I do not own Newsies, or any of the Newsies characters. To the best of my knowledge they are owned by Disney.
I do not own the character Saiorse "Irish" Callan. She is owned by her creator Lady of Tir Na Nog, who has graciously offered the use of "Irish" as a character in this story.
I am making no money from this story. I seriously doubt the sanity of anyone who would pay money to read anything I have written.
Beta Credit goes to SakiSaki for her exceptional patience and editing skills.
Rated M for Slash, Sexual Situations, and Language.
CHAPTER 11 - MYSTERIES REVEALED
Reggie couldn't help laughing when the guys all ran toward the pizza boxes. They looked more like the kids she remembered than the men they had become.
"Sit back down, you piranha," Reggie scolded using her official Sister Regina voice. "I promised Brother Joseph that I would read you this note before anybody ate."
Gentlemen,
I hope that your stay in Sister Regina's boot camp isn't too unbearable. I thought that some music and food would make your stay a little more comfortable.
I know that Sister Regina can be a tough taskmaster. She is used to getting her own way. She . . . She . . .
Reggie stood staring at the note while tears welled in her eyes.
"What's wrong Sis?" Tony asked as he got to his feet.
Reggie looked at him with tear filled eyes and held out the note.
Tony took the note and scanned to the part that had upset her. His face turned crimson as he continued the letter out loud.
I know that Sister Regina can be a tough task master. She is used to getting her own way. She must have been very spoiled as a child. My theory is that she was raised by an overindulgent and all too permissive family.
"Overindulgent and permissive family!" he shouted. "Who does this guy think he is? You were raised by a damn good family! And where the hell is this son of a bitch! He comes up with the idea of this investigation and you do all the work? Why isn't he taking some of the risks?"
"Tony, would you talk to him for me? Please?" Reggie whimpered.
"Damn right I'm gonna talk to him!"
"Thank you, Tony," Reggie said as the put her arms around him. "You wait here and I'll go get him."
Reggie walked toward the door, but she didn't leave the room. Instead she stopped and pushed the play button on the boom box. "Tony Dear, I'd like you to meet Brother Joseph!"
Suddenly, a small-framed man came running past Reggie and slid across the gym floor. He was dressed in nothing but white sox, a white shirt, and white cotton briefs.
"What the fuck?" said Tony.
"It's Itey!" shouted Jack. "Son of a bitch! It's Itey!"
It was Itey. He was dressed like Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business. He was dancing around to the tune of Old Time Rock and Roll just as he had fifteen years earlier at their rained out camping trip.
Reggie leaned against the doorframe and smiled as Specs, Dutchy, David, and Chris all joined in the dance.
Though it took a moment for him to calm down, Tony was soon laughing along with the rest.
When the song was over Reggie threw Itey his sweats. "Good job Itey," she called.
Tony glared at Reggie. He was standing with his arms folded tight across his chest. He looked like a father who was about to punish an impertinent child.
"Oh give it up, Tony," she laughed. "You're just too easy. You fell for that crying routine when I was five years old and you're still falling for it."
"She's right, You are too easy," Chris said as he hugged Tony from behind. "But that's one of the things I love best about you!"
"Excuse me Sister Regina," Tony grinned. "Should you be looking at him without his pants on? I know that they've relaxed the rules a bit, but is there anything in the nun's handbook that says you're allowed to host parties with exotic male dancers?"
"Oh grow up, Tony," Reggie gigged. "Now I'm going to say goodnight to you boys. Have a good time and play nice!"
They all called back in unison, "Good Night Sister Regina!"
"Damn, Itey. It's good to see ya," Jack said. "But I never expected to see this much of ya! I don't think that I've laid eyes on you since you and Spot left for boot camp."
"Oh Itey?" Tony called as he walked across the room. "My pal, by buddy, my childhood friend?"
"Yes Racetrack?"
"What the hell are you doing parading in front of my sister without your damn pants on!"
