A Newsie Story

Chapter 19

It seems the whole world is staring at me as the man leaves. My throat makes a little choking sound and I can't breath. I then register that a kid is sitting on my stomach and is choking me. It's Freckles. No air can reach my lungs as I paw at my throat. I start to see stars as someone pulls him off of me.

As I rub my throat I see that Davey, Race, and Morris are holding Freckles off of me as he fights to choke me again. Spot pulls me up with my crutch and pushes me behind him,"Anyone who puts a finger on her will get soaked. I guarantee it. Everyone take a step back."

A few people don't move and Spot yells louder,"NOW!"

Everyone moves now seeing that Spot is livid. No one wants to mess with Spot. "BROOKLYN NEWSIES! LEAVE NOW,"he says growling.

Over half the newsies leave looking scared for their lives. The rest stay put staring at me. Some look scared, others look sad, a lot look angry, and all of them look concerned. Spot stays right by my side making sure that all his newsies leave,"ALL OF YOU'SE GO TA BED WHEN YA GET TO DA LODGING HOUSE. NO ONE LEAVES ALL NIGHT!"

No one speaks a word now that Spot is mad. Once all the Brooklyn newsies are gone Jack glares at Freckles,"What did I say on her first day?"

No one responds and Jack acts like they didn't hear him,"WHAT DID I SAY ON HER FIRST DAY?"

Again no one responds because Jack doesn't get angry at his newsies...ever.

"I said she was our family now! WOULD YOU CHOKE YA OWN SISTA? I sure as hell wouldn't. She has as much a right ta be heah as all a you'se. Prolly moah than some a you'se. No one is to lay a finga on her, understood,"he asks and only a few newsies nod.

He glares at everyone but me,"UNDERSTOOD?"

All the boys shout out a yes now....except Freckles. He glares at Jack,"How can you'se decide any a this? You'se left us! You'se left us foah a real job and some ugly goil!"

He should not have said that. Katherine gasps a little shocked by his words. She tries to hold Jack back but nothing could hold him back now.

Jack strides toward Freckles looking expressionless except for his eyes. His eyes are black with fury,"Don't you EVA say that about my goil again."

"You'se don't get it Jack. You'se don't have a family that was threatened tonight. Just cause of a stupid crippled goil,"Freckles yells right back.

Jack turns around,"She is one a ya leada's. Go. Go now and neva come back. Get a different job. Ya family will be safe then but I don't wanna see ya pointy nose near the newsies eva again. None of 'em."

Freckles runs without another word to anyone. He grabs a little boy who looks just like him and bolts. Jack looks at everyone as if he could care less if anyone else leaves.

Some random kid shouts,"What does Race think a this?"

Race has been silent this whole time basically,"She is my family. Anyone who touches her will get soaked. I don't care who from. A bunch a us heah love her. Me, Davey, Jack, Spot, Specs, Dan, and the Delancey bruddas. Do any a you'se really want ta challenge any a us? I didn't think so. Leave her alone and we'll take care a that man."

A few newsies cheer at his speech. I smile at him gently and he smiles back. Eventually all the newsies cheer knowing that the mighty newsie leaders will protect them and their families.

* * *

Morris walks me home alone. Race and Davey had to talk to Jack and Spot about things that I shouldn't be around to hear. He keeps his arm wrapped tightly around me and he jumps at the slightest noise. "Mo calm down. I don't think he would randomly show up after the huge show he made of himself tonight. He doesn't have the nerve and he made his point,"I say quietly.

"It's all my fault,"Is all that he says.

"How?"

He turns toward me and by the light of the stars I see his tears glistening on his face,"He said he wants ta hurt da people Oscar and I care about. I care about ya."

I smile sadly,"I don't care that he thinks he can hurt me. I have you and some of the toughest newsies around helping me and I'm not completely helpless myself."

He laughs a little still crying,"That is true. I'd be scared ta mess wit you."

I wipe away his tears with my thumb gently. His eyes get wide as he pulls my hands from his face and put them in his own. I know his face is coming towards mine so I meet him halfway there.

It's a very sweet kiss. You wouldn't think the mighty Morris Delancey would be so shy when his soft lips were pressed against another's. But he is. He is much taller than me so he has to lean down awkwardly but he hoists me up bridal style and uses that to his advantage. I swear he hasn't kissed another human before.

After the kiss he pulls away,"that was my first kiss."

I smile sweetly,"Was it any good?"

"It was absolutely wonderful,"He says pausing just a moment.

"Im sleeping at your house tonight. I had someone tell Oscar. I can't leave you with that maniac looking for you. I just can't,"He says twirling me around like he never wants to let me go.

So Morris stays the night. He sleeps in our living room right by the door incase someone attempts to break in. Davey and Race let him which surprises me. That talk they had probably was about some arrangements like this.

I try to sleep that night I really do but the nightmares won't go away and apparently Race is the same. We face eachother as I whimper from the last dream I just woke up from. Race is still mad at me but he wraps me up in his arms gently. I breath him in. The smell of cigar smoke, ink, and something sweet.

"Race,"I whisper.

"Yes?"

"Race what do you think of Morris,"I ask quietly.

He thinks a moment,"Well I s'pose he's a nice guy but you'se and him togetta I don't like."

"Why don't you like that?"

"Because I wanna be wit ya,"he says quietly.

I frown,"So does this mean that you....?"

"Yes I like you'se. Hell! I think I might love ya. The problem is that you'se like Davey and Morris now. Do ya even like me at all,"He asks against my neck.

I smile,"I like you loads Race. I'm just so confused though."

"So I'm gonna have ta win you'se ova,"He asks gently.

"Don't think of this as a competition,"I whisper.

"I'm going to fight foah you and ya just going ta have ta live wit dat. I'm pretty sure the otha two will be fightin just as fiercely. So why not start fighting now,"He says grinning as he crashes his lips into mine.

At first we just sit there with our mouths pushed together but then he licks my lips and a shiver runs down my back. I nibble on his lower lip showing him that I will deepen the kiss. The kiss turns into something more as our lips move perfectly together. His tongue touches my tongue and it's the most intimate kiss I've ever had. One word runs through my mind.

Love.

He said he loved me!

He pulls away carefully smiling with big eyes but I don't want it to be over so I pull him back to me. I wrap my legs around him to keep him in place and I playfully kiss him again. He stares at me wide eyed before kissing me back more desperate than ever. I feel both his hands in my hair while one of my hands is holding his collar and the other is in his hair. We finally let go breathing deeply.

I untangle my legs from around him and instead cuddle up to him as close as possible. We both fall asleep quickly after that, warn out by everything.

I wake up in the morning with no more bad dreams. I stare at Race who has the biggest smile on his face,"My bad dreams, they stopped."

"Mine too,"I say grinning.

"I dreamt about you,"He whispers putting a sweet little kiss on my forehead.

I smile back at him,"I had a dream that we were all in that field yesterday and the man never came and we all just ran around having fun. No one was threatened and we were alright."

He looks slightly disappointed that the dream is not about him but he would be even more disappointed about what I really dreamed about.

I had a dream about Davey.








*SO WHO DOES EVERYONE WANT HER TO END UP WITH? DAVEY, RACE, OR MORRIS? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS BECAUSE IM RATHER CURIOUS!*