This is my first Newsies Fanfic the idea just kinda popped in my head. So I know that Jack Kelly is a fictionalized character, and that if she had really been doing a paper on the strike she would not have found anything about him but for the storys sake lets just say that Jake Kelly was real.

I do not own Newsies

The Research Paper

Chapter 1

I sat in the computer lab staring at the computer screen my eyes burning from overwork. "Hey Payton," I turned to see Hagen one of my best friends from my computer animation classes. "How long have you been here?" he asked from the doorframe of the computer lab. I sighed rubbing my eyes with my hands before looking back up.

"Since the end of my 12:00pm class," I said trying to add a final touch to my animation on the computer screen.

"It's almost 3:00 in the morning, do you think you should call it a night," he said running his hand through his hair. I laughed to myself I should have called it a night a long time ago, but the problem with being a computer animation major is that you barley get any sleep with all the projects that you have to do.

"Yeah I'm going to leave as soon as I finish this last detail," I said making another click with my mouse only to press undo again when I realized that what I did looked bad.

"All right," he said picking up the bag that he had apparently put down. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," I said giving him a quick wave before turning back to the computer screen. It's times like these that I wish that my laptop could do this stuff. I get so sick of spending all my time in this lab. Finally I saved the hard work I had done that day packed up my things to make my way back to my dorm room. As much as I hate being in the computer lab I could almost say that I hated being in my dorm room even more. It's not that it's a bad room its just that me and my roommate don't exactly get along. Well when you're the youngest college student it's hard to get respect from anybody especially my roommate. I mean I'm 17 and she is 19 it's not that big of a age difference, but to her it is ages so she automatically thinks she knows so much more than me. Yet she didn't even know how to do her own laundry at the beginning of the year. I slowly made my way to the door of my dorm unlocking it finding her sleeping in her bed then I turned to see that someone was in my bed. "Oh hell no," I said turning on the lights immediately waking up my roommate and her friend who had made themselves comfortable. "Melissa you tell your friend that they have until I'm dressed to be out of my bed and on the floor for all I care!" I shouted grabbing my clothes heading towards the bathroom. When I walked back out her fried was sleeping on the floor as I climbed in my bed I heard Melissa mumble something under her breath ignoring her I closed my eyes letting sleep come.

"Payton," I rolled over ignoring my roommates attempts at wakening me up. "Payton wake up."

"What do you want?" I asked finally giving up to look at her half asleep.

"I need you to leave for a few hours or so." I looked at her like she was retarded. Who did she think she was waking me up asking me to leave the room.

"No," I stated rolling back over. She immediately grabbed my shoulder turning me over to look at her again.

"Your so selfish you know that," she said looking straight at me. Furry flooded through my veins at this point.

"I'm selfish are you kidding me. This is as much my room as it is yours. I was up till 3:00 in the morning working on my project and I don't think I am being selfish by wanting to sleep in my own bed for a few more hours before my next class. Unlike you who always skips class and just wants me to leave so that you can have sex with your boyfriend." At that point a threw myself back under the covers ignoring any other attempts she made at trying to get me up. Eventually I heard her apologize to her boyfriend as I heard him leave the room.

I walked to class the cold blowing right through my coat and deep down to my skin. I still regret the day I chose to go to The University of North Carolina Asheville. Sure I loved the school, but the weather sucks especially to someone from the southern part of Tennessee. The warmth of the building I walked into was so inviting that it almost made the fact that I was going to my least favorite class somewhat enjoyable. Slowly I made my way into my writing class. The professor stood in the front of the class with a big bowl of folded up pieces of paper. My professor looked at all of us with a big smile on her face making me want to hit her. I am not in the mood for perkiness I'm functioning on like 3 hours of sleep. "Today we are going to discuss research papers and you will all pick a research topic from the bowl," she stated as she began to write something on the board. My mind went elsewhere during almost the entire class. I was lucky to hear her say that we had to have a rough copy of our paper by the next class. Great now I was going to have to spend time in the library when I should be spending time in the computer lab. Everyone started getting up gathering their things then going up to get their topics. Slowly I made my way to the front of the room pulling out the small piece of paper. I instantly groaned at the sight of the topic on the paper which read "Newsboys Strike of 1899". Great of all the topics I get the one that no one cares a rats ass about.

