I wrenched my arm out of his grip and turned to run.
His companion tripped me and I landed flat on my face. I could feel blood run from my nose, "What do you want John," I said shakily to him, wiping the blood from my face.
"You've run away from home, Mama and Papa want you home," he said this with mock sympathy. I read into his features, he didn't want me out of the house were I could tell people things.
Little did he know I was so frightened of him, I wouldn't have even told Jack or Spot anything about John, not even if they asked me to.
I heard footsteps not too far off, and wondered if Jack had figured out that it was a set up to get me. Before I had time to ponder this fact some more, John's hand flew through the air and smacked me across the face, the blow stung violently, and I felt my eyes tear up.
"Oh stop crying, you know you cry too much Ella, you need to learn to suck it up."
"Per'aps you should loin dat hittin goils, is not appreciated by Brooklyn boys," said a strangely familiar voice from behind, the footsteps that had been coming closer had stopped.
I began to turn but John grabbed my already twisted arm and rotated the socket some more, I yelled and twisted my body to ease the pressure, my face was completely turned away.
"Let 'er go, she's ona me newsies, and I cant have all dis violence goin on behind me back," realization flooded through me, it was my slight enemy, but also slight protector, Spot.
I turned my head as far as I could, I wasn't very tolerant of pain, and I could only see his frame in my peripheral vision.
John set his face to a polite mocking, "Yes, but she is my cousin, and never had the right to be a newsie."
Spot looked livid, or at least ready to fight John--but his words were altogether different. "Look, all I'se sayin is dat she aint done nothing to my knowledge-" John interrupted, "You don't have very much of that to begin with" Spot's upper lip curled, he wasn't happy.
"Da goil aint nothin to me, she's just me newsie, 'n since im da leadah of da Brooklyn newsies, im gonna need hah back now, before ya bust hah up," now I understood, Spot wasn't about to risk his neck for me, though he was very able to fight, he seemed reluctant to fight for my freedom from the beast.
John matched Spots glare with his own blue eyes and smiled, "She is mine, go back to the hole you crawled out from." With that, I was thrown in front of John's big companion, and had both of my arms put into a bind with one of the boys' big hands. I was defenseless facing John with no way to move.
"Let go of her," I heard Jack say.
"I don't believe she's any of your concern"
"She is plenty of my concoin"
"No, I don't think you know this girl very well, and no matter what you previously have thought about her, is wrong, she isn't worth fighting for"
"Den why are you tryin to keep her?" Spot said defensively.
"She is family, and I love her." At this my face became such a look of disgust that Jack nearly laughed, nearly. I decided to clear things up a little, and stop Johns incredulous lies about his relationship with me.
"Ahem, you love me like I love cockroaches, gag.." I got a punch onto my cheek for the explicit detailing. So I decided to take his side to see what would happen, "No wait, I was just kidding, love you too," again smack across face.
As much as I was afraid of John I knew that my 'signature move' was no match for his muscles. As he loomed forward once more to punch me a little more forcefully in the stomach I pulled my leg up hard. Spot ran forward and punched the beefy boy in the face sending him flying across the pavement-- he fell hard.
Jack caught my arms and I hugged him as best I could without crushing my sore stomach.
"Thank you... um... I guess I have some explaining to do don't I?" Spot gave me a look that stopped my breath in my lungs. "You could say dat," he glared sternly.
His companion tripped me and I landed flat on my face. I could feel blood run from my nose, "What do you want John," I said shakily to him, wiping the blood from my face.
"You've run away from home, Mama and Papa want you home," he said this with mock sympathy. I read into his features, he didn't want me out of the house were I could tell people things.
Little did he know I was so frightened of him, I wouldn't have even told Jack or Spot anything about John, not even if they asked me to.
I heard footsteps not too far off, and wondered if Jack had figured out that it was a set up to get me. Before I had time to ponder this fact some more, John's hand flew through the air and smacked me across the face, the blow stung violently, and I felt my eyes tear up.
"Oh stop crying, you know you cry too much Ella, you need to learn to suck it up."
"Per'aps you should loin dat hittin goils, is not appreciated by Brooklyn boys," said a strangely familiar voice from behind, the footsteps that had been coming closer had stopped.
I began to turn but John grabbed my already twisted arm and rotated the socket some more, I yelled and twisted my body to ease the pressure, my face was completely turned away.
"Let 'er go, she's ona me newsies, and I cant have all dis violence goin on behind me back," realization flooded through me, it was my slight enemy, but also slight protector, Spot.
I turned my head as far as I could, I wasn't very tolerant of pain, and I could only see his frame in my peripheral vision.
John set his face to a polite mocking, "Yes, but she is my cousin, and never had the right to be a newsie."
Spot looked livid, or at least ready to fight John--but his words were altogether different. "Look, all I'se sayin is dat she aint done nothing to my knowledge-" John interrupted, "You don't have very much of that to begin with" Spot's upper lip curled, he wasn't happy.
"Da goil aint nothin to me, she's just me newsie, 'n since im da leadah of da Brooklyn newsies, im gonna need hah back now, before ya bust hah up," now I understood, Spot wasn't about to risk his neck for me, though he was very able to fight, he seemed reluctant to fight for my freedom from the beast.
John matched Spots glare with his own blue eyes and smiled, "She is mine, go back to the hole you crawled out from." With that, I was thrown in front of John's big companion, and had both of my arms put into a bind with one of the boys' big hands. I was defenseless facing John with no way to move.
"Let go of her," I heard Jack say.
"I don't believe she's any of your concern"
"She is plenty of my concoin"
"No, I don't think you know this girl very well, and no matter what you previously have thought about her, is wrong, she isn't worth fighting for"
"Den why are you tryin to keep her?" Spot said defensively.
"She is family, and I love her." At this my face became such a look of disgust that Jack nearly laughed, nearly. I decided to clear things up a little, and stop Johns incredulous lies about his relationship with me.
"Ahem, you love me like I love cockroaches, gag.." I got a punch onto my cheek for the explicit detailing. So I decided to take his side to see what would happen, "No wait, I was just kidding, love you too," again smack across face.
As much as I was afraid of John I knew that my 'signature move' was no match for his muscles. As he loomed forward once more to punch me a little more forcefully in the stomach I pulled my leg up hard. Spot ran forward and punched the beefy boy in the face sending him flying across the pavement-- he fell hard.
Jack caught my arms and I hugged him as best I could without crushing my sore stomach.
"Thank you... um... I guess I have some explaining to do don't I?" Spot gave me a look that stopped my breath in my lungs. "You could say dat," he glared sternly.