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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 19:57:17 GMT -5
Once Spot crossed the bridge, he stopped. He stayed at the edge of the bridge, waiting for whenever Jack brought Lacey back. He was mad. No, he was angry. What in the world was Lacey thinking, approaching Rip like that? At least... from what he knew. He didn't actually see what happened. That might explain why he was so angry. He didn't know. He didn't like not knowing.
Whenever she got here, he was never letting her leave his sight (or any of his birds' sight either). How could he be careless while talking with Jack! He should've known she was too curious about Queens.
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Post by Lacey on Aug 31, 2018 20:07:22 GMT -5
Lacey was reluctant to go back to Brooklyn. The entire time that she spent walking with Jack, she was just begging him to allow her to go in another way and give Spot some time, but Jack had continuously assured her that Spot was just worried and he would feel much better when she was there again.
As they got closer, however, she wasn't so sure that it was true. He looked furious, and frankly, she couldn't blame him. She just wanted to go home and sleep. The whole day had been scarring.
Finally, they approached Spot, and Lacey's grip on the wallet that Rip had given her tightened a bit as she stared forward at the fuming boy, too afraid to say anything.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 20:12:54 GMT -5
Spot looked up as he heard someone coming from across the bridge. His expression relaxed a bit. It was good to see that Lacey was okay, but that didn't necessarily mean that his anger had completely melted away.
"Thank, Jack," he said a bit curtly before turning to Lacey. "Let's get you back ta the lodge."
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Post by Lacey on Aug 31, 2018 20:15:07 GMT -5
"Thanks, Jack."
Jack gave Spot a quick nod before leaving, and Lacey swallowed thickly at the sudden feeling of emptiness. It was just them, and looking at Spot now, all that she could feel was guilt and anger at herself for failing at what she had been trying to do.
"Let's get you back ta the lodge."
"Spot..." She exhaled, face softening a bit as she reached out carefully to grab his hand. She hadn't meant to put that much stress on him. She had only been trying to help. "I'm sorry."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 20:21:02 GMT -5
"Spot... I'm sorry."
Spot bit his lip. He was still angry... but he knew he couldn't stay angry at her forever.
"Don't worry about it... You look tired."
He led her in the direction of the lodge. He missed seeing the wallet in her hand as they walked silently to the lodge.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't form the words without getting angry. It was best to not say anything and talk it over when he had cooled off.
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Post by Lacey on Aug 31, 2018 20:23:22 GMT -5
"Don't worry about it... You look tired."
Lacey was definitely concerned about Spot, but she knew better than to press him when he was so obviously still worked up about it all. So, she nodded slowly and followed him to the lodge, only stopping on the porch and turning back to face him again.
"I'm, uh, sorry... Again. I'll see ya tamorrow." She didn't move any closer to him. She didn't make any sort of contact with him. She was too afraid that she would set him off. So, reluctantly, she took a step back and turned to head into the lodge.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 20:26:49 GMT -5
"I'm, uh, sorry... Again. I'll see ya tamorrow."
Spot sighed. "We'll talk about that... tamorrow." He gave her a small tired smile. Just glad to know Rip hadn't done anything to her. "Just rest."
He watched her go, not satisfied until he saw her safely inside the lodge. Once she had closed the door behind her, he made his way back to the boys' lodge. His anger had subsided for the most part, but he was still sure to keep an eye on her from now on. He changed his intended direction from the lodge to the docks. He had some birds to talk to.
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Post by Lacey on Aug 31, 2018 20:28:53 GMT -5
"We'll talk about that... tamorrow."
It was nice to see Spot smile again, but she felt terrible. She just wanted to go to bed and never come out of the lodge again.
"Just rest."
Lacey let out a soft sigh, but she did as he said. As she returned to her bed in the lodging house, however, she put Rip's wallet under her pillow. Tomorrow, she would be able to give her brothers some extra money for some better food. They needed it.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 20:33:45 GMT -5
After telling some of his birds to keep an eye on Lacey (but they weren't to let her know), he headed back to the lodge to get some much needed rest. Today had certainly taken a turn he hadn't expected.
He just hoped he could cool his temper off and talk to Lacey in a civil manner about what had happened with Rip.
