Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Newsies or anything about it. The only character I
own is Liz, who is a figment of my imagination. Christina and Tag Along are
real people and are owned by themselves. Hoodlie (later chapters), Josh
(ditto) and Chicken Wing are owned by themselves, but I only own the names.
Thank you all and goodnight!
---
I just wanted to apologize for the long wait. This chapter has been written since like forever and I was too lazy to re-read it, check it and put it up, so I apologize for that. Um, I don't really know what else to say, so here it is. Chapter 23 is now up! Yay! Enjoy and please review!
Since it has been such a long wait, I'll recap what happened in the last chapter so that you guys won't have to go back.
-- it was Liz's birthday and Snitch took her to Medda's.
-- while at Medda's, Liz got drunk and threatened to beat up this random girl who looked at Snitch innocently.
-- Liz wants to give it all up to Snitch, but he refuses because he feels like he would be taking advantage of her because she was drunk.
-- Snitch leaves Liz alone at Medda's and runs home to avoid his guilt, conscious and to avoid the problem.
-- Oscar finds Liz sleeping on a set of stairs and brings her home.
-- Snitch finally agrees to himself that Oscar is alright. He finally decides that he's a 'good guy'.
There you guys have it, the recap. Now you may understand this chapter a little bit more. Thanks so much guys and sorry for the long wait!
---
"Liz, wake up." Snitch scolded as he shook her out of her sleep. Liz mumbled some words and turned away from him. "No, get up! C'mon you have tah get up, now get up!" He shook her rapidly.
"Stop it!" She mumbled. "I got a massive hang over, now go away!" She grumbled as she turned away again.
"Yeah, you an' everyone else, now get up!" He yelled again.
"I'll call it a sick day, now go an' let me sleep."
He was getting frustrated, and all the tension he gained last night didn't seem to go away. "Liz you're really makin' me mad." She didn't move. "Liz please, jus' get up an' you'll feel better."
She flopped over and yelled at him. "Look Snitch! I'm tired, I have a headache AND I'm dead drunk now please be a good boy, and go away, and leave me alone!"
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and gave her the wish she wanted. He knew it was wrong to give in, but he didn't feel like fighting. He had enough fighting with himself, and he didn't need another person to fight with. He got ready alone and walked out with Itey. Blink came walking down the street and met up with everyone. A lot of the guys stayed out because they got drunk and fell asleep somewhere, or they went home with a girl. Going home with a girl was the most common reason for them not coming back.
"Where were you last night?" The boys teased. Blink had that squeaky clean, white teethed, smile on his face.
He looked at the ground and flashed his smile again. "In Brooklyn. At Christina's."
"Ooh is dat so? Haha! You're a happy man Blink!" Pie Eater joked.
"Yeah, you're a happy man!" Tumbler repeated.
Snitch just kept walking, alone, which was unusual. He wasn't a loner; something had to be wrong if he was. The guys were asking Blink loads of questions and asking him to explain about stuff, they just wanted an excuse to talk about sex. Typical guys for you.
"Uh yeah sure guys. Look I'll catch up wid you later, I jus' wanna talk wid someone right now." He said as he gave them one last smile and headed off towards Snitch. He caught up with him and walked beside him. "Hey! So, um, did Liz like Medda's?"
"Don't wanna talk about it."
"Okay, so, um I take that as a yes! Um, why are you so down, man? I mean, wid what happened you should be up an' jumpin' around, if ya know what I mean." He nudged Snitch.
"What da hell are ya talkin' about?" Snitch seemed offended.
"I'm talkin' about, ya know. I mean, I saw you guys go in da back room an' you didn't come out for a long time. I heard noises an' I kinda figured somethin'. You put two an' two together an' I think you understand where I'm comin' from." Kid Blink explained.
"Nothin' happened."
"Really? I mean, c'mon, why not? Dat was your perfect opportunity. I mean, was it her? Didn't she wanna?"
"Look, Blink I really don't wanna talk about it. Okay, it ain't what you're thinkin'. It's different den dat. An' not tah be rude or anythin', I'm not like you. Okay, I jus' don'..."
"Don't what?"
"Nothin'. Jus' forget it. Look, congratulations wid Christina okay? You two goin' together or somethin'?"
"Yeah."
"Well congrats tah dat. You go share your stories wid everyone else who cares, an' I'll keep mine tah myself. Okay."
"You'd tell Itey." Blink pointed out.
"Dat's because Itey's my best friend an' you ain't. You're my friend, but Itey's my best friend, dat makes a difference." Snitch tried to say it in a way that wouldn't offend Blink, but there really wasn't any way to say that without offending anyone.
"Look, okay I'm sorry for askin'. Liz jus' really helped me out an' I thought dat I might return da favor. You looked like you needed someone tah talk to an' I came over. I'm sorry for jumpin' in your little territory or bubble thing. I guess dat's like da crime of da century right! Jus' go incarcerate me now!" He snapped. He turned away and walked off without looking back. Snitch didn't even look back either to watch him go. He was too upset at everything that was going on.
