Chapter 8
The newsies arrived right at 6 o'clock. Half of the guys came with blondes, while the others came alone, hoping to meet someone at the restaurant. Jack stood outside, waiting for Kate. He lit a cigarette and stared up into the dim-lit, purple, sky. As he started watching a boy playing with a ball in the streets a puff of smoke blew in his face. Kate was grinning at him. "You look very handsome," she stated.
Jack eyed Kate from head to toe. Her brown hair was pulled up on her head and came out in beautiful curls. The dress she was wearing was an emerald- green color and was strapless. Jack had never seen a strapless dress before, and not one that showed so much cleavage. His mouth dropped as he looked at the necklace around Kate's neck; a giant diamond was strung around it. "You look… you look… wow. Gorgeous."
Kate threw her cigarette down and pressed it into the cement with her white heels. "Let's get this party started!" she exclaimed, taking Jack's arm and wrapping it around her own.
They walked inside to the brightly lit restaurant. There were candles at every clothed table and flowers in little vases. It was beautiful, full of energy and spark. The whole room was full of tuxedoed men and strikingly dressed women. People were dancing to violins and cellos, and eating expensive food, and chatting away. The room was just packed with smiling newsies. Racetrack parted from his date, a blonde chick wearing a glamorous, blue dress, and ran towards Jack and Kate. "Dis is great!" he exclaimed, "We gotta do dis more often!" With that said, he dashed back to his date.
Kate chuckled, "It seems like everyone's having a good time." She scanned the rest of the room. "How did you even pay for this restaurant to let you guys have a party?"
"We just sent Dave ova' here and he got it fa us. I tink he dressed up nice fa dem and dey thought he was a scab." He winked.
"And Dave is your friend right?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow, forgetting that Kate hadn't met David, one of his best friends. He scanned the large room. "Dave!" he exclaimed, motioning for a curly-haired, blue-eyed, boy to come towards them.
David's eyes lit up when he saw that Jack was with someone. "Ay," he grinned, "I'm Dave."
Kate smiled, sticking her hand out. David shook it, without a thought of how strange it was to shake hands with a girl. "I'm Kate."
David nodded. "Yeah," he began, "Jack talks about you all the time…"
"Heh…" Jack nudged Dave.
Kate grinned. "I know," she said. She looked up at the ceiling and gazed at every person in the room, trying to remember the night forever. Not one thought of her Mother entered her head until she saw someone she knew. It was her Father. Her mouth dropped and she pulled at Jack's nice clothes. "I have to go," she stumbled.
"Wha'? We jus' got 'ere," Jack stated.
Dave seemed out of place and he walked back to the crowd that he had emerged from. "Nice meetin' ya," he waved back.
Kate glanced up and saw her Father. His eyes were locked on her. She pulled at Jack again. "I'm gonna go," she said, racing off and out the door.
"But…"
Jack's voice trailed off in Kate's head as she dashed back to her house. She didn't have a key, she remembered. And no one would be back until 10. It was only about 6:30 now. "Dammit," she whispered. She couldn't believe she had seen her Father. He had the distinctive mark above his eyebrow that she had given him. He had attacked her Mother and she had grabbed a switchblade that was near her at the time, knifing what she could of him, but she only scratched him once, above the eye. He had just stared at her, kicked her unconscious, and left. But he was found a few year's later, dead in a different state.
"Kate."
Kate knew it was her Father, and not Jack. She looked up at him. She shook her head and started walking quickly away.
"Kate!" he repeated, now louder.
"Leave me alone!" she bellowed, running now, back towards the party. Jack was coming out, looking around. Kate hugged onto him, tears streaming down her face. "Don't let him get me! Why won't he go away? Why won't he go away?" She shoved her face into Jack's nice tux and he combed through her now-tangled hair.
"Who?" Jack whispered a few times. "Who's afta' ya Kate?"
Kate sniffed and glanced back. No one was there. "He was there," she swore, "He was." She pleaded, "Don't let him get me Jack."
Jack squinted, unsure. "Who? Who are you afraid'a?"
"My Father," she whispered, wiping her tears away, looking up and down the street. "But," she added, "he's dead." She shook her head. "I'm so confused…"
Jack picked her chin up and gazed deeply into her eyes. Kate leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away. "Yeah ya seein' tings," he stated, shaking his head, "You're as high as a tree."
"But…"
"I can't believe you'd even do dis on a special night fa me. Why do you do dis? It ain't right at all. You don't jus' hurt yaself. Ya hurt da people around you."
Kate crossed her legs and flopped down on the ground. "I know," she whimpered. "It's so fucking hard," she stated. She could feel the drugs slowly dying down, just because Jack wanted them to. She believed Jack was special. He really cared for her, and she just kicked dirt in his face. She knew it was wrong, but half the time she didn't even know what she was doing. "Life's a bitch," she murmured.
"Well, so are people who screw up their life." He didn't sit down beside Kate. He walked back into the building, leaving Kate to herself.
Kate stood up and leaned against a wall. She pulled a cigarette from her bosom. Then she pulled out a match and lit the cigarette. She took a long puff on the cigarette, letting her fill her head. "Life's a bitch," she repeated, with an addition, "And so am I."