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Post by Lacey on Aug 31, 2018 20:38:26 GMT -5
It had been a rough night of sleep for Lacey, and she had been tossing a turning all night. However, when she woke up the next morning to Mrs. Harbour's voice, she had managed to drag herself out of bed for a day of selling.
She could already tell that it was going to be a rough day. Her head hurt, her body was exhausted, and she struggled a lot when it came to selling, so she only bought about half of the amount that she could normally sell. She would need a better night of sleep before she could get back up again.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Aug 31, 2018 20:41:31 GMT -5
Spot hadn't slept well. He probably had been thinking too much about things. He was a little crabby with the boys, but at least he had forgotten about his anger.
He made his way to the distribution center earlier than normal and had been able to get a head start on selling. He distracted himself with selling. It was better not to think about the previous day for now. Once he finished selling, he'd meet up with Lacey and talk... not that he was looking forward to it.
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 1:21:21 GMT -5
Sure enough, the day had been rough. Lacey couldn’t stop thinking about the way that Rip had treated her. He had taken care of her, and trusted her. Surely that was something that they could use to their advantage if she went back there again?
But she couldn’t think about that now. That was why Spot was angry with her in the first place. So, as she finally just gave up on selling her last two or three papes, she handed them off to one of her brothers and made her way back to the lodging house just to sit for a while and try clearing her head.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 10:19:03 GMT -5
Spot didn't really pay attention to where he was going. He was just trying to sell his last couple of papers. Today selling had not come easy. His mind was too distracted to sell properly. He might just give up.
He hadn't thought about it for much when he realized he was in front of the girls' lodge and facing a familiar redhead: Lacey.
He hadn't meant to walk over here at all. He didn't even think he was ready to confront Lacey about the previous day, but he couldn't exactly keep putting it off either. It looked like the talk was going to come sooner rather than later.
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 11:11:48 GMT -5
Almost as soon as Lacey realized that Spot was there, her heart began beating double time. She was terrified that something bad would happen, or that he would hate her for what she had done. She nearly ran back inside the lodging house to hide, but she managed to hold her ground and just gaze back at him.
She wasn't ready for whatever was about to happen. That was all that she knew.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 11:23:30 GMT -5
Spot breathed deeply before approaching Lacey. He didn't want to be angry... he was just upset and worried about what had happened.
"Lacey."
What else was there to say? He was still a little irritated with her, but he wasn't exactly angry or as angry as he had been. It was time to talk and he wasn't even sure where to begin.
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 11:28:22 GMT -5
”Lacey.”
Lacey swallowed thickly as her eyes finally met his, a bit reluctantly. “Spot.” She mumbled. It was a tense moment: something that she wasn’t used to having with Spot.
“I’m sorry.” She sighed, not really sure of what else to say. She had messed up and let everyone down. That wasn’t a question.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 11:34:12 GMT -5
"Spot."
She seemed to be as reluctant as he was about this whole situation. Not that he blamed her. Spot was pretty sure she was feeling a little guilty. Whether that guilt was from being or from being truly sorry, he didn't know. But he was probably about to find out.
"I'm sorry."
He pursed his lips, then just sighed. There was no walking around this. "What were ya thinkin'? Running off ta Queens like that?"
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 11:40:43 GMT -5
"What were ya thinkin'? Running off ta Queens like that?"
She bit her lip harshly. Of course, there wasn't really much else that either of them could say. She hadn't been thinking much beyond just wanting to help Spot and her borough, but that wasn't an excuse that she was sure that Spot would take.
"I just wanted to help." Lacey mumbled, her gaze dropping from Spot's eyes to the ground once again as she began to fidget with her fingers.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 11:52:25 GMT -5
"I just wanted to help."
Spot couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped his lips. "An' how is runnin' off ta Queens goin' ta help?" He sighed again. "Queens ain't safe. You should know that, even comin' from Manhattan."
He didn't know all the dangers of Queens, but he knew enough that a girl should never try going in there alone.
"It ain't safe ta go alone. An' I don't want you ever going there even wit' someone."
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 11:56:18 GMT -5
"An' how is runnin' off ta Queens goin' ta help?"
Lacey groaned, "I was tryin' ta make Rip trust me. And he does. I did that. He even gave me his wallet so I could feed my family. I was tryin' ta help you."
"Queens ain't safe. You should know that, even comin' from Manhattan."
She sighed, biting her lip and remaining silent at that one. She didn't know what to say.
