Spot's Milkshake
Chapter Eleven: Jersey Bound
Disclaimer: Yes, once again I do not own newsies, disney does. I do own Brandie and Troy, and the plot! Don't sue me!
We walked into Tibby's. No one was there. Probably still out selling papers.
"Figure's he'd make us wait." Spot complained, sitting down in the nearest chair. I sat next to him. It still had that old smell of burnt muffins and cigar smoke, but I liked it.
Finally, a boy walked in. I knew I had seen him before at the party, but I couldn't recall his name.
"Nice seein' ya heah Davey." Spot said to him as he walked by.
"It's nice ta see you. Wha' are ya doing heah?" He asked, ordering himself a chicken wing.
"Didn't Jack tell ya? He wanted ta talk ta me an' he told me ta bring 'er along." Now Spot was looking confused. I guess Jack usually told everyone that Spot was coming, this time he obviously didn't.
"'ave a nice day den Davey." Spot said rather irritated. I didn't allow my brain to think for the next few minutes. Instead I let it travel back to New Jersey with Arch and Annalise. I touched my neck, feeling the cross necklace Anna had given me all those years ago. She said she had stolen it from a lady who was buying oranges.
"Glad ya could come." Jack said as he walked in. My hand instantly left my neck and landed on the table. Racetrack followed him in. He looked a little solemn for my taste, but then again so did Jack.
*Oh great wha's dis bout?* Spot thought to himself. *I ain't in da mood ta hear sometink dumb like da strike.*
"I need ta talk ta ya Spot. Race wants ta talk ta Mornin' Face." He looked at Racetrack, then took Spot to the back of Tibbys.
"Wha' is so important dat ya pulled me all da way heah?" I asked playfully, trying to lighten his mood. It didn't work.
"I don't wanna tell ya dis, but I might as well. Dere's a guy walkin' round axin' people if dey know ya an' wheah ya are. He ain't heah yet. I was jus' talkin' ta me buddy in Queens. Scout's 'er name. Anyways, she axed me if I knew a Brandie Foster. I says ta 'er, yeah I know 'er. Why? Den she tells me bout dis guy who wants ta talk ya. I says ta 'er, if he axes ya again, ta tell 'im no. Anyways, I jus' want cha ta be aware of 'im." He looked down at his feet.
"Ya tink it's me dad don't cha?" I looked him squarely in the eye. I knew he did. I did too. And frankly, I was scared to death. What did he want with me all of a sudden. And how did he know to come to New York? I stood rooted to the spot, waiting for him to answer.
"Well, yeah." He said it like it was obvious.
"Wha' am I gonna do?" I sat back down in my chair, not knowing what to think. He looked at me with concern in his eyes.
"I would only suggest leavin', but..." He trailed off.
"Ya want me ta leave?" I asked him quietly, looking down at the hard table. The answer didn't come right away. While I was waiting, I saw Spot and Jack looking over at me, serious looks on their faces. I could only guess that Jack was telling Spot the same thing. Race must have told Jack my poor pathetic childhood story.
"I don't want cha ta leave. But I do if it's the only way ta make ya safe." He looked at me, sadness in his eyes.
"So, he'll be sending me away won't he?" I asked, looking over at Spot.
"I tink dat's wha' dere talkin' bout. I wouldn't swear ta it though." Race told me.
"I'm safe heah!" I insisted., standing up. "I can soak dat idiot before he knows wha' hit 'im!" I declared. I tried to make Race believe me, but he didn't. This only seemed to make him seem sadder. "Racetrack, I won't leave ya, don't worry." I promised.
He looked up, smiling slightly. "I don't tink ya can stop Jack anymore." He said, looking back down. Then back up. "Man I wanna give ya a great, big hug, but if Spot sees." He stopped again.
"Spot won't mind." I assured him, smiling as he wrapped his arms around me. "Racetrack I don't wanna go anywheah." I cried into his shoulder.
"I know baby. I know." He hugged me harder, as if to tell me that I was and he couldn't stop it.
***
Jack had told me goodbye, giving me a short hug, almost like he was never going to see me again.
"Wheah are ya sendin' me?" I asked quietly as we walked back to the lodging house.
"We haven't decided yet. Not outta New York mind ya. Maybe Buffalo. We'd pay fer your carriage an' everyting. Den we would send fer ya when dat creep was gone." He said sadly.
"Jus' tell someone dat I'm in Missouri or someting like dat. Why would ya send me away?" I was near tears.
