Chapter 11

Jack finds out.

This was fun to write too. Thanks for the reviews, and no America didn't really declare war on Russia at this time, but that's what fanfiction is anyways…right? But I hope you all like this one, I thought it was a very dramatic filled one. ENJOY

Kandice was in the last stages of her crying fit at about 10:30 that night. Jack was playing with her hair and comforting her. Kandice's eyes were rimmed with red and there were bags under her eyes. Her parents' picture was shattered on the floor beside them and Jack knew Kandice would wake in the morning with much regret. Sighing, he looked around at the room he had created for her and was making mental notes of things he could improve. When he finally knew Kandice was asleep, he got up out of the bed cautiously, and swept all of the glass from the hard, wooden floor, throwing it in the trash and placing the picture neatly into his cowboy hat that was lying comfortably next to his bunk. He, then, tip toed back into the bed with Kandice, put his arm beneath her, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Jack felt soft kisses covering his face. "Wake up sweety" Kandice softly and carefully, kissing his lips and cheek. He loved feeling her sweet smell of old perfume and rose-smelling shampoo seep down into his lungs.

"Hey, feelin bettah?" he acknowledged.

"Yes, much. Thank you for last night Jack. I think I probably would have cried myself to sleep if you hadn't helped me." She chuckled

"Like ya have been doin everynight since ya gaht hea?" He accused. He had heard her from his, and he knew she thought no one could hear her.

Kandice started fiddling with her quilt that hung limply off of her bed feeling ashamed and embarrassed. She swallowed "You heard me."

"Yeah I did." he looked at her concerned. "Kandice, what's goin on, Why ah you so dapressed?" Kandice fell silent, trying not to have eye contact. "Come on babe, you kin tell me. It's me fa chrisakes."

Kandice nodded. "I know, I just would rather not talk about it." She looked at him for reassurance.

Jack looked at her making sure she was stable. "Ok, as long as yoah ok"

"Yeah, Jack, I'm fine, don't worry about me." she giggled

"Well I haveta dats my job." he smiled and kissed her sweetly on the lips. After making the bed and flirtingly playing around, the two set out for another day of selling but, surprisingly, on their way down, Kloppman stopped all of the newsies and told them they had the next couple of days off because of the war.

"Wanna go down ta da docks?" He asked Kandice. "I wanna spend some quality time wit my goil." he said, putting his arm around her.

"Yeah, sure. I need to get away from everyone."

The two walked down to the pier and sat on the bench. They talked about everything, Kandice telling Jack about her mom and dad and how she was brought up, and Jack telling her how his parents died and past relationships he's had. Once Jack asked Kandice about her boyfriends, she completely froze up.

"Boyfriends? Uh, I didn't have any boyfriends." She turned away pretending to get distracted by something behind her.

"Ofcoase ya did, McClane, don lie. You know ya probably hadda bunch." He said jokingly.

"Well, there is this one guy th-"

"Wait, is, as in still is?" Jack interrupted, getting slightly defensive.

"Well, the thing is, it never really started or ended. It kind of just…..lingered when I left." Kandice tought about Mark as she explained the relationship.

"So theas a chance he could come back foah you?"

"Well, I doubt that. I mean, he's probably moved on from me and has like 20 more now." She laughed and looked out at the water.

After a slight pause Jack broke the silence, "Kandice, I'se gots somethin ta tell ya." Jack said looking out towards the water after her. She looked at him with admiration on her face and smiled with benevolence. "Well, I been feelin dis foah a while and I tought I should tell ya dat..." After silence had come over them for a couple of seconds while Jack built up his courage, Kandice grabbed his hand and pulled him up running towards the water. She knew what he was trying to say, but she couldn't let him say it because not only was she scared for him to say it to her, but that would mean she would have to tell him about her and Skittery.

"What da hell ah you doin!" Jack asked as he was being pulled to the dock.

"Come on, we're going swimming." They got to the edge of the dock and Kandice jumped into the water splashing everything in a 5 foot radius. Realizing they were in their clothes made it even more of a rush for her. Kandice heard Jack splash in as she was underwater. She came up her lungs pleasurably filling with fresh oxygen. She looked around, but Jack wasn't coming up from the water.

