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Chapter 53- Katherine

Monday, September 20, 1999, 8:25 a.m.

Katherine was merely a bystander as Spot and Davey worked out how to bust through the theater doors, using the rope the Brooklyn boys had conveniently brought along. She couldn't take them as chums, but the unlikely friendship between the short, freckled king of Brooklyn and Sarah's younger brother wasn't the only thing on her mind.

She was still ruminating over a conversation with her father from an hour before. That morning, she had gone with Darcy to confront him, barging right into the dining room while the man was in the middle of breakfast. Katherine's father hadn't appeared surprised to see her; in fact, he'd been all too happy to share the news that her article had intrigued the governor, as it had brought to his attention Pulitzer's involvement in the transportation shutdown. There was to be a meeting that afternoon to settle the bus drivers' strike, which was great, but not exactly the kind of change Katherine had wanted her article to incite. To her dismay, Pulitzer was also quick to share that the governor wasn't showing signs of doing anything about the newsie protest.

After that depressing news, Katherine's intentions to discuss the news blackout with her father had been derailed by the man himself. Pulitzer had not stopped ranting about how much he hated the governor, calling him "a Socialist" and "a commie". This, to Katherine's chagrin, had sparked Darcy's interest, and before she knew it her father and her ex-boyfriend had become engaged in a lengthy political argument. In addition, they had also debated football at length, discussing in a not-so-civil manner whether or not it was violent enough to be banned. While all this went down, Katherine had stood on the sidelines with no intentions to intervene. Finally, she'd chosen to excuse herself and make phone calls outside.

Her top priority had still been attempting to reach Jack, but after three tries yielded no response, she had given that up. She'd decided, standing on her front steps, that she would have to try a different approach to finding him. And so, she'd dialed a different number, leaving a message when Medda didn't pick up. The teacher, being one of Jack's closest confidants, would surely know something about where he was. Or at least Katherine hoped. (It had turned out later that Medda didn't actually know anything.)

Katherine stared at her cell phone now, looking at the number labeled "Denton", which she had put in earlier that week. To take the job, or not to take the job. That was the question.

She didn't have an answer. It was an amazing opportunity, and despite at first being firm in her decision of not accepting the offer, Katherine was having second thoughts. What if her father got her banned from student teaching at Roosevelt High after the strike concluded? She had to admit that his influence was the only reason she'd gotten the job in the first place; normally the position would have been given to someone a year or two older, but the school district had made an exception for her. And now, since she was blacklisted from all professional papers, she wouldn't have another job prospect to support her if she got fired now. What if that reputation followed her for the rest of her career? She was only a sophomore in college, but she couldn't help worrying. Unlike Jack, she didn't have a desert to fall back on when the going got tough. If she didn't want to settle for living off her father's money, she had to take control, and working at The Sun would help her do that, even if it meant spending week after week reviewing plays and other frilly, unimportant events.

So maybe it would be worthwhile to speak with The Sun's editor and tell him she wanted the job. Except that doing so would mean leaving the newsies and Jack. And he would surely be crushed.

Crash! Spot had just counted down from ten and kicked the theater door open, with a cry of "Open Sesame!" to announce his action.

At this, Katherine was jostled- both physically and out of her thoughts- by the other newsies while Race yelled "Happy new year!" and led the charge into the auditorium.

"Happy new year," muttered Davey, falling back next to Katherine. She could hear the nervous edge to his chuckle, and it did not set her at ease.

Davey was just as tense and worried about Jack as Katherine was, and for some reason, it ticked her off. Maybe it was the fact that he'd only joined the group five days ago and had already been chosen as leader, whereas Katherine had been close with Jack for three years and was never extended the same courtesy. Her instructions were rarely heard, aside from when the newsies were forced to obey her on account of her being their teacher.

Actually, now that she thought it through, this was exactly the reason she was pissed. Well, that... and another thing. It wasn't exactly uncommon knowledge that Jack and Davey had a bond, and try as she might to tell herself she didn't care, there was an annoying feeling... not jealousy, per say, but a wish that it was she that had the connection, not Davey. But this was childish. So what if she still thought Jack had a nice face? She'd told him repeatedly that they were over and done with. Ugh. Why had she ever done that?

As she entered the theater beside Davey, Katherine's attention fixated on the hinges Spot had half-busted. Someone was going to have to pay for that. Probably her, unless Medda took care of it. Noticing a silence had fallen over the crowd and that the cheers were dying out abruptly, Katherine turned her gaze to the stage.

To her horror, Mr. Wiesel was standing there, flanked on either side by Oscar and Morris. Shoving aside newsie after newsie, Katherine strode up to them, demanding, "How'd you know we'd be here?" They shouldn't have known. The newsies hardly knew the day's plan.

Mr. Wiesel shrugged, giving Katherine a look of twisted glee at having caught her as part of a group of students skipping class. "I had a hunch."

