Author note: G'mornin everyone…It may not be morning when you read this, but it is when I'm typing it. So…enjoy! Ah, warning: I am ruining the book "Romeo and Juliet" for you, because I am technically explaining it. So…sorry!
I stared wide eyed at Spot and stepped back. Whoa…my dream was going to come true. I then came back to my senses and smiled warmly.
"Promise?" I asked.
"Cross my heart and hope ta die," Spot said, grinning. Well, we weren't fully engaged yet, but I had a feeling it'd come soon. Spot looked up at the sky and then back at me.
"Wanna dance?" he asked. I laughed,
"Spot Conlon dances in the rain?"
"There's always a first for somethin." Spot held his hand out to me, and I graciously took it. He then escorted me out to the middle of the street and spun me around twice.
He then pulled me towards him and held my hand in his, while his other went around my waist. I put my other hand around his neck and smiled up at him.
We moved gracefully, splashing in the puddles of mud and water.
Spot spun me around again, but pulled me closer to him this time. He stared down at me intently, and a smile spread upon his face. Spot leaned down and kissed me gently.
I've always that kissing someone in the rain was the best feeling you'd ever feel; and let me tell you, they weren't kidding.
Spot and I soon went inside and cleaned ourselves up seeing as how we were soaked. I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch beside Spark, and picked up "Romeo and Juliet."
I resumed reading the book, and couldn't keep my eyes off the pages. It was horrible that Romeo and Juliet's families couldn't get along, and it was even more horrible that Juliet was being forced to marry her cousin, which I found a bit gross.
I got to the part where Juliet drank the sleeping liquid that would make her seem dead, but I had to stop when I heard a knock upon the door.
Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked out into the foyer. I saw Spot rise from the table, where he was playing poker, and walked to the front door.
Everything was dead silent as we heard whispering, and then somebody punched someone. Spot slammed the door closed and walked back into the living room.
"We have a date for tha war," Spot said through clenched teeth.
"When?" Spark asked from beside me.
"July fourth," Spot sighed.
"But today is July second," I said from the couch. Spot ran a hand through his hair and he resumed to the table. I blinked a few times and tried to go back to reading, but I couldn't.
I looked back at Spot, and the two of us locked eyes. He saw the fear in mine, and I saw the anger in his.
I took a deep breath and let it out as I turned back to my book. Poor Juliet; all she wanted was to marry Romeo, and run away with him…and all I wanted was to be with Spot…
I remembered how everybody talked about this book awhile back, and said how awful it was that the two lovers died at the end…I prayed to God that my ending didn't end so badly.
I read further into the book, and licked at the dryness of my lips as Romeo saw his "dead" Juliet. But she wasn't dead…it was just a sleeping potion!
I read on as Romeo poisoned himself, and saw Juliet wake up before he died. I then bit my lip when Juliet plunged the dagger into herself.
It was very heartbreaking that the two had to die, but then again it was love; and I'd do the same for Spot.
I closed the book and set it back down onto the table and leaned back into the couch. I sighed and closed my eyes briefly. July fourth…July fourth…it was just two days away. I didn't want this war to happen, but I knew it had to. I looked back at Spot, and couldn't tear my eyes away. What if something bad happened to him? I blinked back my tears and continued to stare at him.
Why did everything have to be so hard? I rose from the couch, and I felt Spot's eyes on me as I somberly up the stairs and into his room.
His scent filled the room, and I never wanted it to leave. The way he had everything arranged: I never wanted it to change. His presence beside me as we sleep: I never want it to leave.
I laid down in his bed and closed my eyes, trying to imagine him there with me. What if he doesn't survive? He has to survive…he just has to!
I listened closely as the door opened, and heard footsteps on the floor.
"Youse okay?" Spot asked as he stood beside the bed. I looked back at him, and pulled him down to lay beside me. I made him wrap his arms around me protectively, and took in his scent.
"I don't want you to fight," I told him.
"Brooklyn won't fall, Sage. I won't let it."
"I won't doubt that, Spot…but what if you got hurt?" I asked.
"I give youse my word…I won't get hoit," Spot whispered. I felt his warm breath on the back of my neck and smiled to myself. I then turned over to face him, and gave him another weak smile.
"Do you promise?" I asked.
"Cross my heart and hope ta die," Spot promised.
"Is Scout fighting?"
"I can only imagine she will…even if I tried ta stop 'er," Spot told me.
It became dark outside in no time, but I didn't want to sleep. I just wanted to watch Spot, to make sure he was okay. Reluctantly, I fell into a nightmare.
I walked through smoke and fog. I didn't know where I was, but it looked to me like it was the warehouse I was taken to when the Harlem boys kidnapped me.
Things were set on fire, but I merely walked through it, like I was a ghost or something.
I stepped over bodies and weapons, and I walked up a flight of stairs. There was a door at the top, and I walked right through it.
