The World Will Know (Newsies)

10: Watch What Happens

Rebecca had convinced Darcy to return the chalk to the distribution center after they finished writing, allowing Rebecca to quickly run off and ditch her friend. Part of her regretted doing that to him. Darcy was a nice guy, someone she trusted, but she didn't need to be around anybody. Not right now.

Her wish to be alone just wasn't going to be granted, though, not without getting on a ship or a train to get away. She had been spotted as she turned the corner, and before she could try and run in the other direction, a young voice called out to her.

"Beck! It's you! What are you doing?" Les Jacobs was waving to her outside of Jacobi's Deli, with Katherine at his side.

An unladylike word escaped Rebecca's lips very quietly so nobody could hear. She knew she couldn't run away that easily now. She flashed a smile and waved at them. "Oh, I was just getting some fresh air, that's all," she replied as the two made their way over to her. Katherine walked, while Les ran.

Katherine looked at her friend with a look of doubt in her eyes. "Rebecca," she started, "are you sure about that?"

Rebecca bit her tongue to keep herself from snapping at her friend as she replied, "I'm fine, Katherine. Don't worry about me."

Les was completely oblivious to any problems that Rebecca was dealing with. After all, he was only nine. So, he just smiled up at Rebecca and commented, "That's good. That means you can come with us to find Jack."

Rebecca's green eyes lit up as her eyes met Katherine's, immediately about to make a comment about the search for Jack Kelly, but she was quickly shut down by a glare from the other girl. So, she spoke with a different idea in mind. "Looking for Jack, huh? Well, then, let's get started on looking for him. Do you have any ideas?"

Les beamed, standing up tall and proud. "As a matter of fact, I do," he replied confidently. "Just follow me, and we'll find Jack. I just know it."

Before either of the girls could respond, Les was running down the street. The girls knew they had to follow, and with a shared glance and a sigh, they were dashing behind him through the streets of New York.

*****

They found themselves in front of Irving Hall, the place where Medda Larkin performed her vaudeville shows. Rebecca had never been inside before, due to it being forbidden by her father, but she had an idea of why this place might be where Jack was. After all, this was where Katherine did her review, and she met Jack there that night, so it was a place that they knew the boy frequented. It was definitely worth a shot, right?

They entered the theater together, Les moving quickly as if he had a place to go after this. As soon as they entered, they ran straight into Medda herself, who recognized Katherine and Les pretty easily. "Miss Plumber? Les? What can I do for you?" she asked them. Then, her eyes landed on Rebecca. "And who are you?"

Rebecca flashed a smile. "My name's Rebecca. I'm a friend of Les and Katherine's. We're looking for Jack Kelly. Is he here?" she asked politely, covering all the necessary bases.

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca. Call me Medda. Jack's working on a backdrop for me backstage. You can find him there with...your older brother, right?" Medda gestured to Les, asking him for confirmation. When she received it, she continued, "You'll find him back there."

"Thank you," the three young people chorused, and without another word, they made their way backstage, where they found Davey trying to talk Jack back into joining the cause.

Les was clearly proud that he had been right, and he gestured to Jack with a grin as he looked back at the girls. "There he is, just like I said!" he cheered.