"Oh, my god, we're back again! Brothers, sisters, everybody sing!" -Backstreet Boys
That was weird. But I'm keeping it. This story is back with another chapter! But first, I got review responses:
AndrewKeenanBolgerFan: I'm glad you like that. I'm going be using the lyrics and script a bit more in upcoming chapters. You're welcome, and thank you for reading and reviewing!
FansieBenAKB: Thank you! Nope, we're back to Jack in this chapter, but there is a Spot chapter coming up soon. You'll have to stick around.
JustVildaPotter: (Chapter 6) Our poor boy David. He never asked to be part of this story. He'll be meeting (some of) the gang in this chapter, so here you go. (Chapter 7) Oh boy indeed. School isn't fun, that's why no one's having a very good day. I'm so glad you enjoyed his perspective, but it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that there will not be another Race chapter for ages (sorry, I didn't know what to do with him for a minute). But thank you so much!
Onward!
Chapter 10- Jack
Wednesday, September 15, 1999, 1:25 p.m.
"Well, Jack, what're you gonna do?"
Jack leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head as he contemplated an answer. "I dunno Specs, I don't think I'm ready."
"He looks lonely," Crutchie pointed out.
"I think he'd rather be lonely than be around Jack," said Smalls.
"Rude," remarked an offended Jack.
"She's right, Jack," Race took a sip of milk. "But, the guy's a newsie now, ain't he? So ya might as well do it."
Jack looked at Specs, who shrugged. "Your call. You're the leader."
"Please. I'm not the leader. We all know you's better at these things than me."
"As true as that is," one of the new kids, a freshman named Romeo that Specs had taken a liking to, voiced his opinion. "I think you'll regret it if ya don't give 'im a shot."
"Why don't you do it? You're new, he's new. It'll work out great."
Specs was quick to reply. "C'mon Jack, you have the most experience outta any of us."
"Ya did it three weeks ago," Smalls gestured to Crutchie.
"Yeah," Race agreed. "We can all see how that turned out."
"Be yourself," Crutchie gave an encouraging smile.
"Don't be weird," Race offered.
Jack scoffed. "You should talk."
"I ain't weird, I'm a lone wolf."
"I don't think ya know what a lone wolf is."
"Potato, potata."
"Just go, Jack. It won't take that long," Specs urged.
Jack leaned his chair forward; the momentum of the front legs landing launched him up to a standing position. "Okay, I'm goin', I'm goin'."
"Good luck!" Romeo called.
"I don' need luck. I got charm."
Jack crossed the lunchroom, avoiding collisions with multiple people too focused on their phones or their homework to look up at their surroundings. Eventually, he ended up in a little back corner of the room, where David of the stuffy ties sat with his textbooks. Jack stepped up beside him.
Leaning an arm on the wall, he said, trying to sound friendly, "Well hello again."
The boy looked up, saw Jack, and promptly returned his attention to his books. "Please go away. I'm working."
Jack nodded, even though David- what a stuck-up name, he would have to change it- wasn't watching him. "A smart guy, huh?" He thought he felt his shoes sliding against the floor, but ignored it. "Y'know, I admire smart guys. Beautiful, smart, independent." Wait, beautiful? Jack's legs slipped out from under him. The cafeteria floors must have been waxed recently. He lost his balance and plummeted to the floor. He could hear the laughter from his audience of so-called friends several tables away.
David looked up from his book. "Are you okay?"
"Sure," said Jack. It sounded like 'shore'. "I meant ta sit down anyway."
"What do you want?"
Trying to ignore the feeling of his friends' eyes on him, Jack sat up sideways, his shoulder against the wall so he could look at David. "Well, I-"
"If you're trying to ask me out, I'm not interested."
"What?" Jack did a sort of crab walk on the floor as he backed away. "Nooo!" He used the wall to push himself up, raising his hands in front of himself as if he were using the air to push David away. "No no no no no, why wouldja think that?"
David raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you flirting?"
"No!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"So what do you want?"
"I noticed you was sittin' alone, an' I was thinkin' maybe you'd like ta sit with us. Us, bein', uh, me an' my friends."
David stared, with an expression that looked to Jack like someone mentally correcting grammar. Then, he gathered his books into his bag, stood up to be slightly above Jack's eye level, and said, "I don't have anywhere else to sit."
"Great!" The exclamation came out a little too enthusiastically. Jack pulled David through the maze of tables to the crowded table containing the people in question. Race and Smalls were grinning like maniacs, itching to make fun of Jack. He warded them off with a death glare. "Everyone, Davey. Davey, everyone."
"Davey's a thousand times better than David," said Smalls. "An' y'know what's even betta'? Davey Kel-" Jack leaped forward to slap a hand over her mouth.
"You've met Smalls. Her opinions don't matter, pay her no attention."
"Okay..." Davey looked concerned.
"Yeah," Jack sat down, his hand still covering the mouth of Smalls, who was sitting in the chair next to him. With his free hand, he pointed around the table. "Then you have Specs, Romeo, Race- who is a mime, mimes do not talk, ya can't talk if yer a mime- an' Crutchie."