Everyone walked to the PDC to get their papers. There was this huge line, as there usually is. Snitch was waiting behind Itey and Jake, who were talking. He was just standing there, drifting off into space. He looked by a light pole and saw Oscar, Morris and two guys talking. "I wonder what they're talking about." He thought to himself as he started eaves dropping.
"You guys gotta act drunk, okay? I got dis all planned out. All of you! Morris you too. You three guys gotta act drunk, an' jus' do dumb shit. You gotta be hittin' on her, hittin' on each other, laughin' at nothin' an' jus' bein' jackasses, okay?" Oscar explained to the trio.
"But why? Won't dat scare her away?" Hoodlie asked. Hoodlie was a tall, black haired guy about 19 years old.
"Yeah, it'll scare her away from you guys. Dat's da whole point. Once you scare her away, she'll come tah me." Oscar explained. "You guys know what you're doin'?" The trio nodded their heads. "You guys understand why I'm doin' dis?" They nodded again. "Now, I gotta go over somethin' else wid you. Since you guys are doin' dis for me, I gotta do somethin' for you. We gotta discuss da subject of payment, now don't we? Okay, dis is simple, what do ya want?"
"Os, what da hell kind of question is dat? You know what da fuck we want." Morris said.
"Okay, everything is cleared up an' everyone understands everything. We're good tah go. Any other questions?" Oscar asked.
"What if it doesn't work?" Hoodlie asked.
"It'll work, Hoodlie. Believe me, it'll work. I'll make it work." He grinned his mischievous grin that he had.
"What'll work? What the hell are they talking about?" Snitch said to himself. He stared at them for a while more just as Hoodlie turned around. "Hey, I know that guy." Snitch said in his head.
"Tom?" Hoodlie said, as he gave him a second glance to make sure it was really him. He walked over to Snitch.
"Hoodlie!" Snitch said surprised.
"Thomas Brigmont? Where you been, man?" Hoodlie asked as they shook hands.
"I've been here all along, man. Where have you been?"
"Oh I moved up tah Midtown. Yeah, ya know where dat old, uh, old sewin' factory used tah be? Yeah, I moved up dere. Man, I haven't seen you in like ten years. How have you been?" Hoodlie asked.
"Um, eh, I've been okay, I guess. I mean, I can't really complain dat much, so I've been good, I guess." He laughed. "What about you? How have you been?"
"I've been good actually. Yeah, nothin' new wid me. I'm still me, ya know. I'm still crazy as hell, man. Jus' thought I'd come down tah see Oscar an' talk about a few things." He smiled.
"You an' Oscar are friends? Since when?" Snitch asked.
"Oh, well, he comes up every weekend. Yeah, I don't know why, I guess he works or somethin' up dere, an' he comes over an' hangs out sometimes. But yeah, we're friends. But, he's great, man. He hasn't changed a bit at all, he's still da ol' fucked up in da head, insane Oscar dat he always was." He laughed.
"What do ya mean?"
"Um, like, I don't know, he jus', it's hard to explain. I mean, I used tah hate him, but once you get tah know him, ya like him. Why, are you guys friends or somethin'?"
"Uhh, I don't really talk tah him dat much. I don't hate him, but we're not friends. I don't know, he has dis thing wid my goilfriend. He used tah give her hell now he's like her best friend an' stuff like dat. But, he's changed though. Don't you think he's changed just a little bit?"
"Uh yeah, sure." Hoodlie smiled. "Look, I should get goin'. I gotta go to work. But yeah, it was real nice seein' ya again, Tom. Are you here every mornin'?"
"Yeah, I'm still a newsie."
"Pssh, some things never change, right, man?" Hoodlie laughed. "Well, I gotta come down more often. It was great seein' ya, really. I'll talk tah you later, alright. See ya." Hoodlie said as he left with Oscar and the others.
Itey turned around and whispered, "he calls you Tom?"
"Dat was before I got my nick name."
"Oh." He said as he turned around again.
---
After hours of selling double, Snitch was finally done. He skipped dinner and went straight to the Lodging House to see Liz. When he got there she was still sleeping. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Liz get up."
She slowly sat up and looked at him through sleepy eyes. "What?" He looked at her and just shook his head. She sensed his anger and hurt. "Snitch, I'm sorry."
"Liz, do you have any idea what you put me through las' night? Do you?"
"I'm sorry, okay, I made a mistake."
"Liz, dis ain't an 'I'm sorry, please forgive me' matter. Okay, dis is more den dat! Dis is like, I don't know, really bad! Dis ain't somethin' stupid like I stole your hair brush or somethin'; dis is like somethin' dat's really really bad! I mean, you wouldn't understand because you can't!" He said frustrated.
"Snitch, I don't know what I can do, I'm sorry an' I don't know what else to do! I'm sorry I made a mistake an' I'll never do it again! I didn't know it was such a huge sin tah get a few drinks! I'm sorry! Excuse me for makin' a mistake an' makin' you look bad!" She threw it right back at him.
"What da hell are you talkin' about?"
