Shout Outs:

Spotted One: Here's more!

Neffie: Here she is! Weeeeeeeeeee

Drama-Queen: Thanks for reading. Hope it lives up to expectations.

Mondie: MRS DAVID? Blech shes evil

Rae Kelly: Writer's block is the devil

KeZa: Yes drooling on the keyboard is bad. I'm updating it already wee. Police fic... any time you wanna

Derby: Here's more. Glad ya like it

Mist: *FictionHobbit is handcuffed to Skittery, giggling madly* No getting hit is bad very bad. *nods*



Something Beautiful Chapter 2

Bleeding In the Alley and Surprising Introductions


Skittery went back every day for three months. Each day he saw *her*. Each day she was hiding from the world. He left after buying another croussant, determined to find out just who this girl was. In his mind he had built up a story about a girl who lived her life afraid. Basically a perfect angel who needed rescuing. He would soon find something different. That last morning, he left the bakery with every intention of finding out who this mystery girl was. Doubling back behind the bakery, Skittery slipped into the alley, making his way back to the bakery. What found his dark brown orbs made his breath catch in his throat. He could not make his feet move forward to confront the girl. She sat in the alley behind the bakery, a piece of glass glinting in her hand. 'What the Hell?' he thought to himself before he saw the glass enter her fore arm just below the elbow. "'Ey! What's a rich goil like youse doin' dat fah? Gimme dat!" he walked up, snatched the bloody piece of glass from her, tossing it aside, and tied part of an apron which hung nearby, forgotten by it's owner, above the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Can't you mind your own business?" she sobbed, holding her arm up to stop the bleeding. She resembled a scared, wounded puppy, except this wound was self inflicted. She sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, her good arm slung over her knees. He'd never seen her up close like this. The girl was pretty nondescript. Brown mousy, straight hair hung loose to her shoulders. Her eyes were also brown. They lacked the sparkle and shine he'd seen in most girls didn't have a care in the world. To be polite she was chunky. The corset she wore was stretched out to the maxium length of the strings it was tied up with. Her wrists were thicker than his. Yes, plain was a good way to describe her. She was somebody people could easily overlook, if not to ridicule her size. Still, his heart went out to her. Anybody who sits in an alley and cuts themselves has serious problems... rich or not.

"No, I can't. Tell me why you was doin' dat," he demanded, sitting beside her and pulling out a cigarette. "You'se dat goil who hides in da kitchen at the bakery, aintcha?" he asked, recognizing her eyes.

She took a cigarette, lit it up and took a long drag of it before responding "What does it matter? I'm not bleeding anymore. No thanks to you". The bitterness in her voice made Skittery believe he had stumbled onto the female version of himself. Except what would she have to be bitter about? "Why do you care?" she asked, suddenly seeming to withdraw further into herself.

"I hoid ya muddah hit you. Why do you let her do that? Jis run away or somethin'," he ventured, ignoring her questions. He was determined to understand her.

"At least when she hits me I know I'm alive... The reason she treats me like shit is because that's all I am. Look at me! I'm ugly and fat," she added pathetically, not knowing she was asking for pity but getting it anyways, which made her feel more worthless. "I've been cutting myself for years. It makes me feel better. Can I have another cigarette?" she continued blindly, her mouth taking over before she could censor her words. Skittery gave her the cigarette without speaking, she obviously needed to get some stuff off her chest. "I deserve all those slaps. I'm stupid and ugly. Unlike my perfect sister, Janine. She's got three suitors, perfect hair and everyone loves her. I got the shit of the blood line," she laughed at her own joke.

Skittery searched for another cigarette realizing his last one was in her mouth. 'Dat's jis poifect,' he thought watching her smoke it. "Well, I ain't met dis Janine but you ain't as bad as you convinced yaself ya are," he broke the uncomfortable silence a few minutes after her sobbing stopped. "If you let people get ta know ya, I'm willin' ta bet you'd be happier. If people can't take the time ta git ta know somebody dey can go fuck demselves," he nodded to emphasize his words. "You have ta open up and let people in. Risk gettin' hoit. At least dat's what my pal Swifty told me when I foist became a newsie. I was like you, in that I didn't want to get hoit so I closed myself off and made jokes about myself before somebody else could. People don't like bein' around sombody who hates themselves and brings people down," he went on when she didn't react.

"Ha. You were like me? How can you be like me? You're handsome," she retorted, kicking herself for admitting her attraction to him. "I bet you have tons of friends," she added, hoping he would ignore the comment about his appearance.

"Yeah. Now. You can read real good nad shit can't ya?," he fought the grin threatening to appear when she complimented him. 'Handsome? Me? I can work with this,' he thought, drawing a circle in the dirt with his shoe. "I'll make you a deal. You give me a chance to prove you wrong about how you see yourself and you teach me ta read aiight?". It had always embarassed him that he could only read a little bit.

Smiling for the first time, the girl held out her hand and nodded "Deal. I'm Rebecca David by the way". When they shook hands a warm current flowed from one hand to the other and back.