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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 11, 2008 16:41:39 GMT -5
"I'd walk there myself so you didn't have to...But your a better crutch than I could ask for right now."
He grinned back coyly. "I don't mind the walk none," he said. "I'm thinkin' it ain't so far from Brooklyn to Harlem, and then there to Manhattan, right?" He couldn't think of the combined distance that would eventually get him home again, but he secretly had the feeling it was rather far. He wouldn't mind, however, and he just wanted Fabel to stop apologizing. It seemed he couldn't get it across to her that he didn't mind all this, however inconvenienced he admitted to being.
She leaned on him as he made his way over to the doors of the warehouse and back outside. Her touch gave him a funny feeling in his gut, and he did his best to ignore it. Outside, the cobblestone streets were still wet from last night's rain, and a damp chill hung in the air. When morning became later Racetrack knew it would be warmer...it was July, after all...but after spending an unusually cold, rainy night in a warehouse, the warm air couldn't come soon enough.
He looked around the street to get his bearings. He didn't know Brooklyn all too well, but he knew where almost everything was in relation to the Sheepshead Bay Racetrack. "I think Harlem's this way," he said, leading Fabel down a street. "You hangin' in there, buddy?"
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Post by Fabel on Mar 12, 2008 6:10:32 GMT -5
((Woo - Going on 3 pages!))
Fabel merely listened to him as he mumbled about how to get to Harlem, which would lead him to Manhattan. It was quite a distance, and even in a healthy state, Fabel would find it tiring. She held onto him as they proceeded forward down the street, and Fabel was beginning to notice the tingly feeling that had been plaguing her whenever she was near Race Track. It confused her. It is said that women are aware of feelings far before men, but in Fabel’s case, she felt rather behind. Sure, she had kissed him – but it hadn’t been because of her feelings that she no-doubt had for him, but it was out of her compulsive nature.
A chilly morning breeze swept by them, and Fabel could feel it very intensely on her exposed legs. She shuddered, and immediately wished she had a jacket to wear over her tattered brown dress that she had been wearing since she was 13. Sub-consciously she moved closer to Race, searching for the body heat.
"You hangin' in there, buddy?"
She glanced up, a smile playing at her lips at his “concern”. “Thanks to you…I’m doing quite well.” She said, breaking into a wide smile. She knew she had inconvenienced him quite a bit and was burdening him, but she almost liked the fact that it had happened that way.
She chewed her lip for a moment as the recollection of what had just taken place inside the warehouse hit her. She wanted to say something, something that would take the awkwardness away from it so that they could go on being “Themselves” around each other without the worry of what the other was thinking.
She cleared her throat, “Umm…About what happened back there…” She started slowly, “If you want…You can forget it happened…” she finished, hoping he understood what she meant.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 12, 2008 18:03:56 GMT -5
“Thanks to you…I’m doing quite well.”
He returned her smile. "Good..." he said simply, and left it at that. It was a sort of strange feeling, having someone so dependant on you. Among Racetrack's friends, no one depended on anyone. They had each other's backs all the time, but there was no dependancy. They had lived the gritty lives of newsies too long to know anything but independancy. He knew, of course, that under different circumstances Fabel wouldn't be as dependant on him. But here and now, it was a pleasant sort of strange...to have someone need him.
“Umm…About what happened back there…If you want…You can forget it happened…”
Immediatly he understood what she meant, and felt his face grow hot with another blush. He had tried his best to act like it never happened. Otherwise he probably wouldn't have spoken a word to her since they left the warehouse. Of all the things that had happened thus far, the thing she spoke of had to be the most awkward...not to mention foreign. If he hadn't gone to the vaudeville houses to see shows with Medda and her company; or seen the seedy underbelly of the Sheepshead Bay Racing Track; he probably wouldn't even know what a kiss was. What worried him was the fact that a kiss...it was an act of feeling. And apparently, he didn't have the same feeling that Fabel did.
However, she seemed embarassed by it, and Racetrack decided not to judge too quickly. It was very possible she had been mistaken...a compulsatory act? Maybe where she came from it was a simple gesture of gratitude, nothing more. Not everyone was from New York. Or, a ridiculous scenario came to mind, she was really falling over a little, and in her attempt to gain her balance using him to hold herself upright, their lips had touched.