"I'm talkin' about how I almost beat dat goil's ass! I'm talkin' about da way I acted towards dose people dere! I'm sorry, I had a few drinks an' she just bothered me! Okay, I mean, you think dat it's such a crime for me to get drunk just once a year and you're fine! Is dat it?"
"No! Look, don't do dis!" Snitch tried to say calmly.
"Don't do what? I ain't doin' anythin'!" Liz yelled at him.
"Could ya jus' hold on an' let me talk tah you for a second?"
"No I wanna talk about dis! I'm tired of always talkin' about what you want tah talk about; for once I wanna do somethin' for me! It's always you! You you you! You want dis, you don't want dat! For once I'm puttin' my foot down an' I'm doin' somethin' for me!"
"I'm not gonna talk tah you when you're like dis." He turned to walk away.
Liz jumped off the bed and stood in front of him, yelling at him. Some newsies came in because of the action that was going on, also because it was quite late. "You're da one who woke me up pal!" She yelled at him. "What da hell do ya want me tah do, bow down an' lick your toenails?!"
"No I jus' want you tah act like a normal person!"
"I am actin' like a normal person! You're actin' like a chauvinist bastard!"
"Wow! Big woids Liz, are you gettin' dem from all da guys you hang out wid?"
"What? Don't you go backstabbin' on me, I thought you were da one we were gonna talk about!" Liz yelled back as she pushed him.
"I ain't backstabbin' anyone; I'm just makin' a point!"
"A point of what? Dat you're a sexist pig!? Is dat da point, because you made it quite clear tah me!"
"NO dat ain't da point hunny!"
"Don't you be callin' me hunny!" Liz screamed.
"Guys, which one makes me look bigger?" Tumbler asked as he tried on some shirts. "Dis one, or dis one? I'm tryin' tah impress someone." He smiled.
"Look, could you jus' stop for a second and see what I'm tryin' tah get at?" Snitch tried to calm himself down, but it didn't work.
"No I'm not gonna stop. Okay, I could'a had a nice birthday yesterday, but NO! You had to get your ass into everythin' an' ruin it! You said 'oh I can't dance.' An' you didn't even try!"
"It's because it was true! I couldn't dance. And what about you tryin' tah get beat up, huh? I ruined your birthday? You ruined it yourself!" Snitch argued.
"Guys. Um, guys could you look at me for a second?" Tumbler whispered, trying to get their attention.
"OH I ruined it!? I ruined my own birthday? Ooh yeah right! Yeah dat was a foist of many right? I ruin everything!" Liz yelled.
"Guys, I wanna talk tah you." Tumbler tried to get in the middle of it.
"Tumbler, SHUT UP!" Snitch screamed at him, making him jump back.
He hung his head low in sorrow and sadness as he sniffed and began to cry. "I'm sorry, Snitch. I'm so sorry."
"Snitch! He's an innocent little kid!" Liz yelled at Snitch.
"Oh yeah an' he'll live! It's you I'm talkin' about! What's happened tah you? You're like not a normal person! You're actin' insane!"
"Oh okay, maybe you should put me in a psych ward or somethin' right! Bein' as I'm dis such big mental person!"
"No I didn't say you were mental, I said you were actin' mental. Liz dere's a difference."
"Oh thanks, that makes it a whole lot better!"
"What da hell is wrong wid you? Are you still drunk or somethin'? Can't you see I'm tryin' tah fix dis an' your twistin' my woids around!" Snitch was yelling at her.
"I'm not twistin' any of your woids around, I'm sayin' exactly what you said!"
"But I didn't say dat!"
"No but you meant it!" Liz screamed back.
"I didn't mean it!"
"Ya still said it!"
"God you're actin' like such a bitch, Liz. God I can't even talk tah you anymore!" Snitch screamed as he started pacing.
"It works both ways, Snitch."
"Who da hell are you and what have you done wid da REAL Liz?"
"She's right here, but now she realized how much Snitch is makin' a jackass outta himself."
"Hey da only one who's bein' a jackass is you! You were so fucked up las' night!" Snitch argued.
"I thought we went through dis already! Look, okay I made a mistake. Didja hear dat guys!? I made a mistake! I made a mistake!" She jumped around like an insane person. "I swear to tell da truth, da whole truth an' nothin' but da truth: I made a mistake! Is dat good enough Snitch? Should I yell it tah da woild? Should I write it on my face? WHAT SHOULD I DO? Huh Snitch? Tell me what da hell I should do?" Liz screamed at him. He didn't answer and looked more hurt than upset. "Dat's what I thought too!"
"I just wanted tah talk tah you." He said softly.
"We can't talk, Snitch. We can never just have a civil conversation widout fightin'." Liz explained. She sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what tah do anymore."
"What are ya talkin' about?" He asked softly, as he kept his distance.
"I can't do dis anymore. We can't do dis anymore!" Liz looked up and revealed her tears. "We've jus', we've jus' grown apart."
He ran over and sat down beside her. He put his arms around her and rocked her. "No, Liz, don't do dis. Please don't do dis."
