Sparks: Good to hear from you again! Thanks for reading this one and FF. Don't worry about not leaving reviews. I do that a lot hehe.
Twilight: "Yayness!" That's so something I would say lol. I think you're my most loyal reader Claps> You get a cookie and a sticker
Chocolates: The site does that to me too! I'll get on it to see if it's posted any of my updates sometimes and it'll say that I do but I can't get to the actual updated chapters at all. It's so freakin' frustrating. I usually try to "access" the story from different ways lol. Like, I'll go to the Newsies page or my profile or someone else's profile that has my story on there. It usually does the trick. Cute username, by the way
Buttons: I'm planning to stick to the play as much as I can. I've written another Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) and you could see the definite similarities. For example, Spot says in this chapter to Jack "Anything ya want" and in the play Antony says to Caesar "When Caesar says 'do this,' it is perform'd." So you'll see a lot of things that have been tweaked for this version.
Charlie Bird: Thanks man! "The Taming of the Shrew", I think I'm seeing that ballet this March! Oh you are definitely not alone when you think about newsies + Shakespeare, let me tell you that!
A/N: Whoo! 5 readers on just the prologue! That's so good for me! Normally it's like one or none haha. Maybe this is truly the story for me lol. Okay so I'm really getting in to this story and I'm writing a lot, but I can't guarantee that'll happen all the time. I really need to get going on my other one (my mom is making me submit it to a writing contest). But in the mean time, let's just read on to the first real chapter, shall we? Oh, and I'm writing this note before the chap, but right now I'm seeing the chapters, on average, to be a little long. Not that it'll like take you an hour to read, but yeah, you get it lol. Onward!
Chapter One: Such Men are Dangerous
Just as the sun was setting on the city, the newsboys, accompanied with either a girlfriend or just themselves, celebrated the brilliant triumph at Tibby's restaurant. Unlike the street protest earlier, this crowd included mainly the newsboys. The restaurant practically busted at the seams as everyone crowded inside and filled every space available, eating dinner and drinking the generous amount of alcohol. Jack had yet to enter and his presence was being long awaited. A smile crossed every person's face as it seemed to be the greatest day of their lives.
A fairly sized procession made its way down the street and was approaching Tibby's. Jack led the way; his shoulders broad and a proud look about his face. Beside him strode the leader of Manhattan's closest ally, Spot Conlon, paving the way for Jack to proceed safely to the restaurant. To the other side of the cowboy was his newly united girlfriend Sarah Jacobs, who he had just recently declared his love for. Sarah's brother, David, the humble brains behind the entire strike, strolled behind them along with Skittery.
"So, ya ready to party, cowboy?" asked Spot with a devious smile on his cheeks and sparked gray eyes.
Jack let out a laugh, a break from his ever present grin. "I ain't gonna lie to you, Spot, it'll feel damn good to let off a little steam after everything that's happened." He stepped away from the group a little bit and spoke low into Spot's ear. "You're a hell of a lot better at holdin' your alcohol than me, so if things happen, make sure Sarah's gets home okay, all right?"
Spot laughed. "No problem, Jack. Anything ya want."
Jack gave a teasing punch to Spot's arm and they continued on their way. Sarah laced her fingers with his and walked closely next to his side. Spot hurried before them and swung open the doors to the restaurant widely to make an entrance. The people began cheering loudly as Spot began a speech for the King of Manhattan's entry. Jack waited a few feet behind him as the rest shuffled into the room for him to make his way in alone.
"Hey…Cowboy," a whisper called from behind him.
Jack turned his head around to match a person to the voice. "What?"
"Ovah here," it called again.
He spun around and watched the voice come into the light. It was just a girl who looked like an attendee at the party; her looks were plain as were her clothes, and her hair was a red, curly disheveled mess. A look took over her face that looked as though she had something cleverly important to tell him.
"Yeah? Do I know you?" he asked.
The girl smirked slightly and stood with her hands at her sides and face tilted downward but eyes still upon him, replying in a low voice, "I know you."
"Oh. Okay." Jack squinted, not sure of what else to say. "Well, hope ya have fun. G'night."
"Wait!" the girl rushed toward him and spun him back around by gripping his arm tightly. "I have to tell you something."
"And what's that?" Jack figured she had been drinking and he decided to ride this one out, all with a bemused look upon him.
She pulled his head closer to her level with his warm cheeks against hers, and she whispered into his ear, "Think twice on the last of September." Her voice was full of caution and heed, and she slowly drew back to a strong eye contact with him. A long skinny finger made its way up to her hair as she twirled a few strands around, making odd, subtle movements and humming to herself still with her eyes upon him.
Unsure of how to respond, Jack stared at her as mixed thoughts spun about his mind. The girl's eyes now were intuitive with a hint of awareness in them. A grin made its way onto his face. "You should make your way home, girly. It ain't safe to be out this late while you're drunk."
She cocked her head to the side as if she were amused at the way he was treating her; after all, she was very much sober and held information from which he could benefit very much.
"I mean, I've been around plenty 'a drunk fellas in my life that've said weird things, but this one takes it all!" Jack stepped back and started to turn away, shaking his head in laughter.
The girl's lips curled up into a smirk. "I ain't drunk, cowboy. Ya better watch out."
"Oh okay. What day was that again?" He stepped closer and pretended to listen up again, mocking the girl's words.
"September thirtieth."
"I'll write it down," Jack replied scathingly and turned his back to her.
The girl simply sneered and moseyed away down the street. Jack shook the thoughts out of his mind and he strutted into the doorway into a massive crowd of applause, cheers, and whistling. He beamed widely and waved his hand around to everyone, yelling "thank you" in gratitude. Sarah smiled at him sweetly and he pulled her to his side from the crowd and made his way back a booth with his arm around her.