"We've been having this same discussion since we were twelve years old," Itey grinned. "But it won't work this time, Race. I'm not afraid of you anymore."
"And why not?"
Just then Itey removed the white shirt to reveal a large strong chest and a sea of bulging muscles.
"I spent ten years in the Marine Corps pal. Compared to that, you are a rank amateur!"
"Wow! Will you look at that?" David said with his eyes bugging out. "Itey's got more muscles that Mush!"
"Hey, hey! Watch where you're looking," Jack warned as he covered David's eyes.
"Don't worry, Jack," David smiled. "You know that I go for the long and lean type."
"Well, what the hell is all this Brother Joseph bullshit?" Tony asked as he reached to shake Itey's hand.
"It's no bullshit, Race. I joined the Brotherhood three years ago."
"Well, you shocked the hell out of me," Tony laughed. "I sure didn't see this one coming!"
"I'm surprised that you didn't figure it out, Race. I thought that out of everybody you would know who Brother Joseph was."
"How could I know what you were up to?"
"Come on, Race. You are half Italian, aren't you? My real name is Giuseppe. That's Italian for Joseph."
"He's got you there, Tony," Chris laughed. "I think that I just heard your mother turn over in her grave."
"Damn, Itey," said Spot. " I thought that you were never gonna show y'self. I was beginnin' ta think ya fell asleep in that office'a yours."
"Are you saying that you were in on this gag, Spot?" Jack asked.
"Hell yea! But I didn't know that we was gonna get a floor show out'a it."
"Spot wasn't the only one who knew," said Dutchy.
"Yeah." Specs grinned. "Somebody had to send that letter and make the phone calls,"
"Well, why the conspiracy?" asked Chris.
"Itey contacted me and Spot about their suspicions," Specs explained. "They wanted us to check it out unofficially. We knew that we were going to need your help, so we decided to have some fun with it. The camp out was Reggie and Itey's idea. We didn't know about that until this morning."
"Well, why the hell am I here?" Mush grumbled. "I understand why they needed help from the rest of you, but why me? Why the hell am I being forced to take this walk down memory lane?"
"That was your mother's idea," Itey explained. "She thought that you needed to be here."
"This is bullshit!" Mush shouted.
Spot decided that he'd had enough of Mush's attitude. "Maybe your mom thought that we would benefit from your shining personality," Spot said sarcastically.
"Screw you, Conlon!" Mush yelled as he got to his feet.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Spot replied. "I've been takin' your shit for more than fifteen years now and I don't even know why!"
"You lying son of a bitch," Mush hissed as he lunged for Spot.
It took Jack, Specs, Itey, and Tony to separate the two.
"Come on Mush. Will you please tell us what this is all about?" Tony asked.
"You know damn well what this is about. All of you!"
"None of us know what the fuck you're talkin' about," Spot grumbled. "You've had a bug up your ass since high school. I've tried to talk and ya wouldn't let me. I wrote you more times than I can count, and ya sent the letters back unopened. We were all friends since we was kids. I think that we're da ones who should be pissed at you for treatin' us like crap!"
"I've got to be honest with you, Mushie, I don't remember much about that last year of high school," Dutchy assured him. "I was strung out most of the time. I really don't remember what we did to you."
Mush knew that Dutchy was telling the truth. Dutchy was almost always high that last year. Mush ignored the others and spoke directly to him.
"Do you remember when Jack was trying to get elected president of the student council?"
"Some of it," Dutchy answered. " But I was pretty self absorbed back then, and I'd just started using."
"Well, ask your pals what happened. I'm sure Spot will enjoy telling the story. He always has!"
With that Mush grabbed a beer and went to sit on the far side of the gym.
Irish had gone before the student council to nominate Jack for president.
None of the council members knew what to do. It was so close to the election, and they already had two candidates campaigning for president. One was a football player named Jake Noonan. He was a buddy of the Delanceys. The other was Swifty Steaken. Swifty was a decent guy. He was a member of the track team, and president of a couple of clubs on campus. Everybody was sure that Swifty was going to win the election.
