pChapter 5/p
pNichole shifted uncomfortably on the wood benches of the stadium. Her eyes observed her packed surroundings for what seemed like the hundredth time since she arrived an hour ago. She thought it was an hour, maybe it only been twenty minutes she lost all track of time… /p
p "Move those legs you damn excuse for a horse! Go, Go, Go!" /p
p She winced; the demanding yells of the beters causing the small pain in her head to grow. "Great time to grow a conscious, Nick." She mumbled as she slide to a safer distance from the cheering men./p
p She rested her head in her hands in a sorry attempt to ease the pounding. It only increased. A yell bubbled inside her that was itching to be released. All this pain and frustration was due to the Newsies, who happened to be boys. This fact caused her to despise them more./p
p But then there was Mary, she had to think of Mary first. Not herself. She seemed quiet satisfied with the situation, and with Blink. A smile tugged at her lips for once that night. She only knew Blink for only a day, but he seemed like a decent enough guy. The moment she got a minute with him alone, though she would set down some rules. /p
p Nichole sighed bordly and watched as another race ended. The crowd, which consist of mostly men, erupted into a roar. She usually jump at any chance to gamble, but not with horses, she preferred poker or craps. That is where the real money was. /p
p The sound of flesh hitting flesh rattled in Nichole's ear as she was knocked to the ground; a fist slamming into the left side of her face. She ignored the pain and wave of fear that washed through her and jumped to her feet. Had they found her? /p
pRelaxing she dropped her raised fist to her sides. She scaled the bleachers to avoid anymore contact with the brawling men.There was no point in fighting back and getting more ruffled up then she already was. Only when she sat down did you notice the blood slowly dripping down her chin. Her hands slowly explored her face and lip. The man that hit her must have been wearing something on his hand. Her lip was split and she was positive the left side of her face was swelling. /p
p Tilting her head to the sky she blocked the yells of the crowd, and watched the sun set, cascading the sky with oranges and reds. Anything was more interesting to watch then two men fighting over a paper ticket. /p
p"You okay?" /p
p"Why do you care?" Nichole replied flatly, not bothering to move. She already knew who stood infront of her. /p
pRace moved cautiously towards her, unaware of what she might do. Occuping the space next to her he copied her position. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, both oblivious to the continuing fight below them. /p
p "What are you doing here?" Race bluntly asked. She didn't look at him, she continued to stare upward. /p
p "Looking for you to apologize" /p
p Nichole dropped her head, finally glancing at him. His face was set, in a serious yet relaxed state. She studied it, for some time, trying to pull some emotion from it, anything. Nothing. Their eyes locked, and both froze. Race cleared his throat and broke eye contact his gaze shifting to watch the two fighting men finally be pulled apart. /p
p "Is that word even part of your vocabulary?" /p
p "It is now." /p
p Their eyes met again. Race reached out with a shaking hesitant hand; brushing his thumb over Nichole's bloody split lip. She leaned into the caress, feeling for once, in the fifteen years she on this earth, safe and protected. Realizing what she was doing, she jerked away startled by her own movements. /p
p He grinned to himself, seeing the change in her eyes as his thumb grazed over her lip. Maybe she wasn't as cold as he thought. "You sure you're alright?" /p
p "A little bloody lip ain't hurt nobody before." She shrugged. Raising her arm to her mouth, Nichole wiped the remaining blood from her lip; then stood. "Damn I'm hungry. You want to get something to eat?" /p
p "I ain't got no money." /p
p "I'll buy." She jiggled her pants pocket. "I ain't got no use for this money anyway." /p
p Race didn't protest. He stood and followed closely behind her as she strolled slowly to the exit. It was dark now, and one by one stars began to dot the sky. /p
HR
pThe twosome arrived at Tibby's thirty minutes later. To Nichole, though it seemed a lot longer. Race insisted she walk incredibly close to him stating "It wasn't safe for girls to be out at night." She had to roll her eyes at that statement, she had heard it many times before. /p
p With a heavy sigh, Nichole sat down in the unoccupied chair next to Jack. She leaned her head in the right hand avoiding the left side. Unfortunately this provided Jack a clear view of her swelling face. /p
p "What you do to your face, Nick? You get in a fight?" /p
pNichole groaned and tightly closed her eyes. IWhy don't you just let the whole damn restaurant know…/I /p
p "No, Jack. I didn't get in a fight." /p
