Chapter 20:
So, back to Brooklyn we go's. I'm losing confidence every step that I take. What if he recognizes me? I don't think I can handle it. If we run into him, what could I do?
"So, how close are ya ta Ink?" I ask just as we're getting closer to Tibby's.
"Not too close," Coffee answered. "We got inta some fights back at da LH."
"So if you're not so close, why are ya comin' ta see 'im?" Sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
"I dunno, really. Tibby's has good food?" Great, just great. We came to Brooklyn on a whim. That is so smart, considering I don't want to see anyone in Brooklyn. (Please note the sarcasm)
"Coffee," I start. "You do realize that every person I DON'T want to run into at the moment lives in Brooklyn," I pause for a second or two, "Or spends much of there time here, right?"
"Uh, sorry?" He says in an attempt to make it better. No such luck.
"No use turnin' back now, huh?" I mutter under my breath, only because I've suddenly lost the ability to breath. Ink is just walking in the door. With a little luck coming my way, Baby and Tuck are coming up the street.
"Baby!" I call out. Recognition isn't immediate, but they figure it out soon enough.
"Mandy!" Tuck cries. "We was so worried about ya. Where were you?" They worried? This is a shock to me.
"It would take too long to explain. For now, let's just say I'm stayin' in Queens." They just stared at me in disbelief. "I'll explain more latah." I made a quick look around for Tuck, but didn't see her. "Baby, where'd Tuck go?"
"What're ya talkin' about? She's right. . ." Baby paused, looking around. "Was right here. Maybe she went in with Dice."
"Dice? Who's Dice?" I ask, completely clueless to other newsies that I haven't met and weren't in the movie.
"Dice is Blink's previously un-hoid of twin," Baby responded. "I didn't know about him till da oder night, an' I been sleepin' in 'is LH for a month."
Now Boidie and Spot were coming up the street towards Tibby's, and us. I grabbed Coffee and Baby and yanked them into the nearest alley, about two feet away.
"Lemme guess, da oder guy?" I nodded. "Wait, dat's Spot Conlon. You got yohself in trouble wit' Spot?"
"Yeah. Would you like me ta explain?" He nodded, and I could tell that Baby was interested. "Well, it's complicated, so I ain't gonna."
"So, ya gonna go in?" Baby asked after Spot and Boidie had entered Tibby's.
"Deyr'e both in dere, I'm not goin' in," I state firmly, but not firmly enough. Before I know it, Baby has grabbed my arm and is dragging me to the door. Coffee is being no help.
"You's got your hat, dey won't recognize ya." Sure, I believe her. But I go anyway, using my free hand to pull my hat farther down my head.
When we walk in, the entire room turns in our direction. Shit. Ink is gitting up and coming in our direction.
"Whatchyu doin', Coffee?" Ink says coldly, "Tryin' ta unload your goil newsies like always?"
"Nah, just bringin' me new goil ta lunch," Coffee replies, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "Ya got anythin' against that?"
I look up so I can see Ink's face. Then and only then is when he realizes what's happened.
"Mandy?" Ink starts. "Is dat you?"*pulls down hat again* "What are ya doin' wit dis scum a Queens?"
"Ink, we's not. . ." I lose my sentence. "We's not together, not like dat." I push Coffee's arm off of me and take a step away.
"I don't believe ya," Ink says. "Why won't ya look me in da eyes?" He pulls off my hat, allowing my hair to fall down, and tilts my chin up that teeny bit to look at him. "You's lyin', you is his goil."
"Ink, I told ya, I ain't wit' Coffee." He releases my chin and my eyes fall to his chest, I can't stand looking at those inky black eyes. Their too cold. "I jist needed ta get away for a bit."
"Yeah, sure." He turned to walk away, but I guess he saw what Coffee did out of the corner of his eye. He'd sliped his arm around me again and pulled me possessively close to his body.
"Coffee, no," I said, trying to step away, but he held fast.
"She said NO!" Ink said, spinning on his heel suddenly and lunging at Coffee. It made him let go of me and practically throw me away from him. Ink was throwing punches left and right, but Coffee was countering with just as many. What was I supposed to do?
"Stop it!" I screamed at the both of them, jumping into the middle of the brawl. I can hold my own in a fight, normaly, but they were intent on keeping me out. So I naturally planted myself firmly between them. I caught a stray punch in the stumoch, hen after U doubled over, caught a hook in my jaw. I flew to one side, making a point of screaming, and that broke them up.
"Mandy, I-I'm sorry," Ink said breathlessly.