Finally he spoke, his thoughts muddled again. "Uhm...sure. I mean...if you want. Ah...yeah...well I guess so...I--I don't know..." He exhaled heavily in exasperation. It was amazing what a kiss could do to a fella, he thought. He'd seen Mush after walks in Central Park with various girlfriends, as well as Jack after any time spent with Sarah Jacobs. He had always rolled his eyes at the messed-up state the boys would be in after things like that. He didn't know how legitamite they turned out to be. Trying to maintain his composure, he said, "If it'll make you feel better..."
He was about to keep quiet, but on an impulse he blurted out, "What'dja mean by it?" It was sudden and, admittadly, rather rude-sounding, but it was a question, and it was in Racetrack's nature to ask questions.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 13, 2008 2:43:18 GMT -5
Fabel noticed the blush that crept up his face. Her face, she was sure, was just as flushed looking.
"Uhm...sure. I mean...if you want. Ah...yeah...well I guess so...I--I don't know..." "If it'll make you feel better..."
Fabel didn't know what to say to that. If she said yes, that they should forget about it, she would be lying not only to him, but also to herself. She couldn't just forget something like that. But then there was the problem of saying no, I can't forget that. It would seem too...Gushy, in her opinion. She would be openly admitting her feelings - which was very difficult for her. She decided not to say anything at all.
"What'dja mean by it?"
Fabel glanced over at him, surprised. That was the last thing she had expected him to ask. She figured they would just drop it and move on with things. She had to answer him, but she didn't quite know what to say. 'I did it because I think I love you'? That seemed rather inappropriate, and he would more than likely write her off as some girly girl flirt.
Her mind was beginning to go fuzzy. She wasn't even sure as to where they were anymore. What did she have to lose? A friend? There are more friends in the world. In one sudden burst of courage, Fabel stopped walking/hopping and turned so she was facing him.
"I think...I think I did it because..." She swallowed hard and then continued, "I don't want to lose you as a friend - so if you don't feel the same then thats ok..Just forget it happened...Lord knows, I've never done anything like it before - I hadn't even thought about doing that..It just happened..So I'm sorry if you didn't like it... But I think I did it because I really like you." she finished, all in one breath. Her words seemed to have tumbled out in a nonsensical blur of emotion.
She put both of her arms around her in an attempt to keep warm, and looked down at the ground, feeling quite embarrassed and ashamed of herself. She had never done or said anything like that to anyone.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 15, 2008 9:00:59 GMT -5
Fabel stopped walking. Racetrack staggered to a halt and turned to face her, one eyebrow raised inquisitivly. As she spoke, he nodded at intervals, trying to wrap his mind around what she was saying. It was working for the most part, until she said, "So I'm sorry if you didn't like it... But I think I did it because I really like you."
It took him several moments to understand what she was saying. Was she saying that? He had no way of knowing, and he could think of no way of asking. When it came to matters of romance, Racetrack was speechless for the first time possibly since he could talk. He felt his face grow hot again, and swallowed hard, blinking at her. He waited a moment, just to see if she would stammer out an explination, or take it back. She didn't.
It was difficult for him to explain. He hadn't liked it...but, he hadn't not liked it. A kiss was something completely alien to him, and all he knew about it was it was supposed to be this big thing with an embrace and a dip...or was that just in the shows and things? The feeling it gave him wasn't a bad one. But it made him uncomfortable, just because it was so foreign. And Racetrack didn't think that he should feel like that. For some odd reason he couldn't place words in, he just shouldn't.
Finally he spoke to Fabel, choosing his words carefully and trying (failing) to sound as casual as possible, gesticulating a bit with his hands. "Evelyn...if you mean like, like I think you mean like...well, I honestly don't know what to say to that. I mean...sure. Fine. But...I..." Dear Lord, this was difficult. He stopped, and backpedaled. "I don't know. Me, I mean. I don't know if...well. You know. And about the...kiss...well. I didn't like it, but I didn't not like it. If that makes any sense."
He paused again. This whole conversation wasn't at all like him. But he finished with a final comment before he was exhausted for words. "I'm...confused, is what I am. Really, if ya wanna know honestly. I'm confused..."
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Post by Fabel on Mar 15, 2008 10:47:43 GMT -5
"Evelyn...if you mean like, like I think you mean like...well, I honestly don't know what to say to that. I mean...sure. Fine. But...I..." "I don't know. Me, I mean. I don't know if...well. You know. And about the...kiss...well. I didn't like it, but I didn't not like it. If that makes any sense."
