"...and I'm afraid without any ado whatsoever" (from "A Knight's Tale"), here's part five!
PART FIVE
Jack walked wearily back inside Tibby's. He had done it. He'd actually said that he loved Diamond. Sure, no one was around to hear it, but it was important all the same. Those words came out of his mouth as though he wasn't even aware that he'd said them. Fortunately, though, none of the newsies noticed.
"What was that all about?" Spot, previously secluded in the back of the room, stood up and approached Jack.
Jack looked like he didn't want to talk about it, but he answered anyway: "Diamond jus' came in here, tellin' me that she didn't wanna be a newsie no more." He swallowed, turning to the rest of them. "She jus' went back to the lodging house to get her stuff."
All of the newsies murmured, their voices tainted with concern.
"Why'd she do it, Jack?" Crutchy pleaded. His usual, cheerful face was clouded over with a worried frown.
Jack shrugged, frustrated. "I don't know!" he exclaimed. "She's gonna go find a new job an' a place to stay. She said something about how she was too old to be a newsie, an' she up and left."
"And you let her?" asked Racetrack, incredulous. The poker game immediately stopped on account of the new situation.
Blink looked down at his hands. "It ain't fair, Jack... Diamond can't leave. We all love 'er."
"You think I don't know that?!" Jack exploded. He restrained himself. "I'm sorry, all right? I jus' don't know what I gotta do to get through to her."
Spot placed his hand on Jack's back. "You oughta do yourself a favor an' go over there an' talk to her b'fore she leaves, Jacky-boy."
Jack nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I better go."
He wordlessly walked out the door and into the night-darkened streets. As he walked briskly back toward Duane Street, Jack stopped and raised his eyes skyward. Amidst the clouded-over night sky, a single, flickering star peeked through. He sighed, and closed his eyes, remembering the poem Diamond had taught him when they were kids:
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." He heaved a sigh. "Okay, I don't know how this works or who's hearin' me up there, but if someone's listenin'... I need to have my best friend with me again. I gotta know what to do to change her mind. She tol' me a while back to go with what my heart says, an' right now my heart's tellin' me not to let her go yet." He slowly opened his eyes. "I guess that's all."
**************************************************************
Diamond was hurriedly shoving her haphazardly strewn belongings into her ragged carpet bag back at the lodging house. As she packed, an ominous creak rippled across the empty room. Her head whipped up to the sudden sound. It came from the door leading up to the roof. Apparently, the early summer breeze knocked it open. Diamond looked at the freely swinging door longingly, then crossed the room to push it open all the way. It wouldn't hurt just to go up there one last time.
The night was especially dark on the lonely rooftop then. Diamond hugged herself closer, bracing herself from the approaching gust of wind. Everything around her was dark. Even the moon wasn't out that night. The only source of light that existed was a tiny star. It flickered against's Diamond's glance. She paused, as a sudden conviction moved through her to make a wish. Just this once.
She sighed, looking up at the star. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." She squinted skeptically, feeling much like a little girl again. "I remember when I was up here for the first time," she said to herself. "I remember, 'cause Cowboy said that-- that Mama was up there listening to my wishes."
Diamond felt the weight of Mama's diamond ring around her neck. She felt a tear come to her eye. "Mama?" she called in a young-sounding voice. "Mama, if you're really there-- or if someone is-- I don't know what I'm doing. Everything around me is tellin' me to go out and learn how to live on my own... but somehow I don't think I'm really ready. And I'm supposed to be; I know it. What would you want me to do? I wish I knew..." She wrinkled her forehead in frustration. "I don't know what I want! I guess my wish is... well, if you're really there-- if I'm really not supposed to go, I wish you'd send me a sign. Yeah," she said after a thoughtful pause. "That's it."
Deep in the darkness, Diamond heard a voice from back inside the bunkroom:
"Diamond?... Are you there?... Oh, no. Please don't be gone yet! Diamond, I gotta talk to you..."