"Den, we thought bout da fact dat he could easily travel to Buffalo, so if we gathered enough, we were tinking bout sendin' ya back ta New Jersey fer a few months. Ya wouldn't 'ave ta pay fer da carriage an' horse. We would do dat." He smiled weakly.
"Jersey sounds betta I guess." I voiced my opinion, even though I doubted it would matter.
"Dat's wha' da Cowboy was tinking." He said, defeated. No. He couldn't be. He had to convince him that this was crazy and that I was fine here. "Dat's da lunatic now." Jack told me he always wears dis little ting round his neck. Race told 'im. Jus' keep walkin'." He was all pale now. I knew I was too. The man, my father, stopped and looked at us. We just kept walking, pretending he wasn't there. He looked away, and kept walking.
*That was too damn close* Spot thought.
I guess they're right. I had better get out of here while I still can.
"When's da earliest I can leave?" I asked, tears made their way down my hot cheeks.
"I can go back an' tell Cowboy tomorrow. I'm sure he can get someting fixed up. Keep walkin', I'll catch up." He turned around and walked back to Tibby's. I watched him go, but continued just like he said.
"Milkshake's back!" Sniff announced as I walked through the lodging houses door. "How's bout a short game of poker or bullshit?" He asked, holding out a pile of old, yellowing cards.
"No tanks." I said sadly. I doubted I would ever see this place again. I trudged up the steps slowly, taking it all in. New Jersey was a little further than I would have liked to go, but I guessed it would be nice to see home again. If I could call it home. I tried to remember what my father had looked like when I saw him. I knew it had been him right away. Now that I thought about it, he didn't look as scruffy as he used to. He actually had some nice looking clothes on. But where did he get the money?
I heard a knock on the door, then heard a voice. "May I come in?" It was Pouncher.
"Might as well." I told him. He sat next to me on the bed I had chosen to sit on. It was Spot's bed actually. I had just automatically gone there.
"Sometink's wrong." He stated.
"Wha'?" I asked.
"You. Don't act stupid, cause ya ain't." He told me, trying to comfort me.
"Tanks. I've moving back ta Jersey." I tried to sound like I wanted this. "New York jus' ain't woikin' out." I turned to him and gave him a sad smile.
"Tell me da truth." He smiled at him. He knew I was lying. I took a deep breath and confessed.
"Mein dumbass Vater ist fer mich zurückgekommen. Er ist wären nicht ein ficken lunatic und es sicher, hier zu bleiben. Cowboy sagt, daß ich hinter sobald er verläßt sein werde. Ich zweifle, daß er wird, bis er mich findet. Ich weiß wie die Hölle, die er mir gefunden hat, hier nicht aber er machte. Ich werde ya Pouncher, Sie und den Rest von ihnen verpassen." I laughed as he stared at me.
**translated this means, My dumbass dad came back fer me. He's a fucking lunatic and it wouldn't be safe to stay here. Cowboy says that I'll be back as soon as he leaves. I doubt he will until he finds me. I don't know how the hell he found me here, but he did. I'll miss ya Pouncher, you and the rest of them.**
"It ain't my fault ya can't speak German!" I laughed again as Spot walked in the room.
"Da carriage will be heah tamorrow mornin'. In front o da lodging 'ouse. I tink Cowboy said he'd be dere ta say goodbye, but he can't make no promises." Spot said. He didn't look sad at all. I hoped he was covering it up, but I could never be sure. "Dere's still 'alf da day left, wanna do sometink?" He asked.
"I suppose we could." I said, trying to act as normal as possible. It wasn't possible. I followed him out the door and down the steps. It was raining, but he didn't seem to care. The first drop was like ice to my skin. My skin prickled to the feeling. My insides squirmed as I wondered where we were going.
"Any particular place in New Jersey?" Spot asked.
"Little Ferry." I replied. Little Ferry was the town I had grown up in. It was relatively close to New York City, so it might not be that long of a ride.
"Dat far away?" He asked, looking at me. His skin was dripping wet, along with his clothes.
"I don't tink so." I answered. We walked in silence for a little longer before I realized Spot didn't want to do anything. He just wanted to spend time with me and talk. "I don't wanna go." I complained, near tears again.
"Look, you'll be fine. Don't get all crybaby on me ok?" He asked, not looking at me.
"Mad bout sometink?" I asked him wiping my eyes.
