Notes of the Author: Wheee, I am so bad at updating this fic! It's all written, too. I don't understand my laziness sometimes. Anyway! Here is part twelve of the Story of Uhm! If you really like it, you should tell all your friends to read it and review it as well. I'm never motivated to update stories that don't get a lot of reviews. It makes me sad, hehe.

Sunshine -Thanks so much for the great review! Hope you are still watching for updates, hehe, and get to read this. I really hope it doesn't disappoint ya (too bad)! Let me know!

Allie - Thanks for the kind words. They really make me smile and brighten my day. I hope you enjoy this part and let me know if ya don't! Well, let me know if ya do as well, haha.

On with the show!

Chapter 12

"So? How did it go?" Spot asked earnestly as Selece appeared in the dining hall. She plopped down into the seat that had been reserved for her, sighing deeply.

"Oh, uhm, it went wonderful. Jack said that he didn't care that he had gotten hurt," Selece smiled brightly at Spot. The boy grinned, nodding like he knew that was exactly what Jack was going to say. He then began to gulp down his soup while Selece merely stared at hers.

"You gonna eat that?"

Selece looked up. She had forgotten there were other newsboys at the table for just a moment. She glanced to the boy who asked her that. Quickly Selece tried to remember which one he was then smiled as she remembered, "Nah, you can eat it, Boots."

Boots grabbed her bowl of soup, staring at it greedily. Selece watched as he inhaled it like he hadn't ate anything in months. Skittery, who was sitting next to him, whacked the younger newsie in the head. They both started bickering loudly. Skittery said that was rude of Boots while Boots passionately defended himself. Selece found herself forgetting to listen and attempting to remedy the squabble. She didn't want to go back to Brooklyn. The girl was sure she wouldn't be able to last with Sugar there. But she wasn't allowed in Manhattan, not after getting leader hurt. Selece sighed; laying her head down on the empty space her bowl had been in before.

"Hey, Uhm," Spot spoke, reluctantly setting down his bowl. He licked his lips; savoring the beefy taste the broth had that night.

"Hey, Spot, when are you heading back to Brooklyn?" Selece interrupted, her voice muffled. She kept her head down on the table even though it wasn't a very comfortable position.

"I'm thinking maybe tomorrow. You okay wit' that?"

"Aw, ya leaving so soon, Uhm?" came Blink's voice. "I wanted to sell with ya tomorrow!" Blink froze under the glare of Spot. He chuckled nervously before quickly gulping down his soup.

"Thought you were gonna stay in Manhattan," Spot spoke up suddenly. He glanced over to the moping girl besides him. Was there something wrong here that he couldn't comprehend? Oh, poor Spot, he was so clueless.

"No, I'm going back to Brooklyn," Selece said in an unusually gruff voice. Spot shrugged then returned to his soup.

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"Say, you wanna go to the flickers tonight wit' me and some fellas?" Blink asked as he returned from delivering his soup bowl to the grungy sink. He glanced hopefully at Selece whose head was still buried in her arms.

"Eh?" Selece pulled her head, blue eyes widened at the sudden question. She stared at Blink. "The flickers? You have enough money for that?"

Blink winced as though she had slung something at him. He puffed out his chest and stuck his hands deep down in his pockets. "Hey, I ain't that poor."

"Well, I wasn't saying that," Selece sighed. She decided to just let the subject drop. "Well, alright. But what about Jack?"

"Spot's taking care of him!" murmured the soft voice of another newsie seated at that dinner table. Selece glanced over, recognizing the kid as the one called Mush. She smiled at him and he returned the expression.

"What am I doing?" Spot asked curiously as he returned from the washer. His eyes slithered across the table, taking note of Blinks petrified expression. "What I miss?"

"Blink asked me to the films tonight," Selece said. This was her first real 'date'. Well, the closest thing to a date she had ever had. She knew she should have been excited. Any normal girl would be but Jack words were nagging her. They were pulling her down until she felt she'd never smile again. Guilt was taking over her. First her mother then Jack… who else would she hurt?

"Oh? He did?" Spot replied, his voice taking on a quick sharpness. He looked over at Blink who was slowly edging away.

"Well, not just me, Spot. Me an' Mush an' Bumlets an' Snitch an' Pie Eata," at the mention of their names the aforementioned newsies all quickly snatched up any nearby bowl to return even if it wasn't theirs. They couldn't blame Blink for listing them off. Blink must be pretty petrified. But it was his fault for asking Spot's girl out.

"Uh huh," Spot narrowed his eyes, catching the collar of Pie Eater as he tried to hurry past. "You really goin' to the flickers wit' Blink?"

Pie nodded, glancing over to the almost trembling Blink. "Yeah, Spot. Saved up for it," he said quietly, hoping that whole 'saved up for it' bit would soften the possessive Brooklyn newsie up. It seemed to work for Spot released him quickly.

