Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.
Chapter 4: Amiable Accosting
"Abby! Come on, we'll be late for school!" Sadie called for the third time that morning.
She glanced at the clock on the bookshelf, resisting the urge to tap her foot impatiently. It wasn't that she particularly cared about missing a few minutes of class, but their schoolmaster punished tardiness, and while Sadie was generally unruffled when she found herself the center of attention, that was not the kind of attention she particularly enjoyed.
Her mother, who was sitting by the window darning a hole in a sock, frowned. "Sadie, please walk over to the bedroom and tell your sister what you need to say. It's rude to yell."
Sadie, trying to hide her exasperation, was about to comply, when her little sister appeared.
"I found where my book had gotten to," she announced. "It fell behind the bed."
Sadie nodded by way of acknowledgement, then tucked her arm around her lunch pail and slate. "If you have everything you need, we'd better go."
The girls bid farewell to their mother, then made their way downstairs to the street, which was already busy with people milling about their morning business.
"Sadie, slow down!" Abby protested. "We aren't going to be that late!"
"Sorry, Abby, but I'd rather not chance it," Sadie murmured. But she did slow her pace, suddenly distracted by a commotion brewing in the square several yards away.
It appeared to be a confrontation between a few of the newsboys waiting in line for their papers at the distribution center of the New York World. As Sadie slowed to a stop, she watched as one of the taller figures shoved a small boy to the ground, inciting yells of protest from the onlookers. Peering closer, she recognized the face of the offender, who was currently nose-to-nose with an irate, well-built newsie. The latter had pushed his way to the front of the dispute and was now standing protectively over his fallen friend.
This wasn't a confrontation between newsboys, then, Sadie corrected herself. It was a tussle between the newsboys and a familiar pair of trouble-making brothers.
"Isn't that Oscar…and Morris?" Abby asked, confirming her suspicions.
"Yes," Sadie answered grimly.
Taking her younger sister by the hand, she began pulling her down the street. "Come on," she said tersely. "Whatever this is, we don't want to get mixed up in it."
Later that morning, Sadie rested her chin in her hand, trying not to stare out of the window as her mind wandered from her school book. It was nearly time for noon recess, and she always found it particularly hard to focus during this time of day when the tantalizing promise of near (if temporal) freedom was calling.
Idly surveying her classmates from her seat near the back of the schoolhouse, she observed their varying degrees of restlessness as they, too, waited impatiently for recess to be called. A few of the younger pupils fidgeted uncomfortably, while others shot surreptitious glances at the clock hanging above the blackboard. Even some of the older students showed visible signs of agitation, though most of them hid it better.
There was one, however, who didn't seem to be antsy in the slightest: sitting a few rows in front of Sadie, David was bent studiously over his book.
She wondered how he'd been adjusting as of late. The Jacobs brothers had only been attending school for about a week, and while Les had quickly made friends with several other children his age, David seemed to keep to himself, whether from shyness or simply from preference, she couldn't tell.
Nibbling her lip thoughtfully, Sadie gazed out of the window, her eyes fixating on the blue strip of cloudless sky that rose above Manhattan's many buildings.
Perhaps she should invite David to eat lunch with her today. She wasn't sure what he did during their hour-long recess; some of their classmates went home, but she'd noticed Les eating in the schoolyard with her sister and a handful of other children, so David must have been around. Most of the older pupils, Sadie and her friends among them, walked down the street to the park to eat their lunches. She felt a little guilty that she hadn't thought to invite David to go with them.
I'm trying, Papa. I really am.
Sadie sighed.
"Miss Becker, if you would kindly stop staring out of the window and bring your attention back to your book, I'd be obliged," came the dry and none-too-amused voice of her schoolmaster.
Jumping a bit at the reprimand, Sadie blushed slightly as several pupils turned around to stare at her. She ducked her head, embarrassed that she'd been caught daydreaming.
"Yes Mr. Crowell," she answered, quickly training her eyes on her book.
Just as she'd managed to re-focus her mind on the lesson, recess was called, and the schoolroom came alive with activity, students hurriedly organizing their belongings and filing out the door, eager for their break. Sadie closed her book, set it atop her slate in the corner of her desk, and grabbed her lunch pail, walking over to Margaret who was already waiting for her at the door.
"Megs, you and the others can go along without me," Sadie said. "I'll catch you at the park."
Her friend gave her a curious look. "Is everything all right?"
Sadie nodded. "I'm just going to see if David wants to join us."
"The new boy?" Margaret sounded doubtful. "He seems so reserved."
Sadie privately agreed, but only said jokingly, "Perhaps. But I'm willing to bet that there's a talker underneath that quiet exterior just waiting to be drawn out."
Margaret laughed. "It's a good thing you're not a betting girl in earnest, then!" she teased. Reaching out, she motioned for Sadie's lunch pail. "I'll take this for you. Good luck with David."
Sadie nodded her thanks, then turned around to look for her neighbor.
He was already on his way towards the door, his book tucked under his arm and what looked like a paper-wrapped sandwich in his hand. Catching sight of her, he nodded briefly in acknowledgement and was about to pass by, when Sadie fell into step beside him.
"Hello, David!" she said brightly. "Mind if I walk with you for a bit?"
He glanced at her in surprise. "I'm not really headed anywhere," he answered, "but no...I don't mind."
His tone conveyed rather the opposite, but Sadie forged ahead.
"I just wanted to see if perhaps you'd like to join my friends and me for lunch," she offered as they exited the school room. "We usually go down the street to the park. There's a nice lawn that's good for picnics, and we play the most amusing games..."