Her eyes widened. "I'm up here," she called numbly, surprised that Jack had followed her all the way to the lodging house.
Jack climbed the stairs and found Diamond seated on a stack of large crates, her chin resting on her knees, like she used to do when she was a little girl. He sat next to her.
"What're you doing here?" she asked him.
He gave her a slight smile. "I live here too, y'know."
"You know what I'm talkin' about," she said, still a little angry with him. "I told you: I gotta leave. You ain't gonna stop me, Cowboy."
He smiled. At least she was calling him "Cowboy" again. "No... I ain't gonna stop you," he admitted. Then, after a pause, he added, "But I'm sure gonna try."
"Cowboy!" she protested. "Why is it such a big deal to you if I move a few blocks away?"
"Listen, Diamond, I'll level with you," he said with a sigh. "Of COURSE it ain't no big deal if you moved a few blocks away. The big deal is this." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Y'know, we've been best friends for a long time. We've done ev'rything together. It was bad enough havin' to go without seeing you for that year and-a-half that you were away. You shoulda seen me all that time. It was awful. But I knew you had to go. Your grandmother needed you."
Diamond nodded silently as he continued:
"But this... this, Diamond, I DON'T see why you gotta go. Even if it IS only a li'l ways away. It means that you ain't happy with us no more, Diamond... When you said all that stuff back at Tibby's, it made me think that you weren't happy with ME no more. I never wanted to make you feel like that. Honest, I didn't. An' you kept sayin' that you wanted something that you couldn't get here. What is it that you want?"
She hesitated. "I don't know if I really wanna tell you, Cowboy. You'd probably think it was dumb."
"What?" he protested. "For almost seven whole years, you an' me-- we've been able to talk about anything and ev'rything. What could it possibly be that you couldn't tell your best friend?"
"Fine," she conceded, "I'll tell. But you gotta swear not to laugh."
He crossed his heart. "I swear I ain't gonna laugh."
She drew in a deep breath. "Today, when I was tryin' to sell my papes, I saw this couple at Central Park. They looked so happy an' in love an' everything. An' I kept thinkin' to myself, 'That's what I really want. I really wanna be loved... jus' like that.'" When Jack didn't say anything, she laughed at herself. "I told you it was dumb!"
He shook his head vehemently. "It ain't dumb, Diamond."
"Ain't it? I mean, look at me! I ain't got nobody that cares about me like that."
"That ain't true."
"Oh yeah? Then you tell me who does, Cowboy."
She knew the answer before he even said it:
"I do." Diamond remained astonished and quiet as Jack elaborated: "Y'know, all these years, I've been actin' like a big brother to ya. I've been all overprotective an' stuff, and sometimes I'd wonder why. But it took all this to make me realize it." He reached out and squeezed her hand gently. "I love you, Diamond. An' I guess I always will."
Diamond's eyes widened. "I... I really don't know what I'm suppposed to say, Cowboy," she said quietly. "But-- wow. I never thought that you'd ever love someone like me."
"Why not?"
"Because..." she answered. "I've seen you go after a lot of girls in the time I've known you. An' they ain't been nothin' like me. All of 'em have been real sweet an' pretty an' they all wore nice clothes--"
"Don't you think that's why I like you?" he said softly, still hanging on to her hand. "You ain't like that. I think you're pretty without all the frills." He smiled. "An' you really don't gotta tell me you love me too. But I thought you should know anyway."
Diamond paused to think. What WAS love, really? Love, she thought, was caring about someone that you didn't have to care about, but that you WANTED to care about. It meant thinking about someone first and foremost. It meant a warm feeling when you were with that someone, no matter what you two did together. Love, she thought, was a wonderful, wonderful thing.
"Well, Cowboy," she said finally, "I'm gonna tell you anyway." She held his other hand tightly. "I thought about what love really means an' all. An' I know now that it can't get no better 'n my best friend right here." Diamond paused, taking a second to look right at him. "I love you, Jack Kelly."
He grinned hopefully. "So you ain't gonna leave then?"
