by
Spitfire
"Look at dat!" Blink pointed. He and Racetrack stood near the door
of Tibby's watching their best friend gaze at a half-eaten sandwich with an
expression that suggested his mind was not on roast beef.
Race shook his head. "Classic." He lit his cigar. "Five ta
one I can name da goil." Kid Blink raised an eyebrow, and Race drew an
invisible line across the restaurant with the cigar to where Firefly was
leaning over a tall glass of rootbeer with a lonely expression on her face.
~*~
Firefly was feeling more than a little lonely. Ever since Nickel and
Skittery had become a pair, her best friend had been spending less and less
time with her. And when they did get to talk it was mostly about
Skittery - the first time Nickel saw him, the first time they kissed (there was
a story she'd heard a hundred times), the valentine's present he'd gotten her,
the day trip to the country that no one else knew about unless Skittery
had told Specs. She was happy for her friend, but she still felt left
out. It helped even less to know that her own long-standing crush would - it
became more and more obvious - never end as happily.
He was in Manhattan today. She knew that. It was why she was here,
not back at the lodging house with the others. She sipped the last of her
rootbeer. She'd been drinking as slowly as possible in order to have something
to do.
The bell over the door rang, and she looked up to see Clown and Spot enter. Dey
had ta come heah! A minute later she rebuked herself. Dat ain't fair,
Jennifer. Dis ain't yer own personal territory. They stopped to talk to
Racetrack, Mush and Kid Blink who were sitting across the room. Firefly
couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see. Race waved his cigar,
gesturing at Mush who blushed and hit him, then Blink who had apparently made
another comment. Spot laughed and said something that made Mush turn even
redder. Clown hit him. He caught her hand pulled her around and kissed
her, drawing catcalls from his friends and a raised eyebrow from Mr. Tibby.
Firefly sniffed and stood up. As quietly as possible, she ran out of the
restaurant, having already paid for her drink. As inconspicuously as possible -
which was not very since the five newsies sat right by the door.
~*~
"Oh, sh-t." Spot saw her run by. He'd always liked Firefly a lot -
he given her her nickname - but as another newsie, as a friend. It was not he
who jumped up and ran after her, however, but Mush.
~*~
Jennifer sat on the fire escape. Everyone else was asleep, but she liked
the cool nights and the stars, so she was out here enjoying them.
"Heya."
She turned around to see a boy a year or so older than her leaning
against the railing. She didn't recognize him as one of the newsies, but then
she'd only been at the lodging house a couple weeks.
"Hello."
"Looks like dis is me lucky day." The boy smiled. "Ain't
all da time a guy finds a beautiful goil sittin' outside his window."
She blushed. "I'm Jennifer. Pleasure to meet you-?"
"Ya new?" she nodded. "Spot Conlon." he kissed her
hand. "An' da pleasure's all mine."
Now she recognized the name. Did anyone in New York not know it?
"Brooklyn, right?" she asked quietly. He nodded, sitting next to her.
"Kloppman'll rail at me fer bein' dis late if I go in, so I'll join
ya if ya don't mind?"
Mind? The most handsome, most sought-after sixteen year old in New York
wanted to sit with her and was asking if she minded? "Ya can
stay."
~*~
"Firefly?" She turned in the street to see Mush running to catch
up with her. He'd seen her run out, then. He'd seen her run out. How
humiliating! He might come afta me, too. a thought whispered. She denied
it having crossed her mind when she left.
"Heya, Mush." she said quietly as he came up beside her.
"Heya." He started walking along with her. "How ya
doin'?" His face was bright red, but she was watching the street pass
under her feet and didn't notice.
"Not too great." she admitted, sighing.
"He din't know ya was dere." Mush offered - a little sadly,
Firefly thought.
"I know. I jist - Clown prob'ly t'inks I hate 'er. I don't, ya know. I
really don't." She added earnestly, wanting him to believe her. "I
hate even bein' jealous of 'er, but I can't help it. It ain't fair,
though!" She looked at him through tears. All the things she'd been
wanting to talk about with Nickel pouring out into the first listening ear.
"I'se loved 'im since da day I saw 'im. An' she punches 'im da
foist time she sees 'im, an' still-"
"Shhh. It's gonna be aw right." Mush put his arms around her and
let her cry. They'd been close friends even before she joined the newsies. He'd
started drifting away from her a little after she joined, but his shoulder
still seemed like such a natural place to cry on.
~*~
Mush felt more than a little odd with Firefly sobbing into his chest. His
discomfort had nothing to do with the fact that they stood in the middle of a
busy street, drawing more than a few stares, nor with the fact that his shirt
was rapidly soaking through. No, he distinctly enjoyed holding her in his arms,
and that bothered him. He had no right to take any pleasure in her pain,
but his heart was pounding so hard he couldn't believe she hadn't noticed.
Then, of course, there was the fact that she was crying over another guy.
He stroked her hair comfortingly and felt another rush of guilty pleasure.
