Undisclosed Desires by Bridget Kathleen (websites to read books for free txt) 📖

to burn." Sophia rubbed her eyes. They were red and watering. Soon she began to cough.
"Hurry!" yelled Skipper.

Spot lifted Sophia by the waist and helped her out on to the roof. Spot then looked to Skipper. "Your next Skippeh!"

Skipper raised a brow at him. "The hell I am! You'se gotta go next!"

Again, Spot scoffed and took a strong hold of Skippers shirt. "When I'se say you go next, you'se betteh go next damn it!" with that Spot roughly shoved Skipper out the window.

Spot quickly got out next. The three could see smoke cover the sky. Whoever started this fire, Spot was gonna soak 'em good!

"We have nowhere else to go!" said Sophia. "We can't stay here! The roof will cave right from beneath our feet soon!" and sure enough a few feet away from them, the roof did cave in. Probably somewhere in Spots room.
"We'll have to jump then!" said Spot.
"H-have you gone mad?" Sophia looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? You'se wanna stay up here then?"

Skipper sighed and threw his arms into the air. "This is no time to be fighting! I agree with Spot. We'll have to jump!"

Sophia looked around. "Where?"

"There." Spot pointed to a clear walkway on the roof that followed to the waters by the dock.

Sophia shook her head. "No way!" she told him. And just as soon as she said it the roof started to cave in more and quickly it made it's way over to the three.

"RUN!" yelled Skipper. The three locked hands and ran to the end of the roof where the water would be while the caving roof followed right behind them.

"Get ready to jump!" yelled Spot.

1

2

3...

"JUMP!" Spot yelled followed by Sophia's screaming and the silence of Skipper.

SPLASH!

Spots head shot up for air. The freezing water pierced his body like a thousand spikes. Skipper was the next to pop his head out. He coughed out water. Spot moved around in a circle in the water.
"Where is Sophia?" he said Skipper.

Skipper shook his head. "I don't...oh god...you don't think..."
"SHIT!" Spot yelled, suddenly remembering that Sophia couldn't swim. He plunged back into the water. It was dark so it was impossible to see. He swam down far, moving his hands about, trying to find Sophia, but it was no use. He swam up to the top, taking in a deep breath and went back under. Damn it! He cursed to himself. And just as all hope seemed lost, something grabbed on to Spots ankle. It scared him at first, making him almost loose his breath, but he remained calm and followed into the direction where the hand grabbed him. Soon he felt someone. It was Sophia! He took a strong hold of her and pulled her back up to the surface.

Sophia gasped for air and coughed up water. She continued to caugh was Spot pulled her along as he swam to a near dock. Above him was Skipper. Skipped helped spot up and with him Spot held on tight to Sophia. When all three of them were on the dock they breathed heavily. Chests rising up and down. Their breathes made up fog in the cold air. Spot quickly felt his clothes hardening. Jumping may not have been the brightest of ideas but it was the best option they had to follow through, almost killing one of them in the process.

Spot crawled over to Sophia. Her breaths had subsided somewhat, but he could still tell that she was extremely tired from what they had done. He meant to run his hands through her short air, but it was frozen at the ends.

"Is everyone ok?" Skipper asked, a little out of breath.

Spot nodded. "Yeah...For now anyway." he told him. He then stood up, helping Sophia and then Skipper. The three stood there and watched as the rest of the lodging house went down in flames.
"So that's it?" said Sophia. "It's all gone." suddenly she seemed to have gone stiff and not from the cold. "Oh no...no...NO!" she screamed and ran for the burning lodge.

Spot grabbed her and held her back. "Smalls what are you doin'?" he struggled to keep her back.

"Let me go! Now Spot!"
"You'se the one goin' crazy! Why the hells would I let ya go?"
"Tommy!" she screamed. "Tommy's things are in there! I need to get them! I WANT THEM BACK!" suddenly she stopped fighting with Spot and collapsed to her knees. She watched at the lodging house crumbled to the grounds of Brooklyn. She exhausted herself. "No..." she breathed. "This isn't fair!" she started sob. "I deserve to be happy damn it! I-I-I'm a good person, am I not? What did I do to deserve this punishment!" she sobbed and some more and buried her face in her hands.

A few minutes passed a few newsies and grown men came running down to the docks. "I found 'em!" one of them yelled and soon they all came to gather around them. They quickly wrapped them in a green wool blanket, asking if they were alright. Spot looked around. A good half of his newsie boys covered in ash and soot. What kind of leader was he to them now? For the first time in years he felt useless. The newsie's were like his family and now they were left without a home. All looked towards him to have some kind of answer. To tell them that things would be just fine, 'cause hey! Spot Conlon was the 'King of Brooklyn'. Spot suddenly hated that thought and he cursed himself. Was he not a good enough leader? He really started to doubt himself now. If there was one thing Spot didn't show, it was his true feelings he kept bottled up inside, of course he had no problem letting Sophia, but she was different. She was his lover. His wife it almost seemed like.