"Crutchie?" Davey asked, eyeing the younger boy's forearm crutches.
"Also known as Charlie," Crutchie smiled.
"Were there more of you earlier, or did I imagine that?"
"Ya mean in da newspaper office?" Smalls asked, having freed her mouth from Jack's interference. "Naw, there's a lot of us."
"The school makes a habit of strategically splitting us up between three lunches," Specs explained as Race pulled an additional chair over to the table.
"If they didn't split you up, I suppose you'd all be dancing on the tables," Davey joked, sitting down.
Race laughed. "Right. Like we'd ever do that." There was a silence. "I'm not a mime, by the way."
"How could Davey have ever figured that out?" Romeo asked sarcastically.
"I mean, if Jack told him while fallin' on his face-" Race ducked as Jack tried to whack his head- "the message might get across." He brought his head back up. "Where'd ya learn ta flirt, Crutchie?" This time Jack did manage to hit him. "Ow! No offense, Crutchie."
"I wouldn't fall over," said Crutchie indignantly, poking fun at Jack in the process of defending his own honor.
"Bet Jack would catch ya if ya did, though," teased Specs.
Romeo hopped up from his chair. He spread his short arms as wide as they would go. "I'm flying, Jack, I'm flying!"
"No. You're dead, Ro, you're dead," replied Jack. Romeo sat down. "Fer the record, I wasn't flirtin'. With anyone. Ever."
"I'll pass that message on to Ms. Plumber," said Davey.
"Well, well, well," Smalls was impressed. "Captain, care ta explain ta ol' Davey here about yer intentions with our student teacher?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
Jack laid his head on the table. "No comment."
"Prob'ly for the best," Race feigned sensibility. "It's always wise not ta discuss past relationships with any future boyf-"
Jack's head snapped up. "So how's Spot Conlon been, Racer?"
"Go ta hell, Jack."
"Yes, how is Spotty?" Smalls inquired with a knowing grin, her attention diverted the way Jack had needed it to be.
"Why would I know anythin' about Spot Conlon?"
"Not-so-secret girlfriend?" Davey guessed.
Smalls and Race made offended noises, while Specs hid his surprised laughter by covering his mouth with his fist. Romeo and Crutchie exchanged a confused look. Jack tried not to grin.
"Spot Conlon is a guy who barely knows Race is alive," Jack relished in the shocked expression Davey wore.
"But Race sure knows he's alive," Smalls grinned at Race, causing him to stick his tongue out at her.
Jack continued, with a smirk on his face, "He's from Brooklyn, he's very scary, an' he won't hesitate ta kill you."
"Oh," said Davey.
Race mumbled audibly, "He can't kill Davey, he's five two."
"Five foot two? What is he, fourteen?"
"I'm right here!" Romeo squawked.
Specs could no longer contain his laughter. "Actually, Dave, he's eighteen."
"Oh..." the color drained from Davey's face.
"Hey, Spot!" Jack greeted, looking behind Davey.
The boy jumped, whipping his head around to look at the air behind him. "Where is he?" The whole table cracked up.
"I'm pretty sure he's in Brooklyn," offered Crutchie. "Like Jack said."
Davey went red as a beet. He shoved his chair away from the table, grabbed his bag, and began to walk away. After receiving a stern look from Specs, Jack bounded after him.
"Where're ya goin'?"
"I'm not going to sit there and allow you all to make fun of me."
"Dave, we didn't mean anythin' by it. That's jus' what we do."
"I don't appreciate being teased."
"Look, I'll tell the fellas ta lay off ya if tha's what ya want."
"I don't need you to tell 'the fellas' anything. I don't need you to talk to me, either. I'm just trying to get through the day. I have one class left, and then-"
"Yeah? What class?"
"Theatre."
"Really? Me too."
"Of course you do. Along with all your friends, I suppose?"
"Well, yeah... But hey, we can get there before them. Beat the chaos an' all."
"There's ten minutes left of lunch."
"'Sokay. I knows the teacher. Whaddaya say we head down there togedda', huh? I'll introduce ya."
Jack watched Davey think this over. "All right. Fine." He paused for a moment, then noted, "You could tell your friends to lay off me, just a little bit. If you want."
"It'd be my pleasure," Jack wrapped an arm around Davey's shoulders. "This way, ya won't get lost like ya did earlier."
"I wasn't lost, I was abandoned."
"Sarah?"
"Yes. She's very sisterly that way."
"I got good reason ta hate her. I tell ya."
"Uh-huh."
"Don't tell 'er I said that."
Davey laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Just the main idiots making fun of each other again. I love it. What's your opinion about all the teasing?
I'm gonna start working on some Newsies one-shots soon, and I'd like to see what sounds interesting to you people, regarding holiday-themed stories:
1. Scenes from the movie A Christmas Story, particularly the one with the leg lamp
2. A somewhat sad one-shot about Jack and Medda
3. The thoughts of different newsies while watching a holiday movie (probably Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer)
4. Something in the style of a cheesy holiday movie
Please let me know which of these you have interest in, or if you have any suggestions outside of this list for me to write about.
Until next time, have a good week, everyone!