Blink told Spot to bring me and Ace to this place called Tibby's to talk about the strike. I'm trying to learn all of their names but there's so many of them. Blink,
Race, Boots, Specs, Skittery, Mush, that one, and that other one over there.
Blink sits down next to me and Spot," So, Al, what'd I heah 'bout you'se and ya brudda being a gypsy?"
"Remind me to kill my brother later Spot," I glare at Charles from across the room.
Blink nods and stands goes over to him.
"You'se sure, don't look like a gypsy, ain't they dark or something?" Spot asks laughing.
"We're half breed, Evan, Bennett and Dior take after Mother and Fletcher, Charles, and I take after Father. He was French, Mother's a gypsy," I explain turning away from him.
He grabs my hand and the other turns my head back toward him.
"You'se shouldn't be ashamed of who ya are. I'se ain't proud of my drunken Irish dad," Spot smiles sadly.
He starts to lean in and tilt his head. His lips crash down on mine as my hands run through his hair.
"Hey loveboids! Denton's heah!" Race laughs.
Spot pulls away from me.
"I really love when you're cap is off, it's so hot," I whisper in his ear with a smile.
Denton puts a newspaper down in front of Jack. All the boys run over to get a look. They've done it. Front page, above the fold.
"Where's me pictuah! Where's me pictuah?" Spot asks," Where does it say my name? Where's my name?"
"Would ya quit thinkin' 'bout yourself?" Jack snaps at him.
"Fine. Where's me goil's name?"
"So what?" Skittery asks," You get your picture in the paper. What that gettcha, huh?"
"What're you talkin' 'bout?"
"Shut up!"
"Glum and dumb. What's da mattah with you? People in the papes are famous and when you're famous you get anything you want!" Race exclaims," That's what so great about New York!"
"A pair of new shoes with matchin' laces!" Mush sings.
"A permanent box at Sheepshead races!" Race croons.
"A porcelain tub with boilin' water!" Spot wraps his arm around me as he sings. He's pretty good at singing.
"A Saturday night with the mayor's daughter!" Blink laughs standing on the table.
Racetrack stands up on the table," Look at me! I'm the king of New York! Suddenly I'm respectable! Starin' right at 'cha lousy with stature!"
Jack takes the paper off of Race," Nobbin' with all the muckety-mucks. I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe!"
I snatch the newspaper off of Jack.
"And there I be! Ain't I pretty?" I smile pointing to my picture.
"It's my city! I'm the King (Queen) of New York!" Jack and I sing.
The boys crowd around us trying to grab the paper.
"A corduroy suit with fitted knickers," Boots sings next.
"A mezzanine seat to see the flickers," Les sings after he sighs.
"Havana cigars that cost a quarter," Snipeshooter sings.
"An editor's desk for the star reporter!" David sings over all the rejoicing.
"Tip your hat! He's the king of New York!" They all sing.
"How 'bout that! I'm the king of New York!" Denton sings.
"In nothing flat! He'll be covering Brooklyn to Trenton! Our man Denton!" The newsies pick up Denton in a chair and carry him around.
"Makin' a headline out of a hunch!" Blink sings.
"Protecting the weak," Denton sings.
"And payin' for lunch," Race adds.
"When I'm at bat! Strong men crumble," Denton sings.
"Proud yet humble!" I add.
"I'm (He's) the king of New York!" Denton and I sing together.
"I gotta be either dead or dreamin'! 'Cause look at that pape with my face beamin'! Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it. But I was a star for one whole minute! Startin' now I'm the king of New York!" We sing huddling around the paper.
Boys start to tap dance on tables. Spot runs up and joins them. He's actually good!
"Ain't ya heard? I'm the king of New York!" Denton sings smiling.
"Holy cow! It's miracle! Pulitzer's cryin'! Weasel, he's dyin'! Flashpots are shootin' bright as the sun! I'm one high falutin' son-of-a-gun! Don't ask me how! Fortune found me! Fate just crowned me! Now I'm king of New York! Look and see! Once a piker! Now a striker! I'm the king of New York! Victory! Front page story. Guts and glory! I'm the king of New York!" Bumlets ends up spinning on a ceiling fan as we finish singing.
We gather around a table. I hold on to Spot's arm as he puts his hand on David's shoulder.
"So lets have some ideas!" Jack smiles.
"We've gotta show people where we stand," David states.
"We gotta stand the papes," Jack says.
"My paper's the only one printing strike news, so far," Denton adds.
"We should do something so big, that the other papers will feel stupid if they try to ignore us," Jack reasons.
"Like a rally? A newsie rally?"
I ask quietly.
"Yeah!" Jack exclaims," With all the kids all over New York. We make it the biggest, loudest, noisiest blowout this town's ever seen!"
Boys cheer loudly.
"And it'll send a message to the big boys," David adds.
They start to take glasses of root beer off of a tray. I take the one with the least amount.
"Hey guys, to our man Denton!" David cheers.
"Our man Denton!" We toast.
I clink glasses with Spot. We've gotta win. We just got to.
YOU ARE READING
Somewhere // Spot Conlon
FanfictionHe says there's still a place for us somewhere. How can that be when everything around us is tearing us apart? But I can't remember the last time I was this happy.
