Now THIS is an omniscient chapter. Like, it sees into many minds. I love writing this style it's so much fun. Or maybe I'm just an INFP who loves seeing from different perspectives all at once. I'll probably put a space to indicate a major shift in perspective. Anyway. THIS IS IT! Enjoy! :)
"WE BEAT 'EM!" Jack shouts for everyone to hear.
And everyone goes wild.
If anyone thought that Irving Hall was as loud as it could get, deafening even, well... no one is going to walk out of this with perfect hearing ever again probably.
Jack sets Les back on the ground. David hugs him and Jack fully embraces the hug. They're happy. They are both incredibly happy.
Spot and Race smile at each other, cheering too. They hug. Then, realizing what they've done, they pull apart quickly, cheeks red. Eyes averted. Then they go back to look at each other. Race offers the first shy small smile, which Spot returns.
Kid Blink pulls Mush down and kisses him, hiding their mouths behind his newsies cap. Not that anyone cares.
Sarah pushes her way through the crowd. She makes her way over to Jack and David and Les and hugs them all, grinning from ear to ear.
Before anything else happens, David sees Snyder lurking in the distance. He's not the only one.
"Jack! Jack! It's Snyder! RUN!" a chorus from David, Les, Race, Blink, and more shout at him, pushing him away.
Not again.
Jack almost thought everything was going okay. He tries to make a run for it.
Denton catches him arm. "Jack, it's over."
"Whaddaya doin'? It's Snyder! He's gotta run!" a chorus of protests go out.
"No!" Denton begins to explain. "You don't have to run anymore. Not from him."
In all the confusion, they didn't see Snyder being handcuffed, nor did they see the carriage with refuge kids being brought out until now.
And there they unload, and then...there's Crutchie.
"Crutchie!" Jack exclaims and runs up to hug him.
"How ya doin', Crutch?" and "Hey look it's Crutchie!" and more go around. Everyone's glad that their favorite guy with a crutch is back.
"Oh, Jack, ya should've seen it!" Crutchie exclaims, grinning ear to ear. "'E comes stormin' in, wavin' his walkin' stick around like a sword, and then he--"
"Who, Crutchie?" Jack laughs.
"Well, ya know. Your friend." Crutchie points out into the distance. "Him!"
And standing right there is Governor Roosevelt.
The man whose carriage Jack rode on the back on.
"Is that Teddy Roosevelt?" Race whispers to Spot in awe.
There's a lot of other excited murmuring going around, "Roosevelt" heard everywhere in all decibles.
"I think so," Spot whispers back, also awestruck. He wants to hold Race's hand. He keeps glancing at Race, who is standing right behind Jack and Denton, Denton explaining everything. Spot barely catches a word. He's too busy trying to get Race to look at him again, but Race is entranced by Roosevelt being here.
Just like how he was with Medda, Spot muses to himself. He sighs. Oh well.
Everyone is happy at the sight of Snyder is being led off in the same thing that brought the refuge kids back. The thought of Snyder in jail makes them get all excited.
As Snyder is led up the ramp, Crutchie says, "Oh mister Snyder. The first thing you wanna do in jail? Make friends with the rats. See what you have in common." Snyder just glares at him. Before the door closes behind him, Crutchie stops the man and says, "sir, may I?" the man steps back, and Crutchie satsifyling closes the door, locking Snyder away. Everyone cheers louder.
And then he's led away.
"Why does he look like he's smiling?" Mush comments.
It's true. It's...kinda creepy. His ice blue eyes calculating above what appears to be a smile.
Blink shrugs. "Maybe he sees it from our perspective and is happy to be led away for good?" They just look at each other and shrug again. They smile and lace their fingers together.
They truly are meant to be best friends...and more.
And they all watch Snyder disappear into the distance for good.
David, Sarah, and Les watch Jack go talk to Mr. Roosevelt himself. Denton explained to them everything: how the governor heard the story, all the itty bitty details, and now Teddy Roosevelt is offering to take Jack wherever he wants to go.
David tries not to let it show, but...his smile droops when he thinks about what's happening. This is it. He's leaving us. For good. To go to Santa Fe. Like he's always wanted.
But then he notices the amazing smile on Jack's face. David tries smiling too. He looks truly happy. He turns away. I just wished that I would be the one to make him that happy.
"Come on," he tells his siblings, back turned to Jack. "He's moving on."
Jack's smile is wide. Finally.
Santa Fe.
He's nearly there.
He's in the carriage already. He's practically there.
He turns back to find David, tell him what's happening. His smile fades when he sees David and find that his back is turned to him, walking away. He's not even interested it.
What do I have if I don't have Santa Fe?
And yet...this doesn't feel right.
Jack slumps down in the carriage a little.
"Whatever is the matter, dear boy?" Teddy Roosevelt inquires.
"Oh, it's nothing," Jack assures him. "It's just..." he sighs.
"I'm listening."
Jack looks into the kind eyes of the governor, and opens up. "It's just...Davey. He's back there. He's my friend. Really good friend. I met him a week ago, but we've been through so much..."
Roosevelt nods understandingly. "You'll miss him when you're in Santa Fe, I believe?"
"Oh, definitely," Jack responds instantly. I miss him now.
"So what does Santa Fe have that you can't find here?"
And that's the million dollar question.
"Well..." Jack trails off. "It ain't nothin' like New York. Less people. Less people forcing you to be one thing, to work for 'em. I won't sell any more papes. And it's bigger there. All of it. The land, the sun..."