"Jack!" She called, looking under the water several times, but saw no sign of him. Just as she started to panic, Kandice was lifted into the air from the water, the cold air scorthing her skin making her scream from the chill. "Jackk" she said before making a loud screech and plummeting back into the water. She grasped for air, cracking up and treading the water. After wiping her eyes, she saw that Jack was underneath the dock. There was a block-type mound underneath the water that he had apparently been standing on, making him look as if he were floating. Kandice swam over to the block and joined him.

"Hey" she said being so close to him, they were practically touching.

"Hey" he answered and they started to laugh. Jack slowly moved in, and Kandice could tell he was about to kiss her. She leaned it towards him and their lips touched with no regard to the war or the world. Jack cupped his hands around her jaw and kissed her more aggressively, making Kandice feel a little uncomfortable. She adjusted herself so she could be in sync with him, but he started getting more aggressive. His hand started going up her shirt slowly and she could feel he was starting to get fresh. She tried to putting it down, but he forced it and started touching her aggressively.

"Jack, stop, now!" She tried getting him off of her but he wouldn't and kept grabbing her. "Stoppit!" her eyes started to burn and she could tell she was about to cry. She was scared. He had never done anything like this before to her and she never thought he would. "Why are you doing this!" She cried.

Suddenly Jack stopped and backed away a little. "Because da goil dat I tought I loved, went and kissed onea my best friends. What does dat tell ya?" He stared her blankly in the eyes for a couple minutes as Kandice sat there in awe. She didn't know what to say, but just started to cry again.

"How did...How did you find out?" She asked softly.

"One a da newsboys caught you two out on da roof. How could you do dis to me? I jus can't believe you didn't even tell me. Nice goil I have, huh?" He said starting to swim back to the dock.

"Jack, wait." She pleaded. Jack turned around and waited for her explanation, raising his eye brows with impatience. Kandice was silent.

Jack shook his head in disappointment and turned around towards the shore, but before getting completely out of sight, he turned around once more and looked into her watery, agitated eyes. "Oh and by da way, I was drafted." He then turned around and left.

Kandice stood there in shock, not saying nor doing anything. Not even crying. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had Jack really been drafted? She didn't come out of the water that seeped into her skin until about a half hour after, when it had started to chill her bones. She sat on the dock and cried that whole day, looking out to the water and thinking about her parents and Jack and everything that had happened. She heard footsteps coming behind her and she had a small feeling of hope arise in her.

"Jack?" She asked, turning around with a smile, but it wasn't Jack, Skittery came up behind her with an annoying smile on his face. "Oh.." She said with a sulk.

"Hey, you'se ok?" Skittery asked sitting down next to her on the dock. "Yoah all wet, what happened?"

"Nothing!" She screamed. She could tell Skittery wasn't expecting that on account of he jumped when she yelled at him. "My perfect relationship, everything about it, is gone because of you! My life is over! And on top of that, my boyfriend, or should I say ex- boyfriend has been drafted to the fucking war." She cried.

"Jack was drafted!" Skittery asked with much surprise.

"Oh believe me, you won't want to see him right now, you wanna know why?"

"Oh no, ya toldim?" Skittery scrunched his nose in suspense.

"You were watched." She said in an devilish whisper. "I knew we were being watched, I knew it." She yelled at him, which wasn't helping the situation much. Skittery didn't know what was coming over her and it scared him.

"Whataya talkin bout, Kandice?" He touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me! You know perfectly well what I'm 'talkin bout'" She mocked back at his concerned face. "One of the newsies was watching you while you told me that you loved me and all that crap."

"It wasn't crap, and it still isn't. I do lov-" before Skittery could finish, Kandice slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red mark. Once she had seen what she had done she sat there in horror with her hand over her mouth. She never thought she would ever do that to someone so sweet. What had she turned in to? Skittery was just trying to comfort her.

