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Post by Administrator on Dec 22, 2009 14:16:04 GMT -5
Come sit on Horace's lap!
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 17, 2010 17:25:52 GMT -5
Babydoll sat on the lap of Horace Greenley's statue, fiddling idly with the ends of her pigtails while her eyes surveyed the newsies still selling papes and just normal passers-by. It was early afternoon and Kelly had sold her papers earlier in the day. She hadn't purchased fifty papes like she had on normal days, no, she had purchased twenty. It was her half-day for the month. It was quite a nice day out, so she'd only gotten enough papers to sell before the day got unbearably hot out.
Kelly swept her hat off her head and placed it on her lap with a sigh. Truth be told she hadn't exactly planed her day very well. At the time it was: sell all your papes and then relax somewhere! Planning definitely would've been a good idea. But she hadn't really ever planned her life, though, had she? She hadn't planned to find her way to a Catholic School, she hadn't planned to find her way to Brooklyn. She hadn't even planned on being a newsie!
Another sigh passed her lips then, eyes closing gently. The girl put her hat back on her head and pulled it over her eyes, attempting to take a nap.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jan 21, 2010 18:27:57 GMT -5
Jack trudged along. Yes, trudged. Now usually he maybe sauntered, or walked in an upbeat fashion. No, he wasn't sad or discouraged or angry. It was just so dang hot to do anything but walk slowly. Some people said the city's summers were so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Jack had never tried, but with today's heat, he wasn't having such a hard time believing that.
This was one of those days that he envied the Brooklyn newsies and their docks. They could swim away the heat. There were no places to swim in Manhattan, unless you wanted to take a dunk in the fountain at Central Park. At the moment that didn't seem so ridiculous of an idea.
(too bad sunblock wasn't invented for people back then! lol)
He found his way to the Horace Greeley Statue, leaning against the back of the statue, taking a breather in the small tiny portion of shade the statue offered. He let out an exhausted sigh.
"Ya know Horace, sometimes I wish on days like dese that I could be a big ol' statue like you. Ya ain't affected by this lousy heat!"
Jack didn't realize one of his newsies was right there listening to him talk to a statue until he heard a soft sigh coming from the other side of the block of stone. He poked his head around the corner and shook his head when he saw BabyDoll lounging across Horace's lap.
He didn't care to take notice if she was sleeping or not, nudging her foot and grinning. "It comfortable up there, BabyDoll?"
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 21, 2010 21:31:02 GMT -5
Babydoll gave a quick start upon being yanked out of her almost-formed dream world by a familiar voice asking her if she was comfortable and her foot being nudged.
"I'm awake!" The newsgirl cried out, then quickly righted herself, having nearly fallen off Horace's lap and loosing her hat in the process. She groped for her hat, a smile rapidly crossing her lips, greeting the fellow newsie with a happy, though disgruntled, "Cowboy!"
She settled back into her lounging position with a smirk, "It's very comfortable, actually. Was getting close to getting some shut-eye. Darn near impossible with this heat, though…" Babydoll trailed off, closing her eyes and hid them by throwing an arm over them. "Is it comfortable down there, Cowboy?" she asked, smirk turning to a smile once again.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jan 22, 2010 18:05:56 GMT -5
"I'm awake!"
Jack smirked, watching the girl almost roll right off of Horace's lap, her hat tumbling before she grabbed it back. He reached out a hand to steady her, nodding.
"Yeah, a' course ya are," taking his cowboy hat off, he leaned against the statue smoothly, peering up at his newsie.
"Cowboy!"
"That's me name BabyDoll, don't wear it out." He loved to tease her, but was very happy by the smile he brought to her face. It made him smile in turn.
"It's very comfortable, actually. Was getting close to getting some shut-eye. Darn near impossible with this heat, though…Is it comfortable down there, Cowboy?"
The leader smirked, toying with his faded red bandanna. "Ya kiddin' me? It's like the Waldorf down heah."
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 22, 2010 19:18:46 GMT -5
Babydoll uncovered her eyes and flipped onto her stomach to get a better look at Jack. She lazily adjusted her hat on her head with a chuckle at his response.
"Ya kiddin' me? It's like the Waldorf down heah."
She grinned at her leader and tapped her fingers against Horace's leg.
Cowboy was probably one of Babydoll's favorite newsies in all of New York, not just because of him being nice and all, but because of how he had gotten all of the newsies together for a strike against the paper giant. But nice played a factor too, which for her included the teasing. Boys like the Mouth were alright…they were just, well, too nice. She didn't like the manners and the holding open doors and all that. She just liked newsie boys better for some reason.
Kelly smirked, "Oh, really? Ya mind if I join ya down there?"
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jan 23, 2010 10:21:33 GMT -5
"Oh, really? Ya mind if I join ya down there?"
Jack stared at the few feet of shade he had and tapped his chin, as if he wasn't so sure he wanted to share it with her. Again with the teasing. Moving over, he nodded, "Well I spose' so....aw get down here, BabyDoll."
He grinned, waiting for her to climb down, not offering a hand to help her down. He knew there were some girls...like Sarah, that liked him to do things like that and BabyDoll was independent, and a bit of a Tomboy. She was a big girl, she could do things herself. She would ask for help if she needed it, and Jack would gladly give it to her.