"I don't know what tah do anymore. I've jus' prayed so hard for things to get better an' dey're not. Dey jus' keep gettin' worse." She explained as she cried.
"No, Liz, dey will get better. See, dis is jus' somethin' we're goin' through. Dis is a test. Yeah dis is a test, an' we're gonna get through it, together. We're better den dis Liz, we've weathered worse storms den dis, Liz."
"Yeah, but none like dis. Not like dis! We were dere for each other, but we weren't like together!"
"But were together! We fought them together. We fought by each other an' dat's what we're doin' now. Instead of fighting with each other, we're fighting for each other." Snitch explained.
"It was jus' so much easier when we were friends." Liz hinted.
"No! No, Liz. Listen tah me, we're fine. Okay, we're fine. We can get through dis. Don't you believe in us, Liz?"
"Snitch, it ain't dat I don't believe in us, I jus' don't know what tah do anymore. I jus' think dat it'd be better if we..."
"No Liz, don't say it."
"were just friends."
"No, Liz! We can't be just friends. Okay, friends are evil. Me an' Itey are friends an' beat each other up all da time!"
"No, I mean like old times, when we got along. When we were dere for each other no matter what. When we actually talked an' laughed together an' had fun. We didn't have anyone pressurin' us tah do anythin' dat we weren't ready for. We didn't have tah worry about sayin' da wrong thing or bein' out too late. We didn't have to tell each other who we were hanging out wid, and what we were doin'. We didn't care about it. It wasn't important. Now it's like it's only us dat we can be wid an' dat's it. I'm not sayin' at you're too controllin', I'm jus' sayin' dat I think we need a break for a bit." Liz tried to say gently, but there was no way of saying it gently.
"Liz, we can't just be friends. I can't be just your friend. Don't you understand dat? Liz, I need you. I need to be with you!"
"You are still wid me. It's jus' different as before. Snitch, dis is jus' temporary!"
"You don't understand. I can't love you da same way if we're jus' friends. We can't do anythin' anymore. I can't kiss you or hold your hand, I can't even love ya da same damn way anymore!" Snitch tried to persuade her to give him another chance, but it wasn't working.
"Yes you can, Snitch. I still love you wid all my heart! I loved you dat way before we even were together. You know that Snitch."
"I know, but it's different. Liz, we can't let dis bring us down. We have to be together, we were supposed to be together."
"We still ARE together, Snitch. We will be together, I think we just need a little break, dat's all. It ain't nothin', jus' give it like a week or somethin'. One week an' see how we're doin'. Maybe if we can actually talk things over an' be normal again, we can be boyfriend and goilfriend again, okay. Dis ain't permanent by any means, Snitch. Dis ain't even a break up! We're still together, but we're just friends." Liz explained.
"Liz c'mon don't do dis. You're makin' a mistake, Liz an' you know it. We don't need no break because we're fine. See, we're good. Once we finish dis whole problem thing den we'll be ourselves again. Dis is jus' somethin' we both are goin' through an' we'll get through it. Listen tah me, Liz. Believe in us."
"I do, but, ugh!"
"Liz, please. I'll do anythin', Liz. We'll sort it all out right here, Liz. Jus' give it some more time. Please." He begged.
"I'm so sorry, Snitch. I have tah go." She said as she stood up.
"Liz, don't leave, please."
"I'm sorry, I have tah." She rushed to the door as Snitch followed her.
"Please, jus' stay. Stay wid me, c'mon." He tried to hold her again, but she pushed him off.
"I jus' need some time alone. I need tah think about dis."
"Baby, c'mon."
She pushed him off again. "Snitch," she said firmly. "We're jus' friends." -----------------
SO's Blue Boxer – I missed you so much last week girl. I finally got to tell you what happened between you and Blink, but I'm sorry it was a little thing. I'm not sure if I'm going to have something else, or not. If I do, I promise I'll add more to you and him. Sorry about everything though. I'm just having so many renovations of thoughts and ideas and all that stuff. You know how it is. I cannot just keep one idea, I have to change it over and over again. But thanks anyway for reviewing and I apologize again. Sorry!
Just Duck – LOL I love that song "Hot in Here". Haha. Liz was definitely tripping, I never understood the meaning of that word, but she's definitely tripping! Haha. I love Friends and Ben Stiller is so hilarious. I had to put something of him in there somewhere. Okay, I really didn't have to, but I wanted to. It kind of fitted in a bit. Oscar is so gosh darn cute! I love him so much. He was another character that decided to have a 'change of heart', or did he? LOL you'll find out, or maybe I'm just playing with you. I could be you have to find out. You're gonna be surprised at what will happen next, this fic is coming to an end, so a lot is going to happen. Stay tuned for that! Thanks so much for reviewing.
Splashey – I love skittles! I'm like Relient K, Skittles and Combos are my friends. Haha. Yeah, they did get a bit heated up, at first I was like 'oh my gosh, this is so bad!', but after I re-read it, it wasn't that bad. Well, it kind of was, but I don't know. LOL Oscar is a good guy, I love him. Hehe thanks for reviewing!
