A/N: Skyline Blade, thank you for your review! I love having new
readers/reviewers. But where have my old reviewers gone?!? Clover, did I
lose you? Where have you gone? I don't see you! And Morgan and
KatFightOnSkis, you can't leave me hangin' with just one review! Come on
people! Is it getting boring? Fine, you want a twist; I'll give you a
twist. You guys asked for it... (Evil laugh). Enjoy!!
Chapter Seven
Tara started working again, not as much as before, but it was still work. She was getting so restless, and when she once dreaded work, she now savored it. Besides, when she was recovering, she didn't have enough money to pay off the rent and had to sell most of her pieces of jewelry. Each time she sold one more off, it felt as if she was selling a part of herself. With each gift sold, a memory of a happy time she had with her parents went with it. Slowly, her life was vanishing before her very eyes. She told no one about this. It was one more thing that she held onto deep inside of herself.
Tara looked out her window in anticipation. Spot was supposed to walk her to work today, and she couldn't wait. They had spent so much time together in the past few days, and each time, she felt another piece of her heart defrost and warm to him. Rather than trying to shun him away, she was trying to bring him closer. Tara was afraid of her feelings for him. She had never felt this way with anybody.
Sure, she had had crushes on boys before, a mild amusement at their antics, but they were easily brushed away. Spot was unlike anyone she had ever met, which is the reason she was trying to hold on to him.
She heard a knock at her door and a smile lit her face. Spot walked in and felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. God she was beautiful. She had gotten tan in the last week, and that only helped to bring out the blue in her eyes. Under his watch she had gained flesh, and she was radiant. He looked forward everyday to walking in and seeing that smile greet him.
"Ready for work?" he asked. She nodded anxiously.
"Let's go den." And with that, they made their way to Razini's Place.
"Hey, I know dat you're workin' and all, but all of da boys are goin' ta Medda's tonight, you wanna go wid me?" He asked nervously.
"I don't know. I've been so tired after work lately that I think that I'm just going to go home and sleep." She said, depressed. She really wanted to go, and Spot could see that, but she needed her rest.
"Dat's fine. Well, we're here. I'll see ya tomorrow, same time?" He asked. She nodded, gave him a hug and went in.
At the end of her shift, rather than feeling tired, she felt energized. And on a split second decision, she decided to go to Medda's. She decided to say screw it, she was going to tell Spot how she felt tonight. She ran back to her apartment to change, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach.
She decided to change into a simple black skirt. It was a little tighter around the waist and tapered out a bit at the bottom. It was one of her favorites. She chose her light blue blouse. It was originally supposed to button all the way up into the high neck fashion, but she had taken off a few of the buttons so that it was open two inches below her collarbone. She finished off her outfit with her mother's favorite necklace. The chain of the necklace alternated between small dark blue beads and pressed silver designs. At the bottom of the necklace was a large dark blue oval stone. It was set in the same pressed silver design as its chain. She loved it.
She looked in the mirror and for the first time in a while, she was happy with how she looked. With nerves driving her off the wall she mad her way to Manhattan. Her destination: Medda's.
Tara walked through the door of Medda's and was immediately greeted by a cloud of cigarette smoke. She made her way through the crowd, scanning the mass for Spot. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and hoping it was Spot, she turned and was disappointed. It was his friend Jack from the Manhattan newsies.
"Hey Tara, how're ya feelin'?" He asked, but like her, his eyes were scanning the crowd.
"I feel a lot better, thanks to Spot. By the way, have to seen him?"
Jack looked nervous for some reason. "Nope, nope. Haven't seen him at all. Sorry." She saw his eyes focus on something behind her and then look away guiltily. Turning, she saw what he had seen.
Spot was sitting at a table, his hand holding a glass of beer, his lap holding something entirely different. There was a girl there, Tara couldn't see her face, but that was because it was on the side of his neck, kissing it. Tara felt every ounce of strength desert her.
She saw one of his friends walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. He listened to what his friend was saying and she saw his face go pale. He looked in her direction and his eyes were filled with sorrow. He stood up to go over her, and she could see his mouth move to say her name, but she didn't stay to hear it. Tara turned on her heel and left Medda's. She felt tears that she had held in for so long slide down her face as she walked through the door. She felt a hand grasp her arm.
"Tara, wait. Let me explain." Spot said. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and kept walking. This time Spot grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Will you just listen?" He asked, his eyes pleading.
"Listen to what? 'Oh, sorry Tara, but you said you weren't coming. How was I supposed to know? So I just grabbed some whore off the streets and waited to have a good time.' Is that what I'm supposed to listen to? How dare you. I hate you Spot Conlon. I never want to see you again! Do you hear me?" She heard her voice rise and then end on a sob.
"Tara, ya don't mean that. I mean, ya can't..." but he got no further.
Tara slapped him hard across his face. She recoiled, amazed at what se had done, and the tears kept streaming down her face. She heard another voice from behind Spot and he heart broke even more with her words.
"I'm no whore." The girl she saw kissing him told her.
"Oh yeah? Then what are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Tara replied bitterly.
"I'm his girlfriend." Tara couldn't believe it. How could he have the gall to act like that with her, to make her feel the way she did when she was with him, and worse, when she was away from him.
"So what was I then Spot? Was I a game? How long until the womanizing Spot Conlon bangs the bitch?" She asked, full of betrayal. "Well here, you win." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her breast. "Do you just want to fuck me, Spot? Is this what you want? Well, it's yours." Spot yanked his hand away.
"No." He replied sadly. He could feel his eyes sting from sadness.
"You are so full of shit." And with that, she turned her back on him.
He reached out to take her arm again. "Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! You have no right."
