counterfeit [newsies x reader]

chapter twenty-seven

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

"NATURAL DISASTER"

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YOU HAD SKIPPED UP the stairs of the lodging house once you arrived. You were unimaginably giddy to do anything else. Was it normal to be so happy after your first kiss? You hoped it was. You also hoped that Davey was this happy too. What if he wasn't? Maybe he just kissed you to be nice? Did some guys act like that? You brushed it off, reminding yourself that he had voluntarily kissed you, and that it wasn't like he was revolted at the sight of you.

You opened the door and walked in to find Race with a pep in your step. You certainly weren't going to tell him about what just happened, but you still needed to talk to the man.

"Hey, Racer." You greeted him and you sat on his bunk. He smiled.

"You seem happy." He smiled. "Luck with Brooklyn, I guess?"

You shrugged. "I guess you could say that." You pulled up your legs into a crisscross as you rocked back and forth as a knock sounded from the door.

"Somethings up with you, but I'll figure that out when I get back." He laughed as he walked over to the door. He was probably getting it as the designated leader since Jack was out at the moment.

As you sat waiting for Race, Jojo and Buttons came and stood by you. You gave them a smile.

"Hiya, [Y/N]." JoJo greeted.

"Shortstack," Buttons smiled.

"How was your day?" JoJo asked. "Everything alright with Brooklyn?" He asked.

You gave him a nod. "Everything's going swimmingly, Spot himself agreed to show up to the rally and I've had a pretty good day." You elaborated.

The two sunshiny boys smiled back before Buttons asked you a question that almost made you blush. "Any other reason you'd be so happy?"

"Well, I—"

You were interrupted by a loud shout from the door that Race had gone to answer.

"We know she's in here Higgins, so let us in or you're gonna pay." Oscar Delancey spat.

You swallowed, you'd completely forgotten about Morris finding you out. You stood up urgently and hid behind JoJo. He immediately stood ready to fight as his gleaming expression turned into one ready to fight. What did Morris and Oscar want with you anyway?

"I dunno what you're talking about." You heard Race lie. Maybe he didn't know that Morris already knew who you really were. "So get a move on, before I make you myself."

"If she ain't in here, they why don't you let us in?" Morris added. It was a brilliant question to have come out of the mouth of the idiot that was Morris Delancey. If you didn't exist then what was the harm of letting the brothers in?

In a matter of seconds, Oscar has rammed into Race and knocked him out of the way of the door.

"[Y/N], run!"

You turned and ran at Race's warning. You made your way to the window with the fire escape, the one next to Romeo's bunk. You could feel someone on your tail. You pried the window open and poured out onto the fire escape. As you turned to shut the window, you saw JoJo and Buttons also filling out behind you. It made you feel safe to have them with you.

JoJo slammed the window shut. "Keep going!" He yelled. The three of you took off running up the rickety stairs, wondering if you'd outrun the Delancey's.

You picked up your skirt in wads in your hand before searching for a corner to clip on your belt. You'd fall if you didn't. It was times like this you missed wearing pants.

"Where are we going?" You yelled back at the boys as you kept climbing up.

"Anywhere but here!" Buttons replies laughing.

You looked down to the lower levels of the fire escape to see the Delancey's in pursuit. They obviously didn't bother fighting with the boys. They didn't come to fight, they had come to get you.

You inhaled and kept going, knowing if you slowed down anymore then they'd catch up in no time.

"You gotta place to hide?" JoJo asked.

"Maybe the Bowery?" Buttons suggested. He was always fond of the theatre, but you knew it'd take you too long to get to the theatre. Not to mention, you weren't sure if you could run that far without the Delancey's catching up.

Maybe you could go to Brooklyn, and ask Spot for help. When you thought about it however, it was even further than the Bowery and you weren't even sure Spot would offer any help.

Then you remembered. The only place you were allowed to be yourself before you were discovered. You still knew the secret way in and the vacancy probably hadn't been filled. You needed to go to the your old house.

"I know a place." You said. "You're gonna have to follow me closely and maybe help me out a little bit, but we should be safe there."

JoJo and Buttons agreed and the three of you kept going. You'd reached the top of the current building's fire escape before descending to the next building's alley.

A feeling began to boil in your stomach and you thought about returning to your old house. The place where all the memories were. The place where you took up your identity.

The place where you last saw your mom.