Derek Venturi and David Jacobs made a very awkward duo. They were complete opposites. David reminded Derek too much of Casey and he just did not like his step-sister. In a way, Derek reminded David of Spot Conlon. He figured that was why Pyro gravitated towards him.
"So…" Davey began as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Do you know much about Pyro?" Derek asked.
"I don't know." The other boy shrugged. "People talk about her a lot. It's hard to tell what's true and what's just made up."
"What about her relationship with Spot Conlon?" Derek questioned.
"I do know that she has always been attracted to him." Davey explained. "But, Spot is a bit of a skirt chaser. Pyro's not like the other girls. She's a lot braver. Actually, she's braver than most guys. She's the only one who has ever stood up to Spot."
"Yeah, I got that part." Derek nodded. "I think that's part of why she's so beautiful."
"You like her as more than a friend?" The curly haired boy looked at him.
"I just met her yesterday. But, I wouldn't mind getting to know her better, if you know what I mean." Derek winked.
"You just better watch out for Spot." Davey explained. "He seems to think that since Pyro lives on his turf that she's off limits to everyone but him. Even though, he does not think of her as anything more than a friend. Sometimes I wonder if they're even really friends."
As they stood in front of the Brooklyn lodging house, Derek let out a sigh. "I don't like Spot Conlon. He's a jerk to her."
"I don't like you either." Spot's cold voice rang out from behind the pair.
David and Derek turned around to see the other guy staring at them. Pyro had said he would be looking for her in Manhattan. Pyro was usually right about Spot. However, this time, she was wrong. "Spot, we're not here for trouble." David said calmly. "We just came to get some of Pyro's stuff."
"And, why would you be doing that?" Spot narrowed his eyes at Derek. "Is she moving out? Where is she?"
Davey was about to say something but Derek stopped him. "She's with friends. She was beat up by some guys. The Delancey brothers, I think. Someone is taking care of her. We just need some stuff until she is feeling good enough to come back to Brooklyn."
"Where is she?" Spot asked again. "I want to know where she is staying. It better not be with some guy."
"She's not your girlfriend." Derek told him. "She can stay with a guy if she wants to." With that, he turned around and went into the lodging house. Davey gave Spot an apologetic look and followed Derek.
Spot was not going to let them go into his lodging house and take Pyro's stuff out of it. He was right on their heels. "I want to see her."
Davey spotted Pyro's bed and led Derek over to it. Grabbing the duffel bag that hung on her bed post, the pair started putting stuff into it. "She doesn't want to see you." Derek said bluntly. Lifting up the pillow, he saw a black, leather bound book. Pyro's journal. He picked it up and put it into the bag.
"She has to come back to Brooklyn." Spot growled. "I don't care what she wants. I'm the leader around here. It's about damn time she started doing what I tell her. She needs to stop being a little bitch." Anger boiled inside of him.
Something happened to Derek when he heard Spot call Pyro a bitch. He wasn't sure what it was but he just snapped. Balling up his fist, he slugged Spot Conlon in the face, knocking him out. Davey stared at him. "What did you do that for? Now, we need to run before someone comes in here and finds us." He grabbed Derek by the arm and the two boys ran out of the lodging house and out of Brooklyn. They were not safe there. Derek had just knocked out Brooklyn's fearless leader. Deep down inside, he felt good though. Now, he was trying to figure out why he got so angry when Spot said that about Pyro.