They all watched as Amy left the theater, unsure of what to do.
Finch was mortified by what his friend had done. Of course, it was always someone new with Romeo, but Finch couldn't ever imagine that he'd treat Amy, possibly the nicest, bubbliest girl he'd ever met, the same way as any other.
He just couldn't make sense of it. When Laura had shown up with Romeo, Finch had just assumed that something had happened between Amy and Romeo, but when Amy walked in as if she hadn't a care in the world, Finch knew that that wasn't the case, ultimately ruining the illusion that Amy had just been another one of Romeo's girls, after all.
The look of pure heartache and disbelief on her face would forever be burned into his mind.
"Someone has ta talk ta him," Finch said to Lane, somewhat distractedly, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. Romeo's betrayal. Amy's hurt. The new girl Romeo was courting- Amy's own sister, no less.
"Yer right," Lane agreed, just as soon storming over to Romeo and hauling him up to his feet. "C'mon. Wese leavin'."
"But Laney..." Romeo lamented.
Lane shot him a glare that quickly shut him up. Finch couldn't help but be glad that he wasn't on the other end of that one.
No words were spoken as the boy thrudged after the other two strikers.
As soon as they'd made it outside, Lane spun on her heel and threw him yet another glare. A moment passed in which no one said anything, before she sighed. "You guys already know Ise no good at speeches."
Finch straightened his spine, knowing he'd have to take over the job. "Romeo, what ya did back dere wasn't right. But Ise guessin' ya already knew dat."
Romeo shifted nervously on his feet, not saying anything.
"Answer him," Lane growled. Finch felt a spark of pride at her attitude.
"I jus didn't like her like dat," Romeo mumbled, twisting his shoe into the ground. Finch, of course, had trouble hearing what he'd said, and inwardly cursed both his damaged ear and Snyder for having thrown him into that filing cabinet in the first place.
"Clearly." Lane scoffed. "But ya ain't like dat usually. Tha Romeo I know is respectful, 'n innocent. Not some heartbreak-ah."
"Ya can't treat goils like ya treat tha newsies," Finch added. He winced as he felt a dull throbbing coming on in his head. Yet another thing the Refuge had gifted him with. "Especially someone like Amy. She ain't like Lane. She's too fragile ta be thrown around like ya did wit her."
Lane looked torn between feeling flattered or insulted.
"Sorry," Romeo muttered, kicking at the dirt on the ground again.
"It ain't me ya gotta apologize ta."
Romeo quickly snapped his gaze up to Finch's. "But she hates me! I can't..."
"She don't hate ya," Finch told the boy, rolling his eyes. "She's hoit. It wasn't fair fa ya ta have led her on like ya did. She needs ta hear ya say sorry. Fa what ya did. Fa what ya told her."
Romeo was quiet for a long moment, and Finch suspected it wasn't just because he didn't know what to say. "I..."
"Ya what?"
"I had ta say dat," Romeo declared, looking up. "Laura told me ta."
"Dere's somethin' seriously wrong wit dat goil," Lane muttered. "Why did she make ya say dat, Socks?"
Romeo shrugged, averting his eyes. He hadn't been able to keep either of their gazes for more than five seconds since the beginning of their conversation. "She said Yellow wasn't suited fa someone like me. Dat we'd nev-ah last. Dat she 'n I would be bett-ah ta-gether. She told me if I wanted ta keep Yellow safe, I had bett-ah made sure she was mad at me. She don't seem too mad, though."
"Suited fa someone..." Lane pondered that for a second, before marching somewhat ahead of the two. "Socks, c'mere."
Finch opened his mouth to protest, irritated by the air of secrecy both of them seemed to carry, but quickly determined that there was no use in saying anything. The mere thought of confronting her made his head pound even more, anyway. He'd known that Lane had been a bit distant since the Refuge, as had he, but the subtle, haunting way the two of them were always ignoring it put him on edge.
They never talked. They'd hold each other, maybe even throw in a kiss or two, and even then it felt as though knives were being driven into his flesh from the too thick tension in the air, but they never talked.
