Criticism spot! :)
MUSICAL TIME! Instead of writing out scenes as I did in my previous story, I will cut it short, since I know none of us need a reminder of how the musical goes. At this point, it's the day of the strike. The "fight" WILL be described, as it isn't the same as the musical!!!
Crutchie's POV
I felt Jack start to fix my hair as the bell rang, and I looked up at him, smiling. He smiled back, but I could tell he was stressed. I closed my eyes, wanting to sleep some more, as I always did. He continued to play with my hair for a bit, and I began to drift off as I relaxed.
"We gotta get up," he said, and I opened my eyes again to look at him.
"You nervous?" I asked, and he nodded.
"How could I not be," he joked, making both of us laugh a little. "You remember what to do if things go south, right?"
"Yep. Run into the middle of everything and yell 'come and get me!'" I joked, and he laughed some more.
"Alright very funny, but seriously." I jokingly rolled my eyes, sighing.
"Yes, I know, go hide in the lodging house until you come and get me."
"Good," he smiled some more, then sighing just as I had. "Let's get ready, then."
We got ready slower than we usually did, both of us dreading what could happen. As we started our walk to the square, Race and Romeo quickly joined us, smiling.
"Ready?" Romeo asked, breaking the silence.
"'Course I am." Jack said, trying to sound as confident as he could. To Romeo it might've worked, but to Race and I, it was clear he was scared. "Brooklyn won't be here, though."
"I talked to the other fellas, it's just us. They all want to know what Brooklyn will do, and won't help unless they join." Race broke the news, and I could feel Jack grow even more nervous.
"That's alright. We can do this on our own, and hopefully by tomorrow, they'll all join." Jack continued trying his best to seem sure of himself, but once again, it was clear to me that he was getting more nervous with each step we took.
We reached the square eventually, Davey and Les both already waiting for us. It didn't take long for the rest of the fellas to show up, and we waited impatiently for the Delancey's to open the gate. As we waited, Jack turned to everyone, grabbing their attention.
"We ain't doin' this strike to cause trouble. We're here because they can't treat us like we're nothing!" Everyone agreed with Jack, and I couldn't help but smile as he spoke. "This strike will be completely peaceful, unless they swing first, got that?" Jack then turned back to face the gate, seeing that the Delancey's had finally arrived and were unlocking it.
"Huh, even brought the crip to the strike?" Oscar spat, but I refused to let it bother me. Jack ignored him, too, instead walking right past him and standing near the wagon. We all huddled around it, too, waiting to see what would happen next.
"You kids are really goin' through with this strike?" Morris then chimed in, getting in Romeo's face. We stayed silent, watching closely and secretly hoping he'd swing so we could fight back. As if on cue, Morris did just that, punching Romeo right in the face.
"Get 'em!" Jack yelled, and the entire square grew chaotic.
Weisel was trying to stop as many kids as he could from throwing papes, but was no match for the swarm of boys that were going after him. Davey surprised me as he joined that group, as I expected him to stand back. Jack and I ducked down as a stack of papes flew over our heads, and he looked at me, worried.
"Get outta here," he said, his voice panicked. "I'll meet you there." I nodded, and he took off to get Les hidden.
I was rushing down the alleyways to get to the lodging house, trying to stay out of view of anybody. I was nearly there and began to feel relieved, when two cops turned the corner, heading right to newsie square. I froze, not knowing what to do. More cops soon joined them, and Snyder was in the group, making my heart sink.
"That's one of them!" He yelled, making two of them run at me. I took off down a different alley, trying to go as fast as I could. It wasn't hard for them to catch up, though, and before I knew it I was tackled to the ground.
"No! Please!" I yelled in fear, and Snyder kicked me in the stomach as punishment. This didn't knock the wind out of me, though, and I fought back against the grip of the cops that were trying to hold me down. "Jack! Race!" I screamed, hoping that somehow they'd hear me. Deep down, I knew they wouldn't, and Snyder kicked me again. I could no longer breathe, making me unable to fight back. The cops got off of me and Snyder grabbed my hands, cuffing them.
