Hidden Love: A Newsies Fanfiction

Chapter 15

This was it. I couldn't turn back now. I had to talk to Oscar. I had to know how he really felt about me. I take a deep breath and start to climb up the fire escape leading to Oscar's room. I look in the window and see him sitting on his bed.

"Here we go," I mumble, knocking on the window. He looks up at me and walks over to the window, opening it.

"Hi."

"Hi," I mumble, looking down. "Can I come in?" He nods and moves aside. I climb in through the window and turn to him. "So..."

"So."

"Um...about earlier-"

"I've been wanting to talk to you about that," Oscar interrupts, sitting on the bed. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to lash out at you because I was annoyed with your brother."

"Oh....thanks." I wasn't sure whether or not I should believe him. Did he really mean it, or was he just playing another trick on me? To be honest, I didn't think he would even apologize.

"'Thanks.' That's all I get?"

"I...don't really know what else to say."

"How about 'I forgive you?'"

"I can't say that."

"Why not?"

"Oscar," I say, leaning against the wall. I look down at my feet. "Do you really love me? Do you really care about me or is this all a big game to you?"

"Liv, if this is about earlier-"

"This isn't about earlier," I interrupt. "I just need to know. I've been hurt before and I don't need to get hurt again. Please, just answer the question."

"Liv," He says, standing up. He walks over and grabs both of my hands. "I love you. I really love you. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met."

"What about Jack?"

"Well, I guess if I liked boys that way and him and I weren't mortal enemies he would be pretty cute."

I laugh a bit. "No. I mean, are you ok with the fact that we can't really be open about...you know...us dating?"

"Does this answer your question?" He slowly leans in and kisses me, snaking his arms around my waist.

I'm hesitant at first, but after a few seconds, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. After a few seconds, I pull away. "I guess that means you're ok with it."

"Hey, as long as you're ok with me, I'm ok with you," he smiles.

I blush. "I love you."

"I love you too," he says, kissing my forehead. "Um, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

Oscar walks over to his bed and sits down. "It's just, do you ever feel...trapped?"

"Do you know who you're talking to?" I laugh as I sit next to him. "But, to answer your question, yes. I do sometimes feel like that." I look over at him. He is looking at his hand, as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "Are you ok?"

"I need to tell you something and you're probably not going to like it."

"O-ok. Whatever it is, it's probably not that big a deal."

Oscar sighs. "After I left the lodging house and came back here, Morris told me that he got us jobs working at the refuge."

"The refuge? As in, the place that locks up innocent kids so they can be 'rehabilitated?' The place that locked up my brother?"

He nods. "That would be the one."

"Well...you're not going to take the job...are you?"

"Morris already accepted it for both of us."

"And...you can't get out of it."

He shakes his head. "Morris claimed that Snyder said we would be perfect for the job." He looks at me. "That's why I feel trapped. I'm not living the life I want to live, I'm living the life Snyder and Morris want me to live. I don't want to beat up or arrest kids for living on the street. I don't want your brother and all the other newsies to hate me. I don't want to be bad! I'm just-just trapped! Sometimes, I just want to-"

I cut him off by kissing him. Once I pull away, I rest my forehead on his. "You're not bad, Oscar. You're not the guy they think you are. You're your own person and don't you ever, ever let them take that away from you."

I lean in and kiss him again, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kisses me back, wrapping his arms around my waist at the same time. I lean my head to the side, deepening the kiss. I feel his hands move from my waist to the top of my shirt and his fingers fiddling with the top buttons.

As he pulls me closer, I slowly untie his tie from around neck, unbuttoning a few of the top buttons of his shirt. "Oscar," I mumble. "I don't think I've properly thanked you for saving me from Scar."