Newsies Imagines

Prince (Spot)

Spot stands at the outskirts of the main room of the lodging house, leaning idly against a wall. It's been a long, hard day, and he wants nothing more than to go to bed and forget everything that happened. Despite his whole 'King of Brooklyn' reputation as a ruthless leader, people tend to forget that Spot's still a teenager. His unfazed glare is just a facade; behind it, someone still struggles to grow up too fast in a world that needs him to do the work of five just to survive.

A voice shouts out from behind him. "Hey, Spot! Got someone new here. They think they want to sell papes with us." Spot waves a hand at the approaching figure without looking. "We already got enough mouths to feed." The voice shouts back. "This one can pay! They was a newsie from Queens, and they got the pennies to prove it." This piques Spot's interest, and he turns around to see Snaps, one of the many Brooklyn newsies, approaching. There's another boy not far behind him.

Spot fixes the newcomer with a piercing gaze. To be honest, he's not sure how he feels about this guy. He's already got a newsie cap, but it's pulled low over their forehead to hide their face. They don't look Spot in the eyes, as if they're afraid of something. Fear isn't something Brooklyn newsies should even know about.

"Who are you, and why did you leave Queens to come to Brooklyn? Don't you know we're tougher than any of youse?" The boy just shrugs. "Queens got boring. Figured I wouldn't have that problem here." Spot stares for a moment longer, then breaks into a short laugh. "Okay, I like this kid. Welcome to Brooklyn."

Spot gestures for the newcomer to follow him. "Come on. Bunks is in here. This one's empty, that'll work for you. You used to be a newsie in Queens, so I assume you know the rules. Get up and ready by the circulation bell. Sell your papes and don't take no for an answer. You already eaten tonight?" The new boy nods, and Spot raps his knuckles distractedly against the bunk before starting to head out. "Stay up however late you want. The rest of us will head out in an hour or so."

You've done it. You really just did it. You're now a Brooklyn newsie. It had taken everything you had to go through with your plan, even though you'd been thinking it through for weeks. Get up with the other Manhattan newsies like usual, pretend you were just going through a normal day. When the other boys leave, you pack your bag, dress up like a boy, and head over to Brooklyn, making sure you're not seen on the way there. You say you're from Queens, they let you in. End of story.

Only, that's not really the truth. Yes, you'd been a newsie before, but only barely. You were great at selling papes, that wasn't the problem. No, the real obstacle standing between you and surviving on the streets of Manhattan was your brother. Jack Kelly.

See, Jack seemed to have some sort of old-fashioned idea that girls couldn't- or shouldn't- sell papes. Every time you tried to head out with the other newsies, he'd stretch out an arm in front of you with that same skeptical look on his face. You can almost hear his voice now. "And where do you think you're going?" You always said the same thing. "Out to sell papes like anyone else." You had tried to argue that you had to support yourself in some way, that it wasn't fair that the other Manhattan boys had to slave away on the streets while you just sat around all day, but Jack wouldn't hear a word. He'd make you stay at the lodging house, off the streets and out of trouble, or at least according to him.

You knew that he didn't mean anything by it, that he was just trying to protect you. Jack felt guilty that his own sister would have to be selling papes right beside him, and he figured that as long as you didn't have to do the same exhausting work you would be fine. However, you were sick of it. You could sell papes just as well as him, and you were tired of being nothing more than an afterthought. That's why you decided to run away to Brooklyn. It was the last place Jack would look for you, and it would finally give you a chance to sell papes and really earn your spot alongside the other newsies.