Tara turned on her heel and left then, feeling more alone and more betrayed than she did after her parents died.
"Tara..." Spot whispered softly as an unfelt tear ran down his face. He had finally lost her.
Chapter Seven
Tara started working again, not as much as before, but it was still work. She was getting so restless, and when she once dreaded work, she now savored it. Besides, when she was recovering, she didn't have enough money to pay off the rent and had to sell most of her pieces of jewelry. Each time she sold one more off, it felt as if she was selling a part of herself. With each gift sold, a memory of a happy time she had with her parents went with it. Slowly, her life was vanishing before her very eyes. She told no one about this. It was one more thing that she held onto deep inside of herself.
Tara looked out her window in anticipation. Spot was supposed to walk her to work today, and she couldn't wait. They had spent so much time together in the past few days, and each time, she felt another piece of her heart defrost and warm to him. Rather than trying to shun him away, she was trying to bring him closer. Tara was afraid of her feelings for him. She had never felt this way with anybody.
Sure, she had had crushes on boys before, a mild amusement at their antics, but they were easily brushed away. Spot was unlike anyone she had ever met, which is the reason she was trying to hold on to him.
She heard a knock at her door and a smile lit her face. Spot walked in and felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. God she was beautiful. She had gotten tan in the last week, and that only helped to bring out the blue in her eyes. Under his watch she had gained flesh, and she was radiant. He looked forward everyday to walking in and seeing that smile greet him.
"Ready for work?" he asked. She nodded anxiously.
"Let's go den." And with that, they made their way to Razini's Place.
"Hey, I know dat you're workin' and all, but all of da boys are goin' ta Medda's tonight, you wanna go wid me?" He asked nervously.
"I don't know. I've been so tired after work lately that I think that I'm just going to go home and sleep." She said, depressed. She really wanted to go, and Spot could see that, but she needed her rest.
"Dat's fine. Well, we're here. I'll see ya tomorrow, same time?" He asked. She nodded, gave him a hug and went in.
At the end of her shift, rather than feeling tired, she felt energized. And on a split second decision, she decided to go to Medda's. She decided to say screw it, she was going to tell Spot how she felt tonight. She ran back to her apartment to change, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach.
She decided to change into a simple black skirt. It was a little tighter around the waist and tapered out a bit at the bottom. It was one of her favorites. She chose her light blue blouse. It was originally supposed to button all the way up into the high neck fashion, but she had taken off a few of the buttons so that it was open two inches below her collarbone. She finished off her outfit with her mother's favorite necklace. The chain of the necklace alternated between small dark blue beads and pressed silver designs. At the bottom of the necklace was a large dark blue oval stone. It was set in the same pressed silver design as its chain. She loved it.
She looked in the mirror and for the first time in a while, she was happy with how she looked. With nerves driving her off the wall she mad her way to Manhattan. Her destination: Medda's.
Tara walked through the door of Medda's and was immediately greeted by a cloud of cigarette smoke. She made her way through the crowd, scanning the mass for Spot. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and hoping it was Spot, she turned and was disappointed. It was his friend Jack from the Manhattan newsies.
"Hey Tara, how're ya feelin'?" He asked, but like her, his eyes were scanning the crowd.
"I feel a lot better, thanks to Spot. By the way, have to seen him?"
Jack looked nervous for some reason. "Nope, nope. Haven't seen him at all. Sorry." She saw his eyes focus on something behind her and then look away guiltily. Turning, she saw what he had seen.
Spot was sitting at a table, his hand holding a glass of beer, his lap holding something entirely different. There was a girl there, Tara couldn't see her face, but that was because it was on the side of his neck, kissing it. Tara felt every ounce of strength desert her.
She saw one of his friends walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. He listened to what his friend was saying and she saw his face go pale. He looked in her direction and his eyes were filled with sorrow. He stood up to go over her, and she could see his mouth move to say her name, but she didn't stay to hear it. Tara turned on her heel and left Medda's. She felt tears that she had held in for so long slide down her face as she walked through the door. She felt a hand grasp her arm.
"Tara, wait. Let me explain." Spot said. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and kept walking. This time Spot grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Will you just listen?" He asked, his eyes pleading.
"Listen to what? 'Oh, sorry Tara, but you said you weren't coming. How was I supposed to know? So I just grabbed some whore off the streets and waited to have a good time.' Is that what I'm supposed to listen to? How dare you. I hate you Spot Conlon. I never want to see you again! Do you hear me?" She heard her voice rise and then end on a sob.
"Tara, ya don't mean that. I mean, ya can't..." but he got no further.
Tara slapped him hard across his face. She recoiled, amazed at what se had done, and the tears kept streaming down her face. She heard another voice from behind Spot and he heart broke even more with her words.
"I'm no whore." The girl she saw kissing him told her.
"Oh yeah? Then what are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Tara replied bitterly.
"I'm his girlfriend." Tara couldn't believe it. How could he have the gall to act like that with her, to make her feel the way she did when she was with him, and worse, when she was away from him.
"So what was I then Spot? Was I a game? How long until the womanizing Spot Conlon bangs the bitch?" She asked, full of betrayal. "Well here, you win." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her breast. "Do you just want to fuck me, Spot? Is this what you want? Well, it's yours." Spot yanked his hand away.
"No." He replied sadly. He could feel his eyes sting from sadness.
"You are so full of shit." And with that, she turned her back on him.
He reached out to take her arm again. "Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! You have no right."
Tara turned on her heel and left then, feeling more alone and more betrayed than she did after her parents died.
"Tara..." Spot whispered softly as an unfelt tear ran down his face. He had finally lost her.