Hey, look at that! You've found my one-shot collection!

I don't have time to post any new chapters of We Are Newsies (WAN) today, so I'm just giving you this first draft of the Sarah chapter. If you've been reading WAN, some of this will look familiar, and if you haven't and you like this one-shot, consider checking it out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or any of the other musicals I reference here (Rent and Be More Chill). I also don't own the Netflix show Julie and The Phantoms, which I have borrowed a scene from.

Enjoy!

Chemistry

Wednesday, September 15, 1999, 6:00 p.m.

Sarah Jacobs hung up the phone for the fourth time. Resigned to her lonesomeness, she placed it back in the receiver connected to the wall. Where had Katherine run off to? Even though the colleges started two weeks before the other schools in New York, Sarah knew for a fact that the older girl did not have any work to do that afternoon. She must have desperately needed to get away from the immature teenagers. But Katherine had left so suddenly, especially after having promised Sarah she would help her out with pictures for the yearbook. Whichever student on the yearbook staff took the most pictures on the first day back got extra credit, something Sarah lived for. She had thought that with Katherine's help, she had the competition in the bag. Maybe it was cheating, but no one would have needed to know that. If only Katherine hadn't ditched her. Sighing, Sarah packed up her textbooks, placing them in her bag beside her camera with the greatest of care. At least she had all her homework completed. Her mother didn't have an excuse to pester her now.

"Knock knock," said a voice. Sarah knew who it was without turning around. "You free now, or are ya still waitin' on Kath?"

"What if I am?"

"Tha's great. I'll be on my way."

"Wait-" Sarah turned around to face Jack- "It's been three hours. What do you want?"

"Medda thought I should ask ya ta help me with tech stuff."

"It's the first day back. Medda hasn't even decided on the play yet." Sarah smirked. "Were you bothering her?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"They should bottle you up and advertise it as Woman Repellent."

"What?"

"I mean, just look at all these ladies you've driven away. Katherine, Medda, Smalls-"

"You."

"No. Not me."

"Aw, c'mon. I know ya can't resist my charms."

"I can, actually. It's quite simple."

"Ain't that nice fer you."

"It is."

Jack hung in the doorway, swinging back and forth between the hallway and the classroom. "So, you comin' ta help me, or what?"

"Sure, why not?" Sarah grabbed her backpack from the table and pulled it onto both shoulders.

The pair began walking down the empty hallway. At the current time of day, the school was dead silent. Sarah found it nice, there being no one else around.

"Y'know," Jack started, interrupting the peace. "It's been so long, I kinda forgot why we hate each otha'."

"Freshman year," answered Sarah immediately. "You didn't have a girlfriend, or a clue. And I was a loser, just like you."

"Ouch."

"We got paired together for a class project and after about three conversations, you decided it would be okay to kiss me."

"Because a' that one time I saw the Delanceys pickin' on ya an' jumped ta yer rescue. I remember."

"You didn't rescue me, I was holding my own."

"Ya got one punch in before fallin' back."

"Brass knuckles are scary! Besides, you basically took over after you showed up."

"Only 'cause ya let me take over."

"Circling back to the point, you decided to kiss me after that fight, and then you started a relationship with Katherine after Homecoming two weeks later."

"Do I detect… jealousy?"

"Uh, yeah. You stole my crush."

Jack shrugged. "Whoops."

"And you wonder why I hate you."

"No, I understand that. What I'm tryin' ta figure out is why I hate you."

"Hell if I know."

"Huh. Sorry, I guess."

"Gee, thanks…"

The silence fell again, thicker this time. Sarah could hear her footsteps echoing against the floor. Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Like Katherine's typewriter. Eventually, Jack started humming. And then Sarah recognized the song.

"'This is weird,'" she said.

"'It's weird,'" Jack agreed.

"'Very weird.'"

"'Freakin' weird.'"

Sarah hummed most of the next lyric, until she got to, "'and to top it all off, I'm with you,'" at which point she glared at Jack.

They kept on in this way, half humming, half singing the song. Soon the hallway was filled with the echoes of assorted lyrics, plus random comments inserted by Jack as if he were talking to the characters in the song.

When they reached the part of the song that semi-included a dance break, Jack held out his hand. "Shall we tango?"

"No, we shall not."

"C'mon, humor me."

"You can't dance, Jack. I've seen you try."

