Dreams Change

Chapter 6

"Sorry we're late," Davey called out as he and Les rushed into Newsies Square the next morning. "We had to help are mom with something."

"They have a mother? I was gonna get me one," Race said.

"What'd ya do with the one you had?" Romeo asked.

"He traded her for a box of cigars," I answered with a laugh.

"Eh, they was Coronas!" 

"We have a father too," Les stated.

"A mudda and a father."

"Well ain't we the hoi polloi?" 

"So how's it going today?" Les asked.

"Ask me afta they put up the headline, kid," I said, ruffling his hair. He smiled up at me before something caught his eye.

"Here it comes now!"

New Newsie Price: Sixty Cents Per Hundred

"New Newsie price!" I exclaimed.

"What'd you say?" Mush asked glancing up at the headline. Everyone else quickly followed suit. 

"Is that news?" Davey questioned.

"It is to me," I replied.

"They jacked up the price of papes. Ten cents more a hundred!"

"I could eat two days on a dime!" Finch called.

"I'll be sleeping on the streets," I heard Crutchie say.

"You already sleep on the streets," I said.

"In a worse neighborhood." I stifled a laugh.

"What're you all standing around for?" We all turned to see Jack.

"Get a load of this." Crutchie pointed to the headline.

"Like Pulitzer don't make enough already." 

"Papes for the Newsies!" Wiesel yelled.

"Relax. It's gotta be a gag," Jack said strolling up to the window.

"You think it is?" I asked Finch.

"I think we betta be praying that it is."

"I ain't paying no sixty!" I caught Jack saying.

"Well then make way for someone who will," Wiesel replied. 

"You bet! Me and the fellas will take a hike over to the Journal." A chorus of agreement went up among our group.

"I'll save you the walk," Specs said, rushing in with multiple Newsies following at his heels. "They upped their prices too."

"Then we'll take our business to the Sun!" 

"It's the same all around town. New day, new prices."

"Why the jack-up?"

"For them kinda answers, you gotta ask a little higher up the food chain. So are you buying, or moving on?"

"C'mere fellas," Jack said waving us all over to the wagons.

"They can't just do that!"

"Why not? Its their paper."

"Its their world."

"Ain't we got no rights?"

"We got the rights to starve. Let's just get our papes and hit the streets while we still can."

"At them prices?"

"We got a choice?"

"Hold on, nobody's paying no new nothing," Jack stated, silencing us all.