Disclaimer- I don't own Santa Fe, or anything made after Santa Fe… meaning Disney owns the song Santa Fe from Newsies and whoever owns RENT now owns the song Santa Fe from RENT. Oh ya, I own no characters either… I OWN NOTHING! NOTHING!!!
Santa Fe
New York City…
Center of the Universe…
Times are shitty, but I'm pretty sure they can't get worse…
It's a comfort to know, when you're singing the hit the road blues…
That anywhere else you could go after New York would be…
A pleasure cruise.
It was a routine, everyday, the same thing. Wake up, buy papes, sell papes, hang out with the guys, go to sleep. Oh, of course there was the occasional break from routine. Going to Medda's, Getting chased by Snyder… But even that was beginning to become a routine of its own.
Since the strike, everything had become boring. Now the only thing that seemed to get him through each day, which was just like the one before that, which was just like the one before that, was a dream. A dream he'd had all his life but had never seriously considered making it a reality. At least, not until now.
Santa Fe…
Are you there?
Do you swear you won't forget me?
If I found you, would you let me come and stay?
There was nothing holding him back now. Not his job, not Medda, not even the newsies. His mind was made up, tomorrow he was leaving.
No one knew yet, and that was the way he wanted it. He didn't want anyone trying to stop him, because frankly, he wasn't sure if he would be able to disappoint them all straight to their faces. He could already see the betrayed look Crutchy's face, his best friend leaving his defenseless to the wrath of the Delancys. The confused expression that he imagined Les would wear as he wondered why his role model didn't want to be with him anymore was heartbreaking. Next to Les would be Davey, the brains behind their duo. Davey would feel the same way that he did when he saw the strike going downhill because their leader turned scab. Would Davey ever forgive him again? And then there was Mush, naïve and fun-loving. How would he feel about being left behind? And then what about Racetrack? And Kid Blink? And Skittery? And Boots? And Sarah?
So that's what they call a family…
Ain't you glad you ain't that way?
Ain't you glad you'se got a dream called…
Santa Fe?
His head spun as he thought of all the people he would be hurting. They were his family here, the people who really cared about him, looked up to him… What was he doing?
It would be hoiting them moah if I'se stayed! He thought stubbornly. The Manhatten newsies were only hiding behind him, using his as a fortress, a weapon. As long as he was here nothing bad could happen. He had spoiled them, they were too sheltered. He tried to think of a good reason that his leaving would be beneficial to his friends. There didn't seem to be one.
This wasn't was he was born to do, he wasn't meant to be hawking headlines for the rest of his life! It was time to move on. New York may have been good for some people, but there was nothing like Santa Fe. Once he got there, everything would be different. Life would be good again.
Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe…
Sunny Santa Fe would be…nice…
Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe…
And leave this to the roaches and mice…
That's what he would do. Open a restaurant, and not just any shit-hole in the wall restaurant, a nice restaurant. A place where the wealthy would come to discuss money and business, families would eat there… He'd be rich…
We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe…
And save from devastation our brains…
Dawn was breaking. A faint orange glow settled itself inside the lodging house. Everyone except him was oblivious to it. It's now or never. He thought nervously. Slowly, making sure not to wake anyone, he got dressed, tied his bandanna around his neck, andced his cowboy hat on his head.
"Goodbye." He whispered to the sleeping room. "Never forget me."
He swallowed the lump in his throat and set off into the rising sun, looking like a real cowboy.
Do you know the way…
To Santa Fe?
Tumbleweeds…
Prairie Dogs…
Yeah…
He was there. Santa Fe. It had taken him weeks of walking and hitch-hiking, but he made it. This is what he waited his whole life to see. It was beautiful, he let out a cry of happiness as he took in his breathtaking new surroundings and, without even a thought about his old life and friends, set off to find a place to live and a new job.
Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe…
With a private corner banquette in the back…
We'll make it yet…
We'll somehow get to Santa Fe…
But you'd miss New York before you could unpack…
Months had passed since Jack first arrived in Santa Fe, and it wasn't what he expected. He was poor. He had never had enough money to even rent the space for a restaurant, and now worked as a waiter for almost as little money as he'd gotten being a newsie. But as a newsie, he hadn't had to rent an apartment. That took a hefty portion out of his very little paycheck.
What have I done? He often wondered to himself. He'd had the perfect life in New York. He'd had friends who loved him, a paying job, a cheap place to stay, and a reputation that had taken him years to get. How could he have given all that up?
When I dream…
On my own…
I'm alone but I ain't lonely…
For a dreamer night's the only time of day…
When the city's finally sleeping…
And my thoughts begin to stray…
And I'm on the train that's bound for…
Santa Fe...
But now that train wasn't rushing towards Santa Fe. It was going back to New York. The place where he was meant to be.
It was nighttime when he arrived in New York and rain was pounding down on him as he made his way back to the lodging house. It was then that he began having doubts. What were his friends going to say when they saw him? He had betrayed them, not for the first time. Would they let him back into their lives?
By the time he knocked on the door, tears were mixing with the rain streaming down his face. Through the window he could see all the boys in the faint yellow glow of the lamp. They all looked happy. Happy without him. Suddenly the door opened. The person on the other side looked at Jack in disbelief.
"Mush, I don't know what to say. I'm-" But Jack never got to finish what he had to say, because at that moment Mush engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Cowboy's back! Look! Jack came back ta us!" Mush shouted to the rest of the guys when he finally let go of Jack. As all the boys rushed over to welcome him back, Jack wondered for the thousandth time why he ever wanted to leave.
Santa Fe…
My old friend…
I can't spend my whole life hidin'…
You're the only light that's guidin' me today…
He would always have his dream, but it was only when he tried to live it out that he realized that reality was so much better.
***
Told you it'd be back! I actually really liked how this turned out, so I was heartbroken when it was taken down :(… But now it's back so it's all good… Except I lost all my reviews! I seriously wanted to cry about that… I had so many.
So I'd like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed… I read all of them, but they were deleted before I could save them so I don't remember exactly who reviewed… so why don't you just do it again so I can *properly* thank you? Hehe…
Moving on, this is to my flamer (if they even read this, which I doubt but I still feel I need to say)…
First of all, if you hated the first chapter so much, then why did you even come back to read it when you saw it'd been updated? Like I said before, I really don't care if you like my story or not. I'm writing for me and my reviewers who like my story. I even write for those who don't like my stories but give me CC. It doesn't even affect me when I get a flame from somebody who's obviously just reading to flame… (I saw your reviews to Cards, and she's such a great writer that I'm not even going to take them seriously)
Second, I stand by what I said last time that you need a backbone. Okay, so you don't have a pen name. Well, if you're going to flame me, at least give me something of yours to read so I can see if you're really all that much better than me.
Third, you said something about how I know all my reviewers? Well, I know no one personally on this site. Yes, I review their stories, because they are all talented writers who deserve reviews. Just because I get good reviews doesn't mean that these are people I talk to all the time. (Though I really wouldn't mind really knowing them…)
Now, it's just obnoxious or you to report me just because you didn't like the story. If you don't like it, DON'T READ IT. And flame me if you want to. Bring it on, I got marshmallows.
TO EVERYONE ELSE: REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~Lexa~