~Later that night in Albert's POV~

"Can I talk to you?" I heard Elmer ask Romeo. We (Racetrack, me, JoJo, Crutchie, and Mush) all tagged along and went up to the roof with Romeo and Elmer to discuss predictable matters. 

"What's up?" Romeo asked after sitting down on the rail.

"It'd be a real shame if someone were to... accidentally push you." Mush commented, inching towards his friend.

(My laptop stopped giving me the wavy red lines whenever I misspell a word for some reason, so PLEASE excuse any errors.)

"It sure would." Romeo agreed. Mush was pretending to make a move of pushing Romeo off of the rail, but Racetrack decided to shove Mush, who did his best to teeter on the edge of Romeo's bubble so he didn't actually push him.

"Anyway," Elmer cleared his throat awkwardly.

"This 'bout Maize?" I guessed as I crossed my arms. 

"Who else?" Crutchie grinned. 

"Fill me in." Romeo ordered with long gaps between each word.

"So she told me that she was gonna jump off the Brooklyn Bridge when I made her hang out with me." Elmer started.

"Yeah." Race nodded along. "Wait, what?"

"That's a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother time." Elmer dismissed. 

"Continue." Romeo egged him on.

"And I wanted to make extra sure she knew that she's loved." Elmer carried on slowly, as if feeling the words in his mouth. "I think I did it wrong."

"What do you mean?" Romeo cocked his head. He's more invested in this than he's ever been in anything Shakespeare has written.

"I fell way harder than I originally intended." Elmer admitted.

"Really?" Mush almost squealed. Elmer nodded stoically.

"Why's that gotta be a bad thing?" Romeo demanded.

"Because she don't reciprocate." The black haired boy told him.

"Prove it." Crutchie shrugged.

"Okay." Elmer grinned. "Allow me to quote: 'you're pleasant'."

"But, lemme remind you of her reaction when Crutchie popped that third question." Race said loudly before turning to me. "Sit, let's reenact it."

"Absolutely not." I shook my head. 

"Do it!" Romeo urged.

"Fine!" What's the worst that can happen?

I sat down and leaned against the cold metal rail of the fire escape. Race laughed and leaned on my shoulder just as Maize had leaned on Elmer's. 

"Uh..." Crutchie's brows furrowed. "Do you think you're attractive?"

"No." I said quickly. "To break character, I'm gorgeous." Elmer rolled his eyes in response. "Back in character: No."

"Why?" Racetrack gasped loudly and dramatically. 

"That's how it happened." Romeo decided.

"That's not how it happened." Elmer sighed.

"Yes it is." Mush shook his head dismissively.

"Game plan," Romeo started again. "Mush, you and I will find good ways to talk Elmer up."

"Easy." Mush nodded with a grin. 

"Albert and Race, you tease them persistently about them bein' a couple." Romeo continued. I groaned and Racetrack flicked his cigar into his mouth. "Crutchie and JoJo, get more Newsies on board with this plan so they help us. And Elmer—"

"This is ridiculous." Elmer sighed. 

"It's necessary." Romeo stated in determination.

"I disagree." Elmer mumbled.

"You kissed her yet?" Romeo asked curiously. Here we go.

(Update: I fixed whatever was going on with my laptop. I guess I must have turned spell-check at some point.)

"No." Elmer shook his head. "I'd like to, but no."

"Good." Romeo nodded. "That's your job. Kiss her and come back for your next directions."

This sounds like Pulitzer ordering his assistant and secretary around.

"You have kissed her, though!" JoJo pointed out.

"Really?" Romeo's brown eyes widened. "Do tell."

"Y'know what, I'll tell." I sighed boredly. "We was at Jacobi's Deli and JoJo bet him a tart that Elmer wouldn't kiss her."

"I still haven't gotten that tart." Elmer's big dark eyes widened just like Romeo's had done. I noticed then that he had a scar across his forehead from the Strike. He had a cloth wrapped over it until it relatively healed. 

"I'm tryin' to find a good one." JoJo shrugged. "Y'know, one you and Maize can share."

"Get stuffed, mate." Elmer shoved him jokingly.

(Dipped HARD into Australian then.)

"Whatever, man, I got Brooke." JoJo laughed. 

"I got myself." Crutchie grinned. 

"You guys ain't any help." Elmer laughed as he left to go back downstairs.

~Cornelia's POV~

"So how come you don't think you're attractive?" I asked teasingly after Elmer and the rest of the boys had returned. 

"My face is too boxy." Elmer shrugged with a small smile.

"Nah." Jack piped up.

"I'd rather my eyes be blue." He continued.

"Blue eyes ain't that great." Race shrugged. "Whaddya think, Maize?"

"'Bout what?" I looked up.

"Fix his self-esteem." Racetrack laughed. "I believe in you!"

"Okay, uh," I glanced at Elmer. "I like your face? I dunno what you guys want from me!"

"That'll do." Albert grinned. I noted that Racetrack winked at him obnoxiously. As they continued to speak, my mind drifted to pondering the issue. I tried to remember everything. Then it hit me: 

To be continued.

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."