Instead of a them!
La Vie Boheme!"
RENT "La Vie Boheme"
Ch. 3-Truth or Dare, Heart-to-Heart, and Neck Massages"OK, Dutchy!" Race said. "Truth or Dare."
"Ummm…dare" Dutchy said at last.
"OK…I dare you to…kiss Switchblade on the lips!"
"RACE!" Dutchy and I said in unison. OK, the thing is, I kind of have a thing for Dutchy. Which, like Rook's Bumlets obsession, is obvious to…everyone but him. Which is why everyone proceeded to go "OOOOH!"
I'm sure I looked ready to kill.
"Come ON, Dutchy, youse gotta do it, or you're outta the game!" said Race, grinning wickedly. I looked over at Race, with a grimace, but then I gave him a very tiny wink, and mouthed, "Thanks". THAT'S why I named him co-godfather. OK, not really, but, whatever.
"Oh, hey Finch, you made it! SAVE ME!"
"From what?" she asked, laughing.
"I dared Dutchy to kiss Switchblade!" cackled Race, grinning evilly and having far too much fun with this.
"RACETRACK HIGGINS, I'M GONNA SOAK YA!" I yelled, and then leaped at him, but he dodged me at the last possible second.
"Oooh, I wanna play, too!" Finch yelled, over the sounds of me and Race fighting like five-year-olds.
"You can play. AFTER Dutchy and Blade kiss" said Snitch, grinning. He was in on this TOO?! Great, now they're ALL turning against me!
"Come on, Dutchy, let's get it over with" I sighed, as if it were the last thing on Earth I wanted to do, when, in fact, I was jumping with happiness inside. Dutchy took my face in his hands, looked at me for half a second, then brought his face in closer to mine. And kissed me. Kissed me GOOD. (To quote ThumbSucker Snitch, "Sigh-inducing". Read 'Pushing Back', it's AWESOME!) He held it out a little longer than was absolutely necessary, but that's OK, he's hot, and, like I said, I have a thing for him. Nobody had kissed me like that, since, well, since Jack, actually. But I wasn't about to say that.
He broke out of the kiss, and looked at me, his face a flaming scarlet color.
"Well?" asked Race. "How was it? Did you like it?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out, Racetrack Higgins" I said snootily. Then: "Certo" I said cheekily, and then winked at him.
"Ah-HA!" he said triumphantly, before I tackled him to shut him up.
"OK, now it's my turn to dare someone, so…I dare Snitch to…run around outside, naked, yelling, "I LOVE MORRIS DELANCEY!'
Snitch looked at me like I'd just escaped from the mental ward at Alcatraz. Skittery scowled at me. "You're not serious. Are youse?"
"Damn straight I am!" I said, laughing my face off. "Snitch wouldn't stick up for me, now he's getting what's comin' to 'im. Do it, Snitchey, or you're outta the game."
Snitch looked at me with a pleading gaze, but I shook my head. "Shit" he swore under his breath. Then he headed resignedly down the stairs. The Queens girls(and Rook) were cackling, as were most of the Manhattan boys. All except Skitts.
"Aw, come on, Skitts, it's just a little dare, you know Snitch still loves ya. And I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry, really I am."
Skitts looked at me, then his thin face broke into a broad grin. "I've GOT to see this dare played out. To the window, AWAY!"
God, I love Manhattan. Now, if Jack would just jump off the Brooklyn Bridge…OK, ain't gonna happen.
Anyways, we all crowded around the window, where we could see Snitch clearly, 'cause we could hear him well enough, but we needed visual as well as audio. And I tell you, it must've been cold out, that's for sure. By the time he got back, we were all howling with laughter, and the second Snitch got back, Skitts hauled him into a bunk, where they began a make-out fest the likes of which I have never seen.
"Ummm…Snitch? It's your turn to dare someone, ya know," I said, after about fifteen minutes.