p Jack immediately dropped the subject, hearing the edge in her voice. However, Mary didn't give up so easily. She knew if she pushed enough Nichole would break./p
p "If you didn't get in a fight then what happened?" Mary asked, her eyebrows raising questionably. /p
p Nichole began to deny anything happened, but Mary wouldn't allow her. "Don't tell me nothing happened, Nick. You wouldn't be sitting here with a split lip and swelled face if it was nothing." /p
p "Fine, it was just two guys got into a fist fight over a winning ticket. I just happened to be in their way." /p
pMary shrugged, not fully believing it. Small conversations continued until the waiter came to take their orders. Race glanced at the menu hesitantly unsure of what to order. He didn't want Nichole to become broke due to him. Leaning forward, Nichole covered his hand with hers. /p
p"Just order whatever you want. I owe you." /p
p Race glanced up surprised at the soft tone of her voice. His liking for her increased every minute he spent with her. Nichole dug out the money deep in her pocket, that her and Mary had pickpocket the first day they were here. Jack's eyes widened at the amount she placed on the table. /p
p"Where the hell did you get all that money from?" /p
pMary and Nichole glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. They couldn't tell them, they knew what they thought of pickpockets. Nichole shot out the first thing that came to her head. "There was a huge poker game that we won, a lot of money was up for bet…"/p
p "They are street walking whores, that is where they got all the money from!" a gruff voice replied interrupting Nichole. She turned and became face to face with one of the boy who got Mary drunk. /p
p "I wouldn't go around calling girls whores Morris, unless, of course, you are talking about your mother." Jack stated smartly. /p
pMorris grimaced, but ignored the comment. His eyes were fixated on Nichole. "Yous the girl that broke my brothers nose, ain't ya?"/p
p"Not to mention beat the shit out of you." Nichole mumbled. She braced herself as her body was slammed against a wall, Morris' face inches from hers. "Don't fuck with me little girl, or you will get what's coming to you." She flinched; his finger trailing down the side of her face. /p
pShe attempted to remain calm, but her anger was spreading through her body like an out of control fire. She brought her knee up to his groin, causing him to fall to the ground. She pounced on him like a wild cat throwing punches. Only a few made contact with his body before she was lifted off his body by Race. Jack and Blink stood beside Morris waiting for him to making any move towards Nichole. /p
pMorris wiped the blood that now drip down his face. He faced Nichole and growled his last words before leaving. "You better watch yourself sweetface. I ain't done with you yet."/p
pNichole struggled against Race's grip until Morris face was out of sight. She ripped her arms from Race's hands and sat down. She would kill him if it was the last thing she did. She glanced up into Race's caring brown eyes as he placed a hand around her shoulder. /p
p"Come on, lets head back to the lodging house, play alittle poker. That always calms me down." /p
pNichole hugged Race's body to hers, finding comfort in the warmth of his embrace. Silently the five slowly walked back to the lodging house. /p
HR
pNichole groaned and threw her cards down on the wood table. In the last hour she had played five hands of poker and lost them all. Her concentration was not what it could be; her thoughts were too busy mulling over the words said at Tibby's. /p
pI"You better watch yourself sweetface. I ain't done with you yet."/I /p
pThe statement wouldn't leave her mind; it was eating her from the inside out. Sure, she was threatened in the past, countless times in fact, but considering the situation her and Mary were in, and the possibilities, those few words terrified her. /p
p Nichole's eyes traveled around the bunkroom, soaking in the cheerful activities of the Newsies. She didn't want to acknowledge it, but she envied them, and their way of life. It may not be the most glamorous, but compared to the life she knew, it was living like a king. /p
pLeaning back in the chair she rested her head in her hand, and blew a stray curl from her face. She changed her position several times, trying to rid herself of the piercing headache that didn't seem to want to go away. She growled under her breath, ignoring the stares of the others around the table. When the pain didn't subside, she stood and went to her room./p
pShe lay on the bed staring into space for a good half-hour before Mary floated into the room and jumped into the bed beside her. She sighed contently. /p
p"Blink…he…he is amazing."/p
pIt was difficult to ignore the happiness radiating from her friend. "So, Blink finally asked you to be his girl?" Her longing sigh was all the answer Nichole needed. "mmm I'll have to have alittle talk with him…"/p
