New Kid, New Century • A Newsies Fanfic

chapter eighteen.

chapter eighteen.

The next day came much more quickly than Gracie had hoped.

She was nearly blinded by the light that shone from the sun. She shielded her eyes and turned away from the sun, only to find herself face to face with Liv.

"Hey, sleepin' beauty, it's 5:50. Ain't ya supposed to be there by 6:00?"

"Who said I was goin'?" Gracie murmured, closing her eyes.

"Umm... you did. Yesterday. You said it to Davey, remember?"

"No, I didn't." She said. It took her a second to recall the events of yesterday.

Wait a minute.

"Shit, I did say that!" Gracie jolted up and sprang to her feet, running behind the clothing line and throwing on her clothes as though her life depended on it. Liv couldn't contain her giggles as Gracie dashed past her, grabbing one piece of bread. ""I'll be back later," she said, turning to Liv.

"I can't believe you forgot," Liv said, shaking her head. Gracie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up, you'se not surprised. I forget everything," Gracie responded. It was true. She could barely remember what she'd had for dinner the night before. Wait, it was because she hadn't had dinner. She was way too broke for that, and the very few times that she could afford dinner, she'd end up giving it to Liv.

But that was unimportant.

"Anyways, see ya," Gracie said, dashing out of the alleyway. She had never run to the World faster.

• • •

She had worn her hair down that day, and as soon as she showed up, she immediately regretted it. She felt like it was her first day again. It was as though she were walking through the gates for the first time, and no one there knew her. It was like she was going to have to reintroduce herself to everyone, and it was like she was a completely new person. She wasn't Grayson, the tough and sassy newsie. She was Gracie, a completely pathetic liar. She wasn't who everyone thought her to be. She wished that it was, but things just weren't going to be the same.

She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she knew that people were whispering about her. She didn't even have to look at the newsies - she knew that they'd be gossiping about her. She could just picture what they were saying, and what they were thinking. It was horrible.

Suddenly, she was tripped. When she looked up, Oscar Delancey was there. "Well, look who's back!" He sneered. Gracie ignored him and stood up, brushing her arm.

And then she felt like she was being choked. Oscar pulled her towards him, using the back of her shirt, and he yanked her hard. She let out a yelp, taken aback. "Did ya not hear me?" He growled in her ear.

"I heard ya," she responded, and it was a really quiet response. She sounded just as terrified as she felt.

"Then why didn't ya respond?" He asked, right in her ear. She shivered a little, but responded with exactly what she was thinking.

"Because I really don't wanna put up with your bullshit," she fired back. She knew she'd regret it later, but for now, she didn't regret the words falling out of her mouth one bit.

He pulled her even closer, growling a little. It reminded her of an actual dog, and she was trying hard not to laugh at that thought. "What did you say?"

"I really don't wanna put up with your bullshit," she yelled, and the next second, his fist made contact with her cheek. Compared to how hard he'd punched her several days before, this was nothing. It barely hurt, even though she knew it'd leave a bruise. He shoved her to the ground, but she managed to scramble to her feet and hit him harder than she'd even hit him before. He sank to the ground and she stalked off, and it was clear by the expression on her face that if anyone said anything, they were going to die.

She slapped her money onto the table and looked Wiesel straight in the eye. "50 papes, please." He immediately gave them to her and she stormed away. She knew that everyone's eyes were still on her, and she began to feel overwhelmed. A part of her wanted to cry, but she wasn't going to let herself be that vulnerable in front of a crowd of people. Just imagine what they would've said if they'd seen her crying. The whispers about her would only get worse.

She exited the gates and turned a corner, hiding behind a building. She hugged her stack of newspapers close to her chest before setting them down and beginning to punch the wall of the building as hard as she could. She punched over and over until her hands were bleeding. They stung so much by then that she could barely feel them.

She was wiping the blood off on her shirt, still trying hard not to burst into tears, when she heard footsteps echoing through the alleyway. "Go away, Davey," She said, knowing who it was.

"No," he responded.

Gracie whipped around so that she was facing him and stormed up to him. "I said, go away. Are ya short of hearin'?" She half-yelled.

"No, I'm-"

"Then why don't ya just listen to me and leave?" Gracie said.

"Look-"

"Shut up!" She pushed past him, leaving all of the papes on the ground.

"You know that all of the stuff they're sayin' isn't anything bad, right?"

Gracie turned back around, silently fuming. "You'se lyin'." She said, her voice quiet and dangerous.

Davey shook his head. "Do you know what they were sayin'?"

Gracie shook her head. "But whatever it was, it wasn't anythin' good."

"No! Gray, I heard them. You didn't hear them."

"Please just-"

"They're not as bad as they may seem. You just don't know them well enough yet. Give them a chance," Davey said.

Gracie gave him a look that translated to "Are you fucking kidding me?" "Why should I?" She asked.

"I don't know if you noticed, but they like you. They like you a lot and they think that what you did was really brave. I do too. Just.. trust me."

After a moment of debating, she sighed. "Fine." She crossed her arms, and it was obvious she was reluctant to agree.

"Wait, really?" Davey seemed shocked that she was agreeing.

Gracie rolled her eyes. "Yes, really, asshole." She responded. Then, she noticed Davey's cheek. It was bright red and swollen, looking awful as hell. "Is your cheek okay?" she asked, her eyebrows showing concern. She reached out to touch it, but he took a step back. "I'm sorry-"

"No, it's fine," he shrugged. "It'll be fine. I will say, though, that you slap really hard. Probably harder than the Delanceys themselves."

The two of them both laughed, but she had one thought on her mind.

What the hell did she just get herself into?