It's the same sun as the one here. Sarah told him that.
But Santa Fe doesn't have any of the Jacobs siblings.
Memories flash through his head. Bumping into David. Les singing Medda's song in his sleep. Sarah's smile as she sees how happy David is. All of them working together to get everyone together for one last strike hurrah. How happy Jack is with any of them, all of them...
And how special Davey makes Jack feel.
Teddy Roosevelt nods sagely as he sees Jack figure it out.
Jack stands up--or tries to. The carriage jostles him back down in the seat. "Mister Roosevelt, sir, honestly, this is a big honor, and everything, I'll never forget it, but..." he looks at the New York he's leaving. All his friends are there. And... "I can't chase a dream of running far away if it means leaving my only family behind."
To most of the other newsies, this was shaping out to be a good day. Even if the price of papers didn't go down, they can now sell back what they didn't sell to the general public. Not to mention now they have rights.
"Try Bottle Alley, or the Harbor," Mush says.
A few beats.
They started the week this way. And now they're ending it this way.
Race takes the cigar out of his mouth. "Try Central Park, it's guaranteed."
In the beginning, it was fast-paced. Now it is lethargic and relaxed.
"Try any bank or bum or barber," Crutchie adds.
"They almost all knows how to read," Kid Blink finishes.
They start walking.
"Summer stinks--" Tumbler begins.
"And winter's waitin'," Skittery says, walking with him.
"Welcome to New York," they say together.
"Boy, ain't nature fascinatin, when you'se got to walk," everyone joins in.
They go to where they hear the circulation bell start ringing. It's refreshing, falling back into a routine, but not exactly the same.
David is in front of the line. He holds up his coin. He slams it down. "Hundred papes." Everyone cheers for him.
Then Mush grabs David's shoulders. "Davey look! It's Jack!"
And there he is, in the carriage, coming back to them.
"It's Jack!" everyone starts shouting with glee. They're all over him when he comes back.
David smiles down at him. Jack smiles up at him. They share a bond that can't be put into words. But it's palpable. And they've come so far from where they began.
"So how's the headline?" Jack asks him, eyebrow raised.
"Headlines don't sell papes," David answers. "Newsies sell papes."
So David's learned. Everyone's happy with that too. It took a week, but they were able to convert him.
David and Jack spit into their hands and shake. The yelling gets louder around them.
"So," Jack starts. "What are we waitin' for?"
And a new day begins.
It's a fine life! Carryin' the banner!
It's a fine life! Carryin' the banner!
It's a fine life! Carryin' the banner!
Race is so caught up in all that's happening that he almost doesn't notice a certain someone get into Teddy Roosevelt's carriage. Almost.
It's Spot.
He's waving to everyone. He looks happy.
Wait.
Spot's leaving?
"Spot! Wait!" Race yells and runs to the carriage. He grabs onto the railing. He's now officially a stowaway. Just like Cowboy. "Where you'se goin'?"
"Relax, dimwit, I'm only goin' to Brooklyn," Spot laughs. He leans back. "In style."
That makes sense.
"Oh," is all Race manages to say.
"Come on, get in here." Spot pulls Race into the carriage and because of the jostling Race ends up on top of Spot.
"Sorry 'bout that." Race untangles himself from Spot and situates himself sitting across from Spot.
This is gonna be a bumpy road.
Spot shakes his head in amusement. "It's okay. Now turn around and look at all of 'em!"
Race does. And he sees them all still. He stands up and whoops and hollers at them. Kid Blink and Mush mirror his actions. He sees Jack and David, and Les and Crutchie, and Sarah and Katherine, and Denton--and look Medda's there!--and everyone else. Jack is just amused with Race. He and David are holding hands.
I knew they would get together. Deny it all they want. They are gonna be together.
Spot just laughs at him. "Sit down, or else you wanna fall out."
Race sits back down, smiling.
Spot smiles at him too. "Now enjoy the best ride to Broolyn you'll ever experience."
"Do you think Race is going away for good?" David asks.
"Nah, he'll bounce back," Jack answers.
"Are we gonna sell papes now?" Les asks.
Jack smiles down at him. "You know we are, kid."
He looks back up at Davey. "And I'm not leavin' ya. You're my family."
David smiles.
And everything is alright.
It's a fine life! Carryin' the Banner through it all.
AHHHHHHHHHHH WE DID IT THAT'S THE STRIKE!!!!!!!!!!
So now I get to go on to what happens after the strike! I'm so excited!!!! Are you guys excited?
So I have a plan. It's more than twelve percent of a plan that is barely a concept but is better than eleven percent of a plan. I love Guardians of the Galaxy, okay?
So I finish strike stuff today. Watch Newsies 1992. Reread my story. Get a cover for this thing. Start the next part of the story. All in good time, of course.
As always, revising will happen later.
Thank you to @broadway_crackers for voting (almost immediately) on all parts of this story and leaving the only comments to be found here. Kudos! :)
In the movie Race and Spot are whispering about Roosevelt standing there and even though Spot slowly gets cut out of the shot you can still see him glancing at Race who is transfixed by Teddy Roosevelt.
Wait a second. I got it up to 2021 words!
See any mistakes? Grammatically, spelling, historical inaccuracy, off the chart movie innacuracy, or anything just plain weird? Tell me! I wanna make this the best story it can be.
Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate, etc in the comment section.
Best,
~Your Beloved Author (who just finished listening to the Newsies soundtrack right now)