"Why do we need new clothes?" Jack whined, "I'm fine as I am".
"Would Pulitzer agree with that?" Jesse reminded him, practically dragging his reluctant friend into the clothes store.
Once they were inside, the pair of them tried their hardest to stay out of sight of the other customers, aware that they easily stood out in their grubby attire compared to the crisp white shirts surrounding them. Snaking their way between aisles, they tried to find something suitable, or rather, Jesse did while Jack complained about the prices, despite the generous amount of money Katherine had given them.
"Hey," Jesse reminded him, "she's the one making us spend the evening with Pulitzer, so I have no sympathy for her paying. That man is disgusting in every way."
"Charles Morris, how can you say that about my new father in law" Jack gasped sarcastically, bringing his hand to his chest as he pretended to be offended, "give him the credit he deserves, we both know he's far worse than that!"
Without bothering, or really knowing they were meant to, trying their new outfits on, they hurried from the shop with their purchases in an attempt to find a decent barbershop - both the boys had grown used to other newsies cutting their hair for them and had no idea what to expect. Finally, Jesse noticed a sign reading JACKSON'S BARBERS, and, shrugging, stepped inside.
The shop was empty besides an older looking man, probably in his fifties, sweeping the floor after the last customer. He had fading, silver hair, accompanied with a matching beard that was spread out across his wrinkled, ageing skin.
"Do you boys have an appointment?" He asked glumly as he noticed Jack and Jesse stood in the doorway apprehensively.
"Erm, no, no we ain't. Should we have one?" Jack asked, new to the whole experience. He looked over to Jesse who just shrugged and leaned against his crutch.
"Well, I should probably tell ya to scram, but lucky for youse, my client can't make it. Died." Despite the severity of what he had just said, the elder man shrugged off his comment like his customers dropped dead all the time, earning awkward looks of confusion and fear from the boys.
"Erm, I'm sorry?" Jesse said, though it sounded like more of a question, considering the man didn't seem to care at all.
"Eh, don't be," he shrugged, "never liked him. Who's first then?"
Jack stepped forward tentatively, as if he thought the man would chop his head off as well as his hair, although his nervousness subsided after 10 minutes as the barber got to work on his hair, neatening edges Jack didn't even know needed to be neatened.
Once he finished with Jacks hair, finally clean and styled, Jesse sat down, handing his crutch to his friend.
"How did ya do that, kid?" Mr Jackson said, nodding towards that crutch.
"Um, I got hit by a wagon a few years ago," Jesse replied, mesmerised by the feeling of getting his hair properly cleaned.
"Shame, kid, real shame. Stuff like that ain't meant to happen to kids, it's meant to happen to old folk, like me. You've barely even experienced the world and lifes already thrown that at ya, real shame."
Jesse resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If he had a dime for every person who told him he hadn't had time to "experience the world", or that he had "his whole life ahead of him", he would be able to pay for his own haircut once a week.
After an hour of being in the barbershop, the boys were finally finished, comparing their new looks in the murky, slightly cracked mirror. Despite the run down state of his shop, and character for that matter, Mr Jackson's work was excellent. They paid for his time, and finally left, reluctant to put on their hats as they felt the need to show the world their new hair.
"Okay, now all we need to do is wash and we is done. When was the last time ya bathed, Jack?" Jesse asked, thinking through the to-do list Katherine had instructed them to complete.
"Erm, four days," Jack admitted, realising how bad that sounded.
"Well that ain't good enough! Wese seeing Pulitzer, we gotta smell fresh!" Jesse laughed, even though he was just as guilty.
"Okay okay, I get it, I stink! Let's go back to the lodging house then, I'll race ya!" Jack laughed, before sprinting around the corner.
"Hey, that ain't fair!" Jesse yelled, still laughing "that's like picking a fight with a butterfly! Youse gonna win! I ain't got two legs!"
As he limped around the corner, carrying the bag of clothes Jack had abandoned him with, Jesse screamed, almost falling over in shock as Jack jumped out at him from behind the corner, killing himself with laughter.
"I hate you!" Jesse laughed, catching his breath, as Jack collapsed in hysterics.
"Nah ya don't, come on , I'll take the bag for ya," Jack offered, throwing his arm around his best friend's shoulder as the pair made their way to the lodging house, chatting carelessly the entire journey.
***
Hours later, Jesse and Jack's previous comfort had dissolved as the pair of them stood, finally clean and in their new clothes, terrified at the door of Pulitzer mansion. Both too fearful to knock themselves, the two boys practically collapsed with relief as they recognised a jovial voice behind them.
"How long have you guys been stood here for?" Winnie asked, amused at how pitiful they were acting. As they turned around, Jesse was taken back at how beautiful she looked. She wore a deep, burgundy gown, complimented by soft, pearl jewellery, glowing with elegance. He hair tumbled freely down her back, though some parts had carefully been pinned back, styled perfectly. A slight wash of makeup flushed her cheeks delicately, deepened the colour of her lips, and glistened gently upon her eyelids, all carefully applied by her aunt.
