Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. I also own Smiler and Snaps, and Romeo is 'borrowed' (to me, he is the kid who is last to receive bread from the nuns in the movie). Please read and review!
A/N: Mac is referred to as 'he' in this story because it takes place before the strike and before Mac's secret is revealed. For more details, please read Introducing Mac.
Seize the Day?! What was I thinking?! I'm supposed to be working for a living, to help Papa out while he's out of action, and here I am, just days after joining the Newsies, encouraging a strike! Which I only mentioned as a joke! Oh, why can't I just keep my big mouth shut?!
Seize the Day...
I really didn't expect Jack to take me so seriously! Or that I'd end up actually helping them to strike! Les wasn't at all helpful, shouting out like that and getting the boys all fired up, but then I got caught up in all the excitement and now I'm thoroughly involved in this whether I like it or not.
Seize the Day...
It certainly helps that we've got a good cause. I mean, most, if not all, of the boys were struggling to pay for their papers at 50 cents per 100, especially the slightly older ones like Smiler, Snaps and Skittery. And now they've got to pay an extra 10 cents, thanks to Pulitzer and his cronies! But really, why does he need more money? He's got plenty already! He needs bringing down a peg or two...
Seize the Day...
I was rather surprised to find myself disappointed when Spot Conlon of Brooklyn refused to join the strike, which almost certainly meant that there wouldn't be a strike, seeing as I hadn't really wanted a strike in the first place. And I was a little angry to get back to Manhattan and discover that the boys there were having second thoughts. Didn't they care that Pulitzer is taking advantage of them?! So I decided they needed a little encouragement...
Seize the Day...
There is one thing that I'm really against though; all this violence. You can't go around beating other kids up just because they're 'scabs'. Even Mac, who is like the doctor of the group, will happily fight and fight dirty when he gets the chance. I know that the Newsies' public image can't get much worse, but that's not the point, and going around attacking other working children certainly isn't gonna help. There are other ways to settle differences. I just have to convince Jack on that point...
Seize the Day...
I think I've worked out why this strike business has got me so excited. It's because although we're all young boys, we're all fighting together against a common enemy; we're a team, a family even, and we're all striving toward the same goal – a fairer existence for not just the Newsies, but all the working boys of New York. I know I have a home and a loving family to go back to every day, but most of my fellow Newsies have only each other, and protect each other fiercely. Even the younger ones such as Romeo, Boots and Snipeshooter are always looking out for each other, doing their best to keep each other safe. And even if we lose the strike, I know that the Newsies will always be a family.
Life is hard enough for them, so they deserve a little justice. So come on; what are we waiting for? We have a strike to organise! Look out Pulitzer, here we come!
Open the gates and Seize the Day!