"Are we there yet?" I complained for about the fiftieth time since we
left.
"Will ya stop whinin' yet?" Chant said angrily. I glared at him and he glared back. "Spot, why'd ya hafta bring her?"
"She's me sistah, watch ya mouth," Spot said back to Chant. "Da real mystery is why I brought you."
"'Cause he's got an amazin' head for figures," Roman offered.
I sighed. "You know, this isn't going to be pleasant if we can't put aside our differences and get along," I told them.
"That is such a woman thing to say," Chant muttered under his breath, but we all still heard him.
"Ah, shut up Chant. Jus' 'cause ya can't get a single goil don' mean dey's all dat bad," Spot said frustrated. I could tell he was frustrated because he gripped and released his fist several times in an effort to keep from punching Chant.
"Ya wanna make somethin' outta dis?" Chant challenged.
"Yeah, I do. No one insults a Conlon and gets away with it!" Spot ranted.
"Boys, boys. Calm down. I'm not the person you should be fighting over," I said calmly. I had learned from experience that being calm was a good way to make others around you calm down as well. It didn't seem to be working here however.
"Shut up, 'Lex. Ya don' understand, dis is a mattah of pride," Spot said to me.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" I exclaimed. "Michael, I know you're strong, but Chant's twice your size," I whispered in my brother's ear. "Please just give it up."
"I ain't gonna fight ya," Michael said. "But get da hell outta me sight, you'se ain't Brooklyn material," he ordered.
"I don' want ta be 'Brooklyn material'," Chant yelled, storming away from our group.
"Shit," Michael swore, and I understood why. Chant would grudge against Brooklyn for forever, and we would have to deal with it. He might even be crazy enough to try to attack the borough. Taking control Michael said, "All right, Roman, you go get Smith. He'll take Chant's place. For now Spark an' I will keep goin' so we don' arrive too late. Don' wanna seem rude."
"Of course," Roman answered respectfully and took us as fast as Chant, but for entirely different reasons.
"He'll be back," Michael told me as we walked.
"I know."
"He wants revenge," he continued.
"I know."
He smiled in admiration and hugged me. "I'se glad ya so brave, 'Lex."
I stood there in shock. Sure, I knew Michael loved me, but he'd never made any attempt to demonstrate that physically until just then. I smiled and we kept walking, a new feeling of belonging warming me.
* * * *
"Wha' took ya so long?" I heard Race's voice ask as we walked in the door. So he was here. I wondered who else was. I heard voices coming from inside a closed room and figured that was where the others were.
"Bit of a 'disagreement' with Chant back on da bridge," Spot said shortly.
"Ah," Race said, nodding in understanding. Something about the way he was leaning on the wall made my heart stop beating for a moment. When it started again it had sped up way past the normal rate. "Ya comin' inside, Spark? 'Cause if ya are, why don't ya close da door," he said and I realized that I had forgotten to close the door behind me from watching him.
'Darn it, Alex. What am I thinking? This is Racetrack Higgins we're talking about! Chances are he's already fathered fifty children. That's what the newsboys are like. Running amuck and charming girls into losing their innocence, then sticking them with a child. And then they move onto the next one. And Race definitely earns the reputation of a flirt. He isn't interested in me, most likely. Just thinks I'm there for a night of pleasure and back out of his life. I don't know what I was thinking even letting myself get as close to him as I have. And we're just on a friendship basis. I've got to stop thinking about him that way. I have to. I don't know why I even thought about him like that for a minute. I'm so stupid.' I thought to myself as he led me into the room the others were in.
People were crowded around a small circular wood table talking. I recognized Slider, Jack, and Fingers from Manhattan. A moment later Roman and Smith burst in. "Sorry we's late. Lost a boy midway heah an' had ta get reinforcements," Roman blurted out as he sat down." The other boys (and girls) acknowledged him with a nod and after a moment the talking resumed.
As far as I could tell, they were discussing the boundaries of the various territories. Who could sell where, and things like that. Most of it was worked out peacefully, though a couple of fights were scheduled to follow and sort out a few arguments. 'Boys will be boys,' I thought to myself; I smirked.
"Ya comin'? Dere's a party tanight, an' Sli an' I wanted thought ya might wnana get ready wit' us an' some of da uddah goils 'stead of Spot an' dat crew," Fingers offered.
