Ok, so I know i said it would come quicker than the others and all, but I had a lot going on the last 3 weeks. Anyway, I'm just gonna do them all today, hopefully. So, on to the story...
I listened quietly as Mush explained what we had done. I could hardly stand listening. He sounded so cool and calm, and I knew he considered me as nothing more than a good friend.
I looked up at the newsies and had to laugh, despite my current mood. They looked completely shocked. "Ya really ain't kiddin, are ya?" Jack asked.
"Not dis time," Mush replied.
There was a long silence, and I decided to break it. "Well, I'm gonna go put this stuff away," I announced. I grabbed the bag of albums from Mush and headed upstairs.
I sat on my bed. I opened another album and saw a picture of my mother holding a baby, who I assumed was me. The date was 1883, which was the year I was born. There was another picture next to it that looked almost exactly the same, only the date was 1882. I thought it was my cousin or something, so I just let it go. I turned the page, and saw a picture of my father holding a baby, and my mother supporting another one, who looked like they would fall over any second. The date on that one was 1884. Now I was confused. I turned a couple of pages, and I saw a very familiar face. I just couldn't place it. My brother was someone I knew now, but who? The date on this picture was 1887. I took it out of the protective covering, and turned it over. I almost fainted. 'Nick and Bella at Claire's' Spot was my brother!
I tried to stand up, but my knees locked. "Spot!!" I yelled, but he didn't respond. "Spot!!!"
"What!?" he yelled back.
"Come 'ere!" He groaned. "Please!!" I knew I sounded pathetic, but I didn't care. This was important. I heard footsteps, and the door opened.
"Whattsa madda?" He sounded annoyed.
I didn't say anything, just motioned for him to sit next to me. I took a deep breath, and held out the picture to him. He took it and just sat there.
"Is zat me?" he whispered. I nodded and turned the picture over. "And dat's...you?" I nodded again "So what's dis mean?"
"You'se me brudda, Spot," I answered.
He let out a huge breath, and looked over at me. "Knew I knew ya from somewhea," he tried to laugh and almost pulled it off.
"I didn't even rememba havin a brudda," I said quietly.
"I did-a sista, I mean. I didn't rememba it bein you, dough."
We spent an hour or so looking through the albums. "So, can I call ya Nick?" I asked.
"Only when we're alone," he said, and grinned broadly.
"Don't gimme dat face!" I said threateningly. "Ya don't scaih me!"
"Oh, yeah? An what a'ya gonna do about it?"
"Dis!" I answered, and tickled him. He screamed like a little girl and grabbed both of my wrists with his right hand. He pinned me down on the bed and tickled me with his free hand. I twisted and squirmed, but to no avail.
Suddenly, someone cleared his throat, and we both sat up abruptly. Not only was Jack there, but all the other newsies as well. I looked over at Spot and smiled. He grinned back at me. "I know what dis looks like, but it's not like dat," he started to explain.
PC^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^PC
I heard someone upstairs scream. I looked up from the poker game, and saw that everyone else had heard the same thing I had. We all jumped up and ran up the stairs. We didn't know what had happened, but with Spot and a girl involved, we knew it couldn't be good.
Jack opened the door and walked in, with me at his heels. I looked past him and saw Bella lying on the bed with Spot on top of her. I think I stopped breathing. She had lied to me! She had practically sworn she didn't like Spot, and here they were... But that's when I noticed that Spot had her wrists pinned to the bed. I burned with anger and started walking forward, put Jack pushed me back. "Ahem."
They sat up immediately. *Spot spoke*. "I know what this looks like, but it's not like that."
"Then what is it?" I asked angrily.
"Mush," Bella said quietly. I looked over at Bella, and I cooled down a little. She looked happy. Even if Spot got her instead of me, at least she was happy, and that's all that really mattered. "Ni-uh, Spot and I," she began.
'Here it comes,' I thought, 'Spot an 'er are goin out.'
"Bella," Spot said, not speaking to her, but to us about her, "is me sista."
I let out the breath I had been holding since I saw them together. Bella looked up at me, and quickly looked away. 'Great, now she's tryin ta ignoah me. Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut an listen ta what dey had ta say foist?'
"Well, I never saw that coming," Blink laughed, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Well, time fer bed now," Jack stated after we had explained the whole situation, "dis has been a very long night." Everyone laughed (why, i don't know), and after a while, it was light's out.
After we had been in bed for a while, I turned to face Bella. She was sleeping, and the moonlight fell across her face so it shined. (Don't ask)
"Mush." I almost went through the Skit's bunk.
"Jack!" I hissed. "Whaddya tink yer doin? I almost flew trough da roof!"