She shook her head, smiling. "No... I ain't gonna leave."
For a moment, there was a sweet sort of silence. Then, Jack released his hand from Diamond's grasp and placed it tenderly on her cheek, bringing her slowly closer. He placed his lips delicately against hers, putting his arms slowly around her. Diamond returned the kiss as she slid her arms around his neck. They pulled apart some time later. Diamond turned and leaned back against Jack, who still held her securely around her waist. She placed her hands on top of his.
"That was my first kiss," she admitted.
"Yeah; I know. Not bad for a beginner," he teased.
She allowed herself to laugh. "So, what do we do now?"
He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Well... I was thinkin' of askin' you if you wanted to be my girlfriend."
"I think I'd like that, Cowboy," she answered wistfully.
He tightened his hold around her. "Then, let's be together, you an' me." His breath tickled her ear.
"Okay."
Jack tenderly kissed Diamond's cheek, and the two of them sat contentedly on the rooftop for a long time afterwards. It was mostly silent, but it was okay. It wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a peaceful silence. Jack and Diamond didn't really need to say anything.
At one point, the single star that both of them had wished on appeared again, winking at the pair from behind the clouds. Diamond caught the glisten of the little star and breathed a word of gratitude. Jack didn't really have to know about it. It was just her little secret.
At the same time, Jack eyed the star as it made its journey across the sky. He winked at it and mouthed a "Thanks." He wasn't planning on bothering Diamond with the little wish he made. It was just his little secret.
"What're you lookin' at up there?" Diamond asked him.
"Oh. Nothin'. Jus' the sky."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
****THE END****
"And now... the award for most God-awful cheesy ending goes to... BACKSTAGE!"
Anyhow, hope you liked it! This, in my opinion, is a closed book, but I'll leave that to my faithful reviewers (THAT I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND, MIND YOU!) to decide. Please review and tell me what you thought!
Lots of Love,
Backstage
Please be a dear and visit my website!
Backstage's Newsies Bunk
http://www.geocities.com/backstagenewsie
PART FIVE
Jack walked wearily back inside Tibby's. He had done it. He'd actually said that he loved Diamond. Sure, no one was around to hear it, but it was important all the same. Those words came out of his mouth as though he wasn't even aware that he'd said them. Fortunately, though, none of the newsies noticed.
"What was that all about?" Spot, previously secluded in the back of the room, stood up and approached Jack.
Jack looked like he didn't want to talk about it, but he answered anyway: "Diamond jus' came in here, tellin' me that she didn't wanna be a newsie no more." He swallowed, turning to the rest of them. "She jus' went back to the lodging house to get her stuff."
All of the newsies murmured, their voices tainted with concern.
"Why'd she do it, Jack?" Crutchy pleaded. His usual, cheerful face was clouded over with a worried frown.
Jack shrugged, frustrated. "I don't know!" he exclaimed. "She's gonna go find a new job an' a place to stay. She said something about how she was too old to be a newsie, an' she up and left."
"And you let her?" asked Racetrack, incredulous. The poker game immediately stopped on account of the new situation.
Blink looked down at his hands. "It ain't fair, Jack... Diamond can't leave. We all love 'er."
"You think I don't know that?!" Jack exploded. He restrained himself. "I'm sorry, all right? I jus' don't know what I gotta do to get through to her."
Spot placed his hand on Jack's back. "You oughta do yourself a favor an' go over there an' talk to her b'fore she leaves, Jacky-boy."
Jack nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I better go."
He wordlessly walked out the door and into the night-darkened streets. As he walked briskly back toward Duane Street, Jack stopped and raised his eyes skyward. Amidst the clouded-over night sky, a single, flickering star peeked through. He sighed, and closed his eyes, remembering the poem Diamond had taught him when they were kids:
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." He heaved a sigh. "Okay, I don't know how this works or who's hearin' me up there, but if someone's listenin'... I need to have my best friend with me again. I gotta know what to do to change her mind. She tol' me a while back to go with what my heart says, an' right now my heart's tellin' me not to let her go yet." He slowly opened his eyes. "I guess that's all."
