Hey... Newsies fandom. *awkward wave* VeronicaWeasley here. I'm super late to getting into this musical, but here I am writing fanfiction about it. Because why not?
I know Newsie high school AUs have been done, but here's my take on one.
Of course, I own absolutely nothing but my love for this musical and its characters. Everything belongs to the creators of Disney's Newsies.
Enjoy.
We Are Newsies
Chapter 1- Jack
Wednesday, September 15, 1999, 5:30 a.m.
Tap. Step. Tap. Step. The sound of plastic against stone brought Jack Kelly out of his slumber. Groaning, he felt around for his battered burner phone, bringing it up to his face and flipping it open to check the time. He had to screw his eyes shut as the small burst of light hit them.
"Charlie, whaddaya doin' up? It ain't even six yet."
The younger boy slowly lowered himself into a sitting position, a task made extremely difficult by the dull grey crutches attached to his forearms. He fixed his bright green eyes on Jack as he removed the crutches. "I missed ya. An' Tony said you'd be up here in the middle a' the night, so I figured..." his voice trailed off for a moment. "But I can leave if I'm botherin' ya."
Jack sat up, pulled his schoolbag onto his lap, and began gathering the various sketchbooks and art supplies that lay scattered around him. "Naw, ya ain't botherin' me. But you's gotta tell me the real reason you's awake. Penthouse rules."
Instead of frowning, as anyone else might, Charlie faked a smile. "Jus' havin' a little trouble sleepin'. I know I've been here for three weeks already, but I still ain't used ta it, y'know?"
"Bein' in da system sucks. Always movin' around. But ya don't hafta worry 'bout leavin' Duane Street anytime soon."
"But you got kicked out las' week."
"Eh, well, that's me," Jack grinned. "You ain't anywhere near as dumb as me."
"I don' think you're dumb," Charlie mumbled.
"I wanted ta leave. But ya know what I mean. You don't go around gettin' yerself inta trouble all the time, do ya? You got nothin' ta worry about."
"Right." He didn't sound sure. Before Jack could ask, Charlie raised one of his crutches. "I do got this ta worry about-" he set the crutch down- "This is the first place that even wanted to deal with a crip- I mean, guy like me."
"Aw, c'mon. None a' the other boys care 'bout that. An' remember, ya can always ask 'em to stop callin' you Crutchie, like ya did me."
"No, it's alright. I don' mind the nickname. You can use it too, if ya want."
"Okay, Crutchie," Jack complied. "What else is keepin' ya up and makin' ya bother me before da sun's even up?" Noticing Crutchie's worried look, Jack quickly added, "Only jokin'."
The blonde boy shrugged. "I dunno. Guess I'm just worried about school, bein' new and all."
"School? I thought the guys an' I gotcha covered when we talked the other night. We told ya 'bout the Delanceys and everythin'."
"I'm not so worried about those guys. It's just, I know it's your last year, an' you'll be leavin' for college. Meanwhile, I jus' got here. I barely know anybody."
"You know da guys here."
"Most a' you are older, though. At least you and SJ- er, Specs are. And you two are the only ones who talk ta me. But you're both goin' ta leave."
"Specs is stayin' in New York."
"I know." Crutchie didn't add on, but Jack could sense the phrase waiting on the younger boy's tongue. But you're leaving.
"Look, Crutch-"
"You really think you'll get to Santa Fe?"
"'Course I will. Why wouldn't I."
"It sounds expensive."
"I ain't completely broke. Got a job an' everything."
"But Specs was warning you, the other night, that ya needed ta do more."
Jack fiddled with the zipper on his school bag, trying to suppress the worries that surfaced with Crutchie's brutal honesty. After all, he was right about Specs' warning. Santa Fe University, while not a prestigious school like Harvard or Yale, was still so far out of reach. It was ridiculous for Jack to imagine himself affording a place there, despite the money he had already saved from all those shifts at Jacobi's Deli. The truth, that Jack avoided at all costs, was that he might never get to Santa Fe, no matter how hard he tried. And yet, he often found himself dreaming of New Mexico, with sunsets so large they filled the whole sky. Not like the sunsets in New York, which he could barely see between all the buildings. Hell, New York didn't even have stars.
If Jack closed his eyes, up here on the rooftop, blocking out all the city sounds, he could remember his father's voice, going on about Santa Fe.
"So many stars out there, Francis. Sky that goes on for miles." His father had grown up in Santa Fe. "The air's fresh, and you can drive for miles without seein' anybody." The man had lived in New Mexico until he was fourteen, when Jack's grandfather had decided to move the Sullivan family to New York City. "Best years of my life," Jack's father would say. "You'll see it one day. We'll get back to Santa Fe. I promise you that."
