Disclaimer-I don't own the movie Newsies. The wonderful people at Disney
do.
I woke up to the usual yelling in my ear from Spot. "Get up Storm! We gotta sell an' ya have ta teach Cobalt ta sell taday."
I groaned. That was exactly what I was dreading. Spending more time with Cobalt. More time so I could fall even more for her. I sat up. "I'm going Spot," I said groggily. "Not in good wishes though."
Spot smirked and hit my shoulder. "Get up!"
Tops came in and grabbed my arms, dragging me out of bed. It was a daily ritual. I wasn't a morning person at all, but eventually I stood up and wiped the sleep from my eyes. Tops pushed me into the washroom and splashed me with the icy water. I got dressed and met Cobalt at the bottom of the steps.
"Hey Cobalt. C'mon we have to get to the distribution center before everyone else does. I don't want you to have to fight through all of them on your first day here."
Cobalt nodded and followed me, murmuring in French occasionally. When I finally got the papers, 100 for me, 50 for her, we had just missed the morning paper traffic. I shot Spot a smirk as I passed him and he tipped his hat in recognition that he had seen it. I led Cobalt to my usual selling corner and made her watch as I looked through the paper.
"Hmm...there was a fire in the kitchen of an orphanage...I could use that...some Wall Street things...you're to new to understand how to use shit from Wall Street."
Cobalt smiled. "Oui."
"English, Cobalt, English. Now fire in the kitchen...I got one." I held the paper up and shouted, "Fire in orphanage! Hundreds left homeless!"
A man immediately ran over and bought a paper. I smirked at Cobalt. "Easy as pie. See?"
She grinned and held her own paper out. "Orphanage fire! Kills 12 children!"
A woman bought her paper. She looked at me. "Well, it does work, no?"
I nodded and then we sold the rest of our papes. After that I took Cobalt to Central Park. She told me about her life in France and her parents while I told her about my life in Ireland, my brother and my parents. She finished with, "And my real name, is Christelle."
I smiled. "You already know my real name, Christelle. It's Calahan."
She smiled up at me, those blue eyes burning into my own dark brown. She leaned up and kissed me. I froze to the ground. 'Oh please don't let Spot see this,' I begged. She put her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. I pulled her away.
"I can't do this for you, Cobalt. Spot likes you too much," I whispered. She frowned.
"I know. I like you though. It's so odd. I just feel connected to you. You feel it to, no?"
Oh god I felt it then! She was pressed right up against me. I was as connected to her as I would let myself be. I nodded weakly.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded again. Of course I was okay. She was with me.
Cobalt let go of me. "I had hoped you would say something more than just 'I can't do this for you, Cobalt.' I thought you would tell me you liked me. You do, no?"
"Of course I do! I just can't yet. Spot would kill me."
Cobalt wiped a tear of her cheek. "I like both of you but I seem to connect with you while Spot is...I don't know."
"He's powerful. A lot of girls feel like that about him."
Cobalt looked up at me. "I hope you don't fear him."
"I have to. He'd kick my ass in a fight."
Cobalt put her arms around me. "When he comes close, the heavens will fall...if you give them a glance...if you believe in yourself."
I stared at her. "I will." Then I put my arms around her waist. "Who cares about what he thinks..." I tilted her face up and kissed her again. It was something I would regret for a very long time. When I broke it she was gazing at me. "Cobalt...I don't think we should tell him."
"Neither do I."
"Does this mean...you're my girl?"
Cobalt smirked. "Maybe." Then she ran off into an alley. I stared after her until a set of hands clamped around my neck. I immediately reached for them to find someone else dragging something out in front of me. Cobalt was in Oscar Delancey's arms, struggling with all her might. I couldn't breath and my head spun. Cobalt screamed for me but I couldn't really hear her. I struggled against the hands on my neck until I lost consciousness and dropped to my knees. The last thing I heard was Cobalt scream for Spot, but knowing he wouldn't hear her.
"Get up ya Brooklyn scum bag!" Someone snapped. I knew that voice. It was Morris. I sat up and rubbed the aching ring of raw skin on my neck. Cobalt was beside me, shaking and crying hysterically.
I looked up. I was still in the alley where the fight had happened. "Cobalt?" My voice was hoarse from trying to breathe. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
Morris pulled me to my feet. "What are ya doin in Manhattan?"