"No. Wha' makes ya tink dat?" He asked. I dropped the subject.
"I've been heah a week or two." I twisted some of my damp hair around my equally damp finger. "An' somehow I made friends wit someone, an' dere already sendin' me away." I could feel the tears creeping their way to my face once more.
"I ain't sendin' ya away!" His voice rising. He stopped walking and turned to me. "You're gonna be safer dis way! I'll personally come fer ya when ya can come back! I would go wit cha but me boys need me!" He yelled, although I could see he was trying to calm down.
"Nah. It don't mattah no more who I love or anyting. No one loves me back." I pretended I hadn't heard him. I had to tell him how I had felt, in fact it was how I had felt my entire life.
"But I love ya Milkshake." He said, coming closer to me. He seemed torn that I didn't acknowledge that he loved me.
"Well ya certainly show it." I said sarcastically, stepping away from him.
"I hate it too, but Jack's righ. Ya ain't safe heah." He said, taking another step closer. I stepped back.
"Den go soak 'im an' it'll all be betta." I tried.
"I can't. Forget it. If ya feel dat way, den, den, fine!" He turned and walked back to the lodging house. I didn't follow him. Tomorrow would be different. I wouldn't have anyone. Like usual. All my life I had Arch. My one and true friend. Now he was in jail, he had been for about a 7 months. I was actually hoping he would be out by now, so I could go back home and see him, waiting for me to come back. I was. I would put the past 2 or 3 weeks behind me. This never happened.
I ended up back at the lodging house a couple of hours later. A game of poker was going on, and surprisingly, Spot was not playing with them. I wasn't soaked to the bone from the rain though. The skies had cleared up and the sun had dried my clothes to some extent.
"I'm not comin' back." I told Spot when I saw him on his bed that night.
"I didn't figure ya would. I mean da way ya were talkin' out dere, I knew it all along." He seemed sad.
"No. It jus' wasn't meant ta be dats all." I stated sadly. Inside I was lying to myself. This was destiny. Spot Conlon and I were meant to be together forever. But somehow I had convinced myself to stay in Little Ferry.
"I know. I mean, wha' would a goil like you want ta do in a place like dis? I mean look round ya. I ain't exactly any goils dream." (He's wrong there ;) )
"You're my dream." I told him, hopping up to sit next to him on top of the bunk.
"Maybe so." He said, fingering his slingshot.
"I'm really gonna miss ya." I said, laying my head on his shoulder. He put his head on top of mine, and we sat there like that for a few minutes. "Ok, maybe I will come back." I smiled at him. He returned it.
"Nope. Brandie Foster ain't heah!" We heard Harold yell up the stairs.
"Damn." Spot muttered. "Alright, uh, go up on da roof!" He pointed to a small door in the back of the room. I guessed it would take me to the roof.
"Why are ya yellin boy?" I heard my father's deep voice ask Harold.
"I didn't tink I was yellin'." He lied. I scampered through the door, and ran to the roof. Maybe since he was here now, he would leave and I could stay. It wasn't for another good 15 minutes before I saw him below, leaving, Harold and Pouncher following him out. The small door behind me opened, revealing Spot.
"So, how'd ya like 'im." I asked him, grinning.
"Rude sort o man. Doesn't seem like da type who would be da man dat ya described." He stated, looking up at me to see what I would say.
"Yeah. He does look like he changed. I doubt it. Looks can't change da soul." I said, more to myself than Spot. I looked at his eyes and knew that this hadn't changed a thing. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, crying into his chest. He let me. This was too painful. A dream I had tried to convince myself. It was all a dream and I would wake up soon, Spot by my side. Then I would run all the way to Manhattan and see Racetrack. Everything would be ok.
It seemed believable. The next morning I awoke next to Spot. I nudged him awake. He was startled, but soon calmed down. He pecked me on the cheek, then frowned. I knew right then and there that this wasn't a dream. I shook my head no, but he shook his yes, regret in his eyes.
I stepped down from the bunk and found Sniff. He was strewn across his bed, arm over his chest. I bent down and kissed him on the forehead. He had been one of my best friends here. Pouncher too. I found him lying awake on his bed, almost like he could feel the sorrow in the air. I hugged him tightly, then let go and went downstairs. Racetrack, Jack Kelly, and Mush were there. I was almost brought to tears by this, but refrained from letting myself cry. Smalls was there too. I didn't think I deserved all this attention, but I was thankful that I would get to say goodbye.