Fabel nodded, knowing that something like this might come out of her sudden display of feeling. So he didn't feel the same way about her - or at least he didn't want to admit it. Fabel was disappointed, but not scarred. Things like this happened to her quite often. No one had ever admitted to loving or even liking Fabel, except for the sisterly love she gets from Sarah; So it wasn't something that would leave her damaged.
"I'm...confused, is what I am. Really, if ya wanna know honestly. I'm confused..."
Fabel raised an eyebrow. "Confused? Or scared?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in a questioning manner. It was probably a rude thing for her to ask, especially after all that had just taken place between the two - but she was just asking about the honest truth. She shook her head, "It doesn't matter...I shouldn't have put you into this situation..." she muttered, and tried to hop forwards again, only resulting in her losing balance and having to grab onto Race again. She groaned inwardly at the thought of walking all the way to Harlem with Race at her side in an awkward silence. She was an independent girl, but now if she wanted to walk away, she wouldn't be able to. It was a frustrating feeling. Yet, somehow, it made her feel...Secure...
A few kids were playing some sort of game of chase in the street as the pair were walking by, and came running by. They ran right in between Fabel and Race Track, bumping Fabel hard enough so that she lost her balance for a brief moment, almost falling to the ground. She caught her balance (and Race Track's shoulder) just in time though. Something in Fabel's knee didn't feel right. It felt almost as if there was another piece of glass in it that they had not seen. It irritated her, but she ignored it. She didn't want to burden Race Track anymore by telling him that she was in even more pain. She just gritted her teeth and kept moving forward.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 18, 2008 14:56:53 GMT -5
"Confused? Or scared?"
Her question struck Racetrack harder than he had expected it to. Honestly, yes, he was confused. Scared? Well...maybe. Things that confused Race didn't exactly have him shaking in his shoes, but sometimes they made him uneasy. He so much more preferred the familiar. Usually the familiar never changed, and that was the way he liked it. But being scared...it was plausible, but it wasn't something he would readily admit. So he ignored the question and let Fabel speak again.
"It doesn't matter...I shouldn't have put you into this situation..."
Suddenly he was on the defensive. "For God's sake, willya stop tryin' to make yourself the bad guy?" he said, slightly just annoyed and slightly meaning it. "I don't mind it none. And if you wanna forget it, I'll forget it. No problem. Alright?" She tried to walk by herself, but stumbled. Racetrack was quick to hold on to her again. "Don't be a damn fool about it," he said. "I'm walkin' with you, whether you like it or not."
Some kids ran by and almost knocked Fabel over. Racetrack made sure she was on her feet before yelling over his shoulder, "Go jump in a lake, ya two-bit morons!" He turned back to the road, sneering. "Geez...ain't nobody watch where they'se goin'..."
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Post by Fabel on Mar 18, 2008 16:39:39 GMT -5
"For God's sake, willya stop tryin' to make yourself the bad guy?" "I don't mind it none. And if you wanna forget it, I'll forget it. No problem. Alright?" "Don't be a damn fool about it," "I'm walkin' with you, whether you like it or not."
Fabel was stung by his words and just kept her mouth shut, averting her eyes away from him. She would let him support her to Harlem, but she would ignore him the entire time. She was mad at him, and herself. Mad at him because he was acting so heartless, and mad at herself for pouring out the little bit of emotion she actually had in her out to him.
"Go jump in a lake, ya two-bit morons!" "Geez...ain't nobody watch where they'se goin'..."
Fabel turned on him, anger flaring in her voice. "There only children!" she yelled, collapsing onto the street corner. She was weary and needed to rest for a moment. "Just because your mad at me - don't take it out on them!" she snarled at him. She turned her head away from him so he couldn't see the tears of frustration and hurt brimming in her eyes.