He hated it.
Lane seemed insistent, even as she stood in front of Romeo with an understanding expression on her face, to keep it that way.
Finch didn't know how long he'd be able to keep up with her act. But he knew he definitely wouldn't be the first of the two to bring it up.
They were slowly but surely losing not only each other, but themselves.
It was all Finch could do to not punch the brick of the wall next to them.
"Dis ain't gonna end well, is it?"
The two other boys glanced at Albert, as he sighed and crossed his arms, turning to them. "I mean, dere's so much unspoken tension in between dem, ya could cut it wit a knife. Ya'd think aft-ah tha Refuge, dey wouldn't want ta hide anythin' from each oth-ah no more, yet he-ah we is."
"Dey look fine," Race stated, turning back to watch as Lane conversed with Romeo. It took the boy a moment to look back at them, but when he did and saw that Crutchie and Albert were staring at him incredulously, he raised his arms defensively. "What? I mean, they's obviously not fine since tha Refuge, but-"
Crutchie exhaled, shaking his head as he looked away.
They had been walking together on their way back to the lodging house before they had seen Amy running past them from Medda's theather with tears streaming down her face and stopped in their tracks. She didn't bother telling them anything- heck, she hadn't even bothered to slow down long enough to say hi, but they had seen enough to know that something was most definitely wrong. So they went and changed their route to go to Medda's to see what had happened for themselves.
So far, nothing was much - or even any - clearer. They saw Finch, Lane and Romeo outside, hid behind a tree, and watched as the two strike birds lectured their misbehaving baby chick.
It had only served to make them even more confused.
Race had suggested that they just go up to them and figure out what had gone down for themselves, but Albert and Crutchie had immediately turned the idea down. Eavesdropping on them was funner, anyway.
Things had only gotten more complicated when Lane had pulled Romeo to the side, Finch looking left out, if not a little hurt.
So now, there they were.
"I still think we should jus go see."
Crutchie thumped his head against their hiding tree, just as Albert took his cap and smacked Race over the head with it. "We've already been ov-ah dis. No."
"We can already see all tha way from he-ah dat Lane 'n Finch is keepin' stuff from each oth-ah," Crutchie added. "It's like they's waitin' fa tha oth-ah ta bring it up."
"Well, I don't see dat happenin' anytime soon," Albert grumbled. "Real great way ta start off tha month, guys. Real great way."
Albert understood. He really did. The Refuge was hard. He could still hear the screams of other kids in pain echoing in his mind. He understood that no one could really ever really recover from that.
But what he didn't understand was why they were making themselves suffer so much. They'd endured the Refuge together, but it seemed like things had never been worse between them.
Albert couldn't help but feel a spark of irritation at their behaviour. Here they were, having been through the Refuge together, just ignoring each other, while he had to go on living life without his brother who never even made it out.
But he knew it wasn't like that. Knew it wasn't fair.
They were standing a few feet away from each other, technically speaking. But they could have been separated by an ocean for all that they weren't saying to each other.
"What d'ya think they's waitin' fa?" Race questioned.
Albert shrugged. "Don't ask me."
"Finch looks like he wants ta punch somethin'."
"He's passionate, 'n she's fiery," Crutchie said. "They's bound ta explode soon-ah or later."
"Speakin' a things blowin' up," Race began. "Folks've been talkin' 'bout those Refuge kids. Tha ones who've all banded ta-gether. Wond-ah when dat was planned."
Though they tried to be discreet, Albert knew Crutchie could feel both his and Race's gaze on him. Crutchie rolled his eyes. "I know nothin' 'bout it."
"Ise jus confused," Albert said, grunting. "How is it dat ya didn't hear a whisp 'a it durin' yer time in dere? Ya musta hoid somethin'."
"Maybe dey was poiposely tryna leave Crutchie outta tha plan," Race joked. His two friends glowered at him.