"Sounds good," I said. "Let me just grab my clothes." I picked up the bag I had left sitting outside the door to the room and followed her up the stairs to a room that already had three or four girls inside.
"Dat's Lib. Short for Libation, but none of us is quite sure what dat means," Slider introduced a dark haired girl sitting on a bed nearby, trying to put her hair up in an intricate pattern she had undoubtedly seen on some proper lady. "Da goil tryin' ta kill herself is Bill," she said, pointing to a rather tall blonde struggling into a corset. "An' dat dere is Rose, she's da sistah of da woman dat runs dis place." The third girl had titan colored hair and was already dressed in a black and red ensemble.
"I'm not that great with names, but I'm sure I'll get it sooner or later," I told her.
"I'm sure ya will, but for now, we gots a party ta get ready for," Fingers said. She slipped into a deep blue dress and was immediately transformed from a dirty boyish girl to a beautiful young woman. "I look dat bad?" she asked when she noticed me staring.
"Quite the contrary," I told her.
"What da hell does contrary mean?" she asked and I laughed. The word laugh pretty much sums up the rest of the period spent getting ready. We just joked and had fun as we dolled ourselves up for an exciting night.
In the end, all of us looked like proper young ladies again. Slider in an all black dress and a necklace with a black stone, and I saw her hair hanging down for the first time. Fingers had also left her hair down, but had pulled some of it back; the dark blue dress made her glow somehow. Rose was still wearing her black skirt and red top while Lib was in a pure white outfit that gave her an angelic look. Bill had stuffed herself into the corset and a ridiculously frivolous yellow dress with lace trim. I wore the dress I had originally showed up in, an elegant deep green gown.
I felt like I fit in as we stood there in our beautiful dresses. Again I felt that sense of belonging I had felt earlier. I smiled as we approached the door and hurried down the stairs, every boy in the room had his eyes on us.
A/N: Nothing to say. Hope ya like it. I'm on updating frenzy for this one (however WUAS is on hiatus because I'm collaborating with a friend to write the fight scene, since I'm not good with that sort of thing. I don't want to sugar-coat it, so I'm getting her help.)
Shoutouts-
Sli- Snide and sarcastic remarks, eh?
I feel so odd only having one extremely short shout-out. Oh well.
You've done the first 'R' so please do the second. Review!
"Will ya stop whinin' yet?" Chant said angrily. I glared at him and he glared back. "Spot, why'd ya hafta bring her?"
"She's me sistah, watch ya mouth," Spot said back to Chant. "Da real mystery is why I brought you."
"'Cause he's got an amazin' head for figures," Roman offered.
I sighed. "You know, this isn't going to be pleasant if we can't put aside our differences and get along," I told them.
"That is such a woman thing to say," Chant muttered under his breath, but we all still heard him.
"Ah, shut up Chant. Jus' 'cause ya can't get a single goil don' mean dey's all dat bad," Spot said frustrated. I could tell he was frustrated because he gripped and released his fist several times in an effort to keep from punching Chant.
"Ya wanna make somethin' outta dis?" Chant challenged.
"Yeah, I do. No one insults a Conlon and gets away with it!" Spot ranted.
"Boys, boys. Calm down. I'm not the person you should be fighting over," I said calmly. I had learned from experience that being calm was a good way to make others around you calm down as well. It didn't seem to be working here however.
"Shut up, 'Lex. Ya don' understand, dis is a mattah of pride," Spot said to me.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" I exclaimed. "Michael, I know you're strong, but Chant's twice your size," I whispered in my brother's ear. "Please just give it up."
"I ain't gonna fight ya," Michael said. "But get da hell outta me sight, you'se ain't Brooklyn material," he ordered.
"I don' want ta be 'Brooklyn material'," Chant yelled, storming away from our group.
"Shit," Michael swore, and I understood why. Chant would grudge against Brooklyn for forever, and we would have to deal with it. He might even be crazy enough to try to attack the borough. Taking control Michael said, "All right, Roman, you go get Smith. He'll take Chant's place. For now Spark an' I will keep goin' so we don' arrive too late. Don' wanna seem rude."
"Of course," Roman answered respectfully and took us as fast as Chant, but for entirely different reasons.
"He'll be back," Michael told me as we walked.
"I know."
"He wants revenge," he continued.
"I know."
He smiled in admiration and hugged me. "I'se glad ya so brave, 'Lex."