"It's off to the refuge with you, little man." He spat, grabbing my crutch. He then hit me with it a few times, and dragged me away.
Jack's POV
I had hidden behind a trashbin once the cops showed up, feeling totally defeated. Once things grew quiet, it was clear that the rest of the fellas had ran back to the lodging house, trying to escape Snyder, most of them succeeding. I had told Davey and Les to just go home, not wanting to risk them getting arrested. I finally came out from hiding, heading straight to the lodging house to see Crutchie.
As I opened the door, I felt overwhelmed by how many boys were there. It wasn't more than usual, of course, but it was chaotic, as they were trying to patch one another up. I scanned the room briefly, realizing Crutchie likely went to Race's room. I went right to his door, knocking on it. Race opened it a few seconds later, looking exhausted.
"Hey," he said, broken.
"Hey, can I see Crutchie?" I asked, and Race just stared at me, confused.
"He ain't here," he said, and my heart dropped.
"What?" It immediately felt like time had stopped, and I was hoping he was playing some kind of cruel joke.
"He ain't here, but I'm sure he's somewhere in the lodging house. C'mon, let's look." He quickly said, sensing that I was panicking.
We ran around the entire building multiple times, asking everybody if they had seen him. Nobody had, and we couldn't find him. I stood at Race's door to meet up with him again, fully panicking now.
"Did you find him?" I asked desperately, and he shook his head. "Oh my fucking god," I mumbled, feeling sick to my stomach.
"Here, let's go into my room," he opened his door and we went in, and I sat down on his bed right away, feeling as though I couldn't hold myself up any longer.
"They got him," I whispered, staring at the ground.
"Jack I'm sure he just had to hide somewhere else-"
"Stop trying to make shitseem okay, Race! They got him!" I snapped, beginning to sob. "I- sorry," I quickly added, pushing my hair back.
"It's okay, I know why you're upset. You stay here, and I'll go check, okay?" He offered, and I nodded. "I'll be back soon. Try to stay calm." He then left me alone, and I had to lay down, as I felt like I might pass out at any second.
Crutchie's POV
I was sitting next to the barred window in the room I had been placed in, clutching my side as I breathed heavily from the pain. I hadn't even tried to claim a bed or ask if anyone would share, as I knew it was a lost cause, so I decided I'd set myself up beside the window. It was dark out now, and I was crying quietly to myself as I thought about Jack.
"Crutchie?" I heard a whisper from the fire escape, and couldn't help but wonder if I was dreaming.
"Huh?" I said, turning around. "... Race?" I saw his face lit up by the moonlight, so I shifted over so I was directly in front of the window now.
"Are you okay?!" He immediately asked, clearly panicked. "That's a stupid question, I'm sorry," he continued, moving closer to the bars so he could see me better. "Tell me how you're doing, don't sugarcoat anything." I sighed, looking down.
"He got me good," was all I said, turning back to him.
"What did he do?" I choked up a little, finding it difficult to hold eye contact for long.
"Before he cuffed me he kept hitting me with my crutch and kickin' me in the stomach, and when he brought me here he beat me for a while before throwing me in here." A few tears fell as I spoke, and I stopped as I knew it'd get worse if I continued.
"Has he yelled at you yet?" Race then asked, and I cried harder, only able to nod while I tried to catch my breath. "Crutchie... I'm so sorry," he said quietly.
"It ain't your fault," I managed to get out, wiping my face. "Is Jack okay?"
"He's okay, but he's been lookin' everywhere for you. I have to go and let him know that you're here." I felt my heart shatter, realizing how terrified he must be right now. "I'll come back soon, okay?" I nodded, trying to smile, and Race disappeared.
Jack's POV
It felt as though I was waiting for years, when finally the door handle moved. I shot up from the bed, standing and waiting for what was to come. Race slipped in the room, closing the door gently behind him and looking to me.
"So?" I said, and he just stared back at me, tears in his eyes. "No," I trailed off, and he slowly nodded. I broke down suddenly, falling back onto the bed. Race quickly came to my side, sitting down next to me.
