Headlines || Javey ⁂༄

1 - Meeting

5:30 am ought to be the best time of day. To see the sunrise over the high rises of Manhattan. To hear the leaves carefully brush the dusty brick roads in dance with the cooling, summer breeze. Although the temperature dropped in the morning, it didn't bother Jack Kelly. It made him feel like he was out of the muggy streets of New York for once.

Instead, he imagined he was out on the dazzling streets of Santa Fe. Living out in the open with no one after him. Maybe even on a beautiful Sunday morning with no sorts of labour in sight. Savouring in the serenity of the small town. A town of no worries. Santa Fe was the big dream.

With a big smile on his face, Jack refused to open his eyes and face any other reality. It wasn't till he was tapped in the side with a crutch that he recognised he was still stuck in Manhattan. "You thinkin' about that place, huh?" Crutchie asked, bumping Jack with his elbow and gazing down at the alleyway they resided in. Jack groaned, "when am I not?" He tossed his hands over the railing and dumped his face into his arms. "Heh... you still got hope?" Crutchie's voice was weary. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, looking up and turning to his friend. "Of course, d'you?" He asked, a little worried.

Crutchie shook his head and smiled, just a little. Jack grinned and began to laugh, "'Ey, don't tell me you're givin' up on me now?" He playfully punched Crutchie in the arm as they both started to laugh. "No, no... I just... I dunno..." Crutchie murmured, preparing to hit the streets, "You thinks the headline will be interestin' today?" he questioned as Jack helped him get down from their rusted hig hrise.

"Ehh..." Jack simply replied, watching the hustle and bustle downtown Manhattan pass them by.

Every Newsie made their way to the gate at around 7:30 am to see the headline. Jack pushed through the gathering mob, bringing himself and Crutchie to the front of the entrance gate to see what was going on today. "Would ya' look at that, he's out here all bright and early!" Jojo joked, messing with Jack's hat.

"Hey, hey, he probably just skipped out on the daydreamin' this mornin'" Finch continued with a big grin, to which Crutchie couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shuddup," Jack smacked Jojo's hands away from his hat, turning around and starting a fight with him while the others casually spoke. "Heard there's a new kid, see anyone coming in?" Elmer seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Uh-... Don't think so." Crutchie shrugged, looking to Jack, who was practically holding Jojo in a headlock before letting him go. "Heard there's two of them, might be twins." Specs informed the group, glancing quickly at Mike and Ike. "Whoever they are, they better not be taking my spots. I've been talking to a group of pretty ladies there. They likes the cigar." Race seemed to be joking, holding his cigar between his fingers before Albert hastily swiped it off him. "Yeah, as if." Albert retorted, holding the cigar up, just out of Race's reach. Finch grabbed the cigarette from Albert and ran with it, laughing along with Albert as Race yelled at them to give it back. "What're ye jealous?" Race  called after the two.

After a close call with the Delancey, the group grabbed their papers, stuck with yet another boring headlines nonetheless. Newsboys flooded the streets, looking for the easily fooled bums to buy their newspapers. Watching the people pass by, Romeo and Jack rested against the old and rusting statue of Horace Greeley, already having sold a few of their papers with some white lies. "Jack, honestly, what d'ya thinks of the new kid?" Romeo brought up as Jack placed his hat on his face and tried to balance it. "Dunno, tells you whens I see him." He replied, leaning to the side to make sure the hat didn't fall. Romeo smacked him, knocking the hat anyway, "he's right there ya buffoon!" He told Jack. Jack grabbed his cap off the floor and went to punch Romeo in the side but turned to see someone on the road, crying out the headline and trying to get a wealthy couple to buy the paper, smiling and insisting it's worth the penny. "Who's he?" Jack asked, suddenly awestruck. Romeo blinked a few times, throwing his hands up "I'm sure I just told you this-"

"The new kid..." Jack repeated, before regaining his composure and immediately making his way through the crowd to say something. Romeo sighed, watching Jack from the side like a parent watching their small child going to execute this big plan they thought of in a second and probably about to fail miserably at it.