Newsies Imagines

A Questioning (Spot)

You straighten your hair, your clothes, the bag hanging at your waist. You've been to plenty of places all up and down New York City on reporting business before, you're not sure why this one occasion has you so worried. It could just be that this article is going to be one of the most important articles you've written yet, or it could be because you're going to be headed to Brooklyn, a place known for the particular hostility frequented by the same newsboys you're supposed to be interviewing.

Eventually, your friend has enough of your frenetic fixing of your appearance, grabbing your hands and forcing you to stop moving. Katherine Pulitzer, already well introduced to the newsboys of New York, does not have time for silly things such as fear. "Y/N, you're going to be fine. Honestly." You sigh, looking at her morosely. "You don't know that. I mean, what if they don't even want to do the article at all? That'll send me back to the review pages forever."

Katherine rolls her eyes. "Even if the Brooklyn newsies took one look at you and decided never to say a word to any reporter again- which they won't- you couldn't be fired if you tried. Your last piece on the strike was fantastic. That's why they're giving you this opportunity, right? Because they know you'll be perfect." Despite your growing nerves, this is true. You had taken advantage of the hubbub of the city following the Children's Crusade and the newsboy strike, interviewing teenage shoe shiners and elevator operators alike. They hadn't been willing to speak to that many people, so your words were broadcasted up and down the city. It had been fantastic for the sales of that issue of the newspaper, and fantastic for your career.

So, you've been handed a reporting opportunity regarding the future of the strikers once more. This time, you'll be tracking down the newsies of a select borough, talking to them about how life working for the many New York newspapers has changed and if they still stand by their actions. This alone would be fine, were it not for the fact that you'll be speaking to the Brooklyn newsies. It's not that you think they're going to attack you, more that you have no idea what to say to a group of boys whose preferred weekend activity is soaking errant teenagers. How do you convince a bunch of Brooklyn boys to spill their hearts out for your article?

However, Katherine is right. You're going to get nowhere by merely moping around, so you pick up your bag, square your shoulders, and set off across the city. You intend to show up at the Brooklyn Lodging House around the late afternoon, when the boys will all have finished selling their papes, so you can talk to them freely without interrupting their work schedule.

Despite your forced confidence, you can't help but feel doubt descend on you as you walk through the streets of Brooklyn. You've spoken to a few of the Manhattan newsies before, mainly Jack (at Katherine's insistence) as well as Davey and Crutchie. From what they tell you, the Brooklyn boys are completely different. Even Jack is hesitant to talk to Spot Conlon when he's in a bad mood.

Regardless of your hesitations, you're still a reporter, and you have to get through this job. You've been through enough with the idiot journalists on your newspaper team that you can't stomach returning an empty pad of paper to them, so you must walk on. Even certain death at the hands of the Brooklyn boys is better than the jeering looks you're sure to endure if you back down. So, you walk resolutely across the cobblestones, pausing only once before the door of the Brooklyn Lodging House to settle your thoughts before marching past the threshold.

All eyes descend on you the second the door clicks shut behind you. The boys look up, curious as to why you could possibly be there. Remembering yourself, you clear your throat once before you start talking, delivering the speech you'd run through countless times in your head on the walk over. "Good afternoon. My name is Y/N, and I'm a journalist for the Evening Telegram. I'd like to speak to you about how life has changed after the strikes."