Chapter Five
As if on cue, the front doors burst open. Several screams were heard as a group of boys, big, tall, muscly boys with chains and clubs and slingshots moved in from the doorway, grinning evilly. The action resembled nothing like that of a grin, but more a sickly grimace as the bunch surveyed the crowd. This group consisted of maybe 15 or less, but through the door, out on the street running in front of the Hall, more boys were visible. Hundreds more boys, or so it seemed.
Chapter stood frozen at the window and Solo didn't budge from his position. She saw her brother emerge from the crowd of frozen Bronxes to face one of the boys in the front of the group. He acknowledged him with the same ghostly grin as he himself wore, staring him in the eyes.
"Romeo." He spit the word out as if it were vile, inhumane.
"Blade." Came the chilling response.
"Get your lousy asses out of the Bronx." Blade growled. Romeo merely smirked.
"Ah, you ain't gonna get rid of us that quickly." He threw a glance over his shoulder at his boys. "Ready, boys?" he called. Chapter watched with a shudder as the grimaces widened.
"Out! Get the girls out!" Blade hollered to everyone in the room, knowing what was coming. There was a mad dash for the exits, of boys quickly kissing their girls goodbye, promising them it would be okay. Girls screamed as they were shoved through the doors, each catching a glance of the Jerseys' slow approach. Several of them wept in fear and groups raced towards the lodging houses where they would sit all huddled up together and pray for the best. Several of the more brassy, tough girls would try to stay and fight, to take advantage of a Jersey moral, "It isn't ever right to strike a girl."
Chapter looked quickly at Solo, shaking with fear, "What are they gonna do to them, Solo?" she whispered. He put his hands into the window, reaching out to her.
"Chapter, come with me. Please…you have to come with me!"
"What's gonna happen, Solo?! What're they gonna do to my family??"
"Chapter, now! Please?" He grabbed onto her wrists. She kept trembling as she climbed out the window and into his awaiting arms. She found him trembling as much as she was. "Come with me…we'll be safe."
Big Shot had seen her climb out the window into someone's arms. He had seen her hurry away, still holding onto him. He had seen that it was a Jersey, and he was ready to kill someone because of it.
***
Solo took Chapter to the docks, where they had met the night before. Chapter asked hundreds of questions about the Jerseys and what they were going to do to the Bronxes. Solo answered every one of them with "I don't know," and just held her closer than before, whispering to her that it would be okay, that he would find some way to make it be okay. He let his lips calm her, kissing her flushed skin gently. Chapter stopped thinking so much about the boys back at Ivory and remembered how much she loved Solo.
***
Big Shot fought mercilessly against the Jerseys, soaking every one he touched so badly, they fell to the floor, hunched over and had to try to regain the ability to breathe. He was filled with a horrific rage brought to life through witnessing Chapter come into that boy's arms, without a backward glance at him. He should have more respect than that. Way more.
Boys from both sides were being brutally beaten. The exclamations of pain filled the air, while those lying on the ground moaned in agony. Many fled home. When at last the Jerseys were being contained, Big Shot turned to Blade.
"Chapter's gone off with a Jersey. Blade, I'm gonna kill him." And with that, he was gone, out the door and down the street, in hot pursuit of the boy who had stolen Chapter away. Blade hurried after him, leaving his boys behind, trying to protect Big Shot from doing something he would forever regret. Romeo saw Blade leave. His main goal through this whole fight had been to soak him bad, and he hadn't yet gotten his shot. He ran after Blade. The bloodshed still went on.
"Chapter!" Big Shot yelled when he saw her, sitting in Solo's lap, kissing him deeply. She looked up suddenly and watched as Big Shot raced up and sent his fist through the air. It was caught about three inches away from Solo's nose by Blade, who was yelling at him. Romeo followed shortly after.
"Solo!" He screamed at the boy, "What the hell are you doing with that…that…whore? She's only out to confuse you, boy. Listen to me." Blade had let go of Big Shot to attack Romeo.
"Don't you EVER talk about my sister that way!" Blade yelled as he landed a punch in Romeo's jaw. Romeo stumbled back, amazed and appalled. He drew a sickeningly sharp dagger from a sheath at the side of his pants and held it poised at Blade.
