|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 14:58:39 GMT -5
Three more papers. Cupcake only had to sell three more papers of the forty that he got each day before he could finally go in for his shift at the bakery. Things had been tough making money ever since his mom had died, but Cupcake went about everything as well as he could. One day, he was determined to make her proud, and that meant getting through the hardships that he was facing each day trying to make enough money to support himself while still saving up for a bakery of his own. He would get there someday, but that day couldn't seem to arrive soon enough.
Taking the change from a man who walked by, Cupcake was quick to hand him a paper in return, figuring that it may be better to move to a different part of the park. Besides, he had someplace that he had to be on time, and he could only get away with coming late so many times. Tucking his two remaining papers under his arm, he began to walk closer to the factories that would be getting out soon, figuring that he could finish selling over there.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 16:44:51 GMT -5
Today hadn’t been the best selling day. It was far too cold for Nickel’s taste. It would be easier to just pick-pocket... but old Kloppman had been scolding him about that. So no pick-pocketing today, he was forced to sell. But he just had two or three papers left. He could call it quits. Besides he had other duties to attend to that evening.
He pursed his lips as he rubbed his hands together to keep them warm, papes tucked under his arm. Perhaps it would be a good idea to be early. It would give him a better idea of what was in store for that night.
Nickel was a little too focused on his destination that he bumped into a young man. “Sorry!” he quickly apologized before cocking his head. He recognizes the guy as one of the boys at the lodge. Though, he wasn’t sure if he remembered his name. “Cupcake... am I right? Sorry about that. Wasn’t lookin’ where I was goin’.”
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 16:50:06 GMT -5
"Sorry!"
Cupcake was a bit surprised to see someone else walking around the same route that he took, although upon looking up, he knew that he recognized the boy from the lodge. He had never spoken to him before, but if he remembered correctly, the boy ended up making good money with things other than selling... namely stealing.
"No, don't worry about it. It was my bad." He cleared his throat.
“Cupcake... am I right? Sorry about that. Wasn’t lookin’ where I was goin’.”
He bit his lip. He didn't know this boy's name. He hardly knew anyone's names, although he was hoping that it wouldn't make him seem rude. "Yeah, uh... Are you headin' back already? Got somewhere ta be?" He asked, gesturing to the papes that were tucked under the boy's arm. "Because there's better sellin' this way in a few."
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 16:56:29 GMT -5
”No, don’t worry about it. It was my bad.”
Nickel grinned sheepishly. “Ah well, still sorry.”
”Yeah, uh... Are you headin’ back already?”
He cocked his head for a moment. “To the lodge? Nah... not headin’ that way yet.”
”Got somewhere ta be? Because there’s better sellin’ this way in a few.”
Nickel gave him another sheepish grin. He had momentarily forgotten about those papers. “I actually was just gonna toss ‘em off somewhere. I hate sellin’ on days like this.” He pulled his jacket tightly around him. “But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt ta try to sell ‘em. Never sold over here before.”
Usually he tried to avoid selling so close to where he “worked.”
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 17:14:38 GMT -5
“Ah well, still sorry.”
Cupcake shrugged. It wasn't a big deal or anything. No one got hurt.
“To the lodge? Nah... not headin’ that way yet.”
He quirked his head. Was he off selling somewhere else?
“I actually was just gonna toss ‘em off somewhere. I hate sellin’ on days like this. But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt ta try to sell ‘em. Never sold over here before.”
Raising an eyebrow, Cupcake flashed the faintest smile that he could muster up. "You've never sold by the factories over here? Are ya new?"
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 17:22:34 GMT -5
”You’ve never sold by the factories over here? Are ya new?”
Nickel just laughed. “No, I’m not new. Just never cared to sell over here. I like bein’ by the neighborhoods or the park.” He shrugged. “Didn’t really think people at the factories would be interested in a bunch of newsies sellin’ papes, I guess.”
He patted Cupcake on the shoulder. “But I suppose I can just follow your lead, hmmm?”
Being around others almost always put him in a good mood even if he didn’t really talk to them much. He was a people person despite being so aloof at times.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 17:31:19 GMT -5
“No, I’m not new. Just never cared to sell over here. I like bein’ by the neighborhoods or the park.”
He bit his lip. "Do people still buy from ya in the neighborhoods?"
