The Only Girl Newsie

Without a crutch

I walk in. More like thrown in. I'm in a dusty room with about 30 other kids. Jack didn't lie one bit about this place. It's just as horrifying as the pictures.

Why? Why did my low life of a father have to come back into my life? If he cared about me why would he throw me here? I don't even want to know what the guys are doing.

My Crutchie.

The beds are stuffed to their brim. Some kids lift their heads up when they see me. "Aye new girl?" One guy shouts he has a voice that booms throughout the room. I look around for the voice. When a boy about my age with salt and pepper hair steps forward. "Name?" He asks, it's the same voice.

"Stray." I say quickly as I can without sounding scared. Because I'm not scared. I'm worried. I'm worried for the newsies.

"I would say welcome Stray, but this place isn't very welcoming." The guy says. "I'm Clyde." He hands me his hand to shake and I return it. "This hell hole is packed. So you can bunk with Victor and me."

I tilt my head and squint my eyes. Surely there has to be one girl for me to bunk with. Then again its the Refuge its not built for comfort. So I follow Clyde to the back of this God forsaken place. I see bones poking through some kids skin. My guess is that they have been here the longest.

We reach a bunk bed at the back of the room. Clyde climbs up to the top bed. Once he makes it up there he reaches his hand down to help me up. I push up all of my little weight to the top and see another boy along with Clyde. "I'm Victor."

"Stray." I say offering my hand to him, he shakes it with a strong hand. "Now Stray, Synder usually comes here in a few minutes to yell at us one last time for day." Clyde says directing my attention back towards him.

Speak of the devil. Synder opens the door with a bam. "TIME FOR BED TRASH!" And with that he was gone. Synder left us in there.

My Crutchie. I already miss him.

I know these guys are trying to be nice to me, but I need to know everything that goes on here. "So how does this place work?" I say to Victor and Clyde. They sigh. Victor holds up his arms and waves them around indicating that this is all it is. Stuck in here. All day everyday.

"Do you want me to be honest?" Clyde says giving me the look that he wants to keep me from the pain. I nod, but I lower my head to look at the bed that's falling apart at the seams. He lifts up his shirt to reveal his stomach, where I can see his ribs and pelvis. I flinch and look away. Clyde puts down and shirt and hugs me. Normally I wouldn't let a guy I just met hug me, but this was different we were in the same situation. We're both in the Refuge.

"But there was there one tim-" Victor was about to say before Cylde cut him off. "Don't give her false hope." He moaned.

"What is it?" I say picking my head up and looking at the two fellas.

Clyde looks over to Victor who is bouncing waiting to tell the story. "Well a few years ago. When I was a chubby little kid, there was a good friends of ours who got caught trying to steal food and clothes for us." (It was hard to image Victor as a chubby little kid when he is as frail and thin as he is now.) "He hopped on a carriage when no one was looking and you wouldn't believe whose carriage it was." The story is to grand not to remember.

"Teddy Roosevelt." I say smirking at the two boys who were shocked at my answer.

"How did yous?" Clyde ask with utter amazement.

"Jack Kelly is like my brother." I say smiling for the first time in a while thinking about the wonder Jack 'The Cowboy' Kelly.

"Well maybe you're brother will show up." Victor says. Me and Clyde frown. Optimistic Victor and Realistic Clyde and Me.

"That's not going to happen. Synder has been chasing him. I hope he doesn't come here. It would be stupid to risk the chance of getting out." I sigh and rub my forehead. My whole body aches form the beatings of my Father and Synder.

Clyde pats my shoulder and lays down in a curled up position. While Victor uses Clyde's legs as a pillow. It reminds me when Crutchie did that for me.

"Come here." He says patting the ground next to him. I crawl over there because I'm too lazy to get up.

"What is it?" I whisper trying not to wake Jack up.

He's shielding his head away from me. "I just thought that you might be more comfty over here." He shyly said. "See my leg's crap, you can use it as a head rest. It will be comfortable than the concrete." He cheeks light up with a familiar shade of pink that I know oh so well. "Thank you Crutchie." I'm just about to lay down when I jolt up and kiss him on the cheek. Its not like me, but I've changed so much over that's last few days. Then I lay down on the place that he offered. We didn't say anything, just laid there in silence.

Those were heavenly times. Dreaming about Santa Fe. Unaware of what would really happen to me and Crutchie. Separated by a man and his will to do anything for money.

I miss him. The way he should lean and his crutch and turn away when whenever he was nervous or embarrassed. The way he would always call Weasel 'Mr. Wiesel'. How he smile. Oh his smile. Crutchie's smile could end wars.

I feel a salty droplet of water has entered my arm. I'm crying. I'm crying over Crutchie who is probably telling Specs or Elmer about me and doing the same.

I lay down over the fellas feet and push it out of the way whenever a foot gets near my face.

The last thought of my mind was of Crutchie.

My Crutchie