He laughed softly. "Sorry, Mush. Listen, I can tell ya like er," he whispered. I started to shake my head, but he continued. "Don't try an deny it, it won't work."
I was surprised. "How'd ya tell?" I asked, worried that I had made it too obvious and everyone knew.
"Don't worry, it ain't obvious," he assured me, practically reading my mind. "I can jus sense dese tins, I 'ave a knack fer it," he said proudly.
"So why we talkin 'bout dis now an not in da moinin?" I asked. Not that it really bothered me, since I wasn't sleeping anyway.
"Why don't cha tell er?" he asked, completely ignoring my question.
"Cuz she likes someone else," I answered.
"How da ya know?"
"Cuz she told me."
"Tell er anyway."
"Why, so she can toin me down? I don't tink so!"
Jack shook his head. "Fergit it, yer hopeless," he threw his hands up and walked away.
PC^^^^^^^^^^PC
About two weeks passed, and life at the Newsboys' Lodging House was...okay. Don't get me wrong-everyone was really nice to me and everything, but I had two big problems. One was that I couldn't understand why Spot/Nick had left me, but I was too afraid to ask him. And even if I wasn't, I rarely saw him, so it didn't matter. He hardly ever came to Manhattan, and I wasn't even allowed to go to Brooklyn to see him. Jack said it would be too dangerous, and Mush agreed with him.
Which brings me to my other, much bigger, problem. I wanted desperately to tell Mush how I felt about him, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. He thought of me as a friend, and nothing more, so what would telling him I was in love with him (omigosh, did I just say that?) do besides create tension between us? We had a great friendship-it just wasn't worth it.
But, moving on... One day, while I was sitting on my bunk, minding my own business, someone came and sat down next to me. I looked up, hoping it was Mush. But, sadly, it was just Blink.
"Don't look so happy da see me," he said sarcastically.
"Oh, sorry, I'm just not havin dat great of a day," I said, only half lying."Listen I was wondering," he began, "dere's dis dance at Medda's on Tuesday, and I was wondrin if ya wanted da go wid me?"
"Are ya askin me on a date, Blink?"
"Naw, more of a friendly ting."
"Sure, I'll go wid ya."
He smiled and kissed my cheek, then walked away. 'Maybe it'll get me mind offa Mush fer a change,' I thought.
PC^^^^^^^^^^^^PC
I walked into the lodging house to see Blink walking down the stairs from the bunkroom. "She said yes," he stated casually.
'She' could only be Bella. "To what?" I asked, just as casually.
"Ta Medda's dance on Tuesday."
I nodded, then felt a hand on my shoulder. "Ya okay?" Jack asked.
"Coise, I'm fine," I lied, "why wouldn't I be?"
"Ya ain't a good lia, Mush, not ta me. I can see right trough ya."
"I'm fine, Jack," I insisted, "I always knew she liked Blink."
The night of the dance came, and only a few of us didn't have dates, and I was one of the few, along with Snoddy, Crutchy, and Race. All the Manhattan newsies were there along with some from Brooklyn, including Spot.
I walked at the end of the group and watched sadly as Blink and Bella walked hand in hand to Medda's. Suddenly, I was pulled behind an alley. Before I had a chance to react, I felt someone punching my face and stomach repeatedly. After a while, they threw me on the ground and ran off. I remember thinking it was raining, and then I blacked out.
PC^^^^^^^^^PC
I looked at the back of the group, where I knew Mush was walking. He had seemed so down earlier for some reason. I had tried to talk to him, but he just ignored all my efforts. He mumbled something about 'I always knew it,' and walked away.
"Blink, ave ya seen Mush lately?" I asked.
"E's in da back, Bella," he answered.
"I don't see im," I said doubtfully. He looked back briefly, and turned to face me.
"I'm sure e's dere Bella, don't worry about it." I forced myself to believe him, and tried to pay attention to the conversation he was having between Race and Crutchy.
When we got to Medda's, I looked everywhere for Mush, but couldn't find him. I knew he wasn't there; it was just this sinking feeling I had that something was wrong. I broke away from Blink and ran to find Spot. "Spot!" I called to him, even though he was only a few feet away. "Mush isn't here."
He looked around for a second, then turned back to me. "Are you sure?"
I nodded, then ran outside, not even listening to what Spot was saying as I left. It was raining hard, and I was drenched in a matter of seconds. I had to find Mush, and soon.
I backtracked our steps from earlier, and peeked into every alley along the way. I finally saw him, lying there, unmoving in a pile of old clothes. I ran over to him and sat down. "Mush," I whispered, shaking him gently. "Mush, talk ta me. Open yer eyes," I pleaded. I shook him harder, but he still did nothing. "Please don't die on me, Mush. Don't die." I had tears streaming down my cheeks, and I knew just sitting there was going to do nothing. I would have to go back to Medda's and get help.