I can't tell you what happens in the next chapter because then it would give everything away and I don't want to do that. So you'll have to stay tuned. I'll try to have it up by the end of this week, because next week I have to go to camp for a week.
---
I just wanted to apologize for the long wait. This chapter has been written since like forever and I was too lazy to re-read it, check it and put it up, so I apologize for that. Um, I don't really know what else to say, so here it is. Chapter 23 is now up! Yay! Enjoy and please review!
Since it has been such a long wait, I'll recap what happened in the last chapter so that you guys won't have to go back.
-- it was Liz's birthday and Snitch took her to Medda's.
-- while at Medda's, Liz got drunk and threatened to beat up this random girl who looked at Snitch innocently.
-- Liz wants to give it all up to Snitch, but he refuses because he feels like he would be taking advantage of her because she was drunk.
-- Snitch leaves Liz alone at Medda's and runs home to avoid his guilt, conscious and to avoid the problem.
-- Oscar finds Liz sleeping on a set of stairs and brings her home.
-- Snitch finally agrees to himself that Oscar is alright. He finally decides that he's a 'good guy'.
There you guys have it, the recap. Now you may understand this chapter a little bit more. Thanks so much guys and sorry for the long wait!
---
"Liz, wake up." Snitch scolded as he shook her out of her sleep. Liz mumbled some words and turned away from him. "No, get up! C'mon you have tah get up, now get up!" He shook her rapidly.
"Stop it!" She mumbled. "I got a massive hang over, now go away!" She grumbled as she turned away again.
"Yeah, you an' everyone else, now get up!" He yelled again.
"I'll call it a sick day, now go an' let me sleep."
He was getting frustrated, and all the tension he gained last night didn't seem to go away. "Liz you're really makin' me mad." She didn't move. "Liz please, jus' get up an' you'll feel better."
She flopped over and yelled at him. "Look Snitch! I'm tired, I have a headache AND I'm dead drunk now please be a good boy, and go away, and leave me alone!"
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and gave her the wish she wanted. He knew it was wrong to give in, but he didn't feel like fighting. He had enough fighting with himself, and he didn't need another person to fight with. He got ready alone and walked out with Itey. Blink came walking down the street and met up with everyone. A lot of the guys stayed out because they got drunk and fell asleep somewhere, or they went home with a girl. Going home with a girl was the most common reason for them not coming back.
"Where were you last night?" The boys teased. Blink had that squeaky clean, white teethed, smile on his face.
He looked at the ground and flashed his smile again. "In Brooklyn. At Christina's."
"Ooh is dat so? Haha! You're a happy man Blink!" Pie Eater joked.
"Yeah, you're a happy man!" Tumbler repeated.
Snitch just kept walking, alone, which was unusual. He wasn't a loner; something had to be wrong if he was. The guys were asking Blink loads of questions and asking him to explain about stuff, they just wanted an excuse to talk about sex. Typical guys for you.
"Uh yeah sure guys. Look I'll catch up wid you later, I jus' wanna talk wid someone right now." He said as he gave them one last smile and headed off towards Snitch. He caught up with him and walked beside him. "Hey! So, um, did Liz like Medda's?"
"Don't wanna talk about it."
"Okay, so, um I take that as a yes! Um, why are you so down, man? I mean, wid what happened you should be up an' jumpin' around, if ya know what I mean." He nudged Snitch.
"What da hell are ya talkin' about?" Snitch seemed offended.
"I'm talkin' about, ya know. I mean, I saw you guys go in da back room an' you didn't come out for a long time. I heard noises an' I kinda figured somethin'. You put two an' two together an' I think you understand where I'm comin' from." Kid Blink explained.
"Nothin' happened."
"Really? I mean, c'mon, why not? Dat was your perfect opportunity. I mean, was it her? Didn't she wanna?"
"Look, Blink I really don't wanna talk about it. Okay, it ain't what you're thinkin'. It's different den dat. An' not tah be rude or anythin', I'm not like you. Okay, I jus' don'..."
"Don't what?"
"Nothin'. Jus' forget it. Look, congratulations wid Christina okay? You two goin' together or somethin'?"
"Yeah."
"Well congrats tah dat. You go share your stories wid everyone else who cares, an' I'll keep mine tah myself. Okay."
"You'd tell Itey." Blink pointed out.
"Dat's because Itey's my best friend an' you ain't. You're my friend, but Itey's my best friend, dat makes a difference." Snitch tried to say it in a way that wouldn't offend Blink, but there really wasn't any way to say that without offending anyone.
"Look, okay I'm sorry for askin'. Liz jus' really helped me out an' I thought dat I might return da favor. You looked like you needed someone tah talk to an' I came over. I'm sorry for jumpin' in your little territory or bubble thing. I guess dat's like da crime of da century right! Jus' go incarcerate me now!" He snapped. He turned away and walked off without looking back. Snitch didn't even look back either to watch him go. He was too upset at everything that was going on.
Everyone walked to the PDC to get their papers. There was this huge line, as there usually is. Snitch was waiting behind Itey and Jake, who were talking. He was just standing there, drifting off into space. He looked by a light pole and saw Oscar, Morris and two guys talking. "I wonder what they're talking about." He thought to himself as he started eaves dropping.
