Out of Town: A Spot Conlon Story

XIV

Suddenly, I feel like I am being pulled into a tide throwing me all about in the ocean. When I open my eyes to see what is happening all I see is a blinding light. Taking a few moments for my eyes to adjust I see an oddly familiar pair of blue eyes meeting mine. Spot must have finished selling and has taken it upon himself to shake me awake. Once I open my eyes he doesn't stop either, I'm getting motion sickness at this point, but he is having the time of his life just shaking me. After too long I finally say, "I'm up, and you can stop now". The shaking stops for about .2 seconds before starting again, this time with a mischievous smirk on his face. It appears I am only encouraging him. How to make him stop, maybe he is ticklish? This sounds like a bad idea but I'm going to do it anyways. Wiggling my arms out from under the covers, I simply aim for under the chin to tickle, and to my pleasure he is ticklish! This is amazing, he immediately stops rocking me. He attempts to collapse his neck down, like a tortoise trying to retreat into its shell. An eruption of laughter pours out of his mouth, I have never heard anyone laugh like this. He has his occasional snort too, it is hands down the cutest laugh I have ever seen.

However, I do realize that he is undoubtedly stronger than me and quickly turns the table. He jumps onto the bed straddle my torso with his knees, and just starts tickling me. His uncontrollable laughter is now replaced with mine. Trying to reach up to tickle him again is greeted with one of his arms quickly grabbing it and pinning it above my head. After a while of this he finally ceases, "So, you'se performancin' today and Medda's".

"Yeah I should probably start heading over there for the final dress rehearsal" I say, getting sort of releasing myself from his grasp to get up.

"Well you'se can count on seeing me in da audience". I am quite shocked, five days ago he was super against going but now. What changed?

"I hope I do not disappoint" I say giving a curtsy, "Well, see you tonight". I leave through the fire escape and start my trip back to the theater. The long nap didn't cure my ankle pain but it certainly helped. I can at least walk back without limping. However I am walking rather slowly hoping that Aunt Medda is not mad at me for leaving in the middle of the night. Mom didn't really care where I was as long as I came back for supper. Something tells me that Aunt Medda cares and is going to be furious with me. But what was I going to do? I couldn't sleep under the theater, it was too noisy. She might understand though, all she has been talking about is how important it is to explore the city. No, she will probably be furious.

Finally making it back to the theater I am greeted by a rather nervous Medda and Claire.

"Where were you?" Aunt Medda immediately says, "did you forget about your curfew?" Yep she is mad.

I shake my head no, "I couldn't sleep with the rowdiness of the crowd last night". Hopefully she understands, I cross my fingers.

"And you couldn't have told anyone, where do you even go?" Medda insists on knowing. My senses tells me that informing her that I spent the night at a boys lodge is a bad idea.

"I slept on a roof somewhere" I say, Spot told me he does that on extremely hot nights in the summer.

"Where'd you get the clothes?" She simply says completely revealing my lie. Shit, how could I be so stupid to forget the clothes I am wearing. I simply look down, how do I explain this without revealing what I did.

But my thoughts were quickly interrupted, "(Y/N), come here" Claire says, driving me away from the situation. She takes me down to my room and sits me down on my bed. "Did you use protection?" Oh, no everyone thinks I slept with someone.

"It's not like that, we didn't do anything"

"I'se wasn't born yesterday" Claire is disappointed, and I am telling her the truth.

I sigh for second, "I went to Brooklyn last night to apologise to Spot for pushing him out of his comfort zone and then I just stayed over, we did nothing."

She just gives me a look of disbelief, "You're not talking to Spot, he's crazy, he is just going to use you".

I don't know what clicked inside of me but he is not just using me. Obviously, I cannot tell her about what he did for me when Grant attacked, or really anything we do, because it's not really her business. Besides we aren't even romantically involved. But I do feel like I need to prove her wrong, "then look at this, I pull out the key necklace from under my shirt".

"He is a trouble, girl, just trust me" Claire looks at me, "All Newsies are trouble." I don't need a psychologist to know that she had her heart broken.

"What happened?" Is all I needed to say before she broke down crying.

"So, theirs this Newsie named Ed Higgins, goes by Racetrack, real gambler, we had a fling over this Spring, then suddenly nothin''" she takes out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. " We haven't talked in three weeks, and we used to talk everyday, now nuttin'". She sniffles into one of my nearby pillows, "Jack won't even tell me what's goin' on wit him, it's just Race doesn't want me anymore!" Clair is crying into my pillow even harder. Race is the Newsie Spot always talks about having to take care of down at the races. "Race said he would be different too. Before him I had a fling with Mush last summer, we never said we were exclusive but then I saw him wit some other girls" she sniffles again, "it's heartbreakin' (Y/N), Mush keeps tryin to apologise to me over the this year, but I will see him in an alleyway wit a different goil e'ry night". She can't have a good track record with them. But Spot and I aren't dating, we are just friends, noting special. We just cuddle occasionally, nothing out of the ordinary. He does have the most beautiful blue eyes to get lost in, and is super protective, it's kind of sweet. But he doesn't like me like that, and I don't like him in that way we are just friends. Besides I should not be thinking about that right now. Right now I need to console Claire. I rub her back while she sobs into her pillow. Occasionally saying things like, "it's going to be alright" or "his loss". But my mind keeps drifting to Spot, he is cute, and is witty. On paper he is my type, but those kinds of boys always get me in trouble. And if Claire is right, I don't need heartbreak right now either. It's not like we even like each other in that way anyway. I'm going to keep telling myself that at least. I am now combing Claire's long dirty blond hair with my fingers, because it seems to soothe her.

Aunt Medda finally knocks on the door, "Just don't leave in the middle of the night again" she says, "that being said, Freddy is upstairs waiting for your final dress rehearsal" I motion towards Claire trying to get across that I am not going to be leaving her alone right now. Aunt Medda nods and then supposedly goes upstairs to inform Freddy I might be a while. All I know is that, I need to put my emotions in place with Spot. Which means I need to write in my journal at some point.