Chapter 7

Davey sat in the back corner of Jacobi's Deli, icing his eye, listening to the other kids groaning. Then Jacobi came in to give everyone water, and Davey made Les drink. Jacobi noticed and chuckled. "Drink up boys! And before you say I never gave you nothing, water is not nothing. Just ask a fish." Then he paused, looking for the right words. "In the desert!"

Everyone groaned louder. "Why do old people talk?" Albert asked, nursing his side as he sat up.

"To prove they's still alive," Race muttered in reply to Albert as he shifted, the cigar being twirled in his hands.

Race's sarcastic reply earned a weak chuckle from Davey, who was just trying his best to make sure his brother was okay.

It was quite a shock to the young reporter to walk in on the group of boys looking so beat up and down in the dumps. She immediately got excited again, because she would brighten their day with some good news!

Well, hopefully.

"Would you get a load of the glum mugs," Kat said, ruffling someone the boys' hair. "Can these really be the same boys who made front page of the New York Sun?"

Every head turned, and every boy scrambled to see. Davey sprinted across the room.

"Did we really make the front page?" Davey asked, though he couldn't be heard very well over the excited chatter of the boys surrounding him.

"Lemme see!"

"Look at me!"

"Woah really??"

"I won't last in line for the tub tonight!"

This was big. The front page?! Katherine was officially an angel.

"You got us in the paper?" Davey yelled over the excessive chatter. Everyone quieted.

"You got yourself in the pape." Katherine said in a normal voice, not betraying any emotion, as she noticed their leader was nowhere. "Where's jack? I heard about Crutchie, did they get Jack too?"

Davey stiffened. Did Jack end up back in the refuge? There was no way out of their for him this time.

"Word is he went on the lam first sight of da cops."

"That's just the talk, you know Jack better! Besides," Race said as he stepped up. "Can't ya just take a moment to take it in? I'm famous!"

Davey almost laughed. He was pretty sure being on the front page of the papes didn't make anyone famous but then again, everyone read the headlines and if they read the headlines, they new about the Newsies!

"So what?" Albert asked. "Who cares if we's famous?"

"Well are you stupid or what?" Race asked the gathered boys. "When you're famous, the world is your erster."

Davey looked at Specs, who shook his head.

"Your what?" Albert asked, confused.

"Your er-ster." Race punctuated the word with his cigar.

Still, the boys were baffled by whatever Race was trying to say. Race only huffed.

"You know, ya fancy clam with the poyle inside!" Race said.

"Oyster!" they corrected and Race was left to roll his eyes.

Katherine set her hand over her mouth to hold back a giggle. These boys...

"Well, how much does bein' famous pay?" one of the boys spoke up.

"You don't need money when you're famous!"

Race grinned ear to ear, scrambling to stand up on top of a chair. "They gives you whatever you want, GRATIS!"

Davey and Kat rolled their eyes, but went along with it. Only, Davey had a pit in his stomach, guilting him for having fun without Jack. He brushed it away. He wouldn't show his disappointment to these boys when he was probably the new leader, and he would set the example of happiness and hope.

"A pair of new shoes with matching laces!" Race said, slapping the paper with his cigar.

Race furrowed his eyebrows when the paper was pulled from his hands and quickly spun to see who took it, only to see the other boys join in. He grinned.

"A permanent box at the sheepshead races!"

"Pastrami on rye with a sour pickle!"

"My personal puss on a wooden nickel!"

Race snatched the paper back and held it out in front of him.

"Look at me," he said. "I'm the king of New York! Suddenly I'm respectable, staring' right at'cha, lousy with sta'cha!"

Albert grabbed the newspaper for the 3rd time in a row, then used it to fan himself as he walked like the rich folks did, "Nobbin' with all the muckity mucks, I'm blowing my dough and going deluxe!" He sat down in a haughty manner, making Davey giggle and poke Katherine as he noticed Race jump on the table and rip the newspaper away.

"And there I be, ain't I pretty!" He caught the glass of water Specs threw him, spilling some on Romeo. "It's my city!" He spun around, smacking Albert in the face with the paper on accident. "I'm the king of New York!"

"A solid gold watch with a chain to twirl it!" And the pape was ripped away again, but it was handed to Les.

"My very own bed with an indoor terlet!" Les declared, full of excitement and handed the paper off.

"A barbershop haircut that costs a quarter!"

Davey ended up with the paper and smiled, handing to Katherine. "A regular beat for the star reporter!"

He felt awful internally though... because they were celebrating. They were celebrating while god knows where jack was, and if Crutchie was okay.

Damn. His mind wandered to Jack again. Jack and his stupid smile and stupid eyes and stupid hair and stupid voice and his stupid lips. No. Not stupid, Davey admitted, never stupid. They were beautiful and sweet and amazing. And he missed them. Missed the hands and arms that held him close, and the voice that soothed his fears. Hell, what he wouldn't give to see Jack right now. But his sulking was interrupted by Race poking him in the chest.

"Amscray punk, SHE'S the king of New York." Race shook his head in such a silly manner, cigar following his movements, Davey couldn't help but laugh and play along. Davey was honestly glad that Race had pulled him from his thoughts and as much as he wanted Jack and Crutchie to be here to celebrate with them, he decided to just take in the moment. They made the papes... they weren't so hopeless anymore after all!

"Who'd have thunk?! I'm the king of New York!" Katherine relied with a wide grin. Helping this boys was everything to her right now.

Davey did a little dance as he decided to add some music to their escapade. "WE WAS SUNK!"

Race and Les decided sing along, the tune was easy, and the boys danced as well. "Pale and pitiful."

Kat clapped her hands in excitement, happy to go along with anything to make these boys happy, and also something that made her king of New York. "Bunch of wet noodles!"