"You guys gotta act drunk, okay? I got dis all planned out. All of you! Morris you too. You three guys gotta act drunk, an' jus' do dumb shit. You gotta be hittin' on her, hittin' on each other, laughin' at nothin' an' jus' bein' jackasses, okay?" Oscar explained to the trio.
"But why? Won't dat scare her away?" Hoodlie asked. Hoodlie was a tall, black haired guy about 19 years old.
"Yeah, it'll scare her away from you guys. Dat's da whole point. Once you scare her away, she'll come tah me." Oscar explained. "You guys know what you're doin'?" The trio nodded their heads. "You guys understand why I'm doin' dis?" They nodded again. "Now, I gotta go over somethin' else wid you. Since you guys are doin' dis for me, I gotta do somethin' for you. We gotta discuss da subject of payment, now don't we? Okay, dis is simple, what do ya want?"
"Os, what da hell kind of question is dat? You know what da fuck we want." Morris said.
"Okay, everything is cleared up an' everyone understands everything. We're good tah go. Any other questions?" Oscar asked.
"What if it doesn't work?" Hoodlie asked.
"It'll work, Hoodlie. Believe me, it'll work. I'll make it work." He grinned his mischievous grin that he had.
"What'll work? What the hell are they talking about?" Snitch said to himself. He stared at them for a while more just as Hoodlie turned around. "Hey, I know that guy." Snitch said in his head.
"Tom?" Hoodlie said, as he gave him a second glance to make sure it was really him. He walked over to Snitch.
"Hoodlie!" Snitch said surprised.
"Thomas Brigmont? Where you been, man?" Hoodlie asked as they shook hands.
"I've been here all along, man. Where have you been?"
"Oh I moved up tah Midtown. Yeah, ya know where dat old, uh, old sewin' factory used tah be? Yeah, I moved up dere. Man, I haven't seen you in like ten years. How have you been?" Hoodlie asked.
"Um, eh, I've been okay, I guess. I mean, I can't really complain dat much, so I've been good, I guess." He laughed. "What about you? How have you been?"
"I've been good actually. Yeah, nothin' new wid me. I'm still me, ya know. I'm still crazy as hell, man. Jus' thought I'd come down tah see Oscar an' talk about a few things." He smiled.
"You an' Oscar are friends? Since when?" Snitch asked.
"Oh, well, he comes up every weekend. Yeah, I don't know why, I guess he works or somethin' up dere, an' he comes over an' hangs out sometimes. But yeah, we're friends. But, he's great, man. He hasn't changed a bit at all, he's still da ol' fucked up in da head, insane Oscar dat he always was." He laughed.
"What do ya mean?"
"Um, like, I don't know, he jus', it's hard to explain. I mean, I used tah hate him, but once you get tah know him, ya like him. Why, are you guys friends or somethin'?"
"Uhh, I don't really talk tah him dat much. I don't hate him, but we're not friends. I don't know, he has dis thing wid my goilfriend. He used tah give her hell now he's like her best friend an' stuff like dat. But, he's changed though. Don't you think he's changed just a little bit?"
"Uh yeah, sure." Hoodlie smiled. "Look, I should get goin'. I gotta go to work. But yeah, it was real nice seein' ya again, Tom. Are you here every mornin'?"
"Yeah, I'm still a newsie."
"Pssh, some things never change, right, man?" Hoodlie laughed. "Well, I gotta come down more often. It was great seein' ya, really. I'll talk tah you later, alright. See ya." Hoodlie said as he left with Oscar and the others.
Itey turned around and whispered, "he calls you Tom?"
"Dat was before I got my nick name."
"Oh." He said as he turned around again.
---
After hours of selling double, Snitch was finally done. He skipped dinner and went straight to the Lodging House to see Liz. When he got there she was still sleeping. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Liz get up."
She slowly sat up and looked at him through sleepy eyes. "What?" He looked at her and just shook his head. She sensed his anger and hurt. "Snitch, I'm sorry."
"Liz, do you have any idea what you put me through las' night? Do you?"
"I'm sorry, okay, I made a mistake."
"Liz, dis ain't an 'I'm sorry, please forgive me' matter. Okay, dis is more den dat! Dis is like, I don't know, really bad! Dis ain't somethin' stupid like I stole your hair brush or somethin'; dis is like somethin' dat's really really bad! I mean, you wouldn't understand because you can't!" He said frustrated.
"Snitch, I don't know what I can do, I'm sorry an' I don't know what else to do! I'm sorry I made a mistake an' I'll never do it again! I didn't know it was such a huge sin tah get a few drinks! I'm sorry! Excuse me for makin' a mistake an' makin' you look bad!" She threw it right back at him.
"What da hell are you talkin' about?"
"I'm talkin' about how I almost beat dat goil's ass! I'm talkin' about da way I acted towards dose people dere! I'm sorry, I had a few drinks an' she just bothered me! Okay, I mean, you think dat it's such a crime for me to get drunk just once a year and you're fine! Is dat it?"
