Good morning! (It's at least morning where I am.)

Review Responses:

AndrewKeenanBolgerFan: MWAHAHAHA! Yes, Tommy Boy is quite possibly the worst influence Les has ever had. YEAH FINCH, LEAVE SNIPER AND RACE ALONE! (I have not seen that meme, sorry.) Vent anytime, glad you liked it!

JustVildaPotter: (Chapter 21) Ah, gosh darn phone. Then again, it's hard to keep up when I keep posting as often as I have been. Let's go Smallsper, let's go! *clap clap clap* Mr. Pulitzer, how dare you! (Chapter 22) Someone had to tell Davey the truth, that he can't escape the storyline. So Sarah did. Powerful moment indeed! Thank you, and I'll see you in more responses after your school day!

Here's another short chapter. Some day there will be longer ones again.

Chapter 25- Katherine

Thursday, September 16, 1999, 4:00 p.m.

Katherine stood outside the doors bearing the words The New York Sun in fancy script. This was it. Her chance. While she may have agreed to visit the office building for Jack, to talk to the editor about covering the next day's protest, in reality she was doing this for herself. Going to speak with the editor of The Sun meant making a first impression, and Katherine planned to treat it like a job interview. She was so serious about the whole affair that she had stopped by her apartment to pick up her resume and to change into a more business-like outfit. Coincidentally, Bill and Darcy had returned home at the same time as Katherine. After a quick explanation on her part as to what was going on, they had agreed to come with her to the interview for moral support. Sarah had looked only a little disappointed at this breach on her and Katherine's boy-free alone time. So far though, Sarah had been a good sport. It probably helped that neither of the boys accompanying them were named Jack Kelly.

Now, Sarah nudged Katherine toward the double doors. "Come on, you can do this. It isn't meant to be an interview."

"You've spent your whole life around newspapers," Darcy encouraged.

"Wait, really?"

Before Katherine could make up a convincing lie to explain away Darcy's comment, Bill cut in, "Didn't you know? Katherine's father is Joseph Pulitzer."

Sarah's eyes went wide. "Joseph Pulitzer, as in the Joseph Pulitzer? You're kidding."

Katherine sighed. So much for her secret. "It's true. Before he became superintendent, my dad owned The New York World, you know, the one I based our school paper on? But he lost it a while back. Bankruptcy."

"You're Pulitzer's daughter." Sarah shook her head. "There can't be room for any mysteries around here, can there."

Thanks a lot, Bill, Katherine thought. "You have to promise not to tell the newsies, especially not Jack."

Bill wiggled his eyebrows at the sound of that name. "Ooh, Jack."

"He still out of your league?" Darcy wanted to know.

"Of course he is." Sarah's tone suggested that this information should have been common knowledge to everyone present. "Even more so now, knowing what a big shot your father is."

"You have to keep this quiet, Sarah," implored Katherine. "If Jack found out, he would hate me."

"I'm gonna keep my mouth shut, don't worry. Now stop thinking about Jack and concentrate on the interview that this most certainly isn't."

With that, the quartet entered the building that housed The Sun. Katherine led the charge. A half-asleep secretary shook themself awake and peered at the four young people over the top of their spectacles. "Can I help you?" Their voice had a strange nasally quality to it.

Katherine cleared her throat. "I'd like to speak with someone on your staff about a potential story."

"Is it big?"

"Um, it involves a group of students from Roosevelt High School. They plan to-"

"First floor, Mr. Denton's desk."

"Desk?"

"Yes, desk. Now shoo."

"Okay..." Before she could add anything more, Darcy and Bill pushed their friend through the doors behind the reception desk.

It didn't take them long to find Mr. Denton's desk, despite how crowded the first floor office was. Cubicles filled every square inch possible, with only a little space left to walk between them. Within each little square of gray walls sat a frazzled-looking reporter, typing away on a computer or scribbling away on a notebook. Unlike the other reporters, the man Katherine had been sent to find occupied a simple brown desk in the very back corner of the room. Rather than a cubicle, his desk was sandwiched between the water cooler and the copying machine. Since the front of his desk was edged up against the wall, the little wooden nameplate reading Brian Denton was attached to the back of his chair with a load of Scotch tape. Katherine knew at once that this man was not the editor of The Sun, though any idiot with a functioning brain would have been able to ascertain that information. This man was so far from being a nobody that he was hardly a sort of body at all.