p"Nick, don't…"/p
pShe shrugged at Mary's whine. "What? Blinkie needs to know that if he hurts you in anyway. Physically or emotionally, he is gonna have to deal with me."/p
p"Blinkie?" Mary's face scrunched in distaste of the name. "Don't call him that!" /p
p"Why not? It ain't hurting nobody."/p
pMary rolled over on her stomach, and changed the subject. "So….how was your day?"/p
p"How do you think it was?" Nichole replied with a blank expression. "I got dragged out of bed this morning and got punched in the face. I just had a FINE day."/p
p"Race dragged you out of bed, huh?"/p
p"No, actually he got on top of me and threw me out of bed, then he dragged me to the washroom."/p
pMary's lips curled in an evil smile. "He got on top of you? Damn, I thought Blink and I were moving fast-" /p
pA pillow muffled her words. Nichole chuckled loudly and nudged the stun girl sending her to the floor. Leaning on her elbows, Nichole peaked over the edge of the bed. /p
p"How can you act so innocent yet, have such a dirty mind?"/p
pMary huffed and sprawled her body over the floor. "Because I'm friends with you,… and all those books I read in the orphanage."/p
pNichole threw the one shoe she untied, to the floor. "You mean that was you who raided Sister Helen's stash of romance novels?" She doubled over in laughter when Mary nodded. "Oh God, that is priceless!"/p
pMary ducked dodging Nichole's other shoe. "Yea, well they were good books, and come to think of it you should read one. They give you a good insight of what love should be like."/p
p"That is not what love is like. It ain't all sunshine and roses, it's tears and heartbreak." /p
p"You know, Nick. You should try to look on the positive side of things, you might be happier that way." Mary pulled the cotton button up shirt Nick threw at her, off her head. "What the hell are you doing?"/p
pNichole laid down, fluffing her pillow. "Going to bed. My head is killing me."/p
p"Half naked?"/p
pShe glanced down at the white undershirt and pants she wore. What was the big deal? Sure, a bit of her cleavage was showing, but she was sure the guys had their share of encounters with girls. "I'm not naked, everything's covered…sorta." /p
pClimbing into her bed, Mary untied her shoes and threw them to the floor with Nichole's. "Jeez, Nick. We are newsies now, we sell papers. Not our chests."/p
p"Yea, but I bet that's easier, and it probably pays more."/p
p"Great, my friend the whore…" Mary grinned. /p
p"I'll be a whore, but I'll be a rich whore."/p
p"Shut up and go to sleep, Nick."/p
HR
pNichole cracked an eye and stared into the darkness around her. Rolling to a move comfortable position, she lay still and listened. Nothing yet…It must be early. She eyed the ruffled bed beside her that now stood unoccupied. Mary must be up already. /p
pThrowing the warmth of the covers away from her body, she stood and stretched. Her muscles still ached from the activities of the last few days. Her body would take awhile to adjust to all this rest. /p
pA knock on the door broke the silence of the room. It must not be as early as I thought…/p
p"What?"/p
pThe door opened and Race's head appeared. "Oh…good you're up." /p
pNichole stared at him oddly as he looked her over and turned away, blushing. She looked down at her clothes and back to him. "What?"/p
p"You…you are wearing…your undershirt."/p
pNichole looked herself over again, and rolled her eyes, now knowing what he was blushing about. "They're only breasts Race. Ain't you ever seen them before?"/p
pIf it was possible, his face turned a darker shade of red. "Y-yes, I just didn't expect to walk in here and see yours."/p
pNichole smirked, rather enjoying watching Race squirm. His hat covered his face, but you could tell by his body language he was uncomfortable. He finally took in a shaky breath and looked at her, his eyes never leaving her face. If they did, he would become very fascinated with his shoes. "I just came in here to tell you that I'm leaving soon, so..get ready."/p
pHe turned away again as Nichole bent over to tie her shoe. "I'm selling with you again?"/p
p"Yea, unless you want to sell with Blink and Mary…" /p
p"No!…no." /p
pHer yell startled both of them to silence. Had she just said that? Did she want to sell with Race? She grabbed her button up shirt off the floor suddenly becoming uncomfortable. She closed her eyes and counted to ten to gain her composer /p
p"No, I think I'll just sell with you today. You need to teach me anyway."/p
pRace, his back still towards Nichole, only nodded. With everything said he waved a goodbye to her and left. /p
pNichole watched the light disappear back into the hallway as the door closed. Her relaxed face turned to one of bewilderment, her mind mulling over her encounter with Race. The hatred and anger she surrounded herself with had been broken, and Race was the warrior who had done so. /p
