Why hello there, peoples! I'm bringing you another Newsies story, yes I am! Today marks the 2 year PM-iversary of me and my fellow Newsies writer, VeronicaWeasley. She's written a whole Smallsper story for it, so I'm here to bring you my big project story thingy. The Next Edition!
This story is what I will chose to call an APR. An Alternate Present Reality, in which poor boys and girls still sell newspapers and wear cool hats.
But did you think you were getting something entirely original that no one's ever done something similar to before? Nah, that ain't happening, not today. It's yet another High School AU, and it is also my take on modernizing the Newsies plot, with my own drama, my own references and my own way of writing. You might find that idea similar to stories like We Are Newsies by VeronicaWeasley (which is the best Newsies fanfiction ever written, no question about it. If you ask me, it's even the best piece of fanfiction written in general). But while the general ideas are similar, I'm making this as different as I can!
The only thing in here that ain't mine is the characters we know and love and the Newsies plot. Those all belong to the lovely Disney.
Now let's get into this, let's Seize the Day!
Friday, September 23rd 2005, 12:05 PM
David Oliver Jacobs was the quiet kid. That was something everyone at Melville High School knew. At least the few people who noted David's existence knew that, but they most certainly didn't know him well enough to say his full name in the sentence.
He was that kid that sat alone at lunch, was never seen in any clubs, and treated the classroom as a court room: only speak when spoken to. With all this information in mind, it was no surprise to David's social studies classmates when he came in quietly and hastily sat down in his seat. There were still two minutes to go before the lesson started, so David grabbed his study book out of his bag. A few other people did the same. Of course, there were also other people in the classroom. Those who would rather chuck balls of crumpled up paper at each other, as if that was going to get them into college.
"Would you two please tone it down?" Mrs. Anderson at the front of the classroom asked of two of the paper-chuckers. "The lesson's starting."
David dropped his book into the bag on his chair again, and leaned forward to get a better view of the board.
"Veronica," Mrs. Anderson began taking attendance.
Just as the blonde girl was about to say "here", the loud sound of the door being slammed opened interrupted whatever was happening in the classroom. In stumbled another blond, only that this one was a boy, who had most of his hair covered under a flat cap. For a second, he looked like he thought he had entered the wrong classroom, but then he spotted something that told him the opposite. David knew all too well that he had caught sight of his redheaded buddy - he had the misfortune of sitting next to the obnoxious pair.
"Mr. Higgins, you'll be glad to know your late arrivals of the week have earned you a detention next Friday," Mrs. Anderson said casually.
"What, ya can't do that!" Mr. Higgins protested as he sat down with an offended look on his face.
"I very well can," Mrs. Anderson said quickly. "Benjamin?" she continued taking attendance as if nothing had interrupted her in the first place.
"Yeah," a boy sitting in the back with his feet on the table he and one of the major paper-chuckers shared answered.
Both the attendance check and the social studies lesson continued as normal. David took notes of everything, the obnoxious duo next to him did what they were best at - being loud - and the rest of the class followed in their footsteps of acting like small children who much younger than sixteen years old. David couldn't wait to get out of this mess. Whoever had put together this class had not thought it out well at all. Anyone who let Anthony Higgins and Albert DaSilva be in a classroom together definitely had a few screws loose.
"There we have it...," Mrs. Anderson said slowly, attracting the attention of the class. "It's time to wrap up this lesson. Who remembered the homework?" She looked up at her class with a look on her face that very clearly said "I don't believe any of you did."
"We 'ad homework?" Albert said cluelessly.
"We works enough as it is afta' school!" Anthony complained loudly.
David made the wise decision of ignoring them (and their grammar), and instead plucked his homework papers out of his school bag. He said a quiet "here you go" to his teacher as he handed her his completed homework. She forced a kind smile, before going right back to staring disappointedly at the class.
"I take it as no one but David - oh, and Alexander - has done their homework?" The silence that hung in the air after that was enough of an answer. "You're free to leave," she sighed.
David did not wait for a second telling, but grabbed his stuff and left immediately. If he wanted to avoid sitting with any loud and annoying people at lunch, he had to hurry to the lunch room. He also knew that later that day, he would have to hurry to his brother's school to pick him up before they went home to see their aunt. His sister wouldn't do that - she had an important cooking class to go to, and it wasn't like Aunt Jessalyn would die just because Sarah wasn't there. That was a classic Sarah move. Half the reason she had signed up for cooking classes was so she could weasel her way out of having to walk all the way to Les' school.
"Racer! Albert! Buttons! Finch!" a loud voice shouted. The next second Anthony, Albert, Benjamin and the main paper ball thrower shot past David's locker. To demonstrate his feelings, David tiredly rolled his eyes. He was glad he didn't have to associate himself with that group. He knew he would be driven crazy by their manners, their grammar, and their way of doing everything.
"David Jacobs?" someone who was suddenly standing next to him said. David, who had been temporarily trapped in thought, jolted before turning to the woman and pretending nothing had happened.
"Yes Mrs.?" he nodded politely. He wasn't sure if this woman was the school curator or the vice principal. He didn't see either of them a lot.
"Your mother's here, with your sister and brother," the woman informed him.
"What? Why?" David asked, trying to remain as polite and calm as he could. Mrs. Jacobs never came to the high school. Much less did Les. A million reasons for them being at his school ran through his head. None of them were good.