I stood there in shock. Sure, I knew Michael loved me, but he'd never made any attempt to demonstrate that physically until just then. I smiled and we kept walking, a new feeling of belonging warming me.
* * * *
"Wha' took ya so long?" I heard Race's voice ask as we walked in the door. So he was here. I wondered who else was. I heard voices coming from inside a closed room and figured that was where the others were.
"Bit of a 'disagreement' with Chant back on da bridge," Spot said shortly.
"Ah," Race said, nodding in understanding. Something about the way he was leaning on the wall made my heart stop beating for a moment. When it started again it had sped up way past the normal rate. "Ya comin' inside, Spark? 'Cause if ya are, why don't ya close da door," he said and I realized that I had forgotten to close the door behind me from watching him.
'Darn it, Alex. What am I thinking? This is Racetrack Higgins we're talking about! Chances are he's already fathered fifty children. That's what the newsboys are like. Running amuck and charming girls into losing their innocence, then sticking them with a child. And then they move onto the next one. And Race definitely earns the reputation of a flirt. He isn't interested in me, most likely. Just thinks I'm there for a night of pleasure and back out of his life. I don't know what I was thinking even letting myself get as close to him as I have. And we're just on a friendship basis. I've got to stop thinking about him that way. I have to. I don't know why I even thought about him like that for a minute. I'm so stupid.' I thought to myself as he led me into the room the others were in.
People were crowded around a small circular wood table talking. I recognized Slider, Jack, and Fingers from Manhattan. A moment later Roman and Smith burst in. "Sorry we's late. Lost a boy midway heah an' had ta get reinforcements," Roman blurted out as he sat down." The other boys (and girls) acknowledged him with a nod and after a moment the talking resumed.
As far as I could tell, they were discussing the boundaries of the various territories. Who could sell where, and things like that. Most of it was worked out peacefully, though a couple of fights were scheduled to follow and sort out a few arguments. 'Boys will be boys,' I thought to myself; I smirked.
"Ya comin'? Dere's a party tanight, an' Sli an' I wanted thought ya might wnana get ready wit' us an' some of da uddah goils 'stead of Spot an' dat crew," Fingers offered.
"Sounds good," I said. "Let me just grab my clothes." I picked up the bag I had left sitting outside the door to the room and followed her up the stairs to a room that already had three or four girls inside.
"Dat's Lib. Short for Libation, but none of us is quite sure what dat means," Slider introduced a dark haired girl sitting on a bed nearby, trying to put her hair up in an intricate pattern she had undoubtedly seen on some proper lady. "Da goil tryin' ta kill herself is Bill," she said, pointing to a rather tall blonde struggling into a corset. "An' dat dere is Rose, she's da sistah of da woman dat runs dis place." The third girl had titan colored hair and was already dressed in a black and red ensemble.
"I'm not that great with names, but I'm sure I'll get it sooner or later," I told her.
"I'm sure ya will, but for now, we gots a party ta get ready for," Fingers said. She slipped into a deep blue dress and was immediately transformed from a dirty boyish girl to a beautiful young woman. "I look dat bad?" she asked when she noticed me staring.
"Quite the contrary," I told her.
"What da hell does contrary mean?" she asked and I laughed. The word laugh pretty much sums up the rest of the period spent getting ready. We just joked and had fun as we dolled ourselves up for an exciting night.
In the end, all of us looked like proper young ladies again. Slider in an all black dress and a necklace with a black stone, and I saw her hair hanging down for the first time. Fingers had also left her hair down, but had pulled some of it back; the dark blue dress made her glow somehow. Rose was still wearing her black skirt and red top while Lib was in a pure white outfit that gave her an angelic look. Bill had stuffed herself into the corset and a ridiculously frivolous yellow dress with lace trim. I wore the dress I had originally showed up in, an elegant deep green gown.
I felt like I fit in as we stood there in our beautiful dresses. Again I felt that sense of belonging I had felt earlier. I smiled as we approached the door and hurried down the stairs, every boy in the room had his eyes on us.
A/N: Nothing to say. Hope ya like it. I'm on updating frenzy for this one (however WUAS is on hiatus because I'm collaborating with a friend to write the fight scene, since I'm not good with that sort of thing. I don't want to sugar-coat it, so I'm getting her help.)
Shoutouts-
Sli- Snide and sarcastic remarks, eh?
I feel so odd only having one extremely short shout-out. Oh well.
You've done the first 'R' so please do the second. Review!