"Whaddaya mean? I could be on the dance team, watch." Jack took a running start down the hall, and Sarah couldn't tell what he had been trying to do, but it ended with him nearly faceplanting on the linoleum.

"What did I tell you?" Sarah called as she jogged up to him. "I can hardly dance either, but I have more skills than you." She ran and jumped in the air, half-attempting splits while trying to punch the air at the same time. Her landing was less than perfect, but unlike Jack's mishap, there was no potential for injury.

"The hell was that?" Jack wondered when she had landed.

"Dunno. Felt like doing it, so I did."

"'I'm defeated, I should give up right now,'" Jack sang, continuing both the conversation and the song.

Sarah hummed the next few lyrics, trading off with Jack every couple lines. At the end of the first verse, she halted the song again. "How are you doing with college applications?"

Jack groaned. "Is that all anyone can talk about now?"

"I just thought it'd be on your mind, as you're a senior, and I'm a senior."

"Sorry, but people keep bringin' it up an' I'm tired of it."

"Okay."

"If youse want me ta leave so bad, jus' ask. I'll buy a ticket ta Santa Fe before ya can say… well, Santa Fe."

"Please tell me you don't want to go there just because of Rent," pleaded Sarah, bringing up the musical from which they had been singing.

"No, I got other reasons." Sarah waited for him to provide said other reasons, but he didn't. "But I ain't gonna tell 'em ta you."

Clapping a hand to her chest in mock offense, Sarah gasped, "But we dueted! How dare you, Jack Kelly."

He sighed. "There's a pretty good art school out there."

"Art school? Really?"

"Yeah, ya got a problem wit that?"

"Well, isn't New York more of an artsy place than the desert?"

"Leavin' New York is kinda the point."

"But all your friends are here. And Katherine and Medda."

"So? In Santa Fe, yer friends are yer family." Jack brought back the humming, indicating that the conversation was over, at least for him. Sarah wanted to ask how he didn't realize how close he was with his friends as of now, but she knew he wouldn't want to hear it.

So instead, she hummed for a bit, then challenged him to a race when they neared the theater doors. As they sprinted, he matched her pace, and they ended up entering the theater together, belting the final words of the song: "'The Tango...Maureen!'"

Bowing to the members of the dance team, who applauded as they packed their things, Sarah and Jack crossed the stage to where David was standing, a smug grin on his face.

"You two dated at some point," he said. "Stop lying to me."

"I swear we didn't," Sarah tried to convince him. "Swear on Jack's life."

"I would've thought you wanted him dead, earlier."

"Suspicious…" Les, who was apparently there, stroked his chin. Sarah realized that both she and David had forgotten to collect their brother at the end of the school day. Good for Les for finding his way to the high school on his own. "Very suspicious, unless… you dated!"

Specs walked up. "No, Jack has chemistry with everyone he sings with. It's his thing."

That made Jack smile. "Aw, thanks Specs."

"I want to believe you," Davey said in a tone of disbelief, "but I can't."

"Me neither," agreed Les.

"Seriously, watch." Jack started walking toward David, bouncing a little as he sang, "'I got no use for moonlight, or sappy poetry... Love at first sight's for suckers, at least it used… to be…'" he approached David, who still had a skeptical look on his face. "'Look girls are nice, once or twice, 'til I find someone new, but-'" he stepped even closer, tilting the other boy's head upwards by a millimeter- "I never planned on someone…'" Sarah saw her brother's eyes shoot wide open as Jack leaned closer, "'like…'" their faces were barely inches from each other as Jack breathed the last word on one syllable, "'you.'"

Les, standing off to the side of this interaction, nodded approvingly. "I see chemistry."

Sarah held in her laughter at the sight of David's panicked, flushed face as he stammered, "Th-that was pretty hot."

Jack smiled, and in an instant, placed two fingers to his lips, then reached over and tapped them to David's own. For a moment, Sarah's brother stood there, gaping in shock. He came to his senses a second afterwards and cleared his throat, saying, "Girls, am I right?"

"Yeah," Les concurred.

"Yep," laughed Sarah.

"Sometimes," said Jack.

"No." Specs smiled.

There you go! Again, I don't own Julie and the Phantoms, but I highly recommend it. There is a scene in the show that is very similar to the last scene of this story, so if you liked that, go watch JATP!

Also, listen to "Tango: Maureen" from Rent if you've never heard it, because it's a very Jack and Sarah song.

Oh, and holiday one-shots will be coming soon, I promise.

Ta-ta for now!