"Kamden, deep breaths!" I tell the girl who is practically hyperventilating. I put my hands on her shoulders and stop by a building to talk to her. I guess it makes sense, since it is her wedding day.
"What if he leaves me at the alter?" she asks. I can't even help the snort that escapes me. Crutchy and leave don't go well together.
"Kamden, Crutchy loves ya wit all his heart. There ain't a bone in that boy's body that would tell 'im to leave ya," I tell her. She smiles at me.
"Thanks," she says, taking a deep breath. I smile at her as another woman runs up to us from behind. Kamden's adopted mother, who must've followed us from the lodging house.
Kamden's real mother died of pneumonia, along with her father. This woman and her lovely husband weren't able to have children, so they adopted Kamden. Kamden had to work on the streets for money, but was honestly getting nowhere. Their small family was starving and struggling to pay rent. So, Kamden stole some food for them, which is how she got sent to the refuge. Of course, she dressed like a boy on the streets, so Snyder didn't know he had taken a girl. Anyway, Kamden was furious with her 'parents' because they didn't make any effort at all to get her out of the refuge, so she stayed in the Newsie Lodging House and took up being a Newsie.
"Kamden, you look stunning," the woman says, running up to Kamden with her arms open for a hug. Kamden's face grows hard and her jaw stiffens.
"What the hell are ya doin' here?" Kamden asks, glaring daggers at the woman. Ah, if looks could kill....
"We're here to celebrate the marriage of our beautiful daughter," Kamden's adopted mother tells her. For some reason, she doesn't sound all that genuine to me.
"I ain't nobody's daughter," I hear Kamden mumble under her breath. Okay, Kamden hates her and that makes me hate her. I clench my jaw tightly.
Then, the lady adds. "Oh, and what a horrible accent you've picked up!"
The lady looks at me.
"Probably from you I presume," she addresses me. I clench my fists.
"Watch it, ya grafta," I mumble under my breath. The woman looks at me appalled. I guess she heard me. Good. I don't care. I hope she hears my insults.
"Good heavens! What did you say to me?" the woman asks. I narrow my eyes at her.
"Want me ya repeat it, short stack?" I ask her. The woman is small, but she's around my height. She still seems to be offended.
"What would cause you to treat someone with this disrespect?" Kamden's adopted mother says. I shrug and answer her.
"What would cause ya ta abandon ya daughter?" I counter. The woman gets a sly smile on her face.
"That's what this is about," she muses. Then, she turns go Kamden, knowing I'm pissed off and would easily overpower, a combination that's deadly. "Kamden, sweetie, I said I was sorry."
Ugh. That sickeningly sweet voice. It doesn't sound real. I grab the woman's shoulders, whirl her around, and pop her right in the nose. She passes out with blood trickling from her nose. Weak. I could've hit her way harder than that.
"Sorry don't cut it," I mumble, wiping a bloody hand on my pants. I look at Kamden who is in her Newsie clothes, but appears to have been dipped in a bucket of makeup. She looks beautiful. She stares at me.
"Why--?"
"She was pissin' me off 'n I didn't like 'er. There was somethin' off and I didn't like that either," I tell Kamden, who smirks at me. I smirk back.
YOU ARE READING
Brooklyn *Spot Conlon Love Story*
Romance"In my defense, I've never really known a guy as more than a friend. Never really looked at a guy that way and don't see why I should." ~ Jaylinn Kelly. Yes, she says that now, but what happens when she meets the fearless, King of Brooklyn and her...