HR
pNichole shifted uncomfortably on the wood benches of the stadium. Her eyes observed her packed surroundings for what seemed like the hundredth time since she arrived an hour ago. She thought it was an hour, maybe it only been twenty minutes she lost all track of time… /p
p "Move those legs you damn excuse for a horse! Go, Go, Go!" /p
p She winced; the demanding yells of the beters causing the small pain in her head to grow. "Great time to grow a conscious, Nick." She mumbled as she slide to a safer distance from the cheering men./p
p She rested her head in her hands in a sorry attempt to ease the pounding. It only increased. A yell bubbled inside her that was itching to be released. All this pain and frustration was due to the Newsies, who happened to be boys. This fact caused her to despise them more./p
p But then there was Mary, she had to think of Mary first. Not herself. She seemed quiet satisfied with the situation, and with Blink. A smile tugged at her lips for once that night. She only knew Blink for only a day, but he seemed like a decent enough guy. The moment she got a minute with him alone, though she would set down some rules. /p
p Nichole sighed bordly and watched as another race ended. The crowd, which consist of mostly men, erupted into a roar. She usually jump at any chance to gamble, but not with horses, she preferred poker or craps. That is where the real money was. /p
p The sound of flesh hitting flesh rattled in Nichole's ear as she was knocked to the ground; a fist slamming into the left side of her face. She ignored the pain and wave of fear that washed through her and jumped to her feet. Had they found her? /p
pRelaxing she dropped her raised fist to her sides. She scaled the bleachers to avoid anymore contact with the brawling men.There was no point in fighting back and getting more ruffled up then she already was. Only when she sat down did you notice the blood slowly dripping down her chin. Her hands slowly explored her face and lip. The man that hit her must have been wearing something on his hand. Her lip was split and she was positive the left side of her face was swelling. /p
p Tilting her head to the sky she blocked the yells of the crowd, and watched the sun set, cascading the sky with oranges and reds. Anything was more interesting to watch then two men fighting over a paper ticket. /p
p"You okay?" /p
p"Why do you care?" Nichole replied flatly, not bothering to move. She already knew who stood infront of her. /p
pRace moved cautiously towards her, unaware of what she might do. Occuping the space next to her he copied her position. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, both oblivious to the continuing fight below them. /p
p "What are you doing here?" Race bluntly asked. She didn't look at him, she continued to stare upward. /p
p "Looking for you to apologize" /p
p Nichole dropped her head, finally glancing at him. His face was set, in a serious yet relaxed state. She studied it, for some time, trying to pull some emotion from it, anything. Nothing. Their eyes locked, and both froze. Race cleared his throat and broke eye contact his gaze shifting to watch the two fighting men finally be pulled apart. /p
p "Is that word even part of your vocabulary?" /p
p "It is now." /p
p Their eyes met again. Race reached out with a shaking hesitant hand; brushing his thumb over Nichole's bloody split lip. She leaned into the caress, feeling for once, in the fifteen years she on this earth, safe and protected. Realizing what she was doing, she jerked away startled by her own movements. /p
p He grinned to himself, seeing the change in her eyes as his thumb grazed over her lip. Maybe she wasn't as cold as he thought. "You sure you're alright?" /p
p "A little bloody lip ain't hurt nobody before." She shrugged. Raising her arm to her mouth, Nichole wiped the remaining blood from her lip; then stood. "Damn I'm hungry. You want to get something to eat?" /p
p "I ain't got no money." /p
p "I'll buy." She jiggled her pants pocket. "I ain't got no use for this money anyway." /p
p Race didn't protest. He stood and followed closely behind her as she strolled slowly to the exit. It was dark now, and one by one stars began to dot the sky. /p
HR
pThe twosome arrived at Tibby's thirty minutes later. To Nichole, though it seemed a lot longer. Race insisted she walk incredibly close to him stating "It wasn't safe for girls to be out at night." She had to roll her eyes at that statement, she had heard it many times before. /p
p With a heavy sigh, Nichole sat down in the unoccupied chair next to Jack. She leaned her head in the right hand avoiding the left side. Unfortunately this provided Jack a clear view of her swelling face. /p
p "What you do to your face, Nick? You get in a fight?" /p
pNichole groaned and tightly closed her eyes. IWhy don't you just let the whole damn restaurant know…/I /p
p "No, Jack. I didn't get in a fight." /p
