Newsies One Shots

New Kid

Seven-year-old Sammy Jackson thought he had a pretty good life. Sure, he came from a poor family, and they hardly ever had enough money. And he didn't have a mother. But he was taught when he was two; if he had family, he had enough. And so he thought no matter how much food he was given, whether it was a slice of bread or three, he had enough. Sammy didn't play with anyone very often; his only sibling, Tommy was sixteen and had a job, and therefore didn't have time to play with him. So he played by himself.

One day, Sammy's father came home late, and he had his arm in a sling. He headed straight for his bedroom. Sammy looked back up at Tommy. "Tommy?" The boy looked at his younger brother. "Huh?" "Will you play with me now?" Tommy smiled at his younger brother and ruffled his dark hair. "Sure, kid." Papa eventually came out of the bedroom with a broken bottle. "Good for nothing rats!" He grabbed his whip off the wall, and turned to Sammy. "Come here, boy." Sammy did what he asked, and the man snatched his collar and pulled him to the bedroom.

Sammy cried out as the whip dug into his back. He screamed and cried, but it did him no good. Eventually, the boy slipped into unconsciousness, hearing a loud bang and a shout. He awoke to Tommy shaking him worridly. He sighed in relief once the younger boy opened his eyes. "You're alive." Sammy sat up, though he felt a bit dizzy. "Where's Papa?" He looked around, and saw his father laying on the ground a few feet away. He crawled over to him. "Papa? Why are you on the ground?" There was a puddle of red liquid on the ground next to him and on his shirt, but Sammy thought nothing of it.

"Papa? Wake up," he said. Tommy picked him up. "He won't wake up, Sammy. Grab your coat and shoes, and wait for me by the door." He did what Tommy said, and a few minutes later, Tommy grabbed his hand and led him out of the house.

The boys managed to survive for a month on their own. But that was before the brutal cold set in. Tommy would steal some bread, then bring it back to their hiding spot; a space between two trash cans covered by a tarp in an alley. Sammy would stay there, huddled up, and trying to stay warm.

One night, Sammy noticed how pale and sickly Tommy looked. "Tommy? Are you okay?" The older boy immediately nodded, wiping his nose. "Yeah, Sam." He broke into a coughing fit. "I'm fine." The dark haired boy snuggled into his older brother, trying to stay warm. Tommy wrapped his arm around the six-year-old, sighing. He didn't know how much more he could take.

As the month went by, Tommy's cough and runny nose got steadily worse, until he wasn't able to go out for food anymore; it became Sammy's job to steal the bread and bring it back to Tommy. This was how he discovered his charm.

Sammy was out begging for food, and money, when an elder woman passed by, carrying a grocery bag. "Oh, you poor dear," the woman said. She handed him a few pennies. He kissed her hand. "Thank you, kind lady!" The woman smiled and patted his head. "You are such a dear." She pulled a loaf of bread out it of her bag and handed it to him. "There you are, dear."

Sammy ran back to the shelter. "Tommy! Tommy! He crawled underneath the tarp. "Tommy, look what I got!" He broke off a price of the bread and shoved it towards Tommy, who weakly pushed it away. His breathing was shallow, and he coughed. "Sammy..." He paused to cough again. "Ya gotta go somewhere. Stay alive. But you can't stay here. I ain't gonna be here much longer, Sam. Just... Stay alive. Don't get caught. I love you, Sammy." The boy took his cap off his head and placed it on Sammy's, before he hugged his younger brother one more time, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Then be leaned back, and closed his eyes. He didn't move again.

Sammy shook his brother gently. "Tommy. Tommy! Wake up, ya gotta wake up!" But Tommy didn't wake up. Sammy hugged his brother's limp body, before crawling out of the shelter, wiping his eyes. He tugged at his brother's body, and eventually managed to drag it into the street. He didn't know where to go. Sammy wandered around, until he found another alley. He pulled his coat around him, tugged at his too big hat, and sank down onto the ground. The young boy pulled his knees to his chest, and began to sob.

A voice interrupted him. "Hey, kid." Sammy sniffled and wiped at his eyes hurriedly. Someone knelt next to him. "Hey, kid, you okay?" Sammy looked up, and saw a boy wearing a hat like his, who looked about Tommy's age. He had shaggy black hair and brown eyes. "You got any folks?" Sammy shook his head. "Not anymore." The boy nodded. "You wanna come be a newsie?" Sammy shrugged. "I don't know what that is." The boy smiled. "We newsies sell the papes. Without us, nobody knows nothin'. It ain't the best. But ya got a place to sleep and dinner every night." Sammy nodded. "I guess." The boy stood. "I'm Coals. You got a name, kid?"
"Sammy."
Coals shook his head. "That don't suit ya. I'll think of a name for ya soon enough. Come on."

"I still got a few papes to sell, so I drop you off at the lodge and then finish sellin'," Coals was explaining. Sammy shook his head. "I wanna see what it's like to sell." Coals shrugged. "Okay, then. Stick with me." Sammy watched Coals hawking his headlines. He couldn't read very well, but didn't think they were exactly true. Just the same, he kept his mouth shut and learned against a street sign, the wind ruffling his dark hair. "Coals?" The older boy turned to him. "Yeah?"
"Can I try selling one?"
Coals smiled. This kid would be a hard worker, he could tell that already. "Sure, kid. Look cute." He handed a paper to Sammy, who took a few steps away from Coals.

"Extra, Extra! Read all about it!" He yelled over the wind. A young lady stopped and bought a paper, handing him a penny. Like with the elder woman, Sammy kissed the woman's hand. "Thank you, kind miss!" He looked up at her with a toothy grin. The women smiled, and handed him a dime. Once the woman had gone, Sammy rushed to Coals. "Coals! Look what I got!" He showed him the dime and the penny. Coals grinned at him. "Nice goin, kid. Let's head to the lodge, I've sold the rest of mine."

When they reached a building, Sammy stopped. "What if they don't like me?" Coals smiled at him. "You'll be fine, kid. Come on." He stepped into the building, and Sammy followed. "Hey, boys! Listen up." The room of crowded boys immediately quieted down. "This is our new kid. Treat him like he's one of us, because now he is." "What's his name?" A boy with blue eyes and blonde hair piped up. Coals looked at Sammy and grinned. "The kid's a charmer. Call him Romeo."

How was that? 1254 words, that's the longest one yet! I thought I'd take a break from romance, for a bit. Do you want to see more of how the boy's got to the lodge?