Here I am, back with another chapter! Time for multiple characters to question what the heck is going on.

Chapter 23- Sniper

Thursday, September 16, 1999, 2:45 p.m.

Sniper didn't want to be a party pooper, but she had to say something before everybody got too accustomed to this strike idea. If her father had been present, he certainly would have encouraged her to do so. Though on the other hand, he probably would have been more focused on getting Sniper away from her group of friends. Mr. Wah wasn't exactly known as the most accepting of the fact that his daughter associated with these so-called "newsies". Ignoring these thoughts, Sniper stood up, which immediately attracted Smalls' attention to her. She tried not to think about how that made her feel. If her dad knew about that, it would not go over well.

"Sniper's got somethin' ta say!" Smalls yelled, and everyone's eyes fell on the girl in question.

"Well, uh, not ta dismiss your entire plan or anythin', Jack," said Sniper as she promptly dismissed Jack's entire plan, "but no one's gonna care if we strike."

"Aw, come on," Jack groaned. "Not you too."

"The thing is, we ain't workin' adults. So what if we stop writin' fer the pape fer a while? So what if we tell Pulitzer we don't like 'is budget cuts? No one's gonna care."

"Y'know, she's got a point." Specs was in agreement, to Sniper's relief. "All Snipes is sayin', Jack, is we gotta take this one step furtha'. We can't just strike. We gotta really protest."

Now Jack seemed to be coming around. "Okay, Snipes. What're ya thinkin'?"

Sniper hadn't been thinking anything, but she racked her brain. "I think we gotta make this abou' more than just our school." Her audience waited for elaboration. "Uh, that's all I got."

"Well, otha' schools 'ave got their own papes, right?" Romeo picked up the idea. "An' Weasel mentioned somethin' earlier 'bout the new price bein' da same all ova'. So ya wanna get 'em ta stand wit us, eh Snipes?"

"Yeah, sure."

"So we go ta the other boroughs, make this strike city-wide," Jack concluded. "I gotta hand it ta you two. Tha's a good idea."

"But how do we get ourselves noticed?" Specs asked. "If we want Pulitzer's attention, we're gonna need support from real newspapers."

"Well, Kath could get us someone from The Sun."

"Oh, could I?" Katherine did not look pleased about this proposal. "You know I don't actually work there yet."

"That don't stop ya from goin' an' talkin' ta someone."

"I suppose not."

"Great. An' as fer how we're gonna do this protest..." Jack trailed off.

Elmer jumped up. "Henry's got an idea!"

"No, I don't." Henry shook his head. Sniper noticed that he was avoiding Jack's eyes, as he had been doing all day.

"Yes you do. You told it to me five seconds ago."

"Fine." Henry got to his feet. "It's kinda stupid, but-"

"It isn't stupid."

"Whateva'. Anyway, I was thinkin'... what if we walked out?" When no one responded, Henry kept sharing his idea, beginning to speak more quickly- due to nerves, Sniper was sure. "I mean, we could jus' walk outta class, an' hang out in front a' the school or somethin'. An' we don't go back in until Pulitzer agrees ta listen ta us."

"Henry," Jack started.

"I know it doesn't sound that impressive, but if we get kids all ova' the city ta join us, then-"

"I think it's a good idea!" Jack called over him. Henry shut his mouth, looking the tiniest bit pleased. "So let's vote on it. All in favor a' walkin' out?"

Everyone raised their hands. That was, everyone except for Finch; he had a new skeptical question. "What if da other boroughs don' feel like joinin' us?"

"Then we soak 'em!" Albert yelled.

Jack seemed to think that sounded reasonable, but Davey thought otherwise. "Whoa whoa whoa, we can't gang up on other kids. That's what Pulitzer would want us to do, and it would give us bad press. We let them join of their own accord. We're all in this fight together."

"Alright, alright," Jack conceded, "No soakin'."

"What if one a' our guys decides they don' wanna join? Then can we soak 'em?" Were the next questions, this time from Albert.

"Still no," said Davey.

"Damn."

Sarah stepped up. "I know I'm not exactly a part of this, but if you try walking out of the newspaper office, I'm betting the Delanceys could stop you in an instant. Or Mr. Wiesel could lock the door after the bell rings."

Davey's sister's opposition increased Jack's enthusiasm. "Whaddaya think, fellas? When that bell starts ringin', are we gonna hear it?"

"No!" Was the resounding cheer.

"What if da Delanceys come out swingin'? Will we hear it?"

"No!'

"Ya see Sarah, no one's gonna hear Wiesel's lousy whistle ova' all our voices."

"There's like twenty-five of you."

"Shut up, our number's gonna grow. An' when we do-"

"We'll kick their rear!" Crutchie yelled, sounding a bit like a little kid.

"Yeah we will! The world's gonna know that we been 'ere, whaddaya say ta that, guys?"

"Yeah!" Most everyone, Sniper included, yelled.

"Hell yeah!" Race, Smalls, and Crutchie responded.

From overhead, the final bell of the day rang. Sniper, along with the rest of the crowd, waited for something more to happen.