**************************************************************
Diamond was hurriedly shoving her haphazardly strewn belongings into her ragged carpet bag back at the lodging house. As she packed, an ominous creak rippled across the empty room. Her head whipped up to the sudden sound. It came from the door leading up to the roof. Apparently, the early summer breeze knocked it open. Diamond looked at the freely swinging door longingly, then crossed the room to push it open all the way. It wouldn't hurt just to go up there one last time.
The night was especially dark on the lonely rooftop then. Diamond hugged herself closer, bracing herself from the approaching gust of wind. Everything around her was dark. Even the moon wasn't out that night. The only source of light that existed was a tiny star. It flickered against's Diamond's glance. She paused, as a sudden conviction moved through her to make a wish. Just this once.
She sighed, looking up at the star. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." She squinted skeptically, feeling much like a little girl again. "I remember when I was up here for the first time," she said to herself. "I remember, 'cause Cowboy said that-- that Mama was up there listening to my wishes."
Diamond felt the weight of Mama's diamond ring around her neck. She felt a tear come to her eye. "Mama?" she called in a young-sounding voice. "Mama, if you're really there-- or if someone is-- I don't know what I'm doing. Everything around me is tellin' me to go out and learn how to live on my own... but somehow I don't think I'm really ready. And I'm supposed to be; I know it. What would you want me to do? I wish I knew..." She wrinkled her forehead in frustration. "I don't know what I want! I guess my wish is... well, if you're really there-- if I'm really not supposed to go, I wish you'd send me a sign. Yeah," she said after a thoughtful pause. "That's it."
Deep in the darkness, Diamond heard a voice from back inside the bunkroom:
"Diamond?... Are you there?... Oh, no. Please don't be gone yet! Diamond, I gotta talk to you..."
Her eyes widened. "I'm up here," she called numbly, surprised that Jack had followed her all the way to the lodging house.
Jack climbed the stairs and found Diamond seated on a stack of large crates, her chin resting on her knees, like she used to do when she was a little girl. He sat next to her.
"What're you doing here?" she asked him.
He gave her a slight smile. "I live here too, y'know."
"You know what I'm talkin' about," she said, still a little angry with him. "I told you: I gotta leave. You ain't gonna stop me, Cowboy."
He smiled. At least she was calling him "Cowboy" again. "No... I ain't gonna stop you," he admitted. Then, after a pause, he added, "But I'm sure gonna try."
"Cowboy!" she protested. "Why is it such a big deal to you if I move a few blocks away?"
"Listen, Diamond, I'll level with you," he said with a sigh. "Of COURSE it ain't no big deal if you moved a few blocks away. The big deal is this." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Y'know, we've been best friends for a long time. We've done ev'rything together. It was bad enough havin' to go without seeing you for that year and-a-half that you were away. You shoulda seen me all that time. It was awful. But I knew you had to go. Your grandmother needed you."
Diamond nodded silently as he continued:
"But this... this, Diamond, I DON'T see why you gotta go. Even if it IS only a li'l ways away. It means that you ain't happy with us no more, Diamond... When you said all that stuff back at Tibby's, it made me think that you weren't happy with ME no more. I never wanted to make you feel like that. Honest, I didn't. An' you kept sayin' that you wanted something that you couldn't get here. What is it that you want?"
She hesitated. "I don't know if I really wanna tell you, Cowboy. You'd probably think it was dumb."
"What?" he protested. "For almost seven whole years, you an' me-- we've been able to talk about anything and ev'rything. What could it possibly be that you couldn't tell your best friend?"
"Fine," she conceded, "I'll tell. But you gotta swear not to laugh."
He crossed his heart. "I swear I ain't gonna laugh."
