brooklyn nights

chapter eight

evermore;

3rd person POV

Fading in thoughts, Spot walked through Manhattans dark alley. A quiet tune left his lips. It was the song that was playing earlier. He smiled at the thought of it, dancing with Joan over the wooden floor, twirling her around and holding her close. He cursed himself for thinking of her like that. Liking someone was never something he wanted. Brooklyn and his Newsies were all he needed. But then the thought of growing up came into his mind. He was about to turn 19 which made selling papes impossible. You'd rather buy something from a poor, small boy than a grown-up, unwashed man. "What're you thinkin' 'bout'?" Joan brushed her shoulder against his. "Gettin' old." She brought things into his head he's never worried about. Joan had a future. She went to school and was able to work for her grandfather. Spot on the other hand had no education other than what he got taught by the streets of New York. Back when his family was still together, his mother taught him how to read and write, which made him one of the smartest of the bunch. "Lookin' bright?" Joan smiled at him. "Lookin' bright." You could tell he wasn't in the mood to talk about that topic, which was why Joan stopped at some stairs which let down to the river.

She grabbed his hand, pulling him after her, down to the water. They sat down, the girl taking off her shoes and placing them in the cold water. "What will yous do after finishin' school?" The girl faced Spot and shrugged. "I want to study medicine." She smiled at the thought. Spot on the other hand had a frown on his face. "Why?" His questions were genuine. Joan was thinking about an answer. "My parents passed away when I was 7. Influenza. Don't know why I didn't get it but it wasn't long after we moved here that they passed away." The girl held back her tears, thinking about her parent's faces. She had to take care of them, not wanting her grandfather to get the illness as well. "No doctor could help them. I want to be someone who takes care of helpless people, makin' them know that at least someone cares." Spot smiled at her while she talked. It made him feel some kind of way, knowing how much the girl cared about others. She would put herself last. "That's amazing." She turned to face him and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "What about you?" Their eyes were focused on the water moving below them. "Don't know yet. Probably just stay at the lodge and hope I catch some disease that you's take care of me." He laughed a little after she nudged her elbow in his side. "I'm jokin'. I was thinkin' 'bout gettin' a job at some factory. You's don't need any education to build something."

Joan smiled and thought about it. Spot working a proper job. "Are you think' 'bout having family?" She had a picture of Spot in her mind, about 10 years from now. Him coming home from work, two little kids running up into his wide open arms. Joan noticed how he was around little kids. She knew how much he cared for the newsies and how he watched out for them. He would be a great father. "Probably not. I's not good with responsibility." A small knot was created in the girl stomach. "Not even marriage?" He shook his head again. "Never been one for strings. And I know someone would get bored in the future. Rather be alone than unhappy." And there it was, the pain in Joans heart. She knew Spot wasn't thinking in the future, more in the today, which she understood. But never getting married or have children? "What about you?" He looked at her as if nothing happened. "Well, I want to move into a big house with me husband. Maybe two or three children. I don't think I could be happy without noise around me." She laughed at the thought. She grew up with many boys around her, which never got boring. Living alone was never in her head. The girl needed action in her life. "Definitly different from me." Spot looked at her and laughed. "Good we's not plannin' our future together, right?" There was a small silence between the two of them. "Yeah." Spot responded quietly. His eyes leaving hers to watch over the river again.

"i's should get going." He got up, holding his hand out for her to pull the girl up. After quickly putting on her shoes she pushed herself up and stepped in front of him. "Thank you for your help yesterday. We's couldn't have made it without you and the Brooklyn newsies." She brushed some hair out of her face, looking at the ground. "I's noticed that." Both of them chuckled before there was silence again. A soft hand was placed under Joans chin, making her look up into Spots eyes. He took a deep breath, looking at the sky, then back at the river. "Do you mean what yous said 'bout us not havin' a future together?" Joan placed her palm on his cheek, pressing his face to look at her. "I said we's not plannin' a future together." She gave him a soft smile before pressing a quick kiss on his cheek. Her body turning around to walk up the stairs. But before she was able to walk them up, her arm was pulled back, making her stumble into Stop who pressed his lips onto hers.