My Poor Head Is Spinning

Chapter 9

~The next morning in Millie's POV~

I put on my gray skirt, a dark purple shirt, my brown vest, hat, suspenders, and boots. I decided to braid my long black hair down my back.

"We're goin' to Flushing today." Elmer whispered, sitting on his bed.

"I know." I nodded, throwing my braid over my shoulder.

"Let's go." He declared, standing up. We both went briskly out the door. It was a fair distance away, so we were forced to tap into our savings (Elmer and I put a penny in a jar after a day of selling. We've been doing this for a few years) to pay for a taxi carriage. Once we were in it, we started talking.

"What are we gonna say?" I asked my twin nervously. He turned to me with a thoughtful expression.

"I guess we just tell them that we're on strike and we need help stoppin' the wagons." He decided. I nodded in agreement. Neither of us have met a Flushing Newsie, but they can't be as bad as Brooklyn Newsies. I leaned my face on my hand, waiting for our arrival. It was pretty cloudy, indicating that it might rain later on.

~Time skip to when they get there~

Elmer and I stepped off the taxi and looked around to spot a Newsie. There was one on a street corner waving a paper. He had light brown hair and was scrawny. 

"Hey!" Elmer called as we approached. The boy looked up hopefully.

"Wanna buy a pape?" He asked when we got there.

"Nah," I shook my head. "We's here from Manhattan."

"Manhattan, huh?" The Newsie crossed his arms, looking at my brother.

"Lower Manhattan has gone on strike." Elmer told him. "Pulitzer's jack-up ain't right."

"Okay?" His brows furrowed.

"We plan on stoppin' the wagons today, but we need help from the other cities' Newsies." I explained.

"No." The boy said, shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

"What?" Elmer and I both gaped. 

"Flushing ain't gonna strike 'cause Manhattan is unhappy." He told us. "But maybe get Brooklyn and we'll consider."

"Then we'll get Brooklyn." I whispered to my brother. "Jack and Davey is there now, we'll have them."

"Talk when you got Brooklyn." The Newsie sighed, waving us away.

"What's your name?" Elmer asked him.

"Axel. Axe." Axe said.

"Okay, I'm Elmer, and this is Millie." My brother told Axe. "When you end up in the dumps 'cause of the jack-up, come to Manhattan and find us."

"Noted." Axe nodded before continuing his selling.

"Think he's the leader of Flushing?" I asked Elmer before turning back to Axe. "Is you the leader of Flushing?"

"Obviously." He nodded passive aggressively. I sighed.

"I think we have to go now." I whispered to my twin.

"That's it?" His dark eyes widened. I nodded glumly.

"Let's go." I sighed. Everyone was expected to be gone all day, so that's an entire day and some savings down the drain. 

When we got back to Manhattan, the sun was going down.

"I'm gonna go up to the roof to watch the sunset." I told my twin. He nodded, so I left him downstairs in the Lodging House. When I got there, I leaned on the warm metal of the fire escape and closed my eyes. I took the moment to breathe in the crisp New York air. The sun turned my eyelids red since my eyes were shut. 

"Millie?" A voice sounded from behind me, making me jump. My eyes flew open to see Crutchie.

"Oh, it's just you." I sighed in relief. 

"Yeah." He smiled. "Just me."

He then limped to join me in looking at the sunset.

"Any luck with Flushing?" He asked.

"No." I shook my head, a strand of black hair falling in my face. I brushed it away. "Axe said that they'll consider if Brooklyn's with us."

"I figured." Crutchie muttered. "Axe is stubborn."

"You know him?" I turned to look at the boy.

"Yeah, he started as a Manhattan Newsie before movin' to Flushing." He explained, cheeks growing a little bit red. I smiled, but it faltered when I felt butterflies in my stomach. 

No! I thought to myself. Now is not the time.

We watched the sun set in silence, and we were in darkness sooner than later. Before we went back inside, he spoke up in a small voice.

"Millie, if somethin' happens when we stop the wagons..." He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Nevermind, I dunno what I was saying."

Without thinking, I let out a breath of air that I didn't realize that had been holding and pushed my lips onto his. His unoccupied hand steadied me and I pulled away an instant later. 

"I'm sorry." I blurted out, rushing back inside too fast for him to follow alongside me. I already had a splitting headache, so I decided to go to sleep. Elmer busted into our room.

"Did you hit your head, or am I just dehydrated?" He demanded.

"You're probably dehydrated." I told him, laying on his bed with my eyes closed because I didn't bother to move to my top bunk.

"Wanna go to Jacobi's? He might still be there." He suggested, rubbing his temples.

"Sure." I sat back up, trying to erase what I had done from my mind. We soon were on the streets on our way to Jacobi's Deli.

"You ready to stop the wagons tomorrow?" Elmer asked, taking a deep breath.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I sighed.

"Maybe--" My twin started, but I cut him off.

"Before you start," I interrupted. "I'm not staying behind tomorrow."

"Okay." He nodded. "I mean, it was worth a shot."

"Worth a shot." I agreed. "If it goes south, we're one mind in separate bodies."

"That made it sound like we've each got half a brain." He laughed.

"You know what I meant." I elbowed him, grinning.

We got free waters at the deli and got back when the boys were starting to go to bed. Elmer and I did as well, and Crutchie was probably on the roof.