"Oh, yeah. Ummm…OK, I dare Spot to…strip down to his underwear…and…do the cha-cha!" he finished proudly.
I had to suppress a giggle. I felt I coulda thought up something better, but it was Snitch's dare, not mine.
"Come on, Spot, do it, already!" I said, fighting back fits of wild laughter.
"Yeah, Spot, come on!" chorused Izzy and Eagle. They just wanted to see him in his underwear, they didn't give a damn about the dare. They had a point…he did have nice abs. NO! I like Dutchy! And besides, that's just wrong! What I mean is…never mind.
So we watched Spot disrobe, and do a rather disturbing (but at the same time sexy) version of the cha-cha. I seriously could not breathe 'cause I was laughing so hard. Then it was Spot's turn to dare someone, and he's known for not particularly caring who he picks on, so long as he's entertained.
"OK…Rook. Truth or dare."
"Dare!" said Rook easily.
A little too easily.
"Rook…I dare you…to…" Spot paused, apparently thinking hard. "I dare you to…kiss Bumlets!"
I had to squash a gasp. How the hell did Spot know about that? Or was it just a lucky guess. Either way, I just wanted to see it happen.
"OK, OK, give 'im some room!" I said, fighting back a wild grin.
"Spot!" said Bumlets indignantly, looking a little scared. "WHY did you say that?"
"'Cause it's kinda fun to watch youse squirm," he said, laughing.
Bumlets was eyeing Rook with some wariness. "Is he a good kisser?" he asked me, as if trying to find some good in all this.
"I wouldn't know," I said, truthfully. "I've never kissed 'im before."
Bumlets looked slightly more miserable. "Great. Just great," he muttered under his breath."
"Aw, come on, andiamo, già!" Race snapped impatiently. Everyone looked at him.
"Let's go, already! Why is this takin' so long?!"
"Just do it, Rook. Stop tormenting Bumlets," I said seriously. Well, as seriously as I could, anyways.
Rook stood up, and walked over to where Bumlets was sitting. He whispered something in his ear, and Bumlets turned crimson, but nodded his head in agreement. He stood up, and Rook leaned in and kissed him, dipping him back dramatically. This went on for about five full minutes, until Spot poked Rook, and he broke out of it, laughing hysterically. Both of their faces were red, but they both looked like they'd enjoyed it. Bumlets looked a little shell-shocked, admittedly, but very happy, his grin was the size of New York City.
"Alright!" said Rook, quite loudly. "Finch! Truth or dare!"
"TRUTH!" she yelled back, enthusiastically.
"OK…ummm…I want you to tell us…are you in love, at the moment?" said Rook, smiling like a cat with a mouse.
She blushed. "Do I have to?"
"Yep, yep, yep!"
Finch took a deep breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well…at the moment…yes. But, do I have to say who?" she asked, looking embarrassed.
"Not if you don't want to" said Rook, quite generously.
"Hey…is Snitch asleep?" I asked suddenly. I was pretty sure he hadn't moved in an hour.
"OK, bedtime for Snitch!" I said, noticing that Skitts was also asleep. "And Skittery too, apparently."
So Spot and I hauled them up to their bunks, and tucked them into bed. This signaled a rush, apparently, among the others, that it was time for bed.
One by one, the Manhattan newsies wound their way upstairs, and my newsies wanted to leave, 'cause they were getting tired. I told them I'd be back by 11. So they left, leaving just Dutchy and me. Heh heh heh.
I wound my fingers together, then stretched my arms above my head, which, no joke, caused a really badass pain in my back.
"Ow!" I said, reaching up to try to relieve the sore, stiff muscles in my back.
"What's up?" Dutchy asked, looking over at me.
"Oh, nothin'…it's just…the muscles in my back that I use to pick up Kathleen hurt like hell, and I'm trying to make them feel better."
"Want me to take a crack at them?"
I arched an eyebrow at him. "Since when are you able to massage people's shoulders?"
"Since…forever! It's not that hard."