"Well, then you watch over Blink. Make sure he don't pull nothing on poor little Uhm," Spot grinned, glancing at Selece. He blinked a few times as she didn't even try to protest. She just remained staring down at the table. Something was wrong with her. Spot shrugged, she'd get over it. "I'm off to go bother Jacky-boy." With that, Spot left the dinning room and scurried up the stairs to the girls' bunkroom.

"You didn't die," Pie Eater murmured, his voice filled with wonder. The newsie then tossed the bowl he had been planning on returning back onto the table.

"Pie Eater! You hafta return that!" Snoddy shouted. He hated when things weren't cleaned up. He glared to his doe-eyed friend who shrugged then raced away to get ready for the movies. Snoddy grumbled a few curses before snatching up the bowl and stomping all the way as he returned it.

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"Ready, Madame?" Blink said with a bright juvenile grin stenciled onto his face. He held out his arm, which Selece quickly linked her arm with. Blink was all dressed up; even pulling out the suit he always wore to Medda's show. It was a bit short on him now for he had grown a few inches the past year but he hadn't gotten around to snatching another.

Kloppman had given Selece a plain blue dress. His eyes had grown misty when he handed it to her. She knew it must have belonged to a woman he had loved and lost. She made sure to give him an extra long hug that night before they left. Selece had never really enjoyed dresses. Her mother would let her lounge around in big baggy pants whenever no one else was around but tonight was special.

All the other newsies that had come were also as dressed to the nines as a newsie could be. The movies must be a rare treat for them or at least a treat they felt they should get dressed up for. Linked to the arm of Bumlets was a strange girl Selece had never seen before. Her name was SB or so Selece had been told. The girl was in a beautiful light pink dress that really made her glow. Selece made a note to herself to make friends.

"Two for.." Blink spoke. Selece blinked as he finished his sentence, ordering two tickets for the movie they had planned on watching. As he pulled her away from the ticket booth, Selece hissed into his ear, "I was going to buy my own ticket."

Blink looked surprised for a second at the harsh tone of her voice then simply shrugged. "Too bad!"

They waited for the rest to get their tickets. Selece watched each of the single boys, watching their movements. She hadn't really talked to most of them for the few days she had been there. But she still knew their names.

Snitch was getting his ticket at the moment. He had taken off his backwards cap, which had made him hard to remember from when she had seen him at the strike. But the moment he had turned around, she knew. She also knew who that noisy thumb sucker was that she heard every night. Snitch looked over at her, catching her staring. He raised a brow then proceeded to make an obscene gesture, which caused Selece to blush. He laughed his head off then walked over to stand next to Pie Eater. The group of ragged newsies then filed into the theatre.

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"Selece went to the films wit' Blink and them. Can you believe that?" Spot growled out, pacing around the room. In sheer moments, he'd be foaming at the mouth.

"How sad," Jack murmured, not really listening to his smaller friend.

"They better get back here before.. before I get mad!" Spot growled. He hopped up and down, whining like a four year old. "Do ya think Uhm likes Blink? Oh, Jack! Should I really care?"

"No, ya shouldn't care," Cowboy said, closing his eyes and yawning.

"You're right! I don't care if they went to the flickers! Do I? No!" Spot sent a quick light punch to the bedpost. "Uhm is nothing to me!"

"Glad you're seeing things my way."

"I do care. I think I care, Jacky-boy," the boy tugged harshly at his hair. He was so distraught. Why did Selece have to do this to him? Drive him mad with confusion? He had no idea what these feelings were but oh, how he despised them already.

"Listen, Spot, this is the first time you've liked a girl. But Uhm don't like you," Jack began slowly. "But that's good 'cause if she don't like you, then you don't gotta like her! Then you will still be seen as tough and cold. Am I making sense?"

Spot had stopped listening at the 'Uhm don't like you' part. Everything was swirling. Was it true? Did the girl who he recently had been flipping out about have no feelings for him? And the most important question of them all was… should he care?

"She likes Blink. She told me that when she was giving me the soup," Jack said. He was lying straight through his teeth but Spot was so unstable now he wouldn't catch on. Jack continually reminded himself that this was for the better. Selece would end up hurting Spot more then he was at the very moment and she would damage Spot's reputation. But he just couldn't ignore that light that had been in Spot's eyes the past few days. Even when he was complaining and yelling and grumbling, it was always there. It was never there before.

"No," Spot said breathlessly. How had he not seen that?

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Spot," Jack did his best to look sympathetic. "Well, I'm going to bed. G'night. See ya," Jack said, closing his eyelids. He had the feeling Spot would be gone for Brooklyn bright and early tomorrow morning.

The Brooklyn leader sat on the edge of his bunk, legs swinging over the side. His eyes were vacant as he felt something he had never felt before. It wasn't the usual giddy feeling he had been feeling this past week. It was a terrible, aching feeling. Like someone he had trusted had turned around and just ripped his heart out. He was watching them laugh as he died. Slowly, Spot fell to a fitful sleep.

Does Selece really not like Spot?

What movie did Selece and the other newsies go see?

Why is Jack such a grump?

The answer to only one of those questions can be found out in the next part of..

THE..

STORY..

OF..

UHM!!!!!!