We stood in line for about another five minutes, and got our papes, Knight and Blaze went of to sell in Central Park while me and Race headed to the Tracks. When we got there Race made a bet on a horse named Jackal, he told me he always bet on the same horse, but he didn't tell me why. It would be an hour until the first race so we had some time to sell some papes.
It was hard to stay together while we were selling but we managed, when they announced the race was going to start we found some seats. The place wasnt that crowded since it was in the middle of the day when people were working so the seats were pretty good.
" So yous havin a nice time?" Race asked as we sat down.
"Yah." We hadn't really talked since we left my brother. I noticed Race had been looking at me for a while. "What?" he smirked at me.
"why are yous so quiet all dah time?" he asked. I wasn't expecting that and I wasn't sure how to answer.
" I, Iono why, I's guess I just don't like ta talk dat much, and I's don't have alota self-confidence you could say, I tink if I talk a lot I might say stupid stuff and people will judge me" I sat there staring at my hands.
"well dats stupid. Yous should always speak ya mind, who cares what people tink!" He said.
"um, I ..I guess." I agreed with him.
A little after the races started I got bored so I decided I would go sell for a while.
"Heya Race" I said trying to get his attention.
"OH COME ON JACKAL! RUN YOU STUPID HORSE RUN!" he yelled at the horse as if the horse could hear him let alone understand him.
"Hey, Hey Race." I said a little more forcefully.
"What !" I guess that was directed at me but I couldn't tell since he was still looking at the race. "RRRUUN!"
"Um im gonna go sell for a bit 'k?" I said raising my voice a little.
"ok, ok!" He said absentmindedly, and making a little hand gesture for me to go and shut up.
" Ill just be over dere." I pointed to a spot not far from our seat; I waited a sec for him to respond but he didn't, so I walked away.
I sold for about 20 min and I only had 3 more papes to go, I decided to wait and sell them with race, and went to turn around to go back to my seat, but I ran in to something hard and It smelled bad to. I stumbled back a few feet then caught myself. When I regained my composure I looked up to see what I had ran into. My Heart drooped, and I started backing up, and with my luck backed up into a wall.
"Well, Well, Well look who it is Morris, little Mute, and she's aaall alone." Oscar came toward me until he was right in my face and I could smell his grimy breath, I Turned my head to the side to avoid his eyes, and I tried to breath out of my mouth so I wouldn't gage from the smell.
"you know why's she's alllll alone?" Morris asked his brother.
"heh. Coz she's such a loser dats why," Oscar cackled. I winced and stood up, my head down. I tried to move around them to get back to my seat, and back to Race.
"well hey now! Weah do yous dink yoah goin?" Oscar put a hand in front of me. I glared up at him, and shoved his arm out the way, ignoring him.
"Don't you walk away from me goily!" He grabbed my sleave and pushed me back into the wall and made me face him. I tried to wriggle free but he just laughed at my weakness.
"Hah, she's tryin tah get away. But she's to weak aint sheeee," Morris mocked me, laughing in my face. Tears stung at my eyes. I hate these boys with all my heart. I turned my head towards where I thought Race would be.
"RAAAAAAAAAAACE!" I screamed. Morris laughed at me.
"yeah, toots, deah is a race goin on. Oh, sawry, did you mean dah kid? Hah, he aint no wheah tah help you's now," He sneered. He was right. We were at the racetracks which was also the name of the boy that I needed right now. But he was no where in sight. Damn him!
"ANTHONY HIGGIIIIIINS!" I screamed his real name at the top of my lungs.
"He aint heah goily," Oscar pulled me towards the exit of the stadium. All of a sudden he was on the ground, his hands on his face. Morris went to help his brother up, glaring up at Race.
"I aint weah, huh Delancey?" Race sneered down at them. He kicked Morris in the face and led me away by the hand. I was practically melting I was soooo happy. I was holding Racetrack's hand! This is so the highlight of my day. He had been pulling me along for a couple minutes now, and I started to feel something wet gliding down my arm, when I looked at it, my whole right sleeve was covered with blood, I looked at it in horror.
"Rrra..rrarrace…" I said stopping dead in my tracks.
"Wha' what is-" I stopped in mid sentence when he finally noticed my arm. "Holly Shit! Are u alright doll!" He started to panic.
"ya, ya im good." I said a little shakey, he started to pull me along faster, he was practically dragging me. When we finally reached the Lodging House we were both praying that Knight wasn't there, god only knows how he would react. Race opened the door to the lodging house and looked around making sure he wasn't in the lobby, after he made sure he wasn't in there he ran me upstairs to the boys bunk room. We were half way to the bathroom, when we both noticed Blaze sitting on Knights bed, we stopped in our tracks.
"Hey Blaze wheahs Knight!" Race Demanded.
"He's in dah Bathroom, why?" and of course right then Knight walked out of the bathroom, me and race didn't know whether to run or stay, but it was to late to run.
