𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒𝐈𝐄𝐒: 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴.

𝟏𝟏. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘌𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘎𝘐𝘕𝘚

𝐃𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: oldiebabie

Race meets a girl by the name of Y/N one day when he goes to Sheepshead. He fears he won't see her again, but.. what will his reaction be in knowing she's a lot closer than he thought?

---

"Finally, I get to head to the track for once!" you say, relieved to be free of work. You leave the bakery behind, and go to your family apartment to get ready for the day. You change into a long, light blue skirt with a white blouse, ruffled at the sleeve. You take your hair up into a loosened updo, pulling it back with a white, laced ribbon. Afterward, you put on your nice shoes before leaving the apartment and heading for Brooklyn.

You walk across the metallic bridge, looking at all the various people that surround you. Their voices ring like a symphony in your ear, and their scattered laughter sounds like a melody beautifully played. You've always loved the sound of people; the way they talk and laugh, the way that certain accents sound. You've always loved listening to your cousin's accent, before he had to leave your apartment to become a newsie.

Before you know it, you arrive at the track. Immediately, your eyes land on the horses racing. You sprint up to the fence just as the horses press by in nothing more than a second. Your heart starts to pound in synchronisation with the horses' beating hooves, and a wide smile begins to grace your face. Suddenly, someone about your age appears alongside you, a well-worn cigar hanging from his lips.

You look over at him, and the first thing you notice is his bent cap. You lean over toward him, allowing your voice to be audible over the horses. "Are you a newsie?" His brown eyes meet yours, and he nods his head. He removes the cigar from his mouth, "my name is Racetrack, but call me Race!" "Y/N," you respond, and the two of you hop off of the fence and start for the bleachers that circle the track.

The two of you sit together at the top of the bleachers, far enough allowing you the ability to talk normally, yet still close enough to hear what's going on. "This your first time here?" Race asks, his gaze coming to rest on your eyes. "Yeah. I'm always working, and never get the chance to come out here," you say, gesturing toward the track. He nods in understanding, turning his gaze back to the horses. The two of you sit in silence for a moment, before Race speaks up again.

"Do you mind if I fix the ribbon in your hair?" he blurts, and you turn to see him looking at your hair. "Of course you can!" you respond, moving to the row of bleachers under you. Race moves forward, spreading his legs out. You slide in between them, resting one of your elbows on the top of his knee. He gently tilts your head downward, removing the ribbon from your hair as it comes down around your shoulders.

His fingers gently brush against your soft locks as he gathers your hair up once more. Instead of putting it back into an updo, he intertwines three sections of your hair together, creating a braid. He ties the ribbon around the bottom, then letting it hang down your back. You reach behind you and feel the braid, grinning at the feeling of it. "Thank you, Race!" you say, leaning your head back to look up at him. "You're welcome, Y/N."

The two of you fall silent again, watching as the horses gallop by once more. You shift your body around, allowing your head to fall against his inner thigh. It feels strange to do this with someone you barely know, but a sense of comfort rushes over you. Something comes into contact with your shoulder, causing you to slightly jump. You bring yourself to a relaxing point when you realize it's just Race's hand, resting comfortably there.

---

Later that week, you haven't been able to clear Race from your mind; and unbeknownst to you, it's been the same for him. Race has wanted nothing more than to see you again, so everyday he goes to the track; but you're never there. What neither of you knew, however, is that you're going to end up seeing each other a lot more.

On Tuesday of that next week, you go from your apartment to your cousin's new home; the Manhattan Newsies' Lodge. You head inside, saying hi to the friendly elder at the front desk. You quietly walk up the stairs, finding yourself standing in a room with a large collection of bunk beds. Your eyes fall on a group of boys playing cards across the room; your cousin, a blonde boy with an eyepatch, and a boy with brown hair and a red bandana. "Mush!" you exclaim, and the boys' attention all divert to you.

"Y/N/N!" Mush gets up and jogs over to you, wrapping you in a warm hug. You reciprocate it, resting your head against his shoulder. A moment later, he pulls away and takes you to the card table. "Y/N, these are my friends. The one with the eyepatch is Blink, and the one with the bandana is Jack!" he says, sitting down. You wave at the two of them, taking a seat between Mush and an empty spot. "Are you expecting someone else?" you ask, your eyes falling on Blink.

"Yep! He'll be here in a moment," Blink responds, giving you a smile. Just then, a pair of footsteps comes closer. You look up, and you're met with the familiar brown eyes from the track. "Y/N?" he mutters, blinking a couple of times to be sure he's not dreaming. The other boys look between the two of you, confusion thick in the air. "You two know each other?" Mush asks, looking at you. "Yeah! I met him nearly a week ago down at Sheepshead."

"Oh.. oh! Race, is she the girl from the track that you were talking about?" Blink speaks up, to which Race nods. You stifle a snort, "you talk about me?" you tease. "It was one time," he responds, coming to take his seat next to you. Mush looks at Race, his gaze firm as he does so. "Do not, and I repeat, do not hurt my cousin or else." You nudge Mush's shoulder, which he does back to you. "Don't plan to," Race replies.

"You talk like we're a couple," you say, and he gives you a goofy smirk. "I braided your hair, I believe we should be on our honeymoon by now," he jokes. The five of you all laugh, any tension in the air now vanished. You watch as the boys play cards, slowly dozing off as the time goes by. "Y/N/N, why don't you stay the night? You look exhausted," Mush says, causing you to come back to your senses. "Okay," you murmur.

"She can take my bed," Race speaks up, and you look over at him. "What? No, it's okay, I'll crash on the floor." He shakes his head, standing up from his chair. "I insist." He places one of his arms under your thighs and the other around your waist, lifting you into his arms. You wrap your arms around him, resting your head against his shoulder. "I'll stay with her. You three continue playing," he murmurs, keeping his voice quiet. He takes you back across the room, laying you down on a bed.

You halfway lift yourself up, patting the bed with one of your hands. "Stay," you whisper, still half asleep. Race lets out a soft chuckle, sitting down beside you. You lay yourself back down, bringing your head to rest on his lap. His fingers begin to absentmindedly run through your hair, giving you that same sense of comfort just as the first time did. "Get some rest, Y/N," Race whispers. "Okay.. goodnight, Race." "Goodnight, beautiful."