My Poor Head Is Spinning

Chapter 4

That night, in Millie and Elmer's room:

"How come you and Jack went onto the roof?" My twin asked from the bottom bunk. I was staring up at the dusty popcorn ceiling, completely zoned out.

"I had a question." I told him.

"What kind of question?" He pressed.

"Remember when Crutchie said that you won?" I asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, why?" Elmer sat up as well, then the memory finally hit him. "Ooohhh."

"Yeah." I nodded.

"So, how come?" Elmer asked.

"He's beat up a lot." I explained.

"What sick scum soaks a crip?" Elmer asked. It was probably rhetorical. "He thought Jack was gonna try and hit him?"

"Muscle memory?" I tried.

"Yeah, okay." He conceded.

"Jack says that Crutchie talks about me sometimes." I muttered.

"What?!" Elmer demanded, jumping up and hitting his head on the wooden top bunk.

"I dunno!" I yelped, scooting away from the side of the bed I heard his head thump against. 

"Whaddya mean?" He grunted.

"Jack said that it Crutchie's happy, and that's what matters." I started. "And that he sometimes talks 'bout me."

"Y'know, I forgot that I wanted to talk to Crutchie." He told me, getting up out of bed.

"Elmer." I glanced at him, peering over the rickety wooden rail of the old bunk bed.

"Emilia." He turned on his heels to face me.

"Whaddya doin'?" I raised my brow.

"Just gonna... Have a civilized conversation with my good pal, Crutchie." Elmer said sarcastically.

"He didn't do anything." I reminded him pointedly. "i's the only girl Newsie, of course they sometimes talk about me. It ain't a crime."

"I just wanna see what he's talkin' about." He sighed, sitting back down on his bed.

"Then talk to Jack." I told him. "He's the one who told me about all this."

"And Crutchie's happy." Elmer muttered to himself.

"And Crutchie's happy." I nodded. He looked up at me. I had my hand propping my face up on the wooden rail. 

"What time is it?" Every room in the Lodging House has it's own small clock on the wall. I'm the only Kasprzak twin that can tell time, so I squinted at it.

"12:47." I sighed.

"Damn." Elmer said in the same tone, leaning back in his bed. Moonlight filtered in through the cracked open window.

"I's gonna go outside." I told him, jumping down the ladder and wincing when I made impact with the floor. I landed with a thud, and the room underneath ours is another couple Newsies: Mush, Romeo, and Kid Blink. I glanced back at my brother, who was snickering at me. I rolled my eyes and continued. The dark Manhattan streets loomed beneath me. Although my brother was laughing, I could tell he was still watching to make sure I didn't fall. Eventually, I ended up on a fire escape two stories below the roof, where Jack and Crutchie sleep. 

"What're you doin'?" My twin whisper shouted out the window, poking his head out. I shrugged and continued on my way. I decided to go down a flight, but the rusty stairs wouldn't budge.