The Angel of Brooklyn by Bianca Gray (best fiction novels of all time txt) 📖

said quietly looking at my hands.
He nodded like he expected this.
"Well, Mattie, that's a waste on your abilities," he said turning to walk away.
"Wait! Spot!" I yelled after him. He turned around.
"What do you mean abilities?" I asked him. He looked astonished.
"Ya don't know?" he asked slowly.
"No," I replied just as slowly.
"Yous a good fightah and apparently yous can speak many different languages?" he stated asking the last part.
"Yeah, except Indian," I said. His eyes widened like a kid at a candy shop. I started to feel really self concious.
"I need you on me side," he said so quietly I'm not even sure I heard right.
"Another thing Spot? I have ears like...I don't even know. I can just hear really well. Including what you just said and I'm not joining forces with you," I said kind of angry and kind of flattered. He scowled at me.
"Why not?" he asked leaning on his cane septor thing.
"Because, I have friends in Manhattan," I said exasperately.
"Well, ya could make friends in Brooklyn," he said. Wow, he's desperate, I thought.
"Why do you need a fighting machine who can speak different languages?" I asked him crossing my arms across my chest.
"Uhh..." he said not answering the question.
"Exactly so, I'm gonna leave now," I said turning away. He grabbed my arm. It was like an electric current went through my arm. If he felt it, he didn't show it.
"I'm being threatened. I'm not gunna tell yous who 'cause you ain't on me side," said Spot. Oh, I so badly want to protect him, I thought.
"I can't," I said after a while. His face was downcasted.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
"Don't be 'cause I ain't gunna give you up. Yous gonna be mine," he said fiercely. Then he turned away towards Brooklyn. I smiled like the girl I was. I'm going to be his! He's not going to give up! EEEP! I am such a girl....
I skipped all the way to Sarah's house and rapped on her window. David opened it. He turned back at Sarah.
"I thought you were seeing Jack," he said.
"I am," I heard her voice pierce through the air.
"Then why's Mattie here to see you?" he asked looking at me.
"Mattie? Mattie!" she exclaimed, when she saw me. Then she climbed out of the window.
"But if you're not seeing Mattie, then why are you going with him?" asked David after us.
"Oh Davy! You don't need to worry. Mattie's not my type," she said to him. Then she smiled at me. Our secret, her eyes told me. Then we walked up to the roof.
"What brings you here, Mattie?" she asked. I took off my hat and ran my fingers through my auburn hair.
"Spot wants me," I sighed and twirled around my arms outstretched.
"So, he knows you're a girl?" she asked slightly confused.
"No," I stated.
"Then..?" she asked. I took a deep breath.
"He wants me to be on Brooklyn's side," I said. She leaned forward, her jaw dropped.
"What?" she exclaimed.
"Yep," I said back.
"And you said...?" she asked clearly excited.
"I said no," I said sadly. She gave me an astonished look.
"You said no....? WHY?" she said. Gosh this girl lives in a fairy tale, I thought. I knew what she was thinking. He would fall in looooove with you, Mattie! He's like a prince! and you're like a PRINCESS! It would totally work out. Forgetting one thing, Sarah. He doesn't know that I'm a girl! Plus also, NO ALLIES!! Ugh.
"Because I would be leaving Reggie," I simply stated. She pouted for a second.
"Ugh, I don't know why you didn't say yes. Do you know what it would mean?" she asked. I opened my mouth to answer but she wouldn't give me a chance.
"He would fall in loooooove with you, Mattie! He's like a prince and you'll be like a PRINCESS!! Then you guys would get married and have little children...OHMIGOD! You ruined it I'm sure. If you'd just've said yes, I'm sure it would've worked out," she said hands on hips. See? Just what I thought she would've said. Except the whole married thing and children....
"One problem, Sarah. I'M A GIRL DRESSED LIKE A BOY!" I exclaimed. Sarah looked at me for a second.
"It's not that hard to figure out," she replied.
"Not that har-Sarah YOU couldn't figure it out the first time you met me!" I practically yelled at her. She looked hurt and we didn't talk for a while.
"Look, Sarah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean...*sigh* I just meant that no one knows I'm a girl there. I need allies," I said. She nodded her head.
"No, you're totally right. You need allies. So, I guess it's good you said no..." she mused. I smiled.
"But guess what else!" I exclaimed excitedly. She leaned forward in her chair.
"What?" She asked wanting to know so badly.
"He said he's not going to give up," I said smiling. She practically screamed.
"NO WAY!" she shouted.
"Yep," I said.
"Wow, this is so going to work out between you two," she said. I crossed my fingers.
"Hope so," I said. Then David popped his head up.
"Davy?" asked Sarah.
"I heard the whole thing," he said angrily. Before we could say anything he was gone.
"Oh, no!" cried Sarah.
"What? Why was he angry?" I asked her.
"Because, Davy has issues with liars," she said looking at me.
"What does that mean?" I asked her.
"It means he may do something he'll regret," she said hanging her head at her brother's vengefulness. Oh no! I thought, he's gonna tell the others.
