Falling Short (A Sprace Fanfiction)

My Buddy Is Hurting-- Spot

I woke up alone in the Lodging House. I didn't really think anything of it until after I started selling. I was on my last paper when it hit me.

I remembered him saying he'd deal with me later or tomorrow.

Which meant he would've come back there.

Right?

"Excuse me?"

I snap out of my thoughts to find a man standing right in front of me. He was wearing a well tailored suit and his muscular arms were crossed.

"Yes, sir?" I say.

"I asked for a paper. Four times. Don't make me ask a fifth."

I fumble for my bag. "Here." I say, handing the newspaper to him.

He hands me a coin and walks away, muttering to himself.

I had an idea. Maybe he did go back to the Lodging House and I just wasn't there when he came.

I'm running as fast as I can go back to the Lodging House. At this point, I don't care who I knock over. I don't care that I've tripped and fell more times than I could count.

I care about Race and his safety.

"Please be there." I say.

《~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~》

I waited all day yesterday for Race.

He still hasn't come back.

I've been running all the way to Manhattan nonstop. My tears have been dried by the wind and my feet/legs are killing me.

I don't stop until I collapse at the door.

I bang my fists against it. "LET ME IN! LET ME IN! LET ME IN!"

"Jesus, would you shut up out there?" I hear a heavily accented voice say. I recognize it instantly.

"KELLY!"

I hear someone whisper. "Jack. You know that's Spot out there, right?"

There was a pause and a newsie unlocked the door.

"Hiya Spot." The redhead tells me and moves so I can come in.

Jack starts yapping away like usual. "Yeah, Spot, how you been-"

"WHERE THE FUCK IS RACE?"

A newsie with a crutch puts his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down. Did you say you wanted Race?"

"Yes, where is he?"

"He's not with you?" A girl questions. I know her as Esther Kelly.

I shake my head panicking. I feel my heart beating faster. My breathing is short and choppy.

"Sit down, Spot." Jack says.

I pull out a chair from the table sitting next to me and plop down into it.

"When was the last time you saw him?" A kid with black hair and large clear blue eyes asks me. The kid has a shiner on his right eye.

"Our anniversary! He had left because we were fighting and...and-"

I can't seem to speak.

It's not like me to be scared.

But I am.

"And?" The redhead quips.

I feel my hands start to shake. "He thought I was cheating so he left. Said he was gonna deal with me later but he-"

"Woah woah woah! Back up to the cheating part!" says the walking mouth.

"Yeah!" A little newsie said. This one looked almost exactly like the walking mouth. I've seen him before, I think.

"Well. The walking mouth has a brother?"

They all nod. "That's Les." one says. He has glasses so I think this one is Specs.

"But back to the cheating part." Another one asks. I know this one. He's Jojo.

I take a breath in before answering. "I was waiting for him. At the bridge. One of my boys came up to me cause a girl was bleeding out on the street. I bring her back to the Lodging House and when she wakes up, she asks me to sit next to her. I do and she tells me this story which I think was a lie."

"What was the story?" Kelly for once, looks concerned.

I take a sharp breath in. "Well, she said that she was some guy and he took her home but wouldn't let her leave. He punched or something and she was just bleeding out."

Another little newsie, about the size of walking mouth Junior, came in from the background. "What happened next?"

"She did some things I didn't like."

All the other knew what I meant.

Even Jack be nimble over there.

And he's an idiot.

(A/N: Spot's opinion, not mine lmao. Then again, he needs to think before he acts sometimes.)

So I continued my story. "We had a fight and he said he'd deal with me tomorrow and walked out. But he hasn't come back yet and I'm just worried."

We were all silent for a moment.

A newsie I know as Elmer pipes up. "We need to find him."

The redhead snorts. "No shit, dumbass!"

Kelly's face brightened. "I could get Kath to put an article about it in all the newspapers, starting with The Sun."

"Yeah!" The newsies all start sharing ideas and we finally get a half decent plan.

The plan is formed when two boys with the same face start talking.

"Spot, if you're done selling, youse can stay here-"

"If you wasn't done, you should stay anyway since wese on the move in three days."

I just nod.

Two younger ones I also know as Tommy and Sniper come forward and show me an empty bunk.

A boy named Finch got another boy named Henry to stay on watch in case Race did come back.

A boy named Buttons and another boy, Romeo, ran through the door, panting.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys! Please explain why we found these in the street!"

He was holding two bags, one wet and full of papers.

And something brown.

I want to vomit when I recognize it.

It's Race's cap.

So...four chapters in one day. Wow. I was listening to My Grand Plan (The Lightning Thief) and Disappear (DEH) on repeat today so I was motivated. Idk why but these and a few others get me motivated.

What was the last song you put on repeat? Let me know in the comments!

Oof I sound like a youtuber lol