"How does it feel ta have yer life in da hands of Harlem?" a cold voice said. Right before me was Lance, holding a pistol at someone's head. The person was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, struggling to get up.
"Fuck you, Lance," the person said, who sounded an awful lot like Spot. It was dark – completely dark, and it was hard to see.
"I can pull dis trigger, Conlon," Lance said. "Don't piss me off." Spot stood wobbly to his feet and glared intently at Lance.
"Youse is weak, Lance; usin a gun ta kill me. What kind of leader are youse?"
"Tha kind dat killed Brooklyn." And with that said, Lance pulled the trigger, and Spot fell backwards.
I stared at Spot's body on the floor, and his chest rose and fell slowly. Blood seeped out of the wound in his stomach as he groaned in pain. I walked closer to Spot and bent down beside him. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
Lance walked over to the other side of Spot, and placed his boot on top of Spot's wound and put pressure on it.
Spot let out a small painful groan as he tried to push Lance's foot away. It was no use; Spot was too weak.
"What's wrong, Brooklyn? Does dat hoit?" Lance asked. Spot wiped at the blood on the side of his mouth, and I was surprised dat he was still alive. "Why won't youse die?" Lance screamed as he kicked Spot in the side.
Spot rolled into his other side and coughed out more blood. He pushed himself to his knees as more blood found its way out of his mouth.
"Because," he said weakly, "I promised her…dat I wouldn't."
My eyes fluttered open, and blinked at the light that shone through the window. I immediately turned over, and when I saw that Spot was alright, I took a deep breath.
I stared down at him as he breathed lightly. I then leaned down and kissed his cheek. I didn't want to wake him, so I let him sleep.
I rose from the bed and opened the window. It was hot outside; extremely hot. I breathed in the fresh air, and continued down the steps of the Lodging House. I washed up and changed, and quietly fed Cookie.
"Mornin," Skip said as I walked into the living room.
"Hey, Skip," I greeted him.
"Somethin botherin youse?" he asked.
"Yeah: the war," I answered him. Skip closed the book he was reading and looked over at me.
"Don't worry 'bout da war, Sage. Brooklyn and Manhattan can defeat Harlem any day."
"Not according to my dreams," I whispered to myself. Skip smiled and continued reading as Cookie jumped up beside me and rested his head on my leg.
I patted him on the head and closed my eyes, trying to keep calm. The war was tomorrow, which meant I had one more day to spend with the boys.
I rose from the couch and quickly walked upstairs to Spot's room. I opened the door to find that he was still asleep. I walked over to the bed and shook Spot slightly, knowing that he wouldn't wake up.
I gently kissed Spot, and watched as his eyes opened slightly.
"Come on, Spot, get up," I said. Spot rubbed his eyes and stared at me for a minute.
"Why so early?" he asked.
"Because tomorrow is the fight, which means tonight you'll be making plans with your boys, and today you are with me!" Spot smiled and pushed the sheets off of his body.
"Alright, alright, I'm up," he said. I grinned as he got some clothes and walked off to the empty washroom.
Spot and I spent the whole day together, just talking and enjoying each other's company.
"Spot," I said.
"Hmmm?"
"Let me come with you," I told him as we laid in the grass in one of Brooklyn's parks.
"Never," he said. "Somethin might happen to ya."
"But I'm a newsie too!" I whined.
"Listen, I need youse and yer goils ta stay here durin the fight with Harlem."
"Bring a gun with you," I said. Spot gave me an odd look,
"Why?" he asked.
"Just do it. You don't know what Harlem is going to bring, so bring a gun." Spot smiled and kissed my cheek.
"Alright," he said. "I'll bring a gun."
Nighttime came too fast, and Spot had to have a meeting with his boys. He was meeting up with Manhattan tomorrow, three hours before the fight.
I laid in Spot's bed alone, and listened to the deadly silence.
I didn't fall asleep at all. I wanted to make sure Spot came to bed.
After another hour of lying awake, the door to the room opened and I listened as Spot removed his boots and shirt, and crawled into bed.
I turned over to face him.
"Did I wake youse?" he asked.
"No," I told him. "I've been awake." Spot pulled me closer to him, but I stopped him.
"What?" Spot asked.
"Take me," I said.
"Sage, youse know I can't-"
"No…take me." Spot furrowed his eyebrows, but smiled afterwards. Spot put his lips to mine, and stared down at me. His eyes were asking permission to go further, and I accepted.
Next Chapter: The war has begun. Did Brooklyn and Manhattan expect Harlem to have so many allies?
Sage can't handle the fact that Spot could be dying, so she rounds up her girls, and heads over to…Queens?
Will Queens join Sage and her girls to help Brooklyn and Manhattan?
Author note: Haha, suspense! Well, we'll have to wait to see what happens with the war…but for now…FAREWELL! LONG LIVE SPOT AND SAGE!