Sage: broadway_crackers
Cards: meeeeeeeeeeeeee
A happy little chapter before it goes down hill (you heard nothing here)
Trigger warning: mentions of soaking and Refuge

"Stage please stop hitting me with a pillow,"Cards groans tiredly.

"Not my fault that you're impossible to wake up,"Stage replies and drops the pillow onto her face. Cards sits up straight and throws the pillow back at Stage.

"I'll do this to you some day,"Cards mumbles tiredly.

"Yes and we've got forever to do it to Jesse,"Stage replies. Cards immediately places her hand over Stage's mouth and presses a finger to her lips urgently.

Stage licks Cards' hand and Cards looks at her in disgust. "It's morning. The time when nobody is up or even conscious."

"Then why am I up?"

"Because I couldn't sleep and I was lonely,"Stage replies sheepishly.

"Jee thanks,"Cards mumbles tiredly and starts to lie back down, pulling the torn blanket back over her.

"No problem,"Stage replies sarcastically. She puts her glasses on and frowns once she sees Cards pulled the blanket back over herself. She pulls the blanket off of the Cards and gives the older girl a look.

Cards looks up.

"Don't give me that look."

Stage does her best puppy dog eyes.

"Please don't do those. You know I can't resist them,"Cards begs.

"That's why I'm doing them."

"Please stop,"Cards mumbles and throws a pillow at Stage. Stage immediately dodges it and does her best to glare at Cards.

"Watch my glasses!"

"You really can't glare at anybody can you?"

"Nope. It's a weakness."

"You couldn't hurt a spider for the life of you."

"I know that's why you do it."

"You think I don't know that?"

"Yeah. I'm sure your fear of spiders knows that too,"Stage replies sarcastically and smiles at her best friend innocently.

"Yeah my fear of spiders knows very well,"Cards says as she hops around trying to put her boots on.

The two girls quietly climb out the window and climb the roof to the fire escape. They both lean back on their hands as they sit down. Their legs were stretched out as they watched the sunset.

"Being a Drifter is great,"Stage says after a few minutes of silence.

Drifters was what the Newsies without a Burroughs were referred to as. The Drifters didn't have a set Burroughs and slept in alleyways and on fire escapes or roof tops. Occasionally they would stay in a Lodging House if it was bad weather but never stayed in Harlem. The group of Newsies was most likely one of the largest in New York after Manhattan and Brooklyn. They were lead by Cards with Stage as an extremely close second or a second leader.

"Yeah. You get to travel around so much,"Cards sighs happily. They hear the others starting to hit the streets.

Ain't it a fine life!
Carrying the banner through it all
A mighty fine life!
Carrying the banner tough and tall
When that bell rings
We goes where we wishes
We's as free as fishes
Sure beats washing dishes
What a fine life
Carrying the banner home-free all!

Cards chuckles slightly as she hears her best friend stand up eagerly. She jumps up beside her as they race down the fire escape. "Come on. They need us in their routine!"Stage calls as she gets to the bottom. Cards skids to a stop and jumps over the last few. They run down the streets and start to join with the others.

[FINCH, spoken]
Hey, Crutchie, what's your leg say, gonna rain?

[CRUTCHIE, spoken]
Uhh, no rain...
Ho-ho, partly cloudy clear by evenin'

[RACE, spoken]
Ha! And the limp sells fifty papes a week, all by itself!

CRUTCHIE, spoken]
I don't need the limp to sell papes
I got personality

(sung)
It takes a smile that spreads like butter
The kind that turns a lady's head

[RACE]
It takes an orphan with a stutter

The boys drag Stage over.

"Who's also blind-,"Finch sings and playfully takes off Stage's glasses.

"And mute-,"Albert sings and covers Stage's mouth with his hands.

"And dead!"Elmer interjects.

"Hands off boys. You don't touch my best friend,"Cards replies and shoos then away, taking Stage's glasses back from Finch.

[CRUTCHIE, BUTTONS, JO-JO]
Summer stinks and winter's freezing
When you works outdoors

[JACK, TOMMY BOY, CRUTCHIE, BUTTONS, JO-JO]
Start out sweatin
End up sneezin'
In between it pours!

The boys start to play with their sticks and dance around. Finch hands one to Stage and they play around with it. Cards gives them both a disapproving look and pulls Stage's hat down over her face, handing the stick back to Finch.

[NEWSIES]
Still it's a fine life
Carrying the banner with me chums
(Still it's a fine life carrying the banner with me chums)
A bunch of big shots
Tossin' out a freebie to the bums
(A bunch o' big shots tossin' out a freebie)

[FINCH]
Hey! What's the hold up?
Waiting makes me antsy
I likes livin' chancey

[NEWSIES]
Harlem to Delancey
What a fine life!
Carrying the banner through the-

[NUNS]
Blessed children
Though you wander lost and depraved
Jesus loves you
You shall be saved

[RACE, ELMER & NUNS]
Curdled
Just give me half a cup
Blessed children

[RACE, HENRY]
Coffee
Somethin' to wake me up

[RACE, ROMEO]
Concrete donuts
I gotta find an angle

[RACE, TOMMY BOY]
Sprinkled with mold
It's gettin' bad out there

[RACE, MUSH]
Homemade
Papers is all I got

[NUNS, SPECS]
Jesus loves you
It's 88 degrees

"Don't feel like Jesus loves me,"Cards mumbles under her breath.