Seeing that her neighbor did not appear at all interested, she quickly changed her tactic, adding in a conspiratorial voice, "and sometimes, if no one's watching, we even climb the trees!"
"That sounds dangerous."
David was clearly perturbed, and Sadie silently congratulated herself for having managed to draw him out.
"I can assure you, it's great fun!" she declared.
He regarded her seriously for a moment. "After what happened last time, with the paint…don't you think you should be a little more concerned about falling?"
It was the opening she needed. "Not if you'll be there to catch me!"
Her pertness had an immediate effect.
"If - I'll - " David stumbled over his words, flustered.
Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, Sadie pressed her case.
"Come on, David," she coaxed. "Just give it a try. I promise, it will be fun. And I'll even refrain from climbing anything remotely dangerous for the next few weeks if it will get you to say 'yes.'"
Giving him her most cajoling smile, she watched as he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly torn.
"Is…that a promise?" he asked finally.
Sadie nodded. "You have my word."
Before he could change his mind, she motioned down the street, saying eagerly, "Come on, let's catch up with the others!"
David followed her, reluctant but resigned, and as they hurried towards the park, Sadie allowed herself a small smile, confident that in time her neighbor would find himself happy that he'd allowed himself to be won over.
Victory was sweet.
Les clambered up the stairs to the Jacobses' apartment as David trailed after him, carrying their slates and school books. He was relieved to be back home again, as it had been an unexpectedly taxing day, but as he took the stairs two at a time, he found himself filled with an odd sense of satisfaction.
Being back in school for the past week or so had brought about a comforting normalcy. He never enjoyed being the new kid in class, but always took pleasure in learning, and he was happy to find himself back amongst books and blackboards, getting a chance to exercise his mind. It was a familiar setting with predictable, clear-cut expectations, and he quietly reveled in it, relieved that this new schoolmaster and new set of classmates seemed to be non-belligerent and reasonable enough.
He'd fallen into an easy routine there, applying himself to his morning lessons, then taking a short walk outside at the start of the hour-long lunch recess before eating his meal, often perusing a book as he did so. When class was called back to session, he'd eagerly resume his studies until class finished for the day, then would walk back to the tenement with Les. The last several days had passed by in this pleasant manner, and he'd found himself feeling settled and content (if perhaps a bit solitary).
But today, this newly-established routine had been interrupted, and he'd found himself unexpectedly (if amiably) accosted by Sadie Becker, who, for some unknown reason, had decided to convince him to accompany her to the park for lunch with her friends.
His first impulse had been to decline the invitation. He had been looking forward to finding a quiet place to read and to eat his lunch, and didn't relish the thought of spending his free time with a group of chatty (if well-meaning) peers. But, having changed schools several times over the course of his life, he knew that first impressions had a way of sticking, and if he wanted to make friends at this new school, it was necessary to make an effort. Sadie was making things easier by inviting him in, after all, and he ought to take advantage of that boon.
And then there had been the additional matter of her rather unconventional persuasion.
So, eventually, he had given in.
To his surprise, it hadn't turned out as badly as he'd expected. Sadie's friends were a rather boisterous lot, and he'd found himself feeling out of place amongst their spirited conversations and frequent jokes, but they were a good-natured bunch, and they'd welcomed him into their group without ceremony. Eventually realizing that he preferred to listen rather than talk after a few failed attempts to draw him out, they had respectfully let him be. (They would have, perhaps, even forgotten that he was there, had Sadie not subtly included him in the conversation in ways that acknowledged his presence but did not single him out for a response. He wasn't exactly sure how she managed to do this, but he was grateful to her for it).
And so, David had lost his hour of reading time, but he had gained a group of friendly acquaintances who could, perhaps with time, become friends. And to his surprise, this prospect was the source of the strange satisfaction that fell upon him as he climbed the stairs at the end of a long but rewarding day.
"What are you smiling about?" Les demanded.
"Oh…nothing," David replied. He hadn't even noticed the small grin that had crept onto his face as he'd mused.
They arrived at the apartment, and David pushed the door open, letting Les go in first and then nearly stumbling over him as the younger boy stopped abruptly a few feet beyond the threshold.
David's eyes scanned the apartment, trying to figure out what had caused Les' sudden immobility, and almost immediately his heart sank, fear replacing the short-lived contentment that he'd been feeling only moments before.
His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, her face in her hands, nearly shaking as she attempted to control her emotions.
Stepping around Les, David hurried to her side.
"Mom, what's wrong?" he demanded.
His mother looked up, first at him, and then at Les still standing by the door, tears streaming down her face.
David took her hand, squeezing it gently as Les, recovering his ability to move, ran over and threw his arms around their mother.
"It's all right, Mom," David soothed, even as he felt his own anxiety rapidly rising. "It's all right...we're here."
Seeming to draw strength from their presence, Esther gradually regained her composure, drying her eyes on the handkerchief David silently offered and then wrapping her arms around Les, resting her cheek atop her younger son's head.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Les repeated, his voice small and scared.
Esther gave a watery sigh, then straightened up, looking both of her sons in the eye.
"Les, David…" Her voice wavered. "It's your father."
A/N: Poor Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs...and poor Davey - his fledgling routine is about to be upended once again ("Where does it say a guy can't catch a break?" The writer's notes, that's where).
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! (Anyone have predictions on how the Beckers and the Delanceys are connected? Predictions on whether or not Davey will ever get his feet under him enough to form an articulate response to Sadie's teasing? ;) Thanks for reading this installment, and please do let me know what you thought of it! Any feedback is very much appreciated.