“Didn’t really think people at the factories would be interested in a bunch of newsies sellin’ papes, I guess.”
He shrugged, "A lot of 'em just buy a pape on their way out and home ta their families, I think. It's just convenient for 'em ta have the papes right there."
“But I suppose I can just follow your lead, hmmm?”
Cupcake couldn't help but tense slightly at the pat on the shoulder, although he quickly calmed himself down, clearing his throat. "Yeah... I ain't got too many left but ya can if you'd like."
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 17:43:43 GMT -5
”Do people still buy from ya in the neighborhoods?”
Nickel’s smile faltered slightly. “I don’t have much trouble sellin’,” he replied quietly.
He knew his pick-pocketing reputation was relatively well-known among newsies. It was his best skill before he had managed to become a newsie here in Manhattan. It was what kept him alive... but not everyone was too thrilled. He tried not to let it bother him. He had never been caught pick-pocketing by the cops, so he still could sell without people judging him. Newsies knew how to keep their mouths shut for which he was grateful for. After all, he was really trying to quit. He had managed to go four weeks straight without picking a single pocket or purse.
”A lot of ‘em just buy a pape on their way out and home ta their families, I think. It’s just convenient for ‘em ta have the papes right there.”
He nodded slightly. That made sense he supposed, but that wouldn’t mean he’d change his selling spot to over here permanently. He’d check it out, but it was best to be careful on this side of town. It wouldn’t be good for certain people to recognize him as a newsie.
”Yeah... I ain’t got too many left but ya can if you’d like.”
Nickel winced a bit, noting that Cupcake was uneasy with the pat. He probably shouldn’t have done that... “Sorry,” he apologized quietly. He should know better. He was pretty touchy himself, and the two of them weren’t close friends. “And um thanks. I appreciate you lettin’ me sell with ya.”
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 17:51:13 GMT -5
“I don’t have much trouble sellin’."
Cupcake bit his lip. He had always thought that selling more around people's houses and everything would make it harder because people didn't walk around outside as much there. Perhaps he had been wrong.
“Sorry."
He shook his head, "Don't worry about it... Just didn't expect it."
"And um thanks. I appreciate you lettin’ me sell with ya.”
Cupcake shrugged, "Yeah, well, the last few papes are the hardest sometimes. I figure we could all use a few more cents here and there." Truthfully, he didn't like selling with other people most of the time. He had seen people make it work, like Mush and Blink, or Specs and Dutchy, but he had never tried it himself. He just wanted to sell everything and go back in time to get some real sleep and the good part of dinner.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 18:14:06 GMT -5
”Don’t worry about it... Just didn’t expect it.”
Nickel cracked a small grin and nodded. It made him feel a bit guilty though. He, of all, people should have known better than to startle someone like that.
”Yeah, well, the last few papes are the hardest sometimes.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” he agreed readily.
”I figure we could all use a few more cents here and there.”
Nickel nodded again. “Yeah, we all could.”
Selling with another newsie wasn’t something Nickel could say he had done often, but he certainly didn’t mind it. In fact, he thought it was kind of nice to have company while selling. It made him feel... well like he fit in for once.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 20:14:32 GMT -5
"Ain't that the truth."
Cupcake couldn't help but flash another small smile. The boy seemed nice... He supposed that it was better to sell with him than someone that was gonna annoy him the whole time. Perhaps this whole afternoon wouldn't be as bad as it had originally looked as though it was going to be.
"Yeah, we all could."
He nodded. He earned a bit of extra money from his job at the bakery, but he still didn't have enough to take really good care of himself or anything.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 20:56:01 GMT -5
Nickel grinned as the other boy managed another smile albeit a small one. Cupcake seemed like a good kid, quite and a bit reserved much like himself. He sercretly hoped that maybe they could be friends. It was a little risky considering his past life... but he could wish, couldn’t he?
He pulled out one of his papers to glance over the headlines once more. Perhaps he could find something new that would catch the factory workers’ attention.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 21:20:17 GMT -5
The walk to the factories was a relatively quiet one, which relieved Cupcake a lot. He had never been one to talk all that much, as most other newsies seemed to have realized by then. The boy didn't seem to mind not talking, either... And it was the first time in a long time that he had actually thought that maybe he could make friends with one of the other newsies.