After much discussion the council chose to let the student body decide. In order to be added to the ballot, Jack would need the signatures of at least half of the student population. If he succeeded, then there would be three candidates to choose from on election day.
Irish immediately took charge. She wrote, typed, and printed the petition and gave copies to all of their group. She made up a schedule and assigned everyone specific times and places where the most students would be available. Irish had everything covered including classes, lunch, clubs, and athletic events. She even had Spot, Mush, and David covering the parking lot before and after school.
Thanks to Irish they had more than enough signatures to get Jack on the ballot.
With one week to go everyone jumped into action.
Jack went around shaking hands and generally schmoozing the Pulitzer population. The rest of the group hung posters, handed out fliers, and sang Jack's praises to everyone within an earshot.
They found Chris was especially good at winning people over. He would flash that smile of his, and convince people why they should vote for Jack. His success rate was outstanding. Mr. Higgins always said "That boy can talk the ears off an elephant, and leave the animal feeling grateful for the experience."
Two days before the election a rally was held to allow each of the candidates the opportunity to make a speech before the student body.
Almost everyone from Pulitzer was in attendance. The school band was playing, and some of the students were carrying signs with the names of their chosen candidates.
Jack, Swifty, and Jake were each assigned a classroom where they could relax and prepare before their speeches.
Jack was surrounded by all of his friends. After a while, Irish decided that they'd better go and get their seats. "Everyone spread out," she said. "Make yourselves visible out there. And be loud about it. We want to convince as many people as we can to vote for Jack."
Spot and David stayed behind to give Jack moral support. Eventually Spot got the message that Jack wanted to be alone with David, so he left as well. It was then that he noticed Oscar and Morris going into the room that was assigned to Swifty.
Spot sneaked up to the door and looked through the small window. Inside he could see Swifty and his friend Dom Bumlets. Bumlets was the acting president of the student council, and was running for his second term as treasurer. They both stood as they were approached by the Delanceys.
"The way we figure it is you have the best shot at winning this election," Morris said to Swifty. "Me and Oscar are willing to vote for you but we don't want you making any changes around here. Especially where those queers are concerned. We don't want Kelly and his fagot friends runnin' this place. If the rules stay as they are, we can keep those freaks out of all school events. Maybe we can even force them out of this school completely. So if you know what's good for you the council members will do as we say. We wouldn't want you and your buddy over here having any unfortunate accidents. Do you understand?"
Spot slipped down the hall and around the corner before the Delanceys could see him. When they were gone, he went back to the door and again looked inside.
"What are you going to do?" Bumlets asked.
"What do you think I'm going to do?" Swifty replied.
When the time came Jack, Swifty, and Jake were all seated on the stage. Bumlets introduced each of the candidates then called upon Jake Noonan to make the first speech. Although he did receive some encouragement from his knuckle dragging friends, Jake's speech was weak and poorly received.
Then it was Swifty's turn. His speech was direct and to the point.
"In seeking the office of President, one must consider not only the honor, but the many awesome responsibilities that lie ahead. Not the least of which are the needs of the people he or she represents. No president can be effective if he has his own agenda. No president can fulfill these duties by placing needs of one group before another."
Jack began to squirm in his seat. Everyone knew that he had an agenda. It was no secret that the only reason Jack agreed to run was to change the rules that were being used against him and his friends. Jack was now regretting his decision to run.
The next part of Swifty's speech was something that few in attendance would ever forget.
"I, and at least one other person who is running for office, have been approached by certain people lobbying for their personal cause. In particular, that cause is to exclude Jack Kelly, and in their words, his 'fagot friends' from Pulitzer's athletic and social events. We have been told by these individuals that we are to comply with this request if we know what's good for us."
The crowd became unsettled, and Bumlets had to call for order.