"Wow, you look gorgeous," Jesse said quietly, amazed by her beauty.
"Thankyou" she grinned, "You guys don't scrub up to badly yourselves. So, how long have you been stood here?"
"Thirty minutes" Jack sighed, ashamed at how pathetic he was being.
"Oh come on, I'm sure Pulitzer isn't that bad!"
"Winnie, you don't understand what that man is capable of," Jesse began, his mind flashing back momentarily to the emotional trauma he had been subjected to within the refuge, pain that would haunt him forever.
"Oh, don't be silly!" Winnie laughed, pushing through them and knocking herself.
Moments later, the door opened to the family's butler, with a fixed expression of misery and boredom engraved onto his face.
"Good evening," he began, sounding as if he had hoped to open the door to some sort of maniac who would put him out of his misery,
"your hosts are in the reception, I will guide you to them if you were to be so kind as to follow me. Dinner shall commence shortly."
His voice seemed to drain the life out of everything around him, as he regurgitated the same line he had repeated countlessly for the last fifteen years.
While Winnie still seemed to grasp onto a small amount of optimism, Jesse and Jack became increasingly more nervous as the were lead through the endless corridors, dripping with jewels and luxuries of every kind. Jesse was cautious of knocking something over with his crutch, terrified that this would give Pulitzer reason to thrown him back in the refuge, which for some ludicrous reason had been reopened a few weeks after the strike, and though it was promised that the conditions had vastly changed, no one believed that. After all, since Snyder had been bailed out of prison, he had been quick to get back to running his own, so no one was safe.
As they reached a grand, oak door, all three of them took and deep breath, as the butler knocked before pushing it open to reveal their hosts. Thankfully, Katherine was sat by her father, nervous herself, acting like some sort of buffer between the guests and Pulitzer.
Pulitzer grinned as the three appeared, however it flooded them with fear as opposed to welcome. The man wore a pristine, black, three piece suit, obviously worth more than Jack and Jesse's lives put together. His white beard framed his stern, unsympathetic face, which failed to disguise his disgust at seeing the boys. He could accept Winnie, for she had never participated in the strike against him, and clearly had some money of her own, but he struggled to hide to discontent the boys bestowed upon him.
"Mr Kelly," he began, his voice cold, "care to introduce me to your friends?"
"I invited them father," Katherine said quickly, standing up and hurrying over to them, "this is Winnie foster, she's been helping me organise the wedding. And this is Crutchie, Jack's best friend and a very good friend of my own."
"Don't you have a real name, boy?"
"Ch..Charles Morris, sir" it wasn't like Jesse to be nervous, but he was looking at the man who refused to free him from the refuge, as if it were a game to him.
"Well, isn't it nice to have some extra guests," Pulitzer chuckled sinisterly, "I assume that dinner will be ready soon, if you would all care to join me in the dining hall."
They did as they were told, following him silently to dinner. Even Katherine felt slightly worried. However, over time, Jack had started to melt back into his usual self, remembering the countless sarcastic comments he had thrown at the man during the strike. The only reason he felt concerned now was the fact that he was planning on marrying his daughter, so as much as it killed him, he tried to fight his sarcastic side for one evening, though he didn't expect it to last long.
As they reached the dining hall, Winnie and the boys were amazed at the grand size of the room, large enough to fit over a hundred people comfortably. Exquisite, rouge velvet curtains we draped around the ceiling high windows, the glass so clean it was as though there were simply vast holes in the wall. The heavy, oak table which stretched across the room glistened with silverware, beckoning the group to sit down.
After they had absorbed the beauty of their surroundings, the guests joined Pulitzer at the table, noticing they already had allocated seats. Pulitzer sat at the head of the table, with Katherine and Jack to his left, and Jesse and Winnie to his right. They all sat obediently, as a dozen servants walked in, carrying multiple platters of food, so much that neither Jack or Jesse had ever seen before. There was ham, beef, turkey, peas, carrots, piles of mashed potato, roast potatoes, three different varieties of salads, five gravy boats, and other delicacies neither of the boys could even name. While at first they were amazed, they slowly became furious at the fact that Pulitzer would have so much food left over after every meal that would go to waste, while each of the boys back at home were struggling to eat every night, and when they did it was simply be a few slices of bread, maybe with some thin, watery soup if they were lucky.
Minutes later, each and every plate was piled high with food, Jack and Jesse's more so than the others considering they couldn't remember the last time they had eaten a decent meal, and every one began to start eating.
"So, Mr Kelly, I've been wondering," Pulitzer began, "where are you going to live once you have married my daughter? In ordinary circumstances, the bride moves in with her husband, however you are simply not ordinary, are you, boy? Do you think I'm letting my daughter live in that pathetic lodging house, reeking with misery?"
"Gee, thanks, ya know, maybe if ya donated a little money to it hear and there, Joe, it wouldn't be so bad huh?" Jack said, his sarcasm finally returning to him.
