His Challenger (ON HOLD)

STRIKE

Your POV
I woke up the next morning, with a sigh. I quickly got dressed, and headed out. "Youse late Jaguar." Jack said, as he glared at me. I stayed silent. "I didn' get much sleep..." He scoffs and starts walking away. I sigh and look down.

Is there anythin' I can do tah prove myself? "Don't let him bother ya Jags..." Race said as he came up next to me. I give a laugh, but it's not genuine. "I ain't bothered by nobody." Race gives me a look, he acted more like a brother than Jack did. "Jags, youse and I both knows that ain't true." He looks up and points at Jack before turning back to me. "Youse and I both knows he's the only one who bothers ya."

I sigh, and look down. "I know..." he pats my shoulder and we keep walking. We get there and there's a commotion. "What's going on?" Race asked. "They jacked up the price! You hear that Jack? Ten cents a hundred! You know, it's bad enough that we gotta eat what we don't sell, now they jack up the price! Can you believe that?" Blink yelled.

"Them scabbas did what?!" I yelled back. "Lemme talk to 'im, it ain't true. It ain't." I tried to get through, only for Jack to shove me back harshly into Race behind me. (Not meaning to make Jack such a jerk in this but oh well). I look down, avoiding his glare.

"Well, listen. One thing for sure, if we don't sell papes, then nobody sells papes. Nobody comes through those gates until they put the price back to where it was." Jack stated, I looked up as the new guy, Davey spoke. "You mean like a strike?" "Yeah, like a strike." "Are you outta your mind?" Race questioned.

"It's a good idea!" I piped in. "Shut it Jaguar." Jack snapped. I looked down and kept quiet again. "Hey why don't you let him talk?" Dave asked. "'Cause he neva has somethin' useful tah say. It's best if he keeps quiet." I tried not to visibly flinch at his harsh words. "Jaguar what are you thoughts on this?"

I slowly looked up and everyone seemed to actually want to listen. Except Jack, who was still glaring harshly. I looked back down shaking my head. "Come on Jags, wese listenin'." My head snaps up hearing Blink. "Well, if it's just us... wese just a buncha angry kids with no money.... but maybe if we got every newsie in New York—"

Jack then cut me off. "Yeah, well we organize. Crutchy, you take up for collection. We get all the newsies of New York together." Crunchy nods, and I go silent again. Race pats my shoulder and offers a small smile. Dave's shakes his head. "Jack, this isn't a joke. You saw what happened to those trolley workers."

"Yeah, well that's another good idea. Any newsie don't join with us, then we bust their heads like the trolley workers." I was scared but I couldn't let Jack know that. He would hate me even more. Jack and Davey continued to argue until Davey agreed to help Jack.

"Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights." I said to myself quietly. Davey glances at me, then turns and repeats it to Jack, who then gets up and stands on the statue and speaks to the Newsies. "Hey listen! Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect the rights of the
working boys of New York!"

They started cheering. "Well, that worked pretty good, so what else?" He asked Davey, who thought for a bit. "They can't treat us like we don't exist." I said again quietly, my thoughts gathering reasons for why this is a good idea. Davey repeated it to Jack.

Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'. Are we nothin'?

No!
Yes.

"If we stick together like the trolley workers then they can't break us up." Davey repeats it to Jack.

Pulitzer and Hearst, they think they got us. Do they got us?
No!
Even though we ain't got hats or badges, We're a union just by sayin' so... And the world will know!

Everyone was getting behind the idea. And no ones will knows who was givin' the support. As everyone filed around Jack cheering and responding as he sang the questions, I suddenly felt invisible.

I slowly backed away from them, and walked away. "Jaguar! Wait! Wait!" I turned around to see Davey running at me, the other Newsies still with Jack. "Whaddeya want? Yah tell me Ise can't do nothin'? I already knows ya don't have tah tell me." I start walking away again. "No Jaguar— is there something else I can call you...?"

I faced him again. "(Mn), my real name." (Mm- Male Name). Not really but oh well. "(Mn), I just wanted to say that Jack should really give your more credit. You really know what you're talking about." He looked back at the others briefly before turning back to me. "Is it because of how he treats you?"

My eyes widened slightly. No one's really noticed how bad he gets under my skin... "Is what you were saying against Hearst and Pulitzer, things you feel when Jack belittles you?" "Why do ya care anyways? Ya barley know me, and Ise fine. Cowboy don't bother me one bit." I snapped and walked away from him.

Davey's POV
I watched him walk away, and someone came up behind me. "He tries tah pretend yah have thick skin... but in reality everything Cowboy does and says tah him, gets unda his skin...." I turn and see Racetrack.

"So then why don't you do anything about it?" "Siblings, can't get between em... and wese all tried...." "All?" "We all Can sees hows much he hurts him... but.... theres nothin' wese Cans do but, check up on him consistently." "He seems different, smarter than most of you, no offense. Why is that?"

"When youse been hurt a lot, ya tend tah be wisa." And with that Race walks back to the others.