"Become a Newsie, hmmm, I could do that." She said to herself. So she knocked on the door.
"Hello, who are you?" A big boy in a cowboy hat said, answering the door.
"Um, I'm Katie. I want to be a Newsie, and I don't have a place to stay. I read the sign saying this is a lodging house, and was wondering if I could---"
"Shoa, you'se could stay hea." The boy said to the beautiful girl standing in the door way. So he lead her upstairs to a room with many bunk beds and about thirty boys.
"So, who's da goyl?" A short, dark haired boy, smoking a cigar asked.
"Dis is Katie. She's gonna be a Newsie. By the way, I'm Jack Kelly. Dat's Race, he said pointing to the boy smoking the cigar. "Lemme introduce ya to da rest of me boys. Dis here's Blink, Mush, Snoddy, Dutchy, Bumlets, Jake, Itey, Crutchy, Snipeshooter, Specs, Swifty, Boots, Snitch, oh, and dat ova dere is Travis. He's new, and ain't real talkative." Katie thought he was gorgeous, and knew he was the one she liked. Back home she always went for the guys who played "hard to get" and knew Travis would be a challenge.
Jack showed her the bunk she could now call hers. It just happened to be under Travis'.
"Hi Travis! I'm Katie. How are you?" Not a great start, but she felt she had to say something.
"Fine." He said, not even looking up.
"That was it?" She thought. Nothing else. He was going to be really hard.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
"Katie, wake up." Jack said softly. "We's gotta get a move on."
So Katie quickly got dressed and met Jack downstairs. They bought their papes, 50 for her, 150 for Jack. He showed her all the good selling spots, how to "improve the truth a little" and introduced her to his best friend David Jacobs and David's little brother, Les.
After they sold their papes he took her to Tibby's. To her surprise most of the Newsies were already there. Unfortunately, Travis wasn't.
"Hey Race, where's Travis?" She asked, trying to make it sound just like a question, and not like she cared.
"Da bum neva goes hea. He tinks he's too damn good fer us." Race answered. "Oh God, ya don't like 'im, do ya?"
"Naw, I just remembered him since we shared a bunk, and I noticed he wasn't hea. Dat's all."
"Kate, whadda ya want? Me treat." Jack said, joining me and Race.
"I ain't hungry, tanks doe. I'm really tired, I tink I'm gonna go back to da Lodging House." She really wasn't that hungry, but there was another reason she wanted to leave.
"Lemme walk ya back den." Blink said, hopping up.
" 'Kay." So Blink walked her home, and then went back to Tibby's.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
As Katie walked in she saw Travis eating a slice of bread.
"Why aren't you at Tibby's?" she asked him.
"Why don't ya mind yer own business." As he said that he saw her face drop from it's usual smile to sadness.
"I'm sorry, dat was rude. I jist don't tink dey like me very much. Last night, when you talked to me, you were the first person to do that since the second day I'd been hea. Dey all talked wid me da foist day, showin me everythin, den da next day nuttin. I've been hea fer bout two months. After da second week, I jist stopped goin dere. Why ain't you at Tibby's" 'How sad!' Katie thought.
"Well, um, I wasn't very hungry." As she said that her stomach growled. "Perfect", she thought. Travis sort of looked at her, and then offered her part of his bread.
"Thanks." Maybe he wouldn't be as hard as she thought.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
"Sorry, Jack. She went straight up to da room and started talkin wid 'im." Blink said when he got back to Tibby's.
"I knew she liked 'im." Race piped in.
"Dammit. She's gonna go fer dat unsociable bum ova me?" Jack couldn't believe it. He usually had no trouble catching the girls. "Whad does she see in 'im?"
The boys just looked at Jack and shrugged.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Katie and Travis talked all night. Finding out a lot about each other. For instance, their families both had to kick them out because they couldn't support them.
"Why don't ya go ta Tibby's wid me tonight?" Katie asked, hopeful.
"Naw, not yet. It'd be weird. Sorry."
Katie got dressed. She bought her papes and headed to one of the selling spots Jack had pointed out.
"Heya, Katie! How are ya dis mornin?" Jack said with a smile.
"Fine. And you?"
