Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, y'all. They really do keep me going sometimes when I just want to toss this story to the side. But, really, after 50 chapters, I gotta see this thing through. If not for me, for coveredinbees1, BabyMyst, and js158900 at least, haha.
August 2, 1899
The strike was over. The newsies of New York had stood up to the most powerful men in the city and won. The mood of the city streets was jubilant. Every newsie in the five boroughs was celebrating. The epicenter of the festivities was Irving Hall.
The music played, the drinks flowed, and the laughs roared.
David sat at a table drinking his rootbeer, watching the festivities. He looked up and saw Charlotte walking towards him.
"Hey you," she grinned, sitting next to him. "I haven't seen you all night."
"Yeah," said David.
Charlotte furrowed her brow. Something was bothering David, but she couldn't figure out what it could be. "It's been quite a couple weeks, huh?"
David just nodded. "I had to leave school to make money for my family and turns out I hardly made any money."
"Yeah, but look what you did. You led the newsies to stand up to the most powerful men in the city."
"Jack and Spot led them," David corrected.
Charlotte rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "Oh, come on. Spot didn't show up until you guys proved you could hold your own, and Jack accepted a bribe and abandoned the strike for a time." She nudged him. "Everyone knows who really kept the strike going." Charlotte paused. "And what's more, look at how much you changed."
"What do you mean?"
"David, when you joined the newsies, you could barely look any of them in the eye. By the time the Jack turned scab, you were telling them what to do!"
"I nearly had an anxiety attack afterwards…"
"But you still did it!" David couldn't help but grin. "You should be proud of yourself. I know I'm proud of you."
David looked at her. "Thanks, Charlotte."
Charlotte grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey Char," said a voice in front of them. They looked up and saw Spot standing there.
"What do you want?" Charlotte asked.
"Can we talk?"
"I'm in the middle of a conversation."
Spot nodded. "I can wait." But he stayed put.
Charlotte sighed and looked at David. "I'm sorry. I'll be two minutes."
David nodded as Charlotte stood up and walked away with Spot.
"What do you want?" Charlotte asked once they were at the bar, away from others.
"There's no one else, Charlotte," said Spot.
"I'm with David," said Charlotte.
Spot raised an eyebrow. "Are you?" he asked, not believing.
Charlotte didn't say anything.
"Look, if you really don't want to see me again, then I'll stop," he said softly. "You won't have to see me again."
Charlotte looked at him in surprise.
"But if you feel the same way I do, and if you can give us one more chance, then I promise that...I promise…"
Charlotte watched him struggle with the words. She knew Spot wasn't the type to express how he felt in words. Words meant nothing to him. He was a man of action. Giving him another chance would be a gamble. No matter what Spot said - or didn't say - he would show his devotion to her in his actions.
Charlotte nodded. "I know."
Spot watched her as she scanned the room, but not seeing anything. The wheels were turning in her head.
Charlotte couldn't deny her feelings towards Spot. They had history together. He was her first crush, and those feelings had never left her. Having their relationship start with infidelity didn't bode well for any future they could have.
Charlotte's eyes landed on David across the room. David was a good choice. David would never cheat on her or let her down. He was a safe choice. Charlotte began to worry that him being so safe would make for a life void of any fun and adventure. A girl who punched bullies and snuck out at night to tend to wounded newsies thrived on a life of adventure.
Charlotte clenched her jaw, the guilt already making her stomach churn slightly. She knew this was a bad choice. She knew it was the wrong choice. But she couldn't deny the excitement starting to simmer inside her.
"I guess if you make me regret this, I have no one to blame but myself."
Spot grinned and pulled her into his arms.
"No," said Charlotte, putting her arms against his chest. "Give me some time to tell David, okay?"
Spot nodded. "Sure, sure."
Charlotte, David, and Spot sat at a table with Adelaide and Skittery.
Adelaide chewed on her lip as she watched Spot and Charlotte. Charlotte had her arm looped through David's, but Spot was leaning in towards Charlotte.
Spot glanced at Adelaide when he felt eyes on him. She raised her eyebrows at him in question. He just shook his head quickly and subtly. Adelaide narrowed her eyes, suspiciously.
"Well, there you are," said a voice. They all turned to see Violet weaving her way through the crowd to get to their table.
"Violet," Adelaide said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"This is a celebration, ain't it? I'm celebrating with you all." Violet gave Spot a pointed smile.
"You didn't go on strike with us," said Spot. "What do you have to celebrate?"
"Spot," chastised Adelaide. "Be nice."
Violet shrugged. "I can't be happy for my friends?" She looked at everyone around the table until her eyes fell on Charlotte. "I know you."
Charlotte nodded politely. "Yes, we met once before." Doubts flooded Charlotte's mind. Were things really over between him and Violet?
Violet looked at Charlotte thoughtfully before she turned to Spot. "Is this her?" Violet asked. "Is this the girl you were runnin' around on me with?"