"Bella." I looked up and saw Spot walking towards me. He picked up Mush and we started back to the Lodging House in silence. Spot put Mush on his bunk and went downstairs to get Kloppman.
I reached down and touched Mush's bruised jaw, split lip, black eye, bloody nose. I wiped the blood away with my sleeve, then started bawling. "Don't die on me, Mush. Don't leave me, please. I need ya, I need ya heah wid me." I reached out and held his hand in mine. "I need ya moa dan you'll eva know. I love ya, Mush." I whispered the last part, then leaned down and kissed him.
Spot cleared his throat from the doorway. I knew he had heard and seen everything I had just said and done, but I didn't care.
"You should wait til e's awake ta tell im dat," he said, "fer now, go change outta dose clothes. Kloppman's not heah-I left him a note, dough-so I'll hafta see what I can do about Mush til 'e gets heah."
When I came out of the bathroom, Mush had a dry shirt on, and it looked like Spot was debating on whether he should change his pants.
"C'mon, Spot," I whined, "he could catch pneumonia!"
"Naw, ya jus wanna see 'im in boxers," he laughed.
"Spot, I'm serious!"
After that was taken care of, Spot started asking questions. "Does 'e know that's how ya feel?" I shook my head.
"Well. Why'd ya tell im now, when e's unconscious?"
"Why d'ya tink? Cuz I don't want im ta know."
He just shook his head. Moments later, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Kloppman opened the door with his medical bag.
He examined Mush for a few minutes, then turned back to Spot and I. "There's not a lot I can do. He's basically just bruised. Well, and unconsciousness, but what can ya do? Ya know? Come get me when he wakes up, okay?" We both nodded, and Kloppman left.
"Nick?" I asked apprehensively. "Why'd ya leave?"
He just looked at me for a minute, then spoke. "I didn't jus leave. Mama and Papa died, and I tried da take care a ya. But jeez, Bella, I was five yeahs old! I couldn't do it, so I went ta Aunt Claih. She was da only family I knew, so I took ya dere. I stayed fer a while, but she kicked me out. I tried ta stand up ta 'er, but I couldn't. I was at an orphanage fer a few yeahs, den left an 'came a newsie. I wanted da find ya, but I was afraid a what Claih would do."
About that time, the newsies came in, talking and laughing, but stopped when they saw Mush. We explained what we knew, which wasn't much. Kloppman came up and suggested we get some rest.
After lying down for about an hour and having no desire to sleep, I crept over to Mush's bed and knelt down next to it. I held his hand again, and put my head on the side of his bed. I fell asleep almost immediately.
PC^^^^^^^^^^^^PC
I opened my eyes, only to find one of them was swollen shut. It hurt to breathe. I felt someone's hand in mine, and turned to see Bella sleeping at the side of my bed. I tried to smile, but whinced in pain.
Bella stirred, and I hated myself for awakening her. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Yer awake!" she whispered. I nodded, and she squeezed my hand tightly. "Da ya need anytin?"
I shook my head. "It's da middle a da night, Bella."
"Yer point?"
I smiled and shook my head. "Ya can't sleep on dat cold floor all night!"
"Why not?"
"Cuz you'll catch a cold."
She smiled slyly. "Good. Den I can stay heah wid ya tamarra."
"Aw, quit, Bella. Ya know ya can stay heah wid out bein sick!"
"I can't leave ya, Mush," she whispered. "What if sometin happened ta ya an I wasn't heah fast enough an-I'd neva fagive meself."
"Bella, I'll be fine. Just go back ta bed."
"Mush I ain't leavin. If I," she got up and walked to the end of my bed. "If I hafta lay heah all night, I will." She curled up at my feet and stared up at me, smiling.
"Bella, honestly." She just lay there. I laughed, and, shaking my head, pulled the blankets back. "Come ere."
She looked at me questioningly, then crawled up to me and pulled the blankets over herself and me. "Tanks Mush."
"Sure. Tanks Bella."
She looked at me and asked "For what?"
"Saving me."
"How'd ya know it was me?" she asked.
"I dunno," I shrugged, "I jus knew. I figured cuz you was so worried bout me."
"Ya didn't heah anytin I said, did ya?" Her voice was all shaky.
"No, why? Whadja say?"
"Nuttin, it ain't impoitant. G'night, Mush."
"Night Bella." I wanted to know what she had said when I was unconscious, but decided that if she wanted me to know, she would tell me.
Well, that's the end of that chapter, what'd ya think? I hope you liked it...I'm getting good reviews on this story, and I really appreciate them. I didn't think this story was very good, and I'm surprised you guys like it, so thanks so much!!