"I-I didn't mean to. . ." Coffee said, and they both rushed to my sides.
"You know what?" I said, pushing the two of them just far enough away from me to stand up. "You are BOTH pigs." I glanced over at Spot, who had looked over to see the fight. "You ar a pig , too."
"Spot, what's she talkin' about?" Boidie asked him.
"Ah, Boidie. . ." She apparently suspected something, because she smacked him in the face and stormed out the door. She got even angrier when he didn't chase her. Stupid Spot.
"I can hold my own, an' I don't need either of ya." I walked out the door after Boidie, only I was trailed by the three pigs. "I said GO AWAY!"
"Uh, Mandy?" Boidie said, her voice coming from an alley, about a block from Tibby's. I'd lost the pig-boys.
"Yeah, Boidie," I said walking over to her and sitting down next to the weeping girl. "What is it?"
"Did Spot, ya know, try anythin' wit ya?" Should I tell her the truth? I don't think she would be able to at the moment. A lie will work fine.
"No, he jist tried ta comfort me after I caught Ink in da act, and took it a bit farther den he should've, dat's all." She wasn't sold just yet. "He was being a good guy, honest."
"Ok, I guess you's right." She paused. "Well, since you helped clean up dis matter wit Spot, I should help wit Ink."
"No, you don't gotta do dat. I saw what I saw and I know what I saw."
"No, I really think I should tell ya. It really wasn't what it looked like."
"OK then, explain."
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________
OK, sorry to leave you like this, but this chapter is too hard to wrap up. We had a three-day weekend, so you should've expected more from me. Oh well, I'm a lazy bum. Sadly, I didn't get many reviews from people for the last chapter. Oh well, I did get a bunch from the previous one. Let's hope we do better this time.
I'm serious about wanting an MST. Really. So, if anybody has one for me, no matter how mean, I want to read it. E-mail me, please. Thanks to all those who review. Would you do more if I promised shout outs? I could do that. Well, I gotta go now.
Personal noe: Ink is a pig, but now I'm his sister, have two nieces, live in a hospital that's really a mansion, and have another sibling that wasn't there before. The irony is, Ink's 'daughter', Little Bit, is older than him, and I'm a white girl, Ink is Mexican. Can anyone make sense of this?
So, back to Brooklyn we go's. I'm losing confidence every step that I take. What if he recognizes me? I don't think I can handle it. If we run into him, what could I do?
"So, how close are ya ta Ink?" I ask just as we're getting closer to Tibby's.
"Not too close," Coffee answered. "We got inta some fights back at da LH."
"So if you're not so close, why are ya comin' ta see 'im?" Sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
"I dunno, really. Tibby's has good food?" Great, just great. We came to Brooklyn on a whim. That is so smart, considering I don't want to see anyone in Brooklyn. (Please note the sarcasm)
"Coffee," I start. "You do realize that every person I DON'T want to run into at the moment lives in Brooklyn," I pause for a second or two, "Or spends much of there time here, right?"
"Uh, sorry?" He says in an attempt to make it better. No such luck.
"No use turnin' back now, huh?" I mutter under my breath, only because I've suddenly lost the ability to breath. Ink is just walking in the door. With a little luck coming my way, Baby and Tuck are coming up the street.
"Baby!" I call out. Recognition isn't immediate, but they figure it out soon enough.
"Mandy!" Tuck cries. "We was so worried about ya. Where were you?" They worried? This is a shock to me.
"It would take too long to explain. For now, let's just say I'm stayin' in Queens." They just stared at me in disbelief. "I'll explain more latah." I made a quick look around for Tuck, but didn't see her. "Baby, where'd Tuck go?"
"What're ya talkin' about? She's right. . ." Baby paused, looking around. "Was right here. Maybe she went in with Dice."
"Dice? Who's Dice?" I ask, completely clueless to other newsies that I haven't met and weren't in the movie.
"Dice is Blink's previously un-hoid of twin," Baby responded. "I didn't know about him till da oder night, an' I been sleepin' in 'is LH for a month."
Now Boidie and Spot were coming up the street towards Tibby's, and us. I grabbed Coffee and Baby and yanked them into the nearest alley, about two feet away.
"Lemme guess, da oder guy?" I nodded. "Wait, dat's Spot Conlon. You got yohself in trouble wit' Spot?"
"Yeah. Would you like me ta explain?" He nodded, and I could tell that Baby was interested. "Well, it's complicated, so I ain't gonna."
