Jack Week! It's exciting seeing how people view and write characters, especially my favorite ones.
What makes me love Jack? Well, it would have to be his personality. He's charming, fast talking and not afraid to stand up for himself and others. He did something many of us don't have the guts to do. Would we risk our entire futures and paycheck to stand up for ourselves and our rights? As much as we would like to think, probably not. Jack sacrifices his dreams, future and freedom for his friends and rights. Not immediately, but better late than never. He has a mysterious past, which is very appealing. Plus he can sing and dance! Who doesn't love a guy who can do that? I think he is a very strong character.
This is how I guessed Spot views Jack and compares their leadership and friendship. Keep in mind it is before the strike.
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Spot sat on his lofty perch above the docks. Alone. That's all he wanted after a day of hawking headlines in the crowed scummy streets. Sucking up to the rich ladies on street corners and gents in suits for a penny was another newsies gig. Spot Colon wasn't wasting any of his pride on them.
He spent the day walking through the alleys past tenant buildings selling to the real people--hard dirty factory men and women doing their laundry with toddlers at their feet. They understood work. He gave them a paper and smile, and wished them good day as they handed over a penny and still be their equal.
Even now after a good day Spot wondered away from the other boys. They jumped into the river and pitched pennies while talking and besting each other in groups. He joined them, and watched too before drifting away. As a leader his mind jumped to more pressing maters.
Matters like Jack Kelly. The name rang in his head like an empty threat, but still a threat no less. Spot heard the stories from passing boys, and if any of them were true the leader of Manhattan didn't win his position by smiling. Kelly won Manhattan's popular vote, but he still fought against anyone from another territory who tried to claim it. A few good fist fights went a long way when showing power.
At first Spot Colon couldn't figure out how Jack Kelly took leadership. Not since one of his own boys came back with the news Jacky-boy took the position, and not even now nearly half a year later.
Spot didn't know enough of the boys in Manhattan to guess who would take leadership, and as long as they respected Brooklyn he didn't care much of who had it. So when he heard Jack Kelly won it, he wasn't surprised. Impressed maybe, but not surprised.
Spot respected him, not aloud and definitely not to Kelly's face, but the Brooklyn leader understood the concept of fighting to the top. It took a certain kind of person to take power. That and the Manhattan boys continued their pacts with Brooklyn and other boroughs.
Spot played dirty everyday and he knew it. Kelly kept his nose pretty clean so far, but Spot didn't doubt for a second that Jack would turn and play rough, even if he didn't do it every other week.
But something made Spot doubt Jack Kelly as a leader. He didn't know what, but a feeling inside made him wary of the other boy. He knew Kelly felt the same way towards himself, but maybe it was mutual dislike.
Being a leader took guts, not that Jacky-boy didn't have them. His Refuge stunt proved that, but Spot doubted he'd be willing to do anything like it again. Unlike himself Jack Kelly wasn't seeking power. Jack's boys respected him enough to keep his position. Sure, the other boroughs knew Jack as a leader not to cross. But every New York newsie knew Spot Colon murdered any boy who looked at him the wrong way.
If Spot Colon was proud then Jack Kelly was cocky. He thought he owned the world, if not all of Manhattan. Spot grit his teeth at the thought. Jack Kelly with his stupid bandanna and even more ridiculous cowboy hat wanted to go out west. This is New York Cowboy, not Santa Fe. Once your born in this city, you sure as hell ain't escaping it by leaving. Spot had his own signature things too. They didn't give him his nickname, but a key and cane were sure a lot more useful in New York than a bandanna and cowboy hat.
Spot remembered Kelly from years ago. Back then the two were younger and hopeful like any kid who wasn't living off the streets. Jack moved to Brooklyn with his family for a year. Spot had one of those too back then, funny how much changed since then. The difference was Spot knew Jack Kelly by different name then--Francis Sullivan. They weren't close, but they played games together in the same street alleys like all the kids did. As a rule kids went by street names. Spot was definitely not his real name, and he knew only those with something to hide change their real names.
The boy who broke out of the Refuge became appointed as leader of Manhattan. At the time Spot knew nothing else about the boy until his "birdies" came back with information. Jack Kelly, known as the Cowboy, tall with brown hair and eyes, a dynamic speaker with a red bandanna who was the best newsie on that side of the river. He rode out of the Refuge on Roosevelt's coach.
"Should I worry about him?" Spot asked the boys back then.
"Maybe. We'll keep an eye on 'im." They answered truthfully.
A few weeks later to Spot's surprise Kelly himself walked down to the Brooklyn docks alone, no back up in case of trouble--a stupid move on his part. The Brooklyn leader hadn't invited him, and borough leaders never showed up unannounced, but Spot liked Jacky-boy's style. It was like his own. After a moment he recognized the boy, and was sure Kelly did the same to him.
Jack made his message clear that day; leave Manhattan alone and take Brooklyn's boys out because Manhattan's keeping the treaty. Mess with Manhattan and there will be a war.
Spot agreed reluctantly in front of his own boys because it gave Jack the power, and power was something Brooklyn owned. He couldn't let Jack out of there letting him have the upper hand.
"Alright, Sullivan," Spot said taking him down a notch. "But if you or your boys step out of line you answer to us" Jack glared down angrily at the Brooklyn leader for using his true name.
"Name's Kelly." He spat seriously, "Remember that." They two boys paused for a moment. "Nice doing business with ya, Spot." Jack said lightly ending their meeting. Spot understood. They were equals now.
They spit shook on it, keeping the treaty, but it also started a new friendship, that being one word for it, between them. The two rarely saw each other, but Spot knew Jack Kelly was the second strongest leader in New York, and he could use that to his advantage if necessary.
Still, Spot Colon was wary of Manhattan's leader. Alike as they were, they two made it clear they ruled their boroughs differently. Spot controlled his boys with a firm hand. He knew every single boy who sold dailies. Nothing made it past him. Jacky-boy's lack of control on the other hand made Manhattan one of the easiest cities to sell and live in. Just prove you can sell and no questions asked because Kelly was too worried about his own problems to care about someone else's.
Jack Kelly also had a habit of taking badly about Spot Colon, which Spot and his boy were very aware of. His boys came over the Brooklyn Bridge with reports of Jacky-boy telling Manhattan newsies the only great thing about Spot Colon was is over inflated ego. Any newsie who sells a hundred's as good as him any day.
Spot's boys said they should go over and show Jack who the true leader is, but the Brooklyn leader knew better. War with Manhattan ain't worth a few ego shots. Besides, if anybody but Jack Kelly tried that stunt he'd make sure they were bleeding in an alley. Out of all the newsies in New York Kelly was the only one with guts to do it. Spot did the same to Cowboy, loudly questioning his leadership. Jack Kelly's not all he's cracked up to be and all of New York would find that out watching him. Breaking out of the Refuge don't make someone a leader. If he had real guts he'd walk down and tell it to the face of Brooklyn himself.
Spot Colon leaned back against the docks at his perch. Damn Jack Kelly. No one else was willing to put their neck on the line crossing the Brooklyn leader the way he did. Jacky-boy was a threat to Brooklyn and all the newsies in New York, even if they didn't know it yet.
However, both were young leaders. They might have another year or two of annoying the hell out of each other before one finally cracked or called it quits. Spot knew he and Jack Kelly would run into each other again. He didn't know how or why, but whatever reason and stunt Jack pulled from his cowboy hat had better be worth it.
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I've never written Spot before. Did it work? What do you think?