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Post by Lacey on Jan 17, 2019 16:52:14 GMT -5
Lacey was nervous. She had gotten to the boys' lodging house in the Bronx early to wait for Ace, but she could feel her heart practically pounding out of her chest. There was no telling what would come out of that night, but she was really hoping that having Ace there to back her up would mean that Rip would finally begin to listen to her when she said that he didn't need to hurt Spot for any sort of revenge. If that didn't work, then she didn't know what else she would do.
Hopefully, this would be the end of the tension once and for all.
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Post by Ace on Jan 18, 2019 19:21:33 GMT -5
Ace had been feeling antsy, waiting for dinner time to come. Things were going to be tense, that was for sure, but hopefully it would all work out in the end. He had stayed in Bronx shortly after telling Lacey when to meet him and was just now heading to the lodge to meet her. He hoped he wasn't late. Time had him rather distracted.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 18, 2019 19:41:45 GMT -5
When Lacey finally spotted Ace approaching the lodge, she had honestly begun to feel a bit sick to her stomach from the nerves. There was a lot riding on this, and sure she could try again, but it wasn't likely that she would be able to try again without heading to Queens and risking herself with Rip.
"Hey, you made it after all." She greeted.
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Post by Ace on Jan 19, 2019 14:01:23 GMT -5
"Hey, you made it after all."
Ace just smiled and shook his head. "Ain't you a little early?" he teased.
He knew things were feeling a bit tense. It was Rip they were talking about after all... The least he could do was lighten the mood and hopefully make them feel a little better about confronting Rip.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 19, 2019 14:06:25 GMT -5
”Ain’t you a little early?”
Lacey scoffed playfully. “Ain’t you a little late?”
However, all that mattered to her was that he was here. She wouldn’t be alone with Rip again after she had told him the truth about her. “I appreciate this, though. Really. I’m super nervous.”
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 20:15:57 GMT -5
"Ain't you a little late?"
Ace grinned. "Maybe just a little?"
"I appreciate this, though. Really."
He nodded with a more serious expression on his face.
"I'm super nervous."
"That makes two of us..." He had no idea how Rip would react to a third person joining their little dinner. Not to mention what the said third person wanted to talk about would probably make him angry too. He just hoped things would be okay. They had to. There was too much depending on this dinner going well.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 20:18:34 GMT -5
"Maybe just a little?"
Lacey grinned back. Hopefully, Rip wouldn't have been waiting for them for too long. They didn't need him angry right from the start like he might be the moment that she would walk in with Ace and join them.
"That makes two of us..."
She bit her lip softly. They had to do it. There was no choice anymore, and they couldn't afford to simply wait around. They didn't know when Rip was planning to do something.
"Should we be off?" She asked.
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 20:21:20 GMT -5
"Should we be off?"
Ace nodded. "Yeah... the sooner the better."
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and motioned for Lacey to follow. It was a short walk, so the nervousness didn't get too much time to build up. But the nervous was starting to bubble when he noticed Rip hadn't quite arrived yet.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 20:22:50 GMT -5
"Yeah... the sooner the better."
Lacey nodded slowly in agreement. Beginning to walk next to him to the restaurant that Ace had set things up at, Lacey could feel the nerves deep in the pit of her stomach. Her hands felt sweaty, clenching them into fists so that her nails began leaving small moon-shaped indents in her skin. She was nervous.
"Is he not here yet?" She murmured, voice growing quieter all of a sudden.
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 21:22:39 GMT -5
"Is he not here yet?"
Ace was frowning slightly as he nodded. "Must be runnin' late or somethin'. He should be--" He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
It was Rip. He was just at one of the nearby general stores. It seemed as if he was talking with someone? Ace didn't know Rip had a friend in Bronx. If only he had gotten a better look at the younger man, he could have figured out who it was.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 21:23:49 GMT -5
"Must be runnin' late or somethin'. He should be--"
Lacey frowned a bit when Ace seemed to pause, following his gaze slowly to begin turning back to see what he was looking at. "What's wrong?"
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 21:49:49 GMT -5
"What's wrong?"
Ace quickly shook his head. "Nothin', it looks like Rip's headin' our way."
He put on a smile and gave a wave at the approaching leader. He would have to figure that out later, right now there was something more important to be addressed.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 21:51:54 GMT -5
"Nothin', it looks like Rip's headin' our way."
Lacey swallowed thickly, nodding slowly, though she couldn't fully find the strength in herself to try making eye contact with Rip. Not just yet. There was still too much that could go wrong the moment that Rip would realize that the dinner wasn't just a friendly gathering between two friends after all.
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Post by Rip on Jan 20, 2019 21:59:08 GMT -5
Rip hoped he wasn't running late. Spending time with his brother always made him lose track of time. He would hate to leave Ace waiting. After all, the guy seemed pretty eager to have dinner and talk. He wasn't sure what it would be about, but it was always nice to talk with the guy.
He had just gotten to their meeting place when he realized something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed at his friend then at the person beside him. What was she doing here? But then again, weren't all Brooklynners the same? Nosey?
