MON DIEU!!!!!! It's taken me foreeeeever to get this chapter out...it's not even finished yet, but I figured I should post what I have. ARGH! This story is really driving me crazy...well. Crazier than I am already :)
** Shorty Carter ** thanks for the help with defeating the evil writer's block...unfortunately, it's stronger than we had originally guessed! AAAAAAAAHHHH!! *cowers* but don't worry...I will defeat it...mwahahahaha...anyway - thankie for the support as always! I hope you're feeling better! :)
** Raven's Wing ** *hands muses the cookies, which they gobble down and start clamoring for more* ... oh dear. They're awfully demanding. Thank you tho, ma cherie, because baked goods are always appreciated. The pirate game was indeed a slightly different take on the same old story... I didn't really like it, personally, but my creativity was failing. Oh dear. Key really isn't the wooliest sheep in the flock - because Spot is mm mm good, to quote campbells'. Stupid kid. Oh well, she'll see the light eventually...I think... thanks for the reviews! :)
** Vioshine ** they are being terribly selfish, aren't they? *glares disapprovingly at spot and lock, who do a terrible job of looking remorseful* stupid boys. I can't tell you that they learn to share any time soon, unfortunately though :( sowie. Anyway - I'll try to send them to manners school. Thanks for the review!
** Dreamer ** yay you're back!!! But quit poking me, I'm terribly ticklish! *runs away* I'm glad you like my story *blushes* and thank you for the review! :)
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He had been on her mind all day. Key could see his eyes in her head, feel his arms around her. She could almost taste him. And yet she had avoided him since that fateful day in the alley, spending all her time instead with Lock. His obvious feelings for her, however, were not doing much to curb her guilt. Every time Key caught Lock looking at her, she felt shame gnawing at her stomach as she attempted to smile. Every time his hand brushed hers, she had to keep herself from flinching.
He's not stupid. He's going to notice eventually.
The bunkroom behind her was eerily silent, the cries of newsboys out in the streets explaining their absence. Spot, however, was notably missing from his perch on the docks.
So now here she was, standing in front of his door trying to scrape up enough courage to knock. Her knuckled grazed the worn wood hesitantly. There was no response. Suddenly fearing that he was gone, that she had missed her chance, she rashly grasped the knob and threw the door open.
Her eyes swept the room, coming to rest on the boy sitting at the window, his head in his hands. He hadn't looked up or even flinched when she came barging into the room, but his mere presence stopped Key in her tacks.
The words that had been forming on her lips died as she looked at him. She couldn't manage any more than a choked whisper;
"Spot..."
Without looking up, he murmured,
"Whaddya want, Key?"
His words brought her back to that first day on the docks, a day that felit like years ago but had actually been little more than a week. Then, he had been her best friend, the menacing, pissed-off leader of Brooklyn.
Now, she wasn't sure what he was. But his tone was defeated. He was a broken man. Pushing those thoughts aside, she attempted to concentrate on the task at hand.
"Spot..." might as well jump in with both feet "Why did you kiss me?"
He glanced up at her suddenly, his eyes seeming to devour her face. Sighing, he turned away.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?!" her eyes flashed with anger. "I'm your best friends' girl. You kissed me; I fucking cheated on him with you and you don't know why?!" her eyes seemed to shed sparks, she was suddenly so furious. "What kind of a bullshit answer is that? I know that you're a womanizer, Spot, but I didn't think that you'd do this to your best friend. To your best friends. He finally loves me and you just decide to step in one day and ruin it! I'm feeling so guilty that it's eating me up inside and you DON'T KNOW?!"
As her voice reached a fever pitch, Spot sprang suddenly to life.
"What did you want me to say? That I'm in love with you? That I've been in love with you for years but that I knew how you felt about Lock so I didn't say anything? That the guilt of what happened is killing me inside too, that the only thing that's keeping me going is the thought that I get to see you every day - even if it's seeing you in his arms?"
His words were rushing out so fast that he seemed to have lost complete control of them.
"Did you want me to tell you that when you kissed me back, I let myself hope in a way that I never have before?"
He paused, his voice laced with faint hope.
"I thought that you could...feel something. Maybe that you felt something."
His eyes that had been searching her face dropped to the floor and he turned away, his shoulders drooped with defeat.
"But seeing that look on your face, I guess I was wrong."
The world seemed to slow down. The only sound that Key could hear was the beating of her heart. It filled her ears until everything around her seemed to disappear. Her heart was screaming, "You love him. Tell him you love him. Tell him that you love him back!" Her head, however - "What about Lock? He needs you. You need him. He's been your best friend for longer than Spot has. If you act now, you'll lose him forever. Walk away. Just walk away."
But her heart won, and she took an involuntary step forward.
"Spot, wait, I -" and as he turned, she couldn't hold herself back. She launched herself into his arms.
She was so frenzied that she could barely find his mouth. Her kisses covered his entire face; his eyelids, his chin. He wrapped his arms around her, covering her mouth at last with his, and her body trembled with anguished happiness. Sweet release filled her as she pressed against him fiercely, his hands buried deep in her hair.
They didn't stop to breathe for a long time.
