DON'T HATE ME, TOUGH AS NAILS, FRAGILE ASGLASS AND CHOICE ARE STILL BEING WRITTEN! This won't leave me alone, no matter what I try to do. I only own Rose 'Jewel' Kelly. Oscar might be a little OOC in the beginning; I'm not used to writing him when he's not mean…
"I really wonder why people suddenly change after they get what they wanted. One day they are sweet, the next day they are not. One day they are there with you, the next day they are not. One day you are important to them, the next day you are worthless. One day they love you, and the next day they don't care about you."-Unknown
A figure weaves through the dark streets, barely stopping to look at a clock which reads 11:45. The figure is a girl, breathless from excitement and hurrying down the streets. Her navy blue dress barely makes a sound as she slips into alleyways. Drunkards and unsavory characters walked the street, but she wasn't afraid. She finally turns into an alleyway looking around. Every sound makes her jump as she waits.
"Oscar, have yous'e gotten heah yet?" she half-whispers into the dark.
"Jewel, you're late."
"Oscar! Sorry, I 'ad ta wait for da boys ta fall asleep. It ain't easy, but they finally got down off of the roof and went to sleep." She closes the distance and the two embrace.
"Some stay on the roof?"
"Sometimes, it depends on how da day went, especially with my brother. He's gettin' antsy, wants ta move on 'fore he's twenty-one…"
"Do you do too doll face, you wantin' ta leave New York?"
"I dunno, I don't mind it heah, but if he leaves I'll leave." She says, putting her head under his chin, blinking away tears.
"Why? I know he's your brudduh and all, but why leave with him?"
"What if it was Morris and your uncle was gone, and if he left you was alone. What would you do?"
"Go wid 'im I guess… but will ya leave widout sayin' goodbye?"
"No it wouldn't be like dat! I couldn't leave ya like dat, and I'd write. I would sign with a rose like always. It'd be like normal, only ya wouldn't be able ta see Me." she said, taking a step back.
"Hey, hey, hey, I wasn't meaning dat you would. I just wondered how it would work. I shouldn't have brought it up, not today at least, not when it's our anniversary."
"Speaking of dat, I bought ya somthin. It's not much, but I thought you'd like It." she said, pulling a pin out of her pocket. It was a metal disc with a small red feather. "You talked about how you hated your hat so I thought I'd give you something to brighten it up." I said, handing it to him.
"Jewel, ya didn't have ta do that. You don't get much money as it is, and I know you need to eat and stay in the lodging house."
"I saved for a while Oscar. If you don't take it it'll just go to waste. Besides, I'm fine with money for now, once we get better headlines I'll be even better."
"I got ya somthin' as well, now close your eyes and turn around." She did so, and he clasped a gold necklace around her neck, a small rose pendant resting around her neck.
"Oh Oscar, it's… thank you!" she says, pulling her lips to his. They stood like that, two teenagers standing in a dark alleyway, kissing like they would never see each other again. After a minute or two they broke apart, breathless from the kiss.
"Why do we keep doing this, keeping us a secret? Morris and Uncle Wiesel would get over it. If your brother was against it you could leave the Lodging House." he whispers, holding her against him.
"Could they Oscar? Your brother hates my brother, we take sides during your annual fist fights, and my brother would kill me if he found out about us. If only I could leave the Lodging House, go to another one, it might work but I've been with my brother for too long. We've worked too hard on making a room for newsgirls, cleaned it, and built bunks for living. We might not have any regular girls yet, but we're so close to helping Kloppman! I can't throw all that away… I've been there for too long."
"I know, you have worked hard on the place. I can't forget the shine in your eyes when you got the first girl to come in. It was like when you were young and I met you for the first time, skipping alongside your brudduh."
"You mean when I kicked your brother in the shin and blacked your eye?"
"You were one feisty little five-year-old…" he said, chuckling at the memory. She was five, and Morris was seven. They had gotten into a fight, and Jewel came out supreme. Morris had a large bruise on his leg, and Oscar had a black eye for a week. All because he called her stupid when she mispronounced his uncle's name and Morris pushed her.
'Funny how a five-year-old's simple mispronunciation can become a favorite nickname for the newsboys."
"How did you mix up Wiesel and Weasel anyways?"
"I don't know I was a kid…"
"We both were, ya know we could run away before your brudduh does."
"I can't Oscar, I have to sell papes."
"I know, I give 'em to ya." He said, laughing at her.
"I have to go Oscar, I could get in trouble for being out so late. I'll see you tomorrow." She says, kissing him on the cheek.
"Ya know, you could spend the night with me…"
"You are such a snake Delancey!"
"If I'm the snake, then you must be Eve." He says, pulling her close.
"You're a charmer, but I really must go home. I love you."
"I love you too my Irish Rose." He said as she left. She got to the Lodging House a good ten minutes later, the clock chiming one a.m. the necklace she got was resting against her neck, and Oscar's scent was just leaving her clothing. In the light you could see the dress was neatly sewn together out of scraps, old clothing from the boys that wouldn't fit them or was too ripped for use. She spent months saving old clothing, and even got some help from the Harlem, Bronx, and Brooklyn girls. They helped collect fabric so she could make it, and Rose paid them either in money, or she would help work on their Lodging House, cleaning or sewing old clothes. It was worth the extra work, the dress was a simple A-line dress that went to her mid-calf. It was cheaper than a real dress would cost, thank goodness. She slipped into her window via fire escape, took off of her dress and changed into a shirt that was too small for Jack, but too big for her. It was a normal outfit in the summer. She laid down to sleep, closing her eyes even though she knew in a few hours she would wake up and get ready for another day. The late night meetings in the alleyway with Oscar were taking their toll, dark circles under her eyes that looked like bruises, but it almost seemed to get her more papes sold. She sighed in content and snuggled down deeper into the bed. The girl that lived here had already moved on, probably to a Lodging House with more girls. If only Rose 'Jewel' Kelly knew that that would be the calm before the storm.
It'll pick up in a bit. If you're wondering why Oscar isn't as mean it's because sometimes when the rudest kid you know gets a good girl he cares for he'll be calmer when she's around. Trust me; I've seen it happen before.