Clearing her throat, Katherine tapped him tentatively on the shoulder. "Hello."

The man spun his chair around. He took in Katherine's eager expression, attempt at a professional-looking outfit, and the lofty portfolio tucked under her arm. Then he groaned, "Not again."

"Pardon? You are Mr. Denton, correct?"

"Yep, that's me. What've you got for me, kid?"

"I'm here to see about partnering with a reporter here to cover a big event happening tomorrow, at the school where I teach, er, student teach."

"Uh-huh. And what might this 'big event' be?"

"The students who are part of the school newspaper team have decided to organize a walkout in order to protest recent budget cuts."

"Thrilling."

Darcy nudged Katherine, whispering, "Show him your application."

Katherine procured the manila envelope. "In addition, if you wouldn't mind taking a look, I've been interested in a job-"

"I'm going to stop you there." Mr. Denton pushed the folder away. "Look, I'd love to help you, really I would, but I see twenty copies of you every day. Any wannabe reporter is sent straight to me, especially the girls. Some might call me the scum at the bottom of the barrel."

"You certainly are scum if you won't even look at her application," Bill remarked.

"Do you know how much time she spent on this?" Sarah demanded, grabbing the folder out of Katherine's hands and brandishing it in Mr. Denton's face.

He took it and made a little half turn in his chair so he could toss it onto his desk. "I can give you a pretty good estimate." Focusing on Katherine, he added, "I hate to break it to you, but The Sun only hires girl reporters to cover entertainment and the occasional advice column. The hard news, particularly political stories like the one you were going to pitch me, well, that's considered a man's job."

"Shut up," Sarah said.

"Hey, I didn't say I agreed with their system. I'm only telling it like it is. That's how it works here at The Sun. Again, I'm sorry."

"I'm aware of this paper's policy when it comes to female reporters," Katherine explained, slowly bringing forth the words. "In fact, I went to the theater last night and reviewed a show for my example article."

This news intrigued Mr. Denton. "Really?" He opened the folder and selected the papers Katherine had been referring to. Muttering, "Katherine Plumber, eh?" after his first glance at the pages, he skimmed the article she had stayed up till two in the morning writing the previous night. "That's a catchy name."

"It's my byline."

As a reporter, Mr. Denton fully understood this. "'The Bowery Beauties'? That show any good?"

"Oh, extremely. I liked the, uh, choreography."

Darcy smirked, laughing a little bit. "Yeah. The choreography." Katherine could tell he was remembering the two actresses' attractive costumes in the same way she was.

Mr. Denton finished looking over the article and threw it back onto his desk. "I have to admit, that was rather good. Much better than anything else I've seen today. If all your writing is as good as that, well, Katherine, I'd say you have a good chance at a position here."

Beaming, Katherine thanked him, then returned to the matter she had originally come to discuss. "So would you consider partnering with me on covering the student protest tomorrow?"

To her dismay, Mr. Denton laughed a skeptical sort of laugh. "I wish. I'm just busting out of the social pages myself. Even if this really is news- and it doesn't sound like it is- The Sun isn't going to send me to cover the story."

"I assure you, this is news. These kids are on fire. Why, just today they wanted to confront Joseph Pulitzer himself."

"Is that so?"

Katherine nodded. "You could say they're a couple of Davids looking to take on a Goliath."

"Literally," Sarah mumbled with a tiny smile.

"I never said that," said Mr. Denton.

"You didn't have to," Katherine felt incredibly pleased with herself for coming up with the metaphor. "I did."

"All right," Mr. Denton leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his stomach. "I'll bite and take a gander at this protest of yours. If it's newsworthy, I'll consider talking to the editor. Although, if he'll want to talk to me is entirely up in the air."

"Brilliant!" Katherine clapped her hands, in what she hoped was a triumphant way. "Meet us outside the gates of Roosevelt High late tomorrow morning. If you don't see me, look for Sarah and her camera." Sarah gave the man a little wave.

"I look forward to it," said Mr. Denton, and Katherine could see that he meant it.

Our Man Denton! He exists! And frankly, he doesn't give a crap. He's just trying to go about his day as an employee everyone looks down upon.

But more importantly, we got Bill and Darcy in this chapter! Woohoo!

Who did you like meeting more this chapter: Denton or the other guys? Let me know in a review, if you will!

See you next time!