Extra, Extra! (A Newsies fanfiction)

Crushed-----Race

"Jojo, your deal." Esther won this last round so we are all up for a rematch.

"Alright." He takes the cards and shuffles them.

"Esther, are you doing alright?" I ask. She keeps rubbing her temples and burying her face in the palm of her hands. She looks really pale. She has her face in her hands again. Jojo shakes her slightly.

"Esther? Are you good?" He whispers.

"Yeah I'm just a little lightheaded that's all." She says.

"Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" Tommy Boy pressed.

"No. But thanks." I can tell when Esther is lying because her eyes dart around nervously. And her eyes are looking around at every inch of this place.

"Henry, go get your sandwich from the deli." I say.

"Why?" He asks. I cock my head in her direction and he understands. Henry runs off into the kitchen. Esther looks at me.

"Race, I'm fine. Really. I don't need-" A loud growl came from her seat.

"That was Jojo." She said, her eyes darting to the left. Henry enters the room again with a brown paper bag.

"I got it. It's pastrami on rye with a sour pickle." He hands the bag to Esther but she hands it back.

"Thank you but I'm fine." Another growl.

"That one was also Jojo." She says. Henry just smiles and puts the bag by her feet.

"It will be there when you need it." He says and heads into the bathroom.

"Okay, cards are shuffled and dealt." Jojo said. Tommy Boy picked up his cards on the spot.

"I'll bet my pack of coronas that I'll win." I say.

"He must be really confident then." Elmer said. He's been watching the game and telling Esther about us making the pape. She smiled so big it made me smile. When she asked her questions, it felt like I was back in the deli, learning about it for the first time too.

I missed her so much.

"I'm not betting on that. I have crap cards." Tommy Boy says. Elmer peers over his shoulder and snickers. Tommy Boy glares and tries to smack him. Elmer ducks so it ends up hitting Jojo.

"What was that for?" He says.

"That was meant for him!"

All I can do is laugh. I look over back at Esther and I'm worried again. She's just staring off into space with a blank expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She snaps back to reality.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to go to bed. Elmer, you can have me cards if you'd like." She hands off her cards to Elmer and grabs the sandwich bag.

"Goodnight, Kicks." She smiles and leaves to go the bunks. She has the bed right above me.

"I think I may have to take those coronas, Race. She has good cards."

《~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~》

Turns out Tommy Boy won. But he doesn't smoke so I was able to keep my coronas.

I'm just lying there in bed when I hear someone whisper my name.

"Race?" It's Esther.

"Yeah?"

"Did I wake you up?"

"No. Why aren't you asleep?"

She sighs. "I have these pounding headaches that won't let me sleep."

"Do you need water?"

"I can get it myself." She climbed down the ladder and headed to the kitchen to get a glass. I follow her. She is standing on her tip toes reaching for one on the top cabinet. Her back is turned to me and I can still see the scars even in the darkness.

It's either she has a thin shirt or the scars are deeper into her back than I thought they were.

"What happened to your back?" I ask. She jumps at the sound of my voice, almost dropping the glass.

"Nothing." She turns around to face me. Her eyes darted right.

"Please tell me." She sighed.

"I took the blame for a friend and was taken to the basement. Snyder took out a belt and started to get my back with it. And when I tried to get away, he started choking me. He threw me against a wall and knocked me out so I wouldn't try to run away. And then..."

I cut her off. "Did he...you know, do anything like...you know what I mean?" I couldn't finish the sentence. I'm looking into her beautiful gray eyes and I think, Why would anyone want to hurt you?

"I don't think so." She says, staring off again. I frown. I remember what Davey told me but I still feel like it's my fault somehow.

"I'm sorry." I hug her again, tighter, closer. I'm trying to fight back tears, but it's no use.

"For what?" She asks, burying her face in my chest.

"For letting you go."

"Race, you had no idea this would happen. I'm fine now. I'm here."

"I still feel guilty."

"I do too. Cause I got a confession." She pulls away from me and starts walking away.

"Where are you going?" She pivoted and faced me.

"The roof." She beckoned me over and we climb the ladder.

"It's beautiful up here." I say, taking in the view. We sit down and she fiddles with her shoe laces. She smiles, deeply inhaling the fresh air. She exhales, then speaks again.

"Jack calls it his penthouse in the sky. Wait where is Jack?"

"Maybe he's at the theater again." I suggest. "Now what were you saying about a confession?"

She pauses. "I kissed Oscar Delancey."

My world comes crashing down. I want to vomit or crawl into a hole. I'm waiting for her eyes to wander.

But they don't.

Oscar wasn't bluffing.

She kissed him.

"What?"

"I would have told you sooner but the strike happened and so many, um, other things got in the way. Race, you look pale. Are you okay?" I just nod.

"I'm just glad you're back." I lie. She scoots closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. I pull her closer and she falls asleep with her head resting on my broken heart.