"Take care." Smalls told me, hugging me tightly, then retreating to Jack's side. Snicker walked out from the clubroom, half asleep. Blindly he hugged me too, confused about the whole situation. I would have left right then and there just to get it over with, but Jack, Race, and Mush had come just for me. Mush approached me first.
"I'll make sure da Tabernak's stay in line." He teased, embracing me. I looked at him. I didn't know him well enough to hug him, so I simply smiled and walked onto Jack.
"Bye Mornin' Face." He said quietly, pulling me close. Somehow I stopped myself from crying into him. I pulled away, looking him in the eye. Compassion filled them. I nodded my goodbye, then looked at Racetrack. It was hard to do, but I mustered up the courage and hugged him tightly.
"Cheer number 7 for me." I cried softly, only loud enough for him to hear.
"Wit pleasure." He laughed and pulled away. "See ya round den?" He asked.
"Yeah. Jus' make sure ya come get me ok? Little Ferry, New Jersey. It ain't far from heah." I told him, hinting that he should come visit me. He nodded, then turned me over to Spot.
"Well, da carriage man said he'd be heah soon. Take care. I'll be back fer ya. I promise." He said, kissing me tenderly. At that moment, we heard the horse's footsteps on the cobblestones. The moment I had been dreading had come. I walked out the door, and turned back to see Smalls with tears in her eyes, Spot was looking down at his feet, holding his cane in one hand. Jack had placed his cowboy hat on his head, hiding his face. Mush was staring at me, giving me an encouraging smile. Snicker, who now seemed fully awake, was still grasping the realness of it all. Racetrack was lighting a cigar and placed it in his mouth. I saw the water in his eyes, trying to flow down his face. It's ok to cry, I thought to myself. Indeed I did, but not before I got into the carriage.
"Little Ferry, New Jersey." I told the driver. He nodded. I couldn't see his face, he had it hidden under his hat. Just like Jack did. The salty tears burst out of my eyes, as I stifled a sob. The driver slapped the reins unto the horses back, making the horse neigh a cry of pain, and then move forward. I looked behind me one more time and saw Spot out on the streets, almost like he was coming to tell me I could come back. He never did. Instead he stood there until I couldn't see him anymore. I turned back around and watched the road as night fell overhead.
~A/N~ So how'd ya like it? I am listening to some music and it's very sad. No, this is NOT the end of the story. Not at all! I'll tell ya when it is, jeez. Yes, I just posted my 10th chapter what, two days ago! I take every chapter one at a time. I am very proud though, because I got this done quickly! I don't know when I'll post it. I was waiting for Vinnie Monfredo to review so I could give her a shout out! Haha! Well anyway, now things are starting to heat up!
~Who is the mysterious carriage driver?
~Oh dear...the terrible break-up between Brandie and Spot! They made up though!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter LoL! Please review! I LOVE reviews. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside ;)
Tiggerbaby2430: Yes, I like the game bullshit too! Though I stink at it. I can never keep a straight face hehe! You ask what happened to her dad? Well now you know. He's after her!!!! Evil man! I loved writing when he was stroking her hair. I really don't wanna make her leave, but I must, the story calls for it. Hope you like this one! Thanks for reviewing! I REALLY loved writing when Spot and her get all mad at each other out in the rain! That was fun!
Pyro: You know I love getting reviews from you! I really do! Did you cry this time? I doubt that you would, but really did you? I give you this chapters cookie! Hehe! I love handing out the sacred chapter cookie! Yep, very interesting! I love it! I already have an idea for the ending...AND...chapter 12 is almost done! Until the next review...
Only 2 reviewers? Oh well.....Yes, Chapter 12 is almost done..just a couple of more things and then of course the touch-ups! But I don't know when I will get to finish it, because I have to write a French story for French class, and it's due this Friday..AHHHHH!!! I think it's gonna be about some high school or college kids going to the Tour de France and watching Lance Armstrong win! I dunno yet. I better get cracking! Oh, one last shout out, despite the fact that she didn't review! It's probably because I showed her the chapter before I posted it so she didn't want to get on and add a review..oh well!
Vinnie Monfredo: Hey gurlie..will you PLEASE review this chapter? I think I already showed you it, but I dunno! Hope you liked it! Hope you sign on AIM soon!
I will try hard to finish chapter 12 for you guys! I might today, it's just about done LoL! Enjoy..until the next chapter... (hehe I loved when Racetrack hugs her in Tibbys!)