I love Once and For All, either version of it. At the beginning there's no true perspective, so I'm not putting a certain perspective up in the title area, just waiting for when it's a certain perspective. I hope you guys can tell that this is a big power moment. Enjoy! :)
This is the story you wanted to write, well tonight is the night that you can. Denton checks over the story.
Just get this done, and by dawn's early light, you can finish the fight you began. Jack helps set up the paper.
This time we're in it to stay. David spreads it out.
Think about seizing the day. Sarah adds the finishing touches.
Think of the that train as it rolls into old Santa Fe, Jack thinks longingly as they finish. Tell 'em I'm on my way!
See old man Pulitzer snug in his bed, he don't care if we're dead or alive. Les has been sent to tell other newsies to come and pick up the papers to give.
Three satin pillows are under his head while we're begging for bread to survive. These would be the first news papers most have picked up all week.
Joe, if you're still counting sheep. And then the newsies begin to come.
Wake up and read it and weep. Boots is first, smiling wide.
You got your thugs with their sticks and their slugs, yeah, but we have a promise to keep. Blink and Mush come together, both happy as well.
Once and for all, something tells me the tide will be turning. Race takes a bunch.
Once and for all, there's a fire inside me that won't stop burning. And they don't stop coming.
Now that the choices are clear, David takes out a load himself.
Now that tomorrow is here, Denton sighs with relief.
Watch how the mighty can fall, for once and for all! "This is gonna work," Jack whispers to himself.
This is for kids shining shoes in the streets with no shoes on their feet every day. "You read?" Race asks a random kid.
This is guys sweating blood in the shops while their bosses and cops turn away. "Read that." Race gives the kid a paper and repeats.
This is to even the score. Jack passes out some.
This ain't just Newsies no more. Sarah covers more ground, asking people everywhere.
This ain't just kids for some pie in the sky, All around them people are reading the papers, of all ages.
This is do it or die, Kid Blink and Mush come back for more to spread to more boroughs.
This is WAR! And all around New York city people are reading and realizing what needs to be done.
Once and for all, we'll be there to defend one another, And more come back for more papers.
Once and for all every kid is our friend, every friend a brother. Race takes a bunch in hand and books it. Someone needs to tell Brooklyn.
Five thousands fists in the sky. There were five thousand newsies in total at the Irving Hall rally.
Five thousand reasons to try. All of them need their rights.
We're goin' over the wall. It's not just the newsies either...
Better to die than to crawl. ...Everyone has been mistreated by those higher up.
Either we stand or we fall. Now is the time to change that.
For once... Because now...
Once and for all. They'll take a stand and complete their fight, for once and for all.
Now all they can do is wait for people to read the paper, figure out what they need to do, and show up in the square for what's going to be the biggest fight of their lives.
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Race
Hopefully I can make it there and back fast enough, Race thinks as he gets to Brooklyn as fast as his legs can take him. Without any new money this week, and with all the strike stuff and whatnot, he hasn't had a good opportunity to come to Sheepshead Bay like his daily routine used to be. He missed this walk. It is a long walk though.
But getting Spot to join in this fight? Totally worth it.
Good thing he knows exactly where Spot Conlon should be at this time of day.
Luckily, he's right in guessing where Spot would be: near the docks, at his perch area.
"Spot!" he calls up to him.
Spot's head turns immediately when he hears his name being called (and the sound of Race's voice? Maybe? Race can't hope for too much), ice blue eyes narrow; he looks exactly what an owl would look like as a fifteen year old human in the day time. Race's heart beats a tad bit faster. And then Spot's eyes widen when he processes that it's Race.
Spot jumps down. "Watcha doin' here, Race?" he asks, not in an unkindly way.
Race waves the paper in front of Spot's face. "We'se back in the game," he says as Spot snatches it and skims most of it. Then he looks up and smiles a true Spot Conlon Smile. It makes Race give him a grin in return. "Tell everyone," he continues. He hands Spot his pile of papers. "It's gonna be big."
Then he turns around. "Now I gotta get back there." Then he takes off running back where he came from, with Spot behind him, watching him grow smaller in the distance.
-----------------
It's been done. All the boroughs have been reached. And not just the boroughs too. Everywhere.