She drew in a deep breath. "Today, when I was tryin' to sell my papes, I saw this couple at Central Park. They looked so happy an' in love an' everything. An' I kept thinkin' to myself, 'That's what I really want. I really wanna be loved... jus' like that.'" When Jack didn't say anything, she laughed at herself. "I told you it was dumb!"
He shook his head vehemently. "It ain't dumb, Diamond."
"Ain't it? I mean, look at me! I ain't got nobody that cares about me like that."
"That ain't true."
"Oh yeah? Then you tell me who does, Cowboy."
She knew the answer before he even said it:
"I do." Diamond remained astonished and quiet as Jack elaborated: "Y'know, all these years, I've been actin' like a big brother to ya. I've been all overprotective an' stuff, and sometimes I'd wonder why. But it took all this to make me realize it." He reached out and squeezed her hand gently. "I love you, Diamond. An' I guess I always will."
Diamond's eyes widened. "I... I really don't know what I'm suppposed to say, Cowboy," she said quietly. "But-- wow. I never thought that you'd ever love someone like me."
"Why not?"
"Because..." she answered. "I've seen you go after a lot of girls in the time I've known you. An' they ain't been nothin' like me. All of 'em have been real sweet an' pretty an' they all wore nice clothes--"
"Don't you think that's why I like you?" he said softly, still hanging on to her hand. "You ain't like that. I think you're pretty without all the frills." He smiled. "An' you really don't gotta tell me you love me too. But I thought you should know anyway."
Diamond paused to think. What WAS love, really? Love, she thought, was caring about someone that you didn't have to care about, but that you WANTED to care about. It meant thinking about someone first and foremost. It meant a warm feeling when you were with that someone, no matter what you two did together. Love, she thought, was a wonderful, wonderful thing.
"Well, Cowboy," she said finally, "I'm gonna tell you anyway." She held his other hand tightly. "I thought about what love really means an' all. An' I know now that it can't get no better 'n my best friend right here." Diamond paused, taking a second to look right at him. "I love you, Jack Kelly."
He grinned hopefully. "So you ain't gonna leave then?"
She shook her head, smiling. "No... I ain't gonna leave."
For a moment, there was a sweet sort of silence. Then, Jack released his hand from Diamond's grasp and placed it tenderly on her cheek, bringing her slowly closer. He placed his lips delicately against hers, putting his arms slowly around her. Diamond returned the kiss as she slid her arms around his neck. They pulled apart some time later. Diamond turned and leaned back against Jack, who still held her securely around her waist. She placed her hands on top of his.
"That was my first kiss," she admitted.
"Yeah; I know. Not bad for a beginner," he teased.
She allowed herself to laugh. "So, what do we do now?"
He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Well... I was thinkin' of askin' you if you wanted to be my girlfriend."
"I think I'd like that, Cowboy," she answered wistfully.
He tightened his hold around her. "Then, let's be together, you an' me." His breath tickled her ear.
"Okay."
Jack tenderly kissed Diamond's cheek, and the two of them sat contentedly on the rooftop for a long time afterwards. It was mostly silent, but it was okay. It wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a peaceful silence. Jack and Diamond didn't really need to say anything.
At one point, the single star that both of them had wished on appeared again, winking at the pair from behind the clouds. Diamond caught the glisten of the little star and breathed a word of gratitude. Jack didn't really have to know about it. It was just her little secret.
At the same time, Jack eyed the star as it made its journey across the sky. He winked at it and mouthed a "Thanks." He wasn't planning on bothering Diamond with the little wish he made. It was just his little secret.
"What're you lookin' at up there?" Diamond asked him.
"Oh. Nothin'. Jus' the sky."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
****THE END****
"And now... the award for most God-awful cheesy ending goes to... BACKSTAGE!"
Anyhow, hope you liked it! This, in my opinion, is a closed book, but I'll leave that to my faithful reviewers (THAT I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND, MIND YOU!) to decide. Please review and tell me what you thought!
Lots of Love,
Backstage
Please be a dear and visit my website!
Backstage's Newsies Bunk
http://www.geocities.com/backstagenewsie