RAGE

Chapter Two – Going Under

I stick my hands in my pockets and duck my head to block the sun. My feet make a steady rhythm on the pavement as I walk toward Brooklyn. I don't know where I'm going exactly. The only people I know in Brooklyn are Spot Conlon and his friends.

On a normal day, I'd be able to tolerate Spot's arrogant attitude, might even find it kinda funny, but today I just wouldn't be able to not sock him one in the face.

I sigh and head to the docks anyway.

"Well, look who it is." I hear Spot before I see him. "The best girl newsie around."

"Who came up with that clever nickname?" I murmur, looking around lazily. I still don't see him.

"What's that?" I can tell he's behind me, but I'm not going to turn around to look for him.

"Nothin.'"

"Don't nobody lie to Spot Conlon and get away with it." He appears in front of me. I roll my eyes at him. "Now tell me what you said."

"I didn't say nothin', Conlon, and knock off your sass before I slug you."

"Hey, hey, hey. Didn't your mama ever teach you to be polite?" He smirks.

"Didn't yours ever teach you to bathe?" I snap.

He laughs and pushes me against the wooden post on the dock and pulls at my hair. "Don't talk to me like that."

"Get off me." I push him off of me violently and punch him in the stomach. While he is doubled over in pain, I walk along the dock and sit down on the edge.

He comes up behind me and sits down next to me. "Sorry 'bout that, Spot," I say reluctantly. "I'm kinda frustrated today."

"That ain't nothin' new," he mutters.

"What'd you say!?" I snap.

"I said that ain't nothin' new."

"Ah, shut up, dirtbag."

"Hey, you asked."

I don't respond, but stare glumly at the dirty water beneath our feet.

"Ya gotta learn to cool off, Rage," Spot says to me.

"You ain't my mother, Conlon."

He climbs onto his feet.

"What're you doin'?" I say suspiciously, standing up myself.

"I'm gonna teach you what it means to cool off." There is an all-too-familiar evil glint in his eyes.

"Don't you dare, Conlon. I swear on my grandmother's grave, I'll soak ya till ya can't see straight."

"I'll risk it," he says and shoves me backward, hard, so that I fall into the disgusting water.

I splutter and shake the weeds out of my hair. Then, deciding it can't get much worse, I suck in my breath and duck under the water.

I resurface under the dock, where he can't see me, and just wait.

"Rage?" he asks after a minute. "Where are you?"

I don't respond.

"Hey, that ain't funny," he continues. "Don't make me come in there after you."

I hear his feet tap to the end of the dock. I imagine him looking out to survey the blackish water. I swim slowly and silently to the edge of the dock and then, quick as a flash, I grab his ankle, pulling him feet-first into the nasty water.

He shakes like a dog and he is absolutely furious. I laugh maniacally and push his head under the water when he isn't looking. Then I swing myself onto the dock smoothly and sit Indian-style in the middle of it, my arms crossed, just watching.

"Damn you," he splutters from the water.

"Ah, how good it is to be loved," I say to myself and lean back, stretching out and crossing my arms beneath my head. The sun beats down on my face and I close my eyes, flinging an arm across them.

He stomps onto the dock soaking wet and makes it a point to get water droplets all over me by shaking his shaggy hair in my face as he lay down on my right side.

"Is that the best payback ya got, Conlon?" I taunt. "In case ya didn't notice, I was already covered in water."

"I don't need your smart mouth," he spits. "Not after that incident."

I laugh. "You started it."

"You're so immature," he says and stretches out beside me.

"Look who's talkin'."

"Hey. I'm a man if there ever was one."

I laugh harder. "You?"

"Yeah, me," he says and rolls over to slap me lightly on my face.

"I thought gentlemen didn't hit the ladies," I sneer sarcastically.

"I never said I was no damn gentleman, did I?"

I chortle. "Ha. King of Brooklyn, indeed!"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…"

I am drifting to sleep.

In my dream, I am drowning, and I can't scream. The water fills my lungs and muffles my voice. Spot, David, and Jack are in the water above me, I can see their feet, and I try to grasp them.

But I am falling faster into the blackness beneath my own feet and my soaking clothes are pulling me down. My breaths stop coming. I am out of air…

I wake up shivering. I am still lying on the dock and my clothes are still soaked wet.

Spot is leaning over my face, blocking out the sun from my view.

"Move," I command him.

"Didja have a nightmare?" he asks annoyingly.

"No, why?" I answer too quickly. His smirk broadens.