I promise you that. He'd promised. Said everything would be all right. Over and over. But nothing was. Nothing ever was. Not for Jack Kelly, otherwise known as Francis Sullivan, and his family. His mother had gotten sick when he was around eleven years old, finally passing away in December two years later. In the time between her becoming infected and her death, Jack's father had tried as hard as he could to afford the treatments and medical bills. The debt piled up, and he worked even harder. It sucked the life out of him, but he kept on going. In return for all those extra shifts and late nights, the man was fired, tossed to the curb like the previous day's newspaper. After that, Jack's father- his strong, seemingly invincible father- died. Heart attack. And Jack was left on his own, with no mother or father; there wasn't any person left that wanted to care for him. It wasn't fair for a kid to go through everything Jack had. When he'd finally come up from the depths he'd sunk to throughout his many years in the system, Jack vowed that if he ever met another kid who was going through the same crap he'd gone through, he would protect them with everything he had.
"Jack?" Jack jumped, realizing Crutchie was still watching him intently, waiting to continue their conversation. Crutchie, who had lost his parents and ended up in the system because there was no one to care for him. He hadn't yet been broken by the world, hadn't been subjected to abuse and unfeeling guardians the way Jack had. It was Jack's duty to keep it that way. That was why he'd forced himself out the group home at Duane Street. He needed to protect Crutchie. The kid didn't deserve the hand the world had dealt him.
"Jack?" Crutchie asked again. "What're you gonna do about Santa Fe?"
"I'm gonna..." Jack cursed himself. Was he seriously planning to move halfway across the country for college? Hadn't he just been thinking about how he needed to protect Crutchie? He had just told himself that was why he'd left, so why was he so conflicted? "I dunno, Crutch. I've applied for at least a half dozen scholarships already."
"Right, but Specs said-"
"I don't give a damn what Specs says!" Jack jumped up, throwing his bag to the ground. "What does he know? Nothin', that's what. I told 'im I'd figure everythin' out, an' I will. I don't care what it takes. I'm gettin' ta Santa Fe."
"You really got your heart set on the desert, huh? You got family there or somethin'?"
"I ain't got no family, nowhere."
Crutchie pushed himself up with his crutches so he could be closer to Jack's height. "Then why bother with Santa Fe? There're plenty a' schools in New York."
"I wanna get outta New York!" Jack snapped. "Don't you get that?" As soon as he'd done it, he regretted losing his temper.
Flinching, Crutchie backed away. "Sorry," he muttered. "Forget I said anythin'." He began making his way toward the rooftop doorway. "I'll leave ya alone now."
"No, wait!" Jack crossed the roof so he was standing between the doorway and his friend. "I'm sorry, okay? It's just, me an' this city, we ain't got the best relationship. It don' like me, an' I don't like it. Ya see?"
"I get it. I can tell ya can't wait ta get outta here."
"But, hatin' the city don't mean I'm jus' gonna forget about all da people here. We's a family, me an' all you guys. An' a family looks out for each other."
"How're ya gonna look out for us if yer all the way across the country?"
"I'll take ya with me, how's that sound?"
Crutchie's smile returned from its temporary masquerade as an upset expression. "Yeah, okay. S'long as we don't drive there."
"So, we good?"
"Yeah, we are."
Jack embraced Crutchie, not letting go until he heard the familiar chime of Race's six a.m. alarm, coming from a clock that was always turned up way too loud. It blared from inside the building, breaking the sleepy hum of a city that was just waking up.
Dropping his arms to his sides, Jack walked back over to where he had thrown down his bag. He slipped it over his head, letting the single strap come to rest on his shoulder. "You ready for this?" He asked Crutchie, "It's a big day."
Crutchie opened the rooftop door. The sound of the alarm grew even louder, and Jack thought he heard a distant yell from one of the boys. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Jack leaned into the doorway, yelling, "Racer, Albert, Elmer, Henry, Specs! Get up!" then stepped back to watch Crutchie disappear down the stairs. Jack looked on for one more moment as his friend ventured into the chaos below. Then he swung the door shut, turned around, and left the roof via the fire escape.
So that's chapter one, also known as "Santa Fe Prologue". A little bit of sad backstory there, but hopefully it didn't feel like to much.
This is the final draft out of at least four versions of this chapter. I have spent a stupid amount of time working on this story. Also, first chapters are hard.
Please review and tell me what you thought! I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
See you next chapter! (Possibly published tomorrow?)