Reggie felt the sun start to beat down on him but that wasn't what made him sweat. This was the fourth day of the strike. He hadn't been harassed, yet, but he would be ready for when it happened. He kept selling in his normal spot but avoided any of the crowded streets
Sadly, he still had to go to the distribution center to pick up his papes.
The mob of newsies breathed down his neck as he pushed through it. Reggie gave up his place in line to anyone willing to take it. The guys caught in the front of the line didn't know what was coming to them. Reggie fiddled with his hat and took deep breaths. His body felt extremely heavy, fear and stress made his limbs not want to work. Nervousness brewed in his chest, after the first boy refused to put his papers down, Reggie would have less than a minute to get his papers and run out.
He waited for the bell to ring, it was the sound that invited the chaos. Reggie looked down at his shoes while he waited. They were new, he bought them last night. With so many newsies gone, business was good. Reggie didn't have a family to take care of. It was just him, he had a brother but Reggie had no idea where he had gone. After his brother got kicked out of the Manhattan Lodging house they lost connection. Reggie didn't mind it too much, Mark had always been mean to him.
As soon as the bell rang, Reggie stuffed his hat in his pockets and clenched his jaw. It was time.
The first two boys slammed their papers down on the floor and while claps went around Reggie bought his papers and watched from above. He was wondering who would disrupt the effective peer-pressuring that was going on. It wasn't going to be him that was for sure. The chances were little. The newsies in front of him nearly all had families. They would take the beating to keep them alive. Reggie admired them for that, he didn't have anything to fight for. The rise in prices didn't necessarily bother him, he had enough saved up to survive it. Helping them would only hurt him and if he was honest he was too selfish to risk it all Maybe if things got desperate enough he'd reconsider. By desperate he meant if he was threatened badly enough.
It wasn't long before the first scab came out. Reggie jumped of the ledge and came to his hands and knees. He held his papers between his chest and chin.
Reggie wasn't sure how many boys he tripped while he crawled through. He just knew it was a lot.
When he made it out, Reggie took off an raced down the streets, his spot was far enough from the action. He'd be relatively save.
After a long day of prosperous selling, Reggie started heading home. His pockets were heavy with cash, he was going to take himself to a nice restaurant and eat until he couldn't anymore.
The street was dark but people still mingled around, couples held hands, kids played in the street and women gossiped. No strikers would go after him right then. He was momentarily safe. Reggie couldn't sleep in the lodging house, that was too risky.
Reggie spotted a restaurant in the corner of the street and made his way over as fast as he could.
He found a table and sat down. While he waited for a waiter, Reggie noticed a group of boys start to stare at him. He decided to ignore them and concentrated on what he was going to order.
The entire meal they kept on looking at him. Reggie decided to not completely stuff himself just in case he needed to run in the near future.
He had enough money to tip his waiter. The strike was doing marvelous things for him. Yes, it was very sad that they were getting ripped off by media tycoons but America was the land of opportunity and he had found his.
Reggie decided to sleep on the roof of his old tenement. It was summer and he wouldn't be that cold. He might wake up with necks cricks but a neck ache would be better than a beating.
The next morning he was regretting not joining the strike but only momentarily, his pockets jingled and he forgot about how much his neck hurt. Reggie didn't realize he had overslept until it was too late.
All the scabs had either had their beating or had escaped. Only the newsies on strike hung around the square. He turned a few heads but mostly went unnoticed. Reggie decided to take a seat on an empty bench. The strikers were making a signs and talking amongst themselves.
While he sat there, he felt something weird within in him stir. Reggie didn't know what it was.
It made him want to do something unthinkable.
The strikers all seemed so happy and united. It looked like it would be nice to be part of something like that.
Reggie shook the mutinous thoughts out of his head and dug his hand in his pocket to remind him of all the spoils to come if he was just patient.
When they started round up each other for a speech, Reggie felt hi heart strings start to pull.
Most of his life, Reggie had been alone, he was an orphan with an abusive brother. He barely made friends. He didn't like to talk at all, words were just a waste of breath for him. Reggie wondered what would happened if he left his selfishness behind and joined their strike.
He could rationalize that it would be a nice adventure. Maybe if the newsies won he would have that bragging right. Reggie had enough money to make it through for a bit.
Of course, striking was going to be the problem for him, the problem was that Reggie was a huge odd ball. He didn't know how to talk to the rest of the newsies. Mark had always done the talking but he was gone now and Reggie had no idea how to communicate. When the strike started, Reggie had been interested but he was never vocal about it. Maybe now it was time.
Reggie stood from the bench and decided to find the most approachable newsie.
A small boy with a wooden sword bumped into him as he searched for someone.
Reggie was knocked to his feet and the small boy ran past him.
"Les! Les! Get back here! That was rude!"
A boy with curly hair stood above him and reached out his hand.
"Sorry about that."
"It's okay." Reggie took his hand and stood up.
"You sure? That was a pretty rough fall. I'm David."
"I'm Reggie."
"Well Reggie ever thought off joining a strike?"