"If ya jus try ta rememb-ah-"
"I said I know nothin'!" Crutchie yelled, rather loudly, considering the group they were spying on were hardly even a tree away, before turning away and angrily limping off.
"Dat went well," Race muttered.
"Yer tellin' me."
Jojo had been playing a game of cards with Buttons when Crutchie came storming in, muttering obscenities underneath his breath.
Who was this and what had they done with Crutchie?
"Woah-ho!" Jack exclaimed, walking into the room. "Ya kiss yer muddah wit dat mouth?"
Crutchie huffed and made to go to the bedrooms, but Jojo had already gotten up and stopped him with a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Crutchie, what's wrong?"
Crutchie's anger deflated all at once at Jojo's question, like he couldn't stand to be so mad a second longer, leaving him looking a little defeated and watery around the eyes. "Race 'n Albert thinks I know somethin' 'bout tha Refuge kids all gettin' ta-gether aft-ah dey got out. I mean, I know it's easy ta assume I know everythin' 'bout dat place, 'n what goes on in dere, but I don't. I've got no stinkin' idea, Jojo, 'n dat makes me worried. What if Race was right? What if dey was hidin' things from me? Yer all each oth-ah has in tha Refuge, but now I feel like I was nev-ah really one 'a dem."
Jojo was at a loss for words. He didn't know what the best answer would be for the confession. It certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting his friend to say. "Did ya... wait, what brought dis on, exactly?"
Crutchie sighed. "I ain't sure. We was walkin' ta Medda's- Race, Albert, 'n me- 'n suddenly we saw Finch 'n Romeo 'n Lane all standin' outside, all lookin' like somethin' bad had happened. Oh, yeah, 'n Amy came runnin' past us, too, cryin 'n stuff."
Jojo's face fell with the news. It sounded like Romeo had done exactly what Jojo had predicted, and Jojo wasn't happy about it in the least. The last thing he'd wanted was for Amy to get hurt.
"We talked 'bout how it seemed Finch 'n Lane was pushin' somethin' back," Crutchie continued. This, Jojo had not known. "How they's always dancin' 'round each oth-ah since tha Refuge. Den Race brought up tha Refuge kids, course, 'n 'a course both 'a dem thought I must know somethin' 'bout it dat dey don't. At dis point, I wish I did."
"We believe ya," Henry said, even as he exchanged a skeptical look with Specs.
Jojo exhaled and followed Crutchie into the bedroom, wanting so badly to comfort the boy. It was unusual to see Crutchie looking so frustrated. "Look, Crutchie, no one really knows what ta believe dese days. Don't take it personally, alright? Plus, maybe it was somethin' dat happened 'fore ya got thrown inta tha Refuge. Ya nev-ah know."
"Yeah, whatever-ah," Crutchie murmured, lightly pushing Jojo aside as he got ready to turn in early.
Jojo walked out after that, determining that nothing else could be said, shaking his head at all the boys who were watching him curiously. Crutchie didn't need anyone else down his throat. He simply needed the rest of the night to himself. The newsies had enough decency to give him that much, at least.
All the newsies gradually dispersed after that, leaving Jojo to ponder everything he'd learned. Romeo had most likely found someone new. Lane and Finch weren't exactly on good terms, but... secretly? Crutchie was suspected of knowing something he obviously didn't.
And as he laid there, in his bed, on the very verge of falling asleep, Jojo couldn't help but think it all somehow circled back to Brock's death.
(Word count: 2176)
Guys Amy was literally only supposed to have one name, and it wasn't even a nickname-
Also, Crutchie definitely saw me up in that tree where they were all talking. I wonder if I scared him off. Probably. Most likely. Finch didn't this time, thank goodness. I think it has to do with his hearing, though, so... maybe not thank goodness?
And it's about time I introduce you guys to Lauren Cimorelli! There's six sisters, but only two of them, Lauren and Lisa, really release their own music.
That's all for tomorrow! Wait, no, no- today! Must be my growing dread for the new week of school talking.
Gotta love Monday's.
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~ nutcracker645