Okay, I said in the last chapter that the strike was in motion. But HERE is where the strike TRULY begins. ;)
What DID you all think of the last chapter's canon divergence?
It's gonna be some wonky formatting for the song parts, but just bear with me on that.
Anyway. Enjoy! :)
"Alright everyone, gather around!" Jack calls out. Everyone is eager for a plan. They all stand around him, waiting for him to say something. "Yesterday, the price of papes went up. And ya know what? No one's gonna care enough to put the price of papes back where it was unless we give 'em reason to."
"What, you mean like a strike?" David supplies, nonchalant. He probably didn't mean much.
But inspiration struck Jack with that. "Yeah, like a strike."
Some scoff. This isn't something they're motivated for.
"What, are you out of your mind?" Race asks bluntly, incredulously.
"It's a good idea!" Jack says defensively.
Everyone starts talking around them, some liking the idea, others, not as much.
"Jack, I was only joking," David warns him in a low voice. "This isn't a good idea."
I thought it was a good idea.
"Why not?"
"Because we're not a union," David answers, matter-of-fact.
There is that.
"Well, why can't we'se just say we're a union?"
"Because we aren't a union, we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money," David tells him.
"Well, why don't we get every newsie in New York? And we'll soak anyone who don't join us."
He starts heading out into the street, everyone following him.
"Jack you can't just rush everyone into this," David says, now desperate to try and stop this rapidly growing fleeting fancy while he still can. It's radical. Just radical.
Jack stops. He turns to all of them. "Ya know? Dave's right. I can't rush you all into this. But it's up to you. Are we just going to take what we're given? Or are we going to strike?"
Silence.
No one is quite ready to be the first to answer, either positively or negatively.
All except for one.
"Strike!" Les pipes up. As David puts a hand over his mouth a second too late, everyone starts talking amongst themselves.
"C'mon Jack, tell us what to do!" Boots urges.
"Okay!" he turns to David. "Well, David, the strike was your idea. Tell us what to do."
"Hmm..." David thinks for a second. Jack can tell that it makes David happy to have his opinion asked for. Jack's going to remember that. "Tell them...Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights."
Jack likes that. For everyone to hear, he shouts, "Hey listen! Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect the rights of the workin' boys of New York!"
"Yeah!" is shouted back at him.
Well that went well.
"What else?" he asks David.
YOU ARE READING
I'll Always Look Out For You
Fanfiction15 years before the legendary newsies strike of 1899, a child was born. When he is 18 months old, he is brought to the Manhattan Newsies Lodging House. In time, he would be known as Racetrack Higgins. This is his story. This is the story of the news...
