Breaking His Walls- [Spot Conlon love story]

Chapter 1- The Newsboys

POV Ciara

I wake up the next morning to bright sunshine and a blurry boy kneeling down next to me. His hand is on my shoulder and his mouth is moving but I'm unable to hear him speak. 

My gaze holds his for a few more seconds until my view sharpens and my hearing slowly returns.

"Yous ok, yous safe now." the boy says.

He wears a distressed grey collared shirt with a dark vest over it. He has a red bandana tied around his neck. His light brown hair is swept back and sits just past his ears.

Even though I've only been living in America for five days, I know English. Back in Ireland, my seanmháthair [grandmother] taught me English. My seanathair [grandfather] traveled to America quite often for his work and would bring her with him. She learned from him and taught me over the years.

"I's can help ya. Can ya tell me ya name?" the boy asks.

He stares at me curiously. He seems gentle and his eyes looked at me with kindness. My English is pretty ok, but I know for sure the way he's speaking isn't proper English. 

I learned that the first day my family and I arrived in New York. Everyone here speaks with a lot of slang, with a weird... twang.

"Ciara. Where am I?" I croak. 

My voice sounds groggy and raspy.

"Nice to meet ya Ciara. Names Jack. Jack Kelly. Look, I's can get ya a place ta stay and keep ya off da streets. A job even." 

"Why do you want to do all that for me... you don't even know me." I question.

It is an offly nice proposal, but almost sounds to good to be true.

"Cuz, I's know what it's like ta live on da streets. It ain't fair. There's no crime ta bein poor. I's also know, Snyder's always lookin for kids dat are livin alone like yous." Jack explains.

I nod and he offers his hand to help me up.

"Who's Snyder?' I ask.

We walk out of the cold wet alley and across the street to a complex with a statue in the center.

"Snyder's da warden. He's da head of da Refuge- a place he sends orphans where he can beat and starve 'em." Jack tells me.

The man sounds god awful.

"Yous must be new 'round here if ya don't know 'bout Snyder."

"Yeah. I just came from Ireland a few days ago."

"Oh. No kiddin? Dat why yous talk so weird?"

"I talk weird?"

I look up to find him smirking. We approach a building with a sign above the door that reads News Boys Lodging House.

We walk inside and head up creaky steps. I am greeted by a room of half dressed boys that seem to be getting ready for the day. Jack leads me over to a empty bed in the corner. 

"Yous can have dis bed. Lemme go find ya some new clothes." he says jogging away.

I sit down on the bottom bed and observe the room. All boys. Not a single girl.

I get a few stares and smirks and a few whistles as boys walk by and see me. My cheeks flush red as I grow embarrassed as ever.

" 'Ey kid, yous new 'round here or somethin?" A boy with an unlit cigar asks walking towards me with a few other boys at his sides.

I was wrong to think Jack's accent was strong. This boys twang is way stronger. I give him a polite nod. The boy with the cigar smiles at me approvingly. 

"Racetrack. Call me dat or Race." he extends his hand for me to shake.

I take it and smile back at him.

"Dis here is Blink, Mush, and Specs." Race continues pointing one by one to the boys beside him.

The boys smile and shake my hand as well. I can't help but think such unusual names.

"I'm Ciara. Nice to meet you all" I introduce myself.

The boys exchange confused glances and then look back at me.

"Why do yous talk like dat?" Racetrack asks intently. 

Specs elbows him and the gut. Race groans in pain and slaps Spec's shooting him a glare.

"What Race means ta ask is, where ya from? Yous got a weird accent." Specs asks politely.

"Ireland. I lived their for 16 years up until a few days ago." I say.

The boys exchange a few "ohhh's" and nod their head approvingly. Jack walks back over to my bed and smiles at the boys.

"I's see yous met some of da crew." Jack places my new clothes on my lap.

I pick up the pieces of clothing one by one. A light blue long sleeve shirt, long black pants, grey suspenders, brown boots, and a small grey cap.

"I's tried ta find da smallest clothes I's could. But dey still might be a little big." Jack says.

I thank him and Mush, one of the boys standing with Racetrack, directs me to the bathroom. I keep my head down, although I definitely stand out. I'm the only one wearing a dress.

I open one of the many stall doors and change into my new clothes. My work clothes- boy clothes.

Unlike my dress, they are actually comfortable. Jack is right though, they are a bit big. The sleeves hang past my hands and the pants are lose around my waist. The suspenders help the pants a tiny bit, but I have trouble adjusting the straps.

I fold the sleeves up a few times, tie my boots, and walk out clutching my cap tightly. I head towards the crowded mirror hoping to find a spot.

I stand stiffly at the far end. The boys around me are combing their hair, shaving, and brushing their teeth.

I pick up a comb and begin untangling my messy blonde hair. My fingers weave over and under quickly as I try french braiding my hair. 

I don't want to take all morning and keep Jack waiting though. I reach for a rubber band on the counter and tie it around my ends.

As I observe my work, Mush appears behind me in the mirror. He untangles my suspenders and tightens them a bit and I thank him.

"No problem. Jack wanted me ta check on ya. Make sure yous was ok?" he arches his eyebrow slightly.

"All good. Thanks for your help!"

We walk back over to my new bed where Jack, Racetrack, Blink, and Specs are still gathered.

"So Jack, what are we's gonna call her." Mush speaks up as we approach.

The boys all return their focus back at me and look me up and down. I shift uncomfortably unsure of what's going on. 

What they are gonna all me? How about my name?

"What's wrong with my name?" I ask slowly.

"Ahh, nothin. When we add a new kid ta da crew we give em a nickname. Usually kids come here if theys an orphan or a runaway, so we give a new name. A name cuz dey ain't their parents no more." Blink explains adjusting a brown eye patch stuck to his face.

I nod. Orphan. I am really an orphan now. 

Tears began to well up in my eyes. I am now classified as a word I was always most afraid to ever be. 

"Let's revisit dis later." Jack says noticing the tears that begin to spill out of my eyes.

The boys nod and their expressions all soften turning sympathetic. Jack takes me under his arm and walks me outside to join a giant herd of other newsboys.