Chapter 12: The Docks

David waited for the rest of the boys to get their papers. He noticed Grim wasn't among them. Maybe she's avoiding me, he thought. Why should he care if she's at the distribution center or not? It's not like he wanted to see her anyway. He didn't get any sleep last night because he kept thinking about her and if she was all right. The look on her face when he left her will probably haunt him for the rest of his life. If he doesn't go back to her, he'll never find any girl that he loves as much as Grim.

"Hello? Davey?" Jack called waving his hand in front of David's face.

"What?"

"Ready to go?"

"Where's Grim?" David asked without thinking.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? How the hell do you not know?" he snapped at Jack.

"I don't know, David." Jack snapped back. "She was there last night and she was gone this morning. She didn't even leave a note. I don't know where she is."

"Was her suitcase gone?"

"I didn't see it under her bed."

Where the hell could she be?, he thought. He wasn't expecting Grim to just pack up her things and leave without saying a word to anyone. He searched his mind for all the places she could possibly be but he quickly realized that Grim still doesn't know her way around the city. His best bet is the train yards because she would know where that is. He would have to check after he's done selling because he can't afford to miss a day especially since he already got his hundred papes.

Grim wasn't at the train yards though. Once the boys went to bed, Grim took her suitcase and went to Zelda's apartment. She talked Zelda into taking her to Brooklyn because she needed to talk to Spot. This morning, Grim was sitting on a crate on the dock and waited for Spot to be done with his selling.

Why am I even here?, she thought. Grim really want to make this work with David and she remember David saying that Grim and Spot were alike. Maybe he could help her cope with this new situation. Maybe he'll be nice and tell her an experience he had with a girl much like the experience she's having with David. She still doesn't like Spot but she'll be civil with him if it means getting the information she needs.

"Well, isn't it Doll Face. I thought I'll never see you here in Brooklyn." Spot called as he came into view.

"Are you done selling?" she asked.

"No but my birds were telling me some girl was waiting for me here. So, you changed your mind about learning how to fight?"

"Does it look like I'm ready to learn how to fight?" she asked giving him a look.

"Then why are you here wasting my time?"

"I need to ask you a question. How do you show a girl that you like her?"

"Is this about Mouth?" he asked.

"I ruined everything. We went on a date a couple of nights ago, as you know, and I went off on him. I asked him for another date last night and I went off on him again. I don't think he wants anything to do with me, Spot."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're his friend and I know you want the best for him." she answered.

"You don't know me at all, Doll Face. No one is my friend and I can care less about anyone. Let me tell you something. When you're living on the streets, you got to look out for yourself. No one gives a damn about your feelings. You don't have any friends out here, only allies."

"Jack is your friend." she jumped in.

"There's a difference between me and Jack. He thinks all his boys are his friends. I make sure my boys knows that I'm the boss. What I say goes. Jack can call me his friend all he wants but he's my ally. I known Jack for a few years now but I wouldn't turn my back on him."

"So, in your opinion, I shouldn't trust David." she said slowly, "Don't you think that's a lonely life to have? Having no friends and not trusting anyone?"

"It might be a lonely life but it's the only way to survive out here." he answered.

"What about companionship? Don't you want to get married and have a family one day?"

"If I live long enough to get to that point in my life. There's more important things to worry about than marriage and having kids. We have to find food for the day and a roof over our heads for the night. Finding someone to marry isn't important."

"I don't understand why David would say we're alike. I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life." she said as she got off the crate, "Well, I'm sorry I wasted your time. I shouldn't have came here."

"Let me ask you something. If you didn't come here, where would you have gone?" he demanded.

"I don't know. The organization is probably in Huston. I'll probably see if they'll hire me as a worker since I'm too old to be adopted. I mean, what else am I suppose to do? I have nothing here. I have no family or friends--"

"You have David."

"Yeah, right. I have David. He walked away from me last night."

"I can see why. Can't you? You fight with him all the time. He stood up for you and all you can do is snap at him. Hell, if I was him, I would walk away from you too." he said angrily.

"I didn't mean to snap at him all the time."

"So, why?" he shrugged, "You snap at him to get attention? You like the fact that he keep running back to you? Don't even give me those sob stories you give him because they won't work on me, Doll Face."

"You don't know anything about me, Spot!" she yelled, "You don't know anything about my life and , for your information, I don't like the fact that David keeps running back to me. He's too good for me and I don't deserve him. I don't deserve anyone. Maybe I should just close myself off from everyone and just stay coldhearted for the rest of my life."

"At least I don't have to ask people how I should feel about someone I supposedly care about." he said with a smug look on his face.

"I don't need this." she said then she began to walk away.

I knew this was a bad idea to come here, she thought. He was no help to her at all and she wasn't expecting to be made fun of. She knew that Spot wasn't going to be a gentleman or even civil to her but she was hoping he'll be nice enough to help her because David is his friend. Suddenly, she felt Spot's hand grab her arm and spun her around so she was standing face to face with him.

"Don't you walk away from me." he demanded.

"I'm not going to stay here and get made fun of by a child that's named after a damn dog." she shot back.

"And don't talk back to me, Doll Face." he pointed at her.

"Since we're making demands, if you're going to keep calling me Doll Face, I'm going to start calling you Fluffy."

"What?" Spot looked at her confused, "Fluffy? That's what you're going to call me? Really?"

"I don't like you calling me Doll Face."

"Doll Face isn't an insult. It's a term of affection, Grim. You should lighten up." he said with a small smile. When he realized that she was just staring at him, his smile faded, "You really don't know how to lighten up."

"I know how to lighten up." she said and Spot studied her face.

"Oh," he suddenly said, "now I get it. You don't like to be affectionate with people."

"I don't know how. That's why I'm here, remember?'

"You know how. Everyone knows how to be affectionate with someone they care about."

"Really? Even you?"

"When I'm with a girl," he began as he stepped closer to Grim, "I'm very affectionate. I tell her things she wants to hear. I tell her things that I won't tell anyone else. I touch her," he places his hand gently on her waist, "the way no other person has ever touched her. I kiss her," he brush her cheek lightly with his other hand, "with every…emotion inside me. At that moment, it's only us that matters."

"Do you mean any of it?" she asked quietly.

"I mean all of it. I don't lie to them. No matter what people say about me, I never will use a girl for my own personal enjoyment." he brushed a piece of hair out of her eye.

"So, you're like this to every girl?"

"Every single one. They all have a place in my heart." he leans down to kiss her but she moves her head which makes him kiss the side of her mouth.

"I should be vulnerable with David." she said quietly.

"David," he said as he stepped away from her, "When you're out in the open, keep your guard up. When you're behind close doors with David, there's no need to keep the walls up. You can trust him. He's probably the only one you can trust."

"Thanks, Spot. I mean that."

She turns to leave but Spot quickly grabs her by the arm, spin her around, and kiss her forcefully. There was something in his kiss that was different from David's. Spot was more experienced but David's was more loving. Grim was surprised that she didn't push him away. In fact, she kissed him back. After a moment, Spot was the one who parted from her but he still held her in his arms.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"I needed to do that before you left because I wouldn't have another chance."

"I really have to go." she pushed him away and ran off the dock.

Spot stood there and watched her disappear to the street. He didn't know what came over him. He didn't like Grim in that way. In fact, he wouldn't look at her twice if he met her on the street. He sighed then he began walking back to the street. He needed to finish selling his newspapers he gave on of his boys to hold and to get his mind off of Grim. This was a big mistake, he thought.