Adelaide's eyes widened and she looked from Violet to Spot to Charlotte.
"What?" David nervously chuckled. "No, Charlotte was never with Spot."
"Yeah?" asked Violet. "Then why'd she come to Brooklyn in the middle of the night to stitch up Spot?"
David looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte had to think fast. "I…well, Fire came to get me in the middle of the night because Spot got beat up."
"Yeah, and I seen those looks you were giving him that night too," said Violet.
David looked between Charlotte and Spot. "Charlotte?"
Charlotte swallowed hard. She looked at Adelaide.
By that time, the commotion Violet had started along with a few eavesdroppers had given them a bit of an audience.
"Charlotte?" said David.
Charlotte, being neither a good liar nor a fast thinker of lies under pressure, stood with her mouth open, but nothing coming out.
"I knew it!" said Violet.
"What?" asked David, his face falling.
"I ended things," Charlotte said to Violet. "As soon as I found out about you."
David sat there in shock, trying to process the information.
"Then he dumps me to get you back," said Violet.
"I gotta go," David said, standing up. He weaved his way through the crowd and out of sight.
"David!" Charlotte called after him. She glared at Spot. "Thanks a lot."
"What did I do?" asked Spot as he watched Charlotte follow in David's wake through the crowd. Spot sighed. "Violet, get outta here."
"Spot," Adelaide shook her head.
"It's okay, Aide," said Violet. "I know when I'm not wanted." Violet threw once last glare at Spot and walked away.
Spot sighed and threw his hat down on the table.
"You can't say you didn't expect this to happen," said Adelaide.
"I didn't exactly think it through."
Adelaide rolled her eyes. "That's a first."
Spot glared at her. "I got two women already hating me. I don't need your sass."
"Can you blame them? You cheated on both of them."
"That may be, but at least I wasn't turning my back on the strike and taking bribes!" Spot snapped, standing up.
"Hey, there's no need to drag me into this," said Jack, who'd been watching the scene unfold off to the side.
"I wasn't talkin' about Jack," Spot said, glaring at Adelaide.
"What?" Snipeshooter asked, who'd been standing next to Jack, rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like Aide took a bribe and sold papes."
Adelaide looked up at Spot in shock. He kept a poker face, save for a trace of regret Adelaide thought she saw in his eyes.
"Aide?" Skittery, who'd been quiet through the whole ordeal, asked.
Adelaide looked at Skittery. She'd been so caught up in arguing with Spot she'd forgotten he was there. The expression on his face broke her heart.
"Is that true?"
"We were running out of money," she said.
Skittery just looked at her for a few beats, at a loss for words.
Snipeshooter looked between Adelaide and Skittery. He heard murmurs behind him of, "scab," and "traitor."
"Hey," said Snipeshooter, turning around. "We all agreed to leave the girls scabs alone, because they had families to support, right?"
The murmuring soon died.
"Oh, so it's just me who gets thrown under the trolley?" asked Spot.
"No one's throwing you anywhere," said Adelaide. "You made your choices, I made mine."
Skittery looked between Adelaide and Spot. He shook his head and stood up. "Unbelievable," he muttered, walking through the crowd.
Adelaide snapped her head in his direction. "Skittery!" She pushed through the crowd, trying to follow Skittery.
"David, please," said Charlotte, once she caught up to David near the bar. "Let me explain."
"Explain? Explain what? How much more you like him than me? How you have such a long history together and you and I are just friends?" David shook his head. "I don't need an explanation. I don't care."
"David, please don't be like that." Charlotte swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears.
"How do you want me to be?" David asked. "Do you want me to say it's okay? Do you want me to say I'm perfectly fine you chasing some other guy when you knew how I felt about you?"
"David, you're my friend!"
David watched her for a few beats. "Your friend."
Charlotte closed her eyes. "More than that, you know that."
"Do I?" David looked at her for a moment before turning away. "I'll see you around."
David walked through the crowd towards the door. The lobby was less crowded, and only a few newsies were outside. He walked down the street, hoping the solitude would give him some clarity.
Of course. Why shouldn't she choose Spot over him? A street kid with no money against an educated boy with…well, no money. David took little solace in the fact that at least Charlotte didn't care about money.
Why had he brought her around in the first place? If he hadn't involved her in the strike, she would have never reunited with Spot, and she would have eventually started going with David…or would she?
Charlotte watched David turn the corner before she turned toward the bar and rested her elbow on it, resting her head in her hand. She felt someone walk up alongside her.
"I know it's hard now, but it gets easier," said Spot.
"What does? The humiliation of being named a cheater in front of a crowd or breaking your best friend's heart?"
Spot was quiet for a moment. "The hating yourself for hurting someone you care about," he said.
Charlotte looked up at him.
Spot shrugged. "You get used to it."
Charlotte sighed and looked down at the bar once more.
"This ain't the time or place, but…I'm still here," he said.
"We're not a good idea," she replied.
"I do a lot of things that aren't good ideas."
