Hey guys! So I haven't had that much of a chance to write lately, but I am VERY excited about finally starting my first multi chapter! So I'm going to give you guys a little background about it before you read it.
So Davey is basically my favorite character from Newsies (along with Jack). And I've noticed that in a lot of fan fiction, Davey is constantly being ostracized because he has a house and he has parents, and hasn't grown up with the newsies. A lot of times his problems are portrayed as being less significant and serious than those of the other newsies, and Davey is always accused of not understanding what the newsies go through. And Davey is so much more than the smart kid with the little brother. So this story is pretty much my idea of what Davey goes through that the newsies don't understand, and Davey's life and his relationship with Les and his parents and with the newsies. So yeah, this story is dedicated to Davey Jacobs and all of the wonderful actors who have played him. :)
Hope you guys enjoy! And please please review and let me know what you think of the first chapter! I'm super excited about this story and about giving Davey some time in the spotlight.
"Are you sure Mush is going to be okay Jack?" Romeo asked quietly, his voice unsteady. "Cause last time someone got sick-"
"We all know what happened last time," Jack said tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "There's no point talking about it." He looked around at the rest of the newsies, sprawled out on their beds, but not one of them asleep. Except for Mush, who had finally slipped into a restless doze on a bunk in the corner of the room.
"You know, Les had what Mush has a while ago. He puked a lot, and he had a fever, and he felt awful, but he was fine. Really, Mush is okay. It's not serious." Davey said awkwardly, trying his hardest to say something helpful.
Jack shook his head warningly at Davey. When the newsies were upset or worried, logic only made them more agitated. Jack knew Davey had no way of knowing the "last time" Romeo was referencing; after all, he had only been a newsie for just over two months. Jack was sure Davey would have shut up had he known. But the rest of the newsies wouldn't be thinking clearly enough to understand that.
The Lodging House was already so tense, the air so thick with concern for Mush, who had been sick for three days now, that Jack was certain an argument was about to break out any second. Deep down, Jack knew that Mush truly was okay. Jack had seen lots of sickness in his life, and he knew this wasn't the kind that you needed to worry about. But like the other newsies, Jack couldn't shake off the memory of what had happened last time he hadn't paid enough attention to an illness.
Henry finally broke the quiet. "Shut up," he muttered, glaring at Davey. "What do you know about anything?" Davey's eyes widened, and Jack winced. Henry was sarcastic and sometimes rude by nature, but when he got anxious, he was almost unbearable.
The Lodging House settled back into silence, although the mood had grown darker and the tension had heightened. Jack prayed that Davey would be smart enough to grasp the situation and stop talking for once. It wasn't Davey's fault, he hadn't really done anything wrong, but his attempts at reasoning weren't doing anything to help.
Jack surveyed the Lodging House. Most of the younger newsies were slumped against Crutchie, who was trying to hide his concern by smiling at everyone. Race was sitting alone, looking like he wanted to kill someone, and Les sat nearby, his eyes wide. Jack knew they were all overreacting, but honestly, he couldn't blame them.
"We should go, Les," Davey said suddenly, standing up. "It's late, and there's clearly nothing we can do to help here."
Jack winced again. That was most definitely the wrong thing to say.
And sure enough, Race leapt to his feet, the murderous look in his eyes now directed at Davey. "Yeah, that's right," Race yelled. "Why don't you just go home to your parents? Just go. 'Cause I bet when you get sick, your parents take care of you and call a doctor for you right away, huh Dave? And you got your own damn house, don't you Davey? Yeah, you do. And you didn't spend your entire life getting beat up every other day either. Hate to break it to you Dave, but you ain't never known the kind of pain we have. So you's right, there ain't nothin' you can do to help here. 'Cause you know what happened last time one of us got sick? Specs almost died. Yeah, that's right. Died. Because we couldn't get afford to get him a doctor. We thought he was fine too, just like you said about Mush. So take your damn kid brother and GET OUT of here and shut up trying to be the boss of us!" Race shoved Davey aggressively and swore, then stormed out of the room.
All eyes were on Davey, who stood, unmoving, with an expression on his face that clearly showed that he was about to explode. "Come on Les," he said sharply. "We're going now."
For the first time since Jack had known them, Les didn't object to his brother's order. Les nodded and crossed the room to Davey, looking like he might cry. Davey grabbed Les's shirt collar harshly and kept a firm grip on it, and Jack rose to his feet, racking his brains for something he could to say to Davey, but he came up empty.
"Davey-" Jack started, approaching him, but Davey shook his head. "It's fine Jack." Davey nodded coolly in Mush's direction. "Make sure he drinks enough water," he said calmly. Then he walked out of the lodging house, still grasping Les's shirt tightly with one hand and slamming the door with the other.
Jack grunted in frustration. "Race," he called softly, struggling to contain the anxiety and irritation that he could feel building up inside of him.
Race stomped back into the room, his arms crossed. "What do you want Jack? Gonna yell at me for having a go at your pal?"
Jack put his head in his hands, acutely aware that the rest of the newsies were watching him. "That ain't fair, Race." Jack said. "He couldn't have known about Specs, he's only been here a couple months. He was only trying to help. And besides that, he's right- Mush is gonna be fine, we just gotta give it some time. So no, I ain't gonna yell at you, but I want you to start treating Dave nicer, hear me? He's one of the most loyal guys I's ever met, and he's done a lot for all of us. He's part of the family, and so is Les. " Jack turned to the rest of the boys. "Now get to bed guys. We all need to sleep, and when you wake up, Mush'll be a hell of a lot better, I promise." There were murmurs of assent throughout the room, and Jack could tell that most of them were relieved to finally be going to sleep.
Crutchie eased Romeo off his arm and limped over to Jack, allowing an expression of worry show on his face for the first time all evening.
"Hey Jack, I don't know if this is the time, but -I think Davey's been a little off lately. He just seems, I dunno, kind of upset. More than usual. And he doesn't smile so much as he used to when he first came here, and he looks tired all the time. You got any idea what's wrong with him?"
Jack shook his head tiredly. "Trust me, I've noticed it too, and I got no clue. I thought he'd tell me if he had a problem, but ya never know with Dave, do you?" Jack frowned thoughtfully. "I'll work on it, and you let me know if ya figure anything out, okay Crutch?" Crutchie nodded. "Poor guy. The fellas gave him a real rough time tonight. Well, we're gonna find out what's up with him and fix it, ain't we?" Jack gaved Crutchie a weary smile and ruffled his hair.
"Night kid," Jack said, and headed to the roof, as Crutchie limped over to his bed.
Usually, the roof helped Jack clear his mind, and he was able to think of nothing but his dreams, however unrealistic they may be. But tonight Jack was consumed with thoughts about Davey. He knew something must be going on with his best friend, something Davey had never talked about with him before. And Jack knew that if he didn't figure it out soon, thing were only going to get worse.