* Flashback *
Kloppman had come to wake the guys as usual just as Kit had slipped out the window. The day started out like any other, all rushed to get dressed and be the first out the door. They rushed down the stairs and waited for the girls to come down.
Kid Blink motioned for Jack to come over "Jack what youse gonna do bout our little problem? It's not like wes can get jobs at the other papes."
"Yeah all us showing up there would probably cause them some problems right Jack?" Crutchy added.
"But some of us got a work or wes end up on the streets." Boots added his two cents.
"No on will be liven on the streets. But Crutchy is right, wes can't all go work for the other papes."
"So what you're proposing we do about it?" Race decided to get in on the act too.
"Ise thinking…" Jack leaned against the wall.
As Jack thought Swan looked around for Kit and Mills, "Has anyone seen the girls?"
As he spoke Mills came running down the stairs. "Have you guys seen Kit? She ain't in her bed or up stairs or on the roof or any thing."
Cray looked worried, "What do you mean she isn't there?"
"That's what Ise said. Youse didn't see her come by here then?"
"No I figured she was still up there with you."
"Youse don't think she would go off selling by her self do you?"
"With my sister anything is possible."
Kelly had been oblivious to all of this as he was thinking, "Ise got a plan, Wes gonna strike."
"WHAT?! That's your PLAN?!" Cray shouted, then backed down after the lookups he received, "I mean that's your plan? It's a good one."
Swan looked at Cray in disgust for backing down, "Well I don't think it is a good plan, In fact I think you are just trying to avoid making a hard decision and striking just so you can take a cowards way out."
Shock and disbelief clouded ever face in the room, "Youse calling me a coward Swanson?"
"If the headline fits. You don't want a hard decision so you say strike and now expect us to follow."
"Ise the leader here, what Ise says goes."
"You gonna give your followers a reason to follow, or do you expect them to do it blindly?"
Cray finally spoke up, "Craig Swanson, grow up and take this like a man. You are being stupid, maybe you should give Kelly here a chance to explain his reasons. One would think you and Kit have changed places with you yelling like a girl. Come on old man you're gonna sit down here, keep your trap shut or I'll shut it for you, then after this is done you're gonna tell me what happened in Bal'more."
Swan grumbled about how his friend was treating him and stuff as he complied. Cray's surprised him, along with the rest of the newsies present, out burst. Cray had always been the calm one in the "three musketeers" balancing out his rashness and Kit's temper. Yet it was becoming apparent that Cray was just better at holding his temper.
Jack took his time calming down and gathering his thoughts, knowing that yelling at his friends would not solve anything. "As Ise saying wes gonna strike. The main reason is while some of us bigger guys can handle people like the Delancey Brudders, they ain't the only ones out of work right now, almost all the Crips are and all of them are looking for a fight. And that means trouble for us newsies. The Sun and the other small papes don't have the circulation to keep us and their newsies employed, so wes won't be joining them. Now Ise can't make you go to the picket lines for the Journal or the World but Ise will tell you; if you try to work with any other pape, youse ain't staying here. It will only bring trouble, the Refuge type and none of us needs that. Every one get that?"
"No offence Kelly but Kit ain't gonna go for this, she ain't here. And I bets she's out selling papes." Mills spoke up from the stairs.
"Well if she don't go for it and still sells den she don't live here. I ain't gonna have Bulls or the Crips here. Ise gonna talk to Kloppman about lowering or suspending our rent till the strike is over. Youse can go enjoy your they off." Jack went to find Kloppman in an effort to keep the newsies from going broke during the strike. Most of the newsies went off. Some headed for the bunkroom to grab stuff for the day or to sleep, but most just left.
Swan and Cray went outside to sit on the stoop and smoke.
"So Swanson wen were you gonna tell me about Bal'more? Or did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"I was gonna let Kit tell you her story first, then I planned on telling you."
"So you gonna fill me in on the blanks in her story and memory then?" Cray lit a cigarette, and took a drag then passed it to Swan who took it with shaky fingers.
"I just don't want you to blow up at me for not taking care of her right." Swan didn't even take a puff of the cigarette just handed it back to Cray.
"What are you gonna tell me?"
"Well I don't know what exactly Kit told, you but it wasn't the whole thing."
"I assume she got raped by the two guys from Bal'more that killed her friend."
"They were just part of it. Chair also hurt her bad."
Cray looked confused, "I thought he was dead."
"He is now, but they didn't kill him, I did."