"Jist 'fine'? Well, we's gotta do somethin bout that. How bout tonight ya go ta Tibby's wid me. Like a date, ya know?" he looked so nervous. She knew she couldn't keep going straight to the Lodging House, or she'd get the same reputation that Travis had. So she figured, 'What have I got to lose?'
"Sure, dat'd be great."
"Wonderful. Meet me dere at 6:00?"
"I'll be there."
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
She got done selling her papes around 5:15, so she went to the Lodging House and got cleaned up. Katie arrived at 6:00, and Jack was waiting for her.
Instead of sitting with the other Newsies they got a table for two. They both had the roast beef dinner, with cokes. Jack could hardly eat, he was so excited. He just stared into her beautiful brown eyes.
"Katie, I'm really glad you came here tonight. I'm having a great time."
"So am I, thanks for inviting me."
Then Jack leaned over and kissed her, long and sweet. All thoughts of Travis escaped from her mind. She heard all the Newsies shouts and hollers, but what she didn't hear was a gasp outside the window, and a heart breaking...
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
That day Travis had changed his mind about going to Tibby's. So after he had sold his papes he went to the Lodging House to get ready. He realized how much he had fallen in love with Katie the night before, and was almost sure she felt the same way.
He picked up some roses on his way to Tibby's. As he approached the window he peered in to make sure she was there. He looked in just as Jack leaned over to kiss Katie. He couldn't believe what he saw. He dropped the flowers and left, heart broken.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
When they finally stopped kissing she felt really weird. Not that all the Newsies were starring at her, but something else. It was in her gut, and it was a terrible feeling.
"Jack, I think we should go. I don't feel too good." She said.
"Cheez, Jack! Ya poisoned her!" Snoddy said, punching his arm.
"Shut up!" Jack said, punching him back.
He walked her outside and then they saw a bouquet of roses, they looked like they'd been thrown down in a hurry. Katie loved flowers so she went to pick them up, and noticed a card. So she read it:
"Kate, where the hell'd ya go?" Jack said running in. He found her crying on her bed. "Are you okay?" He said, putting his arm around her.
She shoved his arm away and said, "No, I'm not okay. Do I look okay?"
"What's wrong?" Jack was a little offended.
"This. How could I have done that." She said, handing him the note.
He read it, and looked up sadly. "Ya likes him, don't ya?"
"Yes." She said, looking down, playing with the sheet of her bed.
"Then I gotsta find him." He jumped up, and was gone.
Katie just sat there and waited...
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Jack ran into Blink and Mush on his search.
"Whad's up?" Blink asked Jack.
He explained the story to them. They just stood there in awe.
"She likes him more than you?" Mush said, in disbelief.
"Shut up. So, ya's gonna help me find him er what?"
So the boys nodded and went in search with Jack. They were about to give up when they found a boy sitting in an alley, curled up, all alone. Jack went in. It was Travis!
"Uh, Travis, can I talk wid ya fer a minute?"
"I know, Katie's now yers, I'll leave her and everyone else alone. Tomorrow I'm leavin." Travis said, angrily.
"Ta where? Jist stay hea. We'd miss ya. And no, Katie's not mine. She's at da Lodging House cryin because she hoit ya. She likes ya Travis. More dan me. So who am I ta stand in da way of true love?" He asked, with a playful nudge.
"You won't miss me. But I'll go back, ta talk wid Katie. Jist fer her."
So all four boys walked back. As they opened the door Katie came running down the stairs.
"Didja find him?" she asked, excitedly.
"Yeah." Jack said, a little depressed. He just went upstairs. Blink and Mush close behind him.
"Um, can we go outside to talk about this?" Travis asked Katie.
"Sure."
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
"I only went to Tibby's with Jack because everyone else goes. I never knew anything like that would happen. I also didn't know you'd be coming. I assume you saw Jack kiss me and that's why you left."
"Yeah. Great timing. So, you don't like Jack?"
"No, not like that. I only like you like that." She said, staring into his eyes.
He smiled and then wrapped is arms around her and they passionately kissed.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
The next morning they woke up and went to get their papes. Jack couldn't forget what happened the night before. He couldn't understand what Travis had that he didn't. He was so hurt he thought he probably couldn't fall in love again. Then Jill walked by....
THE END
