Woo! next xhapter...luv'ed y'alls reviews! so...on to the disclaimer...Which I really, really, don't wanna do...Well, I guess I have to...but Ill get it over quick...Wedon'townnewsies. There. We don't own Newsies. Or the songs for that matter, in case that didn't count.
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Racetrack repeatedly flipped a coin in the air, catching it with ease as it came down again and again.
"Can you stop, Race, you're making me dizzy," David complained, watching the ascent and fall of the coin out of boredom.
Race snorted and said, "Well, stop lookin' then." Glancing across the square he spotted something and grinned. He turned to David. "Now me, I'd pick a prettier sight, such as dat dainty ding over dere". He pointed, then the grin on his face turned to confusion. "I could'o swore…" he muttered to himself. He thought he had seen a cute and nimble girl in a pair of raggedy boy's pants picking an old man's pocket, someone that looked very familiar-but she was nowhere to be seen.
David, however, was caught by the sight of someone else. In a spot near Race's mystery girl stood another, a person David recognized. "Erin!" he called, striding across the square. She turned to look at him, her face worried.
"I came here because you guys hadn't yet shown up with the paper. What's wrong?"
David gave her a very frustrated look. "They've gone and raised the prices. Jack wants us to go on strike, but he doesn't really know what he's doing."
She felt slightly confused. "What'd you mean?"
"I mean that Jack didn't go to school long enough to know how to organize and run a strike." He ran his hand through his hair, biting his lip as he tried to figure out why the newsies would want such an incompetent person running their strike, "All he wants to do is punch everybody!" He threw his hands up in the air, as if telling the world that he could just never understand Jack Kelly.
She took his hand sympathetically. "Maybe you should advise him, then. You're his partner, after all. You could make sure he does this right."
"Yeah, I guess." He grinned. "Yeah, you're right. It'd be easier than sitting on the sidelines and watching Jack mess this up".
She grinned at him. "Somehow I didn't think you were the type that would find that easy".
Across the square, Racetrack was peeking around the buildings, looking for that girl, when he bumped into Jack. "Hey Jack..." he trailed off, staring at the brunette girl that was standing next to Jack. He scratched his head, since when did Jack get a goil? Wait, a respectable-looking girl, that is.
Jack blushed, realizing what was confusing Racetrack. He turned towards the little brunette. "Race, I'd like you to meet…", but he was interrupted by a shout and a blur of color. He caught the girl, who had jumped about three feet in the air, and stared at the pipsqueak of a blonde who had just attacked Racetrack.
"Hey, Day, calm it down, goil. You scared da livin' day lights ouda me!"
She laughed triumphantly, waving a familiar newsie hat in the air. "You're a horrible tracker, Race. Ya couldn't find a fat horse in a little stall." He looked like he was going to snap something back then smirked.
"Youse're worse at shufflin' cards than I am at findin' ya," he said slyly, watching her for a reaction. He got one, too. She glowered at him and her nostrils flared.
"Yeah, well," she said imperiously, raising her chin in dramatic mock-superiority. "You're really short." She winked at him and Racetrack immediately broke out into an exasperated grin. It was obviously some kind of joke between the two.
"He's taller than you are," the brunette beside Jack put in. Daydream stared at well-dressed girl with an eyebrow lifted as if to say, "Well look what's here, fancy smancy."
Racetrack saw the look and coughed. "Youse was sayin'..."
"Oh," Jack recovered and began again, "This is…" He threw up his hands as he was interrupted by another loud shriek.
"Daydream!" A bundle of miss-matched clothes and fly-away blonde hair threw itself upon Day. Daydream made a show of choking, then, when the other girl released her with exclamations of apology, she grinned.
"Hey Gimpy! Where did you come from?"
Gimpy laughed, then pointed. "I came with Crutchy! Ever since I quit the liftin' lay I've been workin' for all of human kind." She smiled proudly, "Crutchy told me about the jack-up, and I was so excited! We might accomplish a great shift in the justice of society!"
Racetrack laughed, not believing the company he'd been keeping since he met Day. While Ellen was talking, Erin walked up with David and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Racetrack glanced over to his right shoulder and started in surprise. Another girl! Were all the girls of New York here? They should have a strike more often!
"Now," Jack began in a rush, hoping he could finish this time. "This is Christin," he pointed to the brunette next to him," and that's Erin with David." He motioned towards Gimpy and Daydream. "I have no idea who these two are."
Before Race could say anything, Daydream drew herself up to her full rather short, but very imposing height. "I, Mister-Offend-Everyone-Today-Rudely, am Daydream, and this," she flung her arm around the former pick-pocket, "is Gimpy but I think she goes by Ellen nowadays."
Ellen glared at Jack, certain that he had been trying to insult her and Daydream.
"Now, Now…" Crutchy began, in an attempt to calm things down. But Ellen, in an uncharacteristic mood of sulkiness, gave him her deader-than-dead death stare. Crutchy shut his mouth quickly.
Just then the tension was interrupted by a cheerful-looking Blink, who came running up to them slightly out of breath.
"What's going on Jack?" he asked. "Why ain't anybody bought their papes?" Ashley, who caught up with them, also looked confused.
"Jack..." she stopped, staring at all the new faces around her. Jack sighed, but didn't have time to make any other introductions.