"First, I would like to say that if these individuals follow through on this threat, their names will be given to the proper authorities and they will be charged. Second, I wish to withdraw my bid for president, and urge anyone who would vote for me to cast their vote for Jack Kelly. I feel that Jack will do his best to serve everyone in this school and that he will make some long overdue and necessary changes."
Two days later, Jack won by a landslide.
Mrs. Kelly agreed to let Jack and his friends throw a victory party at her home. Swifty was the first person invited.
Spot was in his glory telling everyone who would listen about what he had seen through the door the day of the rally. Spot beamed as he spoke of how the Delanceys threatened Swifty, and the look on Bumlets' face when Swifty told him what he was going to do.
"I couldn't believe my eyes," Spot recalled. "Those bastards, the Delanceys, threatening 'em like that. You should'a seen da look on his face. It was hysterical!"
Not everyone was in a celebrating mood. Dutchy arrived stoned and was making an ass of himself. Tony and Chris cornered Dutchy and confronted him about his drug use.
It didn't take long before Dutchy broke down. He admitted that it wasn't so much what the Delanceys did that was eating at him, but it was the fact that he did nothing to help Specs.
"I saw what Morris was doing and I didn't do anything to help him," Dutchy sobbed. "I just stood there watching. He has always been there for me . . . Always. It was the first time he really needed my help and I let him down."
Both Chris and Tony did their best to convince Dutchy that there was nothing that he could have done to save Specs.
"Dutchy, you're not thinking clearly" Chris assured him. "You didn't just stand there. Oscar had you pinned down and there was nothing you could do. Those bastards could have killed you both." Nothing they said could change Dutchy's mind. He was too upset and too stoned to understand.
Mush watched from across the gym as the guys discussed what happened at Jack's party. Then he downed the rest of his beer and walked back to the group.
"Well?" Mush said defiantly. "Did you tell Dutchy what happened?"
"It was a nice blast from the past, Mush," Spot grumbled. "But I still don't know why you're so pissed off."
"You bastard! You knew what they did and you didn't try to help. You stood outside that door and watched without doing anything. And stop looking so innocent. I heard you myself. 'You should'a seen the look on his face. It was hysterical!' you said. Then you all laughed. My own friends thought it was funny!"
"Well, why the hell should that piss ya off? You weren't even there when it happened. You disappeared da night of da rally. When I called your house your mom said you was sick and couldn't come to da phone. Nobody saw you again until Jack's party. Why da hell are you so pissed about me listenin' in when the Delanceys threatened Swifty and Bumlets?"
Mush just stared at Spot. None of this was making any sense.
"Well, what about the two of you?" Mush asked Tony and Chris. "I heard Dutchy telling you what happened. I heard him say how he just stood there and watched and that he didn't do anything to stop them. I don't blame him because he was too stoned to think straight, but you guys never said anything. You never even asked if I was okay."
"I don't know what you think you heard, but we weren't talking about you," Chris assured him.
"Well who the fuck were you talking about?"
"We were talking about me," Dutchy said. "I was talking about what the Delanceys did to me and Specs the night of the fall dance. I couldn't deal with what happened. I was angry and ashamed and I felt guilty for not being able to stop them from hurting Specs. Rather than getting help, I covered my feelings with coke."
Mush stood for a moment with his eyes scanning the others, and then bolted out the door with Spot close behind. The others stood up to follow but Dutchy waved them off as he followed Spot.
Mush was on his hands and knees in the snow. Fifteen years of anger and frustration now had him heaving violently. Spot was holding Mush's head as his stomach purged itself.
"Jeez it's fuckin' cold out there," Dutchy grumbled when he came back inside. Then he leaned against Specs for warmth.
"Will you please tell us what the hell happened?" Tony asked.
"The same thing that always happened," Dutchy replied. "The Delanceys happened. It seems they dragged Mush into a classroom the night of the rally. That's why he disappeared and nobody heard from him for two days. Then when he went to Jack's party he heard a couple of unrelated conversations and got the idea that Spot and I saw what happened and did nothing to help him. He got it into his head that Spot thought the whole thing was funny and was making a fool of him. He thought Race and Blink knew and didn't care. Mush thought that we all knew and didn't give a damn."