"To Pulitzer's office!" Jack declared.

"Wait, now?" Davey looked surprised.

"That's really far away, Jack," Katherine told him. "And you probably need to schedule a meeting or an appointment with Mr. Pulitzer. Or, I suppose you could just go to the office here and give him a phone call."

Jack revised his declaration to suit these suggestions. "To the principal's office! Where we'll give Pulitzer a phone call..." despite how uneventful that sounded, the leader of the newsies plowed forward. "C'mon guys, ya all know da way."

A line of newsies gathered behind Jack and began filing out of the theater. Sniper hung back until she could join in beside Finch, who had waited for her, though he immediately stopped moving and leaned against the stage as the theater emptied.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Sniper remarked to her best friend.

"Yer tellin' me. What's that cowboy thinkin'?"

"I mean, Jack ain't exactly known fer realistic expectations. Have ya heard 'im goin' on about Santa Fe?"

"Yeah, he always sounds real excited at the idea a' farmin'."

"I know, right? An' he thinks he's gonna go swimmin' in the Rio Grande." Sniper didn't pronounce the name correctly, so it sounded like "Rio Grand".

"Don't he know how big that river is?" Finch asked. "It's right there in the name."

Sniper shook her head. "He's one crazy cowboy."

"But we'll still support 'im in this whole strike walkout thing."

"'Course. I don' want Albert soakin' me."

"I'll protect ya if he tries."

"Uh-uh. I'm gonna be the one protectin' you."

"Sure ya are."

"Can it, Finchy."

By this point, the theater had cleared of all the other newsies, and it was just Sniper and Finch.

"Hey, Snipes," Finch said, his tone unusually serious.

"Yeah?"

"I been thinkin' 'bout this fer a while now, an' I was wonderin' if-"

Specs threw open the other set of theater doors and came running up the aisle. As he got closer, Sniper noticed that one of his feet had only a sock on it.

"I lost my shoe," Specs announced.

"What." Finch said, whatever he had been going to ask Sniper momentarily forgotten.

"How didja lose yer shoe?" Sniper looked at Specs in disbelief.

"I don't know!" The boy exclaimed. "Think it jus' came off when I was runnin' out. Happens sometimes."

"An ya didn't notice until jus' now?" Finch sounded a bit annoyed, probably because Specs had interrupted his conversation with Sniper. But that didn't really make sense, Sniper thought, as he talked to his best friend around other people all the time. One interruption shouldn't have made any difference.

"Well, I figured Race or Albert stole it."

"Ah."

"Yeah. But that ain't the case. Could you two help me look?"

Sniper headed into the rows. "Sure. But I still don't understand how your shoe could a' just come off. Where were ya sittin'?"

Specs directed her, while Finch asked him, "Are yer feet different sizes or somethin'?"

"I dunno. My shoes're just old." Specs climbed onto a chair and leaned over it, scanning the ground.

"Do ya need someone ta buy ya new ones?" offered Sniper, getting on her hands and knees. A little ways ahead of her, she spotted a large brown shoe tucked in the depths beneath the row of seats.

"No, jus' help me find the one I'm missin'."

Grabbing the shoe, Sniper stood up. She made sure to keep the object concealed behind her back as she faced Specs. "Nothin' ova' here."

Specs bent over another seat. "Where the hell'd it go?"

While he was occupied, Sniper motioned to her best friend and procured the shoe. Then she tossed it to him.

"I dunno, Specs-" Finch flashed a cheeky grin as he caught the shoe- "that's real weird."

Specs got up, and his missing article of clothing disappeared behind Finch's back. "I don't understand how it could just disappear."

"Maybe try the row in front a' ya." It was difficult for Sniper to conceal her laughing smile.

Specs vaulted over the row in front of him and began digging around on the ground. Watching him do so, Finch threw the shoe back to Sniper, barely able to prevent himself from bursting out laughing. Until Specs came back up again, Sniper tossed the foot covering back and forth with her best friend.

"This is insane. Shoes shouldn't vanish outta nowhere like this."

Sniper grinned at the bespectacled boy, keeping both hands behind her back. "Too bad. We gotta head out."

"Yup," agreed Finch. "Gotta see all the commotion our Cowboy's causin'."

"Nice," said Specs. Then his face turned serious. "Are ya gonna give me back my shoe?"

Finch and Sniper both put their hands up. One of Sniper's held the shoe, which she returned to Specs.

"Ya caught us," Finch sighed. "It was fun while it lasted."

"So much fun."

"We was jus' tryin' ta do ya a favor," said Sniper, batting her eyelashes and trying to look innocent.

Propping his foot up on a seat, Specs returned, "An' what favor would that be?" as he laced up his shoe.

"Gettin' you ta buy new shoes, a' course."

"Keep doin' favors like that, an' you two'll end up gettin' arrested one day."

"That's what I'm countin' on," Finch smirked, and he left the theater, partner in crime by his side.

I said shoe a lot in that last scene. There just aren't enough synonyms for that word. It's unfortunate.

Have a nice day, and leave a review for Specs' shoe, the most important character in all of Newsies.