(A/N) – sorry you guys, just took awhile again to update!! I hope you're all still with me!
Thanks to the reviewers… I feel so inspired…. I might just write another chapter!
Well, onward we go!
Disclaimer: I seem to write these every other chapter or so, I can't seem to accept the reality! I don't own Newsies… Disney does.
But if you ever want to, I'm sure we could grab some pitchforks and torches to storm the Magic Kingdom, and demand for that evil little mouse to release our boys!!!!
********
The morning rehearsal at the theater in Brooklyn was interrupted by the sound of the large double doors slamming open, allowing light to pour in the dim room.
The girls in the room groaned loudly at the sudden brightness.
"Good morning to all of you, too! You girls seem so happy to see me!" A voice laughed and yelled jovially from the doors.
Shielding her eyes and turning around, Raven spoke to the visitor.
"Spot Conlon, must you always have a dramatic entrance? Shouldn't you be selling papers or hungover or something? You and that Racetrack seemed a tad bit tipsy last night."
"And miss gracing you with my presence this fine morning? Not a chance! Actually, I woke up too late to sell." Said Spot, approaching the stage where they practiced their dance routines, letting the doors slam closed with a deafening thud.
Cabby, Fluke, Ershey and Shamrock seized this as a break and hopped off the stage, sinking into the front row of chairs. They had been dancing all morning, and gladly welcomed anything that distracted their teacher and fellow performer.
"Did Bill let you in here?" Asked Raven, raising an eyebrow at Spot.
Bill was one of the bartenders, a burly man who acted as a bouncer in the small Cabaret-styled theater. Bill was there that morning, cleaning out the normally grubby bar. It was awfully difficult for people to get in the theater during the day, especially when Bill watched the doors.
"Aww, Raven! Your suspicious interrogations insult me! Yes, Bill let me in." Spot said jokingly, leaning on the back of a chair.
"Are you going to tell me why you're here, or should I just keep asking questions?" Raven could hardly keep from smiling at her friend's antics, which were of a side she had never seen before.
True, Spot was a mercurial sort of person, his moods changing often and unpredictably. But Raven, in all her years of knowing Spot, had never seen him like this. He was laughing and joking, normally not actions attributed to his normally cool-headed impassiveness.
"Actually, I wanted to steal one of your friends for a moment." Spot said.
"Are you going to specify which one you want to talk to, or shall they play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets to be seen with you?" Raven asked.
"Although that would be the fair way, I need to see Cabby."
Cabby, who had caught about every other word of their conversation, focused suddenly when she heard her name.
"Huh? Why do you need to talk to me, Spot? Do you need someone else to brag about yourself to, since your mirror was too distracted by your oh-so-blue eyes to listen?" Asked Cabby from her chair, her apparent dislike for Spot apparent in every word she spoke.
"Not exactly, Cabby. I was just wondering if you'd like to take a walk and discuss an important matter with me. That's all." Spot said, throwing his arms in the air as a mock surrender.
Cabby reluctantly grabbed her coat, which was draped over the back of her chair.
"You better make it quick." She said, annoyance stabbing her voice.
Raven grabbed Spot's arm and pulled him aside, saying in a low voice: "if you try ANYTHING with her, I will kill you. Mark my words… you'll be dead. D-E-D dead!"
"D-E-D?? What, will I be so dead that spelling doesn't matter?" Spot laughed, narrowing his eyes at Raven in a joking manner.
And with that, he opened the double doors suddenly, causing everyone in the theater to blink rapidly again. He held the door for Cabby, mockingly bowing as she walked through it and past him, her chin held defiantly high.
Don't let him get to you….
****
The streets of Brooklyn were completely different from the winter wonderland of the night before. The once freshly fallen snow had become blackened and dirty, trudged upon and crushed under the heavy boots of the working class in Brooklyn.
A few steps outside in the cool air, Cabby's feet flew out from underneath her. Her dancing heels held no traction against the ice that covered the path. Falling hard against the ground, she had to lie still a moment to pull together her scattered senses. Embarrassed by Spot's roaring laughter, she sat on the ground, trying to let her humiliation pass and find a way to get up without falling back down again.
"Wouldn't a gentleman help a girl up?" She asked bitterly, raising herself to a sitting position.
"Then I guess it's lucky that I'm not a gentleman."
Cabby tried to stand up on her feet, only to fall unsuccessfully back onto the ice of the path.
"I'll make you a deal then," Spot said, suppressing his laughter, "I'll help you up if you listen to what I have to tell you. Oh, yeah… and stop shooting dirty looks at me."
