected. 

He scoffed. "A girl in trousers? That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard." 

I glared. "I think ya should leave." 

"I'm not goin' anywhere until that little rat gives me back my money," He growled, gesturing to the little girl. 

I fished in my pockets, taking out two cents. "Here." I dropped the coins in his hand. "Now, scram." 

The man glared at me as he left. I was surprised he didn't hit me or anything. I was also relieved he didn't. Once he was gone I went up to the little girl. She was backed up against the wall, looking terrified. 

"You took 'is money?" She nodded. I smirked, taking a seat in front of her with my legs crossed. "Nice one. How'd ya manage it?" She didn't answer. She looked afraid that I was going to snitch or something. 

"I won't tell anyone. I promise." She continued to stare at me. 

"If ya don't wanna tell me, then show me." I was curious as to how a girl who was clearly no older than ten could steal money from a big guy like that. 

She sighed, then sat up. "Wouldja like a shoe shine miss?" She asked enthusiastically, "It's really cheap. I just need a penny or two." After a second of confusion I realized that she was just showing me what she had done. 

"Oh. Yeah, a shine sounds nice." 

"Great! I take payment up front." She held out her hand expectantly. 

I chuckled. "Yer a proper little hustler aren't ya?" I said, ruffling her hair. 

"It's the only way ta stay alive." 

"Ah, a rat, huh?" I was lucky enough to never have had to be a street rat. I was glad that I had found Jack and joined the newsies. I'm not sure I would've survived if I hadn't. 

"I'm not a rat," She huffed. 

"Hey, I never said that rat was an insult." She raised an eyebrow. "Bein' a street rat just means that yer tough." 

"Tough?" She repeated. 

"Yeah. Ya gotta be real cool ta be a street rat. It's hard ta live in the street without a job. And ya know what? Considerin' how young ya are, ya must be twice as tough as all the otha rats." She nodded, looking proud of herself. It made me smile. 

"So, what's yer story?" I asked her, "Ya got a family?" 

"Yes. You're not gonna bring me back are you?" She backed into the wall again. It was clear that her family wasn't good to her. She seemed horrified by the idea of seeing them again. 

I sighed. "Look, I don't know what happened, but I promise it'll get better." 

"How do you know?" 

I held out my hand. "How would ya like ta join the newsies? It ain't the best, but it's surely better than livin' on the street. Not to mention there's less of a chance ta get into trouble." 

"Newsies?" 

"Yeah. We sell papers. Not the most glamorous job, but it really can be great sometimes. We're like a family." 

"A good family?" She asked hopefully. I nodded, helping her up from the ground. 

"A great family. What's yer name?" 

"Elsie Glass." 

I shook my head. "Well, that's no good. We gotta get ya a nickname. What if I call ya the 'Little Rat'?" She gave me a disgusted look. "No? Well, ya need a nickname. All the newsies have one." 

"What's yours?" 

"Nicky. See, the name's Nichole, but everybody calls me Nicky." 

"I don't want a nickname. I like my name." 

I shrugged. "If you insist." 

She stared at me for a moment, contemplating something. She looked really deep in thought. "Wait. You're a girl. Aren't the newsies all boys?" 

"They were. Until I joined. But they didn't know I was a girl for a long time because they're all idiots." She giggled at that. It wasn't even a joke. I was being serious. 

"Ya really wanna be a newsie?" I asked her. She nodded. "Alright, do ya have any money?" She looked through her pockets, pulling out a handful of coins. I gawked at her. How had she gotten that much? She was only a kid. "How old are you?" 

"Ten. So, will this work?" 

"Yeah," I said in amazement, "That'll do." 

She dropped them back into her pockets. "So, I'll be the second girl newsie, then?" I nodded. "Can I hear about when you were the only one?" 

"Of course. In fact, I have a really good story. This happened not too long ago actually. But, let's start from the beginning." A little smile spread across her face. I wondered if I had looked that interested when hearing Jack's stories. "Let me tell ya, living as a twelve year girl in New York in 1896 was no picnic..." 

***

we love running out of motivation :/ 

sorry, y'all, i hate to say it, but this is the end, the lake of ideas for this story that was once in my brain has run dry 

there's no doubt I will right more. maybe fanfic, maybe something original. i'll probably end up writing more newsies if you'd like that 

as usual, have a glorious day/night, i love you all 

<3