"You was whimperin' in your sleep."

"I was not."

"Yeah, you was."

I decided not to argue. "No one knows."

"Suuure."

"You tell anyone, Conlon—"

"Ah, I ain't tellin' no one. I ain't all bad."

I climb to my feet. "Wouldn't bet on that."

I turn to leave. "Where ya goin'?" he asks me.

"What's it to you?" I snap feverishly, but turn back to clap him on the shoulder. "See ya, Conlon."

I walk for a real long time until I can finally get up the desire to go back to the Lodging House. One good thing that I have to look forward to is that David won't be there. But Jack will.

I return, my shirt still wet on the front and my hair still mostly wet.

When I enter the main room, all eyes are upon me, except Jack's. He stares blithely at the floor and won't even look up when I walk in.

"What happened to you?" asks Mush.

I hesitate but decide on the truth. "I went swimming with Spot Conlon." At their stares I add, "He pushed me." More stares. "Don't judge me, suckers."

"Wait, wait," says Kid Blink. "Did youse guys go swimmin' or didja go swimmin'?"

"Shut your face, ya perv," I retort.

"Hey, just curious."

"You would be."

"No need to be unkind." He winks.

"With you there is, Mistah Blink," I say sarcastically, alluding to his less-than-gentlemanly stature.

He curls his lip and looks away. "What's got into her?" he asks Jack, hiking a thumb at me.

"How the hell would I know?" Jack barks. He stands up and stomps into the bunk room.

Kid Blink turns back to Mush and the others and shrugs, unconcerned. "Hey, lemme tell ya 'bout this girl—"

The others gather around him excitedly in a circle.

Idiots.

I sigh and walk into the bunk room to talk to Jack. He is sitting on his bunk, and is facing the wall.

"Jack?" I say quietly. "Can we talk?"

He ignores me, so I walk over to his bed and scale the ladder. I sit down on the end of the mattress, as far away from him as I can be.

He turns away from me.

"Jack," I begin nervously, trying to hold onto my composure. "You're my best friend. You know that."

He still doesn't answer me. I clear my throat.

"I have anger issues and I know that. You're still the best person that I know, and I'm really sorry that I'm such a bad friend to you."

"You make me so mad, Rage," he whispers.

I look down at my hands and fold them in my lap. "I can tell."

"I'm so angry," he says in a normal voices.

"I am, too."

He throws his balled fist onto the mattress with force. "Dammit!"

He looks at me angrily. "What is it, Jacky?"

"I'm so mad!" he screams at me.

"I am too!" I scream back.

This is our tradition.

"What do I do!?" he roars.

We are screaming very loudly now. Every once in a while, we do this. It's a me and Jack thing. You wouldn't understand.

"I don't know!"

"AH DE DUH DUH DUH!!!"

"MY THOUHGTS EXACTLY!"

"I'M STARTING TO CALM DOWN!" he bellows hoarsely.

"I AM TOO!" I scream.

By the time we are finished, we are both on our backs, laughing hysterically. My stomach muscles hurt and my face is sore.

I gasp, trying to catch my breath.

I beat him affectionately on the back and hop off of the bed.

"Oh," he says, as if he has just remembered something.

"What?" I ask.

"I was wondering…"

"Wondering what?"

"Wondering your answer."

"Answer to what?"

"Kid Blink's question."

"Shut your mouth, Jacky."

He smirks. "That's no way to talk to your best friend."

I snort and walk out of the room. He laughs and follows.

"Well, look who's finally joining us!" Kid Blink exclaims joyfully, his troublemaking eyes glinting maniacally. "What was you two doin' back there, hmm?"

"You wish," I sigh, settling into a armchair and surveying the room. It's been a damn hard day but everything seems to be calming down. My ragged temper is finally resting.

A couple chairs over, I hear Snipeshooter and Itey humming. Then, to my dismay, they begin to sing, "—neighbor to neighbor—"

Jack joins in, standing up. "—father to son—"

The others stand and begin a formation. My mouth is wide open in disgust. "—one for all and all for one—"

They start in a rousing chorus, singing loudly and passionately. "—Open the gates and seize the day—"

Then, to my utter revulsion, they begin to dance. Actually dance.

"Hey, Rage, join us!" Snipes calls to me.

"Not for a million bucks!" I call back.

Remind me not to go out in public with them. Like, ever.

~Author's Note:

Thanks to MushSpotgoil for the review.

lovelovelove,

Julianna~