Her head was pounding from the rage and the changing of the temperature. It was beginning to grow warmer, and Fabel's tattered brown dress was keeping her cooled off now. Fabel hurriedly wiped away the rapidly forming tears. The last thing she wanted right then was for him to see her crying and think of her as a child.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 19, 2008 9:52:59 GMT -5
"There only children!"Racetrack didn't exactly concur. Kids were kids, and he considered himself a kid. He didn't think that just because those boys were younger than he was they didn't deserve to be yelled at once in a while. Almost knocking someone over...it was about time someone told them what for. "Well children gotta watch where they goin' too..." he muttered. It didn't take much to get Race in a defensive mood. His normal state of mind was cynical, bitter and sarcastic. If you were lucky, he was pleasant and cracking jokes. It was rare for him to expose a sensitive or compassionate side to himself. "Just because your mad at me - don't take it out on them!"Fabel sat on the street corner, turning her face away from him. Race saw her wipe her eyes, and his brow furrowed. "Whassa matter?" he asked. "Who's mad at you? I ain't mad at you..." He knelt beside her, trying to imagine what he had said. "What, ya think I'm mad cause of what happened? Course not. Boy, what a piss-off I'd be if I got mad at that..." He wasn't entirely happy about it, but it didn't scare him off or make him mad. Girls assumed a lot, he thought to himself. Most of the time they were right, though. He thought he would clear things up nonetheless. He said to her, "Look. I ain't mad at you. Why d'ya think I'm mad? And them kids...look, kids do something like that, almost knockin' you on your can, that-- irks me. A'right?" He didn't know how else to explain it or what else he could possibly say. He didn't see how else his actions needed explaining...it was just him... ((Sorry if Racetrack is sounding like an SOB...I'm trying out his usual character.  ))
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Post by Fabel on Mar 19, 2008 14:50:08 GMT -5
"Whassa matter?" "Who's mad at you? I ain't mad at you..." "What, ya think I'm mad cause of what happened? Course not. Boy, what a piss-off I'd be if I got mad at that..." Fabel continued to gaze off in the opposite direction of Race. She could be very stubborn when she wanted to be - if you got on her bad side, or managed to burrow your way deeper into her life. "Look. I ain't mad at you. Why d'ya think I'm mad? And them kids...look, kids do something like that, almost knockin' you on your can, that--irks me. A'right?""Well," Fabel began, turning and staring directly into his eyes, "What irks me, is when perfectly nice people turn into ass holes at the slightest mention of certain topics to which they know nothing about." her voice came out clear and strong, defining just how pissed off she was. It wasn't often that you heard Fabel curse, but when she was mad, really mad, she could cuss you out like a sailor. She was suddenly struck with the urge to punch someone, or something. Race was the closest thing to her, but that would just be cruel to whack the unsuspecting boy. She banged her fists both down on the hard ground on either side of her instead, letting out a sharp breath. She felt the piece of glass that had been hidden in her knee move, and she cried out in pain. She wrapped her arms around her thigh and squeezed, biting her lip and closing her eyes. By squeezing her thigh, it made her mind wander from the pain she was experiencing in her knee. She needed a doctor. ((haha - its cool. I'm having fun with it. Fabel wants to smack him.  ))
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 19, 2008 16:20:52 GMT -5
"What irks me, is when perfectly nice people turn into ass holes at the slightest mention of certain topics to which they know nothing about."
Race was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected someone like Fabel to have even the least bit of a foul mouth. But maybe she really was as pissed as she sounded, which wasn't too much of a stretch. He could sort of understand why she was upset with him. He was about to ask her what she meant, but then thought that would just get her angrier. Racetrack thought hard for a moment. He never meant to be an ass. It was something he heard all the time..."You're such an ass, Race..." "What an ass thing to say, Race..." "You ass, I'll soak you for that, Race..."
He had never thought much of it. People who knew him expected it of him. But it occured to him that Fabel didn't know him all too well. She knew he could be a nice guy, friendly and cordgial, even gentlemanly...and that was all. She didn't know about his short temper or biting, rude comments. She didn't know that sometimes he used big words wrong so he'd sound smarter than he really was. He knew that, some of the time, he was an ass. And the sooner he told her, the better.
"Listen," he said with as much earnest as he could. "I think you're a bully girl. Really. And all this stuff...I don't mind it, not at all. I'm glad to help ya, no kiddin'." He paused, choosing the order of his words carefully. "But you don't know. Evelyn...I am an ass. People tell me I am all the time. I'm the worst smartass in Manhattan. I shoot my mouth off to everyone and get into heaps of trouble for it. I ain't the type t'keep any opinions t'myself for no reason, nothin'." Another pause. He pulled at the brim of his cap. "But I can also be a real nice guy, an' I hope you seen that. But truth is, I ain't nice to everyone. You're a good friend, Evelyn, an' I know ya might think less of me now, but that's the way it is."
