Until Tomorrow
Chapter Three: Life Threatening
Disclaimer: don't own this wonderful movie. Disney does.
A/N:
Jacob was walking toward nothing in particular when he realized that he had not even the slightest idea when Benjamin could be. Sure he was always getting into trouble, but nothing too serious. He never was too big, so Jacob doubted that he would be part of a gang. Benjamin was rather short for his age, even though Jacob himself was 6'2 and his mother was 5'10.
The man just remembered something, Benjamin used to get A's in English at school. He always used to read all the time. Jacob thought to himself. A boy selling newspapers hawked a headline right next to him. He walked up the Manhattan newsie, "Excuse me but where do you get those?"
"The papes?" Snipeshooter asked.
"Yes."
"Oh, I get them at the Distribution Center near Duane Street."
"Thank you, I'll take one of your papers." Snipeshooter gave him a paper and Jacob gave him a nickel, "Keep the change."
"Thanks mistah."
Spot's POV
As soon as I left Tibby's it started to rain. I cursed to myself. Never was a fan of the rain. I was halfway to the bridge when I heard footsteps following me, so I turned around, and there was Race. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"I think I can help ya with Blade." He walked up next to me and we walked together toward Brooklyn.
"How? Not much is know about him, sidez the fact that he's an ass and he cheats everyone."
"I used to know him when I was youngah, he lived across the hall from us and we were in the same class when we were kids."
"You're from Harlem?" It didn't seem like Racetrack was the Harlem type.
"Yeah." Race took out a cigar and laughed, "Forgot it was raining for a second."
He seemed jumpy and I was just about to ask why, when I saw a carriage out of control coming up behind him. The horses were coming toward where he was standing, were coming as fast as a train. I grabbed him and held him out of the carriages way. It zoomed past us and it was then I realized that I still had him in my arms. I looked at him and he had this phased look on his face and all the color drained from his face, "Spot."
I walked him over to the bench. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. I sat him down. He still looked really phased, "Racetrack.are ya okay?"
He looked up at me, "Spot, you..you saved my life."
I put my arm around his shoulder, "I jist saw those horses coming up. What was I supposed to do, let them run ya over?"
Racetrack's POV
I laughed and he smiled at me; I couldn't imagine him doing that. I got up and we started walking to Brooklyn again. Every so often I caught myself starting at him. I never really noticed how attractive he was before. Everyone knew he could get anyone he wanted just by smiling at them. Now I saw why. That smile could melt butter. "Hey Spot?"
"Yeah Race?" A flash of beautiful mixture of blue green and gray eyes looked my way.
"Thanks."
"No problem Race. I wouldn't have wanted ya to die before ya told me 'bout Blade." He said sarcastically.
I heard a scream and I turned my head over toward the nearby alley, "Did ya hear that?"
Spot nodded and ran into the alley. There we found a small boy getting beat up by an older guy. Spot got out his cane and yelled, "RANGE!"
The older guy looked over towards Spot, "What the fuck do you want Conlon?"
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Range stopped kicking the kid and walked over towards us. He was no small guy, he was at least six feet tall and the way his wet t-shirt clung to him, he was built. "Why do you care Conlon? It's not one of your boys."
"You're right, it's not. But why are you here and why are you beating him up? Shouldn't you be shinin' Blade's shoes or something in Harlem?"
"Blade's orders to beat this kid and I'm gonna tell him that you said that. So if you get an unpleasant surprise you'll know what burrow is fucking with ya." He pushed Spot to the ground and left the alley.
Spot moved toward the kid. He picked the kids head up, "Are ya okay kid?"
The kid whimpered and sat up. As soon as he sat up he started crying, "I messed up, Blade."
Spot didn't press the kid with questions. He let the kid cry into his shoulder and he put his arm around him. He seemed so soft with the kid; I had never seen Spot this gentle. It went against his reputation. But this whole day has been against his reputation. First I find out that his father used to beat the hell out of him and that his old man killed his mother. Then I find out that he's bisexual. And now that he has a soft spot for kids.
The kid stopped crying. "I'm gonna take ya to Brooklyn, away from Blade. No ones gonna hoit ya there. Ya want a piggy back ride?"
The kid nodded and climbed on to Spot's back. We walked to Brooklyn in silence. When we crossed the bridge a huge streak of lightning light up the sky and I got a better look at the kid. He had a bloody nose and a black eye was forming. He looked like he was trying not to cry too. He looked at me when the next bolt of lightning came, he didn't say anything. He just looked scared and that just made memories come back.
Running away from Harlem, I'm never going to go back. No one can ever make me go back. Not to that hellhole. Never going to let them near me again. Who needs family? Not me. I've got myself, no one's ever cared about me, so it's my turn to have it be about me. About me getting by in life with no bumps, about me getting what I want, about me seeing the races any day that I want. It's all about me now. Who else is there? I can take care of myself. Running out of breath, running out of.
"Race?"
I jumped as Spot pointed to the Brooklyn lodging house, "Oh, sorry."
