*Chapter 32*
Bottle Cap found Dibs and Locks on the docks, seeing who had the best aim with their sligshot. A stone whizzed right by her ear as she approached and she spun around just in time to see an empty beer bottle shatter.
"Fine, you'se got da bettah aim." Locks gaves in, "But who's bettah at pickin' locks?"
"Well, dat's a no brainah." Dibs smiled and rolled his eyes. Bottle Cap grinned at their boyish display, her blue eyes resting on Dibs' natural beauty as the evening breeze rustled his hair gently. She involuntarily let out a small sigh.
"Heya Bottle Cap." Locks broke her gaze, making her cheeks pink with embarressment. "How's it rollin'?"
"Alright." She nodded and smiled. Dibs studied her quietly, not hearing her response because his own thoughts were too loud. She gave him such a strange feeling, he couldn't explain it but he certainly couldn't deny it.
"Are you with Honor?" Bottle Cap suddenly asked, tired of watching Locks fidget with his slingshot and feeling uneasy under Dibs' content gaze.
"Who? Me?" Locks gestured at himself. "Dat goil is crazy, she's jumped off da Brooklyn bridge a half a dozen times!" He paused, a giant grinned spreading across his face. "Yeah, she's all mine." Bottle Cap giggled, quite amused. Locks noticed Dibs' strange silence and nodded a goodbye at BC.
"Later." Bottle Cap returned, then took a wavery breath before inching closer to where the handsome boy of her imagination stood, now looking at the ground. He, without warning, turned his dark, deep blue eyes on her and smiled gently.
"You like Brooklyn?" He asked, running his hand through his hair casually. Katie's heart seemed to do double time in her chest as she looked into his eyes, like a sea after a storm.
"Yeah." She nodded, "Feels like it's where I was meant to be all along." She said, not even thinking about the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. "I mean, I never really fit in back home. No one understood me."
"I bet it was hawd livin' wit' da Goodbakahs all dat time, not knowin' wheah ya bruddah was or anythin'." Dibs replied, shattering Katie's illusion of letting him into her secret. She looked off to the side, biting her lip. What could she say to a guy like Dibs? She was in love with him, but was that even allowed? If it was, it wasn't fair to him. What's a relationship when you're living an absolute lie?
"Dibs!" Came a call from the lodging house window as the sun was turning the sky a light orange. "We'se stawtin' a game of pokah! Get in heah so we'se can steal all ya money!"
"Yeah right, Abs!" Dibs called back, "We'll see 'bout dat!" He laughed. Bottle Cap's heart sunk within her as Dibs started up to the lodging house. "You, uh, you comin'?" He turned.
"Sure." She smiled. Together they headed up to the lodging house and the game began. Flirt, Hades, Illusion, and Bottle Cap sat on the side, whispering about the boys. Caps came in a little after the game had begun and took off his Cap, looking a little worried. To the girls' surprise, he came over to them instead of the game.
"BC, can we tawk...outside?" He asked, his voice hushed. Bottle Cap raised an eyebrow at the others before following him outside, where the sun was not yet gone from the purplish sky above.
"What is it?"
"When I walked ya sistah home las' night..." He began, wringing his cap in his hands as he spoke. This was perfect! If she couldn't get it from Spin, she would sure as heck get it from Caps. "Well, I think we mighta done somethin' dat we shouldn'ta."
*
"Wheah ya headin'?" Blink caught sight of Silver as she headed out. He had been sitting outside in front of the lodging house smoking a cigarette.
"Blink, I think I got an idea 'bout Ben. I gotta tell BC!" She explained hurriedly. Blink stood and dropped his cigarette, stomping it out.
"Not tanight, Silv." He shook his head, "It's too late...I don't want ya in Brooklyn in da dawk." Silver studied his good eye, all the emotions from before rushing back, she was cemented to the spot.
"Blink..." She began, finding a pebble on the ground and becoming extremely interested with it, "about earliah..."
"I didn't mean ta catch ya so off guard." He said hurriedly, "I can't say dat I ain't been dyin' ta do dat fah a long time, because I have."
"Really?" She looked up at him, surprised, "Why didn't ya evah say somethin'?"
"You'se me best friend, Silvah." He smiled his signature smile at her, "I didn't wanna ruin dat."
"Nothin' could ruin dat, Blink." She smiled, finally feeling at ease with him. Realizing that she felt this strongly for him brought a blush to her cheeks.
"So, whata ya say?" He probed, inching closer and gently placing his arms around her waist. "Be my goil?" Silver couldn't reply, she felt as though a gazillion butterflies were going wild inside of her. In answer, she leaned in and gave him a deep, passionate, and effective kiss.
"Fellahs! Check it out!" Snipeshooter whooped from the window. The girls ran to see what was going on and exchanged knowing glances.
"I knew dey was gettin' tageddah." True said gently, a smile lighting up her face. The girls giggled in excitement as the boys rolled their eyes. Jake came up behind Spin and rested his arms around her.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear. Why had he said that? she wondered. She couldn't face him, she couldn't hurt him like that. What's even worse, she knew that she couldn't say those words back. She remained silent, tears brimming her eyes. She had made a mistake, but it haunted her every time she looked Jake's way.
