"Just to Love"
By: Laney Sanchez
==============
Note:
Ok ok. That last chapter was pretty intense. My friend read it and said Spot sounds like he has a crush on Kid or something. O.o;;
He doesn't, I assure you. You'll find out why he's so mad in this chapter and I'm sorry if I made him seem too mean in the last chapter. I didn't want to post chapter 13 and 14 separately, because this chapter explains Spot's madness instead of making him just look like a mean a******. ^.^;;
Also just a little note. Towards the end ...this -*- means POV change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Chapter 14 ~ Trying To Understand A Confused Soul
The night was cold. The sun had just set on the day's amazing events.
The stars in the sky overhead seemed to twinkle and sing in the black sheet of the sky. Reina's blue eyes watched them tentatively.
Her eyes seemed to search them for an answer.
.·."You see those stars...?".·.
.·."Uh huh..." a small girl answered. Her soft brown curls pulled into dirty white ribbons. .·.
The memory brought tears to Reina's eyes that she found were impossible to fight.
.·."Those stars...they know so much...they've been around far longer than we have or ever will be..." the woman said mystically and smiled. A kind...loving smile..·.
.·."Can...they..." the little girl began. .·.
"See...me?" Reina whispered.
.·.The woman nodded knowingly.·.
Reina shut her eyes. They certainly didn't have an answer now.
Reina felt her heart shatter. There were so many memories...and that particular one ...was her favorite.
It was her best one of her and her mother.
That's why it hurt so much.
She drew in a long, shuddery breath. She didn't want to break down and cry. She couldn't afford to just lose it now. Nor ever. Yes, it was her past...and it hurt...but sooner or later she would have to face up to it. That meant moving on.
Reina let out a small sigh that sounded more like a whimper. The faint fragment of tears had vanished and she felt a little better. She had a more important task on her hands now.
Reina shuffled slowly down the all too familiar docks, overlooking the river. The water glittered with the moonlight. Reina watched the moonbeams dance upon the small rippling waves that lapped the pillars of the docks.
She walked slowly down the wooden planks of the docks. Her head glanced from side to aside. Looking ...
It was only until she heard the familiar snap of a slingshot, did she find what she was looking for.
Pieces of green colored glass rained down in tiny shards, broken by a small bullet like object.
Spot loaded another small rock pellet into his old slingshot. Reina suppressed a smirk. She knew this meeting wouldn't be a happy one...but she couldn't help but find it cute that big, tough boss Spot still played with a slingshot.
He pulled back, eyeing another bottle with the gaze of a hawk. He paused in mid shoot and turned to look at Reina. His look was not as anger filled as it had been earlier that day, but it still contained a good share of disdain.
Reina stopped. She was cautious before approaching him. Like someone trying to approach a wild animal.
"What do yous want?"
Reina blinked. There would be no hesitating now. Just straight to the point...
Now if only she knew how to start.
"Spot...I..."
"Don't bodder" he said, cutting her off sharply. Reina watched him, intently. She stepped forward. "No!"
Spot turned to face her immediately. His eyes burned into hers. "What? Here ta punch me again? Or maybe just ta gloat?"
Reina shook her head. "No...no. I...I came to apologize"
Spot rolled his eyes as the word left her lips and turned away. "Like I said..." he muttered, pulling up his slingshot once more. "Don't bodder"
"Spot...Kid didn't mean it" Reina blurted out. He stopped once more in mid shot, though he didn't face her. She watched him closely, unsurely.
To her Spot was like a firecracker. Dangerous and set off easily.
Spot lowered his slingshot, in a tired manner. He didn't face her but she could somehow sense that he had calmed down quite significantly. "Since when did yous become da expoit on Kid?"
Reina looked down. "I..." she started. She swallowed hard. It was time to set any feelings aside. This charade had went on long enough...
"Or is it REALLY just a charade?" her mind suggested.
"I'm not an expert Spot"
Spot sat down on a small wooden crate. He rested the palm of his hand on one knee and stared off into the distance. She wasn't sure if he was hearing her or not, but nonetheless she continued.
"I...I don't KNOW Kid, Spot. I don't know his favorite color, his favorite places..." she shrugged and made a helpless gesture with her arms. "I don't even know how long he's been a newsie-"
"Ten years..."
Reina stopped. Her mouth hung open, unable to really think of anything to say to that.
"Oh..."
"Same as me..." Spot answered, his voice was smoothed over with carelessness. Like none of what he was telling her mattered anymore.
"You've...been a newsie for ten years?" Reina asked. She hadn't meant to pry, but the question had just slipped out. Plus her curiosity had been peaked.
