~ Twenty Three ~

The ride to Katherine's summer home was long, but, boy, it was worth it.

I was very close to sitting on the same side as Jack and Katherine, but luckily, Race and Finch made sure I wasn't anywhere near their romance for a while. I finally made amends with Davey, so his company was much more pleasant than I thought it would be.

We pulled up to the large house in Brooklyn. If you stand in the driveway, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge. I stare up at the house, it looked dark and abandoned. I guess there was no use for it after Katherine lost her mother. I step down from the coach and onto the gravel road. When I look up at the sky, I notice the gray clouds and strong wind. This should be fun.

I'm followed by Finch, Race, and Davey. We wait for Katherine to lead the way for us. Jack steps down and holds his hand out for her to hold as she hikes up her skirts and steps out from the coach.

"Here we are," Katherine sighs and begins to step up to the porch. We follow her up to the house and wait as she takes a chain from around her neck and finally uses the key on the end of it to unlock the door. The door creaks open, she takes a step inside and we follow.

All is quiet. The only sound is the echoing of our boots on the fancy, hardwood floors and the steady breathing, only coming from Katherine; we all held our breath.

We near a door with a brass doorknob. Katherine takes it in her hand and slowly turns it. Behind the door is a narrow staircase. She pulls a string and a light bulb begins to glow above the stairs, it doesn't provide all that much light, but just enough to see where we step. After we step off of the stairs, Katherine opens another door to view a basement filled with printing equipment. Katherine pulls another string to turn on a light. The light is faint but it's much better than the one over the stairs.

"Wow," Race breathes.

"Ya sure he don't use this stuff anymore?" Finch asks, obviously worried.

"Of course, I am," Katherine reassures him. "There's nothing to worry about."

"How are we supposed to print a thousand papers on this little thing?" Jack asks and taps his fingers on the printing press he stands next to.

Katherine scans the room. She spots a hallway leading to more doors. "If I remember correctly, there should be another press in one of the rooms here," she walks down the hall. We follow behind her as she peeks her head into each room.

"A lotta rooms," Jack mutters as we walk behind Katherine.

"Aha!" Katherine exclaims and walks into the room on the left side of the hallway. "Here it is. Come on in, guys," she motions us into an old, dusty bedroom. The printing press stands on a floral rug in the middle of the room. I graze my fingers across the side of it, catching dust on my fingertips. It's even more elegant than the one outside.

"So, what's the plan?" Davey asks once we're all inside.

"I'm thinking after we place all the letters on the trays, we roll do five–hundred in here and five–hundred out there," Katherine explains.

"Sounds good to me," Jack agrees.

"Cory and I can get started on getting the words onto the trays and inking the etching presses," Katherine suggests and waves the folder holding the Children's Crusade article.

My stomach drops. I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I'm still mad at Katherine for not telling us about her father. I'm still heartbroken about her moment with Jack on the rooftop.

"All right... The boys and I can set up the trays out here then," Davey smiles.

"Whatta we standin' 'round for?" Jack asks. "Let's get goin'!" The boys follow Jack as he runs outside to set up.

It's too late to say anything now, isn't it? I mentally facepalm myself. Good job, Cory...

Katherine opens a closet and picks up a box. It's obviously heavy, I watch her as she stumbles when she steps backward. "A little help, please?"

I try to keep from laughing. "Oh! Sorry," I rush to her aid and we lift it onto a nearby desk together.

Katherine opens the top to reveal several tiny letters–I'm assuming the ones we're going to place on the paper to print. Katherine sighs. "Shall we?" She holds the folder with the written article inside.

"I guess..." I shrug and mutter under my breath.

We work in silence for a while, she is quiet to focus and carefully place each letter. I, however, am only staying quiet to avoid saying anything stupid out of my anger or jealousy. It feels like an eternity working in complete silence. The only sound you can hear is the clicking of the tiny letters and our steady breathing.

"Are you...?" Katherine starts but stops herself.

"Did you say something?" I look up from my work.

"What? No, no I didn't."

"I could've sworn–"

"Nope," she shrugs and we go back to working quietly. That is until she speaks up again. "I did say something, actually... Are you... Mad at me, Cory?"

"Mad at you?" I drop my things and turn to face her.

"Yeah, 'cause you have been awfully quiet."

"Just focused," I reply with a shrug. "What would I be mad at you for?"

"I don't know... Ever since that night when I visited you in the Refuge, it seems like you've been avoiding me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but, that kinda gives me the impression that you're mad."

The truth is, I am mad at Katherine, for reasons I can't explain to her. When I got home from the Refuge and she went to talk to Jack on the roof...

I guess I can't be mad at her for being in love. Especially with Jack, I mean, who isn't in love with him?

But... What am I supposed to tell her?

"I like Jack, but, I mean, I can't do anything about it 'cause you're his girlfriend. So, yeah. Are these ready for the presses yet?"

Yes. At least, that's what my heart thinks, unlike my brain.

"To be honest..." I begin, not exactly knowing what I'm saying without sounding angry.

"Oh, no. You are mad at me, aren't you? What did I do to–?"

"I know how much you love Jack, and, believe me, there is nothing wrong with that."

"He's your best friend... You don't want to lose him..."

"No, it's just... When you went up to the rooftop the day I came home, I was going to go up there, but I didn't know you were already halfway up the staircase by the time I started to go up. I stayed and listened to what you said."

"Ugh, you must've thought we were the cheesiest people you've ever met, huh?" She laughs but I stare at the ground and sniffle a little. "Cory?"

"That should've been me..." I mumble.

"What did you say?" She tries to look at my face but I still hang my head.

"That should have been me up on that roof," I look up and let the tears roll down my cheeks and my voice shakes a little bit. "I should have been the one telling him how I feel about him, and how I–"

"How you feel?" She looks at me, puzzled.

"I should have been the one he kissed and told he would love forever..." I completely break down in front of her.

"Cory..." Katherine looks at me with wide and sorry eyes.

Just then, a loud crash comes from up the stairs. We both jumped at the sound. "What was that?" She stands up and exits the room.

I wipe away my tears stand up to follow her when I hear footsteps stampeding down the stairs. I follow the sound of Jack's laugh outside. When I come outside, I gasp at the sight of all of the newsboys standing in front of me.

Jack smiles and shakes hands with the one and only, Spot Conlon. Everybody cheers, "Brooklyn's here!"

📰 ❤️ 🎵 📰 ❤️ 🎵 📰 ❤️ 🎵 📰 ❤️ 🎵 📰 ❤️ 🎵

-hello again, friends! long time no see, huh? things are getting a little intense...

-i'm excited for the ending! i'll be ending qony on chapter 25 (plus an epilogue) it's a bittersweet feeling. but i just really can't wait for you guys to read it!

-qotd: childhood musical?

-aotd: into the woods!! i was eight when i first saw it and it has been one of my favorites ever since, the witch has been on my dream roles list the minute i heard her rap about vegetables. so, yeah. don't even talk to me about the movie👺

-i love you all so much!! i hope you enjoyed this chapter of qony! I can't wait to see what you think of these final chapters! let me know in the comments!

love, hayden beth