Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. Please read and review!
A/N: Mac is referred to as 'he' in this story because it takes place before the end of the strike and before Mac's secret is revealed. For more details, please read Introducing Mac.
I sit in my lonely cell in the Refuge, with my elbows resting on my knees, and stare miserably at the wall. The cold potato that Crutchy has just brought me sits languishing on the table; I have no appetite at all. I can't help but wonder; would he have gone to such trouble if he knew what I am thinking about doing? What if he knew the two terrible choices I am facing? How can I possibly choose between them?
An impossible choice...
I can abandon my friends and the strike and work for Pulitzer, in return for money and a one-way ticket to Santa Fe, or I can stand by my friends and increase the chances that they will end up in the Refuge because of me. I must decide on one or the other, but which should I choose?
An impossible choice...
I know for a fact that Mush would never survive the Refuge; he's far too gentle. And Snitch has been here before, about 2 years ago, and it nearly destroyed him. Even Mac, who is devilishly hard to catch, had a stint in here when he was 11. But if I go scab for Pulitzer, I will alienate the very people I am trying to protect. Can I really betray them? Would I rather risk their freedom?
An impossible choice...
Oh I hate Pulitzer! How dare he make me choose between my friends' loyalty or well-being! I can't believe he's really that cruel! (No, actually I can. After all, it was him who ordered those brutes to show up at the rally.) Both choices will hurt me, and both choices will hurt my friends.
But now I know what I must do.
So, as I sit here, I sincerely hope that my friends won't hate me too much for what I'm about to do. I can't see any other way out of this, and I hope that one day they will be able to forgive me. But I won't let Pulitzer hurt them, so I must go through with this and face the consequences.
I am Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan Newsies, and I have just made a difficult decision on an impossible choice.