"No! Look, don't do dis!" Snitch tried to say calmly.
"Don't do what? I ain't doin' anythin'!" Liz yelled at him.
"Could ya jus' hold on an' let me talk tah you for a second?"
"No I wanna talk about dis! I'm tired of always talkin' about what you want tah talk about; for once I wanna do somethin' for me! It's always you! You you you! You want dis, you don't want dat! For once I'm puttin' my foot down an' I'm doin' somethin' for me!"
"I'm not gonna talk tah you when you're like dis." He turned to walk away.
Liz jumped off the bed and stood in front of him, yelling at him. Some newsies came in because of the action that was going on, also because it was quite late. "You're da one who woke me up pal!" She yelled at him. "What da hell do ya want me tah do, bow down an' lick your toenails?!"
"No I jus' want you tah act like a normal person!"
"I am actin' like a normal person! You're actin' like a chauvinist bastard!"
"Wow! Big woids Liz, are you gettin' dem from all da guys you hang out wid?"
"What? Don't you go backstabbin' on me, I thought you were da one we were gonna talk about!" Liz yelled back as she pushed him.
"I ain't backstabbin' anyone; I'm just makin' a point!"
"A point of what? Dat you're a sexist pig!? Is dat da point, because you made it quite clear tah me!"
"NO dat ain't da point hunny!"
"Don't you be callin' me hunny!" Liz screamed.
"Guys, which one makes me look bigger?" Tumbler asked as he tried on some shirts. "Dis one, or dis one? I'm tryin' tah impress someone." He smiled.
"Look, could you jus' stop for a second and see what I'm tryin' tah get at?" Snitch tried to calm himself down, but it didn't work.
"No I'm not gonna stop. Okay, I could'a had a nice birthday yesterday, but NO! You had to get your ass into everythin' an' ruin it! You said 'oh I can't dance.' An' you didn't even try!"
"It's because it was true! I couldn't dance. And what about you tryin' tah get beat up, huh? I ruined your birthday? You ruined it yourself!" Snitch argued.
"Guys. Um, guys could you look at me for a second?" Tumbler whispered, trying to get their attention.
"OH I ruined it!? I ruined my own birthday? Ooh yeah right! Yeah dat was a foist of many right? I ruin everything!" Liz yelled.
"Guys, I wanna talk tah you." Tumbler tried to get in the middle of it.
"Tumbler, SHUT UP!" Snitch screamed at him, making him jump back.
He hung his head low in sorrow and sadness as he sniffed and began to cry. "I'm sorry, Snitch. I'm so sorry."
"Snitch! He's an innocent little kid!" Liz yelled at Snitch.
"Oh yeah an' he'll live! It's you I'm talkin' about! What's happened tah you? You're like not a normal person! You're actin' insane!"
"Oh okay, maybe you should put me in a psych ward or somethin' right! Bein' as I'm dis such big mental person!"
"No I didn't say you were mental, I said you were actin' mental. Liz dere's a difference."
"Oh thanks, that makes it a whole lot better!"
"What da hell is wrong wid you? Are you still drunk or somethin'? Can't you see I'm tryin' tah fix dis an' your twistin' my woids around!" Snitch was yelling at her.
"I'm not twistin' any of your woids around, I'm sayin' exactly what you said!"
"But I didn't say dat!"
"No but you meant it!" Liz screamed back.
"I didn't mean it!"
"Ya still said it!"
"God you're actin' like such a bitch, Liz. God I can't even talk tah you anymore!" Snitch screamed as he started pacing.
"It works both ways, Snitch."
"Who da hell are you and what have you done wid da REAL Liz?"
"She's right here, but now she realized how much Snitch is makin' a jackass outta himself."
"Hey da only one who's bein' a jackass is you! You were so fucked up las' night!" Snitch argued.
"I thought we went through dis already! Look, okay I made a mistake. Didja hear dat guys!? I made a mistake! I made a mistake!" She jumped around like an insane person. "I swear to tell da truth, da whole truth an' nothin' but da truth: I made a mistake! Is dat good enough Snitch? Should I yell it tah da woild? Should I write it on my face? WHAT SHOULD I DO? Huh Snitch? Tell me what da hell I should do?" Liz screamed at him. He didn't answer and looked more hurt than upset. "Dat's what I thought too!"
"I just wanted tah talk tah you." He said softly.
"We can't talk, Snitch. We can never just have a civil conversation widout fightin'." Liz explained. She sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what tah do anymore."
"What are ya talkin' about?" He asked softly, as he kept his distance.
"I can't do dis anymore. We can't do dis anymore!" Liz looked up and revealed her tears. "We've jus', we've jus' grown apart."
He ran over and sat down beside her. He put his arms around her and rocked her. "No, Liz, don't do dis. Please don't do dis."
"I don't know what tah do anymore. I've jus' prayed so hard for things to get better an' dey're not. Dey jus' keep gettin' worse." She explained as she cried.