He hoped that was enough, and that he didn't sound like too much of a piss-off. He gasped a little when Fabel slammed her fists down on the pavement. "Whoa! Kid!" he exclaimed, taking her hands. "Don't do that!" He had seen her cry out and grap her leg...her knee was bothering her again. "Whassa matter? Hurtin' again? Damn, that's not good...a'right, a'right...c'mon...lemme help you up..." He hoped she would at least let him get her to the hospital all right.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 19, 2008 16:41:19 GMT -5
"Listen," "I think you're a bully girl. Really. And all this stuff...I don't mind it, not at all. I'm glad to help ya, no kiddin'." "But you don't know. Evelyn...I am an ass. People tell me I am all the time. I'm the worst smartass in Manhattan. I shoot my mouth off to everyone and get into heaps of trouble for it. I ain't the type t'keep any opinions t'myself for no reason, nothin'."
Fabel made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, "Thats obvious." she stated rudely.
"But I can also be a real nice guy, an' I hope you seen that. But truth is, I ain't nice to everyone. You're a good friend, Evelyn, an' I know ya might think less of me now, but that's the way it is."
Fabel narrowed her eyes at him, "I think I may have caught a glimpse of that guy...And believe it or not, I actually liked that guy." Fabel said coyly. Referring to him as 'that guy' seemed to cool her down a bit. "Still do, in fact." she added, keeping her eyes in his at all times. She wouldn't look away now, looking away would show that she was weak. Or at least, that was the one thing she had learned from her parents.
"Whoa! Kid!" "Don't do that!" "Whassa matter? Hurtin' again? Damn, that's not good...a'right, a'right...c'mon...lemme help you up..."
Fabel's stomach flip flopped when he took her hands, and she quickly pulled them away from him. She didn't know what had gotten into her. She smoothed the end of her dress over her leg to cover up why she had jerked away, and then nodded, holding her hands back out timidly. What was wrong with her?!
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 29, 2008 19:23:21 GMT -5
"I think I may have caught a glimpse of that guy...And believe it or not, I actually liked that guy. Still do, in fact."
Race glanced to one side. This was going to be harder than he thought. He was completely in earnest, but he always had a hard time expressing himself. It was always easier to crack a joke and laugh about it and deal with the heavy stuff later. But of course, right now that wasn't an option. "That's still me, Evelyn. People ain't one way and that's it...they got a whole bunch of different--" He didn't know where he was going with this. He shook his head, waved his hand a bit. "You know what I mean, don'cha? People are all different sides. Don'cha?"
He could tell Fabel was getting miffed at him. He resolved to try and keep his mouth shut as much as he could, but there was no telling how far he could go with that. From experience...resolves to keep his opinions to himself had never lasted too long. "C'mon...we gotta get a move on..."
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Post by Fabel on Mar 30, 2008 9:57:01 GMT -5
"That's still me, Evelyn. People ain't one way and that's it...they got a whole bunch of different--"
Fabel was feeling sick to her stomach and didn't feel up to arguing. She rubbed her forehead, trying to take her mind off of her knee.
"Yeah..Got it.." she said waving him off as she turned her head away from him.
"You know what I mean, don'cha? People are all different sides. Don'cha?"
If the time called for it, Fabel could be ridiculously stubborn, and right now, in Fabel's mind, the time called for it. She kept her head turned away from him and didn't answer.
"C'mon...we gotta get a move on..."
Instead of letting him help her up, Fabel struggled her way to her feet, and grabbed onto the nearest building for support. She grasped the dirty wall with both hands, using her little bit of arm muscle to pull herself along a few steps. Somewhere deep inside her, she wanted him to help her, but in her current mind set, she wanted him to just leave her alone.
On sudden impulse and in a sheer burst of insensitivity, Fabel called over her shoulder, "Just go your own way. I don't need you."
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 30, 2008 10:19:25 GMT -5
"Just go your own way. I don't need you."
Racetrack was stunned. She could barely hobble a few steps without having to hang on to the wall. It would take her another night and a day to get to the hospital or wherever she was planning on going. And they were in the middle of Brooklyn. Between a bad knee and the fact that she was a girl, he knew she would draw a lot of attention, and not all of it would be from fat men who couldn't run fast. "You gotta be outta your mind!" he exclaimed. "You won't last five minutes. You ain't gettin' nowhere without help, kid. But if ya don't want mine...a'right. No skin off my nose."
If she didn't want his help it was all the better for him. He could get back to Manhattan probably within enough time to catch the boys up on all that had happened, mooch some change off somebody or another and grab something to eat before going to the distribution center and grabbing the afternoon edition so he would have some dough for the day. He put up his hands before turning and walking away from her.
Once he had advanced several feet he turned to look over his shoulder at how she was getting along. He was pissed off at her, but he wasn't coldhearted. He would see how she was getting along before he left her high and dry.
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