"Heya race, sis, whats u-WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" He came over and took me by my good arm forcefully and led my to his bed, Blaze got up just in time before he pushed me on the bed and made me lay down. "Blaze hurry and go get me the First Aid kit in the bathroom!" he ordered. Blaze came back quickly, with the First Aid Kit in hand. He took it from her and laid it down next to him, then he turned back to my arm. Without warning me he ripped off my sleeve. He looked at me "What were u planning on wearing this again?" He asked. I rolled my eyes, and he went back to work on my arm. He took a rage and wiped all the blood away so we could see the cut. My whole upper arm was cut up, he took an ace bandage and wrapped it around my arm tight, and he was done. And here comes some more yelling and screaming. He turned to race and glared at him. "I trusted you with my sister, you promised me that nothing bad would happen to her, what happened!" by this time he was right in Racetracks face, and Race's whole face was white with fear, Knight had never yelled at him before, and he had seen what Knight had done to other guys before. "Youd have 1 minute to explain to me what happened before I kill you!" He threatened.
"ITS NOT HIS FUALT KNIGHT!" I yelled. Everybody turned to me surprised that I had raisin' my voice to him, hell I was shocked myself, but I lowered my voice and continued. "Its, Its my fault Knight, I's wondered away from him without him noticing and I ran into the… the Delancey Brothers, and I just scraped my arm a little that's all. Race came and punched Oscar in the face and got me away from there as soon as possible… I's sorry." Knights expression didn't change at all, he was still angry as hell.
"DAMNIT MUTE!" he screamed. "What da hell were you thinking! I've told you a thousand times not tah walk around in dis city widdout someone! You see what happens! Do you see what happens when you don't fuckin' listen tah me! You could have died! YOU-COULD-HAVE -DIED!" he yelled at me.
"I- I's know Kni-," I winced as he started yelling again before I could even finish my sentence.
"Know yous don't know! Because if you'd have known you would have stayed wid race dah whole time! So don't give me dat crap! Yoah lucky Race found yous in time! Who knows what dose fucking bastards would have done to yous! JESUS MUTE" He was yelling so hard his face was red. All I could do was lie there and listen to him. "Do yous have anything at all tah say!" He asked angrily.
"I's sorry Knight" I apologized but as I finished my sentence he had already stormed out the door.
Blaze chased him out of the bunk room, calling after him to calm down and that everything was fine.
"I's sawry Mute… takin ya to da 'tracks was a bad idea," Race shuffled his foot on the floor with his hands in his pockets.
No. It wasn't a bad idea, you held my hand and it was the best day of my life, I thought in my head. But I didn't say it.
"You's don't tink it was a bad idea, huh Mute," Race had sat down on the bed and was trying to catch my eye. I looked up at him and gave a shy smile.
"Yeah…" I said softly.
"Hey, C'mon, look at me," Race lifted up my chin. I felt my face grow warm and I knew I was blushing. Well why wouldn't I be I mean come on, Race was touching my FACE!
"Race…" I started. I was on the edge of telling him how I felt about him, but my face was so red now I was so embarrassed that I couldn't do it.
"Yeah," He looked me in the eye and it felt like he could see all the little words going around in my head.
"I…I…" I had to think of another answer! "Thanks for savin me from dah Dalanceys."
"Yoah welcome. Anytime," He smiled. He started to unwrap the bandages around my cut and scooted closer to me.
"Lemme get a bettah look at dis heah cut," He whispered, part to me and part to himself. It was already starting to scab over and he slightly touched it. I winced in pain and a small squeal escaped me. He looked up at me, his face very close to mine.
"Did I's hoit yous?" he said quietly. I shook my head slowly. He leaned closer to me. What. Was. Going. On. I didn't know, but suddenly I was leaning towards him as well, and our lips met. A tingly rush flew through my body and I felt so light and happy. But it was suddenly ended when an angry yell came from the doorway.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" My heart dropped as he came over and took Race by the coller and through him to the ground, and started beating the living crap out of him.
"KNIGHT GET OFF OF HIM STOP IT!" I yelled getting out of the bed and trying to pull him of race. There was soon at least 30 kids in the bunk room watching Jack and Kid Blink try to pull Knight off of Race while he was pounding his face in . When they finally got him off him, Race had two black eyes his lip was busted and his nose was bleeding badly, but wasn't broken. To boys helped him to the bath room to get him cleaned up. I walked up to my brother who was still being held back by Jack and blink.
"Is need tah talk tah yah." I said almost breaking down into tears. Jack and Blink let him go and I grabbed Knight by the hand and led him out of the bunk room, down the stairs and into an empty lobby.
"Hows could yous Alex! Whats' a madder wit you! Yous know I's like him why did ya have ta soak him?" I cried.
"I's sorry Nicole, sometin' inside me just snapped I's wasn't tinkin straight I's was already upset about yous gettin' hoit, I just , im sorry Nicole. You knows I's would never do anyting to hoit you. I loves ya." He came over to me and hugged me. "You's dah only family I's got, and I don't wanna loose you."
As I layed in bed I wondered how Race was doing, Knight had soaked him pretty bad. I would have gone back into the bunkroom but I was to embarrassed about the whole thing, especially how my stupid brother over reacted.