A/N: Hello, all! It's currently 9:12pm on Wednesday, September 2nd…just in case any of you were curious on when I started this. ;) I haven't updated for a few days since I've been trying to get into the swing of college life, and let me tell you….AUGH! I love it, but it's so chaotic and crazy at the same time! I only have a few classes each day, but I have tons of homework for those classes…and I ordered the wrong textbook for one class… Oh, and I'm starting work (YAY! EMPLOYMENT!) as a Gym/Kitchen custodian next week…the job is only Saturday/Sunday, but that's when I'll get a lot of writing done…and I'm going to probably be working out Mon/Fri/Sat (for a weight-training class), which is right when I could be working on my story. Oh well… ;) Hopefully I get some more time soon. This chapter is a cliffhanger, but on the good side, the newsies finally get a break! Yay! ;)
DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN NEWSIES AND NEVER WILL I JUST LIKE WRITING STORIES ABOUT THEM WHEN COLLEGE GETS SCARY AND I DON'T WANT TO PUT AWAY MY LAUNDRY!
Responses to reviews:
Biankies: Thanks! It might be a problem if you kidnap her…cause I need her for the rest of my stories…but, the good news is, I've got a bit of an idea for a story once I finish this one (although I still need to come up with the rest of it) that still whumps a newsie…just not her. No spoilers, but-knock on wood-Juliet won't be getting (physically, at least) whumped in the next story! Yay! Yeah, I like Judge Bolger too-whenever I write him I just see Andrew Keenan-Bolger in a judge's robe…and it's a super cute mental picture! ;) Yeah, he's definitely going to put the League away for a long time! Yep-although it's actually soda now, since we don't have coffee creamer, and I don't like it black… I probably do too. That's awesome! I wish I could have a cool job like that-I'm starting work here next Saturday as a custodian, so… Don't worry-pretty much every time I talk, I ramble, so… ;) I think this chapter should be a happier landing…I think.
FansieFace: Oh, boy…I think I broke Hulu…..Hopefully it likes this chapter! Anton's not really in it, but the newsies do get to get a bit of revenge…which is good! Don't die on us, Hulu-we need you! Haha…I think that's the one thing we can agree to disagree on, but yeah, Corey Cott is super good too. I totally agree-every single cast member is super attractive! Oh yeah, I don't know if you heard, but there's a new song that they wrote for Crutchie for the touring production…and they got AKB to sing it. I haven't watched the video yet, though, cause…all the feels…even typing about it brings out the feels! Gah! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter! ;)
S. Castro: Yep, the Judge is back-and you'll find out this chapter! Also, yeah, that bit with Anton is super gross….I seem to be great at writing whumpage and perverts, so…I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but… I hope you like this chapter, and thanks!
CLIFFHANGER ALERT! (and maybe also a minor WHUMPAGE WARNING….as of writing this author's note I'm not sure of how bad the boys are going to be… ;) )
Enjoy "A Rich Man's Newsie" Chapter 10!
"Jack…Race…Davey...guys…wherever ya guys are…now would be a great time ta come an' find me…although I undastand iffn' ya don' want ta, since I's da one dat ran off…Jus' come help. Come find me. Please."
The next morning, the newsies were heading out for the distribution center. It was a decent day for selling-slightly cold, but very sunny. There weren't as many New Yorkers out and about as there had seemed to be the past few days, but that was all right with the newsies. All of them by now were itching for a showdown with The League, desiring nothing more than to shove their smug faces into the pavement. Jack had told the newsies not to do anything-since they were trying to work with the cops, and not antagonize them-but he was finding it difficult to keep a few from disregarding his orders and going after them. He had specifically made sure that he picked a corner from where he could see Scabs and Buttons for that very reason…and also so that he could see Race. His lieutenant's anger had been exploding more and more every day that The League still held Juliet captive, as it brought back memories of the last time she had been kidnapped, and how he couldn't do anything to stop it since Aaron Clancy had tackled him. Race was also nervous that something was going to happen to Juliet (something worse than before), and that for some reason Jack would blame him for it, and then would kick him out of the newsies or something. Jack had talked with him last night-Jack and Crutchie-and reassured Race that that would never happen, but the newsie leader wanted to make sure that Race didn't spontaneously do something rash that he would regret later on.