"'M sorry, what's your name? I never got it." He cleared his throat, stopping at his usual spot in front of the factories, across the street so that they wouldn't be in the way, but so that they could easily be seen.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 3, 2018 22:35:54 GMT -5
”’M sorry, what’s your name? I never got it.”
Nickel was slightly surprised when the other boy suddenly spoke up, but he didn’t really mind. He smiled. “It’s all right. Most of the boys don’t know me all that well anyways. Name’s Nickel.”
He held out his hand, smiling broadly. He was a friendly sort if he felt comfortable around you.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 3, 2018 23:11:18 GMT -5
“It’s all right. Most of the boys don’t know me all that well anyways. Name’s Nickel.”
Cupcake bit his lip, hesitating only a brief moment before taking Nickel's hand and shaking it. He didn't really understand why the others wouldn't know his name when he seemed so friendly, but he figured that he was more or less the same way, so he was quick to just dismiss it. "Nice ta meet ya." He nodded curtly.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 4, 2018 12:31:38 GMT -5
”Nice ta meet ya.”
Nickel smiled as he firmly shook Cupcake’s head. “Same to you.”
It seemed like a decent start to a possible friendship. He hoped he didn’t ruin it... Espeically being so close to an area he tried to avoid when he was working as a newsie. And to make it worse, headlines weren’t very good, so he had to really think about how to convince workers to buy his last few papes.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 4, 2018 12:45:31 GMT -5
"Same to you."
Cupcake really didn't have anyone that he could call his friend back at the lodge. He had a few people who would talk to him, but it was mainly because they had to for one reason or another, and he was pretty sure that he scared them. He didn't know why people thought that he was scary, but he figured that it was probably just the fact that his resting face tended to look angry. At least things with Nickel seemed like the kid could look past the harsh expressions for a while until Cupcake could open up a bit more.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 4, 2018 16:38:19 GMT -5
Nickel bounced back on his heels a bit, trying to stay warm and also just to help him think. He had a hard time staying still when he was thinking of a good headline. Selling had just been so slow with the winter droning on and on. It made pick-pocketing that more tempting, but he was really working on quitting. Kloppman had made it clear that it would no longer be tolerated in the new year.
He gave Cupcake an apologetic smile. “Any good headlines? I seem ta be a bit stuck,” he admitted.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 4, 2018 17:31:08 GMT -5
“Any good headlines? I seem ta be a bit stuck.”
Cupcake bit his lip. He had been running on fumes the whole day, but there were a few headlines that he had found that he had been able to twist in one way or another. "On the third page... there's somethin' in the middle about jobs bein' cut before next month. Ya may be able ta do somethin' with that, especially with these sorts of workers comin' out here." He suggested. It would take a newsie's touch to sell the headline, but it was an art that most of them had perfected.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 8, 2018 16:23:05 GMT -5
”On the third page... there’s somethin’ in the middle about jobs bein’ cut before next month.”
Nickel pursed his lips thoughtfully and opened one of his papers to the third page. That certainly sounded like a promising headline.
”Ya may be able ta do somethin’ with that, espeically with these sorts of workers comin’ out here.”
He gave Cupcake a grin as he nodded. “I definitely can. I’ll get these last one sold real quick!”
After all, it was during these times that people worried about work. It was cold and people seemed to be more unforgiving because of it. Jobs were precious, and people wanted to know what the chances of losing their jobs were.
|
|
|
Post by Cupcake on Jan 8, 2018 18:51:32 GMT -5
“I definitely can. I’ll get these last one sold real quick!”
Nickel's excited response caught Cupcake just a bit off guard, although he did his best not to show it. He didn't like showing many of his weaker emotions, just because it was easy to get picked on as a newsie. It wasn't really anything against Nickel himself.
"I'm sure ya can." He nodded curtly, only for the doors to the factories to burst open and people to come flooding out.
|
|
|
Post by Nickel on Jan 8, 2018 19:06:43 GMT -5
”I’m sure ya can.”
Nickel’s smile faltered slightly at the older newsie’s short reply. He shouldn’t expect to be close friends in such a short time. All the other newsies were like that too. He just didn’t quite fit in, but Cupcake felt a little different. Perhaps he could afford to have one friend? No matter how long it took?
Well, enough of that. It was time to sell his last couple of papers. With a new headlines in mind, it wouldn’t be too hard. He went a little ways away from Cupcake before he called out his headline. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the older newsie’s selling.
|
|