All is fair in Love and Strikes (Sprace)

Chapter 10 I Race

The next day we didn't do any strike action. Jack had been caught last night at the rally and we were awaiting our trial for tomorrow. I was returning to the lodging house at around noon after a nice long walk around Manhattan. I had needed some fresh air to clear my head after everything that had happened in the recent past. 

I walked through the front door of the lodging house to the sounds of laughter. I walked upstairs, following the noise. The other newsies were crowded in the middle of the room laughing at a small stack of what looked like paper in Albert's hand. They looked up when they heard the door creak open. "Hey, Race! Come and look at this!" Albert called. I made my way to the group and Albert handed me the stack. "Found dem in the garbage in an alley way near by. I don't know why anyone would wanna throw dem out." I scrunched my nose in disgust. They were photos and drawings of naked girls, all about our age or a little older. Their features (if ya know what I mean) were by all means exaggerated in the drawings and the photos were taken at angles that were very revealing. I threw them to the ground, the boys and I watched as they fluttered to the wooden floor. "Grow up," I said, disgusted. I walked over to my bed and laid down on my back with my hands laced together under my head. 

"What's da matta' wit' you'se?!" I turned my head and looked at an angry Boots. "Eva' since the strike sta'ted you'se been actin' all strange!"

"You used to laugh with us wheneva' we found these kinds of photos," Skittery added. I just sighed and turned my head back to looking at the bunk above me. They we're acting like kids. Those girls weren't that attractive anyway. That or my gayness is blinding me. "ya wanna good photo get one o' Spot," I mumbled under my breath. "Huh?" My eyes widened. I turned my head to see the other newsies staring at me in confusion. "Oh, n-nothing," I stuttered. I could feel my flesh heating up. The boys just shook their heads and turned back to gawking over the photos. Thank god they didn't actually hear that, I thought. 

I climbed out of bed and lifted the mattress. I was careful to make sure the others weren't looking. I pulled a piece of the bed frame's wood away to reveal a secret compartment with a book and pen in it. I grabbed them, slid the board back into place, and crawled out the window to the fire escape.