Chapter 2
Jacobs House
"Is Flo with you?" Sarah asked Davey as he, Jack, and Les came inside. Davey looked around but couldn't spot her. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"She was," he replied, thinking. "I remember her being there when we went to Medda's..."
"I'll be back," Flo said, walking away towards the bathrooms. Davey nodded, not really caring, entranced by Medda's performance.
"Oh no..." Davey mumbled, his eyes widened. One of Sarah's eyebrows rose.
"Did you completely forget about her when you went to Medda's?" Sarah guessed, and Davey nodded, looking at her desperately. Sarah groaned softly. "Davey, haven't I told you how you're-"
"Yes, yes, I know," he cut her off quickly. "But I did it- how do I go back?"
"You can't," Sarah explained. "That's why you don't do it. You just have to hope that she accepts apology." Davey sighed.
"You never told me about that part."
"I was hoping you wouldn't get that far."
World Building
"They jacked up the price!" Kid Blink whined. "You hear that Jack? Ten cents a hundred! You know, we already have to eat what we don't sell, now they jacked the price! Can you believe that?"
"This'll bust me," Skittery agreed. "I'm barely making a living right now." Flo listened to all the whining as she leaned against a nearby building, out of sight. She chuckled softly as they started to talk about a strike. All the newsies quieted down simultaneously as they peered at Florence. She kicked herself off the building.
"Hm?" She asked, her face serious.
"What's so funny?" Jack asked.
"You won't be able to do it," she replied. "Not unless you get every newsie in New York."
"Then we'll organize. Crutchy, you take up for collection. We'll get all the newsies in New York together."
"Jack, this isn't a joke," Davey cut in. Flo glared at him as he spoke, "You saw what happened to those trolley workers."
"Yeah, well that's another good idea. Any newsie don't join with us, then we bust their heads like the trolley workers," Jack answered simply.
"Stop and think about this, Jack. You can't just rush everyone into this," David pleaded.
Jack said, "Alright. Let me think about it. Listen. Dave's right. Pulitzer and Hearst and all them other rich fellas, I mean, they own this city, so do they really think a bunch of street kids like us can make any difference? The choice has got to be yours. Are we just gonna take what they give us, or are we gonna strike?"
"STRIKE!" the newsies cried out. Then they got into dancing and singing and talking about the strike as Flo watched from a distance. Then they quieted down and started conferring about who's going to talk to the newsies where. Then Jack said, "Well, he don't make me nervous. So you and me, Boots, we'll go to Brooklyn. And Dave here can keep us company. And Ms. Pulitzer will be useful."
"Hey, who said I was going?" Flo spoke as she stepped closer.
"Come on, Flo," Davey pleaded, but Flo ignored him.
"Spot's a real hard one," Boots told Flo, "you can probably soften him up or somethin'." Flo sighed.
"Fine." But secretly, in her mind, through the cruel and hard emotions that had her chained together, her mind said, "For David."
Tibby's Restaurant
"Does he scare you? You are going against the most powerful man in New York City," Brian Denton conversed with Davey, Les, Jack, and Flo. Flo started chuckling. Denton looked to her in surprise.
"If you would ask me, then I would say that I didn't fear him one bit. He's my father, anyway."
"So you're Florence Pulitzer?"
"Flo," Florence corrected. "I prefer Flo."
"Alright," Denton nodded, "keep me informed. I want to know everything that happens."
"Are we that important of a story?" Davey questioned.
"Well, what's important? Last year I covered the war in Cuba. Charged up San Juan Hill with Col. Teddy Roosevelt. That was an important story. So, is the newsie's strike important? That all depends on you."
"So my name's gonna be in the papers?" Jack asked.
"Any objections?"
"Not as long as you get my name right. Kelly. Jack Kelly. Oh, and Denton? No pictures."
Brooklyn Bridge
"I've never been to Brooklyn. Have you?" Davey asked Boots.
"I've spent a month there one night," Boots answered before leaning over the side of the bridge with Jack and screaming at the top of their lungs. Flo chuckled some as the comforting hand of Davey was set on her shoulder. She glimpsed at Davey's eyes before looking away.
