David entered Horace Greeley Square at 6:00 on the dot the next night. Kareoke night was in full swing, the newsies from Manhattan and Brooklyn getting rowdy and wild as usual. They were literally everywhere. A small platform surrounding the statue had been made from miscellaneous bits of material the newsies had probably "borrowed." David narrowed his eyes. Pieces of the Brooklyn bridge were in there.....and something that looked oddly like a crutch.... He stood towards the back and watched everyone.
"Gentlemen and.......Caroline!" Jack took the microphone, addresing the audience of newsies and the author, for some random reason. "I'd like to welcome you all to kareoke night! The judges tonight will be myself, Jack Kelly... the ever-TRUSTWORTHY and FAIR," [here Jack gave someone the evil eye] "Racetrack Higgins, who HAD BETTER NOT pick whoever has the best legs this week." [booing ensued]
["Gimme a break!! SHADDUP ALL A' YA'S!"]
"And, of course, the wise David Jacobs!!" Jack shouted. He searched through the cheering crowd (save for Racetrack, who pouted in the front row) looking for David.
David tried to make a run for it, but Spot stepped in front of him.
"C'mon ya em-bastard, get up there or I'll soak ya." He said menacingly. "And last time I soaked a guy, ya know what he begged for?" Spot glared evilly.
"Ummm....m-mercy, Mr. Spot, Sir?" David cowered.
"Wrong." Spot whispered, "He begged for....."
"YES?" David squeaked, preparing for pain.
"He begged for...........Soap." Spot smiled brightly, "Get it? He begged for soap! For a bath!!" Spot laughed. "Woo boy, I crack meself up. I'm doing stand up comedy tonight!"
"Ah.....ha. I get it! Good one Spot!" David laughed weakly.
"What was that?" Spot glared again.
"Oh I mean--Mr. Spot," David said, then added quickly, "Sir."
Spot smiled, then gave him the typical tough glare again, and walked off.
"C'mere Davey. We can't begin till you'se gets over here." Jack said very boredly.
"Oh...right." David walked slowly towards the platform.
'Another note--" Jack added, "SOME of us complained that they cant sing and their voices crack," [everyone looked at Mush as he told Blink about this girl he met last night] "So kareoke night has been opened up to anyone who wants to perform and not necessarily sing. With that said--" Jack took out a scrap of paper, "Let's have a warm round of applause for our first contestant, Crutchy!!" He took a seat next to David.
"You ready for the big date tonight?" Jack leaned over and whispered to David.
"Um yeah, I guess. What are we going to do after this..." David gestured to the audience and stage, "this whole thing?"
"Well...she wants to take you back to her place." Jack smirked.
"WHAT!?" David yelled. Crutchy stopped and the crowd stared at them.
"Oh, um...sorry Crutch. Continue." David called.
"C'mon Dave, you need to get laid sometime." Jack whispered through his teeth, waving sheepishly at the horde of gawking newsies.
"I'm not just going to go....do it with some girl I hardly know. It has to be special..." David looked away, then added softly, "I have to love her."
"Oh, um, alright, whatever, just go out for coffee then." Jack shrugged, then turned back to watch Crutchy.
David shook his head. He then realized that Jack didn't really care about what girl he had. He'd take any girl just as long as he could make out with her every night. He'd date anything.
....Well, Jack *was* dating Sarah after all.
David was immersed in thought until he had Jack's voice.
"Lets hear for Crutchy's interpretive clog dancing!" The audience applauded.
"How 'bout an encore!?" Crutchy yelled, exhilerated by the applause.
"Um Crutch we dont really have time--" Jack began but was cut off as the piano started playing again.
David watched Crutchy hop around the stage on one foot.
Where was his cru---ohhhhhhh, never mind.
***LATER ON THAT NIGHT***
"And now we'll take a short intermission." Jack announced.
The newsies all stood up to go buy some refreshments at Tibby's before the show started up again.
David sat at the judge's table, going over his notes on each of the contestants.
