Hey, guys, I'm back with another chapter! woohoo! I know this is a sort of common prompt but I hope you guys are enjoying my take on it.

I got a comment from someone that mentioned Jack's 8 attempts might be a little much. However, I just wanted to clear things up, Jack has tried to kill himself 8 times, which I did to really get the point that he isn't quitting after one, two, or even three failed attempts. I wanted to really show how much he wants to die, and the 8 attempts I feel, shows that he really has tried everything, some things more than once, which landed him in the mental hospital.

Now, Here is chapter 2! Enjoy!

-Hayd

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Newsies or its characters. All rights go to Disney

Jack followed Crutchie down the hallway toward the dining hall for lunch. The others had gone ahead, walking at a quicker pace than Crutchie could manage. At first, Jack had been mad at them for leaving Crutchie, but Crutchie reassured him that it was alright, they just wanted to get to the table so they could save seats for everyone. Plus, he said, he had to make a quick stop before lunch. Jack nodded, and followed beside him, making sure to keep the same pace. Crutchie glanced at the new kid walking next to him; he seemed to always keep his hands buried in his pockets. Crutchie took another glance at him, studying his appearance. Jack wore a black sweatshirt and jeans, which Crutchie found a little odd because it was the beginning of May. He figured it might be rude to ask though, especially because he'd just met him.

They reached the rooms and Crutchie stopped at his room, which he shared with Blink. Jack pointed to the door across the hall,

"You know who's room that one is?" He asked. Crutchie nodded,

"That one's Davey's. You rooming with him now?" Jack confirmed quickly before gesturing to the door in front of them,

"This one yours?" Crutchie readjusted his right hand on the handle of his crutch before reaching out his left hand and turned the knob, pushing the door open.

"Mine and Blink's. He's my roommate." He said, walking in.

"Come on in. I just have something I need to do real quick before we go to lunch." Crutchie said, opening one of the drawers and digging through it, finally pulling out his scale. Jack came up behind him, sitting down on the bed,

"What's that?" He asked, leaning forward, trying to put a name on the metal object in Crutchie's hands. Crutchie didn't answer, placing the scale on the ground, turning it on and waiting for it to calibrate. Jack looked down at it for a moment before looking back up at Crutchie, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you need a scale for?" Crutchie shrugged, trying to look casual,

"I like to make sure that I'm not gaining any weight. In fact, I'm trying to lose weight. I feel that it's for my benefit, as I've been looking a bit...larger... than normal lately." He explained, stepping on the scale. It was perfectly logical, he weighed himself before every meal. Jack looked him up and down, slightly taken aback. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, averted his eyes. The scale beeped, breaking the silence and Crutchie looked down at the blue screen. 130. Crutchie sighed, frowning slightly. He made a mental note about dropping those 30 pounds as he stepped off the scale, turning it off and burying it back in the drawer. He turned back toward Jack, grinning cheerfully,

"Ready?" Jack stood up, smirking back at him,

"You bet. Shall we?" He playfully offered his arm to Crutchie. For a split second, Crutchie was startled by the normally brooding boy's joking gesture, but he quickly recovered, sliding his left arm under Jack's, smile still on his face. They laughed and left the room, turning off the lights and shutting the door behind them.

The two boys entered the dining hall a few minutes later and Crutchie led Jack over the boys' usual table, in the back corner. None of the guys had gotten their food yet; they always waited for everyone to get to the table first. No one knew why they did it, it was just a thing they did. Race stood up as the two approached the table,

"'Is about time you two arrived!"He threw his hands in the air in mock exasperation. Crutchie laughed,

"You know I always gotta check before meals." Race nodded in understanding before looking at the rest of the guys,

"Alright boys, everyone's here. You can go get your food now." One by one the boys pushed their chairs out, standing up to get in line for lunch. Jack pulled out a chair for Crutchie, who blushed and thanked him before sitting down, realizing how tired he was.

"I'll pick you up something alright?" Jack offered, turning to head toward the line. Crutchie tried to tell him not to bother, but he was already gone. Crutchie sighed, slouching in the plastic chair, dropping his crutch on the ground beside him. Race looked at him from across the table, arms lying folded on top of the table. He always waited until all the other guys had gotten their food before he went and got his own.