"Ace," he greeted his friend in a low voice, warning his friend that he wasn't too thrilled about this meeting anymore. At least, as long as this girl was here. Maybe she was just happened to be here talking to Ace. He knew Ace had alot of friends.
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 22:04:43 GMT -5
"Ace."
He sucked in a quick breath. He knew that tone... "Hey, ready ta um eat?"
Ace knew that Rip wasn't too thrilled, but maybe he could ease the tension with a discussion on a more pleasant topic. Food was always a safe topic, right?
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 22:06:05 GMT -5
"Ace."
Even just the tone of Rip's voice sent a chill down her spine, Lacey eyes finally raising to meet Rip's. Sure enough, his distaste for the situation was written all over his face. She wasn't breaking any rules, however. She hadn't gone to Queens to find him, though she had tried. There was a chance that Rip could just end up walking away now.
"Hey, ready ta um eat?"
Suddenly, Lacey was reluctant to head inside. Sure, she knew that it was something that she had to do for Spot's sake, but she felt practically crushed under the weight and intensity of Rip's gaze. How was she supposed to beg him again to spare Spot's life?
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Post by Rip on Jan 20, 2019 22:12:58 GMT -5
"Hey, ready ta um eat?"
Rip raised an eyebrow. He could sense a bit of hesitation in Ace's voice. However, he was ready to get something to eat. It had been awhile since lunch.
"Sounds good ta me." He side-eyed Lacey. "She joinin' us?"
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 22:14:23 GMT -5
"Sounds good ta me."
Lacey swallowed her nerves. She had to get herself together. For Spot's sake.
"She joinin' us?"
She nodded. "Yeah." Her voice was quiet and mildly nervous, but she really was doing her best to stand her ground. The worst was yet to come.
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Post by Ace on Jan 20, 2019 22:15:26 GMT -5
"Sounds good ta me."
Ace felt relieved at that answer, but his relief soon vanished.
"She joinin' us?"
He swallowed thickly. "Um yeah... I um, hope you don't mind?"
That was actually a really stupid question. It was obvious that he minded, but Ace also knew Rip wouldn't cause a scene in Bronx. The only that could happen was Rip would leave...
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Post by Rip on Jan 20, 2019 22:20:10 GMT -5
"Yeah.
"Um yeah... I um, hope you don't mind?"
Rip snorted, knowing Ace knew the answer to the question. He gave his friend a dark look, fully understanding exactly what Ace wanted to talk about. It was obvious now that Lacey was clearly joining their little dinner.
"We'll eat together. But that's it," he warned. "One word, an' I'm leavin'."
He was not in the mood to be talking about his plans for Spot. Ace was always talking to him about it, and he knew the guy was trying to convince him to call it off. He had been half-tempted to do so. Ace had no ties to Brooklyn. He had no reason to want to help Spot. It was more for Rip's sake. At least, that's how it felt like until now. He wasn't so sure anymore with Lacey standing next to Ace.
Right now, he just wanted to eat in peace. And to think, he had had such a nice time earlier.
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Post by Lacey on Jan 20, 2019 22:23:08 GMT -5
"Um yeah... I um, hope you don't mind?"
Of course, Lacey wasn't entirely sure how Rip would react to a question like that, considering it was giving him an opportunity to essentially force her away, but she wasn't going to back down that easily. Hopefully she had showed him that much by then.
"We'll eat together. But that's it,"
Her heart sank a bit, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
"One word, an' I'm leavin'."
There was a pang in Lacey's chest. Sure, she hadn't known what she had been expecting, but it was horrible now knowing that Rip wasn't even willing to hear her out anymore. She was trying to protect them both. If they fought, only one of them would end up walking away alive.
"Promise." Lacey mumbled in agreement.
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Post by Ace on Jan 21, 2019 19:00:50 GMT -5
"We'll eat together. But that's it."
Ace winced slightly at Rip's tone, but at least he wasn't outright against it?
"One word, an' I'm leavin'."
He made a slight nod, though he knew that probably really lowered their chances of talking with Rip about Spot and Brooklyn. He followed Rip into the small cafe and motioned for Lacey to follow. It was going to be a long dinner...
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Post by Lacey on Jan 21, 2019 19:03:05 GMT -5
Lacey followed Ace and Rip into the cafe in silence, heart still pounding so quickly that she could practically hear the blood rushing through her. She was worried, she was nervous, and now, she was too scared to say much of anything for fear of completely pushing Rip away and making things worse.
Glancing over the menu in silence, Lacey found that she was almost too distracted to bother reading much of it. She cast Ace a slightly worried glance, but she wasn't even sure what they were going to do now.
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Post by Rip on Jan 21, 2019 19:03:43 GMT -5
"Promise."
Rip snorted softly, but seemed to accept her answer. As they entered the cafe, he chose a table towards the back and out of sight. He preferred privacy when he could afford it. He offered no conversation as the three sat down and looked over their menus.
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Post by Ace on Jan 21, 2019 19:08:14 GMT -5
Ace gave Lacey a small shrug and a light nudge to assure her that they would make things work somehow. Perhaps Rip would be in a better mood after eating? They could only hope.
Things were awkward as the three put in their orders and waited in silence.
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