All the boys were in it at that point, and Jack was pushed far to the back of Davey's mind as he laughed with his new brothers.

Davey couldn't help himself from putting his hands out in front of him like paws and swatting at the boy besides him, putting a pout on his face.

"Pulitzer's poodles!"

Oh, this felt so good. It felt so good to finally feel like there was a purpose to him being here. And he was happy for it, too. Happy for the small break, the small fame... Les stood, seemingly in thought. "We were about to drown in the drink."

Romeo stepped up as well, putting his hand on Les's shoulder. "When she fished us out."

Elmer smiled and leapt forward, nearly pushing Katherine out of her chair. "And drowned us in ink!"

Kat jumped up and spun around, giggling like a child. "So let's get drunk!"

Davey couldn't lie, that sounded good right about then. A drink to calm that still aching part of his heart telling him something was wrong. Impulsively, he yelled "Yeah," along with everyone else.

"But not with liquor, fame works quicker when you're king of New York!" Katherine declared and Davey couldn't help laughing, and being a little disappointed.

Man, he could really go for some liquor right now... even though he was raised better than that. Desperate times called for desperate measures... And alcohol, sometimes.

Davey shook his head for what must have been the tenth time that hour. That paper, that picture, that headline. They were beautiful in that picture, smiling and proud. It must be a dream.

"I gotta be either dead or dreaming," Davey whispered to himself, still in disbelief. Race clapped him on the back and continued on with his thought even louder.

"CAUSE LOOK AT THAT PAPE WITH MY FACE BEAMIN." The paper continued to be passed around as Race and Albert got into a fake fight with spoons, leading to them jumping around and on top of tables. Les jumped on Kat's lap, enjoying every moment of the battle.

Davey didn't know how to use spoons in such a way, but with a quick lesson from another of the boys, he was able to tap spoons together and create a melody just as good as any of the other boys here.

It was so good to see their spirits lifted after what the day before had brought. This was good. This meant that they wouldn't give up now. Right?

Oh, he hoped.

As the boys got rowdy, Davey slipped out into the alleyway by Jacobi's. He needed to think. With Jack who knows where, what was he supposed to do? He put his hands over his face, groaning softly. Why the hell would anyone listen to him. Why should anyone listen to a brainy know-it-all with no plans for the future and no interest in changing that. He needed Jack. He needed someone confidant and brave. He needed that reckless, manhattan-cowboy with the perfect smile to take away this weight. Davey turned when he heard spoons clatter to floor inside. Shouts of hope and joy were all Davey needed to snap him awake. He knew then that he didn't have time to mope. His, were they really his though, boys were celebrating, and he needed to be there too. But he didn't want attention. So, stepping inside, he found Katherine and pushed her to the middle of the floor.

"C'mon Kath, show us what the King of New York can do!" Davey yelled, trying way to hard to be happy. He flinched at the sound of his voice.

How desperate did someone have to be in order to beg someone else to do something? Pretty desperate. And Davey was just desperate enough for some relief, some escape from his own mind because it was clouded with thoughts of Jack. What was he supposed to do...? celebrate. Put his attention elsewhere. Too desperate.
He was glad no one picked up on it or if they did, he was glad they said nothing.

Katherine wasn't used to this attention though and with a light blush and nervous smile, she started to dance quite awkwardly where she stood.

Davey's face fell, and the boys groaned.

"That's it."

"Lame."

"Really?"

"C'mon Katherine."

Katherine whipped around and pulled up her skirt and went all out. Everyone started cheering, laughing and miming her dancing. Les grinned and wiggled through the crowd to Kath. Davey did not know Katherine could dance like that, but quickly clapped and cheered along with the other boys. He wished he could dance like that. But dancing wasn't really his thing.

When his brother joined in on the dancing, he couldn't help grinning. He loved his brother...

Katherine, and her giant heart, was sweet to everyone, so when his brother had gone up and shown off for her, she joined right in. Soon, the rest of the people in the room was dancing, and he found himself pulled into the mix. The next thirty or so minutes were full of the boys showing off their skills. Specs, for his utter lack of depth perception, could do amazing tricks, like back flips and round offs. Race could dance ballet, along with Romeo and Albert. Tommy-Boy and Elmer were good at tapping, but from the whispering going around, neither could keep a straight face in poker. But as they were at most 15, that was expected. The laughing and dancing and tricks and gossip finally got Davey up and out of his shell. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the room, or maybe it was because he was tired of moping, but Davey found himself on a table.

"Look at me I'm the king of New York!"

The energy in the room radiating off of the other boys was enough to send him into a frenzy of determination. It was almost, almost as strong as the determination he felt when standing next to Jack Kelly when the strike was organized.

But his mind wasn't on Jack right now. It was on everything around him. The boys. Katherine. His little brother.

This was amazing, how easily and quickly they could all come together again...

"Friends will flee, let 'em ditch ya!" Davey spun Katherine around as he finally let go, even just for a day, even just for an hour. He smiled and threw the newspaper towards Race. Race grinned widely, oblivious of the fact that Romeo was sneaking up on him, not that it would have mattered, as Race jumped onto a table again, side stepping the younger boy.

"Snap one pitcha, and you're the king," Race spun as he held the paper out for everyone to see.

Davey grabbed the pape out of Race's hands. "VICTORY! Front page story, guts and glory!" He finished his spiel by picking up Les and spinning him around like he used to do when Les was smaller.

Katherine elbowed him and smiled brightly, letting him know that even if things weren't ok now, it would all be ok eventually.

"And we're the kings," Race started with excitement.

"Of New York!" All the boys finished.

Davey was panting as the dance party drew to a close, even if he couldn't dance, he still tried his best. And no one had cared he sucked, they just accepted it.

So this was what it was like to belong somewhere.