counterfeit [newsies x reader]

chapter twenty-three

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"BRAINSTORMING"

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AFTER A FEEL-GOOD MORNING with the boys, Davey, Katherine, Les, Race, and of course yourself decided to figure out what to do next. All five of you had begun walking back towards the Lodge. You had all originally planned on Jack to show up again and help take everything by the reins, but he obviously hadn't made an appearance in quite sometime and you weren't going to be wasting valuable time just sitting around.

"So, do we find Jack first or what?" Race asked, attempting to get the ball rolling.

You shrugged and looked at the ground as you thought for a little bit. What were you going to do?

"We should let everyone know what we're trying to do." Katherine suggested.

"Even so, how are we supposed to get hundreds of newsboys on our side, especially when they barely understand what we're trying to do?" You rhetorically asked. "Even though we have Brooklyn on our side now, we're gonna need a lot more than that to convince everyone."

Everyone fell silent as they tried to figure out what on earth would be the best solution. You could always just put posters out, but what for? Not to mention, why would they give Manhattan the time of day when they could be out selling.

"I've got it." Davey had stopped right in his tracks, causing everyone to slow down and come back. Everyone payed close attention and waited for him to say it. You could see it was taking him a bit longer than usual, he was probably articulating the words in his head, making sure what he said was clear.

"We hold a rally, not just one to get attention or make a statement," he explained, "but to explain the purpose of the strike to everyone who wants to know the stakes, that way they'll know what they're getting into and why."

It had been a clear objective to originally hold an event with everyone to gain support, but now Davey's plan had brought it to the next level.

"Davey, you're a genius!" You exclaimed, moving forward to hug him around his chest. You stepped back and looked at him in the eye. "Not that I didn't know that of course." You added, a big grin on your face. You couldn't help but notice Davey's face turn pink, but your attention didn't stay there for long, as Race cleared his throat.

"Wouldn't it also be more effective if some newsies knew about it?" He asked.

"Of course." Katherine added, "We can all split up and spread the word to the different boroughs. Race why don't you head back to the lodge and send some newsies from there?" She had already began to direct everyone into the proper direction, it was almost like it was in her blood. Race had nodded, but waited for his final cue to leave.

"I'll take Brooklyn." You offered.

"Woah, woah, you're not going without me." Davey piped in.

"What's the big deal? I've gone before." You explained. It wasn't that scary once you got used to Greaser cackling every five seconds.

"When you were Frank." He firmly stated. "I'm going with you."

"I second that," Race added in, "no need in you going alone."

You sighed, of course it came down to this. It was obviously nice to have people who cared about you and your safety, but part of you wanted to go over to Brooklyn on your own. Maybe it was a way to prove yourself, or maybe you just wanted to talk to Spot Conlon on your own. One thing you did know, they weren't going to let you go alone.

"Fine." You exhaled, "I'll take Davey with me."

Katherine nodded, obviously amused by the scene she had just witnessed.

"Okay, Les and I will start looking for Jack." She said, "You guys can too, once you get back."

You nodded, it sounded like a plan. Both you and Davey would make the trek to Brooklyn, to explain to Spot what was going on. He had made it obvious that he wanted to be a part of whatever the strike had to offer. Part of you was nervous about seeing the entirety of Brooklyn as yourself, but you knew that everything would turn out just fine, especially since you had Davey with you.

Katherine divvied up the rest of the plan and the jobs it had to offer before giving the go to leave. You and Davey were to head to Brooklyn, tell Spot about the rally before heading back to Manhattan to look for Jack. After you found Jack you would work from there. Race was to do the same, with the exception of sending other newsies to the remaining boroughs. Kath and Les were going to get a head start of looking for Jack. You'd all meet back at the lodge later that night if everything went as planned.

Race took his assignment and started making his way toward the lodge. You knew it wouldn't take him long, and he'd already be looking for Jack in no time. He seemed to have a reliable quickness about him at all times.

Katherine and Les followed suit and started to walk in the other direction, listing all the places where Jack might be.

Davey and yourself began the astounding trek to Brooklyn. The two of you would have to cross a bridge and walk quite a long way just to get there.

Walk all that way to give Spot Conlon some information.