They had arrived a bit early, and the first boy was about to go in when they heard a shout. "Jack!" Every newsie turned around to see Katherine running straight towards them, grinning profusely. In her hand, she carried a newspaper. As she arrived, she skidded to a stop, before handing Jack the paper and attempting to catch her breath. "It's the…headline for…today's paper…thought you might…like to see it." Jack looked through the story, slowly starting to smile as he read all the way through.
"Wat's it say, Jack?" Elmer asked. Jack handed the newspaper back to Katherine, grinning at her. "Why don' ya read it to 'em? Ya's da one dat wrote it, ya know." Katherine nodded. Then, she cleared her throat.
"There has been a lot of hubbub recently about a group of extremely rich boys who have decided to, out of the "goodness of their hearts", attempt to "help" the newsies of Manhattan with their "burden" of selling papers. In recent articles, the rich boys, also known as "The League of Gentlemen", have been praised for their "good deeds" and "selfless acts" that they have been doing, and even though no response has ever been obtained from the newsies for the articles, all reporters seem happy to assume that the newsies are extremely grateful and happy about their new situation.
Not so.
This reporter has inside access to the newsies, since she is romantically involved with the leader of the newsies, one Jack Kelly. One may claim that that automatically falsifies any clam she makes because of supposed bias towards the newsie population. This could not be further from the truth. Because she is involved with a newsie, and has been their friend since the October Strike, she has witnessed firsthand the struggles the newsies go through each and every day. It is true that they are poor, and live very hard lives. But because of that, they care about each other deeply, and make sure that every single one of their "family" is looked after-whether it's a younger or older "brother", a full-fledged "sister", or this reporter, as an "honorary sister". The League also claims that by taking papers from the newsies and giving them away for free will help the newsies and better their lives.
Not so again.
It is true that the rich boys will be able to continue to pay for the papers they give away, as they are super rich and can pay for whatever they please. However, it will bring great harm upon the newsies. For at least one day, if not two, the newsies were forced to sell in groups, as there were not enough papers for each boy or girl, which meant that it quickly became very hard to start earning back money to buy all of the papers they sell now (on their own, not in groups). Money is always tight for the newsies, but with The League's "help", it became even tighter for them.
The League is also becoming abusive. They have been harassing the newsies verbally ever since they first met, and have been abusing them with their words ever since. They have also been extremely physically abusive towards the newsies. Many people have noticed the gaping holes left by the newsies Crutchie, Specs, and Romeo, who haven't been out and selling the last week or so. This is because each of them was horrendously beaten by multiple League members-Crutchie by three and Specs and Romeo by seven.
You may recognize the younger "sister", Juliet, also named Margaret Comstock. She was the young newsie who was part of the enormous lawsuit that occurred against the newsies in December and was horribly beaten by the Clancy brothers, Warden Snyder, and her parents, Lucas and Taylor Comstock. She has still been recovering from her injuries from that captivity, including still-bruised ribs, and both arms still recovering from being broken. Now, not five months after she was kidnapped, she has been taken captive by The League, who also attempted to kidnap this reporter. She has been imprisoned by them for two days now, and the newsies are trying to work with the cops and Judge Jeremy Bolger to rescue her.
So, a lot of people may claim that The League is beneficial to the newsies, and that the former are a great help to the latter.
However, nothing could be farther from the truth. The League is a plague upon the newsies, and in order for our favorite newsboys to survive, they have to be stopped."
As Katherine read, Jack would help translate into "newsie-speak", as he could understand what the article was talking about…somehow… (Darn you Davey and your "rich-person" speak!) As she finished, her newsie brothers let out a loud cheer. "Let's see 'em try ta git afta us now!" Sniper crowed. Jack kissed Katherine. "Ya don' know how much dis means ta us, Katherine. Dis is da best thing anyone coulda done for us."
"You're welcome, Jack-and you all deserve it. The League needs to be stopped…and I could never let anything happen to you all. You're my family, and I won't let anyone hurt you if I can help it." Jack kissed her again, grinning. Suddenly, Katherine looked around. "Where's Davey?'
