Buy My Last Pape'?

Chapter 9 - [She] Be[lie]ve[d]

Clara's POV

The next morning I woke up early and lay in bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling. The end of summer was finally showing, despite a light breeze the air was hot and thick.

I looked over to my brother, who were still sleeping peacefully.I shivered thinking about their sneers last night. How Crutchie was going to react to me being a Delancey. Clara Delancey; the sister of the boys who beat you and left you for dead at the refuge.

Why can't I just be Clara; the girl you kissed on the top of a ferris wheel? Clara; the girl who whenever is around you gets butterflies in her stomach? Clara; who you made the happiest girl in the world? Just Clara. Or even better, Clara Morris; the girl you said I do to at the top of the aisle.

But as Juliet Capulet-Montegue once said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would it smell as sweet?". Maybe Crutchie won't care. Maybe he can look past my name. Maybe I could be his Juliet as he is Romeo. Oh wherefore art I Clara!?

As I got up and got up and got ready for the day I ran every scenario through my mind. Every rejection and every kiss. Why can't I just go back to last night!?

"You ready to go 'lara'?", Oscar asked me, with almost a little sympathy seen behind his eyes.

I sighed and looked at him. "As ready as I'll ever be".

---------------------------Time skip brought to you by how hard it is to write this-----------------------

As we walked into the loading zone at 'The World' I could see the newsies waiting outside the gate, all yelling things at my brothers. The breeze from earlier has become ever so slightly stronger, rusting the stacks of papers, and pushing the few clouds in the sky along.

"The Delancey's got themselves a girl!?", a young boy yelled from one side of the gate.

"Nah, she's too young for them, right age for me though", another yelled back.

"Shut it Romeo", multiple hit him round the head or arm with their hats.

"Nah, this is our sista'; Clara Delancey", Oscar shouted back, unlocking the gate and letting the newsies through.

As they ran through the gate Jack stopped and smiled sadly, shaking his head at me, "Crutchie's running late, but he'll be 'ere soon, might wanna find ya self a mask", he said in a disappointed tone before walking away and joining the rest of the newsies by Wiesel.

Minutes passed of newsies getting papes from Mr Wiesel with some snarky comment and walking past and leaving with their selling partners. For a while I was hopeful Crutchie wouldn't see me.

Crutchie was last in the line of newsies. He places 50c in front of Weisel and grinned. "100 papes please Mr Wiese- Clara?", Crutchie looked at me, his face dropping into a shocked frown. "W-whats you doin' 'ere?".

Before I could open my mouth to speak Morris chimed in, "This is our sista'; Clara Delancey, though I believe youse is acquainted". He and Oscar shared a smirk. I stood tall, letting the wind blow pieces of hair across my face.

Crutchie looked at me with a pained expression, "this true?".

"Crutchie I-".

"IS THIS TRUE?", he cut me off, shouting at me this time.

"Yes", I replied quietly, regretting ever getting out of bed.

Crutchie laughed a pained laugh, "I genuinely thought we 'ad something Clara, boy was I the fool".

"We did!", I yelled back, "we do".

"No, we don't", Crutchie shook his head at me, "youse is just another one of them, you goin' to throw me back in the refuge whenever you get the chance".

"Crutchie please just listen!", I said through tears.

"No Clara you listen!", his voice broke as his familiar blue eyes filled with tears, "I trusted you! Youse was the only girl I had ever wanted to be with, but you lied to me".

"Crutchie please, I love you", I begged, breaking down into heavy sobs.

"Yeah, so did I", he sighed, "goodbye Clara", he finished, grabbing his papers from Oscar and hobbling out of the grounds.

It was that moment I knew I had just watched the only man I could ever love, walk away.