"Ashley Conlon!" called a pale girl, with brown hair, in a pink dress. She looked extremely happy, her arm wrapped through the arm of another newsie who was wearing a pink undershirt.
Ashley smiled, "Sage! I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"
Erin started, and gave a quick look at the newsie accompanying Sage, someone she knew very well, known around here as Skittery. But now wasn't the time to say anything. Then she sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. It was obvious no one else was going to wrap things up so she stepped forward. "Let me fill you in, Blink and…Ashley. Pulitzer has raised the prices of papers for the newsies. We want to go on strike."
"Who said anything about we…" Jack began, eyeing the girls. Christin dug her elbow into his side.
"Let her talk," she hissed, then she smiled at Emilyanne, the girl in pink, who was looking a bit nervous. The two had met before on clothing business.
But of course Jack didn't listen, and instead, he stepped forward, 'Yeah, we're gonna strike!" Blink and several newsies nearby cheered. The newsies were excited at first but confusion followed.
"Tell us what to do Jack!" shouted one.
Jack turned to David. "Well, you tell us what to do, Davey." David hesitated, here was one last chance to stop Jack from all this craziness…but instead, he took the plunge.
"Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights."
Jack repeated this but in a very embellished way. He climbed onto the statue and threw his fist in the air, shouting more inspirational messages courtesy of David. The boys, in typical boyish fashion, cheered as Jack gave voice to their discontent,
Emilyanne could feel the tide swelling, ready to break. She glanced at the other girls. Some of their faces were lighted with the thought of freedom from the corporate giants. "Don't they realize that these guys aren't even thinking about girls?" she wondered. She forgot about her misgivings as the crowd's voices rose, singing in the harmony of purpose. She could feel her heart beating to the rhythm, and knew that this had to be right, so she joined in.
And the World will know
And the Journal too
Mister Hearst and Pulitzer
Have we got news for you
Now the world will hear
What we got to say
We been hawkin' headlines
But we're makin' 'em today
And our ranks will grow
They continued to sing for a while, then rushed over to watch Jack climb, to the platform, scrambling up the ladder.
Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!
And the World will know
And the World will learn
And the World will wonder how
We made the tables turn
And the World will see
That we had to choose
That the things we do today
Will be tomorrow's news
Jack got to the top and scrawled STRIKE across the chalkboard, obscuring the bad headline, much to the joy of the other newsies.
And the old will fall
And the young stand tall
And the time is now
And the winds will blow
And our ranks will grow
And grow and grow and so
The World will feel the fire
And finally know!
'Wow,' Christin thought as they completed the powerful song. She beamed, proud of Jack and the noble work he was doing. The newsies broke out into cheers and cries of "Strike!" until Jack calmed them down. He turned to David.
"I need some of those…what'dja call 'em?" He flung his hands at David's face as if he could transfer his thoughts to the younger boy.
David sighed, "Ambassadors?
"Yeah!" Jack's face brightened. He turned towards the crowd, purposely ignoring Daydream and Ellen as they danced in circles, still singing parts of the song. "Bumlets, and Specs and Skittery! You take Queens!" he hollered. Skittery nodded, and gently led Sage away from the crowd.
Crutchy volunteered next, "Me and Ellen's got the Bronx."
"Good." Jack nodded in Crutchy's direction. Ellen latched onto Crutchy's arm and started to drag him away. After assigning several other Ambassadors, Jack called out, "Who'll take Brooklyn?" He paused, but there was no answer. "Come on! Spot Conlon's territory."
Ashley tugged on Kid Blink's arm, but he looked at her uneasily. Daydream bit her lip; she had an idea. Her hand shot up. "Me and Race'll go!"
"Wha! Oh no, we wo-" Race started, but was cut off when Daydream slapped her hand over his mouth and gave him a catty look.
"Yes, we will," she announced again, her tone determined.
Ashley gave up on Kid. "Me and Kid too!" she shouted, waving her arm in the air to get Jack's attention.
"Huh? But Ash…" Blink started to whine. Ashley rolled her eyes.
"It's my brother Blink," she said, "It's not like he's gonna hurt us or anything."
"Oh. Right." He rubbed the back of his neck, still feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Alright," Jack nodded, "Me and David will go wit ya too."
Erin felt a little frustrated that Jack was just ordering people around. She was glad when David spoke up.
"First take your demands to Pulitzer," David said, nodding towards the door. Jack tried to protest but he finally went in, taking Les with him. Erin didn't let him see the smirk playing around her lips. Christin frowned at both David and Erin; she folded her arms and stomped over to talk to Ashley.
Erin, after making sure Jack had gone in, turned around and joined David, who was talking with a well-dressed, kind-looking gentleman.
"…respect our rights," he finished. Then she noticed the notebook. Ahh, a reporter. David smiled and introduced her. "Erin, this is Mr. Denton, Mr. Denton, Erin." They shook hands politely.
A few seconds later, Jack was thrown back out the door with a very annoyed Les tumbling after him.
"So's your old lady!" Jack yelled as the door close.
"Yeah!" Les echoed, waving his fist as he tried to stand up, but falling over his shoelaces again. Erin's eyebrows rose, and she went to help Les stand up, she grinned slyly as she heard David say, "Guess you really told him, right Jack?"
Racetrack laughed. "Yeah, told him right out the door!" Jack just muttered something, glaring at David and Racetrack. Christin came over and put her arms around Jack, repeating his glare, then led Jack off to cool down.