When they finally parted, her eyes were sparkling with tears as she gazed into his face.
"I'm in love with you." she gasped, trying deliriously to catch her breath, "I love you. And I can't even pin point when it started because it fills me up inside. Loving you feels right. I -"
A sudden commotion outside brutally interrupted her breathless confession. Spot strode over to the window and, after one quick glance, dashed out of the bunkroom with Key hot on his heels. Banging out of the lodging house doors, he pounded down the steps and reached the fight in three quick strides.
Key was caught frozen on the front steps, where she surveyed the scene with horrified eyes.
Grubbs lay on the ground, futiely trying to protect his face from the blows raining from above. His movements seemed dazed, however, and his brown eyes were vacant. There wasn't any fight left in him - if the other boy didn't stop soon...
"Spot!" she cried out, hardly recongizing her voice tainted with fear - but Spot was already moving.
He leapt into the fight and caught the attacker by the arm, showing surprising strength as he half-threw him across the square. The boy stumbled, tripping and rolling to land only a few feet away from Key.
She recognized his blond locks immediately and rushed over to his immobile form. Kneeling down beside him, she watched, aghast, as his shoulders began to shake. She was too astonished to say anything. Lock doesn't cry. Lock doesn't almost kill people.
"Key." Spot's voice startled her and she looked up. His eyes were solemn as he held out a tattered piece of paper to her. "It's Jake. There was a fire at the orphanage and - " he stopped, aware that his voice had gotten dangerously husky with sorrow.
Jack was Lock's baby brother. He wasn't so much of a baby now at 8 years old - there were newsies years younger than he already at the lodging house. He had been bugging Lock for some time now to break him out of the orphanage and let him be a newsie, but Lock had refused.
"I got enough to worry about without havin' to look out for my kid brother too. The nuns are nice to ya. Ya get enough to eat, they're teachin' ya to read. I'm not gonna take ya away from that to live in a lodgin' house that's freezin' in winter and hotter than hell in summer, where ya starve almost every day and sometimes don't even have a bed ta sleep in at night. Ya stayin' at the orphanage.
But now...
Key reached out to Lock, wrapping her arms around him with what little comfort she could give.
"It wasn't supposed ta happen like this, Liza." Lock sobbed into her shirt, "He was supposed ta be safe."
Without replying, she simply bowed her head, her tears staining his hair brown as they fell.
***********
AN: hopefully, the next chapter will be out sooner than this one...I dunno. Argh. As was previously mentioned, this story is driving me bonkers *goes bonkers* ... anyway - lemme know what you think as always, okay? This chapter was brought to you by my parents' record collection, which I can finally use because we set up our turntable! YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) twist and shout, anyone?
** Shorty Carter ** thanks for the help with defeating the evil writer's block...unfortunately, it's stronger than we had originally guessed! AAAAAAAAHHHH!! *cowers* but don't worry...I will defeat it...mwahahahaha...anyway - thankie for the support as always! I hope you're feeling better! :)
** Raven's Wing ** *hands muses the cookies, which they gobble down and start clamoring for more* ... oh dear. They're awfully demanding. Thank you tho, ma cherie, because baked goods are always appreciated. The pirate game was indeed a slightly different take on the same old story... I didn't really like it, personally, but my creativity was failing. Oh dear. Key really isn't the wooliest sheep in the flock - because Spot is mm mm good, to quote campbells'. Stupid kid. Oh well, she'll see the light eventually...I think... thanks for the reviews! :)
** Vioshine ** they are being terribly selfish, aren't they? *glares disapprovingly at spot and lock, who do a terrible job of looking remorseful* stupid boys. I can't tell you that they learn to share any time soon, unfortunately though :( sowie. Anyway - I'll try to send them to manners school. Thanks for the review!
** Dreamer ** yay you're back!!! But quit poking me, I'm terribly ticklish! *runs away* I'm glad you like my story *blushes* and thank you for the review! :)
*********
He had been on her mind all day. Key could see his eyes in her head, feel his arms around her. She could almost taste him. And yet she had avoided him since that fateful day in the alley, spending all her time instead with Lock. His obvious feelings for her, however, were not doing much to curb her guilt. Every time Key caught Lock looking at her, she felt shame gnawing at her stomach as she attempted to smile. Every time his hand brushed hers, she had to keep herself from flinching.
He's not stupid. He's going to notice eventually.
The bunkroom behind her was eerily silent, the cries of newsboys out in the streets explaining their absence. Spot, however, was notably missing from his perch on the docks.
So now here she was, standing in front of his door trying to scrape up enough courage to knock. Her knuckled grazed the worn wood hesitantly. There was no response. Suddenly fearing that he was gone, that she had missed her chance, she rashly grasped the knob and threw the door open.
Her eyes swept the room, coming to rest on the boy sitting at the window, his head in his hands. He hadn't looked up or even flinched when she came barging into the room, but his mere presence stopped Key in her tacks.
The words that had been forming on her lips died as she looked at him. She couldn't manage any more than a choked whisper;
"Spot..."
Without looking up, he murmured,
"Whaddya want, Key?"