"Yeah...since we's was lil kids" Spot said. Reina sat beside him. Her cautious temperament had left her. She now listened aptly, failing to notice that this was a side of Spot Conlon that she had never been introduced to.
"...Was...Kid really an orphan?"
Spot looked at his slingshot. He studied it as though it were a complex puzzle that needed solving. "...Yes and no..."
"I don't...- "
"He still tinks his folks are comin' back"
The words struck Reina right in the heart. She looked away and looked down.
Several moments of silence passed, which Reina was unaware of.
"What's wrong wit yous?"
"Huh?" Reina shook her head, snapping out of it. She looked back over to Spot.
Spot was watching her coolly, though a bit of confusion tainted his features.
"Yous was lookin all depressed or sumthin..."
Reina looked away, back towards the water. It was her turn to not face him. "Just...stupid memories..." she muttered. She really didn't want to get into it.
"Dats it?" Spot asked, looking away as well. Reina turned back to face him. Spot almost always managed to say something to tick her off in some way or another.
She let out an exasperated sigh. She was too tired to care. Plus she was sick of fighting with Spot.
She would rather things stayed as they did now.
Another minor silence ensued, but was soon broken by Spot. "Kid and me...we was...best friends ever since den..."
Spot licked his lips and concentrated on the memories. "He and I were da best damn newsies in the whole Brooklyn area. I became ... kinda da boss laters on, but Kid was always me right hand man. Like a bruddah" Spot paused. "He's da only one who even knows me real name"
Reina watched Spot intently, unaware she was really staring. Spot turned and looked into her eyes. If you looked close enough you could see a sort of helpless sadness in hi eyes. Maybe it was confusion.
"Dat's all 'til yous came along Kitty"
There was a brief moment of silence. Very brief because Spot realized his mistake. "Geeze...yous ain't gunna slap me or sumthin for callin' yous Kitty, are yous?"
Reina smiled genuinely and shook her head no. It was a silly nickname but somehow it seemed better than Kitten. Kitten made Reina think of herself as some sort of man toy or sex object...
At least Kitty sounded decent and didn't bring any thoughts of the sort.
Spot had looked away once more. This time he was looking to the stars. Reina followed his eyesight with a sort of innocence about her face. She didn't feel happy, or sad. She didn't think of her painful past or her memories. She didn't think of Spot or Kid or their feuds...
"My mom...use to tell me that the stars knew so much..." she whispered, scanning the night sky.
Spot looked at her briefly, his eyes darting between her and the stars. "Oh yeah?"
Reina nodded solemnly. A shooting star flickered across the sky. It left a sparkled trail of faint oranges and yellows before disappearing back into the thick dark blanket of the sky.
Reina pointed it out. "Make a wish Spot"
Spot eyed her, unsurely. "Yous still do dat?"
"Yeah..." she sighed. "It can't hurt..."
-*-
Spot looked at the sky, a bit uncomfortably. Kitty had some oddball ideas. Wishing on stars was something he had stopped when he was six. It went out the window with other childish things like toys, monsters and wetting the bed. Not that he ever did that of course.
However he found that he had made a wish.
"It's late..."
He looked to Kitty, his thoughts interrupted. He watched her nonchalantly. It was weird talking to his "enemy" in a sort of calm manner. He wasn't too sure about it. But then again he wasn't too sure of anything at this particular moment in time. A feeling that did NOT sit well with him.
He was sure that he was Spot Conlon and Brooklyn was his turf.
For now that was all he needed to know.
"I...guess I'll ...see you tomorrow..." Kitty said. Her voice had an edge to it that Spot couldn't understand. Then again he hadn't been paying much attention anyway.
"Yeah. Night" he said, his voice displaying no emotion. Nor interest for that matter.
Spot was just too wrapped up in his thoughts, that he failed to notice Kitty leave. He still thought about her though.
"...One night ain't gunna change nuttin. What's done is done" Spot's mind reminded him. And for the most part, it was the truth. Tonight was going to be the last night he'd ever see Kitty again.
Spot picked his slingshot back up, and aimed. His hand shook badly though. He aimed at the blue glassed bottle that just stood there, like it was mocking him.
Even if he did change his mind, things would be the same. She'd go back to punching him and making a fool out of him. That was Kitty. She couldn't change and Spot didn't need a girl like that around.
As Spot fired, his pellet was WAY off target. It missed the bottle entirely.
"If dats the right ting ta do...den why is yous worrying about it so much?" he thought with unease in his stomach. Spot stared back the night sky blankly.
The stars stared back at him mercilessly.
Kitty's words rang in his ears.
.·."My mom...use to tell me that the stars knew so much....·.
