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A/N-Thank you for reviewing!
I didn't understand Spot's obvious attraction to Cobalt. I thought maybe it was like my attraction to her. She was beautiful and foreign...a mystery in herself that made my mind spin with thoughts. Then the little thing about her being hurt. A damsel in distress or so they say. It made the boys in the lodging house ever so wary of her glowing presence in the upstairs room. Her intense blue eyes and golden blonde hair. It was like an angel had taken flight from Heaven and made camp in Brooklyn Lodging House. That angel had stolen their leaders' hearts when she came in.
Spot came in a week later from selling. It was my day to stay at home and take care of Cobalt. She was getting better but hated to be left at the house by herself. She had it in her head that Xavier was going to come back for her and kill her. Spot and I had reassured her dozens of times that we wouldn't let him harm her in any way, shape, or form, but she still insisted we stay there with her.
I grinned at him as he walked into her room. She was sitting up and laughing at something I had said just moments before. He smirked. "Hey Cobalt."
"Bonjour Spot. You've come to see me, no?" Her voice had an ample French accent that rang like a church bell. Not high like most girls, but deeper and more rich than any girl I had ever spoken with. I imagined she could sing to match the way she looked.
Spot nodded. "Of course I came ta see ya. Why else would I come in?"
"To see Storm. He is your best friend, no?"
I loved the way she spoke. "Well, who wouldn't want to see you Cobalt?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and smiling at her. She blushed.
"Vous êtes un tel flirt, Calahan ! Vous me traitez pour jaillir. Je suis juste un visiteur ici."
Spot rolled his eyes. "We ain't as talented at you is in da language department, Cobalt. Would ya tell me what ya said?"
She gazed up at him and shook her head. "It does not matter, Spot. I think I may be able to try to sell tomorrow."
"I'll teach you," I offered, standing up. Spot's eyes locked on me.
"Yeah ya can. I gots business in Queens tamorrow. I'll meet ya guys aftah I get back at...da usual corner?" He asked, looking at me as if to check if I could meet him. I nodded.
Spot shrugged and headed out the door. He had to get to Manhattan to settle some strike business with Jack Kelly. I turned to look at Cobalt.
"So I imagine you earned your name with those eyes of your's?" I asked.
She turned toward me and grinned. "Yes, that is so. Xavier called me Cobalt because of them. I don't suppose you got your name from your temper? You seem so mild and kind."
I shrugged. "Not me. I earned it because I landed a punch on Spot in the middle of a thunderstorm."
Cobalt looked obviously impressed. "Did you now? I find that quite an amazing feat, Storm."
"I guess it was. I don't know...Are you from France or did your parents just teach to speak French?"
"I'm from France, just as you are from Ireland. I lived there until my parents died. Then Xavier brought me here. I decided I didn't want to work in a sweatshop and he beat me up. Somehow, I end up here. You and Spot found me, no?"
I shook my head. "Pockets and Corner found you. I just made sure they left you alone."
She looked down at her hands. "And Tops...who is she. She has dated you, no?"
I sighed. "Yeah she has unfortunately. I thought I loved Tops but I don't. She's to...highly acknowledged for me. Spot dated her too."
"She still likes you, Calahan. She tells me all the time. I don't know she seems to have a-a-a...what is the English word?"
"Obsession..." I waited. She shook her head. I tried again. "Infatuation?"
"YES! That is it! I don't like it at all, no I don't."
My eyes widened. "Why not?"
She looked away. "Because you don't like her either do you?"
"No I don't but she chooses to pick on me because Spot would beat the shit out of her she annoyed him like that."
Cobalt stared. "He would hit a lady, no?"
"He would if he hates them enough. Or if they make him mad enough. Why?"
She shrugged. "You will not tell anyone?"
I smiled. "Never."
"I'm beginning to like him...and you."
It was those words that made my heart ache. She liked both of us and she knew what that could cause. A war...a turf war between Spot and I. Something I had spent a lot of my life avoiding. This heavenly creature was going to cause my downfall in Brooklyn and I saw that. This beautiful, ethereal, gorgeous, being was going to be my death sentence and cause the loss of my best friend: Spot Conlon. At that exact moment I had wanted to kiss her and kill her at the same time. It was enough to make me shrug and walk out of the room. Leaving her confused and alone.
I sat in the hall with my head on my knees, thoughts whirling through my head. Race was there on business and he sat down. "How's it rollin, Storm?"
I sighed. "Bad."
"Why?"
"I know a girl and she likes me and Spot both. I like her too but I know Spot does so I can't try anything. If he gets her, it'll kill me but if I get her, it'll kill me."
"What did I tell ya? Nothin good comes outta Conlon!"
"I owe him my life, Racetrack. That's good. I'm alive because of him."
"Yeah. So are a lot a little kids an' dere teenage muddahs. He's a screw up. A mistake on Earth. Ya should take da goil an run."
"I would if I could...but I can't do it. I can't leave my best friend."
Race groaned. "We all left Kelly when he turned scabbah on us! Why can't ya leave Conlon for stealin' ya goil! He took Tops from ya!"
My eyes flashed anger. "I didn't like Tops anymore! Just stop-it Racetrack!"
He shrugged, stood up, and left me alone with my thoughts of Cobalt. The foreign newsie that loved two leaders. The one that fought...and the one that made up the fight plans. Spot and Storm. The terrible leaders of Brooklyn, New York!
