Well I finished another chapter, so I guess you didn't have to wait 3 months! haha

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My eyes bolted open when a cold foot brushed my arm. The boy above me jumped back into his top bunk and hung his head over the railing when he realized there was someone in the bunk below him. As I met his sleepy gaze with my own he looked at the dried blood on my face and now the pillow, his expressing asking questions. I looked away not wanting to tell him that the beloved king of Brooklyn was one to cut a girl's face up, the boy most likely wouldn't understand and I didn't have time to explain why his leader did what he did. When he accepted the fact that I wasn't going to say anything to him, he quickly made his way off the bed, this time being careful not to step on me.

I was slowly motivating myself to get out of bed to get ready for my first day back when a cold hard object hit the back of my head. I quickly whipped my body around to find the boy that thought it was funny to hit me with a marble while I was still in bed. I expected to find a young boy sit in the bunk next to me or somewhere close by, but what I found was Dodge standing behind the bunk next to mine, a sling shot in hand. He had always been good with a sling shot but he must have taken a few lessons from Spot because to be able to get the marble to the back of my head from how close he was standing and have it not hurt like hell when it hits was a difficult skill to develop.

"Spot wants to see you." He said coldly. Dodge use to be my closes friend and he was treating me like he had just met me and didn't like me. I can understand the not liking me because I didn't even like myself, but some recognitions of old friendship would have been nice.

"Where is he?" I questioned after I scouted the room for him.

"In his room, where else would he be?" he scolded me for my question, but I still had no idea what he was talking about. Last time I was here Spot slept in the bunk room with everyone else.

"His room?" His eyes narrowed on me and then let up when he realized I really didn't know what he was talking about.

"Oh, he started sleeping in a room upstairs after you left." He paused to give emphases to the fact that it was only after I left that he started his new sleeping pattern. "Up the stairs, his is the last door."

I slowly push off the covers that were left on me and swept my legs over the edge of my bed letting my toe barely rest on the floor. I sat like that for a moment until I heard Dodge, through a clearing of his throat; tell me to hurry up. I comply with his commanding growl and head to the door. I got a few looks as I went, mostly confused looks, seeing as though Spot had told me leave and I was still here. I was glad to make it out of the room as fast as I did, being back here was quite awkward and scary, not a scared for my life feeling, but more like being here really meant that yesterday I killed a man and completely changed my life again. As I walked up the stairs I tried to wipe away the dried blood covering my cheek, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get it all off without looking in a mirror but I did my best. When I reached the top of the stairs I looked down the long hallway, there were only a few doors, and it wasn't hard to know which one was Spots. Dodge said the last door and he meant it, I was staring straight at the door on the end wall. I was glad that the glass window was frosted or this walk would have been a little more awkward. I could see Spots shadow as it paced back and forth slowly past the window. I stood for a second outside his door before I raised my hand to it and knocked. I lowered my head as I heard his footsteps near the door and the handle turn. Spot stood there on the other side of the door, his button up shirt not yet buttoned, his key resting against his chest, and his suspenders hanging from his waist band. I couldn't help but stare; his now 17 year old body had grown more muscular in the last two years, as if his face wasn't mind blowing enough now his body made him even more tempting.

"You want me?" I said, letting my eye meet his. My face became red when I thought about what had come out of my mouth and what it could have been taken as. "I mean, to talk to me."

"Don't worry about getting ready today, you're not selling, actually you not going to sell until I say you can, and who knows when that will be. So get used to talking to the rats, 'cause that's what you'll be doing everyday for at least the next week." He said as he looked away from me, buttoning his shirt and pulling his suspenders over his shoulders.

"Why? Why can't I sell?" I spoke smugly, I didn't come back to just sit around all day, I was a newsie, and I still am.

"You don't think your face is going to be plastered all over the paper? The Pulitzers lovely Ralph is dead and you're missing, you don't think they've already got the police looking for their son's murderer and daughter-in-laws kidnapper? You make sure that no one other than the boys know you're here, or I'll turn you in myself, I'm sure they're giving out some big reward." The arrogances in his voice made me want to explode at him, but I knew he was right and I didn't want to say anything that would make him even angrier at me.

I stood in my place, my eyes closed, calming myself down. When I opened them, Spot was inches from me, staring at me. I almost jumped at his presence being so close to me but I didn't, I couldn't. I would have jump if it was anyone else but I can't bring myself to show Spot that he had frightened me. I took a breath and spoke my answer to his reasoning while looking him straight in his icy blue eyes. "Fine."

After I gave my one word comment he did something I would have never expected him to do. He slowly wrapped his arms around me placing his hand on the small of my back. The iciness of his fingers penetrating my thin shirt, it sent shivers up my spine. He lowered his head bringing it closer and closer to mine until his lips were flesh against mine. The feeling of his body touching mine and his lips on mine brought back all the memories and feeling of two years ago. This kiss wasn't like the ones I remembered though, this wasn't an innocent kiss, this was a forceful kiss. His tongue intruding my mouth, not that I minded, not that mine wasn't doing the same, and I wasn't objecting to this new kind of kiss at all, but it was still different, shockingly different. His hands pushed me closer to himself as mine made their way through his blonde locks. This felt so good, yet every second this perfect moment lasted I couldn't help but wonder why he was kissing me, he did just tell me last night that he couldn't forgive me and he didn't want to go back to the way things were. Before I knew it he was pulling away from me. I stood there staring at him, looking for an explanation in his eyes but he wasn't even look at me, he turned his back to me and reached for his cane. Once he grasped his gold tipped cane he began to walk past me towards the door.