His words brought her back to that first day on the docks, a day that felit like years ago but had actually been little more than a week. Then, he had been her best friend, the menacing, pissed-off leader of Brooklyn.
Now, she wasn't sure what he was. But his tone was defeated. He was a broken man. Pushing those thoughts aside, she attempted to concentrate on the task at hand.
"Spot..." might as well jump in with both feet "Why did you kiss me?"
He glanced up at her suddenly, his eyes seeming to devour her face. Sighing, he turned away.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?!" her eyes flashed with anger. "I'm your best friends' girl. You kissed me; I fucking cheated on him with you and you don't know why?!" her eyes seemed to shed sparks, she was suddenly so furious. "What kind of a bullshit answer is that? I know that you're a womanizer, Spot, but I didn't think that you'd do this to your best friend. To your best friends. He finally loves me and you just decide to step in one day and ruin it! I'm feeling so guilty that it's eating me up inside and you DON'T KNOW?!"
As her voice reached a fever pitch, Spot sprang suddenly to life.
"What did you want me to say? That I'm in love with you? That I've been in love with you for years but that I knew how you felt about Lock so I didn't say anything? That the guilt of what happened is killing me inside too, that the only thing that's keeping me going is the thought that I get to see you every day - even if it's seeing you in his arms?"
His words were rushing out so fast that he seemed to have lost complete control of them.
"Did you want me to tell you that when you kissed me back, I let myself hope in a way that I never have before?"
He paused, his voice laced with faint hope.
"I thought that you could...feel something. Maybe that you felt something."
His eyes that had been searching her face dropped to the floor and he turned away, his shoulders drooped with defeat.
"But seeing that look on your face, I guess I was wrong."
The world seemed to slow down. The only sound that Key could hear was the beating of her heart. It filled her ears until everything around her seemed to disappear. Her heart was screaming, "You love him. Tell him you love him. Tell him that you love him back!" Her head, however - "What about Lock? He needs you. You need him. He's been your best friend for longer than Spot has. If you act now, you'll lose him forever. Walk away. Just walk away."
But her heart won, and she took an involuntary step forward.
"Spot, wait, I -" and as he turned, she couldn't hold herself back. She launched herself into his arms.
She was so frenzied that she could barely find his mouth. Her kisses covered his entire face; his eyelids, his chin. He wrapped his arms around her, covering her mouth at last with his, and her body trembled with anguished happiness. Sweet release filled her as she pressed against him fiercely, his hands buried deep in her hair.
They didn't stop to breathe for a long time.
When they finally parted, her eyes were sparkling with tears as she gazed into his face.
"I'm in love with you." she gasped, trying deliriously to catch her breath, "I love you. And I can't even pin point when it started because it fills me up inside. Loving you feels right. I -"
A sudden commotion outside brutally interrupted her breathless confession. Spot strode over to the window and, after one quick glance, dashed out of the bunkroom with Key hot on his heels. Banging out of the lodging house doors, he pounded down the steps and reached the fight in three quick strides.
Key was caught frozen on the front steps, where she surveyed the scene with horrified eyes.
Grubbs lay on the ground, futiely trying to protect his face from the blows raining from above. His movements seemed dazed, however, and his brown eyes were vacant. There wasn't any fight left in him - if the other boy didn't stop soon...
"Spot!" she cried out, hardly recongizing her voice tainted with fear - but Spot was already moving.
He leapt into the fight and caught the attacker by the arm, showing surprising strength as he half-threw him across the square. The boy stumbled, tripping and rolling to land only a few feet away from Key.
She recognized his blond locks immediately and rushed over to his immobile form. Kneeling down beside him, she watched, aghast, as his shoulders began to shake. She was too astonished to say anything. Lock doesn't cry. Lock doesn't almost kill people.
"Key." Spot's voice startled her and she looked up. His eyes were solemn as he held out a tattered piece of paper to her. "It's Jake. There was a fire at the orphanage and - " he stopped, aware that his voice had gotten dangerously husky with sorrow.
Jack was Lock's baby brother. He wasn't so much of a baby now at 8 years old - there were newsies years younger than he already at the lodging house. He had been bugging Lock for some time now to break him out of the orphanage and let him be a newsie, but Lock had refused.
"I got enough to worry about without havin' to look out for my kid brother too. The nuns are nice to ya. Ya get enough to eat, they're teachin' ya to read. I'm not gonna take ya away from that to live in a lodgin' house that's freezin' in winter and hotter than hell in summer, where ya starve almost every day and sometimes don't even have a bed ta sleep in at night. Ya stayin' at the orphanage.
But now...
Key reached out to Lock, wrapping her arms around him with what little comfort she could give.
"It wasn't supposed ta happen like this, Liza." Lock sobbed into her shirt, "He was supposed ta be safe."
Without replying, she simply bowed her head, her tears staining his hair brown as they fell.
***********
AN: hopefully, the next chapter will be out sooner than this one...I dunno. Argh. As was previously mentioned, this story is driving me bonkers *goes bonkers* ... anyway - lemme know what you think as always, okay? This chapter was brought to you by my parents' record collection, which I can finally use because we set up our turntable! YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) twist and shout, anyone?