"You's gotta eat at least a little." He suggested slowly. Crutchie shook his head, looking down at his stomach,

"Nah. I'm fine. And according to the scale, I still have at least 30 pounds to drop. I don't need food, I'm fine" he reassured Race, who raised his eyebrows but sighed and nodded,

"Alright, if you's sure." He said, defeated. One by one, the others arrived back at the table, setting down their trays. Jack and Davey were the last to return. Davey sat on the other side of the table, setting down his tray before taking out a small cloth and wiping down the plastic cutlery lined up perfectly on his folded napkin. Henry laughed,

"Uh Dave, you know that's plastic silverware, right? As in, disposable?" Davey looked up at him for a moment before returning to the cleaning of his fork,

"So? They're all together in the same container! If even one of them has bacteria on it, the rest of them could become practically unusable!" He huffed. Henry chuckled again before digging into his own food. Jack sat down next to Crutchie, sliding a tray in front of him.

"Here ya go. I wasn't sure what you liked so I figured a salad would work." Crutchie looked at the food on the tray, and he could feel all the boys' eyes on him.

"Uh, thanks, Jack. That's real nice of ya but I'm not really hungry right now." He said, putting his hands in his lap. Jack looked at him incredulously,

"Kid you gotta eat-" Jack was cut off by Race slamming his hand on the table,

"Kelly, I think it's time you shut your mouth. If Crutchie here don't wanna eat then you be quiet and leave 'im be" He said forcefully, eyes daring Jack to keep talking. Jack's eyes widened and he looked back at Crutchie, who averted his eyes as he saw the realization flash in Jack's eyes. He could still feel Jack's eyes on him, knowing that he had figured out why Crutchie was there in the ward. The boys sat in silence, chewing awkwardly as Jack sat there stunned, Race still fuming, and Crutchie wishing he could disappear. Thankfully, Romeo broke the tension, absentmindedly raking his nails up and down his arm,

"Hey, Race where's Spot? Haven't seen him in a few days." He inquired. Crutchie leaned over to Jack,

"Spot's Race's boyfriend. He got landed in here because of a pretty bad drug addiction. It ain't good, let me tell you." he whispered. Jack nodded gratefully. Race reached his hand over and moved Romeo's hand away from his arm, but it kept moving up and down like he was still scratching at his skin.

"He's having another really bad withdrawal. They had to lock him in solitary for a few days so he wouldn't hurt anyone." Race explained, keeping his hand between Romeo's hand and his arm. Romeo nodded, not even acknowleding Race's hand. The others nodded as well before breaking into their own conversations. Albert, Mush, and Sniper were having a heated discussion about public schooling, with Mush and Sniper finishing each other's sentences, which appeared to be confusing Albert. Specs and Romeo were talking in low voices, this time Specs being the one to keep Romeo from scratching up his arm. Race leaned over to Jack and Crutchie.

"So, Jack, where were you before you got landed in this joint?" Race asked curiously, leaning on his elbows. Jack hesitated slightly like he was picking and choosing certain details to leave out.

"Foster Family. James and Amy." He said finally, stretching out in the chair. Race nodded,

"Gotcha gotcha. They the ones who out ya here?" He asked. Jack shook his head this time, taking his hands out of his pockets and picking at his thumbnail,

"Nah, they tossed me back to the system as fast as they could when they found out how messed up I am. It was the director of the lodging house, Mr. Kloppman's idea to send me here." Race thought for a moment before looking at Jack,

"And just how messed up ARE you, Jack Kelly?" he inquired, eyebrows raised. Jack smirked and shoved his hands back into his pockets, before standing up,

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said, stretching. The others looked up,

"It time to go yet?" Elmer asked, confused.

"No nitwit! The bell ain't rung yet" Blink said, lightly smacking him on the back of the head.

" Hey!" Elmer began to object but was interrupted by another soft chime from the intercoms. Crutchie grabbed his crutch and slowly stood up, turning to Jack,

"That means it's rest time. 'Is required." He told him. "I got somewhere I gotta be though, so do you mind walking with Davey back to you guys' room?" Jack nodded,

"Sure thing. See ya 'round Crutchie" He said, turning to walk alongside Davey. Crutchie smiled to himself, Jack Kelly was definitely not the average patient here, but something about how he acted all tough around the guys was amusing in a cute way. Crutchie slowly limped out of the Dining hall; he had an appointment with his therapist today, and he didn't want to be late. He turned down another hallway and collided with a big, bulky figure, knocking himself to the ground. He pushed himself into a sitting position, looking up at who he'd collided with. Oscar and Morris Delancey loomed over him, grinning wickedly. Crutchie gulped,

"H-heeeeeeyyyyyyyy fellaaaaasssssssss"