serendipity; newsies

four

"oscar?" he asked, realising his mistake. "the guy from da paper stand, i's mean."

amara nodded, remembering that name. oscar. "yeah."

albert rolled his eyes. "ion know what's so fucked up in his head - sorry about the language."

"it's fine, yous got a good reason to be upset," she hit him in the shoulder with her shoulder, grinning.

albert nodded, leaning against the wall with her. "ion think i's caught your name yesterday."

"amara," she smiled. "yous albert, right?"

"right," he said, rolling his tongue around her name a couple of times. he adjusted his hat, looking up to catch someone's eye contact. " 'ey, what took yous so long?" he shouted, rolling his eyes at whoever he was talking to.

amara looked up to catch a very familiar blonde's gaze. "calm down, i's was just talkin'," racetrack stuck his tongue out at albert, glancing over at amara. "what's you doin' here?"

"ain't i's allowed to roam around?" she shot back, stepping up to ruffle his hair. she grinned as his cheeks tinted softly "needed a break from fam'ly."

"yous got folks?" albert asked. it seemed to be a popular question these last few days.

"nah, siblings," amara explained, sticking her hands in her pockets.  "can we's keep movin'? m' leg's fallin' asleep," she groaned, shaking it a little. a surge of pain rushed through it and she winced softly.

"yous alright?" racetrack asked, the cheeky grin slipping off his face.

"fine," amara said again, though it was stinging like hell. "at least i's will be when we's keep movin'," she sassed, elbowing him in the ribs.

there was a look that albert and racetrack threw each other which amara knew meant they didn't believe her, but the three started to walk down the street anyway.

...

they walked like that, the three of them together for the next couple of hours. albert and race sold their papers, one by one, amara using her charm every so often. soon enough, it was night, and they walked back to the lodging house.

"why don't yous stay over tonight?" albert offered to amara.

amara shook her head. "nah, i couldn't. fam'ly, y'know?" she shrugged.

"maybe another time, then?" racetrack asked hopefully, his eyes shining a diamond blue.

amara opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately interrupted by a shout from down the street. "amara!" the figure waved out, and the girl recognized that voice.

"jojo?" she tilted her head as he ran up to her. he almost skipped to her, engulfing her in a hug. " 'ey, take it easy, bruises," she laughed, pulling her shirt back a little to reveal a purple mark on her shoulder.

racetrack whistled. "rough night?" he joked, elbowing albert to get him in on the joke.

"that's one way 'ta put it," jojo pulled away a little, the grin slipping off his face. "oscar found her. he didn't do much compared to what she did to him," the smile returned, remembering  the way she stood up to him.