"Well, go on then," challenged Katherine, waving an arm to display the group behind her. "Suspend us, attack us again, whatever you want. We can take it." As she said this, she did a double take of Weasel, and realized his baseball bat was nowhere in sight.

"Though it is a beautiful day ta crack some heads," said Mr. Wiesel thoughtfully, "that ain't what I'm here for."

Davey stepped up beside Katherine. "You're not mad we're still protesting?"

"Oh, I'm mad, but that don't matter. I been sent by Mr. Pulitzer ta end this little war a' yours. It's a shame ya went an' destroyed the door," he noted with a glance at what Spot had done. "I was hopin' ta talk this through without there bein' any punishments hangin' over ya."

Beating Katherine to the punch, Davey voiced the next question. "What's there ta talk through?"

"Well, it jus' so happens the governor has decided to start carin' about fair wages an' such. The school board decided that before he starts gettin' his mug in the finer points of the student papes, I should talk ta youse an' getcha ta stand down."

"Good luck with that."

"Mr. Pulitzer, as well as myself, want you kids to know he regrets the... unlucky circumstances of the past several days."

"Unlucky circumstances?" Katherine snapped, "He sent cops to break up our strike, and now he's padlocked the theater doors!"

"The doors were locked because the program's shut down, an' none a' youse are s'posed ta be in here anyway."

"And yet you knew we would be," stated Davey.

Oscar retorted, "We ain't guessed wrong yet."

While Davey shut his mouth, clearly having no response, Morris laughed, "Youse think yer so smart, but yer really..." he trailed off, and Katherine could tell it was because he couldn't think of the word "dumb" or any of its synonyms.

Hurriedly, Oscar picked up the conversation, not allowing his older brother to look like an idiot for very long. "Point is, you's all stupid ta think yer strike ain't completely ova'."

"An' what if it ain't ova'?" Spot demanded, crossing his arms after he'd finished parting the crowd so he could come to the front. "Say we don' back down, what 'appens then?"

Oscar's lips curled into a smirk at the sight of him. "Surprised ta see you here, Conlon. We thought ya'd evaporated when ya neva' got back on joinin' us strikebreakers."

Spot's next words came out harshly, as he was visibly gritting his teeth. "I found otha' work in Brooklyn."

"Well, ain'tcha lucky." Oscar paused for a moment, and Katherine watched him survey the crowd before he said, "Y'know, if it were me, I wouldn't go 'bout revealin' that kind a' information in front a' people who hate me."

Saying nothing, Spot turned his head over both his shoulders to get a good look at all the newsies, preparing for the next bout of drama to start. If Katherine hadn't known better, she would've said he looked worried. But she was more anxious than him, holding her breath, readying herself for Race or Davey or Smalls or someone completely different to start shouting. And then... that didn't happen. No one said a word on the subject of Spot and the Delanceys. Because, Katherine remembered, nearly slapping herself, they had all already known about that. There was no use in getting upset over it now.

Once this was realized, Katherine couldn't help but announce triumphantly, "Good try, Oscar, but nobody cares."

Confounded but mostly unfazed, Oscar changed tack within a second. "Whateva' happened ta Cowboy, Plumber? We ain't seen 'im around."

"Um... well…" She wasn't about to tell him she didn't know, despite it being the truth. "He's at..." Katherine waited for an idea to strike her. If I were Jack and the cops were after me, she thought quickly, where would I go? Her first instinct told her Duane Street, but she knew very well that Jack hadn't been seen there all weekend. Smalls' place would have been an option as well, if Smalls herself wasn't one of the most worried people. So that left... "Medda Larkin's place," finished Katherine. Even while saying it she knew she had paused for much too long to make her answer sound convincing.

"Right," laughed Oscar sarcastically. "Some girlfriend ya are to da Cowboy. Ya don' know nothin'."

"I'm not his 'girlfriend'." Anymore. "And I do know he's at Medda's. In fact, " Katherine made a decision then and there, although it wasn't quite an intelligent decision. "We're going to see him later today. So there."

Oscar, having the mental capacity of a kindergartner, couldn't argue with that last sentence. He simply said "Huh," and fell back next to Morris.

Davey was now looking at Katherine with a new query in his eyes, but before she could reveal that she'd lied, Mr. Wiesel broke into the conversation. "I take it you kids'll stand down without da Cowboy, won'tcha?"

"Like hell we will," Spot glared at him.

Katherine agreed, "That's right. We're going to plan another protest."

"We are?" Davey questioned.

"Yes. You and Spot will direct it, and Sarah can snap pictures of the whole thing, and somehow, we'll get the word across the city."

Mr. Wiesel, who was listening to these instructions with incredulity, wanted to know, "Have youse learned nothin'? Ya can't win this. It don't matter what ya do."

"We can and we will," Katherine told him, with confidence that was only a little bit false. "Just you wait." She then gave Spot a curt nod, implying that he should give the next order.

The king easily picked up on her signal. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he announced to the theater at large, "Newsies: to Jacobi's!"

