Newsies Middle School - High School AU

Chapter 65 - A Brief Return of Ms. Meanie

"Davey, will you hold still?" Jack was sitting across a table from Davey with a newly acquired set of face paints. The two of them, along with Crutchie, Sarah, and Katherine were in Maine's living room getting ready to go to the pride parade. Sarah would be taking Jack, Katherine, and Davey in her car while Crutchie would ride with Maine and her family.

"He'll stop turning his head if you get the mirror out of his view," Sarah laughed, "switch seats so his back is to the mirror," 

"No, I'm almost done," Jack added the final stripe to the gay pride flag he was painting on Davey's face, "there you go,"

"Wow," Davey stood up and got closer to the mirror so he could get a better look at it, "I have literally never seen this flag before today, I like the color scheme," 

"Great, now I need to paint the bisexual pride flag on my face," Jack brought the pink, purple, and blue face paint over to the mirror.

"Do you want someone else to do it?" Crutchie offered.

"No, I can do it," Jack promised.

"When you're all done getting ready, I want to get a picture of all of you," Molly entered the living room, "you all look great... Where's Maine?" 

"I think she's in her room doing something with Laurence Chompington," Crutchie shrugged.

"That I was," Maine came out of her room holding her Venus flytrap in the flower pot, she had colored an ally flag on a small piece of paper and taped it to the flower pot, "look how cute,"

"I will never understand her attachment to the plant," Jack was focused on his face paint.

"Are you planning on carrying Larry around ALL DAY," Crutchie asked.

"Yeah, unless someone else wants to," Maine smiled.

"I'll carry him for a bit," Crutchie offered.

"Is everyone ready?" Alicia grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter, "Ellie-Bean, are you coming?"

"Yeah," Ella jogged into the front room, "I was just tying my shoes,"

"Okay, I'm done, how does it look?" Jack put the face paints away.

"Great," Molly gave him a thumbs-up, "now, everyone go outside so I can take your picture," 

"Everyone pose with your arm around your significant other, or in Crutchie and Maine's case, best friend," Alicia instructed once everyone was outside.

"What about me, Mommy?" Ella asked.

"You... hm..." Alicia thought for a moment, "you can stand in front of Maine and Crutchie, and you can hold Larry because you're both Allies," 

"Okay," Ella agreed.

"Okay, everyone smile," Molly held up her phone and took a few pictures, "great, let's go," 

"I'm excited," Jack smiled, "I've never been to a pride parade before," 

"I am... sad for you," Katherine shook her head, "you're seventeen, right?"

"Yeah," Jack shrugged, "but you can't have been much younger when you went to your first pride parade,"

"Fair enough," Katherine chuckled, "you think we'll see Darcy and Bill and the others?" 

"I don't see why we wouldn't," Sarah had trouble finding a place to park, but that just gave Crutchie time to make his way over to where they ended up parking.

"Okay, Jack and Davey, important tip for you," he started, "we all know there are people who aren't going to agree with who we are,"

"We know THAT first hand," Jack rolled his eyes, "do you remember this past school year at all?"