"Skitts..." She said softly, still unsure of what she had just done. Skittery took her hand off of him and stood up quickly. He shook his head and looked into her eyes with pure terror. She had never seen his eyes like that. It was like a cold hatred. The kind you saw when you looked in the eyes of your enemy. "Skittery, Im sorry I don't know what..." but just in the middle of her sentence, Skittery was walking away. He was walking away from her. "I'm a monster" she said to herself, as she noticed she was alone on the docks once again.

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"Whea ishe!" Jack asked Race and Blink as they were walking back from Tibby's.

"Who?" they both asked in unison.

"Skitts, whea da hell is dat punk, im gonna soakem." Jack was looking around drastically.

"He's not hea Jack. Why? What da hell is goin on?" Race asked grabbing Jack's shoulders and trying to get eye contact. Suddenly Mush ran over to the guys grasping for air.

"Race, Blink, Jack, theah doin moah draftin..." They all looked at each other with terrified looks on their faces. "Right NOW!" Mush yelled they all ran back together into the lodging house and saw all of the newsies gathered there. Jack looked around but didn't see Skittery anywhere so, he stood next to the boys and listened. He knew he was going already from when they called his birthday last night, he was hoping he would at least have one of his mates with him.

The second round of drafting will begin after this speech from the president.

The president suddenly came on and was explaining the rules and directions.

The second round of drafting will be shortly. Everyone who is drafted will need to report to each of your designated military bases in your state. We will explain where it is in each state after the drafting has taken place. We have taken...

Just ask the drafting was about to begin, Skittery came walking in the door looking around with a distressed expression, like he had been punched in the face. Jack hit Mush, indicating that he would be right back and walked over to Skittery. Once he had gotten to him he pushed him out the door, where Skittery fell back through the door and onto the ground.

"Well if it isn't da perpatratah himself." Jack gave Skittery a devilish smirk, walking in circles around him. "Da one who haddd to kiss me goil, right as we was togeda. You piece a shit." He kicked Skittery while he was on the ground, making Skittery cough and turn over having only his elbows holding him up. Skittery had trouble, but he slowly got himself up off of the ground and looked at Jack face to face. "Oh lookat dis, we got oahselves a tough guy." Jack push Skittery again, but this time Skittery was shoved back, but didn't fall. He walked right back up to Jack.

"April 17th, 1913" The radio announced, as the boys were fighting they heard one of the newsies yell and run out the door. "God damnit!" Suddenly, he saw Jack and Skittery fighting and he stopped to watch.

"Ya know she wanted me moah den you. Dats why ya felt so jealous all da time, ya knew she loved me moah." Skittery said looking Jack right in the eyes and pushed him right back, making Jack fall back slightly, but not as much as Skittery had. Jack went in to punch Skittery in the face, but Skittery ducked just as soon as it was coming, making Jack miss and stumble. Skittery got back up and used all his strength to punch Jack right in the mouth. Jack fell to the ground. He lifted his head and stared at Skittery in disbelief before he felt his lip with his fingers and looked at them. He was bleeding.

"You fuckin.." Jack got up and tackled Skittery to the floor and they started rolling around. At one point, Jack got on top of Skittery and punched him twice, swearing at him for stabbing him in the back. Suddenly Kloppman came outside after hearing the commotion and split the boys up.

"Thats enough!" Kloppman yelled. The boys had never heard him yell like that, except for in the mornings, but not like this. He stared at both of the boys one after another and pointed his cane at both of them. "Now, what's going on here? You boys used to be the best of friends, what happened?"

Panting, Jack and Skittery looked at each other for a minute or two with hateful looks before Jack turned and went into the lodging house to listen to the radio. By this time, all of the newsies were outside looking at the fight. When Jack went in, Mush, Blinks, and Race followed, giving Skittery one last evil glare before entering behind him. There was immense silence for a couple seconds before the radio was heard.

October 18th 1913. The radio stated. Just as Skittery heard his birthday he stood in shock right before falling to hands and knees in exhaustion. Everyone watched in horror at what had just happened, and then slowly went back into the lodging house to await their fate.

So I hope you liked that one. It's crazy..Jack is leaving and now Skittery..i wonder how Kandice will take that. And the fight, now that was intense! Ohhh mannn. R&R please

And like always heres your hint: What happens before the boys leave…will Kandice and Jack make up!