Something's Gotta Give ❉ Newsies//COMPLETED

Chapter 1

"Oh
Pull me out
Of this sinking town
I'm dying to live
Something's gotta give."
- Something's Gotta Give, All Time Low

Sometimes life doesn't happen the way we want to.  Katherine had never followed the rules as a child; so why should she start now?  Her parents would tell her to stay inside with her snobby sister Lucille and do her sewing but she'd sneak out to go play with her older brother Adam in the yards.  Of course when her mother would find her she would get a damn good reprimanding and a thwack on the forearm with her mother's dainty hand held fan she always carried and waved in her face. 

Oi, stupid! Women do not go outside and act like wild animals Katherine.  You know better than that.  They stay inside where they are needed.

Rules.

Rules.

Rules.

Rules.

Sometimes Katherine wondered if her mother was really her mother or a school teacher.

Katherine would like to say she didn't care, that she didn't care at all really what people thought of her. But that would be one big lie.

Just like how she felt her life to be.

* * *

Katherine sat by the windowsill watching the rain pitter patter outside and racing the raindrops down the window. It was about 8pm and the sun was almost done setting and the sky was a beautiful ballerina pink.

Suddenly the door opened and Katherine flinched. She quickly turned.

"Good evening Mother." She said, hanging her head low and averting her eyes.

"Have you completed your studies?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Would you look to me when you're spoken to?" Mrs. Pulitzer said through gritted teeth before grabbing Katherine's chin and forcing her to look at her.

Katherine winced knowing a possibly red mark could appear later.

"Yes ma'am." She whispered once again.

"Good." Mrs. Pulitzer said releasing her daughter, "You're 17. I shouldn't have to ask you these things."

"I'm sorry." Katherine whispered looking down at her folded hands.

"A lady doesn't mumble!"

"I'm sorry!"

Katherine and her mother just stared at eachother for a few hard seconds before her mother spun on her heel and opened the door to her room.

"Goodnight Katherine." She said as she left.

"Goodnight Mother." Katherine sighed.

Her mother, too exasperated to even fight with her daughter anymore, just gave her a look and left the room.

Katherine let a few tears slip down until they fell and hit her hands faster than the raindrops outside.

Her hands went up to her necklace of a cross and she played with it as she thought.

"Please. . . Please. . ." She whispered quietly.

Katherine then got up and went to brush her hair, she examined herself in the mirror and sure enough there was a red mark under her chin. Nothing foundation couldn't fix in the morning.

"You need makeup to look pretty." Is what her mother would say anyways.

She went and slipped on her nightgown and crawled into bed. Katherine stared at the ceiling deep in thought. That was when she heard it. The voices.

"She's old enough."

"Mary, I don't know."

"Joe seriously, dear."

Katherine slowly crawled out of her bed and tip toed to her door and put her ear against it.

"We did it for Adam and Lucy, it's Katherine's turn for an arranged marriage."

Katherine's eyes about popped out of her head. A what??

"I hear there's a very nice boy from the other side of New York who is also looking for someone."

There is no way she is going through with this. Time to find the suitcase and pack it up. Time to run away.

"Or we could go with that man from England, tall, about 63 years old.  He's very wealthy I hear."

Katherine's legs almost gave out. What???

"How about we hold a ball, it'll be a masquerade and we'll invite suitors from the different kingdoms and then we'll choose."

"Sounds like an excellent plan darling."

Katherine shook her head and closed her eyes before running back to bed and diving under the covers. She was only 17! 17! She wasn't even at a legal age for anything yet!

She buried herself under her pink comforter and closed her eyes shut and tried to keep the thoughts away. And somehow throughout all the trying she slowly fell into a deep restless sleep.