p Jack immediately dropped the subject, hearing the edge in her voice. However, Mary didn't give up so easily. She knew if she pushed enough Nichole would break./p
p "If you didn't get in a fight then what happened?" Mary asked, her eyebrows raising questionably. /p
p Nichole began to deny anything happened, but Mary wouldn't allow her. "Don't tell me nothing happened, Nick. You wouldn't be sitting here with a split lip and swelled face if it was nothing." /p
p "Fine, it was just two guys got into a fist fight over a winning ticket. I just happened to be in their way." /p
pMary shrugged, not fully believing it. Small conversations continued until the waiter came to take their orders. Race glanced at the menu hesitantly unsure of what to order. He didn't want Nichole to become broke due to him. Leaning forward, Nichole covered his hand with hers. /p
p"Just order whatever you want. I owe you." /p
p Race glanced up surprised at the soft tone of her voice. His liking for her increased every minute he spent with her. Nichole dug out the money deep in her pocket, that her and Mary had pickpocket the first day they were here. Jack's eyes widened at the amount she placed on the table. /p
p"Where the hell did you get all that money from?" /p
pMary and Nichole glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. They couldn't tell them, they knew what they thought of pickpockets. Nichole shot out the first thing that came to her head. "There was a huge poker game that we won, a lot of money was up for bet…"/p
p "They are street walking whores, that is where they got all the money from!" a gruff voice replied interrupting Nichole. She turned and became face to face with one of the boy who got Mary drunk. /p
p "I wouldn't go around calling girls whores Morris, unless, of course, you are talking about your mother." Jack stated smartly. /p
pMorris grimaced, but ignored the comment. His eyes were fixated on Nichole. "Yous the girl that broke my brothers nose, ain't ya?"/p
p"Not to mention beat the shit out of you." Nichole mumbled. She braced herself as her body was slammed against a wall, Morris' face inches from hers. "Don't fuck with me little girl, or you will get what's coming to you." She flinched; his finger trailing down the side of her face. /p
pShe attempted to remain calm, but her anger was spreading through her body like an out of control fire. She brought her knee up to his groin, causing him to fall to the ground. She pounced on him like a wild cat throwing punches. Only a few made contact with his body before she was lifted off his body by Race. Jack and Blink stood beside Morris waiting for him to making any move towards Nichole. /p
pMorris wiped the blood that now drip down his face. He faced Nichole and growled his last words before leaving. "You better watch yourself sweetface. I ain't done with you yet."/p
pNichole struggled against Race's grip until Morris face was out of sight. She ripped her arms from Race's hands and sat down. She would kill him if it was the last thing she did. She glanced up into Race's caring brown eyes as he placed a hand around her shoulder. /p
p"Come on, lets head back to the lodging house, play alittle poker. That always calms me down." /p
pNichole hugged Race's body to hers, finding comfort in the warmth of his embrace. Silently the five slowly walked back to the lodging house. /p
HR
pNichole groaned and threw her cards down on the wood table. In the last hour she had played five hands of poker and lost them all. Her concentration was not what it could be; her thoughts were too busy mulling over the words said at Tibby's. /p
pI"You better watch yourself sweetface. I ain't done with you yet."/I /p
pThe statement wouldn't leave her mind; it was eating her from the inside out. Sure, she was threatened in the past, countless times in fact, but considering the situation her and Mary were in, and the possibilities, those few words terrified her. /p
p Nichole's eyes traveled around the bunkroom, soaking in the cheerful activities of the Newsies. She didn't want to acknowledge it, but she envied them, and their way of life. It may not be the most glamorous, but compared to the life she knew, it was living like a king. /p
pLeaning back in the chair she rested her head in her hand, and blew a stray curl from her face. She changed her position several times, trying to rid herself of the piercing headache that didn't seem to want to go away. She growled under her breath, ignoring the stares of the others around the table. When the pain didn't subside, she stood and went to her room./p
pShe lay on the bed staring into space for a good half-hour before Mary floated into the room and jumped into the bed beside her. She sighed contently. /p
p"Blink…he…he is amazing."/p
pIt was difficult to ignore the happiness radiating from her friend. "So, Blink finally asked you to be his girl?" Her longing sigh was all the answer Nichole needed. "mmm I'll have to have alittle talk with him…"/p