After most of the exaltation had subsided, Skittery and David slipped out into the street, thankful to be out of the deafening noise and celebration. Skittery swiftly struck a match a lit up a modest cigarette.
"Christ, I think we get it," Skittery complained, "Jack Kelly saves the day again." He exhaled a breath of wispy smoke toward the street which only occupied a small population of people.
"Yeah," agreed David without much emotion. He paced around unhurriedly and scratched the back of his curly brown hair.
"Somethin' wrong?"
David sighed heavily. "My head kinda hurts with all this excitement, know what I mean?" He placed a hand to the back of his neck and rolled his head around stressfully.
"Yeah, I know exactly what ya mean." Skittery stepped to the side of David. "I mean, we won the strike, not just one person. Crazy how one guy can jus' take it all away, ain't it?"
"Take it all away?"
"Well, if ya ask me, you definitely didn't get the credit you deserve, Mr. Walkin' Mouth. You were the brains behind the whole damn strike for cryin' out loud." Skittery inhaled deeply on his cigarette.
"Its fine, Skit," David answered flatly but in a voice that was clearly masking a deeper feeling. "It's okay."
"No, it ain't okay!" Skittery responded hastily. "Since when did we make Kelly the king?"
From inside the restaurant came another quick round of cheers and the two boys to look behind them and back again.
"I think just now," David stated with a sarcastic tone.
Skittery flicked his cigarette to the ground. "Dave, he's just anotha newsie who happens to have a bit more guts than we got. But he's still just a newsie. Ya wanna know what I really think, though?" He stepped over to the brick wall and leaned his back against it, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really. I think you're bein' too modest about all 'a this. I mean, if it weren't fer you we wouldn't've won the strike. You got the brains, Dave. If it weren't fer you we'd never've gotten Brooklyn, and Brooklyn brought all the others. You should be the one in there drinkin' to your heart's content.
"Like I said, Jack's still just a newsie. Jack Kelly, David Jacobs." He imitated a balance with his hands while saying the names. "Cowboy, Walkin' Mouth. They sound the same to me. You got this started; Jack just finished it. I mean, what kind 'a society are we livin' in if one guy tramples over the other when they're just newsies?"
David shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down to the ground. "I don't know, Skittery. But to be honest I'd rather be living somewhere else than here right about now."
"Ya have to at least agree with me, though, right?" Skittery asked. "Ain't exactly fair."
"I'll consider it."
Silent moments passed as David paced around in thought when Skittery suggested they make their way back inside for something to eat. Jack finished the last bit of his beer while throwing his head back, devouring the drink wholly. Sarah sat with her hands entwined together on the table as she played with the crumbs of her biscuit on the plate and tried to look like she was having more fun than in reality. Jack scooted closer to her, enticing a small chuckle from her lips. He turned up the corners of his lips and pecked her sweetly on the cheek. As his eyes traveled about the room, he noticed David and Skittery enter the room. Skittery seemed to be wearing a mask of suspicion, like he was doing something he shouldn't. Furrowing his eyebrows Jack waved to Spot's attention across the table.
"What's up with Skittery?" Jack asked.
Spot turned behind him and scoped him out for a few moments and spun back around. "What d'you mean?"
"The look on his face is kinda botherin' me. Like he got somethin' to hide. Y'know?" Jack stole a muffin from someone's plate beside him and tore it in half with his teeth. "Thinks too much."
"I don't think you gotta worry about Skittery, Jack."
"Always in a bad mood," stated Jack as though Spot had never said anything. He spoke through chomps of his food rudely. (Though nobody really cared). "Never really enjoyin' things. Never plays cards, never goes out with us guys…"
Spot finished his drink and waved a hand to Jack. "Don't kill yaself over it, Jack. He's not that dangerous."
Skittery shoved his way through the sociable people and situated himself at a table for two against the wall towards the back. With an annoyed grunt he wiped off the surface and plopped into a chair, as did David with less obvious annoyance. Skittery noticed Mush sweet-talking to a girl he had never seen before a few feet away. Mush smiled charmingly into the girl's big eyes as she blushed back innocently. She brushed a finger just underneath his chin and turned around, beaming, and leaving Mush to watch her glide across the room. Skittery waited until she was gone and snapped his fingers promptly. "Mush!"
Snapping back to reality, Mush looked to Skittery with his big brown eyes. "Yeah?" He began to walk toward them.
"Nice-lookin' girl ya got there," he complimented flatly.
Mush looked back around to make sure she hadn't left. "Thanks…" he trailed off.
"Hey, what'd we miss? Sounded like somethin' happened not too long ago."
Mush turned to face him again and looked above him in thought, trying to recall the recent events. "Well, Spot tried givin' Jack the key, but he denied it. Not sure why, though. If I was Jack I'd be takin' it! I mean, that's Spot's key."
Indeed it was. The famous key that hung around Spot's neck was passed to him not too long ago from the late leader of Queens and was practically a symbol of power. Once Spot was given the key he was given the respect of all newsboys in New York City. For Jack to have the key was something incredibly honorable.
"Denied it just like that?" Skittery shifted his eyes to David as they exchanged knowing looks and thought the same thing.
"Yeah, I dunno what it was all about. Kinda made him human if ya ask me, like he didn't deserve nothin' for what he did." Mush shrugged and went about his way to pursue his latest love interest.
Skittery sighed heavily and shook his head. David rubbed his eyes and left to use the restroom, leaving Skittery alone with his scheming thoughts.