Newsies' Little Sister

Chapter 18 - I'm sorry

A/N Heyyy! We have over 1K views on this book!! That's way more than I thought! Thanks for reading and sticking with me through this <3

TW: Swearing, Mentions of scars, panic

Elmer's POV

Despite what Em probably thought, I hadn't forgotten about what she was going to tell me...but she looked like she wasn't ready to talk about it, not really. So I let it go and we didn't really talk about it again and neither of us brought it up.

Yesterday...jeez, yesterday was weird. I mean, Davey's gone...not dead, just back at school. I knew it would happen some day but it still felt weird.

I was kinda jealous to be honest. I know it's wrong and not what my parents brought me up to be like, but with 9 brothers and sisters, it was bound to happen! 

I hope Davey's gonna come back...We're all gonna miss him. Jack the most though, he loved Davey like a brother in the short time that he was here. Sometimes, we think he loves Davey more than he lets on...

Anyways, Em and I need to sell our papes and make more money!

I kicked my blanket off my bed and sat on the side facing Em's. Of course she was already awake. She had propped herself up on the wooden bar on the head end. She was holding a crumpled pape from yesterday and was squinting at it.

She looked like she was trying to read it...Could she not read? 

"Mornin' Ginger." I said.

She turned to me, putting the pape on the floor under her bead. "Mornin' Elmer! Sleep well?" She asked, her long hair flowing around her. 

"Yea...you?" I nodded. I still wasn't awake enough for...well, anything!

"You ready to go sell papes?" I asked.

"I hope so!" How can she be this awake!? 

"Good. Neat. Right..." I took a deep breath in and yawned. "We need to get dressed now..." She smiled and I swear it woke me up a little bit. She was so much more beautiful when she smiled...I love her so much...

"Yea...me too..." We both laughed for a few seconds then sighed in unison. We just sat there for a while.

"Oi! You'se two gonna get up any time soon or is you'se just gonna stare at each other!?" I snapped my head up and saw Race, half-dressed and topless, leant up against my bed.

"We ain't starin' at each other! And soon, Racer!"

"Sure....love birds..." He muttered and sauntered off to put a shirt on. We looked back at each other and silently asked ourselves if he knew, cause so far...we haven't told anyone about us yet...

"Yea...let's get dressed." She said, leaning down, whacking the pape out the way and grabbing her clothes off the slightly dusty floor. She brushed them off and I got my clothes off the end of my bed.

Em's POV (Ginger)

I dusted my clothes off. There was a layer of dust on the floor and I have no idea why I put my clothes there...It was just easier I guess.

Right...How do I get dressed without revealing anything...? Bathroom stall. 

I got up and I felt my night shirt slip down past my collarbone on the left side. Shit! I couldn't let anyone see the three deep scars that had been slashed into me years ago...I couldn't bare to think about them so I hurried to the stall and got dressed as fast as I could.

I saw the half burnt-out candle and the box of matches and I remembered them from before the whole rooftop fuck up. Although, they could be in all of them, so...oh never mind!