"You can't do that and just leave." I said while I put my hand on his chest as he tried to pass me, stopping him.

"I can't?" There was a bit of anger in his tone as he glared at me. "So what makes you so special, 'cause if I remember right that's exactly what you did." With that he pushed past me slamming the door shut behind him, leaving me in his empty room, frozen.

I wanted to yell and scream and chase after him, but I didn't I just stood there, because I knew everything he said was true. The night I left I kissed him just like he had kissed me a few moments ago, right before I tolled him I was going, just before I ruined everything.

"What was that for?" Spots voice questioned me as our lips separated.

"Spot I have to tell you something." My voice quivered at the thought of telling him the secret I had been keeping from him.

"What is it?" He looked into my eyes, but I couldn't look into his and I turned my face away, but he used his hand to twist my head back to where we were facing each other. "You can tell me anything."

"I'm not sure I can." I paused, I didn't have the guts to tell him I was leaving, that I was getting married in the morning, at least I didn't think I did. I loved Spot. There was no question about that, but I had to think about the future, about what's best for me, and being madly in love with a street rat like myself, even if he was the king of Brooklyn wasn't going to make my life any easier. Now marrying Ralph was, and I think I love him, no where near as much as I love Spot, but I could learn to. "I don't know if you'll understand."

"Just spit it out, how bad could it be?" I had to tell him. I couldn't just leave with out him knowing why.

"Spot, I love you." I paused sucking in a deep breath.

"I lov-"

"No, I'm not finished. I love you, but I can't anymore, I'm leaving, I'm getting married tomorrow." I felt like filth as the confusion grew in his eyes.

"What do you mean you're getting married, to who? I don't understand." His voice carried the same scenes of confusion as his eyes did.

"Ralph." I said quietly.

"Pulitzer? I thought you were just friends. What about, about me and you?" The confusion was now slowly being replaced by anger.

"Yeah, he asked me and well I have to think about what's best for me, and right now it looks like marrying Ralph is my best chance to get ahead in this life." I did my best to defend myself but I could tell he didn't feel the same way I did about my choices.

"So it's all about bettering yourself now, you're no better than the filthy whores that walk the streets at night, giving yourself away for a few bucks. You know what go to hell, I don't even care, get your stuff and leave, I don't want to ever see you damn face around here again. I don't know why I ever thought you were capable of love; you've always just been looking out for your own ass, not caring who you hurt as long as it helps you in the end." I felt tears making their way from my eyes to my cheeks as Spot pushed me away from him and onto the cold hard surface of the roof. "What? Did you not here me, get your stuff and get the hell out of here."

I quickly got up from the ground and made my way down the fire escape. I didn't grab any of my stuff, I didn't even take a step into the lodging house I just kept running 'til I found myself outside Ralph's door, sobbing.

I still stood there after I heard the sound of the boys crashing down the stairs and out the front doors of the lodging house. I could bring myself to do anything, I wanted to fall to the ground and cry but I couldn't, my body was unwell to do anything my brain told it to. Spots words kept repeating in my head, "So what makes you so special, 'cause if I remember right that's exactly what you did." I hated the fact that he was right, I hated the fact that I couldn't do anything to change what had happened 2 years ago. After about 20 minutes of staring out the window that stood directly in front of me, I finally brought myself to walk out his door and back to the bunk room the was now empty. I went straight to the wash area once I arrived in the buck room and looked at the scabbing over cuts across my face. I picked up a washcloth and got it somewhat wet, the cold water touching my face was a shock, I had gotten so use to warm water something that for lower class living was a non-existing pleasure, but the cold water worked just as well, getting the rest of the dried blood of my face. When I was done washing my face I made my way to my bunk, I was hoping to get some more sleep but when I reached my bunk there was a loud crash downstairs followed by yelling voices.

"Where is she?" I heard a nosily voiced man call out.

"Yeah, where are you keeping her?" A second unfamiliar voice chirped in.

"What are you talking about, who? Who is her?" This voice I knew, this was Spots voice.

"You're a newsie, you ever read the paper." One of the voices spoke. "You know, where's your precious Abigail?"

"Twitch?" Spots voice had a sound of awe and annoyance in it. "I don't have her, why would I, it's been over 2 years since I last saw her, and anyways I've got a steady supply of women I need to steal one that's for sure."

"Oh really, so you wouldn't mind if we search the place." The voice said smugly.

"Actually I would, this is my lodging house and you have no right to tear this place apart looking for some whore that isn't even here." Spot yelled as I heard a loud thud.

"Oh you no good street rat." An angry voice screamed at Spot. "You touch me again and you'll be off to the refuge."

I heard the voices getting closer and the floorboards squeaking. There were searching the place, Spot was letting them search the place. I panicked as the squeaking got closer and closer to the entrance of the room I was in, I needed to get out; I couldn't let them find me. The window beside my bunk, that lead out on to the fire escape, was already open so I quickly made my escape through it. Once I was on the fire escape I had a choice to make; up to the roof or down to the street. I wanted to go to the roof; it was a place where I had always felt safe but my mind argued with my gut feeling, bring up the fact that these men searching the lodging house would most certainly search the roof. I went with my brain and started my journey to the street below.

Thank you all for reading this chapter. Please review, tell me what you like and/or what you didn't like!