Hidden Love: A Newsies Fanfiction

Chapter 17

"Ugh, Race! I don't need to sell with you!" I groan.

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have a choice in the matter. After your little disappearance last night, Jack wants to make sure you actually come home tonight. That's where I come in."

I groan. "Did Jack really ask you? He knows I can sell by myself."

"Hey," Race says, walking backwards. "If you want to have 'fun' with one your brothers worst enemies, you need to pay the price."

"As far as he knows I stayed the night in Brooklyn. Why does he still think you need to watch me?"

"Maybe because he doesn't want you wandering off into the night again."

I roll my eyes. "Darn, I really thought the Brooklyn story would work in my favor to."

We get to the front of the tracks and I groan. "I never thought I would be back here again."

"Well, because of your choices-"

"I know! I know!" I interrupt. "Can we just get on with selling?"

"Sure, but you're staying close to-" Race gets interrupted by a cry.

"Get off of me!" A tiny voice yells.

My eyes widen, recognizing that voice. "Laces. That's Laces!" I yell, running towards the sound.

"Liv wait!" Race exclaims, running after me.

Ignoring my friend's calls, I frantically search for the source of the yelling. "Laces! Laces where are you?!" I follow the sounds of screams to an ally way, where I'm greeted by a sight that stops me dead in my tracks.

"Shut up you little shrimp," Oscar sneers, punching Laces in the stomach.

"You should know better than to mess with us," Morris adds.

I mixture of anger and hurts fills my body. "Let go of him!" I scream.

The three boys look at me, and I can see the fear in Oscar's eyes as clear as the fear in Lace's.

"Don't you rats dare touch him again!"

"Yeah?" Morris smirks. "And what are you going to do of we do?"

That was the final straw. I run up to the younger brother, punching him across the face. I then knee him in the stomach and, once he is bent over, I toss him hard against the brick wall. "Scram!"

Morris coughs before slowly standing up. "Fine. We got what we wanted anyways. Let's go Oscar."

I can see the urge that Oscar has to talk to me, but he simply walks out with his brother. Good riddance, I didn't want to hear a word from him anyways.

"What happened?" Race asks, running up and crouching down next to Laces.

"Delancey's," I mumble, holding back tears. "Can you take Laces back to the lodging house and make sure he isn't badly injured?"

Race nods. "Sure." He slowly and carefully picks up the smaller boy before walking out of the ally.

Tears sting my eyes, threatening to fall. My feeling of hurt was now replaced with betrayal. "I was wrong. Oscar isn't different. He is just as evil as his brother."

"Liv?"

I clutch my fists at my sides, not wanting to face the man I knew was behind me. "Don't talk to me."

"Liv, I know you mad, but hear me out," he says, taking my hand.

I pull my hand away and turn to face him. "Give me one good reason I should listen to a word that comes out of your mouth."

"Because you love me?"

I laugh. "I sure thought I did. I'm not going to lie to you Oscar, you really lead me on. I actually thought that you, of all people, actually cared about me."

"I do care about you. I love you, Liv. I love you more than any other girl," he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I shake my head and push his hands off me. "You are nothing but a womanizer. I'm so stupid to think that I could trust you! You told me that you loved me last night simply to get what you wanted all along!" I glare at him. "This really was all just a game. You've been playing with my heart this whole time. Well, you know what, I regret everything I've ever done with you! You don't love me at all!"

"Liv no, that's not true! This is all just a big misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding or not, I don't ever want to talk to you again," I say pushing past him.

"Liv wait-"

"Stop it Delancey!" I yell as I turn to face him. "You don't get a second chance! You lied to me! You said you loved me!"

"But I do!"

"If you did you wouldn't have soaked an innocent little kid who can barely carry his papes every day!"

Oscar stands up taller and sighs. "He was caught stealing food. I was just doing my job."

"Well, I'm sure with your new job you'll find another girl soon enough, because I don't want to talk to you ever again." And with that, I run back to the lodging house, tears stinging my eyes.

I burst through the door to find Jack, Race, and Laces all sitting together. I wipe my tears. "Hey Jack. What are you  doing here? Shouldn't you be selling?"

"I've got some news," Jack mumbles, not looking at me.

"Um...ok. What is it?"

"Um...Race can you take Laces to get cleaned up?" Race nods and takes the smaller boy out of the room.

"Jack," I say, sitting next to him. "What's wrong?"

Jack turns to me, his eyes full of fear. "They let dad out of jail."