Yes. I know that Spot was out of character. (If you read my stories, everyone is out of character- well, except the people I made.) I was just... trying to figure out where to fit that in, and... that was all that I could come up with.
Chapter 3
Jacobs House
"This is why I don't get women," Davey whined as he sat on his bed, his face in his hands, Sarah beside him. "Flo told me to figure out what happened that night and then she would accept the apology, but then she kissed Spot Conlon! I just..."
"Accepting an apology doesn't mean that you're gonna be her boyfriend," Sarah told him. David sighed.
"But doesn't she understand that I'm in love with her?"
"Do you understand that she could be in love with you?" Sarah asked, and Davey looked up.
"But she can't be! She-" Sarah cut him off with a sigh.
"Sleep on it," she told him. "Maybe you'll get the answer. I can't help you."
World Building
"Now," Flo said, peeking down at the fight that was happening below. "It's getting nasty." The newsies of Brooklyn and Flo jumped up as Spot shouted their appearance. Flo was taught the art of slingshots overnight by Spot, who had requested her appearance in the late afternoon. They got down to the floor eventually and fought off the Crib, Denton taking a quick picture of everyone after. In that picture, almost everyone was caught off-guard. Jack was just ready for it; Flo was already smiling and happened to glance at the camera as it flashed.
Soon afterwards, everyone went to their houses- but Flo was stuck. She could be confirmed that she was fighting against her father, so she couldn't act like she wasn't there. He probably already knew. She was fidgeting with her dress as newsies left her company, until Davey, Spot, Les, and a few others were left. "Shouldn't you be going back home, Flo?" Davey asked, walking up to her. She looked away.
"I can't. My father's not going to welcome me in when I went against his rule."
"You cancome to Brooklyn," Spot's voice came from Flo's left as Spot wound his arm around her shoulders.
"Or you could come with us!" Les opposed, grabbing her dress and pulling her softly toward him and Davey. Her eyes met Davey's, and she knew her destination.
"Sorry, Spot," Flo apologized, looking up at Spot as she softly took his arm off, "they win." And Flo stepped down, scooping Les up and walking towards Davey. "You're so light," she commented to Les, "You sure you're almost 10?"
"Yeah!" Les chimed, making Flo and Davey laugh.
"Well, Les, grow up and be so strong that you can lift me up and think I'm almost ten," Flo encouraged. Suddenly, arms scooped Flo up and she screamed slightly in surprise. Les jumped out of her hands as she looked into Davey's eyes.
"You're light as a feather," he smiled, "you sure you're not almost ten?" The group burst into laughter again as they traveled along towards the Jacobs House.
Tibby's Restaurant
"All of you are here," Flo commented as she, Davey, and Les entered Tibby's.
"All of us," Davey corrected, leading the other two to a booth. "So, Flo, how long?"
"How long until what?" Flo asked.
"You go back to your house."
"Erm, I don't know. I know I have to get my stuff, but it's not easy. The building is huge and I'm on the top floor."
"We could climb to the roof and I could lower you," Davey suggested.
"That would be a lot of climbing." Suddenly, Denton's voice rang through the restaurant,
"Hey fellas! Hey, hey! Big time!" Flo watched as Denton put a newspaper down in front of Jack and everyone crowded around. Davey looked at Flo, who was inspecting her own newspaper.
"You bought your own?" Davey inquired.
"Yeah. I bought it from Wiesel- he can't charge me an extra tenth cent. There aren't things as tenth cents." Davey laughed and changed seats to sit beside Flo and see the newspaper.
"It seems that only you and Jack were ready for it," he commented.
"Yeah, you have this weird look, like a smile mixed with a taunting face. EEEE," Flo teased and they both laughed.
"I wanna see!" Les complained and wedged in between Flo and Davey. They both put their arm around Les and interlocked their hands. Flo smiled at Davey as he winked. He then walked up to Denton as everyone started asking about the paper.
"You got us on the front page," Davey acknowledged.
"You got yourselves on the front page," Denton amended. "I just gotta make sure you stay there."