"Okay, Jack, as you seem to have decided that we are on a first name basis, what is your plan, then?"
"I'm looking for a place right now, if ya must know," he grinned.
"And can you afford it?"
Jack's face sank at this. Sure, there were multiple apartments on offer throughout the city, but they weren't nearly as luxurious as the mansion Katherine had grown so used to, and he was struggling to afford one anyway, despite saving up for months.
"Just as I thought" Pulitzer growled, satisfied that he had managed to embarrass Jack once more.
"Okay, can we talk more about the day?" Katherine interrupted, desperate to break the tension in the room, "Winnie and I have been planning for the last few months, and, considering the weddings next week-"
"Next week?" Jack and Jesse gasped at the same time.
"Yes, next week, we have practically everything ready. So, we arrive at the church at ten, then the ceremony begins, and then everyone meets back here for the celebration afterwards-"
"Here!" Pulitzer gasped, "I'm not having hundreds of newsies running wild around my house!"
"Well, unless you want to pay for a venue, father, then shut up. The newsies know how to behave if they want to. And honestly, most of them are still terrified of you anyway, after how you treated them during the strike!"
"That's enough, Katherine!"
"You only say that when you're wrong" Katherine glared at her father, "after every thing you put them through, let them have this one day of luxury. You did treat them like dirt."
"Those boys deserved what they got!"
"Did I!" Jesse hadn't even expected to yell, he hadn't even realised the extent of his anger until it was too late. "I still have scars, deep wounds that refuse to heal even months after I left the refuge. Let alone the emotional bruising. I nearly died in there. We would only get one meal every two days, if you could call a single slice of bread a meal. And you refused to let me out until you were forced to by the Governor himself. All because I had a limp and couldn't keep up with the others. Imagine being beaten by your own crutch, the thing that's meant to support you. Did I deserve that?"
The table turned silent, shocked at Jesse's outburst. Jesse knew that the only reason he survived in there was because of his immortality - if it had been any of the other boys, they would have surely died. Pulitzer, for once, had no response.
"Fine, you can have the party here. Then we're even" he grumbled.
"I wouldn't go that far" Jesse muttered, surprised at himself.
"Anyway," Katherine interrupted quickly, "as I was saying, the wedding will be at the church at ten, so Winnie and I while arrive with you, father, before we walk down the aisle-"
"Oh, darling, I'm not giving you away, it's shameful enough that I'm watching my daughter marry a newsboy."
Once again, the table fell silent.
"What....Father....what did you....how could you?" Katherine stuttered, shocked by this new revelation.
"It's okay, Katherine" Winnie comforted her friend glaring at Pulitzer, "you know aunt Medda will be honoured to give you away, she loves you, even if he doesn't."
"How dare you insult me like that!"
"How dare you insult your daughter like that!" Winnie snapped back. She looked over at Katherine, who was desperately fighting back her tears. The only thing keeping her steady was Jack's hand squeezing her own hand under the table.
"Don't you dare talk to Katherine like that again" Jack warned, his eyes burning into Pulitzer.
"I can talk to my daughter how I see fit!"
"No you can't!" Jesse joined in "Katherine doesn't deserve that. And Jack it not shameful, he is at least twice the man of you!"
"You've got some cheek for a pitiful crippled boy" Pulitzer laughed "should I put you back where you belong?"
Jesse's face turned white as he sank back into his chair, terrified of being put back in the refuge.
"You are disgusting, Father, how can you joke about that? Can't you see the damage that place has done already?" Katherine was furious at her father's threat.
"Fine, I'll spare you this time, you lousy crip," Pulitzer began, standing up and walking over to Jesse, who, although was terrified, was determined to maintain a brave face.
"But just watch what you say to me, or something bad might happen to you."
Slowly Pulitzer picked up Jesse's crutch, and studied it in his hands, sending chills down Jesse's spine.
"Just one wrong word..."
Before anyone could stop him, or even register what was going on, Pulitzer snapped the crutch clean in half against his knee with all his strength, before all four of them began screaming at him. Jack jumped up from his chair, ready to soak the man who had just destroyed the one thing his best friend depended on, but was stopped by Katherine who knew how detrimental the consequences would be. Jesse was furious - though realistically he knew he could walk, no one else other then Winnie knew that, so there was no way for him to move at all. Katherine was screeching at her father, refusing to let him even attend the wedding after what he had done. Winnie's face had reddened with anger as she finally saw the monster Pulitzer had the potential to be. Only Pulitzer was smiling, tossing the remains of the crutch back to Jesse, who studied them in horror.
"Get out of my house. All of you." He ordered.
Jack raced to the other side of the table to help Jesse stand up, still screaming at Pulitzer. They all stormed out, Jesse being half carried, still struggling to absorb what had just happened. In a matter of minutes, all four of them collapsed outside the front door, Katherine beginning to sob.
"He is no father of mine."