Newsies everlasting

Chapter 16

As the group gradually made their way back to the lodging house, Katherine's eyes burned red with a cruel mixture of anger and heartbreak as a result of her father's actions. The tears had finally subsided, but the bloodshot stain cast upon her eyes refused to leave. Even though it wasn't her own fault, she felt tremendous guilt upon her shoulders as she looked over to the sight of Jack carrying his best friend the rest of the way home, refusing to let him try to walk on his own despite Jesse's protests. Jesse felt almost as much guilt, knowing he had full ability over his legs, unknown to both Jack and Katherine, yet there was no way he could tell them with the risk of exposing his true identity.

"I'm so sorry, Crutchie" Katherine repeated for the tenth time.

"Honestly, Katherine, it ain't your fault, it's okay. Jack, please let me try to walk for a bit, ya can't carry me the entire way home, it's too far."

"No it ain't"

"Jack" Jesse warned "ya need a break, I'll be fine."

"Fine" Jack gave in, reluctantly letting his friend down on the conditions that he would at least lean against Jack and Winnie.

"Katherine," Winnie began, desperate to calm her friend, "come and stay with me and aunt Medda tonight, there's plenty of space."

"Thank you, Winnie, I don't even want to look at my father anymore, let alone be in the same house as him. I'll make him buy you a new crutch, Crutchie, until then what are you going to do?"

"Uh, I ain't sure" Jesse admitted. Without a crutch, he couldn't go up to the rooftop, he couldn't sell papers, he couldn't even leave his bed without help. Not when the other boys were around, anyway. Obviously, once they all left to sell papers, he was free to move around by himself.

"I'm so sorry, Crutchie." Eleven times now.

***

After they had left the girls at the theatre, Jack and Jesse made their way back to the lodging house, praying for the boys to have gone to sleep. However, unsurprisingly, every single newsie had waited up for their return, knowing that the had spent the evening with Pulitzer, and were all crowded around the door cheering as it opened. However, the clapping and shrieking quickly died as Jack half dragged Jesse through the door, both boys looking miserable and plagued with fatigue, earning dead silence from the boys, broken only by the occasional gasp.

"What the hell happened?" Race asked, breaking the suffocating quiet, white with shock.

"Ain't it obvious?" Jack huffed "Pulitzer snapped his crutch in half!"

Roars of anger rose up from the crowd of boys, curse words flying through the air - even Davey, who had chosen to wait for their return instead of going back to his parents, was swearing like a soldier unapologetically in front of his younger brother.

"FELLAS, FELLAS!" Jack yelled, earning rapid silence "just help me get Crutchie to the sofa and then get to bed! I'm too tired for this!"

Jojo and Race took over from Jack, helping Jesse reach the sofa across the room, while each of the other boys obeyed their leader and went upstairs without protest. Jesse collapsed onto the couch, thanking the boys, and sank back, replaying that evenings events in his mind.

Just as he thought he was alone, he heard Jack collapse into the sofa opposite him, shattered from the journey and that night altogether.

"Ain't ya sleeping in ya penthouse?" Jesse asked, looking over at his friend.

"What, and leave ya down here by yourself? No way! Besides, I struggle to sleep up there by myself," he admitted. In truth, Jack hated when Jesse didn't sleep on the rooftop, as it instantly reminded him of when he was stuck in the refuge, when Jack would stay awake every night, alone, praying that his friend was okay.