Skittery then said, "So what. You get your picture in the papes, so what's that get you, huh?"
"What are ya, nuts?" Mush asked incredulously.
"Shut up, boy, you've been in a bad mood all day," Jack pointed out.
"I haven't been in a bad mood!" Skittery said.
"Glum and dumb," Racetrack pushed Skittery's head into Mush's face. "What's the matta with you? You get your picture in the papes, your famous. Your famous, you get anything you want. That's what so great about New York!" Everyone started cheering as Les and Flo got up to watch closer. Mush backed up and the singing started.
"A pair of new shoes with matching laces," Mush sang with wonder.
"A permanent box at Sheepshed Races," Racetrack clapped happily.
"A porcelain tub with boilin' water," Spot added as Kid Blink came towards Flo.
"A Saturday night with the mayor's daughter!" He sang, raising and lowering his eyebrows suggestively. Flo laughed and pushed him away as Race sang and tap-danced,
"Look at me! I'm the King of New York! Suddenly, I'm respectable, staring right at'cha, lousy with stature!"
"Nubbin' with all the muckety-mucks, I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe!" Jack interrupted.
Racetrack took the newspaper from Jack, who had stolen it, and sang, "And there I'll be, ain't I pretty?" Jack sang along, " It's my city, I'm the King of New York!"
Boots pushed forward the chair, which was leaning back, while singing, "A corduroy suit with fitted knickers."
"A mezzanine seat to see the flickers," Les sang, doing the same thing with the chair. Snipeshooter joined the chair motion, singing,
"Havana cigars that cost a quarter."
"An editor's desk for the star reporter!" Davey added, pushing a chair forward as everyone seated Denton in the chair, singing,
"Tip your hat, he's the King of New York!"
"How `bout that? I'm the King of New York!" Denton agreed as newsies picked up his chair, carrying him around the restaurant, singing,
"In nothing flat, he'll be covering Brooklyn to Trenton, our man Denton!"
Kid Blink jumped on the table and sang, "Making a headline out of a hunch," jumping off after.
They seated Denton as he sang, "Protecting the weak!"
"And paying for lunch," Racetrack added.
"When I'm at bat, strong men crumble!" Denton sang proudly, standing up.
"Proud yet humble," Racetrack sat him back down.
"(I'm/He's) the King of New York," Race and Denton sang, looking at the newspaper.
All the newsies did the same moves, singing in unison, " I gotta be either dead or dreaming, 'cuz look at that pape with my face beaming. Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it, but I was a star for one whole minute!" Then they started running around the world, singing, "Starting now, I'm the King of New York!"
"Ain't ya heard? I'm the King of New York!" Denton sang.
"Holy cow! It's a miracle, Pulitzer's crying! Weasel? He's dying! Flashpots are shooting, bright as the sun, I'm one hifalutin' sonuva gun! Don't ask me how, fortune found me, fate just crowned me, now I'm King of New York! Look and see, once a piker, now a striker, I'm the King of New York! Victory! Front page story, guts and glory, I'm the King of New York!"
Everyone started cheering for each other and gathered around a table. "So, let's have some ideas," Jack said.
"Well, we've gotta show people where we stand," David suggested.
"So we've gotta stay in the papes," Jack nodded.
"My paper's the only one printing strike news so far," Denton added.
"So, we should do something that's so big the other papers'll feel stupid if they try to ignore us. Like a rally. A newsie rally with all the kids from all over New York. It'll be the biggest, loudest, nosiest blow-out this town's ever seen!" Jack proposed.
"We'll send a message to the big boys," Davey agreed.
"Yeah," Racetrack added, "I'll give 'em a message."
A tray of cokes got passed around and everyone grabbed a glass. "There's a lot of us, and we ain't going away. We'll fight until damn Doomsday if it means we get a fair shake." Jack said.
"Hey guys," David called to the group, raising his glass. "To our man Denton."
"Our man Denton!" Everyone cheered, lifting their glasses in toast.