"Well, OK. Sure, if you want to, sure. God knows I could use it."
He pulled a chair up behind me, and put his hands on my shoulders. "Now just relax," he said, digging his thumbs into my neck. I arched one shoulder when he found the place where my arm attaches to my torso. That place always hurt the worst.
"Ah, Dios mio! Ay, carumba!'" I said, through clenched teeth.
He chuckled. "What does that mean?"
"It means, 'My God!, Holy cow, that kind of thing, which, in this case, is a good thing, 'cause this feels SO good!" I was sort of melting into a little relaxed puddle.
"So…" he asked. "How's Kathleen?"
In spite of the sore spot he'd found, I smiled. "She's great. She's always askin' 'When we go see Uncle Dutchy? He give me candy'. You spoil that child, 'Uncle Dutchy'." I grinned, then hissed. "Oooh, that's sore right there! But it feels really good. Speaking of Kathleen, how's her no-good father doing?"
"OK, I guess. He dumped the girl he was seeing, he got HER pregnant too, apparently."
"Bastard."
"Angry, aren't we?"
I sighed. "I suppose it's as much my fault as it is his. I mean, it does take two to make a baby, don't it?"
"So far, I've only seen one taking care the child that took two to make."
"Jack wasn't exactly cut out for fatherhood, was he?" I asked dryly.
"Not really" Dutchy said, moving his magic thumbs down my spine. "But you, my dear, were apparently destined to be a good mother. Kathleen is doing quite well, considering the conditions under which she was born, you know?"
I felt my face get hot. "I'm not that great of a mother, but I get by, you know? If I didn't have youse guys, and my newsies, and especially Adrian, I don't know what I'd do." I smiled at the memory of the two of them napping so peacefully together, and I smiled. "Just out of curiosity, has Cowboy still got that scar across his right eyebrow?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"'Cause I gave it to him. The night he dumped me. I called it a little reminder of why I had my name, and the hell he put me through."
"Kind of vindictive, aren't you?"
"A little. Hey, you stopped! Hey, I don't have any pain anymore! Your hands are amazing! Remind me to come over here twice as much as I already do."
He laughed. "You want me to walk you back to Queens? I won't be able to fall asleep for awhile, I'm kind of a night owl."
I smiled. "Sure. You can say goodnight to Kathleen, if you want."
"All right."
And I slipped my hand into his. He looked kind of surprised, but he didn't pull away, and he didn't (thank God) turn red or start stuttering. We walked back to Queens, and even though I could've defended myself against an attacker or some drunken idiot, I felt safer knowing he was right there beside me, all blonde and tall and strong. And, oh God, his EYES! Like two bright sapphires, or pieces of the summer sky…Oh my God, I'm waxing poetic. I am pathetic.
When we got back to Queens, we let ourselves in quietly, and I poked my head into Adrian's room. There was another note on the desk. 'Liz. Kathleen was an angel tonight, no trouble at all, she went to bed around 8. I went to bed at 10:30. Hope you had a nice time in Manhattan, and tell the others to go. To. Bed. Love, Adrian.'
"Such a nice guy" I commented to Dutchy. "Like I said, if I didn't have him, or, for that matter, any of you, I don't know what I'd do. He loves to take care of Kathleen for some reason, you'd think he was her father, or something. It's actually quite touching."
Dutchy gave me a smile. "You'd better go check on her, right?"
"Dontcha wanna come say goodnight, 'Uncle Dutchy'?" I asked, with a grin.
"Oh, yeah, sure."
So we walked into Kathleen's room, and saw her sleeping in her crib, sucking on her thumb, her fat little arm curled around her blanket.
"She looks like a little angel," whispered Dutchy as we left the room, closing the door behind us.
"I call her 'my little angel', 'cause really, without her, I've got nothin' worth livin' for. She saved me from being a statistic."
I walked Dutchy to the door of the lodging house, and was about to tell him good-bye, when he turned and looked at me, like he was studying me. Then, before I could say a word, he leaned in and kissed me very softly. Then, like a shadow, he was gone.