By: Laney Sanchez
==============
Note:
Ok ok. That last chapter was pretty intense. My friend read it and said Spot sounds like he has a crush on Kid or something. O.o;;
He doesn't, I assure you. You'll find out why he's so mad in this chapter and I'm sorry if I made him seem too mean in the last chapter. I didn't want to post chapter 13 and 14 separately, because this chapter explains Spot's madness instead of making him just look like a mean a******. ^.^;;
Also just a little note. Towards the end ...this -*- means POV change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Chapter 14 ~ Trying To Understand A Confused Soul
The night was cold. The sun had just set on the day's amazing events.
The stars in the sky overhead seemed to twinkle and sing in the black sheet of the sky. Reina's blue eyes watched them tentatively.
Her eyes seemed to search them for an answer.
.·."You see those stars...?".·.
.·."Uh huh..." a small girl answered. Her soft brown curls pulled into dirty white ribbons. .·.
The memory brought tears to Reina's eyes that she found were impossible to fight.
.·."Those stars...they know so much...they've been around far longer than we have or ever will be..." the woman said mystically and smiled. A kind...loving smile..·.
.·."Can...they..." the little girl began. .·.
"See...me?" Reina whispered.
.·.The woman nodded knowingly.·.
Reina shut her eyes. They certainly didn't have an answer now.
Reina felt her heart shatter. There were so many memories...and that particular one ...was her favorite.
It was her best one of her and her mother.
That's why it hurt so much.
She drew in a long, shuddery breath. She didn't want to break down and cry. She couldn't afford to just lose it now. Nor ever. Yes, it was her past...and it hurt...but sooner or later she would have to face up to it. That meant moving on.
Reina let out a small sigh that sounded more like a whimper. The faint fragment of tears had vanished and she felt a little better. She had a more important task on her hands now.
Reina shuffled slowly down the all too familiar docks, overlooking the river. The water glittered with the moonlight. Reina watched the moonbeams dance upon the small rippling waves that lapped the pillars of the docks.
She walked slowly down the wooden planks of the docks. Her head glanced from side to aside. Looking ...
It was only until she heard the familiar snap of a slingshot, did she find what she was looking for.
Pieces of green colored glass rained down in tiny shards, broken by a small bullet like object.
Spot loaded another small rock pellet into his old slingshot. Reina suppressed a smirk. She knew this meeting wouldn't be a happy one...but she couldn't help but find it cute that big, tough boss Spot still played with a slingshot.
He pulled back, eyeing another bottle with the gaze of a hawk. He paused in mid shoot and turned to look at Reina. His look was not as anger filled as it had been earlier that day, but it still contained a good share of disdain.
Reina stopped. She was cautious before approaching him. Like someone trying to approach a wild animal.
"What do yous want?"
Reina blinked. There would be no hesitating now. Just straight to the point...
Now if only she knew how to start.
"Spot...I..."
"Don't bodder" he said, cutting her off sharply. Reina watched him, intently. She stepped forward. "No!"
Spot turned to face her immediately. His eyes burned into hers. "What? Here ta punch me again? Or maybe just ta gloat?"
Reina shook her head. "No...no. I...I came to apologize"
Spot rolled his eyes as the word left her lips and turned away. "Like I said..." he muttered, pulling up his slingshot once more. "Don't bodder"
"Spot...Kid didn't mean it" Reina blurted out. He stopped once more in mid shot, though he didn't face her. She watched him closely, unsurely.
To her Spot was like a firecracker. Dangerous and set off easily.
Spot lowered his slingshot, in a tired manner. He didn't face her but she could somehow sense that he had calmed down quite significantly. "Since when did yous become da expoit on Kid?"
Reina looked down. "I..." she started. She swallowed hard. It was time to set any feelings aside. This charade had went on long enough...
"Or is it REALLY just a charade?" her mind suggested.
"I'm not an expert Spot"
Spot sat down on a small wooden crate. He rested the palm of his hand on one knee and stared off into the distance. She wasn't sure if he was hearing her or not, but nonetheless she continued.
"I...I don't KNOW Kid, Spot. I don't know his favorite color, his favorite places..." she shrugged and made a helpless gesture with her arms. "I don't even know how long he's been a newsie-"
"Ten years..."
Reina stopped. Her mouth hung open, unable to really think of anything to say to that.
"Oh..."
"Same as me..." Spot answered, his voice was smoothed over with carelessness. Like none of what he was telling her mattered anymore.
"You've...been a newsie for ten years?" Reina asked. She hadn't meant to pry, but the question had just slipped out. Plus her curiosity had been peaked.
