wouldn't you like to know

- 8 -

Spot was pacing back and forth in front of the circulation gate as the newsies waited for it to he opened, debating on whether he should follow Lilly to Manhattan or not. He knew that the strike could easily turn to chaos and the Manhattan newsies knew it as well. He hoped that Jack or Race would bring her back any second now, with her signature whining and complaining. But that didn't happen.

"papers for the newsies, right here!"

"she's fine, Spot." Hot Shot reassured and put a hand on his shoulder.

"ya don't gotta worry 'bout 'er." Felix stated as he approached the leader. "she wanted a playdate with the 'Hattan newsies, so she went. If he gets hurt, it ain't our fault." He simply shrugged.

His statement resulted in a punch on the shoulder by Hot Shot. "way ta care." He grumbled as he walked away.

"Spot, I don't have 'nuff money no more." A younger newsie called Ice complained.

"me too." Blue added. A chorus of me too's rang among the younger newsies.

Spot sighed and put his face in his hands. "part of me is really considerin' this strike right now." He mumbled to himself.

"do ya want me ta send out spies to 'Hattan?" Felix questioned after he heard the mumbling.

"nah, we's gonna go ourselves." Spot replied as he stared straight ahead at the direction to Manhattan. He pulled out 60 cents worth of money and passed them on to the younger newsies. He then instructed for them to buy their newspapers and turned back to the group. "Shot, Zip, Wilder, Skipps, Temper!" He called in which the newsies in question approached their two leaders. "we're headin' to 'Hattan, get a move on. Loudmouth!"

The 14 year old perked up when he heard his name. "yes boss,"

"yer in charge." He appointed. He then called on a few other newsies who usually act as spies for him to accompany them to Manhattan.

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Spot hid behind the newspaper wagon as soon as he arrived. There was a fight going on between the newsies, the Delancey brothers and Weisel. He watched as punches were thrown all over and a ten year old practically being thrown around by Jack and Davey. Lilly was nowhere to be seen, so he shifted around his spot to get a better angle. It was then when he watched her get knocked down to the floor by one of the Delancey brothers, in which he let out a quick gasp.

The brawl suddenly came to a halt and the newsies seemed to all be focusing on a particular thing. But from his position, he couldn't see what they were looking at.

Romeo was the first to move. "it's 'bout time ya showed up, they're slaughterin' us!" He tattled, assuming that whoever was there were on their side. The next thing he saw was Romeo knocked down to the floor and the chaos erupting once again.

"beat it!" Jack ordered. "cheese it, it's the bulls!" The newsies tried to obey and run away, but there was an officer or two in every corner who would stop them from leaving.

Spot gripped his slingshot in his back pocket. He thought that it seemed the Delancey brothers knew that Lilly was a girl because of the way that they kept on targeting her. He decided that he's had enough of sitting around, so he climbed the back of the newspaper wagon and made a grand entrance by jumping on top of it.