I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
Chris backed into the wall of the closest building in the alleyway, her face gone of all color. Two young men she didn't recognize were in front of her, one of them keeping a firm grip on her wrist. She wondered if anyone had heard her cry, but it seemed no one had, as no one came to her aid.
"St-Stay away from me," She stammered. "And leave me alone." The young man holding her wrist shook his head, smiling wickedly.
"Sorry, doll." He said. "We got orders from someone. Paid big money too." The other man pulled something out of his pocket. Chris didn't need a full view to know it was a brass knuckle. And that it had a one way ticket into her stomach.
She felt the first blow, and hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. Then another hit. And another. Her throat was growing raw from screaming, and tears poured down her cheeks.
"What do you want?" She asked, scared out of her mind. The two men crouched down to her level, not an ounce of remorse in their eyes. Chris leaned over and spat out blood, the sticky red liquid trapped on her dirt smeared face.
"It ain't what we want." The other man said. "Its what a friend of our's wants." Chris heard the click of a switchblade knife, and her eyes widened. "And I feel Mr. Snyder will be happy to know we avenged his dear, dead son."
"How do you know about that?" She kept her gaze on their shoes.
"We know a lot of things, girlie." One of the men grabbed a fistfull of her blonde hair, yanking her back up to her feet. "But it don't matter anyway. You're gonna be dead before you can find out." Chris kicked the man in the shin with all the strength she had left, but there wasn't much. She felt the cold metal of the knife on her skin, the man cutting a light gash through her shirt and arm. Beads of blood began running down her arm. She tightly shut her eyes, waiting for them to finish the job.
"Chris!" A girl's garbled voiced yelled.
"Stars?" She murmured.
"Let her go," Chris heard a boy's voice she didn't recognize, but it hurt to much to open her eyes. "Or so help me, Oscar, you ain't gonna be able to walk for a week." She felt the grip on her hair loosen, and crumpled to the ground, opening her eyes just enough to barely see what was going on. Stars and the sandy hair boy, Race she remembered, were standing in front of the two men, both looking livid with rage. Race was standing nearly on top of the smaller man, who Chris assumed was Oscar.
"Whaddaya gonna do about, doll?" The second man asked Stars, smirking. Stars glared at him, before kneeing him in the groin.
"That's what I'm gonna do." She said. "Gimme the knife, Morris." Morris, the man on the ground, struggled to his feet, and flipped Chris onto her stomach. Before she could even scream one last time, the switchblade knife was plunged into her abdomen.
"NO!" Stars screamed, running to Chris's side. She pulled Morris off of her friend, punching him square in the nose. "Get away from her!" Morris's face was blank. Oscar looked shocked, as if he hadn't known this was actually going to happen. The bloodied knife lay on the ground. Stars picked it up, holding it in front of Morris's throat. "Get outta here." She growled. The Delancey brothers ran away, and Stars dropped the knife. "Chris?" Chris's breathing was shallow. "Chris, can you hear me?"
"Stars," Race said. "We gotta get outta here. Back to the lodging house." He picked up Chris. "C'mon." Stars stared at Chris, feeling as if her entire world was crumbling away.
They walked as quickly as possible without hurting Chris. Stars stared straight ahead, not feeling anything.
"Stars," Race began. Stars didn't answer. "Stars, she's gonna be okay. I promise."
"No," Stars whispered. "Don't make a promise like that. Don't make a promise you might not be able to keep." She pushed forward, not wanting to hear another word.
She flung the lodging house door open, the other boys crowding around them. They stared in silence, making way for Race and Stars to make it up the staircase.
"Finch, Henry, get a bucket of water and a washcloth. Jojo, get the extra blankets. Mush, Sniper, get the bandages. Mike, Ike, get a doctor. Here," Stars gave the two newsies a handful of her rainy day money. "Let em know there's more if they need it." Everyone stood in stunned silence. "Hurry!" The newsies ran in a frenzy, grabbing the things Stars instructed them to get. Romeo followed Race and Stars up the staircase, rubbing the back of his neck.
They set her down on Stars's bed, Chris's eyes still shut. Stars pulled a chair next to the bed.
"Race, take Romeo outside." Race nodded, taking Romeo and leaving Stars alone with Chris. "Chris? Chris, its me." Chris's eyes fluttered open.
"Stars…" Her voice was shaky. "Thank you…"
"What for?" Stars asked.
"You're my first friend in over four years. Sh-Showed me freedom for a little bit. It… it was wonderful. Glad I got to see it for a bit."
"No," Stars's eyes were misting. "No, you're gonna live, Chris." Chris was looking at the ceiling, murmuring something Stars couldn't hear. "What?"
"Mama…" Chris smiled. "Papa… I love you…" By the time the other newsies had gotten back with the stuff Stars had requested, it was too late. When the doctor came into the room, all he saw was a sixteen-year-old girl crying over a young blonde's limp body, the light faded from her hazel eyes.
Good god, I am a horrible person! I'm SO sorry guys, that I came up with this idea. I promise that the next chapter will be a bit better! Please don't hate me! D:
Newsies forever, second to none!