That soft, long, red hair was one of the beautiful things about her. On'y
one a dem. He felt a twinge of irrational anger at Spot. Da luckiest guy
in da woild wit her lovin' 'im an' who does he choose? Not dat I'se got anyt'in
'gainst Clown, but - lissen ta ya, Mush! Ya want her ta go out wit anudda
guy? Well, if she's happy . . . he thought, then, No! I don't want 'er wit
anyone 'cept me! He immediately felt guilty and selfish again and the blood
rushed to his face.
~*~
Mush's face was red when Firefly looked up finally. He let her go, but she
leaned on his shoulder a bit longer. She was taking shameful advantage, and she
knew it, but. "T'anks." she said quietly. "I'm - sorry."
"Hey! Ev'ybody gots a right ta cry once in a while." She saw him
glance away at the street and felt guilty. The evening papers would be out
soon. They both had work to do. Mush turned back. "Ya wanna tawk?" he
asked, but he didn't seem very enthusiastic.
"I know ya gotta sell . . ."
"Blink'll get me papes fer me." he said dismissively, managing a
more convincing tone. "C'mon, if it wasn't fer me ya wouldn't be a newsie.
It's me business ta make shoa ya's happy."
She smiled wanly at the street. It wasn't true, but it felt nice to hear
someone say it. "I jist - What's dere ta say? I like Spot, an' he likes
Clown. Even, I ain't silly enough ta realize dat if dey's been tagedda dis long
. . . but it still ain't fair!" She began to notice how she was whining.
She sat down on the curb, and began crying again out of guilt and self-pity.
She felt Mush's arm around her again, but edged away, this time. "I'm
acting like such a - I'm sorry." Trying to control her tears, she pushed
his arm back. Lost in the clatter of afternoon traffic was the pounding of four
feet towards the two.
"Look, I toldja ya ain't got nothin' ta be sorry about!" Mush
sounded almost fierce. "Jennifer-"
"Mush!" Both looked up, startled, Firefly ducking her head quickly
when she saw Race and Blink standing over the two. Bad enough for Mush to see
her making a fool of herself. He din't come. she thought wistfully, then
crushed the thought. Why should he?
~*~
Mush was both surprised, embarrassed, and annoyed that his friends had
followed him. He turned crimson at the thought of how he must have looked
dashing off to the rescue the way he had. He waited for the inevitable comment
from Kid Blink, but both his friends were serious for once. "What is
it?"
"Fly, ya aw right?" Race asked, simultaneously.
A muffled affirmative emerged from bundle that was Firefly.
"Mush, ya really gotta - somet'in important-" Blink, obviously not
wanting to talk around Firefly, gestured meaningfully - meaningfully, to
himself, that is - Mush, couldn't understand a word of what he was trying to
say.
"I'se kinda busy right now."
"I know." A knowing look did creep into Blink's one visible eye at
that, but he was still serious. "But dis is-"
"It's Casey." Race interrupted. "She's-" He glanced at
Firefly and whispered in Mush's ear.
Mush paled. "How long? Where is she? When'd ya heah? Who-?"
"She ain't tawkin' ta nobody. Kate won't tell where she is. She'd
hardly tell us anyt'in, 'cept ta get you."
"Who's Casey?" Firefly interrupted.
Mush stood up, then looked back at Firefly, hesitantly. "Casey's - I -
Fly, ya gonna be aw right fer a while? Cuz I gotta-"
Firefly wavered between bewilderment, embarrassment and loneliness.
"I'se fine." she lied. Mush saw through the pretense easily. He felt
like he was abandoning her. But da places I'se likely ta be goin', I don't
want her anywhere near.
"Go on." Firefly said getting to her feet. She dusted off her
skirt - of the female newsies only she and Truth still wore one.
"Hey, Fly." Race said suddenly, reading both Mush and Firefly's
glances. "Ya wanna sell wit me dis aftanoon? Dere's dis beautiful hoss,
runnin' - can't lose-"
"Shoa." Firefly almost smiled. Race always had an unbeatable horse
- until it lost the race, and most of hiis money. But his enthusiasm was
infectious.
~*~
"So, Sir Mush-" Kid Blink began, grinning as they walked away.
"Shaddup." Mush said automatically, turning red. He glanced over
his shoulder in time to see Firefly laugh at something Race said, and tried not
to feel jealous. "How's Casey?"
His friend sobered. "Well, like Race said, Kate wouldn't say much,
'cept ta get you. Um, Mush, why'd Casey evah-"
"She jist din't wanna be a newsie." Mush tried to explain what he
didn't really understand himself. At 12, after living in the newsie's lodging
house literally all her life, his sister had decided to leave. Casey sought out
and found their paternal relatives who were more than willing to take her in.
No one could protest her decision. Until, the family moved away and left her in
New York all alone. She'd flat refused to return to the lodging house. She
hadn't even stayed one night, but disappeared, leaving a barely-legible note.
After that, Mush heard from her four or five times a year and worried the
rest of the time. And now she was- "Where's we goin' ta meet Kate?"
he asked to push down his worry.