Mush and Spot came back inside and sat on the bleachers at the far end of the room.
"You mean that Mush has been carrying that inside all these years?" David asked. "No wonder he's angry. Is he going to be okay?"
"I think so. But everyone deals with crisis differently. Specs handled it okay on his own, I started taking drugs, and Mush turned his pain into hate. The difference is that I had Specs to help me through. Mush had nobody. He'd cut himself off from the people who care about him. I'm going to bring him to a meeting of a group Specs and I started for survivors like us. He's had a rough time of it, but I think that he is going to be just fine."
Specs looked over at Spot with his arm around Mush. "Looks like Mush has somebody to lean on now," he said. "I think that two of our friends got the help they needed tonight."
Mush was dazed. The seething rage he'd held onto was suddenly gone and an overwhelming feeling of emptiness took its place.
"Are ya feelin' any better Mushie-boy?" Spot asked.
Mush shook his head and shrugged.
"Ya ain't gonna get sick again, are ya?"
"No. I'm . . . I'm just trying to sort all of this out. I was so sure of everything."
Mush buried his head in his hands. "Oh god," he moaned. "This has got to be a bad dream. How could I have been so wrong? How could I be so stupid?" The desperation in his voice was heartbreaking.
Spot glanced over at their friends, and saw them all staring at Mush. Spot grabbed Mush's arm and pulled him out into the hallway. He wasn't about to let Mush be embarrassed on top of everything else.
Spot leaned Mush against the wall and held onto his shoulders. "Don't you ever let me hear you call yourself stupid again. You ain't stupid. Ya hear me? It was a mistake that's all. You couldn't help what ya heard. You were upset and your mind was playin' tricks on ya."
"I was so sure of everything. I know that it doesn't make any sense now, but I was so sure."
"It's okay, Mushie. It's over and everything is going to be fine."
"Damn-it Spot! How can you say that everything is going to be fine? Are we supposed to forget the last fifteen years ever happened? I did everything that I could to wipe our friendship out of my mind. I wanted to break you and to make you hate me as much as I hated you. I did everything I could think of to spite you. I even got married to spite you. To prove -"
"To prove that you didn't love me anymore, Mush?"
Mush just nodded his head and looked at the floor.
"And to make me sorry that I ever loved you?"
Again Mush nodded without looking up.
"Mushie, there is nothin' you could have done ta make me sorry about that. Nothin'! Yeah, ya hurt me all right. I hated that ya cut yourself off from me off and never told me why. I hated knowin' that you hated me. But I never hated you, Mushie. I tried hatin' ya, but I couldn't."
Mush's body and mind felt drained of every ounce of strength and he slid down the wall like a rag doll.
Spot sat on the floor and put his arm around Mush.
"I'm so tired," Mush whimpered.
"Then close your eyes Mushie-boy. I'll stay right here with ya. Everything is gonna be okay."
A while later, Dutchy found Itey at the end of the hall watching Spot and Mush.
"You knew about this didn't you?" Dutchy asked. "It was your idea to get them together again, wasn't it?"
"Mush's mom came to see me. She's been worried about him. She told me what she suspected, and I figured out the rest. Then when Reggie and I came up with the idea of this camp out, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get them back together."
"Ya did good Itey," Dutchy said.
Itey smiled and went back into the gym.
Dutchy watched as Mush slept with his head on Spot's lap. Spot sat quietly looking at Mush while he stroked Mush's tight curls.
"Hows he doing?" Dutchy asked.
"He's sleepin' good," Spot answered.
"I'll sit with him for a while if you want to go back inside and get something to eat," Dutchy offered.
Spot looked up at Dutchy. "No thanks, Dutch," he said. "It's taken me fifteen years to get here . . . I ain't going anyplace."