Seizing The Day//A Modern Day Newsies Story//COMPLETED

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TW: Use of/mentioning of dead-names, bs rules, discrimination

Jack POV
Another new rule?! I thought, incredulously. Our gang looked around at each other, all of us obviously at a lose for words. The best we could hope for is a rule that doesn't effect us, or one that was fair.

"The new rule goes into effect immediately. Any gay relationships within the school will not be tolerated, and you will get detention if it is shown. All staff and teachers are forced to use the birth name and pronouns of all students, and students are strongly advised to do so." Pulitzer was staring right at us. Right at the biggest group of LGBTQIADP+ people in the school. This is for us. This is his sick and twisted revenge. I realized.

Then, something happened that made me absolutely sick. People clapped. They cheered. They started PRAISING these rules. I was too shocked to even comprehend that Pulitzer had kept on talking, and that the assembly was almost over. Soon my teacher was calling for his class, and I numbly followed them.

"Can, can he even do that?" Race, who was in my class, asked. I shrugged half-heartedly. The rest of the day was a blur, a mix of emotions. Around the halls I heard names that I now hated hearing, because they were the dead-names of my friends.

Once the school day was gone, and the last bell had finally rung, I found my feet taking me to the table. To my surprise, the gang joined me. We sat in silence for a few moments, before Albert broke it.

"What can we do now?" His voice was quiet, and it definitely didn't have its old energy behind it.

"Nothing, really." Specs stated, sadness lacing his voice.

"N-no there has to be something!" Sarah argued.

"There isn't. We would never be able to get enough people to do another strike." Davey explained.

"Yeah, most of the people here are homophobic jerks." Elmer practically growled. Everyone agreed with that statement.

"The only people I know personally are Thomas, Joan, and Talyn." Crutchie responded. The table descended into silence. It lasted for what felt like years.

"I have to go to practice. I will see what some of the guys think about this." Spot said, getting up from his spot. This caused a chain reaction, and soon Race and I were walking together towards Medda's car. She looked downright furious.

"He has no right to do this!" She yelled as Race and I slipped into the car.

"Uh, Medda?" Race asked, timidly.

"Yeah?"

"Can we just, listen to the radio." Medda wore a sympathetic look for a moment before turning on the radio. We sat in silence for the remainder of the car ride. When we got home, Race immediately locked himself in his room. Medda and I heard commotion and soft yelling coming from there, but knew we should talk to him about it later.

I said a quick goodbye to her and went to my room. I turned on a nostalgic playlist and just listened to the songs for hours. They helped calmed me, mostly by helping me remember easier times. My phone buzzed occasionally, but I didn't have the energy to look at it.

A rule. One stupid stupid rule. And now my life is basically ruined. I lamented. One rule and suddenly I am stripped of a major part of me. Now I can't be who I am. I have to lock that away once I get to school.

For a while, school had felt like an open field. A fun placed to hang out with friends and learn cool things. But in the span of one sentence, that field was suddenly a prison. A prison where all of my friends and I were being held.

Medda never called us for dinner that night. She just knocked on our doors and left a plate of food there. At some point in the evening, Race knocked on my door. I let him in, and we sat it silence on my bed, listening to nostalgic songs. Wondering what we were going to do now that a part of us was being stripped away.