"I've got to go Sarah! Bye!" I called out to her behind my shoulder. I ran as fast as I could, cussing myself out in every language possible (except Indian) HOW COULD I BE SO CARELESS????! I finally made it to the Newsboys Lodging House but the door was propped open. I walked in and then I realized..my hat! I forgot it back at Sarah's. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I hit my head three times with my palm. Klopmann just stared at me smiling.
"You knew didn't you?" I asked him. He just nodded. I sighed.
"Did David come through here?" I asked. He nodded. Then he pointed upstairs. WHY O WHY ME??!! I ran up the stairs and opened the door to the large room yelling, "I can explain!" All the boys just looked at me. Jack shook his head sadly. David was over by Jack. Apparently they were whispering something. Oh God, they didn't know, I thought. Then I cussed out loud in Italian. Racetrack just looked at me astonished by my use of language.
"Mattie?" asked Krutchy. I put my head in my hands while everyone started to laugh. At least they're not....what was the word Jack used?...soaking me. Someone patted me on my back.
"Guess, Mattie ain't a boy. He's a goil!" yelled out Racetrack. I lifted my head, my eyes glinting.
"Yeah? Well, I'm a girl that beat you up the other day," I said pointedly. He looked surprised. Then he laughed.
"Guess dat's true, huh?" he asked me. I walked over to Jack and David. I pointed at David.
"I thought he was going to tell, then I left my hat and....ugh," I said. Jack laughed.
"He was telling me wondering if I knew. He wasn't gunna tell eh, Davy?" asked Jack slapping his back.
"No. I wasn't," he said. I groaned some more.
"MUSH SAID YOUS A PRETTY LADY, MATTIE!" yelled Racetrack from across the room standing next to a blushing Mush. Mush hit Racetrack playfully but in a more upset and embarrased way. Reggie just looked angry. I blushed.
"He really did though," said Racetrack in Italian suddnely next to me.
"Really?" I said back in Italian.
"Yep. He's awestruck. Do you like him?" asked Racetrack still in Italian.
"Um...no. I kind of like Spot," I said blushing. He looked surprised.
"Yeah, I'm going to punch both of their faces in," said Reggie in Italian. Racetrack just laughed.
"No one understands us. It's awsome!" said Racetrack. Reggie and I looked at each other and shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess," we both said.
"Wow, I didn't know about Spot," said Racetrack waggling his eyebrows. I blushed.
"No one does so you better not tell," said Reggie switching to English.
"No way! I won't tell. Mattie's my best friend. Ain't dat right Mattie?" he asked me looking at Mush and smiling.
"Sure, Race, sure," I said smiling and rolling my eyes.
"So, yous a lady. Kinda weahd aint it?" asked Krutchy.
"I guess. Maybe," I said. Then Spot came through the door and he saw me with my long hair out of my hat.
"Mattie?" he asked looking over at me.
"Uh...hiya Spot!" I said brightly. I heard Reggie mumble uh oh under his breath.
"Yous a goil," he said.
"Yep," I said shaking my head and biting my lower lip.
"But, yous beat me," he said pointing at me.
"Yeah, I did," I said slowly. Then he spun on one foot and stormed out of there.
"Spot! Wait!" I yelled out to him. I got up and ran out the door and down the steps yelling out Spot's name. Finally I caught up to him.
"Spot. Wait." I panted. He turned to look at me his blue gray eyes flashing.
"When were you gunna tell me this?" he asked gesturing to all of me.
"Spot, I swear I-" I started.
"This ain't real is it? I mean, this is some kind of joke. Yous wearing a wig," he said.
"Uh, yeah Spot! I'm wearing a wig!" I said with fake cheerfulness.
"I canst believe yous guys thought I would believe something like that. I ain't dumb," he said. Then he playfully pushed my shoulder but I wasn't ready for it and I fell over the side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Mattie!" I heard Spot yell before I plunged into the icy cold water. I gulped in water and I was choking under water. I tried to grab something but there was nothing to grab. The light wasn't as bright under the water as I thought it would, I thought slowly. Then blocking the light was Spot's head. He's swimming towards me, I thought. I tried to give him my hand but I was falling down into darker waters. Bubbles filled my vision and then I couldn't see anything.


...................................................

I woke up coughing. I was wet. Spot was sitting on a rock about two feet away from me, staring out over the river.
"Thanks, Spot, I think you just saved my life," I said wringing out my hair.
"Yeah, I did," he said barely glancing at me. Then I looked down at myself. My clothes stuck to my body when they were wet. He could see that I was, indeed, a girl.
"Spot I-"
"I don't want to hear your explanations," he said dismissing me. I grabbed his arm and spun him around to face me.
"I don't care if you're the stupid King of Brooklyn but listen to me! I had to be a boy! To make good money ok? So my brother and I could stick together! And I didn't care that I was a boy until I met you and..." I said looking at him. Pleading with my eyes.
"What are you trying to say, Mattie?" he asked me angrily.
"I'm trying to say that I didn't care I was pretending to be a boy until I met you because to tell