The Angel of Brooklyn - Bianca Gray (whitelam books .TXT) 📗

Racetrack bracing himself. I saw that Reggie was in the back of the crowd. This time I had to take care of myself. I got up and brushed off my backside. I cocked my head at Racetrack and gave him a smile.
"Well, Race. I dunno. I dunno if I even know HOW to fight," I lied, slowly widening my eyes a little.
"Well, then, too bad, Mattie. Everyone here knows how to. Do you want to survive in New Yoik?" he said putting up his fists. I chuckled.
"Well, ok, I'll try," I said shrugging. Then I high kicked him in the face and spun all 360 degrees. Race fell back.
"Thought you said yous didn't knows hows to fight," grumbled Race.
"Eh, I lied," I said smiling. He threw a punch at me but I dodged it. I gave him a hard smile and low kicked him so he would trip. He fell back.
"Okay, okay, okay. Let's stop. We have papers to sell," said Reggie finally getting to me. Race rubbed his face.
"Can'd believe I gotd beat by a preddy boy," mumbled Race. I laughed. I never got to fight like that. My dad taught me that so if a stranger tried to mug me I could well...beat them up.
"Hey Mattie, where'd you learn to fight like that?" asked Krutchy.
"Huh? Fight? Oh, um, my dad," I said confused a little at first.
"Yous dad knows hows to fight?" he asked.
"Yeah. My dad learned how to fight from one of his neighbors. But the key is, don't use your fists. In this kind of city, they'll all expect that," I said smiling. Someone started to sing and it was like everyone knew the song. I asked Jack about it later.
"Oh, we usually jusd make stuff up and hopes theys rhymes," he replied. I thought that was pretty cool. Also they all had really good voices. When we got to the gates of the New York World Newsies pick up, a boy with curly dark brown hair and a little boy came up to Jack.
"Hey Davy," said Jack with his New York accent. Everyone had New York accents and bad grammar and it was starting to annoy me. But this "Davy" didn't have a New York accent which I thought was extremely weird.
"Hey Cowboy," he replied. He looked over at my brother and I. Jack or "Cowboy" noticed it and put his arm around me.
"This heres Mattie and Reggie. There a couple of new newsies," he said. Davy looked over at me.
"Isn't Mattie a girl's name?" he asked confused.
"Yes. It is, but my real name is Matthew," I said exasperately.
"Oh," was all he said.
"So your name is Davy," I said suspiciously.
"My real name's David," he said shyly.
"Yeah, we figured," said Reggie. David put his arm over the little boy next to him.
"This here's Les," he said.
"Did ya know that Jack's the leader of Manhattan?" said the Les excitedly.
"Um, kinda," I said. Les went up on his tiptoes so he could try to be more eye level. I bent down and put my hands on my knees.
"Did you know he likes my sister?? They like each other you know," Les said crossing his arms.
"Really? Well, I didn't know that," I said slowly. I got up. Then Les squinted up at me.
"You know you have a girls face," he said slowly. I noticed that Les had a slight New York accent.
"Yep. I noticed," I said while the gates opened. While we were waiting in line to get our papers, Les grabbed the end of my shirt and pulled.
"Yes?" I asked slightly annoyed but tried to hide it.
"Are you a girl?" He asked me. I was taken aback with surprise.
"Uh, no, why?" I asked glad that no one noticed that Les asked me that.
"I dunno, you kinda remind me of my sister...that's all," he said shrugging.
"Oh," was all I could say.
"Hey Weasel," said Jack. Weasel was big and had graying hair.
"It's MR WISELEY," he said emphasizing his name.
"Yeah whatever Mr. Weasel," replied Jack digging through his pockets for money.
"At least you added Mr..." I heard Weasel mumble.
"The usual," enunciated Jack.
"100 papes for...well that," said Weasel. Jack grabbed the papers and threw them over his shoulder so it'd be easier to carry. Reggie was next.
"Um, 20 papers please," said Reggie. Weasel looked at my brother.
"Well aren't we polite?" he said while giving my brother his papers. Reggie gave him some coins. Reggie pulled me out of line and handed me half of his papers. I shook my head and pushed them away.
"No, Reggie, these are yours. You paid for them," I said. Reggie scowled at me and shoved them at me.
"No, I have to take care of you. Take them," he said fiercely. I relunctantly took half of his papers. Race came over to us and scratched his head in confusion.
"Why'd you give him your papes? Why do ya have to take care of 'im?" asked Race.
"We're twins. I dunno. I guess it's the brotherly nature of mine..." drifted Reggie as he walked away leaving me with the confused Race. I shrugged and hurried after my brother. Unfortunately after a while I didn't see Henry's foot and I tripped. I thrust out my hands to catch my fall. I felt my body hit the ground and a thousand pricks of pain went through it. Then I felt my long auburn hair swish out of my hat as it rolled off my head. I saw it roll about a foot in front of me. My hair fell to the side of my head. I felt my face turn into horror.