Chapter let out a piercing scream. Big Shot had run at Solo and the two had begun a brutal fistfight, taking them, all over the docks, swinging at each other. Terrified and without better options,
Chapter fled towards home. She didn't want to see the outcome of this pointless and ruthless battle.
Blade drew his own knife, his trademark. He held it at Romeo, daring him silently to approach him. Romeo darted towards him and Blade just barely blocked his shot. The two fought back and forth, one lunging and the other blocking, back and forth and back and forth without end. Until Romeo's dagger was knocked from his grasp. It flew through the air and slid off the edge of the dock into the black water below. Romeo was unarmed. When one was unarmed, it was custom in New York to cease the battle and name the one still holding his weapon victorious. But Blade's fury had long since clouded those thoughts from his mind. Blade lunged a final time. The knife's blade sunk deep into Romeo's abdomen. His eyes went wide as he slid to the wooden dock, defeated. He uttered not one sound.
Solo had seen his leader fall. He watched his eyes close and his chest stop rising and falling. He had seen his leader die. Romeo had taken him in like a brother when he was only 12 years old. He had lived with the Jerseys ever since then under Romeo's strict, but caring watch. And now he had seen him die.
He threw Big Shot away from him with more strength than either of them had known he possessed. He landed in a heap near the end of the docks and didn't move to get up, clutching at his side where he knew he had broken a rib and feeling gently at his eye, the one that everything looked dizzyingly blurry out of. He watched to see what Solo would do.
Solo started throwing punches at Blade, who was lunging with the lethal dagger. Solo flew with dire accuracy and speed. He hit his hand and the dagger dropped from his hold to the floor at Solo's feet. Blade stopped, staring wide-eyed at it. Solo stooped, taking the thing in his hold and turning it on its owner. Blade never tried to get away. He never tried do avoid the dagger's lethal path. It landed in his chest, slipping through his ribs and stilling his heart instantly. Blade fell to the ground, dead.
Big Shot had seen it all. He jumped from his position, exclaiming in horrendous fury. Blade was dead. Blade was gone. He lit out of the docks towards home and towards Chapter. He had to tell her, to scream in her face how evil this boy had been. She had to see her mistake, and she had to pay. He would have to make her pay.
As if on cue, the front doors burst open. Several screams were heard as a group of boys, big, tall, muscly boys with chains and clubs and slingshots moved in from the doorway, grinning evilly. The action resembled nothing like that of a grin, but more a sickly grimace as the bunch surveyed the crowd. This group consisted of maybe 15 or less, but through the door, out on the street running in front of the Hall, more boys were visible. Hundreds more boys, or so it seemed.
Chapter stood frozen at the window and Solo didn't budge from his position. She saw her brother emerge from the crowd of frozen Bronxes to face one of the boys in the front of the group. He acknowledged him with the same ghostly grin as he himself wore, staring him in the eyes.
"Romeo." He spit the word out as if it were vile, inhumane.
"Blade." Came the chilling response.
"Get your lousy asses out of the Bronx." Blade growled. Romeo merely smirked.
"Ah, you ain't gonna get rid of us that quickly." He threw a glance over his shoulder at his boys. "Ready, boys?" he called. Chapter watched with a shudder as the grimaces widened.
"Out! Get the girls out!" Blade hollered to everyone in the room, knowing what was coming. There was a mad dash for the exits, of boys quickly kissing their girls goodbye, promising them it would be okay. Girls screamed as they were shoved through the doors, each catching a glance of the Jerseys' slow approach. Several of them wept in fear and groups raced towards the lodging houses where they would sit all huddled up together and pray for the best. Several of the more brassy, tough girls would try to stay and fight, to take advantage of a Jersey moral, "It isn't ever right to strike a girl."
Chapter looked quickly at Solo, shaking with fear, "What are they gonna do to them, Solo?" she whispered. He put his hands into the window, reaching out to her.
"Chapter, come with me. Please…you have to come with me!"
"What's gonna happen, Solo?! What're they gonna do to my family??"
"Chapter, now! Please?" He grabbed onto her wrists. She kept trembling as she climbed out the window and into his awaiting arms. She found him trembling as much as she was. "Come with me…we'll be safe."
Big Shot had seen her climb out the window into someone's arms. He had seen her hurry away, still holding onto him. He had seen that it was a Jersey, and he was ready to kill someone because of it.
