A Different Path

Chapter 19 - First Fight

Criticism spot! :)

Crutchie's POV

The bell rang and woke me up, and I looked at Jack immediately. To my surprise, he was still asleep, seeming to not be bothered by the bell. I nudged him a little, knowing he'd be upset if we were late.

"Hm..." He didn't open his eyes, instead turning over. I laughed a little, nudging him some more.

"Hey, the bell rang," I said, and he covered his head with his arms, only making me laugh more.

"No," he mumbled, acting like me.

"C'mon, we gotta get up," I nudged him just a bit more, and he finally looked at me.

"Since when do you say stuff like that?" He teased, chuckling as he sat up.

"You'll be upset if we're late," I said as we got ready, smiling at him.

The morning went the same as any other. We got ready, walked to the square with Race, and waited in line for papes. Before we headed out I noticed that Jack was looking around, as though he was trying to find someone. He then looked at Race, confused.

"Wheres John?" He asked, and Race's smile dropped.

"The refuge got him," he said quietly, and I felt Jack's entire demeanor change. 

"Oh," was all he said, looking back down at the paper in order to hide how upset he was. Race dropped it at that, but I knew that I couldn't. I decided I'd wait til we were alone, though, knowing he wouldn't want to talk in front of other people. "Newsies, hit the streets, these papes don't sell themselves!" Jack said, and we took off.

As we walked Jack was completely silent, clearly very bothered. Finally, once Race had left, I gathered all the courage I could and looked at Jack.

"Are you okay?" I asked, but Jack didn't look back at me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He said, sounding harsh.

"You seem upset about John," I tried speaking quietly, but I could tell that Jack was getting angry. 

"I'm not," was all he said back, and I decided to drop it, not wanting to be a bother. We separated at our usual spot, not saying another word.

I went straight home once I had finished selling, hoping that Jack would be in a better mood. I could tell just by the way the ladder shook, though, that he wasn't, and I tensed up. He ignored me once he got to the top, grabbing a change of clothes and leaving right away before I could say anything. I sat there for a moment, confused, wondering if I should go after him. I decided against it, but thought that Race may know what to do, so I left for his room.

"Race?" I said quietly as I knocked on his door, hearing shuffling from the other side.

"Hey!" He said as he opened the door, smiling. 

"I need your help with somethin' if that's alright," I began, and he nodded.

"Of course, c'mon," he said, motioning to his bed. We sat down on it, and Race waited for me to continue in silence.

"I'm worried about Jack," I finally said, looking at him.

"What's goin' on?" He asked, listening closely.

"He's been acting super weird since you said John was in the refuge. I mean, really, really weird. For example, when he got home, he grabbed a change of clothes and left right away, not saying anything to me." I explained, trying to be quiet just to be sure no one else would hear.