Chapter 2

I saw a pair of shoes in front of me. I slowly looked up. It was Jack. His hands were on his hips and he had his head cocked to the side. Reggie grabbed my hat and pulled me up.
"C'mon, Mattie, before the others see," he said to me. I let him half drag me out of there. I looked behind me and Jack was following us. We were in a deserted place. My brother handed me my hat and I stuffed my hair into it and put it back ontop of my head. Reggie stepped in front of me. I peeked over his shoulder to see Jack's reaction.
"Huh, I knew it," I heard Jack mumble. Reggie scowled.
"Well, now that you know...watchya gonna do about it?" he asked trying not to sound the least bit frightened. If he wasn't frightened, I sure was... Jack shrugged.
"Nutin' I guess," he said slowly. My brother and I looked at him in disbelief.
"Nothing?" asked my brother. Jack nodded reluctantly.
"I kinda knew it. Shes gots a girls face," he said pointing at me. I laughed. Reggie glared at me. I shrugged.
"Well I do, you said so yourself," I said. He sighed and wiped his forehead.
"I must've jinxed it or something," he said. I laughed again.
"So your not going to tell?" I asked stepping out of my brother's shadow. Jack nodded and half smiled.
"I gots to say yous a pretty lady," he said.
I blushed at his words. Reggie half chuckled but in a mean way.
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" he asked pointedly. Jack looked at him.
"Yeah. That don't mean I can't say that your sis is a pretty lady does it?" he said not really asking. Jack grabbed my arm.
"C'mon! You should meet her! Sarah is gonna love dat she's not the only Newsie Girl," he exclaimed half dragging me. I pulled at his arm.
"NO! No one can know. No one, Jack," I told him. He let go of me and looked into my violet blue eyes that he delusionally thought were blue.
"It'd be just Sarah...she won't tell nobody," he said pleading with his eyes. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Well, ok...but just Sarah," I said after a minute. Jack lit up and engulfed me into a hug.
"Gread! Led's go now!" he said and took me and my brother to a building. We followed him up the fire escape steps. He poked his head inside a window and we heard him say, "Hey come up on da roof. I need to show ya something." Then I heard a chime like voice reply, "This better be good, Jack. I've got house work to do. This better not be like last time." But the voice was playful. Then we heard: "Jack! JACK! Stop it!" then laughing. Finally the happy couple decided to grace us with their presence. When the girl with straight brown hair and a sweet looking face saw that Jack brought other people, she blushed.
"Uh, hi," she said while hitting Jack. I heard her whisper, "You didn't tell me there was other people..." Then Jack leaned towards her ear and whispered, "Well I said I needed to show ya someting," he said innocently. We followed him up onto the roof and he gestured to Reggie and I.
"Tis is Reggie and Mattie. Now remember Mattie is a girl's name. Does he look like a girl?" asked Jack looking at Sarah expectantly. She looked over at me and mouthed sorry and then pointed at Jack.
"No, not really. I mean he's dressed up as a boy and he kinda looks like a young boy. What are you trying to get at, Jack?" she asked exasperately.
"Well, he's not a boy," he said proudly. She looked at him in disbelief.
"Okay, Jack, I'm not dumb," she said slowly like she was talking to a foriegn person.
"I know you ain't dumb. But I'm serious. Tis ain't a joke. It's real. He's a she," he said suddenly frustrated. Sarah looked at me real hard.
"Uh...I don't see it," she said giving up. Jack smiled. Then he pulled off my hat. I felt my long hair swish down to my shoulders. Sarah gasped.
"Well I'll be...you are a girl...THAT'S FANTASTIC!" she suddenly yelled. I looked at her confused. She grabbed my shoulders.
"DONT YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS??!" she asked me hurting my ears.
"Um, no," I said.
"IT MEANS I'M NOT THE ONLY GIRL THAT HANGS OUT WITH THESE NEWSIES!!!" she yelled. Jack laughed and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sarah, keep it down. And no one's supposed to know. So, don't say anything," he said to her.
"Okay okay okay, I won't. You can trust me," she said looking into my eyes. She looked up at my brother.
"Well you guys kinda look the same. Except the eyes, and the gender. The guy has brown and you," she looked at me, "you've got violet blue eyes. How unusual," she said thoughtfully. Jack frowned.
"Theys jusd blue! Whys everyone keep saying theys purple?" exclaimed Jack. Sarah looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"He's blind. And deaf," she said loudly. Jack chuckled.
"And how'd you come up with dat?" he asked her. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Well one, her eyes are not only blue, they're also violet. And two, I didn't say they were purple. I said they were violet blue," she said looking up at him.
"Uh huh," he said disbelieving but smiling.
"Yup," she said. Then he kissed her on the lips. I've never really witnessed something like this before. Only with my parents... My parents...I thought sadly. Reggie coughed and sarah and jack pulled away from each other. Sarah looked like she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh my gosh!