My Girl ~Racetrack~

eight

Everyone gathered in Newsies Square, waiting for the other newsies. "Is anyone else coming?" Davey asked. "Don't got a clue" I shrugged. Spot's words rang through me. "But, we can't back you up, I'm not having my boys getting hurt if your boys back out. I can't only trust your word. But good luck" Spot had said

"Youse seen Spot Conlon, right? What'd he say?" Race quizzed. "Sure we seen him." Jack said. "Them Brooklyn boys is big!" Les exclaimed.

"And I gotta say, Spot was very impressed. Wasn't he?" Jack asked Davey. "Well, I'd say he more impressed with Kat." Davey commented

I smiled at myself, and Race put an arm around me. "So they're with us?" Race looked at me

"That depends. If you look and see Brooklyn, then they're with us." Davey explains. "They wanted proof we're not gonna fold at the first sight of trouble." I huffed.

"Are we?" Finch asked. "We are not! there's us and Harlem-" Jack started. "Not so fast, boss. Harlem wants to know what Brooklyn's gonna do." Mush said

"How about Queens?" I ask Specs. Specs jumps onto Race and I and puts and arm around us. "Queens will be right here backing us up!" Specs said, smiling.

"Ya see!" I told Finch, sticking my finger in his face. "As soon as we get the nod from Brooklyn." Specs ended. I let my posture go and slouch down in disappointment. "I got the same fish-eye in Midtown" Race said. Race, with his arm around me, squeezed me in a hug and gave a reassuring look. "What did I tell you last night?" Race whispered. I smile at him remembering last night and how he said we wouldn't let anything happen to me.

Then, I see the Delancey Brothers approaching. "Say, Oscar, looks like we got bum information of a strike happening here today. Not that I'm complaining. My skull bustin arm could use a day of rest. Not that I'd ever hurt you, Kat." Morris says as he gets closer to me. Race grabs my wrist and shoves me behind him.

Morris give up and leaves me alone. "Thanks." I smile at him. Les clings to my waist. "Are we doing the right thing?" He looks up at me.

"Sure we are." I assure him. "Maybe we put this off a couple days?" Race suggests. "No we can't...Say something, Jack, Kat. Tell them if we back off now they will never listen to us again." Davey looked at Jack and I

"We can't back down now. No matter who does or doesn't show. Like it or not, now is when we take a stand." Jack explains.

"How's about we just don't show up for work." Finch suggests. "They'll replace us! They need to see us stand our ground." I say, my voice my stern

The, Crutchie comes running out. "Look what I made! Good huh? STRIKEEE!" Crutchie held up his crutch with a flag. "That's great!" Race admires the flag, but turns back to me. "That's pitiful." I slap his arm.

"Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe Pulitzer will see it out his window and feel sorry for us." Les clutched my hand.

"Hey Specs! Any sign of others!" I look up to Specs who gave us a thumbs down. Then, the circulation bell rang. "The suns up and boids is singin'. A beautiful day crack some heads, ain't it." Weasel smiles smugly.

Morris then steps forward, face to face with me. "You workin' or trespassin'? What's your pleasure." He asks sweetly to me. I lift my hands and grab his suspenders, bring him closer, his eyes light up, but then I rest my foot on his stomach, pull his suspenders as far as they will stretch and let go, causing him to fall.

The newsies cheer. but that dies down when three boys come to the front to get their papers. "Who are they?" Davey asked. "Scabs. Who else?" I hiss at the three boys. "If they think they can just waltz in here and take our jobs-" Finch started

"We can handle them" Crutchie finished. The boys tired to fight the boy. Race tried to get past me put I held him back. "No! We all stand together or we don't have a chance....Jack, Kat!" Davey said

"Listen fellas, I know somebody put yis up to this, Probably paid ya some extra money too. Yeah? Well, it ain't right. Pulitzer thinks we gutter rats with no respect for nothin', includin' each other. Is that who we are? But if we stand together, we change the whole game." Jack spoke.

"And it ain't just about us. All across the city there are boys and goils who ought to be in playin' or going school. Instead, they're slavin' to support themselves and their folks. Ain't no crime to being poor and not a one of us complains that that work we do is hard. All we ask is square deal." I add

"Fellas, for the sake of all the kids in every sweatshop, factory, and slaughterhouse..." Jack started. "I beg you, throw down your papers and join the strike." I begged.

"Please?" Les pleaded

One of the scabs looked around and threw down his papers. "I'm with you!" He yells. We convinced the second scab to throw down his papers.

"You're kidding right?"

"At the end of the day who are you gonna trust? Them? or them?" The boy said to the first scab, throwing his paper bag to Weasel.

The last scab threw down his papers. "Oh what the hell? Me father's gonna kill me anyway." He said.

Then, Weasel spoke. "Time these kids learned a lesson." He growled. "Newsies!" Jack yelled. "Get em!" I shouted.

I threw the papers I had gathered at the men, but the papers do nothing, the men advance on us when Romeo saw the bulls. "It's about time you showed up. They're slaughtering us!" He exclaimed, but the bull slapped Romeo to the floor.

"Cheese it fellas! It's the bulls!" Jack yelled. More bulls arrived and started fighting us. I saw Race backed in a corner, I slid to the man's feet and kicked his feet from under him. That gave Race time to get away. He gave a nod and a quick kiss on the cheek, no one saw it.

Then, a bull came at me running, I ducked his punch and climbed on his back. Race threw me a stack of papers and I untied the string around it and wrapped it around his neck. Race watched me in admiration. I jumped off the bulls back as he fell to the ground.

Then, I turn around and see Snyder. "Not getting away this time." He barked at me. Race jumped in front of me. 'Go!" He ordered. I couldn't leave Race, then, I saw Crutchie getting beat by his crutch. "Crutchie!" I yell. "Jack! Help! Kat! Romeo! Finch!" He yelled.

I ran too him and grabbed the crutch from Morris and hit him with it. Then, Race grabbed my hand. "Kat. We need to leave." Race warned

" I'm not leaving him!" I yelled as I kept hitting Morris. Snyder pushed me to the ground and took back the crutch. I got to my feet and tried to approach the men, but Race held me back. I tired to get free from Race's grip.

Race wrapped his arms around my waist as they dragged Crutchie away. "No!" I cried. Race still had ahold of me, he swung me around and let me go. He took a look at me and examined my wounds. I still had my black eye from yesterday and the chin mark, but I had bruises everywhere.

I brought me in and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. "You're ok." He whispered.