In Between 'Hattan and Brooklyn || A Sprace Story

Chapter 9 - Race Teasing Davey on Purpose (but it's kinda funny)

- Chapter 9 - The World Will Know -
Warnings: Yep. I don't care enough right now, you all know what happens in this scene. (But look at Jack and Crutchie lol 😍)
Third Person POV

"Ugh," Race groans. "Them fire sirens kept me awake all night." He complains.

"You sure it was that?" He swore he heard Albert mutter. "You were tossing and turning all night, I was kept awake."

Race doesn't respond as he fidgets with his cigar.

He could feel Albert's eyes on his hand as he played with it. Albert knew something was up, but all Race could do was pray he dropped the subject.

"Fire sirens is like lullabies to me." Mush pipes up, sitting on a crate next to Crutchie. "The louder the wail, the better the headline. The better the headline, the better I eat. The better I eat-" he starts.

"The further away from you, I sleep." Race responds, a bit snappy as he points from Mush to himself.

Mush glares at him.

Davey and Les run into the square, their hands entwined.

"Morning, everybody." Davey greets softly. "Sorry we're late. We had to help our mom with something." He says.

Davey regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

Certain boys share looks.

"Oh," Race looks at them, a smirk playing on his lips. "They got a mother?" He asks. "I was gonna get me one."

Romeo stares at him. "What'd you do with the one you had?" He questions.

Buttons laughs. "He traded her for a box of cigars!" He exclaims, joking.

Race turns to face Buttons, playfully sticking his finger in his chest, smirking. "They was Coronas!" He jokes.

The boys all laugh.

Davey looked like he didn't know how to respond, and he probably didn't, and Les just looked confused.

"We have a father, too." Les adds innocently.

"A mother and a father." Buttons repeats, staring at them with an eyebrow raised.

Race could see the embarrassment and guilt on Davey's face.

Race decides to make it worse. "Ain't we the hoi polloi?" He adds.

"How's it going today?" Les asks innocently, smiling brightly. His hand never left Davey's.

Romeo looks at him. "Ask me after they put up the headline." He responds.

The other boys nod in agreement.

Les nods in understanding.

Lucky looks up at the headline board. "Here it comes now!" He exclaims, pointing to it.

Albert looks at it, his eyes immediately widening. "New Newsie price, 60 cents per hundred?!" He reads.

The boys go check it out, an assortment of protests and stuff coming from them.

"Is that news?" Davey asks, clearly confused.

"It is to me!" Finch answers, clearly annoyed as he continues to stare at the headline board.

"They jacked up the price of papes!" Albert exclaims, growing angry. "Ten cents more per hundred!" He throws his hands up in frustration.

Race stares at the headline. What?

"I could eat two days on a dime!" Finch yells, almost turning red in anger.

"I'll be sleeping on the streets!" Crutchie exclaims, genuinely concerned.