How To Save A Life

Chapter Six: A Rat Bastard Baby Boy Determines the Plot

Even though Stut forgave me  all i can think about is how bad i messed up and that pape under his mattress.

Why was it there?
And why is it folded the way i fold mine.

A few rows away Stut was goin about his normal sellin routine.

I sighed and lifted a paper, the headline was something about a bank closing. "Extra! Extra! Bank forced to close due to terrible fire! You heard it right here!" I yelled.

A few people offered me pennies so I gave out the papes.

"Is that true?"  Stut nodded furiously.
"Why didntcha say it then?"

"C..c..c..c..c..c..c..cant t..t..t...ta..ta..ta..alk g..oo.o.d."

A bunch of people offered him dimes and pennies.

Damn now hes even makin money off me.
I moved a few rows farther away and continued selling.

Later that day we headed back to the lodge "Hey do you think we can go back to you teaching me sign now?"

He shrugged "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Yeah maybe. Deal with it."

I laughed and poked at him a little. "What if I don't want to deal with it?"

He jokingly threw a punch at me.  
I blocked it and jabbed at him.

"I'll make youse then." I joked.

We were sitting on the roof again. Stut was teaching me new words, this time animal names.

"Why is Rat importint?" I laughed.
"So you'll know when I call you a rat." he snickered a bit.

"Dat's fair."

I copied the motion, waving two fingers in front of my nose.

"Not like that. Like this." He grabbed my hand and corrected the motion to more of a flick and then I repeated it.

"Okay now use a sentence that has one of the animals in it."

'Stut thinks I am a Rat'

He smiled 'you are a rat'

'Am not'
'Are to'
'Am not'
'Are to'
'Am not'
'Are to'
'Am not'

This continued for some time.
'Are you gonna stop'

'No cause you are a rat most the time'

'What about the rest'

'Then your just a' i couldn't understand the rest of it.

"What?"
He just smiled and grabbed the papers climbing back down the rail.

Jack POV

"Papes for the Newsies! Line up!" Weasel yelled.

The headline was terrible as usual.
I got my papes as usual and sat down with Crutchie off to the side.

I wasnt paying attiention to what was goin on by the papes stand till Race was up there gettin his papes.

"Ay Weasel how bout 50 papes for ya favorite?" He dropped the money before Weasel respond so he could help Stut cause he and I heard the Delancys buggin him.

"H..h..h...h...here a..r..e  ya...ya..ya papes." Oscar said laughing as he mimicked the stutter.

"M..m..m..make su..su..sure ya do..do..dont drop 'em." Morris slapped the papes out of her hand.

"Now that wasn't nice Morris!" Race said getting in his face.  Out of the corner of my eye i saw Mush helping Stut pick up the papes. 

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it? This is Stuts problem not yours."