The newsies wait in the square. People should be showing up soon.
"Is anyone coming?" Les asks Jack hopefully.
Jack sighs. "I truly don't know."
"No one's comin'," Mush says, defeated. Kid Blink walks toward him and pats his stomach as he turns around to stand next to him.
Hope is looking pretty bleak.
I thought at least Spot would... Race thinks. But I guess even that was too much to hope.
Jack and David exchange glances. They thought this was going to be big too. And yet they're the only ones here.
Some epic strike this is shaping up to be.
Suddenly, Les ducks away from David and goes toward the big statue. Race follows him.
"When the circulation bell starts ringing," Les begins, "will we hear it?"
Race grins. "Nah." He pretends to want to start a fight. "What if the Delanceys' come out swingin', will we hear it?"
"No!" Les says, smiling up at him.
"Atta boy." Race takes Les's cap off his head and slaps it at him playfully.
A few moments of silence.
And then...
When you got a million voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow?
None of them said that.
That's when they realize: those were real people.
And that's when they realize that they aren't alone.
And the world will know! And then all the people come flooding in.
People from everywhere, all up and down the streets. People of all different ranks, people of all different struggles, people of all different reasons to take a stand now.
Brooklyn comes. Never fear, Brooklyn is here. And there's Spot Conlon, leading them all. Race's heart swells up. He and Spot share a glance. They both smile at each other.
The people just keep coming. Many carry signs. Newsies aren't the only ones denied rights. It's everyone. And they are ready to have their proper human rights.
And the world will feel the fire and finally know! Just the sheer power of everyone saying that one sentence is enough for everyone's confidence to go up.
Race has goosebumps. This is getting so good.
"EVERYONE!" Jack stands up on the statue and shouts. Most of the crowd goes silent.
He's good at that, Race thinks to himself. Jack is a natural born leader.
"Pulitzer and Hearst," he says, for everyone to hear, "and all the people higher than them, too. They think we're nothin'. All of us. Are we nothin'?"
"NO!" the crowd shouts back.
"I said, ARE WE NOTHIN'?"
"NO!!" the crowd roars, even louder than before.
"Are we gonna let 'em take our rights?" Jack asks.
"NO!!"
"So we gotta show 'em that we ain't gonna let them walk all over us. We gonna stomp all over them! Who's with me?"
"YEAH!!"
"I'm gonna go talk to 'em," Jack announces. "And we're gonna show 'em. All of them. Because for once and for all, WE are gonna be the ones who come on top."
The crowd cheers. Race isn't entirely sure he'll be able to hear after this.
Jack takes David with him. Of course. Not only are they obviously in love with each other, but David has the reasoning and sharp mind that will pull them through.
Now, all that everyone down here needs to do now, is wait.
Ahhhhh I love this moment! Except Jack didn't say that much in the movie though haha. I wanted to add that in there.
You guys tired of the strike yet? It's ending soon.
I'm probably repeating myself, but it's true. Once the strike is over, that's when the real story begins. Will I keep all of you interested if I say that all the couples get together in that post-strike time? ;)
Can you guys tell that I'm making up the author's notes down here as I go?
I put in the missing scene where Race goes to Brooklyn to tell Spot what they're doing. You're welcome. :)
I love when Race and Les sing together in the World Will Know reprise. Race and Les are just...I can't. It's just so cute. Race isn't the person you'd suspect would be really good with kids, and yet there it is. And a little earlier too.
Okay but anyone else think that when no one shows up after preparing this whole strike thing is a lot like how in 1992 Newsies didn't do so well in theaters? But then all the people came later, but in real life in the form of fangirls? It's just the perfect parallel.
It's funny, because no matter how long or short I think these chapters are going to be, they always end up at around 1,200 to 1,500 words. This one is getting real close to 1,600 as we speak.
It's got a little over 1,700 words now.
As always, publish first, fully revise later. I should probably change that strategy though...
Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section.
Best,
~Your Beloved Author (who is really glad that their computer started working again because there would have been absolutely no way to go on Wattpad again (okay, that might be a tad bit of an exaggeration) if their personal (very cheap) computer shut down for good)