"Crutchy--interpretive clog dancing routine--um, interesting.
Spot--Spot's 'funny' jokes--not funny
Snipeshooter--smoking 25 Havana Cigars all at once--not impressive in the least
Bumlets--speaking actual words-- incredibly talented."
"Hi there Davey..." A flirtatious voice said coyly. David looked up. It was Denton.
"Hey Denton." David muttered, looking back down at his notes.
"How are you?" Denton touched his shoulder.
"Fine..."
"....Well...I hope you like my hula tonight." Denton giggled, then added in a low voice, "I've been practicing all week just for you, baby."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me Denton. I have been meaning to ask you something." David looked up earnestly.
"Yes?" Denton asked, breathless with anticipation.
"Have you seen Jack? I need to compare notes."
Denton's face fell, "Oh um yeah he's at Tibby's buying a drink...and some saurekraut." He gestured to the restaurant.
David smiled, standing up, "Thanks Denton. Good luck tonight!" He called over his shoulder.
"Yeah sure! Thanks!" Denton faked a smile, then muttered under his breath, "Bitch. Sure, go ahead, break my heart." He turned and walked off, swinging his hips.
"Hey Denton..." Ractrack looked up from his notes and grinned, "Nice legs..."
~*~
"And thank you Brian Denton--I mean, Brianna Denton--for that hula. Wasn't he--she--great, guys?" Jack ushered Denton offstage.
"As a general note--the local boyband '31st Street Boys' have canceled to perform at some backstreet. So our final act will be '~^~' Davey's blind date tonight."
The newsies looked around at each other.
"~^~? I've never heard of this ~^~. Who the heck is Squiggly Line-Arrow thing-Squiggly line?" Racetrack asked.
"As her name is made up of unprounounceable syllables, we will call her 'The Artist Formerly Known As Meadowlark."
David cocked his head. That sort of sounded farmiliar.
Suddenly in a vision of fluffy hot pink came.......MEDDA!?
"I dedicate my song tonight to my Davey." Medda said, attempting a low seductive voice. She cleared her throat and started to sing, "I'm too sexy for this show, too sexy for Pulitzer, soooooo sexy!"
By this time David was already running out of Horace Greeley square
...Screaming his head off.
"Gentlemen and.......Caroline!" Jack took the microphone, addresing the audience of newsies and the author, for some random reason. "I'd like to welcome you all to kareoke night! The judges tonight will be myself, Jack Kelly... the ever-TRUSTWORTHY and FAIR," [here Jack gave someone the evil eye] "Racetrack Higgins, who HAD BETTER NOT pick whoever has the best legs this week." [booing ensued]
["Gimme a break!! SHADDUP ALL A' YA'S!"]
"And, of course, the wise David Jacobs!!" Jack shouted. He searched through the cheering crowd (save for Racetrack, who pouted in the front row) looking for David.
David tried to make a run for it, but Spot stepped in front of him.
"C'mon ya em-bastard, get up there or I'll soak ya." He said menacingly. "And last time I soaked a guy, ya know what he begged for?" Spot glared evilly.
"Ummm....m-mercy, Mr. Spot, Sir?" David cowered.
"Wrong." Spot whispered, "He begged for....."
"YES?" David squeaked, preparing for pain.
"He begged for...........Soap." Spot smiled brightly, "Get it? He begged for soap! For a bath!!" Spot laughed. "Woo boy, I crack meself up. I'm doing stand up comedy tonight!"
"Ah.....ha. I get it! Good one Spot!" David laughed weakly.
"What was that?" Spot glared again.
"Oh I mean--Mr. Spot," David said, then added quickly, "Sir."
Spot smiled, then gave him the typical tough glare again, and walked off.
"C'mere Davey. We can't begin till you'se gets over here." Jack said very boredly.
"Oh...right." David walked slowly towards the platform.
