Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The newsies belong to Disney, the original characters belong to their creators, and the plot belongs to me. "Jet Song" is from the musical West Side Story, and its lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is from Gypsy, and its lyrics were also written by Sondheim (busy guy).

The beginning dancers were obviously lacking in at least one major component of dance: flexibility. This became apparent when the members of Adrenaline started leading the boys through some basic stretches. To help take the boys' minds off the pain (and to cover up their increasingly loud complaints), Sapphy decided to put a CD in the stereo.

"How about Eminem?" Jack suggested.

"Don't talk," Twist commanded. "Just stretch."

"Yes, Mr. Sunshine," Jack muttered sarcastically.

"I don't see any Eminem CDs in here, anyway," Sapphy said, poring over the stack of CDs provided by the film's producers. "It's mostly just Disney stuff and a few old musicals. I suppose we could listen to The Lion King…oh, wait, here's a good one." Sapphy slipped a CD into the CD player, and then cranked up the volume on the stereo.

As sinister music filled the room, Spot wondered, "This is supposed to be a Disney musical?"

"Nope! It's West Side Story!" Sapphy crowed, before commencing to sing along with the opening song.

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette, to your last dyin' day!

"When you're a Jet, if the spit hits the fan, you got brothers around, you're a family man!

"You're never alone, you're never disconnected! You're home with your own, when company's expected. You're well protected!

"Then you are set with a capital J, which you'll never forget 'til they cart you away. When you're a Jet, You. Stay. A. Jet!"

Some of the other girls joined in, but Spot just stared around him in horror, mumbling incoherent remarks about "being surrounded".

"Oh, just shut up and stretch," his instructor, Fighter, commanded.

"Actually, that's probably about enough stretching," Cat decided. "We don't want their muscles to be too sore tomorrow morning." The resident dancers laughed while the newsies just groaned.

"Tomorrow morning? I'm sore now," Spot whined.

"Oh, get over yourself," Fighter muttered.

"Hey—" Spot began, but then shut up when he noticed Cat (among others) glaring at him.

"We're going to start off with something simple," Cat said. "It's the super-easy routine that Nikki showed us," she added to Ali. "Do you want to teach it?"

"Sure," Ali agreed, walking to the front of the room. She turned the music off, and then faced the newsies. "This is really basic, and it's only eight counts long. Watch me do it first, and then we'll try it together."

"It's just like kindergarten," Spot mumbled, only to be rewarded by Fighter with a kick in the shin. "Hey!"

"She's right, you do need to get over yourself," Ali decided firmly. "Just don't break anything," she remarked to Fighter. "I think Nikki mentioned something about wanting to keep these guys alive until after they finish filming."

"Then we can murder them?" Fighter asked eagerly.

Ali shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Anyway, here's how the first eight counts of the routine go: step-ball-change, hitch kick, point, point, single pirouette. Make sure you start on your left foot."

Ali's instruction (supplemented with a demonstration) was greeted with eight blank stares and giggles from most of the dancers.

"Uh, Ali, I think maybe we should teach them what a hitch kick is first. Or maybe even what a kick is," Sparks suggested, feeling sorry for Les, who looked completely lost already.

"I know what a kick is," Spot muttered. "It's what she just did to me." He pointed an accusing finger at Fighter.

"Naw," Fighter said nonchalantly. "This is a kick." She swung her leg up in front of her until it was well above Spot's head, and then returned it silently to the ground.

"Okay, two lines at the left side of the room," Ali announced. "We're doing straight kicks across the floor. Sapphy and Shakes will demonstrate."

With a little assistance from their instructors, the boys ended up in two lines of four at one end of the studio. Sapphy stood in front of one line with Shakes at the head of the other.

Ali turned the music back on and counted off, "Five, six, seven, eight." Together, Sapphy and Shakes stepped forward on their right feet and kicked their left legs into the air, toes pointed, legs straight. Ali waited until the two girls were halfway across the studio before counting off the next group.

Tentatively, Jack and David stepped forward (on opposite feet) and kicked their legs into the air. Their flexed feet got up to about waist level before they returned to the ground with a collective thud.

"You each owe me two push-ups!" Ali announced.

"What the---" Jack started. "What's that have to do with these stupid kicks?"

"You didn't point your toes," Ali said. "Whenever we practice kicks in class and we don't point our toes, we have to do two push-ups. Per kick."

"Fine," Jack grumbled. He and David both dropped to the ground and did a pair of push-ups. Jack's were decent, but David could just barely get himself off the ground before flopping back down to his stomach.

Twist doubled over, laughing. "God, you're all so pathetic!" he exclaimed. "You can't do kicks, you can't do push-ups. Seriously, can you guys do anything?"

"Hey!" Spot started menacingly, walking over to Twist. "What do you mean, we're pathetic?"

"Fighter, shouldn't you do something about this?" Sparks suggested. "Before the two Mr. Egotisticals start punching each other? I mean, you're supposed to be in charge of Spot."

"Oh, yeah," Fighter mused. "Down, Spot," she commanded calmly. Spot glared while everyone else in the studio guffawed.

Nikki wandered into the studio, having heard the hysteric laughter from the next room. "How's it going in here?" she wondered. "Are they ready to try out for Giselle yet?"

"Nikki, honey," Twist began, walking over and placing his arm around his dance teacher's shoulders. "These guys aren't even coordinated enough to try out for a middle school football team."

