A/N: Yay! More characters! Thanks to all who reviewed, I appreciate it. I realize in the REAL strike, Pulitzer just refunded all the papers, but just pretend it happened like it did in the movie lol.

Morgan Jacobs & Dizzy- I put your characters as girls in the lodging house too, that way we have enough real characters. Anyway, thanks!

Disclaimer: I own: Derby, Cake, Selley, Prairie and Poem. Diamonds, Smudge, Stress, Dizzy and Lit'l Bit are owned by their respectful creators.

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Tibby's was packed. It seemed as though every newsies in New York was there. Voices drifted on the air like tuneless music.

The girls were all crowded around one table, an unusual sight as they normally sat sporadically around the restaurant.

Diamonds rolled up her sleeves and knitted her eyebrows in concentration.

"So, what are we'se gonna do about Weasel and dem?" She asked, they had all agreed earlier that Weasel's behavior was getting tiresome, especially after the comments Oscar and Morris had made to a few of the girls.

"Let's soak 'em!" Lit'l Bit said, earning cheers and applause.

"How 'bout a strike?" Smudge laughed. Diamonds eyes lit up like a candle in a dark window. 'She could have a point. For once.' Diamonds thought, banging her spoon against the table.

The other girls laughed, sure the strike had worked for the getting Pulitzer to return the price of the papes back to 50 cents a hundred, but would anyone really listen to a bunch of poor girls? Hardly.

Selley quietly sipped her soup, nervous that Cake might be angry with her for the paper fiasco earlier that day. Every time she thought of it, more color rose to her cheeks. Cake didn't look angry, but with her you could never tell, she kept her emotions hidden well.

Stress looked thoughtful, "Dat could work." She said, chin in hands.

A few others nodded, Dizzy quietly said, "Dey wouldn't listen to us."

Selley silently agreed, but didn't want to let the other girls know. They probably wouldn't care what she had to say anyway. 'I'se jus' a troublemakah, makin' unwanted trouble.' She thought, looking down into her soup bowl, a tear mixing with the broth.

Poem put an arm around Selley; she was the only one who saw the tear.

"What's wrong, Sells?" Poem inquired, cocking her head. Poem always was the more observant of the newsgirls.

"Is.. is.. Cake.. mad at me?" Selley asked back, quickly wiping away the tear with her sleeve, she didn't want to be seen as a baby. Her mind felt ready to burst, she'd needed to ask someone that question all day.

"Cake? Mad? Youse? Why?" Poem looked shocked, "I mean, Cake mad at youse? Why would youse t'ink dat?" her blue eyes wide with a mix of surprise and slight amusement, "Nobody's mad at youse. Just Oscah, Morris an' Weasel, but when aren't dey mad?"

Selley laughed, she guessed Poem was right.

"A strike. I'se was only kiddin'." Smudge said, "Dizzy's right. Besides, who'd we go to strike against anyway? Weasel doesn't care if dere ain't any newsgoils."

"Dat's what he thinks! Without us, Weasel'll lose profit, 'cause we buy nearly as much as da boys." Stress concluded, looking around for agreement.

"Dat's right, Le'se see, dere's 30 boys? No, 40? And 12 of us. So, together dat's um..' Smudge had the right idea, but wasn't quite the best at math.

"52 newsies." Derby finished, whacking Smudge lightly on the head.

"Yeah, and without us, dat's only da 40 boys left." Prairie added, "And dat could be a big profit loss for Weasel. I t'ink."

The girls were all quiet for a moment, thinking a strike might actually be a good idea. After all, Weasel was greedy about his money, and with less newsies that meant less money.

"I t'ink we'se should do it! If Weasel can't treat us equally, den we don't woik for him!" Lit'l Bit shouted, everyone cheered. A few of the boys looked over, wondering what the girls were up to. The atmosphere at the distribution center had changed drastically in last few days.

Derby nodded, "We'se should get da boys ta help us."

Smudge rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, "Since when did da boys become goils? Dis is da newsGOILS strike, bummah."

Derby flung a spoonful of cold soup at Smudge's forehead, resulting in a small food fight between their ends of the table. Prairie snickered, picturing Mush in a dress.

"Ok, ok, we oughta t'ink about it foist. Maybe Norren can give us some help." Diamonds said, quieting the ruckus.

The girls all grinned, even Selley, happy for a chance to finally prove their worth.

"We'se meet here tomorrow, same time ta discuss it. I t'ink it's time for da newsgoils to be heard!" She stood on the table, dramatically shouting the idea.

Crutchy looked at Mush, who looked at Blink. What was going on? Some boys smiled, while some looked confused.

The sky had darkened to black velvet, the stars like fireflies, flickering their soft light.

Jack and Stress walked back to the Lodging House together, before parting with a kiss and going to their bunkrooms.

Diamonds walked with Pie Eater, unaware of what he was feeling for her. She told him about their planned strike, while Pie quietly listened. "I think youse right. Weasel won't like losin' money." He finally said, smiling in the darkness. Diamonds grinned, glad he agreed.

Derby chattered happily with Blink (A/N: I love him to pieces ^_^"), while the others laughed and talked behind them, not in any rush to get back to the bunks. The air was infused with an unknown sense of joy, for once nobody was arguing.

"So youse really think it'll woik?" Blink asked Derby, hands in pockets.

"I hope so. Da goils never really got treated equally in da foist place." Derby replied, smiling.

Selley listened to the soft conversations around her, and although she longed for a boy to like her, she felt happy inside just watching everyone.

Poem drew the curtains closed and blew the candle out. The moon shined in on the bunks, almost as if it were smiling.

--- From the demented desk of Derby: Ooo! Happy happy romance! Lol, I hope you guys liked this chapter, it's kind of sappy and has a lot of cheesey lines, but hey.