p"Nick, don't…"/p
pShe shrugged at Mary's whine. "What? Blinkie needs to know that if he hurts you in anyway. Physically or emotionally, he is gonna have to deal with me."/p
p"Blinkie?" Mary's face scrunched in distaste of the name. "Don't call him that!" /p
p"Why not? It ain't hurting nobody."/p
pMary rolled over on her stomach, and changed the subject. "So….how was your day?"/p
p"How do you think it was?" Nichole replied with a blank expression. "I got dragged out of bed this morning and got punched in the face. I just had a FINE day."/p
p"Race dragged you out of bed, huh?"/p
p"No, actually he got on top of me and threw me out of bed, then he dragged me to the washroom."/p
pMary's lips curled in an evil smile. "He got on top of you? Damn, I thought Blink and I were moving fast-" /p
pA pillow muffled her words. Nichole chuckled loudly and nudged the stun girl sending her to the floor. Leaning on her elbows, Nichole peaked over the edge of the bed. /p
p"How can you act so innocent yet, have such a dirty mind?"/p
pMary huffed and sprawled her body over the floor. "Because I'm friends with you,… and all those books I read in the orphanage."/p
pNichole threw the one shoe she untied, to the floor. "You mean that was you who raided Sister Helen's stash of romance novels?" She doubled over in laughter when Mary nodded. "Oh God, that is priceless!"/p
pMary ducked dodging Nichole's other shoe. "Yea, well they were good books, and come to think of it you should read one. They give you a good insight of what love should be like."/p
p"That is not what love is like. It ain't all sunshine and roses, it's tears and heartbreak." /p
p"You know, Nick. You should try to look on the positive side of things, you might be happier that way." Mary pulled the cotton button up shirt Nick threw at her, off her head. "What the hell are you doing?"/p
pNichole laid down, fluffing her pillow. "Going to bed. My head is killing me."/p
p"Half naked?"/p
pShe glanced down at the white undershirt and pants she wore. What was the big deal? Sure, a bit of her cleavage was showing, but she was sure the guys had their share of encounters with girls. "I'm not naked, everything's covered…sorta." /p
pClimbing into her bed, Mary untied her shoes and threw them to the floor with Nichole's. "Jeez, Nick. We are newsies now, we sell papers. Not our chests."/p
p"Yea, but I bet that's easier, and it probably pays more."/p
p"Great, my friend the whore…" Mary grinned. /p
p"I'll be a whore, but I'll be a rich whore."/p
p"Shut up and go to sleep, Nick."/p
HR
pNichole cracked an eye and stared into the darkness around her. Rolling to a move comfortable position, she lay still and listened. Nothing yet…It must be early. She eyed the ruffled bed beside her that now stood unoccupied. Mary must be up already. /p
pThrowing the warmth of the covers away from her body, she stood and stretched. Her muscles still ached from the activities of the last few days. Her body would take awhile to adjust to all this rest. /p
pA knock on the door broke the silence of the room. It must not be as early as I thought…/p
p"What?"/p
pThe door opened and Race's head appeared. "Oh…good you're up." /p
pNichole stared at him oddly as he looked her over and turned away, blushing. She looked down at her clothes and back to him. "What?"/p
p"You…you are wearing…your undershirt."/p
pNichole looked herself over again, and rolled her eyes, now knowing what he was blushing about. "They're only breasts Race. Ain't you ever seen them before?"/p
pIf it was possible, his face turned a darker shade of red. "Y-yes, I just didn't expect to walk in here and see yours."/p
pNichole smirked, rather enjoying watching Race squirm. His hat covered his face, but you could tell by his body language he was uncomfortable. He finally took in a shaky breath and looked at her, his eyes never leaving her face. If they did, he would become very fascinated with his shoes. "I just came in here to tell you that I'm leaving soon, so..get ready."/p
pHe turned away again as Nichole bent over to tie her shoe. "I'm selling with you again?"/p
p"Yea, unless you want to sell with Blink and Mary…" /p
p"No!…no." /p
pHer yell startled both of them to silence. Had she just said that? Did she want to sell with Race? She grabbed her button up shirt off the floor suddenly becoming uncomfortable. She closed her eyes and counted to ten to gain her composer /p
p"No, I think I'll just sell with you today. You need to teach me anyway."/p
pRace, his back still towards Nichole, only nodded. With everything said he waved a goodbye to her and left. /p
pNichole watched the light disappear back into the hallway as the door closed. Her relaxed face turned to one of bewilderment, her mind mulling over her encounter with Race. The hatred and anger she surrounded herself with had been broken, and Race was the warrior who had done so. /p
HR