"I think there's been some type of accident. They're right outside, waiting on the parking lot." The woman didn't get to give him time to ask some more questions, which he would very much have liked to do. But right at that moment, a very small and aggressive girl had began shouting at a passer-by. "Miss Jenkins! I have told you multiple times not to-"
Exactly what this school employee had told that girl from the obnoxious gang multiple times, David did not find out, for he left just in time for the statement to be left unfinished. He rounded a few corners, walked straight down the corridor, and out onto the school parking lot. His eyes quickly scanned the area and he found his family far to the left. Even from quite far away, he could tell that his mother looked worried, and that his siblings were on edge. His father wasn't there. First now did David realize that the school employee hadn't even mentioned his father when she informed him about the situation...
He wasted no time in going over there.
"What's happened?" he asked as soon as he was within reach of their ears.
"Your father's had an accident at his job," his mother said, her voice very serious. "Get in the car."
She proceeded to get in the driver's seat. Sarah followed her into the front seat, while David and Les climbed into the back seat. Their mother immediately started the car and drove out of the parking lot, not even giving the boys time to fasten their seat belts.
"Will he be okay?" Les asked worriedly.
"Of course he will," Mrs. Jacobs answered, but Sarah and David could tell she wasn't completely sure of her words.
"But what did he do?" Sarah asked impatiently. Apparently, Esther Jacobs had waited until all three of her children were in the car to tell them.
"We don't know everything yet. The only thing the hospital's told me is that he tangled with a delivery truck, and now his leg is messed up, bad," Mrs. Jacobs answered. Her use of the word "hospital" triggered the next level of worry in David.
"Will he be home today?" Les said.
"I wouldn't assume that," Mrs. Jacobs responded in a quick and tense manner. "The staff told me his leg wasn't in any condition for him to move around - at all. He might need to stay at the hospital for a while. By the sounds of it, he won't be going anywhere for some time."
"How long?" Les kept on asking questions.
"At least a couple of months."
"What about his job?" Sarah asked, first now sounding and looking as anxious as the others.
"We have to assume that he won't be able to go back until his leg is fine again."
"Will your job bring in enough money?" David asked.
He could immediately tell from his mother's reaction that this was a question she didn't want to answer, neither to herself nor her children. She took a fair few seconds to respond.
"I'm afraid it won't."
In the rear view mirror, David could see her open her mouth, as if to say something more, but she quickly closed it again. Les gasped quietly next to David, who reached his hand out and patted his brother's back reassuringly. Meanwhile Sarah looked like she was trying to talk without speaking, opening and closing her mouth over and over again, like Mrs. Jacobs had done.
"What's gonna happen to us?" David took on the role of the speaker in the situation.
Esther replied simply. "Changes." The end of her word was slurred.
"Like what?" Sarah asked. She was much better at concealing her unease than her youngest brother, but it was obvious it was getting harder for her to keep up the charade.
"I-...," Mrs. Jacobs stopped, presumably to look for words. Eventually she gave up on it. "I don't know. We'll cut down on unnecessities. We'll have to sell the car..." With every word, the worry in her voice grew, but the voice itself also kept breaking. She paused again before breaking the biggest news. "I really hope it won't come to it, but if we want to keep our apartment, you may have to get jobs of your own. Only part-time ones, but something that brings in extra money."
At this, all three siblings had the same reaction. Silence, a slight jaw drop and an exchange of glances.
"I'm really sorry this is happening," Esther assured her kids, taking a moment to look away from the road to look each of them in the eye.
"It's not your fault," David guaranteed her. "What jobs can we get?" He was determined to help his family, whatever it meant doing.
"Wherever they hire teenagers, and children in Les' case. David, you and Les could get the same job, couldn't you?"
"Of course."
"Where do they still hire children?" Les asked, a bit of confusion entering his tone.
"I think the newspapers are always in need of more newsboys, especially now with the tedious headlines."
"We'll do it," Davey said.
"I could probably pick up a job at Morgan's shop," Sarah volunteered.
Mrs. Jacobs carefully pulled into the apartment house they lived in's parking lot. The second she was able to, she turned around to face all her three children.
"You three..." she said lovingly. "Whatever did we do to deserve you?"
All understanding that the question was rhetorical, the Jacobs siblings smiled warmly at their mother.
"Thank you so incredibly much," she said genuinely. "Remember, you might not have to do that. That is only if they decide to lay your father off. And I know that this is going to be a challenging time for us, but we'll make it through." She grabbed Les' hand in a motherly fashion. "We're strong."
"Yes, we are," Sarah agreed in an insistent way.
While David was as determined as his sister to keep his family going, he didn't have the power to say it out loud at the moment. He was too focused on calmingly patting his brother's shoulder, and forcing his mind to accept the changes that were certainly coming. His mother had made it sound like there was a fifty fifty chance of them having to get jobs in place of their father, but David understood that was part of calming herself and her family down. One couldn't work as a vehicle repairman with a severely wounded leg. That, they were all wise enough to figure out in seconds. Sarah would be getting that job at Morgan's, and he and Les were going to become newsboys for one of the newspapers, however that would turn out.
TNE IS OFFICIALLY STARTED!
Big big big thanks to Veronica for not killing me, and for being a freaking awesome friend. You're great, and you're the one with the weird opinions!
BUT AAAAAAAH TNE!