I say this with a deep, profound sadness appropriate to this chapter. We do not own Newsies...
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"Ok, see you later, Skitts," Erin said, giving Skittery a massive hug, which he gladly reciprocated, a smile spreading across his haggard face.
Tears began to blossom in the eyes of a girl standing around the corner, who was soaking this conversation up as if it was water-a very bitter water that left a pungent taste of salt in her mouth.
Sage peeked around the corner of the brick building, confirming her worst suspicions about the boy and girl in Newsies Square. After seeing the glances that the two had shared a few days ago, she wondered if something was going on, but she had pressed it into the back of her mind, wishing it not to be true.
Skittery was in the embrace of another girl- a girl that she knew and had put her trust in. Erin had stabbed her in the back just to get at Skittery. Even though it was very obvious to the world that Skittery was already involved in a relationship. Emilyanne couldn't comprehend why this girl would want to hurt her. She hadn't done anything to her, this she knew for a fact. Unless this was all Skittery's idea. He had obviously seen Erin before, and judging by size of the hug, they shared a deep connection. The tears continued to come, unbidden, as Emilyanne searched her mind for an explanation that would acquit Skittery of any guilt, while her anger built. When none was forthcoming, she decided to do the one thing that she hated most in the world- she decided to step out of the shadows and confront them.
"Skittery, I… thought that we-," Sage's voice cracked as she rounded the corner. She had forgotten that she was crying. But she continued on, ignoring the tears falling down her face. "I thought that we, what I mean is- I didn't know about her. Why didn't you tell me?"
Skittery and Erin stood there, staring at Emilyanne is disbelief. They had been so very careful to not let anyone see them together, and Sage had found them somehow. Skittery tried to explain, knowing exactly how the situation looked.
"Sage- Emilyanne, I know that this… well, this looks bad, but it really isn't," Skittery stammered, trying his best to make her listen. His stuttering just made it sound worse than it actually was.
Emilyanne's tears had suddenly dried, leaving only incredulity and fury in their place. The anger continued to grow as her mind refused to see reason.
"No. I was completely candid with you, something I rarely do. I told you everything about me, and this is how you repay me. By lying to me and never truly loving me at all. I knew from the moment I met you that I should have never trusted you. I should have never trusted a street rat," Emilyanne spat furiously, her anger finally boiling over, an event that very seldom happened to her. As she said these words, she knew that she would later regret them, but they had already been released.
Skittery and Erin stood in utter shock as Emilyanne whirled around and stormed off. After she rounded the corner, the two were able to move again.
"I didn't know that she could be like that," Skittery whispered softly, still looking in the direction that she had left in.
He was broken out of his thoughts by Erin smacking his arm.
"You didn't tell her about you?" She said dubiously, wondering where her brother's sense had suddenly flitted off to.
Skittery shrugged noncommittally, and turned his gaze away. "I told her I was abandoned at my aunt's house in New Jersey."
"So, you didn't mention me at all? Sometimes I wonder about your common sense," Erin rolled her eyes and then looked at her brother expectantly. He just stared back, a clearly confused look.
"You need to go after her," Erin said firmly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Skittery hesitated, still visibly stunned by Emilyanne's outburst earlier.
"If you don't go now, she'll be even angrier later," Erin stated.
Skittery didn't say anything, but ran around the corner after Sage.
Sage continued to walk back to her apartment, he hands clenched by her sides. People stepped out of her way in passing after seeing the look that was displayed on her face. For once she was glad to have left the dress shop early. She had had the opportunity to see what Michael had been doing in his time away from her. He had been with other women.
So he hadn't meant any of what he had said for the past days. She thought back to each moment they had spent together, trying to imagine anything that he could have said to indicate that he was lying. The only moment she remembered was in the park, the day that they had first kissed. He had mentioned something about fitting in with Jack and the Newsies. But that had nothing to do with other girls. This train of thought made Emilyanne angrier and more stressed than she already was, leaving her with a huge headache.
Just when she thought that the day couldn't get any worse, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. She stared into the face of Skittery.
"What is wrong with you? First of all, I didn't know that you had the ability to get angry, and second, this is a huge misunderstanding," Skittery said sincerely, taking great care not to stutter this time. Emilyanne met his apologetic gaze with an irritated one of her own.
"I don't what you're talking about, Michael. I am perfectly able to get angry, just like the rest of the human race. I just don't choose to show it as often," Emilyanne said, her voice like daggers. Skittery didn't really know what to say, so he allowed her to continue with her ranting.
"I know that you have been seeing other girls besides me. I don't know how I could have been so stupid as to not have seen it before. I saw the looks that you gave Erin when the strike was first announced. I heard everything that you said to her today. Why would you tell her about me, when I didn't know about her? I thought that we could trust each other. I rarely tell anyone about my past, and now I wasted that precious information on you. Why am I even bothering to talk to you any more? I am obviously wasting my time on a selfish, immature, and heartless person."
At this, Emilyanne spun on her heel, and tried her best to leave before she said anything else that was too damaging. When she lost her temper, it tended to be a bad thing for anyone involved.
Unfortunately, she was stopped yet again by a hand on her arm.
"I am sorry that you have gotten that idea, but I promise you that what you just saw was a direct result of me not being brave enough to explain to you everything about me," Skittery's face was a mixture of anger and guilt, and it was obvious that he was trying to keep exactly what he thought inside. Emilyanne was intrigued by this new information that Skittery had revealed, so she gave him a look that clearly told him to continue.
"I don't want to explain here," Skittery said nervously, gazing around at the dimly lit street. "Let's go to your apartment, where it's a little more private."
"Alright," Emilyanne nodded slowly, her anger diminishing with each deep breath she took. She failed to notice the lewd stares of the people on the street who had been hearing their conversation.
