Here we go, my dears! Lots of drama near the end of the story! Please read and review! Enjoy!
An hour later, the couple sat on Queenie's bed, watching the snow fall on the city outside. The girl laid her head on the boy's shoulder, letting her head rise and fall with his steady breaths.
"Youse asleep, Queenie?" he whispered, putting his arm around her shoulder, pulling her even closer to him.
She shook her head at him, keeping her eyes closed.
"No, Spot. I'm awake. I'm just thinking."
He kissed the top of her head with a smile.
"Thinkin' 'bout what?" he asked.
Queenie chuckled.
"Tomorrow," she whispered.
Spot's breath caught. In the excitement, he nearly forgot all about it. After a moment of silence, Queenie looked up at him with her wide eyes.
"The bet is over tomorrow. I have to go home," she said, as though he needed reminding.
Swallowing hard, Spot ignored the pang in his chest. After all the time she spent in Brooklyn, she still thought of Queens as home. Groaning angrily, the boy broke apart from her.
"Well, den. I guess youse gonna do what youse gotta do, huh?" he said, looking every where in the room but at her.
He rose to his feet, firmly planting them on the hardwood floor. Queenie gazed up with confusion filling her eyes.
"Why are you upset?" she asked, furrowing her brow.
Turning to look at the girl in his bed, Spot laughed humorlessly.
"Ise just don't believe youse wanna go back to 'im. After everythin', youse don't wanna stay here-"
Queenie laughed under her breath and rose to her feet. Spot shivered as her hand sat on his shoulder.
"It's not that I don't want to stay with you. You must know that."
Spot did not look convinced as he rolled his eyes at her.
"But I have to go home, Spot. What choice do I have? The bet was only supposed to last for so long. You had to know that I-"
Spot shrugged her arm away.
"Ise don't want youse to go back to West, Queenie. Ise can't stand da thought of it."
Walking over to meet him, the girl laid her hand on his cheek.
"I have to go back to him, Spot. I owe it to him."
He raised his eyes to meet hers.
"I only just got youse, Queenie. Ise don't want to lose youse."
Smiling, she leaned up to place a small kiss on the boy's cheek.
"You won't lose me. I promise. I'll always be right here."
And in a moment of cliche love, Queenie placed her hand over his heart.
"I'll always be here."
The next morning, with the rest of the newsies still tucked into their beds, the two left for the Brooklyn/Queens border alone. The sun rose over the buildings slowly, as though afraid of what was going to transpire. Snow dusted over the pair as they ghosted through the streets. When the two finally arrived, West was nowhere to be found. Hope rose in the Brooklyn leader.
"Looks like your knight in shinin' armor's not comin', Queenie," Spot said, smirking.
Leaning down to catch her lips in a kiss, the leader of Brooklyn cheered internally.
"This isn't proper," Queenie said, smiling as she pushed the boy away.
He smirked down at her.
"Ise know dat," he said, wrapping his arm around her.
But almost as soon as he touched her, a loud voiced boomed across the street, ripping Spot from the girl.
"Let her go, Conlon. She's mine now."
West grabbed her by the hand and wrapped her in her hug as Bear looked on.
"How's my girl doin'?" West asked, smiling down at her.
Queenie smiled back at him.
"I'm doing well, actually," she responded.
Bear grabbed her bag from her reach.
"Ise gonna take her home where she belongs now, Conlon. Eh?
He reached out to grab Spot's hand. After one long look at the girl, the Brooklyn boy took West's hand for a brief moment before walking away. Yanking out his cane, the boy tilted his head up and strutted toward his lodging house. Unbeknownst to the others, Spot blinked tears away. Trying to push the wave of emotion out of his heart, he continued to his strong walk. But before he was completely out of earshot, he heard West call to him,
"Thanks for returnin' my prize to me, Spot."
And in that moment, Queenie realized that was all she would ever be to West: a prize. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she knew what she had to do.
"C'mon, Alex. Let's go home," he said with a smirk.
West took a step away from Brooklyn, only to be stopped by a tiny voice that almost got lost in the strong wind.
"I'm not going."
The two remaining boys turned with shocked eyes toward the now small-looking girl.
"What?" West asked, turning toward her.
Taking in a deep breath, she looked up from the cobblestone street to meet West's eyes. In them, she saw no love; she saw only pride.
"I said I'm not going," she repeated.
After a moment of tense silence, West began laughing.
"Youse and Spot must've-" he paused for a moment to catch his breath. Pointing at the place where the other leader had previously stood, he continued to laugh, "He's funnier dan I took him for. How long have you two been workin' on dis joke?"