READ ON!
The newsies arrived right at 6 o'clock. Half of the guys came with blondes, while the others came alone, hoping to meet someone at the restaurant. Jack stood outside, waiting for Kate. He lit a cigarette and stared up into the dim-lit, purple, sky. As he started watching a boy playing with a ball in the streets a puff of smoke blew in his face. Kate was grinning at him. "You look very handsome," she stated.
Jack eyed Kate from head to toe. Her brown hair was pulled up on her head and came out in beautiful curls. The dress she was wearing was an emerald- green color and was strapless. Jack had never seen a strapless dress before, and not one that showed so much cleavage. His mouth dropped as he looked at the necklace around Kate's neck; a giant diamond was strung around it. "You look… you look… wow. Gorgeous."
Kate threw her cigarette down and pressed it into the cement with her white heels. "Let's get this party started!" she exclaimed, taking Jack's arm and wrapping it around her own.
They walked inside to the brightly lit restaurant. There were candles at every clothed table and flowers in little vases. It was beautiful, full of energy and spark. The whole room was full of tuxedoed men and strikingly dressed women. People were dancing to violins and cellos, and eating expensive food, and chatting away. The room was just packed with smiling newsies. Racetrack parted from his date, a blonde chick wearing a glamorous, blue dress, and ran towards Jack and Kate. "Dis is great!" he exclaimed, "We gotta do dis more often!" With that said, he dashed back to his date.
Kate chuckled, "It seems like everyone's having a good time." She scanned the rest of the room. "How did you even pay for this restaurant to let you guys have a party?"
"We just sent Dave ova' here and he got it fa us. I tink he dressed up nice fa dem and dey thought he was a scab." He winked.
"And Dave is your friend right?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow, forgetting that Kate hadn't met David, one of his best friends. He scanned the large room. "Dave!" he exclaimed, motioning for a curly-haired, blue-eyed, boy to come towards them.
David's eyes lit up when he saw that Jack was with someone. "Ay," he grinned, "I'm Dave."
Kate smiled, sticking her hand out. David shook it, without a thought of how strange it was to shake hands with a girl. "I'm Kate."
David nodded. "Yeah," he began, "Jack talks about you all the time…"
"Heh…" Jack nudged Dave.
Kate grinned. "I know," she said. She looked up at the ceiling and gazed at every person in the room, trying to remember the night forever. Not one thought of her Mother entered her head until she saw someone she knew. It was her Father. Her mouth dropped and she pulled at Jack's nice clothes. "I have to go," she stumbled.
"Wha'? We jus' got 'ere," Jack stated.
Dave seemed out of place and he walked back to the crowd that he had emerged from. "Nice meetin' ya," he waved back.
Kate glanced up and saw her Father. His eyes were locked on her. She pulled at Jack again. "I'm gonna go," she said, racing off and out the door.
"But…"
Jack's voice trailed off in Kate's head as she dashed back to her house. She didn't have a key, she remembered. And no one would be back until 10. It was only about 6:30 now. "Dammit," she whispered. She couldn't believe she had seen her Father. He had the distinctive mark above his eyebrow that she had given him. He had attacked her Mother and she had grabbed a switchblade that was near her at the time, knifing what she could of him, but she only scratched him once, above the eye. He had just stared at her, kicked her unconscious, and left. But he was found a few year's later, dead in a different state.
"Kate."
Kate knew it was her Father, and not Jack. She looked up at him. She shook her head and started walking quickly away.
"Kate!" he repeated, now louder.
"Leave me alone!" she bellowed, running now, back towards the party. Jack was coming out, looking around. Kate hugged onto him, tears streaming down her face. "Don't let him get me! Why won't he go away? Why won't he go away?" She shoved her face into Jack's nice tux and he combed through her now-tangled hair.
"Who?" Jack whispered a few times. "Who's afta' ya Kate?"
Kate sniffed and glanced back. No one was there. "He was there," she swore, "He was." She pleaded, "Don't let him get me Jack."
Jack squinted, unsure. "Who? Who are you afraid'a?"
"My Father," she whispered, wiping her tears away, looking up and down the street. "But," she added, "he's dead." She shook her head. "I'm so confused…"
Jack picked her chin up and gazed deeply into her eyes. Kate leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away. "Yeah ya seein' tings," he stated, shaking his head, "You're as high as a tree."
"But…"
"I can't believe you'd even do dis on a special night fa me. Why do you do dis? It ain't right at all. You don't jus' hurt yaself. Ya hurt da people around you."
Kate crossed her legs and flopped down on the ground. "I know," she whimpered. "It's so fucking hard," she stated. She could feel the drugs slowly dying down, just because Jack wanted them to. She believed Jack was special. He really cared for her, and she just kicked dirt in his face. She knew it was wrong, but half the time she didn't even know what she was doing. "Life's a bitch," she murmured.
"Well, so are people who screw up their life." He didn't sit down beside Kate. He walked back into the building, leaving Kate to herself.
Kate stood up and leaned against a wall. She pulled a cigarette from her bosom. Then she pulled out a match and lit the cigarette. She took a long puff on the cigarette, letting her fill her head. "Life's a bitch," she repeated, with an addition, "And so am I."
READ ON!