"Come on, Twist, behave," Nikki scolded. "People like you so much better when you're nice."

"It's not my fault they're so inept," Twist muttered.

Nikki just rolled her eyes. "So what's going on here?"

"We're doing straight kicks across the floor," Cat explained.

"Well, I personally wouldn't call them kicks, but I suppose…" Twist murmured, before receiving a glare from Nikki and shutting up.

"Let's see them, then," Nikki said. "Who's going? Jack and David?"

Looking reluctant and slightly embarrassed, Jack and David stepped forward and kicked, this time with their toes pointed, but still only getting their feet up to waist level before they plopped back to the ground. "Hmm…that was…interesting," Nikki said, trying not to giggle. "Work on kicking a little higher. Next?"

Spot and Crutchy followed Jack and David. Crutchy's kicks were actually pretty decent---it looked like he was at least trying. And Spot…well…

"Two push-ups, Spot. Now!" Fighter ordered.

"My toes were pointed!" Spot whined.

"Sit down with your legs in front of you," Fighter instructed. Spot obeyed hesitantly. "Now point your toes." Spot did so half-heartedly, and Fighter put one hand on his right foot and pushed down hard, forcing his toes to point forward. "That's pointing your toes," she said, gritting her teeth in aggravation. "Now, let's go. Two push-ups."

"You did a good job, Crutchy," Raven instructed gently off to the side. "Just try to kick so your foot goes above your head. It might take a little work, but you'll get it." Crutchy grinned and continued practicing his kicks while Jack stared at him enviously, wishing that he was receiving Raven's private instruction instead of Twist's sarcastic comments.

"Next up!" Nikki called when Spot had grudgingly finished his push-ups. Les and Boots stepped tentatively to the front of their lines, Les giving Sparks a very skeptical look.

"Just try," she coaxed.

"Yeah! Just try it!" Shakes added enthusiastically, before starting her own little cheerleading routine. "Go Les! Go Les! It's your birthday! Go Les!"

Twist clamped a firm hand over Shakes's mouth, although he was unable to stop her from jumping up and down and waving her arms in the air. "I don't think you're helping, Shakes, darling," he said gently.

Les looked up in fear. "What's the matter with her?" he wondered.

"Nothing," Sparks reassured him. "She's just a little…energetic."

"No kidding," Les mumbled before attempting a kick.

When he and Boots had finished, Nikki called for the last pair: Racetrack and Snipeshooter.

"You can do it! All you need is a hand! We can do it. Mama is gonna see to it!" Sapphy sang in an attempt to encourage her pupil.

Nikki put one hand on her forehead in exasperation as Shakes and Ali joined in, forming an exuberant, if slightly off-key, chorus. "Sapphy, remember what I told you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sapphy said, ceasing her performance and staring at the floor in shame. "No singing selections from Gypsy, My Fair Lady, or The King and I during rehearsal."

"And why did I tell you that?" Nikki prompted.

"Because it scares my fellow dancers."

"That's right," Nikki said, giving Sapphy a comforting pat on the shoulder. Sapphy quickly returned to her normally (or abnormally?) perky self.

"Now we're going to work on hitch kicks!" Cat announced as Racetrack and Snipeshooter finished their straight kicks. The boys lined up again and prepared for more torture.

AN: There will be separate chapters featuring the intermediate and advanced dance classes. (Don't worry, I won't forget them!) My dance teachers used to make my class do push-ups if we didn't point our toes during kicks, so that's where I got that idea. A big thank-you to Sapphy for writing out the lyrics to "Jet Song" in her review---if they're wrong, blame her (just kidding). This chapter was accompanied by Bon Jovi and my new Ultimate Broadway CD, and it was typed while I was wearing my new purple newsie cap.

Shout-outs:

ershey – My dance teacher told me once that to fully stretch out your muscles, you should hold a split for twenty seconds. (Which I suppose means that my muscles aren't ever anywhere close to being fully stretched out.) Thanks for the review!

Clips – I love your character because she's so energetic and outgoing and fun to write. Thanks for reviewing!

Matchin' Laces – Thanks for the review!

Written Sparks – Sorry about all the confusion with your character! I tried to put her in more in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

Ireland – Twist is so much fun to write. He reminds me of some of my guy friends, too. Thanks for reviewing!

Janet – I'm glad I got your character right. I'm always a little nervous the first time I write someone else's character. Thanks for the review!

Frogger No Baka – I LOVE writing Twist! He is so much fun! Nikki is kind of a cross between Peggy Holmes (an actual choreographer for Newsies) and my first dance teacher, Nicole. Thanks for the review!

Lute - "Nikki always enjoyed watching her dancers stretch." In the rough draft, that was a really convoluted, run-on sentence, so I decided to shorten it…you're right, though, it is really funny when you think about it. And, yeah, I love to torture Jack, too. Thanks for the review!

Randy – * coughI'llletyoukillthenewsiesafterIfinishwritingthisficcough *

Sapphy (who didn't put her name at the top of her review) – I love your reviews so much---they make me laugh! West Side Story is a really great musical. "Gee, Officer Krupke" is my favorite song from it. Lots of love to you, Sapphy!

Raven – Developes were the first ballet step that came to mind when I was writing, so I just threw them in. I'm not too great at them, either. I'm not sure if Twist is gay or not…I'll think about it. Thanks for the review!