Disclaimer: Don't own newsies. Don't own the song 'You Give Love A Bad Name' by Bon Jovi. That's such a kickass song. Every time they play it on Mix 96.9 (My radio station, LOL), I sing along at the top of my lungs. "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART! AND YOU'RE TO BLAME!" XD XD XD cough Anyhoo… read, review, enjoy.

You Give Love A Bad Name

Don't own newsies. Don't own the song 'You Give Love A Bad Name' by Bon Jovi. That's such a kickass song. Every time they play it on Mix 96.9 (My radio station, LOL), I sing along at the top of my lungs. "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART! AND YOU'RE TO BLAME!" XD XD XD cough Anyhoo… read, review, enjoy.

She fooled me.

Completely.

She was amazing; from the first time I saw her, I knew I had to have her. Light brown hair, curled softly at the ends, big blue eyes that shone in the sunlight, a pretty smile, with tiny, straight perfect teeth. Ah yes. Gorgeous. Absolutely.

It was after the strike that I finally approached her, at least in a more gentlemanly way. Jack had just left her. Why? No one knew, least of all me; she was perfect.

I walked up to her, and immediately she shrank away. I grinned sheepishly at her and tipped my hat.

"Hullo, miss."

She hesitated. "Hello." Her voice was cold.

"Could I walk you to your apartment, miss?"

"Can I trust you?"

"I don't see why not."

"Davey and Jack don't trust you."

I paused at that. I wasn't fond of either David or Jack, and they weren't fond of me, so they had reason not to trust me. And I guess she didn't either. "I know that. But they're a different story."

"Mm-hm." Her eyebrow was cocked, distrusting. "Well…" She looked up and down the crowded street. "I suppose. If you attack me, I could just call for help." She nodded shortly, then fell into step beside me.

And God, wasn't I the happiest man on Earth at that moment?

It didn't take long (A few more escorted strolls to and from her apartment, lunch in the park and dinner at Irving Hall) to get Sarah to trust me. She was an angel, in my eyes, shining brightly every time she smiled, which was often. Jack and David would throw us dirty looks as we walked into Irving Hall arm-in-arm, but what the hell, right? They're problem. Completely not mine. I was in love, for the first time, and it was as sweet a heaven as people had always described it.

Of course, what you don't know can't hurt you. And I didn't know several things back then.

Sarah and I made it together so quickly that it surprised me, even though she didn't seem surprised at all. She seemed very willing, actually, almost pushed me to it.

I should have known. I completely should have known.

She was already broken. I asked her why, and she said she rode horses when she was little. Not knowing much about women and how they break, I believed her. Foolish, foolish me.

Not long after I had her the first time, I had her again. And again. Then, she started to avoid me. I didn't see her as much as I used to see her. She was polite, but icy when I did see her. I caught up with her one autumn afternoon and asked her what was going on, how come I didn't see her anymore.

She shrugged. "I've been busy," was all she said.

Busy was right, but not busy in the way I thought.

I thought she meant school and work and chores. That was the kind of busy girls usually meant.

Not Sarah.

Not too long after that abrupt conversation, I dropped in on the Manhattan Lodging House. Jack and I had played a card game not too long before that and he owed me money. I wanted it to try and buy Sarah something, to see if that would make her spend more time with me again.

Snitch Riccio, chewing on his lower lip with those beaver teeth of his, pointed me upstairs. "He and Davey are both up there. And a few other guys." He paused, and opened his mouth as if to continue, then shut it again, shaking his head. "I suggest you knock before enterin', though."

I shrugged that off, thinking nothing of it, and walked up the creaking staircase. How that thing managed to survive after having fifty-some-odd teenage boys trample up and down it day after day, I'll never know, but somehow it did.

I reached the second floor and walked up the hallway to the bunkroom. The door was shut, but the lock had long ago broken. Twisting the rust-tainted knob, I opened the door, and was completely shocked as to what I saw.

I understood why Snitch had kept his mouth shut; someone had probably told him to do just that. Things like this scene I saw are not meant for public viewing. Maybe in a whorehouse, or a gentleman's club, but not public viewing.

Sarah was lying in the middle of the circle, sweat shining from the autumn sunlight. The dark smile on her face grew when she saw me.

"Oscar! Care to join us?"
Racetrack Higgins, Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon, Mush Meyers and (God, believe me when I say it) her brother David continued what they were doing to her, and to each other. So many things, things I've only seen when Morris and I would go to those whorehouses back when we were sixteen and our sex drives were raging.

"N-no." I said, backing out of the door. I'd never participated in such things, no matter what anyone tells you. I wasn't the best Christian in the world, but that's what I was. And what Spot was doing to Mush… what Davey was doing to his big sister… that just wasn't right to me. Not at all.

Not at all.

So that's the story. Sarah Jacobs, a tried and true whore if there ever was one (Even though I don't think she got paid for that circle I saw in the bunkroom), had taken me for a fool. I played my part as her devoted lover, she played her game to get me in bed.

People often say I'm hard, jaded, cruel.

This experience with Sarah isn't the worst experience I've ever had; just the most vivid in my mind.

So when I say my name is Oscar Delancey, and you think I'm black-hearted and mean… don't you also think I have reason to be?

END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

AHAHAHAHAHA. I like this one, LOL. It's kinda vague, but I think that's part of the reason why I like it so much. It leaves a lot to the imagination.

Plus, I love Oscar. Never as much as Snitch, of course, but still… I love Oscar.

AND I LOVE THIS SONG. YAAAAAAY!

Anyhoo cough Care to leave a review for my insanity? Yes, I think you do. Go for it then! Yay!