"I can be wherever I want!" I pushed him into a wall and pulled my slingshot out, aiming at Oscar. "Don't move!" I turned back to Morris and kneed him in the abdomen. "I'll kill you if you ever come near me or her again." I felt something collide with the side of my body and knock me to the ground. Oscar. I struggled under his weight and would have lost had Cobalt not picked up the board on the ground and crashed it into the side of Oscar's head. Morris backhanded her so hard she fell into the side of the building. I pulled the brass knuckles out of my pocket and hit him across the face. His cheek opened wide and he collapsed. I picked Cobalt up, she was dazed and couldn't walk in a straight line. She was also babbling in French about something.
"Je ne peux pas croire qu'il m'a frappé. Mes maux principaux, Orage. Faites l'arrêt de douleur! Svp!"
"English Cobalt! Christelle! Speak English!"
"No! No! No!" I continued pulling her toward Tibby's. It was much closer than Brooklyn Lodging House. She finally collapsed into my arms and let me help her walk.
Tibby's was crowded with newsboys. Luckily, Spot was in the corner. I pulled Cobalt toward him. He stood up quickly. "Cal? What da hell happened? Ya got a ring around ya neck an' a black eye! Cobalt? Holy shit! Cal who did dis ta her?"
"Delanceys. She got them worse though. I tried to help but Morris was choking me and I passed out."
Spot's blue eyes widened in shock. "Are ya kiddin' me?!"
I shook my head and sat down, pulling Cobalt into my lap. "Hey Christelle! Are you okay? Hey say something!" I shook her. She nodded but her body was quaking with anxiety.
"I-I-I...Je ne veux pas parler. Ne dites pas la tache ! Ne lui dites pas que je vous ai embrassé!"
I groaned. "In English Cobalt! Speak in English, Christelle! Spot, get Tops."
Spot nodded and left to look for Tops while I tried to get Christelle to speak English. She eventually did.
"Don't tell him, Cal..." She whispered.
"I won't. Do you want to go home?"
She nodded. I lifted her to her feet and began helping her walk out. Spot saw me. "Where ya goin?"
"I'm taking her home. She want's to go back to the Lodging house. Okay?"
He nodded. "I'll be back latah."
Spot didn't realize he was giving me more time with a very vulnerable Cobalt. He would regret it later though. My angel was hurt...and it was Oscar and Morris Delancey's fault. I wanted to kill them for hurting such a beautiful, extrodinary creature. I held her the whole way home to my great satisfaction...now all I had to do was get her to forget Spot and for Spot to forget her.
I woke up to the usual yelling in my ear from Spot. "Get up Storm! We gotta sell an' ya have ta teach Cobalt ta sell taday."
I groaned. That was exactly what I was dreading. Spending more time with Cobalt. More time so I could fall even more for her. I sat up. "I'm going Spot," I said groggily. "Not in good wishes though."
Spot smirked and hit my shoulder. "Get up!"
Tops came in and grabbed my arms, dragging me out of bed. It was a daily ritual. I wasn't a morning person at all, but eventually I stood up and wiped the sleep from my eyes. Tops pushed me into the washroom and splashed me with the icy water. I got dressed and met Cobalt at the bottom of the steps.
"Hey Cobalt. C'mon we have to get to the distribution center before everyone else does. I don't want you to have to fight through all of them on your first day here."
Cobalt nodded and followed me, murmuring in French occasionally. When I finally got the papers, 100 for me, 50 for her, we had just missed the morning paper traffic. I shot Spot a smirk as I passed him and he tipped his hat in recognition that he had seen it. I led Cobalt to my usual selling corner and made her watch as I looked through the paper.
"Hmm...there was a fire in the kitchen of an orphanage...I could use that...some Wall Street things...you're to new to understand how to use shit from Wall Street."
Cobalt smiled. "Oui."
"English, Cobalt, English. Now fire in the kitchen...I got one." I held the paper up and shouted, "Fire in orphanage! Hundreds left homeless!"
A man immediately ran over and bought a paper. I smirked at Cobalt. "Easy as pie. See?"
She grinned and held her own paper out. "Orphanage fire! Kills 12 children!"
A woman bought her paper. She looked at me. "Well, it does work, no?"
I nodded and then we sold the rest of our papes. After that I took Cobalt to Central Park. She told me about her life in France and her parents while I told her about my life in Ireland, my brother and my parents. She finished with, "And my real name, is Christelle."
I smiled. "You already know my real name, Christelle. It's Calahan."
She smiled up at me, those blue eyes burning into my own dark brown. She leaned up and kissed me. I froze to the ground. 'Oh please don't let Spot see this,' I begged. She put her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. I pulled her away.
"I can't do this for you, Cobalt. Spot likes you too much," I whispered. She frowned.