"No, Liz, dey will get better. See, dis is jus' somethin' we're goin' through. Dis is a test. Yeah dis is a test, an' we're gonna get through it, together. We're better den dis Liz, we've weathered worse storms den dis, Liz."
"Yeah, but none like dis. Not like dis! We were dere for each other, but we weren't like together!"
"But were together! We fought them together. We fought by each other an' dat's what we're doin' now. Instead of fighting with each other, we're fighting for each other." Snitch explained.
"It was jus' so much easier when we were friends." Liz hinted.
"No! No, Liz. Listen tah me, we're fine. Okay, we're fine. We can get through dis. Don't you believe in us, Liz?"
"Snitch, it ain't dat I don't believe in us, I jus' don't know what tah do anymore. I jus' think dat it'd be better if we..."
"No Liz, don't say it."
"were just friends."
"No, Liz! We can't be just friends. Okay, friends are evil. Me an' Itey are friends an' beat each other up all da time!"
"No, I mean like old times, when we got along. When we were dere for each other no matter what. When we actually talked an' laughed together an' had fun. We didn't have anyone pressurin' us tah do anythin' dat we weren't ready for. We didn't have tah worry about sayin' da wrong thing or bein' out too late. We didn't have to tell each other who we were hanging out wid, and what we were doin'. We didn't care about it. It wasn't important. Now it's like it's only us dat we can be wid an' dat's it. I'm not sayin' at you're too controllin', I'm jus' sayin' dat I think we need a break for a bit." Liz tried to say gently, but there was no way of saying it gently.
"Liz, we can't just be friends. I can't be just your friend. Don't you understand dat? Liz, I need you. I need to be with you!"
"You are still wid me. It's jus' different as before. Snitch, dis is jus' temporary!"
"You don't understand. I can't love you da same way if we're jus' friends. We can't do anythin' anymore. I can't kiss you or hold your hand, I can't even love ya da same damn way anymore!" Snitch tried to persuade her to give him another chance, but it wasn't working.
"Yes you can, Snitch. I still love you wid all my heart! I loved you dat way before we even were together. You know that Snitch."
"I know, but it's different. Liz, we can't let dis bring us down. We have to be together, we were supposed to be together."
"We still ARE together, Snitch. We will be together, I think we just need a little break, dat's all. It ain't nothin', jus' give it like a week or somethin'. One week an' see how we're doin'. Maybe if we can actually talk things over an' be normal again, we can be boyfriend and goilfriend again, okay. Dis ain't permanent by any means, Snitch. Dis ain't even a break up! We're still together, but we're just friends." Liz explained.
"Liz c'mon don't do dis. You're makin' a mistake, Liz an' you know it. We don't need no break because we're fine. See, we're good. Once we finish dis whole problem thing den we'll be ourselves again. Dis is jus' somethin' we both are goin' through an' we'll get through it. Listen tah me, Liz. Believe in us."
"I do, but, ugh!"
"Liz, please. I'll do anythin', Liz. We'll sort it all out right here, Liz. Jus' give it some more time. Please." He begged.
"I'm so sorry, Snitch. I have tah go." She said as she stood up.
"Liz, don't leave, please."
"I'm sorry, I have tah." She rushed to the door as Snitch followed her.
"Please, jus' stay. Stay wid me, c'mon." He tried to hold her again, but she pushed him off.
"I jus' need some time alone. I need tah think about dis."
"Baby, c'mon."
She pushed him off again. "Snitch," she said firmly. "We're jus' friends." -----------------
SO's Blue Boxer – I missed you so much last week girl. I finally got to tell you what happened between you and Blink, but I'm sorry it was a little thing. I'm not sure if I'm going to have something else, or not. If I do, I promise I'll add more to you and him. Sorry about everything though. I'm just having so many renovations of thoughts and ideas and all that stuff. You know how it is. I cannot just keep one idea, I have to change it over and over again. But thanks anyway for reviewing and I apologize again. Sorry!
Just Duck – LOL I love that song "Hot in Here". Haha. Liz was definitely tripping, I never understood the meaning of that word, but she's definitely tripping! Haha. I love Friends and Ben Stiller is so hilarious. I had to put something of him in there somewhere. Okay, I really didn't have to, but I wanted to. It kind of fitted in a bit. Oscar is so gosh darn cute! I love him so much. He was another character that decided to have a 'change of heart', or did he? LOL you'll find out, or maybe I'm just playing with you. I could be you have to find out. You're gonna be surprised at what will happen next, this fic is coming to an end, so a lot is going to happen. Stay tuned for that! Thanks so much for reviewing.
Splashey – I love skittles! I'm like Relient K, Skittles and Combos are my friends. Haha. Yeah, they did get a bit heated up, at first I was like 'oh my gosh, this is so bad!', but after I re-read it, it wasn't that bad. Well, it kind of was, but I don't know. LOL Oscar is a good guy, I love him. Hehe thanks for reviewing!
I can't tell you what happens in the next chapter because then it would give everything away and I don't want to do that. So you'll have to stay tuned. I'll try to have it up by the end of this week, because next week I have to go to camp for a week.