"Let's get this kid cleaned up, then I'll talk to my boys about Harlem."
Jacob was walking toward nothing in particular when he realized that he had not even the slightest idea when Benjamin could be. Sure he was always getting into trouble, but nothing too serious. He never was too big, so Jacob doubted that he would be part of a gang. Benjamin was rather short for his age, even though Jacob himself was 6'2 and his mother was 5'10.
The man just remembered something, Benjamin used to get A's in English at school. He always used to read all the time. Jacob thought to himself. A boy selling newspapers hawked a headline right next to him. He walked up the Manhattan newsie, "Excuse me but where do you get those?"
"The papes?" Snipeshooter asked.
"Yes."
"Oh, I get them at the Distribution Center near Duane Street."
"Thank you, I'll take one of your papers." Snipeshooter gave him a paper and Jacob gave him a nickel, "Keep the change."
"Thanks mistah."
Spot's POV
As soon as I left Tibby's it started to rain. I cursed to myself. Never was a fan of the rain. I was halfway to the bridge when I heard footsteps following me, so I turned around, and there was Race. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"I think I can help ya with Blade." He walked up next to me and we walked together toward Brooklyn.
"How? Not much is know about him, sidez the fact that he's an ass and he cheats everyone."
"I used to know him when I was youngah, he lived across the hall from us and we were in the same class when we were kids."
"You're from Harlem?" It didn't seem like Racetrack was the Harlem type.
"Yeah." Race took out a cigar and laughed, "Forgot it was raining for a second."
He seemed jumpy and I was just about to ask why, when I saw a carriage out of control coming up behind him. The horses were coming toward where he was standing, were coming as fast as a train. I grabbed him and held him out of the carriages way. It zoomed past us and it was then I realized that I still had him in my arms. I looked at him and he had this phased look on his face and all the color drained from his face, "Spot."
I walked him over to the bench. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. I sat him down. He still looked really phased, "Racetrack.are ya okay?"
He looked up at me, "Spot, you..you saved my life."
I put my arm around his shoulder, "I jist saw those horses coming up. What was I supposed to do, let them run ya over?"
Racetrack's POV
I laughed and he smiled at me; I couldn't imagine him doing that. I got up and we started walking to Brooklyn again. Every so often I caught myself starting at him. I never really noticed how attractive he was before. Everyone knew he could get anyone he wanted just by smiling at them. Now I saw why. That smile could melt butter. "Hey Spot?"
"Yeah Race?" A flash of beautiful mixture of blue green and gray eyes looked my way.
"Thanks."
"No problem Race. I wouldn't have wanted ya to die before ya told me 'bout Blade." He said sarcastically.
I heard a scream and I turned my head over toward the nearby alley, "Did ya hear that?"
Spot nodded and ran into the alley. There we found a small boy getting beat up by an older guy. Spot got out his cane and yelled, "RANGE!"
The older guy looked over towards Spot, "What the fuck do you want Conlon?"
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Range stopped kicking the kid and walked over towards us. He was no small guy, he was at least six feet tall and the way his wet t-shirt clung to him, he was built. "Why do you care Conlon? It's not one of your boys."
"You're right, it's not. But why are you here and why are you beating him up? Shouldn't you be shinin' Blade's shoes or something in Harlem?"
"Blade's orders to beat this kid and I'm gonna tell him that you said that. So if you get an unpleasant surprise you'll know what burrow is fucking with ya." He pushed Spot to the ground and left the alley.
Spot moved toward the kid. He picked the kids head up, "Are ya okay kid?"
The kid whimpered and sat up. As soon as he sat up he started crying, "I messed up, Blade."
Spot didn't press the kid with questions. He let the kid cry into his shoulder and he put his arm around him. He seemed so soft with the kid; I had never seen Spot this gentle. It went against his reputation. But this whole day has been against his reputation. First I find out that his father used to beat the hell out of him and that his old man killed his mother. Then I find out that he's bisexual. And now that he has a soft spot for kids.
The kid stopped crying. "I'm gonna take ya to Brooklyn, away from Blade. No ones gonna hoit ya there. Ya want a piggy back ride?"
The kid nodded and climbed on to Spot's back. We walked to Brooklyn in silence. When we crossed the bridge a huge streak of lightning light up the sky and I got a better look at the kid. He had a bloody nose and a black eye was forming. He looked like he was trying not to cry too. He looked at me when the next bolt of lightning came, he didn't say anything. He just looked scared and that just made memories come back.
Running away from Harlem, I'm never going to go back. No one can ever make me go back. Not to that hellhole. Never going to let them near me again. Who needs family? Not me. I've got myself, no one's ever cared about me, so it's my turn to have it be about me. About me getting by in life with no bumps, about me getting what I want, about me seeing the races any day that I want. It's all about me now. Who else is there? I can take care of myself. Running out of breath, running out of.
"Race?"
I jumped as Spot pointed to the Brooklyn lodging house, "Oh, sorry."
"Let's get this kid cleaned up, then I'll talk to my boys about Harlem."