"Breathe," was all he said, but I ignored him. I only sat for a few seconds when I suddenly stopped crying, feeling like I should run to the refuge to see him.
"I need to go," I said, wiping my face dry.
"Jack, you don't want to see him." Race said as I stood, and I tensed up.
"Why?" Was all I could get out, frozen with fear.
"He's... He's in real bad shape."
"Already?" I asked, and Race slowly nodded again. I hesitated for a moment, feeling like everything was falling apart. "I have to go see him." I took off, not allowing Race to say another word.
I ran as fast as I could, feeling like I was running out of time. I ran up the fire escape, knowing that he was likely shoved into the room for the 'worst-behaved' boys. I took a second to catch my breath, trying desperately to see into the room. It was dimly lit, and I didn't see him anywhere.
"Crutchie?" I whispered, and heard shuffling from beside the window. He was soon in my view, looking as though he had already been in here for weeks. "Oh my god," I mumbled, not thinking about it. I put my arm through the bars to hold his hand, and he smiled as best he could. "This is all my fault."
"No it ain't," he quickly defended, and I couldn't help but notice the black eye that was already forming.
"What has he done?" I asked, and he looked down. "Crutchie, don't lie to me. Tell me what he's done already."
"He uhm..." He trailed off, taking a deep, shaky breath. "He beat me bad and yelled at me." It felt as though my heart was getting stomped on, anger growing within me.
"What did he say?"
"He just kept sayin' I was weak, and that I was nothin' without you." He finally looked back up at me, his eyes clearly holding tears.
"Baby... I'm so sorry," was all I could say, and he smiled again.
"It's not your fault, you ain't have to say sorry." I noticed that he was trying his best to stay awake, and immediately felt guilty as I realized I was keeping him awake.
"Go to sleep, I'm gonna stay right here all night." I said, clearly surprising him.
"Are you sure?" He asked, and I nodded.
"I'll be right on the other side of this wall, alright?" He genuinely smiled this time, moving back over to where he had been before I showed up. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep soon after.
I woke up from the bell, quickly returning to the window to see Crutchie. He showed up, smiling. Before we could say anything, though, the door handle moved, and I had to get out of view. Crutchie stood up like everyone else, and I could only listen to what happened, knowing I was powerless to whatever was to come.
"We have a few new boys in here, don't we?" I heard the guard begin, and couldn't help but feel mildly relieved that it wasn't Snyder. He was walking around the room and spitting insults at every kid, asking each new one what their name was. As his voice grew closer, I knew he was getting to Crutchie, and I tensed up. "Ah, another kid who wants pity." He said to him, and I quickly realized that he was going to get a real bad beating, as when he got yelled at, he'd shut down and not respond to questions. "I hate ones like you who are weak. I dunno why we waste our time on you." He continued, and I could almost feel Crutchie's fear through the wall. "What's your name, kid?" He then asked the dreaded question, and I hoped quietly for Crutchie to answer.
"I- uhm," was all he got out, audibly terrified.
"C'mon, spit it out." He said, but things grew silent. Before I knew it, I heard him get hit real hard, and balled up my fists from anger. "What the hell is your name?" He asked once more, and I prayed that he'd be able to answer this time.
"Ch- Charlie Morris," he got out, but I couldn't even feel happy, as it hurt to hear how scared he was.
"Wasn't so hard, was it?"
The guard continued around the room, eventually getting through everyone. I knew what was coming next, and a few tears fell while I thought about it. He'd soon call up a few kids, and they'd be getting a beating in order to teach them a lesson. There was no doubt in my mind that Crutchie was on that list, and I knew he'd get it bad.
"Alright, I need the following kids to come up here and get in line." The guard said at last, and I tuned out every name he said as I waited to hear for Crutchie. For a brief moment, I thought that maybe he'd gotten lucky and wasn't picked today. "Lastly, Charlie Morris."
Crutchie's POV
We were led to a nearby room and lined up, each of us tense. Snyder walked in moments later, looking all of us up and down. He did this for a while before pointing to one kid, motioning for him to step forward. He did just that, and Snyder stared at him for a moment before hitting him as hard as he could.
