Sleep. Something Spot hadn't had in over a week, and Boy was he feeling it. He kept having a reoccurring nightmare, although to the boys he'd always say he was just 'stressed about the Strike ' which also wasn't helping. The boys were running out of money, FAST. They couldn't afford to eat much which had made some of them so ill they had to be bedridden. All because Spot agreed to the strike.
There was a rally tonight being held at Irving Hall and he was going to be discussing everything on stage with Jack in front of every Newsie in New York City.
This, sadly for Spot, included Queens. If two boroughs hated eachother it was Brooklyn and Queens. Queens had more physical land but Brooklyn had 200 more Newsies and was one of the busiest areas of New York. If you were a Newsie in Brooklyn you made double the amount of money anyone in Queens made, treble whatever the Bronx or Manhattan made. This made Brooklyn respected, feared but also envied by others and Spike HATED people being better than him. They had frequent turf wars, to which Queens would always lose and Brooklyn would gain another 5 streets of land, picking up about 10 Newsies as they did so, usually about 8 from the area and then 2 Queens Newsies who sold on those streets.
Spot was sure Spike was going to make a scene tonight, or say something to embarrass Brooklyn in front of them all. That was part of his nightmare. Linked to his past.
When his family home got burned down and he escaped with his older and younger brother his life took a major shift. Then 4 years later when his older brother, the leader of Brooklyn, was killed by Queens and Spot was appointed into his position his life took another change.
He hated change. It left him feeling out of control. Which is exactly what his nightmares have always been. The most recent ones were him being held back by armed police as he watched Brooklyn's best beaten up by police and Newsies, QUEENS Newsies who had sided with the Cops. Either that or people he cared about, even a little were killed in front of him and he couldn't do anything.
He wouldn't admit it, but he was terrified by them. After he had one he wouldn't fall asleep for a good hour and when he did, the nightmares came again, meaning he only had 10 minutes sleep in between waking moments.
Spot desperately wanted his boyfriend Race to stay with him, but no one knew about them being together and Race, being a Manhattan Newsie, stayed at a different lodging house in a different borough. Also Spot didn't want Race to worry about him.
Spot was sat at the docks, drifting off while sat on his 'throne' with Ace, his second in command, poking him everytime he nearly fell asleep.
"Spot, you sure youse alrigh'?" Ace voiced his concern
"Goddamn it I'se FINE Ace jus' stop askin'" Spot put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples "ugh, no sleeps makin' me temper woirse Yes Ace, I'm okay, thanks for asking" his rude tone was replaced with a more sleepy, kind voice, telling Ace Spot was sorry without him having to utter the word.
Spot never said sorry. It was just part of his character. Please and Thank You was rare, but Sorry was never heard. Neither was I love you. Even to Race Spot never said I love you, he acted caring, all kissy and cuddly, but even though he knew he loved Race, he just couldn't say it. Race understood, which made Spot happy. Race got him, Race didn't question why he never got an "I love you" in return from Spot. Spot would instead kiss Race's cheek or head to let Race know how he felt.
"Well, it's nearly time we'se should be headin ovah foir da rally!"
Spot looked at the sun and guessed it was about 4 o'clock. They had to get all of Brooklyn together. Standing up Spot shouted at his boys
"BOYS! We'se got a borough to bring togethah! Bear, youse go get Blade and Gins boys, they're territory is close enough to eachother, Ace can you get Books an' Get Gem on yer way back?Dodge youse is takin sea's lot, Ise got me brudda Zapper, Geo youse on tie. Go, GO GO!!"
They were Spots most trusted boys.
