Newsies One-Shots

Chapter 73 - Race and Albert

A New Newsie
Ship - Race and Albert (friendly)
Era - Cannon
Triggers - Homelessness.

I tried to write the Newsies' accents, it might be horrible. Any grammatical mistakes in dialogue are because of that.

Race breathed heavily as he stood tight to the wall, hoping not to be seen.

"Hello?" He turned sharply towards the voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are I doing here? It's an alley. You don't get to say if I get to be here."

"What am," he corrected. "It's 'what am'."

"I don't care."

Race grinned. "I like you. What's your name?"

The mystery boy shrugged. "I ain't telling you."

"Alright. Mine's Racetrack."

The boy looked at him sceptically. "Thats a stupid name."

"Thanks," Race said sarcastically.

Race sat down, his legs put straight as he waited for his breath to finish coming back to him.

The cold weather didn't make it any easier for his lungs to breathe either.

"So, why're you here?" Race asked again, looking up at the red headed boy.

"I live here."

"In the shop?" Race pointed to the shop they were standing in the alley of.

"No."

Race nodded in understanding. "I get what you mean."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. You live in the alley, don't you?"

The boy looked down at his feet and shrugged, his cocky demeanour slipping away immediately.

"What's your name?" Race asked again, more gently this time.

"Albert," the redhead answered.

"I'm Racetrack," Race told him for a second time. "Or Race, or Racer," he added as an afterthought.

"Still a stupid name."

"Well I'm proud of my stupid name."

A silence fell between the boys, the noises of the city stopping it from becoming an uncomfortable silence.

"Why's it that?" Albert asked after a while.

"Why's what that?"

"Why's your name Racetrack?"

"Oh. I sell at the Sheepshead," Race explained, choosing to assume that Albert knew where that was.

"The what?"

"The Sheepshead. It's a racetrack."

"Oh, okay," Albert said quietly. "What do you sell?"

"Papes. I'm a newsie," Race proudly stated. His chest puffing out in pride.

Albert nodded, thinking that if he pretended to know what a Newsie was the annoyingly talkative boy would leave him be.

"I dunno."

Race grabbed Albert's arm and started to drag him. "Come on. You'll like it. I promise."

~~~

Jack was slightly confused, or extremely confused, as to why Race burst through the Lodging House doors, dragging a redhead by the wrist behind him.

"Race, what're-"

Race cut Jack off. "This is Albert. He lives in a alley so he's a Newsie now."

"Does he wanna be a Newsie?"

"I dunno," Race shrugged. "Wanna be a Newsie?" he asked Albert.

Albert looked between Race and Jack, taking in their very different expressions.

Race was bouncing back and forth from his heels and toes while Jack, despite being only two years older, was watching Albert with a kind look on his face.

"I don't know what a Newsie is," Albert admitted.

"You said you did," Race said loudly. "Why would you lie?"

"I wanted to stop you talking 'cause there's these two fellas that come by everyday to take any money I've got. I didn't want them to take your money."

"What about your money?" Race asked. "They'd take yours."

"I don't have any for them to take," Albert said. "They just rough me 'round a bit."

"A Newsie sells papes," Jack butted in, sensing their conversation would be going south quickly. "We buy them at two for a penny in the morning and then we sell them."

"And," Race started. "You get to live here, only have to pay a couple cents at the start of every week."

"I don't have any money," Albert reminded him.

"That's alright. I can lend you a few cents 'til you get the hang of it."

"Okay," Albert decided, though he still sounded unsure.

"So do you wanna be a Newsie?" Race asked.

"Maybe. If it means I don't gotta live in a alley then, yeah."

"We all live here," Jack told Albert. "If you become a Newsie, you'll live here and the rest of us will help you, like Racer said."

Albert nodded. "I think, yeah. I'll be one."

Race smiled and jumped excitedly into the air.

"We're best friends now."

~~~
713 words