He got through a few boys before picking me, and I felt terrified as the other boys that had already received their beatings were unable to stand, needing to be dragged out by a guard. He knocked me down to the ground and began to kick me as hard as he could, knocking the wind out of me multiple times before he focused on my bad foot, as I predicted. After a while of this, he grabbed me by my shirt collar, inches away from my face.
"Either you stop actin' like a crip, or I'll tell your Dad to get you." He spat, and I felt my stomach drop. He threw me back to the ground, motioning for one of the guards to take me back to the room.
Once we had arrived he dragged me in, throwing me next to the window where I had been before. I sat myself up and cried, feeling nightmarish waves of pain shoot through me.
"Crutch?" I heard, realizing Jack was still here. "Crutchie, c'mere," he whispered, but I felt frozen.
"I can't," was all I could get out through gritted teeth, clutching my side.
"Whattya mean?" Jack asked, understanding what I was saying, but wishing he had heard me wrong.
"I can't move," I managed to say, and Jack soon stuck his hand through the bars. I took it, weeping as we sat there together.
"Take deep breaths," he said gently, and I could tell he was crying.
"Go take care of the strike, I'll be okay," I let go of his hand, feeling that he was surprised.
"No, I can stay here-"
"Jack, go. They need you." I quickly cut him off, not wanting to fight him on it.
"Fine, but I'm coming back tonight, okay?" He said.
"Okay," I got out before another wave of pain came over me, hearing him head down the fire escape soon after.
I spent the entire day slipping in and out of consciousness, still finding it difficult to move. I was unable to get food, as I would've had to fight off many other kids to get a portion, and knew I'd lose. It felt like an eternity before I heard footsteps climbing the fire escape, and I shifted over to the window as best I could.
"Hey," Jack said, sitting down. "Were you able to eat?" I shook my head, and Jack handed me a piece of bread. "Here."
"Jack, I-"
"Crutchie, eat it." He said, and reluctantly, I did. I couldn't stop thinking about what Snyder had said, and felt desperate to figure out how to walk. Jack could tell something was particularly bothering me, and he put his hand through the bars again. "What's wrong?"
"Snyder said that if I don't stop pretending to be a crip then he'll tell my Dad I'm here." I mumbled, beginning to cry.
"I won't let him get you, okay? I'm gonna get you out of here." He responded quickly, squeezing my hand. "He won't get anywhere near you."
"I have to figure out how to walk," I said, and I could tell that he was trying not to cry.
"How about this. You get some rest, and in the morning, we can figure it out. Okay?" I nodded, sighing. "I'll be right here, so you're safe. I know you didn't sleep much last night." I smiled a little at him, shifting back to where I had been earlier.
"Thank you," I whispered, laying down.
"No need to thank me. I'll be right here." He said back, and I finally was able to sleep.
In the morning, I shifted so I was in front of the window again, but I didn't say anything to Jack yet, as I knew that we'd have to stop talking almost immediately. Jack did the same, and we both waited for the guard to come in. When the door finally opened, though, it was Snyder, holding a checklist.
"The following boys have family coming to get them at noon today." He said bluntly, and my heart began to pound. I felt as though I passed out while he read the names, as I couldn't understand a single one he said. I could almost feel Jack tense up, too, likely feeling exactly how I did. "Charlie Morris..." He finally said, and it felt as though everything around me fell apart. He called out a few more names before turning back to the door, looking at us once more. "If your name was called, you won't be picked for a beating." He then left without another word, and I felt paralyzed with terror. I heard Jack move, but I didn't turn to face him.
"Crutchie, look at me." He said, trying to stay calm. I didn't move, instead continuing to stare straight ahead as it all sunk in. "Look at me," he pushed, and I slowly looked to him. "It's gonna be just fine. I'm going to get Race and Romeo, and we're gonna get you outta here before noon, okay?" I didn't respond, instead just staring back at him blankly. He took off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
(word count - 3490)