I went back upstairs, thinking that maybe after my life wasn't so crazy, Dutchy and I might be able to start going out, or something. That'd be cool.
"SO?!?!" demanded Blush, Izzy, Music, and Finch the second I walked in.
"So…what?" I asked, slightly scared, because they'd all jumped me the second I'd walked in, and I was still recovering.
"So…what happened with you and Dutchy?!" asked Finch impatiently. "We all left, and the two of you were still there. What happened?!"
"Nothin' happened. We ended up talking for a lot longer than I thought we would, that's all. Oh, and he gave me a shoulder massage. But that was it."
All the girls squealed, and I heard Rook sigh, and mutter something that sounded like 'Stupid goils, giggle like there's no tomorrow'. Or it might've been German, I couldn't really tell.
"He didn't kiss you goodnight, or anything?" asked Music incredulously.
"Well…OK, he did. But just a small kiss."
All the girls squealed, and Rook swore under his breath. "Don't you stupid goils ever STOP GIGGLING?!"
"Apparently not," I muttered sarcastically. "Come on, youse guys, let's go to bed. We do have jobs to do, and Adrian's gonna wake us up at 5:30, and it's now 11:30. Let's get our full six hours, shall we?"
They all pouted, looking like I'd told them Christmas was cancelled.
I sighed. "I'll tell youse about it Friday night. We won't have to wake up quite so early, there's only an evening paper. You'll find out then, alright?"
They all sighed again, then nodded. We all crawled into bed, and I was especially thankful for the rest. You see, in sleep, we dream, and we enter a world that's entirely our own. And my dreams were, as you might expect, extremely pleasant.
SHOUTOUTS:
FINCH: I put youse in, do you like your character? If you don't, you can e-mail me to fix it. Anyways, who do you wanna be in love with? I'll have it come out later in the story. So, just leave it in your review, or whatever. Thanx for the review!
SATURDAY: Glad you liked the second chappie. I have NO IDEA where I'm going with this plotline. Will Queens help? Or will we let Jack suffer?
Switchblade: You can guess my answer.
ME: Oh, come on, Blade. We can't just let them flounder.
Switchblade: Yes, we can.
Queens Newsies: Oh, shut UP!
Anyways, Fred and George said that quote right before Mr. Weasley told Harry Voldemort wanted to kill him.
All Wizards in the Vicinity: ((huge collective gasp)) YOU SAID HIS NAME!!
ME: Sorry! ((Runs away as jinxes and hexes come shooting after her))
MUSIC: Ha, ha, I love Truth or Dare! Glad youse liked the way I portrayed you, I was really guessing what I should do with you. But…thankfully…it all worked out in the end, didn't it? Thanks for the review!
CHECKMATE: Sorry if my portrayal of Rook was way out there, but I wanted him to be slightly insane. Although I DID take your advice, and put him with Bumlets. ((grins evilly)) This shall be interesting…
BLUSH EAGLE: Ha, ha, I made you in love with Spot. Hopefully, you'll balance out his arrogance and cockiness, like it says in My Big Fat Greek Wedding: "The man may be the head of the house, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants." I love that quote.
Thanx for the review! Love, love changes everythingHands and faces, earth and sky.
Love, love changes everything
How you live and how you die.
Love can make the summer fly,
Or a night seem like a lifetime.
Yes love, love changes everything.
Now I tremble, at your name!
Nothing in the world will ever be the same
Andrew Lloyd Weber, "Love Changes Everything"
I managed to work in some Harry Potter. It's not a direct quote, and no one exactly said it, but see if you can find it. Free chocolate-covered Newsies to anyone who can find it, plus my undying admiration. And finally, to close:
"Spiders!...Spiders!...They want me to tap-dance! I don't wanna tap-dance!"
"Well...you tell those spiders, Ron."
"OK...yeah." falls over and resumes snoring