"He's off with dat Judge, Judge Bolger, an' is talkin' ta da parents of dem rich boys, tryin' ta see iffn' dey'll agree not ta bail deir kids outta jail. Iffn' dey don', da League a Idiots could be stuck in dere for like fifty years or sumthing, accordin' ta Davey."
"You might be wondering why myself and this young man have asked you all to come here." Judge Bolger and Davey were sitting at a table, surrounded by the parents of each member of The League. Pulitzer would have been there, but he had to get back to the paper and make sure it was running smoothly.
"Yes, you said it was something to do with our sons?" one mother asked. Judge Bolger nodded grimly. "Yes, Mrs. Revoltan. Your sons have formed a group, called the "League of Gentlemen", and have been harassing and abusing the newsie population of New York for almost two weeks now. The young man sitting to my right, David Jacobs, or Davey, to the newsies, is a newsie himself, and can attest to the abuse that your sons have engaged in against his fellow newsies. Also, not only are they taking over the newsies' livelihood, but…we have reasonable suspicion-and clear evidence-that suggest that they have not only physically attacked three newsies, but may have recently kidnapped the newsies' "younger sister", Juliet-also known as Margaret Comstock, who was kidnapped not five months ago, and was the focus of a huge lawsuit in December." While the Judge was speaking, the air seemed to get sucked out of the room, until no one could breathe. The parents were looking at each other in shock, as if they couldn't believe what their sons were doing.
"Nixon and his friends have done what now?" a man (who was apparently Nixon's father) queried. Judge Bolger looked to Davey, who sighed. "We first met your sons about two weeks ago, when they came up to us and told us that we were an abomination to the city of New York, and that their goal was to have us be totally exterminated. Then, the next day, they started to steal the papers that we rely on for our survival, arguing that they were doing us a "favor", and that they could just sell the papers for free, since their parents were rich and they could afford to pay for the next day's papers-which severely limited the funds we could receive, which both financially and survivally hurt us. In addition, three of them, Delon, Lucius, and Mitchell, attacked my "younger brother", Crutchie-the newsie you may have seen around with a crutch and a limp, not only beating him but breaking his bad leg, and snapping his crutch in half. They kept verbally harassing us, but some police officers prevented them from taking anymore papers. A couple of nights ago, two younger newsies, Specs-who is sixteen years old-and Romeo-who is almost fourteen-were attacked by seven of your sons. Specs was left barely conscious, and Romeo was unconscious when we found them. Juliet-Margaret Comstock-almost went on a rampage to kill each of your sons, since all three of those newsies are very close to her. Two days ago, The League broke into both Joseph Pulitzer's house, and the Lodging House, where the newsies live, and left notes for Margaret and Katherine, saying that if they wanted us to be left alone, they should come talk to your sons in Central Park. Katherine didn't go, but Juliet did, and when we and the police officers went to find her, Anton had left a package for Jack Kelly, our leader, with a chloroformed rag inside of it." The parents all looked at each other in horror.
"Our sons have done all of that? Oscar has never made any mention of it to me." Mrs. Morrison finally murmured quietly. Judge Bolger nodded. "Yes. We have been working with the police to arrest your sons for what they have done. However, we wanted to know if you would feel inclined to bail your sons out of jail. We understand that they are your sons, and that they are very close to you, but-"
"We won't." Everyone looked down the table to see a mother and father staring seriously back. "Our son is Anton Mercer, the 'leader' of The League. We'd thought something was off with him and his friends, but we never could have expected this… We do love our son, but he needs to know that his actions have consequences, which we don't think he has yet. Since this is what is needed to educate him…we promise not to bail him out." Davey let out a huge breath. He had expected the Mercers to be the hardest parents to sway, but…apparently not. It took a few minutes, but finally all of the parents were in agreement-they wouldn't bail out their sons, now that they knew what they had done.
The newsies had a chance. Now they just had to find their sister and bring her home.
Immediately after the meeting with the parents was done, Davey came back and told Jack exactly what had happened. The two and Race then met with two police officers (the two that had gone with them to try to find Juliet), and the officers said that all they needed to do now was to find out where Juliet was being held. For a while, they had no idea how they would accomplish that. Then, Race came up with an idea. "Wat if we finds a rich boy an' grabs him, an' asks him were dey has Juliet?"
