I'll Always Look Out For You

21 | Bonding | 14 Years Old

"Mhm."

"Well, we have been seein' many people come and go over the years," Jack comments. "Morris and Smoke were the first ones to leave for ya, weren't they?"

"Yeah. And then Sheeny and Henry left. Buttons too. And then Snoddy just left. Itey's still here though."

"'Cept he's probably gonna have to leave soon. You know that, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And there's also the new faces to consider."

"We've known Snipeshooter and Skittery for some time now."

"Yeah. And then we got Bumlets and Specs recently."

"And Tumbler."

"Don't forget Boots!"

"Yeah. He's quite the character, ain't he?"

"Yeah." 

They both chuckle a little.

Neither of them mention the absence of Ray. It's probably for the best they don't, anyway.

They also don't talk about how Jack is also nearing the age of leaving.

Instead, they focus on Medda and watch her perform to a full house.

Jack decides he wouldn't change a thing. He wouldn't change that Race was brought to them to care for all those years ago. He wouldn't change that Race is like a younger brother to him. He wouldn't change the way Race's mind works. If he could go back in time, he wouldn't change a single thing. If there was one thing he'd want to change, though, it's that Ray would get to watch Race grow up. But, since he can't, Jack wants to make sure that he's going to be the one to watch Race continue to grow up. It's all he can do. I will always be there for you, Race, Jack promises silently. Through everything. I can't stay in the lodging house forever. But I'll stay as long as I possibly can. He just hopes that Race knows how much he means to all of them. Jack knows that sometimes Race has doubts, that he thinks that once he does one trivial thing wrong that they'll hate him forever. That's not true. Jack is going to make sure that Race knows that they would never hate him, that they don't hold grudges against him. You'd have to do something real messed up for me to be really mad at you. Jack has taken those words in, and they comforted him. Those words apply to Race, too. Jack just needs to make sure that Race can see that.

Watching Medda has always been a joy for both of them. And something like this, something like quietly watching a show backstage together, that's one of those little things that's important.

Thank all goodness that ever existed that I could make that 1000 words haha.

I had next to no inspiration, so I chose one of those little things and did what I could.

Here I am doubting my own writing again haha.

But. Much easier to proofread! Haha

In the future, I'll try to pace better. Only make chapters suuuuuuper long when necessary. But once the strike begins, all the events are going to be so close together, that I won't have year-long gaps, so I can take as many chapters as I need to write what I need. Can't wait for that! :)

One thing I love about Medda is how close Jack is to her. In 92sies, she was the first one he thought of to go to when he needed a safe place (I think that's what happened in Livesies too? Can't exactly remember at the moment) to go. And he chose to rally the newsies in Medda's building. In Livesies, when Jack runs up to Medda, that melts my heart every single time. And Jack refuses to have Medda pay him for his art. Whether you're watching 92sies or Livesies, Medda is awesome. And the motherly role she plays for the newsies--not just Jack, but all of them--is real.

Race's thing about music comes directly from me trying to describe what I feel when I hear (and play) music. Does anyone get how Race is trying to describe it? How he can feel all aspects of the music?

Alright, I think that's it. As you can see, 1897 was uneventful. 1898 won't be like that, though.

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section at all times.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who had a gecko in their hair recently)