Our Side of the Strike

The Meeting

Still Bullets' POV

Off I went, barely able to keep the smile off my face, and I was following suit to all those corny clichès. I never felt that way for anyone else than Spot. By the time I finally got to the lodging house, the wild grin was uncontrollable.

You have to try to control it though. No one can know.

So I thought about the reason why I was here, and I was right back in reality, that kids were gonna risk there safety because of some old stingy geezers.

Whatever we do, realistically, we all lose.

I knock on the door to be greeted by Stripes.
"Hey Stripes, gonna let me in or what?" I ask lightly.

"Ya don't need an invitation at dis point. Ya come here almost as much as we do." He says jokingly.

"This time it's real serious." I say.

"What about?" A new voice asks. Looking over Stripes's shoulder, I see the one and only Spot Conlons leaning on his pimp cane, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as though he was curious.

And I thought the only thing he had any attention spans whatsoever was his own Brooklyn. The smile rapidly returned to my face as I rush in and wrap my arms around his neck. By this time Stripes had rolled his eyes and left, leaving just me and Spot.

Just the way we like it

"That strike the Manhattan newsies we're making all that fuss over." I tell him. He just shakes his head and replies,

"It'll be ova da moment tha bulls show up."

"I don't know, the newsies that came to Midtown seemed pretty serious."

"Manhattan newsies is neva serious. They's is a bunch of cowards whos don't do nothin but talk." Spot insists. "Who came ta youse?" I tuck a piece of my curly hair behind my ear.

"Spades and Racer."

"Well that's just tha... tha... say what was that phrase you used the odda day?"

"pièce de résistance?" I ask.

"Does it apply to tha situation?" He asks, to which I nod.

"Then sure."

"We can't just let the higher party get there way! What other option is there?" I ask with a spurt of energy.

Spot's POV

The only girl who ever could delay my response, though she does have a point, so do I.

"I said we'd join in once they proved that weren't gonna run wit there tail in between there legs." I tell her, trying ta put her at ease. Her dark brown eyes caught the moonlight in them as they gained an almost playful realization,

"You're scared." She teased, "You know your not as invincible as everyone says you are."

"I ain't scared. Ise is just bein realistic here. Why waist our time, skin, and money ova a hopeless cause?"

"Leave being realistic to me," she says, ruffing my collar, "you're much better at being reckless and stupid." We look into each other's eyes, and just stay like that, until I grab her head and kiss her.

"How's that?" I breathe out the words.

"Much better." She smiles. Her smile could send me to the moon and back.

"Docks?"

"Sure."

----TIME SKIP, THEY'RE NOW AT THE DOCKS AND IT'S STILL SPOT'S POV----

"I hate how we have hide like this." I spit out the words as we look out into the bay.

"We've been over this. You want a burrow war?" She asks exasperatedly.

"Can't be tougher than tha strike." I point out.

"At least the strike is over a reasonable cause."

"We ain't enough to fight for?"

"Well if your asking me if I'd want to put all of our newsies at risk, because you're cheating on your forced girlfriend, no that is something I'd rather not have happen." She finishes. All I can do is sigh and out my arm around her and hope she leans into it (which she does).

"I'd fight all tha bulls from here ta Jersey if it meant we didn't have to hide anymore." I whisper to her.

"I would too Spot, but I wouldn't make the others." She whispers back. After a long and comfortable silence, I mutter more to myself than her,

"They's is only Staten Island. I could take on all of 'em in one go." She just chuckles to herself and asks,

"What are you gonna do? Put them in a domino line and take a swing with you're pimp cane?"

"I just might." I say mockingly serious. To which she just laughs and leans further into me and closes her eyes. I can only think one thing as a grin starts stretching from one ear ta the odda.

This goil's mine.

------------------------

This chapter kind of sucks, I know. I'll admit that it doesn't have the same sarcastic bouncy energy as the others do, just because these characters and there situation is a bit more solemn, however I think there dynamic is really cute and there situation is rather interesting. This might only be me, but I hope you enjoy and keep reading none the less!