"I'm sure he loves us all but someone else really needs his love right now,"Stage reassures. Cards smiles at her optimism.

[STAGE, JO-JO]
Biscuits
Jack says to change my spot

[SNIPER]
Wish I could catch a breeze

[STAGE, BUTTONS]
Just two
Maybe it's worth a shot

[STAGE, CARDS]
Years old
All I can catch is fleas

"You have fleas?"Stage whispers as they put their cups back on the trays. "When was the last time you had a bath?"

Cards thinks for a bit. "No clue. I got forever to take one,"the girl whispers back and scratches the back of her neck. Stage playfully smacks her best friend with her cap.

[JACK]
If I hate the headline
I'll make up a headline

[JACK AND CRUTCHIE]
And I'll say anything I have'ta

[JACK, CRUTCHIE, RACE, AND ROMEO]
'Cause at two for a penny if I take too many
Weasel just makes me eat 'em afta'!

(A/N Stage is group one Cards is group 2)

[NEWSIES GROUP 1 & NEWSIES GROUP 2]
Got a feelin' bout the headline!
I do too, so it must be true
I smells me a headline!
Papes are gonna sell like we was givin' them away!
What a switch! Soon we'll all be rich
Betcha dinner it's a doozy
'Bout a pistol-packin' floozy
Don't know any better way to make a newsie's day
Who knows how to make a Newsie's day!

[NEWSIES]
You wanna move the next edition
Give us an earthquake or a war!

[ELMER]
How 'bout a crooked politician?

[NEWSIES]
Ya nitwit, that ain't news no more!
Uptown to Grand Central Station
Down to City Hall
We improves our circulation
Walking 'til we fall

But we'll be out there
Got a feelin' 'bout the headline, I smells me a headline
Carrying the banner man to man!
Papes are gonna sell like we was givin' them away
Betcha dinner it's a doozy
We're always out there
'Bout a pistol-packin' floozy
Soakin' every sucker that we can
Don't know any better way to make a Newsie's day!
See the headline:
I was stakin' out the circus
Newsies on a mission!
And then someone said that Coney's really hot
Kill the competition
But when I got there
Sell the next edition
There was Spot with all his cronies
We'll be out there
Heck, I'm gonna take what little dough I got and play the ponies
Carrying the banner!
See us out there, carrying the banner!
We at least deserves a headline for the hours that they work us
Always out there, carrying the banner!
Jeez, I bet if I just stayed a little longer at the circus

[NEWSIES]
We'll all be out there
Carrying the banner man to man!
We're always out there
Soakin' every sucker that we can!
Here's the headline:
Newsies on a mission!
Kill the competition!
Sell the next edition!
We'll be out there
Carrying the banner!
See us out there
Carrying the banner!
Always out there
Carrying the banner!
Ahh, ahh, ahh, go!

The Newsies stand like that for a little bit before Stage and Cards make eye contact and burst out laughing. The Newsies look at them as though they were crazy and then start to chuckle too. They're all cut off by the sound of the Circulation Bell ringing.

"Papers for the Newsies!"Weasel yells as the Newsies line up.

The Newsies line up and start to get their papes. "Why were you playing with a stick?"

"Finch gave it to me."

"Why does Finch think it's a good idea to give you a stick?"

Stage shrugs.

"These boys will be the death of your innocence."

"You have a very interesting face. You thought about getting into the pictures?"Albert asks.

"You really think I could?"Weasel asks with a bit of hope.

"Sure. They let anybody in,"Albert replies as the Newsies laugh.

"Yeah I'm sure even a weasel in need of a shower could do it,"a Newsie calls.

"Get your papes and move it along,"Weasel snaps.

"Good morning Mister Wiesel,"Stage replies and digs her money out.

Wiesel gives a weird attempt of a smile. "Hundred papes for Stage."

"Bonjour Monsieur Weasel. Enjoy scaring kids under the bed last night?"Cards taunts.

"Keep running your mouth like that and I'll get the boys to soak you to Brooklyn,"Weasel threatens.

"I'd like to see them try besides. Whatever happened to friendly conversation?"Cards asks and flips him her money.

Morris throws Cards her papes. "Well maybe you'd like to see your little friend in the Refuge?"one of the bulls behind the counter threatens. Cards turns around and glares at him. She puts her papes down on the floor and slams him against the bars of the Circulation Desk by his shirt.

"If you so much as lay a finger on her I will soak you to England and back,"Cards threatens and pushes the boy back. She picks up her papes and turns back to Stage with a smile. "Alright where do you want to go today?"

"Can we go to The Bronx?"Stage asks, ignoring what just happened. "I want to see Smalls."

"Alright. I think there's a wagon coming on Broadway street in around half an hour. If we run we can make it and sell a few papes."

"Alright. Race you,"Stage says. "Three two one go,"she says quickly and starts to run in the opposite direction.

"Wrong direction!"Cards calls. Stage runs backwards and then turns around once she reaches Cards.

"See you there!"

"Stage get back here!"Cards yells and runs after her.