"What do you want?" she asked softly with a hint of anger.
"I'm sorry," Davey apologized as they moved along the bridge, "about that day. I really didn't-"
"It really doesn't matter if you were unable to take your eyes off Medda or not. I already knew I wasn't going to win in a fight like that." Davey stopped and his hand fell off of her shoulder. She stopped also and turned her head.
"You... what?" Davey asked. Flo chuckled, shaking her head.
"If you can't figure something like that out, hun, then you are probably clueless about girls," she told him plainly as she started moving again.
"I'm sorry?" Davey asked. Flo sighed and turned to look Davey.
"Figure out what was happening and maybe I'll accept the apology," Flo told him. As she turned away, she added, "And you can't use Sarah's help. I'll know."
A few minutes passed as they traveled across the bridge. "Is Spot Conlon really dangerous?" Davey asked. Flo shrugged.
"Will be if you're enemies," she replied as they stepped into Brooklyn territory.
"Going somewhere, Kelly?" One of the tough men there asked. The group pushed through the crowd until they got to Spot Conlon. Flo peered at him, trying to figure out what she found was so handsome about the man in front of her.
"Well, if it ain't Jack be nimble, Jack be quick," Spot commented as he jumped down to where they were.
"I see you moved up in the world, Spot. Got a river and everything," Jack said. He and Spot spit into their hands and shook them. Both David and Florence flinched in disgust.
"Heya Boots. How's it rollin'?" Spot asked Boots.
"I got a couple of real great shooters," Boots told him as he took out marbles. Spot took them from Boots and got out his slingshot.
"Yeah. So, Jacky-boy. I've been hearing things from little birds. Things from Harlem, Queens, all over. They been chirpin' in my ear. Jacky-boy's newsies is playing like they're going on strike."
"Yeah, well, we are," Jack confirmed.
"And they're not kidding," Flo added. "All of 'em are excited and stuff." Spot turned his attention to Flo and his eyebrows rose.
"And who's this beauty?" Spot asked, walking toward her until he was just a foot away. Flo blushed, looking up at his eyes.
"Just listen to us," Davey cut in and Spot looked up from Flo to Davey.
"Oh yeah? Yeah? What is this, Jacky-boy? Some kind of walking mouth?" Flo wondered how she wasn't classified as a walking mouth as Jack replied,
"Yeah, it's a mouth. A mouth with a brain, and if you got half a one, you'll listen to what he's got to say."
"Well, we started the strike, but we can't do it alone. So, we're talking to newsies all around the city," Davey explained.
"Yes, they told me that. But what did they tell you?" Spot asked.
"They're waiting to see what Spot Conlon is doing- you're the key. That Spot Conlon is the most respected and famous newsie in all of New York, and probably everywhere else. And if Spot Conlon joins the strike, then they join and we'll be unstoppable. So you gotta join, I mean...well, you gotta!" Davey pleaded.
"Yeah, Jacky-boy, brains. But I got brains too, and not just half a one. How do I know you punks won't run the first time some goon comes at ya with a club? How do I know you got what it takes to win?"
"Because we said so," Jack cut in.
"That's not enough, Jacky-boy. You gotta prove it. You gotta show me." Flo sighed and grabbed Spot's arm and dragged him to a corner, where they could speak in private.
"Listen, Spot-"
"Who do you think you are, dragging me around like that?" Spot demanded.
"The mayor's daughter. Anyway-"
"Ms. Pulitzer, eh?"
"Listen to me," Flo ordered. "I'll do anything. They really need you in this fight."
"Anything?" Spot raised his eyebrow.
"Anything."
Spot looked around for a second before grabbing her hand and pulling her to a sightless spot of the ship. He peered into Flo's eyes, getting real close to her face. "Anything?" Flo stared at his eyes before nodding slightly. "You know what you've got to do." Flo searched his eyes, hoping that what she had to do was not what she thought it was, but it was. She sighed slightly then leaned forward. Their lips interlocked and Spot wrapped his hands around Flo as she took hold of his hair. As Davey peeked from the side of the ship at what they were doing.