Love Will Do What It Does

Chapter 5

Jack walked back into the lodge house, happy as can be. But all too soon, the thoughts of his Ace were interrupted. "Hey Jackie! I know yous just got back, but the fellas and I was thinkin' that maybe you could tell us a story? Its been weeks since ya last told one." Crutchie pleaded from his spot on the old, worn out couch.

The other boys nodded in agreement and started begging Jack to tell them a story. "Alright, alright! Fine! I'll tell a story. But not one of ya better interrupt me." He said, pointing at them as he sat down in a vacant chair.

His fellow newsies gathered around him in a circle, anxious to hear the tale. When Jack told stories, he would use proper (properish) wording, which only furthered his friends interest. He also sort of acted it out as he told it, which was fun to watch. "Once upon a time, there lived a princess named Katrina. She was beautiful, smart, independent, and kind. She lived in a big palace with her family, but she would walk in the village a lot while in disguise to escape the her life as a princess.

One time while she was there, she met a nice sailor boy and became friends with him. His name was Jason. The more they saw each other, the more the started to fall in love. One day, Katrina was sailin' on the ocean with her father, King Jonathan, and her brother, Prince Mathew, to a far off land. Jason was part of the ships crew, but only to be closer to the girl he loved.

It was a beautiful day on the sea. Suddenly, a beat up ol' pirate ship came into view, and was catching up to the royal ship." He paused to see the shocked faces and hear the gasps of his friends. He smirked a bit before continuing the story.

"Soon, the pirates were right next to the royal ship and were gettin' ready to board. The king told Mathew to take Katrina below the decks and to protect her. Jason saw a rotten pirate try to go after the prince and princess. So he grabbed his sword and daggers and went over to fight the pirate. He caught the pirate off guard and was able to quickly push him overboard.

Jason then rushed down below to make sure his princess was safe. He heard more pirates comin', so he had to think of a way to keep Katrina safe. But before he could think of a plan, he felt somethin' tear through his left arm. He let out a cry of pain and looked at his arm to see he that had been shot. He heard footsteps get closer to him and he looked up to see the pirate captain standing a few feet away with his pistol aimed at his chest. Jason raised his blade and-" Jack stopped.

His friend's faces were anxious in waiting for him to keep going with the story. "Well?! What happened next?!" Race practically shouted as the other newsies started asking the same questions. Jack raised his hands, motioning for them to be calm and quiet down.

Once they did, he simply said, "I'm gonna stop the story there for the night fellas." All he heard next was a group "Aww!" throughout the room. "Hey! Don't get all sad on me! Tomorrow I might finish it." He said with a smile. Next he heard cheers from his friends, they were excited to learn what happens next. Jack looked up at the clock. "Oh, looks like it bedtime boys. Busy day tomorrow. Night fellas." He said as he and Crutchie headed off to his penthouse.

Jack and Crutchie were sitting on the rooftop, gazing at the stars. "Hey Jack?" "Yeah Crutchie?" "In that story, you're the sailor, Jason, right? And Katherine is the princess Katrina, ain't she?" Crutchie looked at his brother. "How'd ya know?" Jack asked with a large grin on his face. "It ain't that hard to see. I know ya love her a lot. An' I can tell that she loves ya too. Anyone with eyes can see that." Jack pulled Crutchie's cap off of his head and ruffled his hair a lot before placing the cap back on his head.

The two boys laughed. "Well, I think we best get to sleep. Night Crutchie." Jack said as he settled into his makeshift bed. "Night Jack." said Crutchie as he did the same. The night was quiet. Well, as quiet as New York can get at night. No matter what challenges tomorrow brings, Jack Kelly and his newsies would take them head on, together, like the family they are.