Sage walked several steps in front of Skittery until they reached her apartment. The aftershock of her words was beginning to sink in. She immediately felt like apologizing, but swallowed the impulse, and just made sure that he couldn't see her ashamed face.
She unlocked the door to her small apartment as quickly as she could, and began to busy herself in her small kitchen, leaving Skittery to sit alone in her parlor, which was decorated in a fashionable, but somewhat miserly style. He also noticed that the majority of the coloring was in shades of pink.
"Would you like something? I think that a cup of tea may be the perfect thing right about now," Emilyanne called from the kitchen, in a monotone voice, attempting to hide her humiliation with working.
"Sure, that sounds fine," Skittery called indifferently, trying to remind himself why he was here. He would admit everything. It was the least he could do for her. Then perhaps she would understand.
Emilyanne came into the parlor, carrying two glasses of tea. Skittery smiled a little when he noticed that the tea was chilled and sweetened. Once a southerner, always a southerner, he supposed.
"You said that you wanted to explain something," Emilyanne said softly, her face bowed. She was still too ashamed of her outburst to look him in the eye. She took a sip of the sweet tea, letting the cool liquid continue to calm her.
"Ok. What I'm about to tell you is the complete truth about my past. I just want you to know that before I begin," Skittery said solemnly, making sure that Emilyanne's eyes caught his in acknowledgement.
"When I was born, my mother was very young and already had one son to care for. She was only twenty-two, and my older brother, Richard, was 6. She didn't have a very good reputation around our neighborhood, if you understand my meaning," Skittery paused, and Emilyanne nodded uncomfortably, shifting in her rose-colored armchair.
"The man that she lived with was almost forty, and was a very abusive alcoholic. He often beat her to the very edge of life itself, and then beg for her forgiveness once he was somewhat sober. She would always brush away his actions, but she soon turned to liquor to heal the pain inflicted upon her. She then became just like him, always whipping us until we cried. Except that she didn't use her fists, she used her words, which was worse. She deteriorated our self-esteem and caused us to fear the outside world. This behavior began when I was born, and continued through the birth of my younger sister, Erin, when I was two, and my entire childhood," Skittery said quietly, a haunted look creeping into his eyes. Emilyanne's shame grew, and tears shown in the corners of her eyes as she began to understand what this young man had had to go through.
"So, my sister and I survived, with my older brother trying to protect us whenever he could. My father died when I was eight, and then my mother left almost a month after that. My brother, who was only fourteen at the time, decided that he would take care of us so that we wouldn't be put in an orphanage. I was sent to school, while he worked in a textile factory. My sister stayed at our tiny flat, spending her time drawing and helping out our neighbors, who had a young baby boy. This sounds like a great solution to our predicament, right?" Skittery said bitterly, but didn't wait for a response. "Well it wasn't. My brother was exactly like my father in every single way. If we disagreed, he would hit us until we said yes to whatever he asked. Erin always wanted to go to school, but Richard thought that women were incompetent fools, just like my father. She was always very intuitive, but Richard didn't see that. All he cared about was getting more money, and slowly made his way from the spinning machine to an office in the factory. Then I turned thirteen. On my birthday, there was a late snow, and school was canceled. I thought that it would be a good time for all of us to talk, so I brought up Erin's schooling at the breakfast table. Anyway, my brother, who was now nineteen, decided to beat me because I defended Erin. So that day I left, and joined up with the Manhattan newsies." Skittery sighed heavily, and rubbed his temples.
" Richard eventually let Erin go to school, but I came home everyday to talk to Erin , making sure that Richard didn't hurt her. I had to come early, though, because I would be in big trouble if he ever caught me. Then, one day, he decided to come home for lunch, and found me with Erin. I guess that he had already been drinking that day, because I had never been flogged that badly by him. Erin only just managed to pry him off me in time for me to escape being killed. The next day, after Richard had left me for dead, Erin called Blink and Bumlets to carry me back to the lodging house. I've never mentioned that night to her again."
Emilyanne's tears flowed unhindered down her cheeks, and she went to sit beside Skittery on the couch. She swallowed hard, but didn't want to interrupt his story with useless comforting. The damage had already been done.
"So, Richard took her out of school for a while, than when he let her go back, he threatened that if I ever saw Erin again, that he would personally make sure that she never went to school again. He even posted people to watch our movements. For a while, I was still afraid for my life, but Erin and I found ways to see each other. She's hoping that after she finishes school she can get out from under Richard's rule, because she won't need his monetary support anymore. I would help her if I could, but I can barely afford to support myself. We just try to meet whenever and wherever we can. And, so, Emilyanne, that is what you have missed," Skittery said, and stood as if to leave, wiping his eyes surreptitiously. Emilyanne gently tugged on his shirt sleeve in order to get him to sit again.
"There are no words to describe how sorry I am," Emilyanne said, a lump rising in her throat, "I just want you to know that I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Please forgive me for putting you in that position tonight. I never meant to hurt you with my words. When I get angry, however unusual that may be, I lose all sense of what to say and what not to say. I would never purposefully harm you."
Skittery nodded sadly, but didn't respond. He got up again to leave, and this time Emilyanne wasn't able to pull him back again. He opened the door, and was about to depart when she caught up with him.
"Please don't leave me for good, Skittery. I don't think you understand how much you mean to me. You're the first true confidant that I have had in this god-forsaken city. I love you too much to allow you to leave and never return," Emilyanne said, almost inaudibly. Skittery heard every word, though. He turned around, to see the brunette twirling a strand of her hair around two fingers, and a tear escaping the confines of her eye.
Without a word, he kissed her gently on the lips, and turned back around to leave. She followed him into the cramped hallway of the apartment building, and just as he was about to leave, he gave her a small smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning."