Buy My Last Pape'?

Chapter 15 - The Inspection

Crutchies POV

Jack spent about 10 minutes lecturing Clara on the 'dos and don'ts of Crutchie Morris'. This list included, but was not limited to:

"Never wake 'im up, I don't care if your kid is screaming' and youse need help. He's scary when ya wake 'im up"

"He'll never admit it but he likes hugs"

"Any mention of the R-E-F-U-G-E may mess 'im up for a few days so be kind"

"Not that I'd know from him talkin' about you or anythin', but he loves it when you kiss 'im"

No need to say I was embarrassed.

As the sun had finally reached its lowest point I saw Race come up the top of the fire escape. "Hey guys, um, the inspection is starting".

Ah yes, the inspection. Once a month Wiesel would come around and make sure we weren't burning the place down.

"So?", Jack laughed, "Why da we need to know?".

"Um, Wiesel was sick so-".

"What fat loser did dey send in?", Jack cut Race off and smirked.

"Well, I wouldn't call em fat losers", Race looked genuinely nervous, something that was uncommon for him. It worried me.

"Who is it?", Jack asked.

Race looked directly at Clara and sighed, "The Delancey Brothers".

Clara looked up in shock, "Crutchie, theyse gonna kill me when they find me 'ere".

"It'll be fine", I reassured her, pulling her in for a hug, "we'll sneak ya out a window or somethin-".

"No", Clara pulled away from me and smiled sadly, "I gotta face em, If I know anything about my brothers It's that the more ya hide, the worse it gets". She kissed me on the cheek before standing up and looking at Race, "they're downstairs?". He nodded and climbed back down the fire escape, followed closely by Jack.

"Clara wait", I yelled as she was just about to climb down the ladder, "let me come with ya, I ain't lettin' ya take this alone". I grabbed my crutch and stood up.

-------------------------------------------------V small time skip-------------------------------------------------

Clara's POV (an in-chapter POV change, SCANDAL!)

"Where is that cripple boy who was makin' goo-goo eyes at our sista?", I heard Morris say.

"We need all of ya 'ere for this".

"Why?", a tall newsie with clean, tidy clothing spoke up, "surely you can do this without all of us, Weasel never needed us all here, so there's clearly no rule about it". Huh, smart kid.

"Yeah? Well we ain't Weisel", Oscar spat at him.

I finally pull up the courage to speak up. "Leave em alone guys", I entered the room and watched as the boys looked at me with shocked expressions.

"'Lara? What ya doing 'ere", Oscar asked me.

"Visiting Crutchie, what else would I be doin' at the newsboy lodge?", I laughed at them, hiding my fear with humour.

Crutchie hobbled into the room and stood close to me. Oscar and Morris shared and glared at us.

"I thought we broke ya two up", Morris hissed.

"Yeah well, as Juliet once asked 'That which we call a rose by any other name would it smell as sweet?'". My brothers looked at me blankly. "I said that names don't matta dimwits".

Crutchie smiled at me and placed his free arm around my waist.

"We told ya to stay away from the newsies and look what happened", Oscar yelled at me, "ya can't do this 'lara".

"But I just did", I smirk, leant into Crutchie and kissed him possibly more passionately than I have previously (for show and because I wanted to), and he matched me easily. Each newsie in the room was either grinning widely and cheering for us. Meanwhile my brothers looked like they were about to be sick.

Oscar rolled up his sleeves and pulled something shiny out of his pocket, walking towards Crutchie. "I knew I polished my favourite brass knuckles for a reason", he sneered.

I instantly stepped in front of Crutchie, my entire body filled with fear. "No you didn't", I yelled, causing everyone in the room to go silent, "I'd suggest you run home before I use them on both of you", Oscar said calmly. In that moment I finally realised what Crutchie was so afraid of. My brothers were cruel. Disgustingly cruel. I started to feel tears well up my eyes. I couldn't believe they were like this.

"'Lara I", Oscar said, almost looking apologetic.

"No", I yelled, forcing back tears, "get out!".

Both boys stormed out of the building. Heads held high, as if they regretted nothing. I turned to the rest of the newsies and sighed. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't know", I apologised.

"It's fine", a short boy standing next to Race calls. I think he said his name was Albert when I first showed up here.

"Yeah" Race chimes in, "maybe with youse 'ere, they will stop", he laughed, a unlit cigar hanging out of this mouth. The newsies all muttered in agreement.

"Hopefully", I grinned.

The boys returned to their lives as usual, multiple disappearing into the night for Jacobi's or to find 'their goils'.

"Thanks Clara"', Crutchie sighed, leaning against a door frame,"I can't imagine how that woulda turned out without ya", he grinned at me.

"Well, ya need me for something", I grinned back at 'im, "so, think I can stay 'ere tonight? Don't exactly wanna go home".

"Absolutely!", Crutchie said enthusiastically, "I mean, yeah that's fine", he smirked at me.

"So, wanna go to the penthouse and finish what we started earlier?", I ask him.

"Sure do", he laughed, grabbing my hand and leaving the room.

"But before that", Jack jumped out behind me and grabs my shoulder, spinning me around, "Clara, as leader of the manhattan newsies, and president of the newsboy union; I welcome you as a honorary newsie", he grinned at me and turned to Crutchie (who was still bright red after being caught a few seconds ago), "treat her right", he winked at him.

"Can we go now?", Crutchie cringed.

"Sure can, I'll give ya an hour before coming up", Jack replied, smirking slightly.

"AND USE PROTECTION", one of the newsies yelled from the common room.

"WE AIN'T GOING THAT FAR ROMEO", Crutchie yelled back, causing me to turn as red as him.

Before anyone could say anything else, I dragged Crutchie to the penthouse.