"It ain't safe ta go alone. An' I don't want you ever going there even wit' someone."
"You're not my mother, Spot, I'm old enough to do what I choose." She snapped back at him, rising to her feet once again with her hands curling into fists. "Ya always do this. You're treatin' me like I'm a child."
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 12:10:30 GMT -5
""I was tryin' ta make Rip trust me."
Spot raised an eyebrow. That wasn't something he saw working. Rip didn't go around trusting anybody.
"And he does. I did that. He even gave me his wallet so I could feed my family. I was tryin' ta help you."
He didn't get that. It didn't sound like the Rip he knew at all. Maybe Lacey got the wrong guy or something... or Rip knew about Lacey and him...
"While I appreciate the thought," he began slowly. "You can't jus' 'get' a guy like Rip ta trust ya. He's messin' wit' ya."
Just like he had with Darcy.
"You're not my mother, Spot, I'm old enough to do what I choose."
Oh, so they were back to that? Spot was scowling now. Why couldn't she understand that Queens was dangerous? He wasn't trying to treat her like a kid or anything. He was just trying to keep her safe.
"Ya always do this. You're treatin' me like I'm a child."
He could feel his temper rising, but he manage to force it back. "Well, I'm sorry for tryin ta keep you safe," he snapped. "I jus' don't want Rip takin' away everyone I care about. I also don't want any more blood on my hands because a boid thought it'd be smart ta go ta Queens by themselves."
He said too much, but he wasn't really thinking straight. He was mad. He was upset. But most of all, he was hurt. He was just trying to keep Lacey safe and out of trouble. He had been working so hard to keep the past from repeating itself. But it seemed like it was going to happen all over again. Those birds... Darcy... and now even Lacey.
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 12:16:23 GMT -5
"While I appreciate the thought, you can't jus' 'get' a guy like Rip ta trust ya. He's messin' wit' ya."
Lacey scoffed, "Right. So I'm just being stupid and naive then. Silly me."
"Well, I'm sorry for tryin' ta keep you safe."
She rolled her eyes again, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. "I don't need you ta keep me safe. I'm just fine on my own."
"I jus' don't want Rip takin' away everyone I care about. I also don't want any more blood on my hands because a boid thought it'd be smart ta go ta Queens by themselves."
Tears pricked at Lacey's eyes as she stared back at Spot in silence for a few moments. She didn't know what to say. She had said too much, and now they had both said too much. She hated fighting, especially with Spot.
"Fine." She exhaled, a slight pang in her chest as she took another step back before sitting on the porch once more. She was done fighting. There was no point.
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Post by Spot Conlon on Sept 1, 2018 12:23:15 GMT -5
"Right. So I'm just being stupid and naive then. Silly me."
Spot growled. "I ain't sayin' your stupid... ya just don't know what Rip is like."
He had been hurt one too many times by the taller newsie. He knew all to well what he was capable of.
"I don't need you ta keep me safe. I'm just fine on my own."
He wasn't even going to argue with that. He was sick and tired of it always coming back to this. So she just wanted him to let her do whatever? She didn't want him to care about her? He never understood girls...
"Fine."
It was too late... much too late to realize he said too much. Lacey certainly did not need to know about that. He hadn't exactly said anything, but he had hinted too much about the past. And now... she would probably try to figure that out.
But it was too late for regrets. He had said it and he couldn't take it back. And now, this talk was over. He didn't feel like confronting her anymore, and she obviously felt the same way as she made her way onto the porch of the lodging house.
He kicked at a stray pebble in frustration before sticking his hands in his pockets and heading for the docks. He had a borough to look after.
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Post by Lacey on Sept 1, 2018 12:30:29 GMT -5
"I ain't sayin' your stupid... ya just don't know what Rip is like."
Lacey hated this. She hated every second that she would spend arguing with Spot. She constantly felt like she was on the verge of saying something that would make him hate her, and it wasn't something that she wanted to feel. She just wanted to take care of him. Getting rid of Rip was the only way that she could think of to do that, and even that didn't seem to work.
As Spot left, she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with a shaky inhale before turning to go back into the lodging house, only to hesitate for a moment longer.
Turning back briefly to where Spot was heading more than likely to the docks, she contemplated going after him. Would that have been a good idea? Or would that have just made things worse?
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