Cabby nodded quickly, and Spot grabbed her thin arm, lifting her up with a small tug. Brushing the snow off her, Cabby looked at Spot expectantly.
"I believe there's something you need to tell me?"
Spot began to walk forward, Cabby matching his pace to follow him. At length, Spot spoke.
"I see you had a run-in with Racetrack last night. Do you want to tell me your side of the story, or should I just trust his as the truth?"
Cabby turned at Spot to frown, but remembering the terms of their agreement, she looked at the ground again.
"He mistook me as a prostitute, and then he started to get all angry for no real reason at all."
"Why did you even cross paths in the first place? Racetrack's not very confrontational when it comes to girls. Did you come on to him?"
"No! Of course not!" Cabby said, starting to get angry and wondering what right Spot had to jump into her business.
Spot turned to look at her briefly.
"You know… Looks aren't everything. You may be beautiful, but if you're vain, all the beauty in the world won't cover it up."
Cabby turned in disbelief to Spot.
"You brought me out here to insult me? You don't even know me! And besides that, what place do you have to throw yourself into matters that have nothing to do with you?"
Cabby turned around to head back to the theater. Spot ran after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him.
"I'm sorry, alright? I never meant to say that you were vain. It's just I've seen so many girls as pretty as you become the worst type of people. I don't think any of your friends want to see that happen to you."
Spot looked so sincere that Cabby was having a hard time frowning at him. Pulling three slips of paper from his coat, Spot looked at them and handed them to Cabby.
"Those are tickets to Medda's Christmas Eve ball. It's kind of exclusive, and you need a newsie to get you a ticket. I know that Fluke already has her ticket from Blink and Jack's already given Raven her ticket."
Counting the tickets in her hand, Cabby looked up at Spot.
"There's three here. Who are they for?" Cabby asked.
Spot looked at her quizzically. Taking the tickets from her hand, he pointed to words handwritten on the paper.
"The names are written right there."
Cabby blushed furiously under the appraising stare of Spot.
"Oh…. I-I-I- I didn't see it." Cabby said, trying to look completely unbothered.
Spot looked at her sympathetically, which made Cabby want to hit him.
"You can't read, can you?"
Trying to think of a good excuse and not able to, Cabby spluttered for a moment. Spot, seeing her trapped, handed the tickets back to her.
"It's alright. I'm not gonna tell anyone."
Cabby was half-grateful with Spot for taking it so lightly, and half-angry at him for pressing the subject.
Spot continued,
"Anyway, it says here that Dutchy's inviting Shamrock, and Mush is sending this one for Ershey."
"And the third one?"
"Raven didn't think it was fair that the other girls were going and nobody invited you." Spot said, shrugging.
"I swear, you brought me out here to remind me of everything that's wrong with me." Said Cabby.
"Not everything that's wrong with you… I don't think I've even covered the important stuff. Nah, I'm joking. The third ticket's yours, I'm bringing you to the ball."
Trying to hide her shock, Cabby stared at him wide-eyed.
"You're only doing this because Raven asked you to."
"True."
"Watch out, I'm not sure I can handle such a kind, charitable act on your part, Spot Conlon." Cabby finished, sarcastically.
"I'll meet you at the theater, Christmas eve, an hour before the ball starts. It's kind of a formal sort of affair. So I don't expect you to be looking like a prostitute again." Spot said, smirking at her.
Any sort of protest Cabby could think of was cut off when they arrived at the theater. She walked in without saying goodbye to Spot.
Entering the stage area, Cabby flew down the aisle in excitement, waving the tickets in the air.
"We're all going to the ball! All of us!!" Cabby handed the tickets to Ershey and Shamrock.
The girls cheered, and Raven crossed her arms and leaned against the rickety stand-up piano they used.
"It's tomorrow." She said, "which leaves us not a lot of time to make our dresses with the rehearsals and everything."
One by one, the girls stopped celebrating, staring at their leader in distressed shock
Raven continued,
"So I guess we have to take today and tomorrow off."
In one movement, all five of the girls stormed the costume loft of their theater, searching through the bolts of material for something to make the perfect dress with.
******
Another chapter!!
Once again, thanks to the reviewers!
Okay, so the Nutcracker performances are done! *sniff*
Raven- I was a Merliton soloist. Not the most exciting part, but oh well. Last year I was Clara en pointe, and I got to dance a pas de deux with drosselmeir (spelling?). Anyway, that was a lot more fun. You dance??? What sort of dance do you do?
Kitty- I'll add you in during the ball. That's in about two chapters… thank you for reviewing my story.
Love,
*~CABBY~*