Carrying The Banner//A Modern Day Newsies Story//COMPLETED

The Rally

TW: Betrayal.

Jack POV
This is it. I looked around at the gang. They were all so excited. It just made me feel so much worse. I had gotten all of these people here, different clubs and sports, just to let them down. I was pulled away from my thoughts when I heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome to my theatre, and your revolution!" Medda yelled out, which was greeted with cheers and claps. Davey walked over to me.

"Do you want to speak first or me?" He whispered.

"Can you?" I asked, and he nodded. He hopped up onto the stage and waved to everyone.

"Welcome clubs and sports! We all know why we are here. The unjust rules. Some of you might not be affected by them as much as some other clubs, but that doesn't mean it's fair." Davey started. This was met with some murmured agreements. "Pulitzer thinks we are just students. Just teenagers. Just kids. That we can't and won't do anything to stop him. But we are stronger than that, and we can stop these rules."

This was when I built up the courage. I signaled to Davey that I was going to come on stage with him. He nodded in response, and I walked up the steps and onto stage.

"If we want to be listened to, we have to act like it." I said. Davey smirked a little.

"And here is Jack everyone!" He called out. I smirked as well and turned to the crowd, dread built inside of me about what I was going to say.

"Pulitzer. He adds unfair rules without even a thought to us kids." I started. "And we strike, or rally whatever. We make him give it up and take away the rules. And it works... for about a week. Then he can just put them up again! We don't want to be doing this ever week on and off do we?!" I noticed both Crutchie and Davey giving me confused looks. "So, I have talked to Pulitzer myself. He said that if we end it now he won't up the taxes!" This was met with boo's and hissing. People started yelling as I said the next thing. "He gave me his word, and I say we take it!" People started standing up and making their way to the doors at the back of the auditorium.

"Jack Kelly, good job. You did your work well." I heard a voice sneer. I turned and saw Pulitzer, and I knew everyone else did to.

"Traitor!"
"Sellout!"
"We believe you Jack!" People yelled at me. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the gang. They were all staring at me in disbelief and anger, none of them speaking. Spot finally glared daggers at me.

"So much of a leader you were." He snarled and turned on his heel towards the door. Soon, the rest of the gang followed until it was only me, Davey, and Crutchie.

"Guys I-"

"No." Crutchie cut me off angrily. "No don't explain why you just betrayed us! Don't explain why you made us believe in you for NOTHING!" I desperately wanted to help him, the pain in his voice seeping through. He turned and hobbled out of the doors.

"Thanks." Davey finally said. I gave him a confused look. "Thanks for giving us hope, then just taking it away. Thanks for leaving the gang members in pieces after that betrayal." The way he spat the word 'betrayal' made me flinch. It was a betrayal. Davey shoved past me and out the doors.

"You're walking home." Medda said before leaving, and I sighed knowing it was fair. I grabbed my backpack and hoisted it onto my shoulders. I left the back door, so nobody would be near me. I made my way home slowly, my mind spinning. It settled on one thought suddenly. Race. The person I betrayed and lived with. He is going to give me the cold shoulder, maybe worse. He was my brother. And I screwed it up. When I got home I went straight to my room, my head in my hands.

Stupid. Awful. Horrible friend. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. These words kept spinning around my head endlessly. I checked my phone. No notifications. Nobody texted the gang group chat, and they normally would. All because of me. What have I done?