Timeless *REWRITTEN* (Beetlejuice x Reader)

Chapter 5

My eyebrows shot up. "A speakeasy?" I asked in a hushed voice as Melody nodded.

"You betcha! And it's the best one around, if you ask me!"

Harv rolled his eyes up front. "Mel, you say that because you work there."

She slapped his shoulder, not even looking his way. "Oh hush, Harv. Besides, even if I'm biased, doesn't matter if it's true."

I had heard of speakeasies before from my uncle. Apparently alcohol had been outlawed in the States, so people resorted to their debauchery in secret. I didn't really understand why exactly alcohol had been banned as it had, but all the same, apparently the industry was still being kept very alive and well. I glanced at Melody, the pit in my stomach growing a bit.

"Won't we get in trouble?" I asked her, wringing my hands.

She smiled reassuringly at me. "Oh, sweetheart, it'll be fine. We're not gonna have any trouble. Trust me. Just stick with me, and you'll be just right as rain!"

And even though I still had a slightly bad feeling about it all, I decided I would suck it up and go along with Melody. I wanted to prove I wasn't just a scared little girl from Italy, even if that's all that I felt that I was, at times. I wanted to assimilate myself to the rhythm and culture of the US, and that wasn't going to happen if I continually hid behind my hands and looked the opposite direction of any sort of risk or adventure. I had to let go and live a little bit. Even Aunt Romelda had agreed with me on that.

"Hey, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, alright, (Y/N)?" Melody said to me, grasping my hand in hers. I looked over at her kind face and smiled a small smile.

"I know."

Harv dropped us off a little ways from the actual shop, since we didn't want to bring any attention to ourselves and the print store. With a parting wave from Melody and me, the cab and cabby sped away, on to other patrons needing a ride to who-knows-where. I looked over to my friend. "Well, where now?"

She smiled and waved for me to follow her. "Come on; I'll have to introduce you to Johnny up front."

I nodded and followed her, weaving between people and their cases and purses alike. I was especially careful to avoid bumping into any of the cases, as I knew they sometimes had dirt or other debris on them from sitting on the ground. I had donned my favorite dress, a (Y/F/C) one that rested just above my knees, with a (COLOR) scarf wrapped around my neck and draped over my shoulders. I adjusted the pins in my hair, hoping to make a good impression on Melody's other friends. My companion seemed to sense my nerves, and looked over at me.

"Relax, doll. They're gonna love you. Besides, you might meet someone," she told me, grinning and bumping my arm with her shoulder.

I glanced at her. "You think?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows?"

With that optimistic thought, we finally came to the newspaper shop. The faded sign on the facade read "Poor Man's Print Parlor", as Melody had said earlier. The paint was peeling, and the windows looked as if they hadn't seen a good cleaning in years. The wood on the door was cracked and rough to the touch. A bell rung as Melody pushed it open.

"Johnny! You in here?" she called, glancing at the space around us.

I did the same, taking note of the smell of ink, paper, and dust. I could tell which parts of the shop were used often and which had been neglected in the day-to-day business. I wondered how much legitimate business this shop actually did. Certainly not enough to keep the business afloat, that much was apparent.