Newsies' Little Sister

Chapter 14 - What have ya got against me?

A/N I really wanted to get my post schedule back to normal - posting on weekends - so I didn't spend as much time on this chapter as the others. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter! P.S. Yea I know the chapter name is really long! :)

Emmeline's POV

It was really cold and windy up on the platform and I half regretted going up there. But I couldn't say I wasn't used to the cold. It was kinda refreshing actually, and looking over the city gave me something to do for a few hours...

My body has trained itself to wake me up at sunrise every single day, from waking up really early every day for 6 years; that meant I was always going to wake up a few hours earlier than everyone else because the sunrise time in winter is around 7am, and in summer its around 5:30am. 

I remembered I overheard someone saying that we would have to get up at half 7, but its winter so I would have half an hour all to myself, alone, on the platform.

Crutchie's POV

My eyes opened sleepily, yawned and began to wipe the sleep out of my eyes when I saw that Jack wasn't up yet. He was still lying there next to me. Now I know what you're thinking, no, we are not together. Jack's with Davey, but we're still best friends...more like brothers really.

Anyways, I heard two sets of breathing. Jack's and someone else's. My body stiffened and I tried to work out who would have the balls to come up here without Jack's permission, and who would be awake enough to do that...

The new girl? No. It can't be her. She'll still be asleep. She had that nightmare so...Oh I don't know...It can't be her...

Even if it wasn't her, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone else was up here. All of my tiredness had gone by now and when I whacked Jack awake, I pressed my hand over his mouth to make sure he didn't make any noise that would alert the intruder. I put a finger to my lips and took my hand away from his mouth.

"Jack," I whispered. "There's someone up here with us."

"What!?" He whisper yelled back. I pointed away from us and we both saw the faint outline of a person sitting with their legs dangling between the railings. Jack nodded and jumped up so he was crouching down. He did it so quietly I barely heard him do it.

He signalled for me to say there, and he crept up half way to them. They turned their head away from Jack and that's when he decided to pounce.

Elmer's POV

"Get offa me! I haven' done anythin'!" That was what woke me up at half 7. It sounded like it was coming from Jack's Penthouse...I couldn't for the life of me work out who could've said that, and who would have the balls to go up there without Jack or Crutchie's permission. Well, apart from Race when he's being even more annoying.

I was lying face down on my bed and I lifted my head when I heard the shout. I turned to look around, trying to see if there was an empty bed.

Em's bed was empty. I shot up out of bed, grabbed my shirt, put it on and ran over Mush's bed. I shook his shoulder.

"Mush! Get up! C'mon!"

"What...what is it Elmer?" He sat up tiredly. 

"I think Em's in trouble." That woke him up a bit... He sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

"What?" He swung his legs out of bed.

"Just c'mon!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him out to Jack's Penthouse.

Mush's POV

"Owww! Ankle!" What the hell was Elmer doing? He just grabbed me and dragged me up to the Penthouse. Oh...that's why.

Jack was holding tightly onto Em's hair, practically yelling in her face! I could tell she was real scared so I ran up, completely ignoring my ankle and punched Jack in the face.

"Get offa her!" I yelled. "Em! You'se ok?" She nodded.

He fell to the floor and let go of Em in the process. Jack looked real angry, but I couldn't work out who he was more angry at. Em for going up into the Penthouse, or me for punchin' him in the face.

"Em...Are you a'rirght? What happened? Why are ya up 'ere?" I asked her, once she came and stood in between me and Elmer.

"Yea! Why is you up 'ere?" Jack had got back up and was rubbing his jaw, from where I punched him.

We all looked at her.

Emmeline's POV

 I could feel all eyes on me, Mush's, Elmer's, Crutchie's and Jack's; I didn't care. I focused on Jack and stared right at him. I considered lyin'. But I thought I'd tell the truth for once.

"I always wake up at sunrise. I saw that no one else was awake so I got out of bed, got dressed and came up here. I didn't know anyone else was up here." I kept my voice completely level and prayed that they didn't ask why I always wake up so early.

They didn't...thank god. I had a feeling someone was gonna ask, but whoever it was, was cut off by a girl pokin' her head out of the door, and yellin' up to us.

"C'mon Jackie! Do ya wanna be late for the papes?" Smalls.

We all just stood there for a few seconds, before Jack left us and went back inside. We all followed him and I kept my head down, not wanting any attention.

Jack stomped around the dorm, obviously pissed off. I avoided him at all costs.

"Mush!" He shouted. I saw my brother's head snap up from where he was re-making his bed.

"You'se stayin' 'ere t'day." 

"But my ankle--"

"I don't care. Davey said that ya shouldn't be walkin' on it for a few days. So, you'se stayin' 'ere t'day." He turned to me. "And new girl,"

"I do have a name!"

"Fine. Ginger. You'se sellin' with Elmer. You'se seem to get on well."

"Ok." I turned to Elmer. Shirtless, sitting on his bed, shirt in hand.

"What's got him in a bad mood? Or is 'e always like this?"

"Nah...'e ain't always like this...It's just 'cause ya went onto 'is Penthouse without askin'. And because Mush punched him in the face..." He patted the space next to him on his bed and I sat down. He held my hand and looked me right in the face.

"It's gonna be fine. Trust me. He's an angry teenager. He'll get over it."

"I--I know...I just..." I didn't really know if I could trust Jack I mean, he's givin' me a bed and a roof over my head, which is nice to have...but he's makin' it quite clear 'e doesn't want me to stay.

"I just wanna know what 'e got against me..." I twisted around and looked over at him. He was doin' up 'is shoelaces quite violently and his face reminded me of my father. But I'd got braver since then...or I thought I had. I needed to know.

I got up and let go of Elmer's hand. Then a bell rung out and all of the other boys ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the front door.

Jack was still there, makin' 'is way over to the door slowly and my brother was sittin' on his bed with another boy, Buttons I think.

I waked over to Jack, shakin' slightly. I willed myself to stand still when I reached him.

"Jack," He didn't look at me. "Jack." I said with purpose. He actually noticed me and looked up. He stopped walkin' and stood straighter, puffin' out his chest to intimidate me.

"What have ya got against me? Huh? Why don't ya want me 'ere?" I almost instantly regretted it.

A/N Sorry about the slight cliffhanger!  I wrote this in 2 days and I'm quite proud of it! It's not edited btw... :0

What do you think Jack's going to do???

Thanks for reading <3