Queenie grit her teeth and looked at the boy steely.
"This is not a joke, West. And it insults me that you would take this as such."
West straightened. Queenie never spoke to him like that. He looked up at her, surprised to see a fire blazing underneath her eyes.
"Youse honestly want to stay here, wit' dat?" he asked, motioning toward Spot's retreating form.
Queenie looked between the two leaders.
"Yes, West. I do."
Closing in on her, the leader of Queens grabbed her by the arm, clenching his fingers around her slim appendage.
"You are hurting me."
He nearly laughed.
"Dis is silly. Youse don't even know what youse are sayin'. Youse are coming home."
Attempting to pull her away, West barked to Bear with a laugh,
"C'mon, Bear. Wese takin' Alex home."
She wrenched her arm out of the boy's grasp.
"I am going nowhere with you."
West looked at Bear.
"Some help, please?"
Bear merely looked down at Queenie, gauging her reaction carefully.
"Is Spot tryin' to keep youse here?" West asked.
Smiling, Queenie shook her head.
"No, he would never force me to do anything. A manner you obviously never learned," she insisted.
Anger boiled up inside of him and West's hand flew up, as though to strike her. Shutting her eyes and bracing herself, Queenie muttered,
"If it will make you feel better about this, go ahead. Hit me."
Taking a step back from the girl in shock, West ran the hand through his hair. He knew he could never hurt her. Queenie walked over to Bear and plucked her bag from his grasp, taking her leave from the pair.
"If youse walk away, youse aren't welcome in Queens anymore. Youse know dat?"
Queenie smirked and turned toward them.
"If I walk away, I won't ever need to go to Queens again," she responded, hoping the words stung him as much as the bruises on her arm stung her.
Then, she looked at Bear.
"And if you think that I will ever forget that you watched him try to hurt me, you are sorely mistaken, Bear. Rabbit would be ashamed if he knew."
Bear hung his head, and guilt gripped him.
"C'mon, Bear. Let's go."
And West, without another look in her direction, walked away from the girl he once professed to love. Feeling as though the weight of the world was off of her shoulders, Queenie walked back toward the Lodging House. Back toward home.
"And youse just let 'er go?" Jazz shouted in Spot's face.
"No, Jazz, he didn't," the lady in question answered, walking through the front door with a smile.
Every newsie in the room turned to look at the girl at the door.
"Queenie!" Several voices shouted, each attacking her.
Her smile widening with each passing second, Queenie greeted each newsie with care. And finally, when she reached Spot, she dropped her bag and enveloped him in a hug.
"This is my home," she muttered in his ear.
Tightening his grip as though he would never let her go, Spot smirked.
"I could've told youse dat."
But as a party raged in Brooklyn, darkness fell over Queens.
"Youse didn't bring her back?" Rusty shouted across the nearly empty lodging house.
West slammed the door shut behind him.
"No, Rusty. Wese didn't bring 'er back. Any more dumb questions?"
Rusty resisted the urge to throw his knife at West's head.
"And why didn't youse bring 'er back?" he asked.
Nearly growling under his breath, West poured himself a drink.
"Because she didn't wanna come home, Rusty. Nothin' Ise could do about it."
Throwing his arms up in the air, the other boy stormed over to his leader.
"Nothin' youse could do? West, youse could've dragged 'er back! What if Spot hurts her? What if he's been tryin' to keep 'er dere against 'er will? Youse ever thought 'bout dat?" he shouted.
Slamming his empty glass on the table, the leader of Queens stalked toward the smaller newsie.
"A'course I thought 'bout dat, Rusty. What do youse take me for?"
Laughing, Rusty poured himself a drink.
"A coward. A weak coward."
Grabbing the drink from the other boy's hand, West slapped him.
"Youse wanna say dat again?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. Youse are a weak, pathetic coward, West. Youse don't deserve 'er. And youse know what? Youse aren't a leader. Youse don't deserve to be a leader. And youse never did."
Grabbing his knife and finishing off the bottle of cheap whiskey in one swig, Rusty moved to storm out of the Lodging House.
"Where are youse going?" West called after him.
Rusty turned.
"Ise goin' to make sure dat by dis time tomorrow youse aren't da leader of dis borough. Youse best start searchin' da want ads, West. Da Queens newsies are gonna revolt once dey hear 'bout dis."
And without another word, the dark newsie left the building to begin the revolt.
So how was it? Please let me know! Please read and review! It means so much to me!