"So, ya gonna go in?" Baby asked after Spot and Boidie had entered Tibby's.
"Deyr'e both in dere, I'm not goin' in," I state firmly, but not firmly enough. Before I know it, Baby has grabbed my arm and is dragging me to the door. Coffee is being no help.
"You's got your hat, dey won't recognize ya." Sure, I believe her. But I go anyway, using my free hand to pull my hat farther down my head.
When we walk in, the entire room turns in our direction. Shit. Ink is gitting up and coming in our direction.
"Whatchyu doin', Coffee?" Ink says coldly, "Tryin' ta unload your goil newsies like always?"
"Nah, just bringin' me new goil ta lunch," Coffee replies, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "Ya got anythin' against that?"
I look up so I can see Ink's face. Then and only then is when he realizes what's happened.
"Mandy?" Ink starts. "Is dat you?"*pulls down hat again* "What are ya doin' wit dis scum a Queens?"
"Ink, we's not. . ." I lose my sentence. "We's not together, not like dat." I push Coffee's arm off of me and take a step away.
"I don't believe ya," Ink says. "Why won't ya look me in da eyes?" He pulls off my hat, allowing my hair to fall down, and tilts my chin up that teeny bit to look at him. "You's lyin', you is his goil."
"Ink, I told ya, I ain't wit' Coffee." He releases my chin and my eyes fall to his chest, I can't stand looking at those inky black eyes. Their too cold. "I jist needed ta get away for a bit."
"Yeah, sure." He turned to walk away, but I guess he saw what Coffee did out of the corner of his eye. He'd sliped his arm around me again and pulled me possessively close to his body.
"Coffee, no," I said, trying to step away, but he held fast.
"She said NO!" Ink said, spinning on his heel suddenly and lunging at Coffee. It made him let go of me and practically throw me away from him. Ink was throwing punches left and right, but Coffee was countering with just as many. What was I supposed to do?
"Stop it!" I screamed at the both of them, jumping into the middle of the brawl. I can hold my own in a fight, normaly, but they were intent on keeping me out. So I naturally planted myself firmly between them. I caught a stray punch in the stumoch, hen after U doubled over, caught a hook in my jaw. I flew to one side, making a point of screaming, and that broke them up.
"Mandy, I-I'm sorry," Ink said breathlessly.
"I-I didn't mean to. . ." Coffee said, and they both rushed to my sides.
"You know what?" I said, pushing the two of them just far enough away from me to stand up. "You are BOTH pigs." I glanced over at Spot, who had looked over to see the fight. "You ar a pig , too."
"Spot, what's she talkin' about?" Boidie asked him.
"Ah, Boidie. . ." She apparently suspected something, because she smacked him in the face and stormed out the door. She got even angrier when he didn't chase her. Stupid Spot.
"I can hold my own, an' I don't need either of ya." I walked out the door after Boidie, only I was trailed by the three pigs. "I said GO AWAY!"
"Uh, Mandy?" Boidie said, her voice coming from an alley, about a block from Tibby's. I'd lost the pig-boys.
"Yeah, Boidie," I said walking over to her and sitting down next to the weeping girl. "What is it?"
"Did Spot, ya know, try anythin' wit ya?" Should I tell her the truth? I don't think she would be able to at the moment. A lie will work fine.
"No, he jist tried ta comfort me after I caught Ink in da act, and took it a bit farther den he should've, dat's all." She wasn't sold just yet. "He was being a good guy, honest."
"Ok, I guess you's right." She paused. "Well, since you helped clean up dis matter wit Spot, I should help wit Ink."
"No, you don't gotta do dat. I saw what I saw and I know what I saw."
"No, I really think I should tell ya. It really wasn't what it looked like."
"OK then, explain."
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________
OK, sorry to leave you like this, but this chapter is too hard to wrap up. We had a three-day weekend, so you should've expected more from me. Oh well, I'm a lazy bum. Sadly, I didn't get many reviews from people for the last chapter. Oh well, I did get a bunch from the previous one. Let's hope we do better this time.
I'm serious about wanting an MST. Really. So, if anybody has one for me, no matter how mean, I want to read it. E-mail me, please. Thanks to all those who review. Would you do more if I promised shout outs? I could do that. Well, I gotta go now.
Personal noe: Ink is a pig, but now I'm his sister, have two nieces, live in a hospital that's really a mansion, and have another sibling that wasn't there before. The irony is, Ink's 'daughter', Little Bit, is older than him, and I'm a white girl, Ink is Mexican. Can anyone make sense of this?