"So how was sellin' today?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning more comfortably against the statue, his hazel brown eyes ready to listen intently to what BabyDoll had to say. Jack had learned that when you're a leader, you don't just ask nonsense questions to your newsies to act like you care. If you ask a question, you listen to the answer. He fit his thumbs in his belt loops, glad he hadn't worn his vest today. It was just too hot.
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 23, 2010 10:48:51 GMT -5
"Well I spose' so....aw get down here, BabyDoll."
Babydoll beamed at him and quickly climbed down, glad not to be offered help. It was nice that Jack knew she didn't like to be offered help on everything she did, and she would ask for it should she need it. Her feet touched the ground soon after and the newsgirl joined Jack in the shade.
"So how was sellin' today?"
She shrugged, "I sold all my papes. Well…I only bought twenty so I could take the day off, but it's enough to pay for more tomorrow. Probably buy eighty papes tomorrow to make up for it." she revealed with a chuckle, leaning against the statue herself now. "What about you? How's sellin' for you in this heat?"
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jan 23, 2010 13:18:00 GMT -5
"I sold all my papes. Well…I only bought twenty so I could take the day off, but it's enough to pay for more tomorrow. Probably buy eighty papes tomorrow to make up for it."
"That was wise. Every newsie needs a day off every once in a while. And what better day than this? Me? I did okay. Didn't sell as much as I usually do, but more than on bad days. It's all about the setting. You tell them, Heat storm strikes City, will it ever end? It got some kicks..."
"So how ya doin' kiddo? Anything new lately?" He asked, changing the subject. He lowered his voice a little guiltily. "I know I haven't been around as much lately as I want to be, what with the war an' all..."
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 23, 2010 13:40:11 GMT -5
"That was wise. Every newsie needs a day off every once in a while. And what better day than this? Me? I did okay. Didn't sell as much as I usually do, but more than on bad days. It's all about the setting. You tell them, Heat storm strikes City, will it ever end? It got some kicks..."
Babydoll smiled, she could probably use that the next day if it was still hot like it was currently.
"So how ya doin' kiddo? Anything new lately?"
She shrugged, "Nothin' really. Just trying to make it day to day, you know the life, boss." she smirked, "But I'm doin' good. I ain't sick or nothing, so that's nice."
"I know I haven't been around as much lately as I want to be, what with the war an' all..."
Kelly's face fell. The war…she'd almost forgotten about that., well, not really. She'd recently heard of some newsies getting taken from Brooklyn, and frankly, that worried her. Normally, she wasn't the worrying type, live and let live and all that. But war was serious. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face with a nervous sigh.
"It's alright, Jack," she replied softly, "it's not like I'd…I dunno…die or get stolen or anything bad with you gone, right?" she scoffed, the idea sounding preposterous even as she said it. Why would anyone go after her of all newsies?
"You're the leader, you have to be gone sometimes, after all," she concluded, frown turning to a tiny smile.
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Post by Jack Kelly on Jan 24, 2010 14:56:56 GMT -5
"Nothin' really. Just trying to make it day to day, you know the life, boss. But I'm doin' good. I ain't sick or nothing, so that's nice."
Jack nodded with a smile, BabyDoll was smart for her age. She was growing up right before his eyes. Where did time go? And she wasn't the only person getting older... Jack sighed, wondering what was ahead of him after this. As much as it hurt, he couldn't be a leader forever....
"It's alright, Jack, it's not like I'd…I dunno…die or get stolen or anything bad with you gone, right?"
Jack shook his head, holding back a chuckle. Even the toughest tomboy of his newsies had to be scared once in a while. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.
"Naw, when I'm not around, there's always someone who is. Just find Davey or BlackJack, and Riley. They'll take good care of you. I know you're careful BabyDoll, ya got a good head on your shoulders. Nobody's gonna take you away from me. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."
"You're the leader, you have to be gone sometimes, after all,"
"Yeah I know, doesn't mean I like being away from you all any better though." he smiled a small smile back, taking off his cowboy hat and plopping it on her head.
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Post by Babydoll on Jan 24, 2010 17:01:26 GMT -5
"Naw, when I'm not around, there's always someone who is. Just find Davey or BlackJack, and Riley. They'll take good care of you. I know you're careful BabyDoll, ya got a good head on your shoulders. Nobody's gonna take you away from me. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."
Babydoll looked up at Jack as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. A thought crossed her mind then, what would happen after Jack and Davey and the other older newsies once they were too old to be newsies? Sure, she would have to "retire" soon after, and she had a plan...which she hadn't told anyone, not even Jack. But until she had to stop selling, who would be leader?
Why'd they all have to grow up? She'd rather stay fourteen forever so she could stay how she was. Babydoll sighed at this thought. She didn't like getting older sometimes.
"Yeah I know, doesn't mean I like being away from you all any better though."
Her small smile grew upon Jack dropping his hat on her head. She liked being friends with him at times like this, he was someone who had something encouraging or happy to say most of the time.
"It's tough to be away from friends, ain't it?" she asked, half-teasing, half-serious, not really expecting an answer. She knew it had to be hard dealing with a war while still selling papers.
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