Soak 'em (Newsies X Reader) | #WATTYS2019

The World Will Know

"They jacked up the price! Ya hear that Jack? You know, it's bad enough we gotta eat what we don't sell, now they jack up the price! Can you believe that?"

Kid blink bombarded jack the second we entered the circulation gates. I look around and it seems everyone is fussing over something.
"Woah blink," I said. "Jacked up what?" I asked him, completely confused.

Mush walks over to me and rests an arm on my shoulder. He points up at the giant chalkboard that they write the main headlines up on every day.
"New newsie price. 60¢ per hundred."

My jaw dropped slightly looking through the sun at the board. Mush continues talking. "It don't make no sense. I mean, all the money Pulitzer makin', why would he gouge us?"

Racetracks voice is singled out from the others. He hits the wooden ramp with his hand. "Because he's a tightwad, that's why!" He shouts.

Other boys started shouting stuff. My blood boiled with anger. Who did Pulitzer think he was! We hardly have a nickel to our names how does he expect us to pay that kind of raise!
Jack stepped up to the window, I followed slowly behind him.

"Pipe down, it's just a gag. So, why the jack up Weasel?"
I angrily pound my fist on the edge of the newsies window. "To hell with Weasel! I say, we go right to Pulitzer!" I hear a few yells, agreeing behind me.

"They can't do this to me jack!" Kid Blink complains.
Racetrack was starting to get heated. "They can do whatever they want, it's their stinkin' paper."
"It ain't fair, we got no rights at all."

Jack and I had sat down on the steps of the ramp that led to the newspaper window. Every newsie was shouting at us complaining about the papers and Pulitzer and being broke. It was getting very, very annoying.

Mush comes up to Jack and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Jack, we got no choice. Why don't we get get our lousy papes while they still got some, yeah?" He suggested.

Jack got angry. Probably just as annoyed as I was at this point. "No! Nobody's goin' anywhere."
"They can't get away with this!" I added onto my brother's sentence.

Les came barreling through the crowd of newsies and pushed some of them out of the way so they weren't crowding Jack and I. "Give them some room, give them some room! Let them think!"

A cigarette was passed from one newsie, to me, then to Jack. He puffed it stressfully. Mister Weasel pounded on the glass, getting our attention. "World employees on this side of the gate please." He taunted at us. Bad move. Every single newsie was yelling at him and he quickly shut the blinds.

Jack moves himself to the edge of the stair.
"Well listen, one things for sure, if we don't sell papes, nobody sells papes. Nobody comes through those gates until they put that price back where it was."

I could hear David scoff lightly. "You mean like a strike?"
I stood up from my spot beside my brother and pointed at David. "That's exactly what we will do. We'll go on strike!"
"Are you outta ya mind?" Race shouted at me.
Jack stood up beside me and defended me. "It's a good idea!" He challenged.

David comes up to the foot of the steps and looks up at us both. "Guys, I was joking. We can't go on strike, we are not a union."
Jack and I share glances at each other.
"But if we strike, Don't that make us a union?" I ask him, poking his chest lightly. He looked confused then returned my look.
"No! Then we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money. Maybe if we got every newsie in New York to join.."

Jack snapped his fingers. "Yeah, well we organize. Crutchie, you take up for a collection. We get all the newsies of New York together."
Crutchie gave an excited smile and a nod. Got that kid was so adorable and innocent. Like a puppy.