One of Spots Newsies walked up to him. He asked, "What do we do now, Spot?"

Spot wrapped the blanket around himself more. More of his newsies began to look at him. Even Skipper and Sophia.

Spot took in a deep breath. He never thought he'd hear himself say this. "I don't know. You'se all on ya own now." he sat down next to Sophia, the person he knew would stay by him till the end.

Skipped leaned down and whispered to Spot. "You'se serious 'bout all dis? Look at 'em. They ya newsies Spot."
Spot lightly laughed and shook his head. "No, Skippeh. Not no more they aint."

Spot then felt Sophia lean her head on his shoulders. He felt her shiver. "I'se got someone else ta take care of, Skippeh. I'se made a promise."

Skipper knew that he was talking about Sophia and slowly nodded. "Ah 'right." he said. He pulled the wool blanket over himself more and left the crowed. Spot had a good idea he was headed towards another lodging house and stood up. Sophia did too. The number of news boys were growing smaller now. One-by-one they started to leave. Suddenly one of Spot's newsies walked up to him. His eyes were red, his head was slightly was bent and his shoulders were hunched over. It looked like he had been crying.

"Spot...I'se really sorry 'bout what happened."

Spot gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I...You know how ya told me ta be careful 'bout putting out my cigar...well...I started the fire...I'se real sorry Spot!" a tear fell from his right eye.

Spot grew angry. He was wanted to soak him so badly, but he was tired from all that had happened and he knew that he would need his strength. He opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't givin the chance. Sophia threw off her blanket and ran at the crying newsie. Spot was shocked by her sudden attack on the news boy. She gave him a good punch in the face. He stumbled back, confused and surprised. He wasn't expecting a girl to hit him. Still, he felt her angry blow all the same. She went behind him and climbed on to his back, continuously hitting him.

"WHY?" she yelled. "I hate you!" she yelled at him some more. "You'se so stupid!"

"Sophia, stop!" Spot yelled, but Sophia wouldn't listen. She continued to hit the news boy. Suddenly she started pull at his air. The boy screamed in pain and flung her forward off of his back and before Spot to catch her she moved quickly and punched the news boy a couple of more times. Sophia looked like a wild animal. No other newsie boy dared to get in the middle of the fight. Sophia was pissed!

Finally Spot managed to pull Sophia back before the boy could hit her back. And just as he was about to, Spot grabbed on to his fist and stopped him. He looked to Spot with angry eyes.
"You'se gonna protect this crazy bitch after how she attacked me?" he yelled.

Spot grew irritated. He didn't want to do this, but he pulled his fist back and slammed it into the news boys face. He tumbling down on the dock floor, completely knocked out. Spot hit him so hard that he hurt his hand. He looked back at Sophia and held out his hand. "C'mon Smalls."

Sophia took his hand and the two left the Brooklyn docks together.

"Where are we going?" Sophia asked him, holding tightly on to his hand and with the other she held on to a single dress and the ribbon Spot had givin her. They had lost everything in the fire. The bed where she Spot first mad love was now in ashes. All of her brothers letters, ruined. All her other clothing, lost. Her mothers necklace around felt heavier.

"We'se goin' ta 'hattan." he told her, leading her over the Brooklyn bridge.

"Manhattan?" Sophia said. "Why not somewhere else in Brooklyn?"
Without stopping or turning around to face her, Spot said, "Theys may still have some room at the lodging house. I'se gotta check and see."
"And if they don't?" asked Sophia.

"Then we'll be forced to sleep outside wont we?" he told her.

Sophia cringed at the thought of sleeping outside. It was December ans sure enough, as soon as that thought floated into her mind a single snow flake fell on her nose. She looked up at the sky. Snow was beginning to fall now. "But spot...It's starting to snow." she said to him.

Spot shrugged. "Oh well. Before Brooklyn, I spent three nights and days in the snow. One night wont be so bad." he told her, trying to reassure her as he glanced back at her. All that Spot had taken with him was his jacket and shirt, nothing more, nothing less.

When they reached the Manhattan lodging house, Spot banged on the door for a few good minutes. Finally an old man came to the door. He was in his night wear with a blanket over his shoulders. It was Kloppman. "Can I help you two?"
"We need a place ta stay." Spot demanded.

Kloppman squinted his eyes. "OH! Spot Conlon! Why you here?"
Spot sighed. "Youse know in the morning papes, sir. Please, we'se need a place ta sleep."
Kloppman shook his head. "All the bunks are taken up. Theres no room."
"I'se don't care!" Spot suddenly said. "Just let us come inside so we'se don't die out heah! Just one night! You'se can do that can't cha?"

Kloppman nodded and let the two