Hey guys, so if you read my last chapter of More Than Just A Talent, then you would know that I was thinking of deleting this story and Rock Of Newsies. Well I'm just saying, I'm not going to delete this any time soon. I'm gonna give it a few more chapters then decide.
Also, a lot of you guys seem to already know what happens to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and think you've got my ending figured out. Well, you are gonna have to read the story. There may be a twist. Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy it!

Emma ran and pushed through many people on the street. She had to get a paper before she couldn't anymore. Most of the newsies on the street had left their spots. She was hoping she could catch one. She hadn't seen Jack yet, maybe he was still selling.

She stopped in her tracks and ran down the corner to get to the spot she met Jack at yesterday. She was guessing that was his selling spot. She cut through the alley and was met with another flood of people coming home from factories. That's where everyone worked now a day. She may not have had the best conditions at the shirtwaist factory, but it wasn't that bad.

The worst part was the fact that she never got a break. She worked from 7am to 4pm every day except Saturday and Sunday. She was lucky; most girls in the shirtwaist factory worked longer hours and only had Sunday off. But even though she didn't work as long, that didn't mean some of the things women had to deal with at the factory weren't awful.

Last week, while walking home, Emma's best friend, Kayla, said their boss pulled her into his office. He said he wanted to talk about her working habits. When she got in the room, he locked the door behind her. She said after that, he was forcing himself on her. She was raped.

That was Emma's worst fear. Not for the reasons most girls would fear it: It may hurt, they may get pregnant. Emma feared the idea of herself being helpless, especially to a man. She felt she was just as good as any man. She also feared the idea of her dignity being stripped away from her.

Emma finally reached the spot and saw the same boy dressed in the same attire as yesterday, shouting headlines. She frowned at what she saw. He seemed tried, like he wasn't sleeping. She walked up and pulled a nickel out of her bag. "I'll take one paper Mr. Kelly!" She said as she approached him. He turned to her and smiled. "Hey there Em, her ya go." He said taking the nickel and handing her a nickel. Emma took note of what he had called her.

"Em huh?" She asked, tucking the paper into her bag. "Yeah, I'm kinda known for my nicknames. That's yours. Ya like it?" He asked as he tucked his papers into his bag. "Yeah. I do. So, are you done? My apartment is right by the Lodging House if you wanna walk together." Emma said kind of expecting him to reject her. "Sure." Jack said, shocking her completely.

As they walked down the street, a topic Emma couldn't get enough of was the strike Jack led. She knew it was annoying, but for a girl with a pretty messed up life and no guts to stick up for herself, hearing about how kids her age did something like that was fascinating.

Eventually, Jack got bored talking about the strike and started the conversation Emma was dreading. "So, tell me a bit about ya'self. How old are ya?" Emma could feel her hands shake. She knew it should be easy to talk about this stuff, but she knew the kind of person Jack was. If he found out she was a helpless girl who couldn't stand up to her boss, he would surly lose interest.

"Uhh, Em. How old are ya?" Jack asked again. Emma shook herself back to reality. "17." Emma said, trying to calm herself. "Uhh, what do ya like ta do?" Jack asked trying to move long the conversation. "Well, I love to dance. I know it's stupid but, I just love it." Emma said, feeling confident about something she cared so deeply about.

As they kept walking, they took the short cut through a nearby park, one of the few in New York. Jack got an idea in his head to break Emma out of her shell. As Emma kept walking, she turned around to see Jack had stopped. "Are you coming?" She asked, motioning with her hands. "Show me." Jack said, stretching out his arms.

Emma was confused at first, but then it became clear. "You want me to teach you to dance?" She asked, walking over to him. His nod answered her question. "Okay." She took off her bag and placed it on the ground, Jack mirroring her. She took his hand and led him to a larger opening. She stopped and thought of a dance she knew she would be able to teach.

"Take my hands," Emma said. "now hold this arm up." Jack did as told. Emma had to help him a little with posture but for the most part, he was pretty good. Emma showed him the foot work; step back, then forth. Emma took note at how quickly he caught on.

Jack decided to take the lead. They moved from their position and began turning. Emma began to lose herself in the dance, like she always did. Jack noticed her becoming more comfortable and grabbed her by the waist. Emma squealed as he twirled her in the air. She laughed at the fun she was having, which she hadn't experienced in years.

Jack loved the moment as much as Emma but had to end it. He had to get back to his boys. "Well, we better be going." Jack handed Emma back her bag and they made the walk back. He really liked Emma, she was fun and he really could use a friend outside his newsies.

"Well, this is my apartment." Emma said, stopping at her apartment door. "Okay, well I had fun with ya tonight. Maybe we could hang out some other time." Jack said, shifting his hat on his head. "Goodnight." Emma leaned down from the steps of her apartment and kissed him on the cheek. She turned to head inside, but not before she saw the blush on him face.

So how was that? I really like this story so let me know if you like it. I would love input. Emma is inspired by the character Emma on the show Every Witch Way. I love that show (Don't judge, I'm sure you like odd things)! Well, please read and review! Reviews are confidence booster! Love ya-Aly