Chapter Text
It was a blur, planning the break-in, but in the end, it was easy enough. Katherine promised she’d get the keys. Jack picked the drawing he wanted in their paper. Davey said he’d talk to the guys about the whole Jack situation (though that was weird— as if the two boys had switched places).
But this part— now that Katherine was gone, and it was just Jack and Davey in the dirty alleyway beside the lodging house— this was hard.
Jack leaned into the hard brick and tried to think of something to say. Every word that came to his mind seemed to stick to the tip of his tongue, unable to spill out. Davey’s expression was carefully neutral, but all Jack could see was the sheer disappointment that had been splashed all over his face during the rally. Disappointment in him.
“Dave, about the rally—”
He didn’t quite know how to go about apologizing. It wasn’t something he made a habit of. And Katherine hadn’t wanted him to— she’d wanted an explanation. But the way Davey just stood there, staring expectantly, Jack felt he wanted something more. At least explaining was a place to start.
“—I was scared.”
Davey looked startled at Jack’s sudden confession. Jack could have hit himself; he wasn’t saying this right. “Not— not for me. For you ‘n the fellas.”
“I don’t understand,” Davey blurted. “I thought we already talked about this. I thought you were back in. We agreed that we all knew the risks—”
“But you didn’t know!” Jack pushed off the wall. “I didn’t know. When I went in there, Dave, Pulitzer had Snyder in there waitin’ for me. Either I said that stuff, or you— or all of us— we can’t fight the cops, Davey. You know we can’t. You saw it.”
Davey’s expression was unreadable in the dim night. Jack hoped it was his thinking face. Finally, he said softly, “I don’t blame you.”
It was like a weight lifted from Jack’s chest, letting him release a long breath. Absolution. Katherine had given it to him, too, and he still had the other newsies to answer to, but there was something about hearing Davey say it— Davey, who was braver than he ever could be— that let him finally relax.
“I don’t blame you for the rally,” Davey clarified. “But, Jack, what made you think going into Pulitzer’s office alone was a good idea? We’re supposed to be a team.”
Ah. Jack reddened. How could he explain that he’d been giddy with their schemes, but still anxious, still needing to see that Pulitzer was only a man? He’d wanted to look the old man in the eye and see that the newsies weren’t afraid. But even with how things ended up, he was glad he went alone. The trap still would’ve been laid. Better he was the only one to get caught.
Davey groaned, probably coming to his own conclusion of the same sort. “Jack.”
“I—”
“No, Jack, you listen.” Davey jabbed a finger into Jack’s chest. Jack was so surprised, he actually fell silent. “I’m just as much a part of this as you, Cowboy. If you fail, so do I. So do all of us! We don’t just need you to stand for us, Jack, we need you to stand with us!”
Davey’s eyes blazed, his chest heaving, hands clutching Jack’s shoulders. Jack hadn’t seen him so impassioned since the first day of the strike— was that really only a few days ago? — and he’d definitely never expected that anger to be aimed his way. He had expected Davey to be disappointed and betrayed after the rally, but not… furious.
So Jack opened his mouth and finally, finally said the words. “I messed up, Davey. I’m sorry. I’m real sorry ‘bout all of it.”
“Jackie. I know.”
Tears burned at Jack’s eyes. He wanted to look away, but Davey was still holding him in place. He cleared his throat after a moment. “Uh, you should get the fellas.”
Davey stepped back. “Yeah.”
“I’ll go ahead to meet with Kath.”
“I’ll meet you there. We do this as a team,” Davey insisted, bringing his hand to his mouth. He spat into his palm and held it out. “One for all, all for one. Deal?”
Jack returned the gesture, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Deal.”