Eagerly, the other teenagers exited the theater, drifting into small clumps and pairs of friends on their way out. With a disapproving shake of his head, Mr. Wiesel left too, and the Delanceys trailed after him.

Sarah was one of the last out; she cast a glance between Katherine and her brother as the auditorium emptied around them. "You guys coming, or?"

"In a minute," assured Katherine.

Davey didn't give an answer, so Sarah repeated the question, this time targeting him specifically.

"I'm fine, go," he waved a hand dismissively. That was reasonable enough for Sarah, and she took her leave. When she was gone, Davey launched right into his tirade. "So, Jack's at Medda's place, is he?"

"Uh-"

"An' you knew this, but ya didn't bother ta tell anyone?"

"No- well, I don't know. It's complicated."

"Allow me to try and uncomplicate it."

Katherine sighed. "The thing is, I guess Jack could be there, although earlier Medda told me plainly that he wasn't. I don't really know. I had to tell Oscar something, and it was a lie at first, but now... maybe it's a possibility? I'm sorry, this is horribly confusing, I know."

"You're sure you don't know anything?"

"No more than you do."

"Oh."

"We could- no, we should, try checking Medda's apartment. If I know Jack, I know she's one of the people he trusts most."

"Yeah, you're right. That's a good plan." Davey took a moment's pause before starting a new topic. "Speakin' of plans, how d'you expect me ta hold another protest without Jack? Were you even thinking back there?"

Valid questions. She hadn't been thinking, not really. She'd only wanted to stick it to Weasel, show him and the Delanceys that they weren't backing down, no matter what happened. But roping Davey into her stance hadn't been a great move. Considering, Katherine admitted, "I saw how quickly you worked with Spot to break in here. You think so little of yourself, Davey, but you can do this."

"I dunno 'bout that."

"I believe in you."

"Mhm."

"C'mon, trust me, will ya?"

Davey sighed. "Okay. But I can't ditch school for Jacobi's today. My parents would kill me."

"That's alright, I'm sure you won't be the only one staying behind."

"Um, have you met these guys?"

Katherine laughed. "Alright, fair point. But you'd be surprised." Her eyes fell again on the broken door. "I'll keep Spot in check while we discuss. Before I go... got any ideas you want me to run by the rest of these crazy kids?"

"Actually... yes. One."

"I'm all ears."

"So... I was thinking, now that we've got Brooklyn, we should have some sort of meeting with all the newsies. An' not just Manhattan an' Brooklyn, all of them. All over the city. Like a... a rally of some kind. A call to arms."

Now, that was a good idea. The more newsies they could get on board, the better their efforts would be. "I like the way you think, Jacobs."

Davey grimaced, like he was opposed to being praised. "You aren't the only one."

"Seriously, you have good ideas."

"Right. Good."

He was still looking down on himself. And just when Katherine had thought he'd sounded confident, too. "What makes you think your ideas haven't been good?"

"Ya kiddin' me?"

"Davey..."

"I mean, just look what I've caused! All those guys that got hurt, and the ones missing, that's all on me. If I hadn't suggested a strike, none of us would be in this mess."

Oh. So that was why he'd been upset with Katherine all morning. Not because he actually was mad at her, but because evidently he was cross with himself. Davey seemed to think that the entire cause of the weekend's riot stemmed solely from him, which simply wasn't true, and Katherine was willing to tell him so.

"You didn't suggest it. All you did was say one thing, which Jack took more seriously than anyone has ever taken anything."

That statement got through, and the rigidity of Davey's posture disappeared. "So you're saying the blame falls on Jack?"

"I'm saying, don't be so hard on yourself. And yes, he's more at fault than you are."

"Blaming the missing leader, Plumber, wow..."

It took her a moment, but once Katherine realized Davey was joking and not snapping at her again, she swatted his shoulder. "Oh, lighten up, it's not like he's dead, is it?"

Davey made a little "tch" sound, close to a laugh but not quite. "Guess that's true."

"Yeah Dave, it is. And you're gonna go to Medda's and find him."

"Sounds like a plan." They made their way out of the theater, and just before they parted ways, Davey said, "Y'know, that thing from before, about how you aren't a real reporter, I didn't mean that."

"I know you didn't. You were stressed, I was stressed, it doesn't matter now."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're on our side, and not Pulitzer's."

"Of course."

"Good luck with Spot Conlon."

"Thanks." Katherine folded in her lips, giving Davey what she hoped was a slightly horrified, slightly resigned expression. "I'll need it."

Can you guess what's coming up? My head is spinning just thinking of it.

This just happened as I was writing this caption so excuse the interruption but... CONGRATS VILDA ON 1,000 INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS YOU FRICKING QUEEN!

Anyway, if you enjoyed the chapter, please do consider leaving a review!

I'm gonna finish rewatching Outer Banks, and I'll see ya in the next chapter. Farewell for now!