𝚁𝚄𝙽𝙰𝚆𝙰𝚈 ° racetrack higgins

Rise & Shine

I woke up the next morning to a loud bell and my brother's voice ringing throughout the room. "Let's go fellas! Time to gets to work!" I heard as the boys got up and dropped from their bunks. I kept my eyes closed, wanting to sleep for a little bit longer. And I was about to get away with it. That is, until a pillow collided with my face.

I shot my eyes open and sat up in my bed to see Jack smiling brightly up at me. He looked like a little kid in a candy store and he held a pillow in his hands. You're so dead. I thought.

"Rise and shine, Tate." Jack said. "It's your first day and I'm not letting yous be late."

I glared down at him as he placed his pillow on his bed below mine. "When I agreed to be a newsie, I never agreed to be awoken by a pillow to the face." I huffed, causing a few short strands of my hair to shoot up before glittering down in front of my face.

"You can't get one without the odda." My brother said teasingly before walking away towards the washroom.

I sighed and stretched out before jumping down off my bunk. I walked towards the back of the room, where all the boys were scurrying about, some going in and out of the bathroom. "Do I need to shield my eyes or do you all have your manhood covered?"

I heard some laughing from a few different people as well as some quick scurrying. After about a minute, a voice rang out. "You're good, Tate."

I walked in and found a bunch of boys in the, surprisingly big, bathroom. They were all either shaving at one of the many sinks or washing their faces in the tubs. And, much to my discomfort, half of them were shirtless. Rolling my eyes, I made my way over to a sink next to Jack, who was wiping his face off with a towel.

"Are mornings here always so...hectic?" I asked him, turning on the water and grabbing a clean rag from the shelf. I drenched it in water and started to scrub the dirt off my face and arms and neck.

Jack just shrugged as he pat my shoulder. "You'll get used to it." He turned and spoke louder to the group of newsies. "Ok, fellas. Let's hit the road. Give Tate some space to freshen up." With that said, all the boys piled out of the bathroom and started heading downstairs until only Jack and I were left. "I, uh, left you some clothes on da dresser. Dey used to be Boots' but he outgrew dem long time ago. Should fits you."

I gave my brother a smile. "Thanks Jacky."

"No problem." My brother turned and headed downstairs with the rest of the boys. I walked over to the dresser, where I saw Jack had laid out a simple cream colored flannel, a pair of suspenders and some boots. Leaving on my tight fitting black plants, I threw on the flannel and clipped on my suspenders. I slipped on the boots and grabbed my cap before putting it on my head, taking one last look in the mirror before heading to the lobby.

All the newsies were waiting outside for me. As soon as I stepped outside, a lot of the boys took of, running and jumping along the streets. I looked at Jack, slightly confused.

"I told dem to wait until yous got outside before we left." My brother said, starting to follow them down the street. I stayed close behind him, not quite sure on where we were going. "Seems like dey took it a little too literally."

I smiled. "Clearly." Before I could say anything else, I felt as someone snatched my cap off my head, making my hair fall into my face. When I pushed it back, I saw Race a little way ahead, a playful smile on his face and my cap in his hand. "Hey! Give that back."

The boy shrugged. "Yous gonna make me?"

"Yeah!"

"Den catch me if you can." With that, the boy took off in the other direction. I immediately ran after him. The two of us ran down the streets, jumping over barrels, dodging cart and pedestrians, and skidding to make turns. Even from my place a few feet behind him, I could hear Race laughing up a storm.

"Racetrack Higgins! Give me my hat!"

"Yous haven't caught me yet, girly." All of a sudden, Race took a sharp left, heading out into an open square. I followed him. From here, I was able to see a large building with at least thirty newsies lined up outside its gates. I was so focused on the building, I didn't even realize when Race stopped running, causing me to smack right into him. The impact caused both me and him to stumble forwards, the two of us landing on the ground. Race fell onto his stomach with my legs draped over him and my back on the ground.

I felt my legs bounce up and down as the newsie started laughing. I pushed my hair out of my face as he stood up, brushing himself off. "Not an ideal way to start da day, but at least it was entertainin'." Race held his hand out to me and I took it, getting lifted off the ground and back onto my feet. The boy plopped the cap back on my head, still laughing.

I pushed him playfully in the shoulder, starting to smile myself. "Shut up, you jerk."

Jack suddenly appeared at my side, Crutchie and Mush with him. He was smiling at me. "Now that you're stretched for the day, let's go get our papes."

Word Clarification:
Dey = they
Den = then
Dem = them
Da = the
Odda = other

Word Count: 973