'Another note--" Jack added, "SOME of us complained that they cant sing and their voices crack," [everyone looked at Mush as he told Blink about this girl he met last night] "So kareoke night has been opened up to anyone who wants to perform and not necessarily sing. With that said--" Jack took out a scrap of paper, "Let's have a warm round of applause for our first contestant, Crutchy!!" He took a seat next to David.
"You ready for the big date tonight?" Jack leaned over and whispered to David.
"Um yeah, I guess. What are we going to do after this..." David gestured to the audience and stage, "this whole thing?"
"Well...she wants to take you back to her place." Jack smirked.
"WHAT!?" David yelled. Crutchy stopped and the crowd stared at them.
"Oh, um...sorry Crutch. Continue." David called.
"C'mon Dave, you need to get laid sometime." Jack whispered through his teeth, waving sheepishly at the horde of gawking newsies.
"I'm not just going to go....do it with some girl I hardly know. It has to be special..." David looked away, then added softly, "I have to love her."
"Oh, um, alright, whatever, just go out for coffee then." Jack shrugged, then turned back to watch Crutchy.
David shook his head. He then realized that Jack didn't really care about what girl he had. He'd take any girl just as long as he could make out with her every night. He'd date anything.
....Well, Jack *was* dating Sarah after all.
David was immersed in thought until he had Jack's voice.
"Lets hear for Crutchy's interpretive clog dancing!" The audience applauded.
"How 'bout an encore!?" Crutchy yelled, exhilerated by the applause.
"Um Crutch we dont really have time--" Jack began but was cut off as the piano started playing again.
David watched Crutchy hop around the stage on one foot.
Where was his cru---ohhhhhhh, never mind.
***LATER ON THAT NIGHT***
"And now we'll take a short intermission." Jack announced.
The newsies all stood up to go buy some refreshments at Tibby's before the show started up again.
David sat at the judge's table, going over his notes on each of the contestants.
"Crutchy--interpretive clog dancing routine--um, interesting.
Spot--Spot's 'funny' jokes--not funny
Snipeshooter--smoking 25 Havana Cigars all at once--not impressive in the least
Bumlets--speaking actual words-- incredibly talented."
"Hi there Davey..." A flirtatious voice said coyly. David looked up. It was Denton.
"Hey Denton." David muttered, looking back down at his notes.
"How are you?" Denton touched his shoulder.
"Fine..."
"....Well...I hope you like my hula tonight." Denton giggled, then added in a low voice, "I've been practicing all week just for you, baby."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me Denton. I have been meaning to ask you something." David looked up earnestly.
"Yes?" Denton asked, breathless with anticipation.
"Have you seen Jack? I need to compare notes."
Denton's face fell, "Oh um yeah he's at Tibby's buying a drink...and some saurekraut." He gestured to the restaurant.
David smiled, standing up, "Thanks Denton. Good luck tonight!" He called over his shoulder.
"Yeah sure! Thanks!" Denton faked a smile, then muttered under his breath, "Bitch. Sure, go ahead, break my heart." He turned and walked off, swinging his hips.
"Hey Denton..." Ractrack looked up from his notes and grinned, "Nice legs..."
~*~
"And thank you Brian Denton--I mean, Brianna Denton--for that hula. Wasn't he--she--great, guys?" Jack ushered Denton offstage.
"As a general note--the local boyband '31st Street Boys' have canceled to perform at some backstreet. So our final act will be '~^~' Davey's blind date tonight."
The newsies looked around at each other.
"~^~? I've never heard of this ~^~. Who the heck is Squiggly Line-Arrow thing-Squiggly line?" Racetrack asked.
"As her name is made up of unprounounceable syllables, we will call her 'The Artist Formerly Known As Meadowlark."
David cocked his head. That sort of sounded farmiliar.
Suddenly in a vision of fluffy hot pink came.......MEDDA!?
"I dedicate my song tonight to my Davey." Medda said, attempting a low seductive voice. She cleared her throat and started to sing, "I'm too sexy for this show, too sexy for Pulitzer, soooooo sexy!"
By this time David was already running out of Horace Greeley square
...Screaming his head off.