I didn't understand Spot's obvious attraction to Cobalt. I thought maybe it was like my attraction to her. She was beautiful and foreign...a mystery in herself that made my mind spin with thoughts. Then the little thing about her being hurt. A damsel in distress or so they say. It made the boys in the lodging house ever so wary of her glowing presence in the upstairs room. Her intense blue eyes and golden blonde hair. It was like an angel had taken flight from Heaven and made camp in Brooklyn Lodging House. That angel had stolen their leaders' hearts when she came in.
Spot came in a week later from selling. It was my day to stay at home and take care of Cobalt. She was getting better but hated to be left at the house by herself. She had it in her head that Xavier was going to come back for her and kill her. Spot and I had reassured her dozens of times that we wouldn't let him harm her in any way, shape, or form, but she still insisted we stay there with her.
I grinned at him as he walked into her room. She was sitting up and laughing at something I had said just moments before. He smirked. "Hey Cobalt."
"Bonjour Spot. You've come to see me, no?" Her voice had an ample French accent that rang like a church bell. Not high like most girls, but deeper and more rich than any girl I had ever spoken with. I imagined she could sing to match the way she looked.
Spot nodded. "Of course I came ta see ya. Why else would I come in?"
"To see Storm. He is your best friend, no?"
I loved the way she spoke. "Well, who wouldn't want to see you Cobalt?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and smiling at her. She blushed.
"Vous êtes un tel flirt, Calahan ! Vous me traitez pour jaillir. Je suis juste un visiteur ici."
Spot rolled his eyes. "We ain't as talented at you is in da language department, Cobalt. Would ya tell me what ya said?"
She gazed up at him and shook her head. "It does not matter, Spot. I think I may be able to try to sell tomorrow."
"I'll teach you," I offered, standing up. Spot's eyes locked on me.
"Yeah ya can. I gots business in Queens tamorrow. I'll meet ya guys aftah I get back at...da usual corner?" He asked, looking at me as if to check if I could meet him. I nodded.
Spot shrugged and headed out the door. He had to get to Manhattan to settle some strike business with Jack Kelly. I turned to look at Cobalt.
"So I imagine you earned your name with those eyes of your's?" I asked.
She turned toward me and grinned. "Yes, that is so. Xavier called me Cobalt because of them. I don't suppose you got your name from your temper? You seem so mild and kind."
I shrugged. "Not me. I earned it because I landed a punch on Spot in the middle of a thunderstorm."
Cobalt looked obviously impressed. "Did you now? I find that quite an amazing feat, Storm."
"I guess it was. I don't know...Are you from France or did your parents just teach to speak French?"
"I'm from France, just as you are from Ireland. I lived there until my parents died. Then Xavier brought me here. I decided I didn't want to work in a sweatshop and he beat me up. Somehow, I end up here. You and Spot found me, no?"
I shook my head. "Pockets and Corner found you. I just made sure they left you alone."
She looked down at her hands. "And Tops...who is she. She has dated you, no?"
I sighed. "Yeah she has unfortunately. I thought I loved Tops but I don't. She's to...highly acknowledged for me. Spot dated her too."
"She still likes you, Calahan. She tells me all the time. I don't know she seems to have a-a-a...what is the English word?"
"Obsession..." I waited. She shook her head. I tried again. "Infatuation?"
"YES! That is it! I don't like it at all, no I don't."
My eyes widened. "Why not?"
She looked away. "Because you don't like her either do you?"
"No I don't but she chooses to pick on me because Spot would beat the shit out of her she annoyed him like that."
Cobalt stared. "He would hit a lady, no?"
"He would if he hates them enough. Or if they make him mad enough. Why?"
She shrugged. "You will not tell anyone?"
I smiled. "Never."
"I'm beginning to like him...and you."
It was those words that made my heart ache. She liked both of us and she knew what that could cause. A war...a turf war between Spot and I. Something I had spent a lot of my life avoiding. This heavenly creature was going to cause my downfall in Brooklyn and I saw that. This beautiful, ethereal, gorgeous, being was going to be my death sentence and cause the loss of my best friend: Spot Conlon. At that exact moment I had wanted to kiss her and kill her at the same time. It was enough to make me shrug and walk out of the room. Leaving her confused and alone.
I sat in the hall with my head on my knees, thoughts whirling through my head. Race was there on business and he sat down. "How's it rollin, Storm?"
I sighed. "Bad."
"Why?"
"I know a girl and she likes me and Spot both. I like her too but I know Spot does so I can't try anything. If he gets her, it'll kill me but if I get her, it'll kill me."
"What did I tell ya? Nothin good comes outta Conlon!"
"I owe him my life, Racetrack. That's good. I'm alive because of him."
"Yeah. So are a lot a little kids an' dere teenage muddahs. He's a screw up. A mistake on Earth. Ya should take da goil an run."
"I would if I could...but I can't do it. I can't leave my best friend."
Race groaned. "We all left Kelly when he turned scabbah on us! Why can't ya leave Conlon for stealin' ya goil! He took Tops from ya!"
My eyes flashed anger. "I didn't like Tops anymore! Just stop-it Racetrack!"
He shrugged, stood up, and left me alone with my thoughts of Cobalt. The foreign newsie that loved two leaders. The one that fought...and the one that made up the fight plans. Spot and Storm. The terrible leaders of Brooklyn, New York!