The officers thought for a few seconds, before saying, "That could work-so long as you don't beat them up…or at least, not too badly." The three "Core Four" members nodded, grinning at each other. Every single newsie would be more than willing to go after a rich boy. They hadn't seen them all the time lately, but if Jack knew anything about his brothers, it was that they wouldn't stop looking until they found something or someone.
The word was soon out around the entire borough of Manhattan-if any newsie saw a rich boy, they were to grab them and head back to the Lodging House, alerting the others along the way. Almost as if The League members knew, they were avoiding the newsies, not walking the streets. No one saw any rich boys until the newsies were almost done selling. Finch, Elmer, Sniper, Albert, and Henry were selling on the corners surrounding Jacobi's Deli. They were keeping an eye out, but like the others, they hadn't seen any sign of a rich boy.
Until they did.
Finch and Albert were picking up new papers after selling a big bunch to a group of tourists. As Albert looked up, he whistled to Finch. "'Ey-dere's one a dem rich boys ovar dere!" he whispered. Finch turned to see that, yes, in fact-William Tailen was across the road from them …and not paying any attention to them. Finch and Albert grinned at each other, before catching the eye of their other three brothers. They snuck across the street, not alerting the older boy to their presence, before catching up to him across the road and grabbing him. He tried to yell out, and whacked Henry in the nose with his elbow. The newsie in question cursed under his breath, and punched William in the face, knocking him out. Once the taller boy was unconscious, Sniper, Elmer, and Henry dragged him back to the Lodging House, while Finch and Albert grabbed the papers they had been selling. As they went, they called to each newsie, letting them know that they had found a rich boy. Mike and Ike also took the papers that Finch and Albert were carrying, promising that they would return the money that they collected for their brothers' papers.
A couple of hours later, the newsies were all back at the Lodging House. They had tied up William in one of the smaller rooms that they hardly ever used-unless someone needed to privately explode in anger or something. All of the newsies were trying to get in the room, but Davey was doing his best to keep them out. Finally-to Davey's relief-Jack and Race arrived back at the house. Jack saw his brother quickly becoming overwhelmed by the others and almost immediately took action. "'Ey, everybody-back up an' give Davey some space! Y'all go ta da Soakin' Room an' talk with Crutchie, Romeo, an' Specs, alright? Davey, Race, an' I is gonna talk ta dis idiot. We's gonna let ya know wat he says, but it's jus' gonna be da three of us. Git goin' in dere." His younger brothers were extremely disgruntled, but they finally started heading off into the other room, Jack and Race gently herding the younger boys who tried to hide and listen to the conversation. Once the three were alone, Jack grinned at them.
"Well-let's go find our sister!" he muttered.
A/N 2: Hey! Sorry this ended so…weirdly, I guess would be the right word…I wanted to include the interrogation in this chapter, but because of time constraints (read: dinner started 11 minutes ago and I want to go food), I'm saving it for the next chapter…or I might not actually write it…I know you'll all be wanting to see it, but it might make the next chapter a bit awkward. I'll figure it out in the next couple days and let you know in the initial author's note in the next chapter! I just realized that it's taken me about 35 hours to get this chapter fully done…I started it two days ago, wrote a bunch last night, wrote some today during Humanities (heh heh… ;) ), and then came back to the room after choir and was like, "Okay, I need to get this chapter out…cause I REALLY WANT TO WRITE THE NEXT TWO!" Hopefully you'll like them as well! Also, two notes.
First, I was reading through Chapter 9 either last night or yesterday (as I always do, to check for errors)…and I'm pretty sure that that chapter was my first ever to have NO ERRORS! YAYNESS! Hopefully that continues with this chapter!
Second…if any part of this chapter is really crazy or you just get confused reading it…sorry… ;) My college has soda vending machines, and also soda in the cafeteria…and I've been drinking way too much (like, 5 full bottles today, pretty much), and I'm trying to stop…but this is me writing with an overly caffeinated brain, so hopefully it still makes sense!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all soon… (soon-ish… ;) )
God bless,
1monster2