"I thought we were past this," said Skittery, once he and Adelaide were out of the theater.
"I'm sorry, Skittery," she said, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't even know where to begin."
Adelaide closed her eyes and rubbed her face. "Okay." She sighed. "I was in Brooklyn because I ran out of money—"
"Okay, stop right there," said Skittery. "If you were out of money, why were you in Brooklyn? Why didn't you come to me?"
Adelaide swallowed hard. For five months, every time she was in trouble, she went to Spot for help, and he always bailed her out - without a thought. She felt ashamed that she hadn't even thought to discuss the matter with Skittery. "I don't have a good answer for that."
Skittery clenched his jaw and nodded. "Okay, go on."
"I was in Brooklyn and this guy approached me and offered me five bucks to sell a stack of papes. I did and I went back the next day and he gave me five more bucks."
Skittery watched her. "For how long?"
"A little over a week," she said.
Skittery was quiet for a few moments. His silence and stony expression scared Adelaide. "If you're going to go to Spot Conlon every time you're in trouble or you need something…then this isn't going to work."
"Skittery…" she said, desperation in her voice.
"I can take care of you," said Skittery. "I will work six jobs, around the clock to take care of you. But I can't…and won't…if you're just gonna keep going to Spot."
Adelaide bit her lip, but a couple of sobs still escaped. She wiped her cheeks, only to have fresh tears fall down them.
"He's my best friend."
"That used to be me, you know."
Adelaide looked at him. Until that moment, she had no idea how far she and Skittery had grown apart - and it was all her fault.
"You used to trust me to take care of you and Tumbler," said Skittery. "But after six months in Brooklyn, it seems that you'd rather just go to Spot."
"It's not like that," said Adelaide. "You don't go through what we went through and not come out with what we have. When Ralphie raped me, Spot was there. When Ralphie hit me, Spot was there. When you got soaked, Spot was there. When I needed to help Snipeshooter, Spot was there."
"I get that," said Skittery. "And I know you and him are close friends. But I'm your boyfriend. Shouldn't I get first dibs on taking care of you?"
Adelaide swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Yeah. You should."
"And what about the money you took from the tenement? Ralphie's stash?" he asked. "Why didn't you dig into that?"
"I didn't want to."
"Why not?"
"Because…" Adelaide sighed. "For five months, it was his money feeding me, and that whole time I was under his control. I didn't want to use his money for survival. I didn't want to have to depend on him anymore. I want to save it for…I don't know. Marriage license, or a place for us."
Skittery sighed. "You talk about marriage when we're talkin' about how you lied to me?"
Adelaide closed her eyes. "I know I messed up, and I'm sorry. I've been…a mess since I got home. And I can't promise I'm going to get things right right away, but…I want to try."
Skittery nodded. "Can we start by you telling me what else you're keeping from me?" Adelaide took a step back. "Don't look so surprised. You know that I can read you like a book."
Adelaide sighed. "Can we walk?"
Skittery nodded. They turned and walked down the relatively empty street.
Adelaide bit her lip. The images in her mind were as clear as the day they were created. The cold, hard metal of the gun in her hand. Ralphie's mocking face. The way the gun kicked back. The shot ringing out and echoing over the East River. The brief look of shock on Ralphie's face in the split second between when the bullet hit him and when he died. The way his body fell back against the railing and he just slumped down.
"Ralphie didn't jump off the Brooklyn bridge," she whispered.
Skittery furrowed his brow.
"I killed him," she said quietly.
Skittery's eyes widened as he stopped them and turned toward her. "What?"
"I couldn't take it anymore," her voice cracked. "He was awful, and after he made me give up my baby, I snapped."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was scared."
"Aide, it's me."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"So is that it? No more secrets?"
Adelaide shook her head. "That's it."
"Good," Skittery nodded.
"But you can't say anything to anyone. If anyone else in Brooklyn finds out, I'm a dead woman."
"Of course," said Skittery. "Wait…else? Who else knows?"
Adelaide hesitated. "Spot was there."
"When you killed Ralphie?"
Adelaide nodded.
"And he didn't kill you for doing that?"
Adelaide shook her head.
Skittery sighed. "Why is it always Spot?"
Adelaide hesitated at his tone. "Are you jealous?"
"Of the guy who got to know all your secrets? The guy you were going to for money?"
Adelaide swallowed. "I never planned that. And you know it was never like that. You're the only one I ever wanted."
Skittery watched her for a few beats and then nodded. "I know."
Adelaide chewed on her lip. "Are we okay?"
Skittery pulled her into his arms. "We will be."
Adelaide closed her eyes in relief and buried her face in his shoulder.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," he said, his lips right next to her ear.
Adelaide tilted her head up and kissed him. Kissing Skittery never got old. No matter how many times he'd done it before, she still tingled all over whenever he kissed her. She loved the way his arms wrapped around her, like he was putting himself between the rest of the world and her. Nothing could happen to her when she was in his arms.