***
Solo took Chapter to the docks, where they had met the night before. Chapter asked hundreds of questions about the Jerseys and what they were going to do to the Bronxes. Solo answered every one of them with "I don't know," and just held her closer than before, whispering to her that it would be okay, that he would find some way to make it be okay. He let his lips calm her, kissing her flushed skin gently. Chapter stopped thinking so much about the boys back at Ivory and remembered how much she loved Solo.
***
Big Shot fought mercilessly against the Jerseys, soaking every one he touched so badly, they fell to the floor, hunched over and had to try to regain the ability to breathe. He was filled with a horrific rage brought to life through witnessing Chapter come into that boy's arms, without a backward glance at him. He should have more respect than that. Way more.
Boys from both sides were being brutally beaten. The exclamations of pain filled the air, while those lying on the ground moaned in agony. Many fled home. When at last the Jerseys were being contained, Big Shot turned to Blade.
"Chapter's gone off with a Jersey. Blade, I'm gonna kill him." And with that, he was gone, out the door and down the street, in hot pursuit of the boy who had stolen Chapter away. Blade hurried after him, leaving his boys behind, trying to protect Big Shot from doing something he would forever regret. Romeo saw Blade leave. His main goal through this whole fight had been to soak him bad, and he hadn't yet gotten his shot. He ran after Blade. The bloodshed still went on.
"Chapter!" Big Shot yelled when he saw her, sitting in Solo's lap, kissing him deeply. She looked up suddenly and watched as Big Shot raced up and sent his fist through the air. It was caught about three inches away from Solo's nose by Blade, who was yelling at him. Romeo followed shortly after.
"Solo!" He screamed at the boy, "What the hell are you doing with that…that…whore? She's only out to confuse you, boy. Listen to me." Blade had let go of Big Shot to attack Romeo.
"Don't you EVER talk about my sister that way!" Blade yelled as he landed a punch in Romeo's jaw. Romeo stumbled back, amazed and appalled. He drew a sickeningly sharp dagger from a sheath at the side of his pants and held it poised at Blade.
Chapter let out a piercing scream. Big Shot had run at Solo and the two had begun a brutal fistfight, taking them, all over the docks, swinging at each other. Terrified and without better options,
Chapter fled towards home. She didn't want to see the outcome of this pointless and ruthless battle.
Blade drew his own knife, his trademark. He held it at Romeo, daring him silently to approach him. Romeo darted towards him and Blade just barely blocked his shot. The two fought back and forth, one lunging and the other blocking, back and forth and back and forth without end. Until Romeo's dagger was knocked from his grasp. It flew through the air and slid off the edge of the dock into the black water below. Romeo was unarmed. When one was unarmed, it was custom in New York to cease the battle and name the one still holding his weapon victorious. But Blade's fury had long since clouded those thoughts from his mind. Blade lunged a final time. The knife's blade sunk deep into Romeo's abdomen. His eyes went wide as he slid to the wooden dock, defeated. He uttered not one sound.
Solo had seen his leader fall. He watched his eyes close and his chest stop rising and falling. He had seen his leader die. Romeo had taken him in like a brother when he was only 12 years old. He had lived with the Jerseys ever since then under Romeo's strict, but caring watch. And now he had seen him die.
He threw Big Shot away from him with more strength than either of them had known he possessed. He landed in a heap near the end of the docks and didn't move to get up, clutching at his side where he knew he had broken a rib and feeling gently at his eye, the one that everything looked dizzyingly blurry out of. He watched to see what Solo would do.
Solo started throwing punches at Blade, who was lunging with the lethal dagger. Solo flew with dire accuracy and speed. He hit his hand and the dagger dropped from his hold to the floor at Solo's feet. Blade stopped, staring wide-eyed at it. Solo stooped, taking the thing in his hold and turning it on its owner. Blade never tried to get away. He never tried do avoid the dagger's lethal path. It landed in his chest, slipping through his ribs and stilling his heart instantly. Blade fell to the ground, dead.
Big Shot had seen it all. He jumped from his position, exclaiming in horrendous fury. Blade was dead. Blade was gone. He lit out of the docks towards home and towards Chapter. He had to tell her, to scream in her face how evil this boy had been. She had to see her mistake, and she had to pay. He would have to make her pay.