"Yeah...since we's was lil kids" Spot said. Reina sat beside him. Her cautious temperament had left her. She now listened aptly, failing to notice that this was a side of Spot Conlon that she had never been introduced to.
"...Was...Kid really an orphan?"
Spot looked at his slingshot. He studied it as though it were a complex puzzle that needed solving. "...Yes and no..."
"I don't...- "
"He still tinks his folks are comin' back"
The words struck Reina right in the heart. She looked away and looked down.
Several moments of silence passed, which Reina was unaware of.
"What's wrong wit yous?"
"Huh?" Reina shook her head, snapping out of it. She looked back over to Spot.
Spot was watching her coolly, though a bit of confusion tainted his features.
"Yous was lookin all depressed or sumthin..."
Reina looked away, back towards the water. It was her turn to not face him. "Just...stupid memories..." she muttered. She really didn't want to get into it.
"Dats it?" Spot asked, looking away as well. Reina turned back to face him. Spot almost always managed to say something to tick her off in some way or another.
She let out an exasperated sigh. She was too tired to care. Plus she was sick of fighting with Spot.
She would rather things stayed as they did now.
Another minor silence ensued, but was soon broken by Spot. "Kid and me...we was...best friends ever since den..."
Spot licked his lips and concentrated on the memories. "He and I were da best damn newsies in the whole Brooklyn area. I became ... kinda da boss laters on, but Kid was always me right hand man. Like a bruddah" Spot paused. "He's da only one who even knows me real name"
Reina watched Spot intently, unaware she was really staring. Spot turned and looked into her eyes. If you looked close enough you could see a sort of helpless sadness in hi eyes. Maybe it was confusion.
"Dat's all 'til yous came along Kitty"
There was a brief moment of silence. Very brief because Spot realized his mistake. "Geeze...yous ain't gunna slap me or sumthin for callin' yous Kitty, are yous?"
Reina smiled genuinely and shook her head no. It was a silly nickname but somehow it seemed better than Kitten. Kitten made Reina think of herself as some sort of man toy or sex object...
At least Kitty sounded decent and didn't bring any thoughts of the sort.
Spot had looked away once more. This time he was looking to the stars. Reina followed his eyesight with a sort of innocence about her face. She didn't feel happy, or sad. She didn't think of her painful past or her memories. She didn't think of Spot or Kid or their feuds...
"My mom...use to tell me that the stars knew so much..." she whispered, scanning the night sky.
Spot looked at her briefly, his eyes darting between her and the stars. "Oh yeah?"
Reina nodded solemnly. A shooting star flickered across the sky. It left a sparkled trail of faint oranges and yellows before disappearing back into the thick dark blanket of the sky.
Reina pointed it out. "Make a wish Spot"
Spot eyed her, unsurely. "Yous still do dat?"
"Yeah..." she sighed. "It can't hurt..."
-*-
Spot looked at the sky, a bit uncomfortably. Kitty had some oddball ideas. Wishing on stars was something he had stopped when he was six. It went out the window with other childish things like toys, monsters and wetting the bed. Not that he ever did that of course.
However he found that he had made a wish.
"It's late..."
He looked to Kitty, his thoughts interrupted. He watched her nonchalantly. It was weird talking to his "enemy" in a sort of calm manner. He wasn't too sure about it. But then again he wasn't too sure of anything at this particular moment in time. A feeling that did NOT sit well with him.
He was sure that he was Spot Conlon and Brooklyn was his turf.
For now that was all he needed to know.
"I...guess I'll ...see you tomorrow..." Kitty said. Her voice had an edge to it that Spot couldn't understand. Then again he hadn't been paying much attention anyway.
"Yeah. Night" he said, his voice displaying no emotion. Nor interest for that matter.
Spot was just too wrapped up in his thoughts, that he failed to notice Kitty leave. He still thought about her though.
"...One night ain't gunna change nuttin. What's done is done" Spot's mind reminded him. And for the most part, it was the truth. Tonight was going to be the last night he'd ever see Kitty again.
Spot picked his slingshot back up, and aimed. His hand shook badly though. He aimed at the blue glassed bottle that just stood there, like it was mocking him.
Even if he did change his mind, things would be the same. She'd go back to punching him and making a fool out of him. That was Kitty. She couldn't change and Spot didn't need a girl like that around.
As Spot fired, his pellet was WAY off target. It missed the bottle entirely.
"If dats the right ting ta do...den why is yous worrying about it so much?" he thought with unease in his stomach. Spot stared back the night sky blankly.
The stars stared back at him mercilessly.
Kitty's words rang in his ears.
.·."My mom...use to tell me that the stars knew so much....·.