"I know. I like you though. It's so odd. I just feel connected to you. You feel it to, no?"
Oh god I felt it then! She was pressed right up against me. I was as connected to her as I would let myself be. I nodded weakly.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded again. Of course I was okay. She was with me.
Cobalt let go of me. "I had hoped you would say something more than just 'I can't do this for you, Cobalt.' I thought you would tell me you liked me. You do, no?"
"Of course I do! I just can't yet. Spot would kill me."
Cobalt wiped a tear of her cheek. "I like both of you but I seem to connect with you while Spot is...I don't know."
"He's powerful. A lot of girls feel like that about him."
Cobalt looked up at me. "I hope you don't fear him."
"I have to. He'd kick my ass in a fight."
Cobalt put her arms around me. "When he comes close, the heavens will fall...if you give them a glance...if you believe in yourself."
I stared at her. "I will." Then I put my arms around her waist. "Who cares about what he thinks..." I tilted her face up and kissed her again. It was something I would regret for a very long time. When I broke it she was gazing at me. "Cobalt...I don't think we should tell him."
"Neither do I."
"Does this mean...you're my girl?"
Cobalt smirked. "Maybe." Then she ran off into an alley. I stared after her until a set of hands clamped around my neck. I immediately reached for them to find someone else dragging something out in front of me. Cobalt was in Oscar Delancey's arms, struggling with all her might. I couldn't breath and my head spun. Cobalt screamed for me but I couldn't really hear her. I struggled against the hands on my neck until I lost consciousness and dropped to my knees. The last thing I heard was Cobalt scream for Spot, but knowing he wouldn't hear her.
"Get up ya Brooklyn scum bag!" Someone snapped. I knew that voice. It was Morris. I sat up and rubbed the aching ring of raw skin on my neck. Cobalt was beside me, shaking and crying hysterically.
I looked up. I was still in the alley where the fight had happened. "Cobalt?" My voice was hoarse from trying to breathe. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
Morris pulled me to my feet. "What are ya doin in Manhattan?"
"I can be wherever I want!" I pushed him into a wall and pulled my slingshot out, aiming at Oscar. "Don't move!" I turned back to Morris and kneed him in the abdomen. "I'll kill you if you ever come near me or her again." I felt something collide with the side of my body and knock me to the ground. Oscar. I struggled under his weight and would have lost had Cobalt not picked up the board on the ground and crashed it into the side of Oscar's head. Morris backhanded her so hard she fell into the side of the building. I pulled the brass knuckles out of my pocket and hit him across the face. His cheek opened wide and he collapsed. I picked Cobalt up, she was dazed and couldn't walk in a straight line. She was also babbling in French about something.
"Je ne peux pas croire qu'il m'a frappé. Mes maux principaux, Orage. Faites l'arrêt de douleur! Svp!"
"English Cobalt! Christelle! Speak English!"
"No! No! No!" I continued pulling her toward Tibby's. It was much closer than Brooklyn Lodging House. She finally collapsed into my arms and let me help her walk.
Tibby's was crowded with newsboys. Luckily, Spot was in the corner. I pulled Cobalt toward him. He stood up quickly. "Cal? What da hell happened? Ya got a ring around ya neck an' a black eye! Cobalt? Holy shit! Cal who did dis ta her?"
"Delanceys. She got them worse though. I tried to help but Morris was choking me and I passed out."
Spot's blue eyes widened in shock. "Are ya kiddin' me?!"
I shook my head and sat down, pulling Cobalt into my lap. "Hey Christelle! Are you okay? Hey say something!" I shook her. She nodded but her body was quaking with anxiety.
"I-I-I...Je ne veux pas parler. Ne dites pas la tache ! Ne lui dites pas que je vous ai embrassé!"
I groaned. "In English Cobalt! Speak in English, Christelle! Spot, get Tops."
Spot nodded and left to look for Tops while I tried to get Christelle to speak English. She eventually did.
"Don't tell him, Cal..." She whispered.
"I won't. Do you want to go home?"
She nodded. I lifted her to her feet and began helping her walk out. Spot saw me. "Where ya goin?"
"I'm taking her home. She want's to go back to the Lodging house. Okay?"
He nodded. "I'll be back latah."
Spot didn't realize he was giving me more time with a very vulnerable Cobalt. He would regret it later though. My angel was hurt...and it was Oscar and Morris Delancey's fault. I wanted to kill them for hurting such a beautiful, extrodinary creature. I held her the whole way home to my great satisfaction...now all I had to do was get her to forget Spot and for Spot to forget her.