That night at sat in the library books all over the table my laptop open. Every thing I read was absolutely pointless. No one cares about how some guy named Jack Kelly got a bunch of newsies together to bring the price of papers down 10 cents. What was I supposed to right about this. I sighed as I looked at my laptop. The word document had been the same for past two hours…blank. Angrily I shut the laptop, and started packing up my things. Fuck this research paper I'll just take a zero.

When I got back to my dorm. I was surprised to see my bed with no one in it for the first time in almost a month. Throwing my backpack on my bed I slowly put on my white tank top and purple soffe shorts for bed. "Payton," I head Melissa mumble just as my head hit the pillow. I sighed heavily hopeing that she was just sleep talking or something. "Payton," she said louder this time.

"Yeah," I mumbled almost asleep. "What do you want."

"I was just letting you know that Alex is spending the night," she said smugly. Although it was pitch black in the room I could vaguely see a second lump in the bed. I let out a deep sigh while rolling over. I don't even want to know what they were doing before I came in the room. I winced as my foot hit something that was on my bed. I almost started yelling thinking it was something of hers or her boyfriends before I realized that it was my backpack that I had thrown earlier. I stared at it for a minute to tired to move it. Slowly I felt my eyes fall as sleep came.

I woke up to the unpleasant sound of a guys voice. Great Melissa's boyfriend must be up. I rolled over pulling the covers over my head. That's when I noticed that my sheets felt funny different not like my sheets my pillow wasn't as fluffy either I opened my eyes to look at the cover over my head realizing that it wasn't my blanket. What did Melissa change all my sheets to get back at me or something? Man I can't stand her I'm requesting a new roommate. All the sudden I head more guys voices lots of guy voices what has she brought a whole guys floor into our room. Forget it I'm just going to go back to sleep I could really care less what she does right now.

It seemed I had only gone back to sleep for maybe 10 minutes before I felt the bed moving. The guys voices seemed to be right over me. What the hell was going on? All the sudden my body went flying of the bed onto the floor with the mattress falling on top of me. Ok that is it this bitch has gone to far this time. "What the hell is your problem!" I shouted throwing the mattress off of me standing up. To my surprise it wasn't Melissa or even her boyfriend that I found my self staring at.

"We could ask you the same thing," a short boy with brown hair said pulling a cigar out of his mouth to talk. Shock filled my face what was going on where was I. I found my self in a room full of bunk beds but not just full of bunk beds, but also full of guys. All the sudden I became very aware of the short shorts and tank top I was wearing. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" the boy asked looking me up and down with a grin on his face.

"I um well I…" I all the sudden found myself speechless, which never happens. I had no idea why I was here or even where here was.

"You gonna talk?" asked a boy with blond hair and a eye patch over one of his eyes.

"My name is Payton," I said still trying to get my bearings on the situation. Why were they all dressed like they just walked out of some old time movie.

"Why are you here Payton," a taller boy with a red bandana around his neck almost shouted at me. Frustrated I looked at him feeling my face getting very hot through anger.

"I don't know why I'm here!" I shouted throwing my hands in the air, " I don't even know where here is." The whole room erupted into laughter.

"Well I doubt that you really don't know where you are considering the fact that you where the one that snuck in here, but…"

"Wait a minute," I almost shouted cutting the bandana boy off. "I didn't sneak in." He laughed at this statement.

"Ok if you say so," he said between laughs. "The point is you are at the Newsies Lodging House." He said with a smug grin. Newsies? What...? Newsies haven't existed since the early 1900's.

"What's your name," I asked almost afraid of his answer.

"Jack Kelly," he said putting a big grin on his face. Wait a second did he say Jack Kelly the one from the 1899 newsies strike. All the sudden I felt sick the world started spinning.

"Oh Shit," I muttered under my breath before everything started going black the last thing I head was the bandana boy shout out

"Race catch her."

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